A Story of a Noble Lady Who Was Ravaged by an Incurable Disease and Covered in Bandages All Over Her Broken Body; After Healing Her, She Turned Into a Stunning Beauty and Started Desperately Courting Me - Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Healing Alicia’s Illness

“Alicia!”

“Eh? W-wah. F-Father…!”

—— dash!

Right after Alicia’s terrible injuries healed, her father Gilbert rushed over to her side and hugged her tightly.

“Ah, ahh, thank goodness… Alicia’s illness is healed… Thank goodness…”

“Father… Yes. I’m glad too… And I’m really sorry for worrying you all this time…”

“You don’t need to worry about that. Just seeing you safe and sound is more than enough for me… So really… I’m so glad you’re safe…”

“Yes, Father…”

Alicia and Gilbert shared a gentle embrace while tears welled up in their eyes, exchanging those words. It was such a warm scene. I watched it fondly from behind.

◇◇◇◇

A little while after that heartwarming parent-child conversation.

“Then let me introduce myself properly once again. I am Alicia Elfemina, the eldest daughter of the Elfemina ducal family. I am eighteen years old. Thank you so much for healing my illness this time.”

“No need to thank me. As a healer, I just did what was natural. So let me introduce myself again too. I’m Setsuna Kisaragi. I’m sixteen years old. Nice to meet you again, Lady Alicia.”

“You don’t need to use ‘Lady’ with me. Setsuna-sama is the one who saved my life, after all. So please don’t use any honorifics for me. Just call me by my name.”

“Eh? Ah, n-no, that’s… I mean, calling a duke’s daughter by her first name without any honorific… It just feels way too disrespectful, or something…”

“It’s really fine. Don’t worry about me being a duke’s daughter or anything like that. Please just call me Alicia.”

“I-is that so. Okay then. But since you’re older than me, at least let me call you ‘Alicia-san.’ Would that be alright?”

“Hehe. Setsuna-sama really values proper manners, doesn’t he. Yes, that’s fine. You can use ‘san.’ Nice to meet you again, Setsuna-sama.”

“Yes. Nice to meet you too, Alicia-san.”

I exchanged proper introductions and greetings with Alicia once more. Then I took another close look at Alicia, who was now sitting up in bed.

Alicia had completely transformed from her earlier broken state, covered in terrible burn-like wounds all over, into a very beautiful woman. She had smooth, long golden hair and striking, clear blue eyes that made her a standout beauty.

Of course, since she had been bedridden for so long, her cheeks were still sunken, and her whole body remained thin and frail from lack of nutrition. Recovery magic could heal sickness and injuries, but it couldn’t fix malnutrition or muscle loss, so that was unavoidable.

Even so, Alicia no longer wore the pained expression from before; instead, a gentle smile rested on her face. She carried a soft, refined air about her, exactly what you’d expect from a noble lady.

“Then let me, as the current head of the Elfemina family, thank you once again. Lord Setsuna. Not only did you examine Alicia, but you completely cured her so-called incurable disease. I can’t thank you enough. Truly… thank you so much.”

“And let me thank you again too. Thank you so much for examining and healing my illness this time, Setsuna-sama. You are the one who saved my life. I will never forget this kindness for as long as I live.”

“Haha. Hearing that makes all my effort as a healer worth it. I’m really glad Alicia-san’s illness is gone. But this only healed the disease—your body isn’t fully recovered yet. Since you’ve been bedridden for so long, your muscles and other functions have weakened quite a bit, so please work hard on rehabilitation from now on.”

“Yes. Thank you. Setsuna-sama really is a very kind person. And Father, thank you so much for searching tirelessly for so many healers until now. If Father hadn’t done everything he could to find someone, I probably would have stayed sick and passed away soon. So really… thank you so much, Father…”

“Hehe. As a father, doing anything to save my daughter is only natural. I’m just glad the illness is gone, Alicia.”

Gilbert smiled gently at Alicia as he said those words. It was a wonderful sight that showed just how close this father and daughter really were.

Then Gilbert turned to me and asked this.

“Still, the illness Alicia had was truly terrifying… What in the world was that disease? Lord Setsuna, as a healer, have you ever examined anyone with a sickness like that before?”

“No. This was the first time in my life I’ve seen anything like it. It’s probably an unknown disease that hasn’t been figured out yet.”

“Just as the other healers said, it’s an unknown illness after all… It really was a frightening disease. But if it’s an unknown illness with no known cause… doesn’t that mean there’s a chance I could get it again someday…? Thinking about that… I’m scared…”

“Alicia…”

Alicia’s face filled with deep anxiety. Of course she felt that way. Anyone who had suffered from such an unknown, mysterious illness would naturally look terrified.

So to reassure the frightened Alicia, I quickly told her this.

“You don’t need to worry about that. Even if you ever catch the same illness again, I’ll heal you right away. So there’s no need to be afraid. From now on, no matter what happens, I’ll always come to save you, Alicia-san.”

“Setsuna-sama… Yes, thank you. Hehe, hearing that… makes me feel so much stronger.”

Alicia listened to my words, her anxious expression melting into a gentle smile as she thanked me.

And Gilbert, who had been listening to our exchange, bowed his head to me and said this.

“It makes me so happy to hear you say such kind things for Alicia’s sake. As her father, I’m truly filled with gratitude. Just like Douglas said, you really are a boy with a very gentle heart. And Lord Setsuna… I have a new request for you. Would you be willing to hear it?”

“A new request? Yes, of course that’s fine. What is it?”

“Yes. What I would like to ask of you, Lord Setsuna… is whether you might be willing to help with Alicia’s rehabilitation, if possible?”

“…Eh? Me helping with Alicia-san’s rehabilitation? But wouldn’t it be better to ask a family member for something like that instead of some random guy? Rehabilitation means I’ll have to spend a lot of time close to Alicia-san, so I think it would be better to ask someone she trusts more than me, since we’ve only just met.”

“No, Lord Setsuna, you’re not some random guy at all. We understand very well that you have an incredibly kind heart. And you’re an exceptional healer too. There’s a chance Alicia could get hurt again during rehabilitation, and having you nearby would put my mind at ease as her father. So what do you say? If you’re willing, would you please continue helping with Alicia’s rehabilitation after this?”

“U-um, of course I’d be happy to help if it’s okay with me, but… rehabilitation will involve touching Alicia-san’s body in various places, you know? I think you understand, but I’m a guy. Having a man touch her body might make her uncomfortable… What do you think, Alicia-san?”

“Hehe, I don’t mind at all? If it’s Setsuna-sama, I have no problem with you touching my body. In fact, I think I’ll feel much more at ease with rehabilitation if you’re there. So yes, I really want to ask for your help with my rehabilitation!”

“I-is that so. Since Alicia-san says it’s okay… yes, understood. Then I’ll help with your rehabilitation from now on too. So Alicia-san, please take care of me in the future!”

“Thank you so much for agreeing to help with my rehabilitation! Then please take care of me from now on too, Setsuna-sama!”

“Yes, the pleasure is mine, Alicia-san.”

—— squeeze…!

With those words, I gave Alicia a light handshake. This was the beginning of my long relationship with Alicia.