Free Web NovelChapter 43: Chapter 43: Bond
Chapter 43: Bond
—ARIA—
"She slept like a pig," Ren muttered quietly beneath his breath.
Unfortunately for him, I heard it perfectly.
Instead of taking offense, I immediately pointed toward him while keeping my attention firmly fixed on Aelith.
"Yes," I agreed enthusiastically. "What he said."
Ren closed his eyes briefly.
"My lady..."
Meanwhile, Aelith looked genuinely thoughtful rather than judgmental. He sat down calmly across from me while beginning to remove his gloves one finger at a time with elegance.
Even taking off gloves looked graceful when elves did it.
"I see," Aelith murmured at last.
After setting the gloves neatly beside his medical case, he lifted his gaze toward me again. The earlier amusement in his expression had softened considerably, replaced now with a more observant gaze.
"With regard to your physical condition, Lady Aria," he began smoothly, "your body itself appears healthy. Your pulse is stable, your breathing has normalized, and your mana channels show no sign of external corruption."
I relaxed slightly.
Okay.
Good.
But then Aelith continued.
"However," he said carefully, "I can also sense your mana weakening."
My smile faded faintly.
The atmosphere inside the room shifted almost immediately after those words left his mouth.
Even Ren straightened beside me.
Aelith folded his hands loosely together while studying me quietly for a moment before continuing.
"If you remember your foundational magical studies, then you already understand how deeply mana is tied to human life itself."
I did remember.
Unfortunately.
The terrifying exploding conversation from Libracia flashed briefly through my head.
I immediately sat up straighter.
"...Should I be worried?"
Aelith gave me a very physician-like answer.
"That depends."
I stared at him flatly.
"That is a terrible response."
"It is an honest one."
Honestly, fair.
Still, the tension inside my chest returned slowly while I watched his expression become more serious.
Aelith leaned back slightly in his chair before explaining further.
"Mana is not simply power," he said calmly. "For most living beings, it is intertwined with emotion, consciousness, and vitality itself. Humans can survive temporary exhaustion of mana, yes, but prolonged instability gradually affects both the body and mind."
I blinked slowly.
"...You are saying my stress is magically killing me?"
Aelith looked genuinely impressed.
"That is actually a surprisingly accurate simplification."
Ren immediately looked toward me.
"My lady has been under unusual distress recently. She locked herself in this room for a week." he admitted quietly.
I looked at him in betrayal.
"Wow. You exposed me instantly."
"Hm."
I sighed dramatically before slumping slightly deeper into my chair.
Honestly, this world was exhausting.
Aelith’s expression softened faintly afterward.
"I see," he said at last, closing his medical case with a quiet click. "Then I will continue observing your condition from now on."
His tone was calm, but there was a firmness beneath it, which meant he did not leave much room for refusal.
He rose from his seat in a smooth motion, as though standing required no effort at all. I found myself watching him before I even realized I had stood up as well.
Ren shifted immediately beside me.
"My lady," he said quietly, as if unsure whether I had fully registered what was being agreed upon, "that means regular check-ups."
"I understood that part," I replied, though my eyes were still on Aelith.
Aelith, meanwhile, glanced between us as if quietly amused by the exchange, though he did not interrupt.
"You are free to decline," he added politely, adjusting the strap of his medical case over his shoulder. "However, given what I have observed today, I would strongly recommend you do not."
I hesitated for a moment.
The memory of the nightmare returned again, uninvited. The feeling of choking, the helplessness, the certainty that something inside me had been unraveling without my control. I did not like the idea of being monitored, but I liked even less the idea of collapsing again without warning.
"...I have no problem," I said at last.
Aelith blinked once, then smiled faintly. freeweɓnovel.cѳm
"Very well, my lady."
Ren exhaled softly, though I could not tell whether it came from relief or resignation.
Aelith turned slightly toward the door, but paused before leaving, as though something had just occurred to him. His movements slowed, then he looked back at me with a more focused, thoughtful expression than before.
"Lady Aria," he said, voice lower than earlier, "may I speak with you in private?"
The change in tone was immediate.
Ren reacted before I did.
He flinched sharply, stepping forward with visible protectiveness as his voice rose.
"How dare you request such impertinence—!"
"Ren."
My interruption was quiet, but firm enough to cut through his words instantly.
He froze.
Aelith remained still, watching me without panic or offense, only patience. If this had been anything dangerous or disrespectful, he would not have looked like that.
I exhaled slowly.
"Leave the room," I told Ren.
His head snapped toward me immediately.
"My lady–"
"I will call for you when I am done."
The silence that followed felt heavier than expected.
Ren’s eyes widened slightly at my tone. For a moment, I thought he would argue anyway.
He did not.
Instead, his shoulders lowered slightly, tension leaving him in a reluctant exhale. Still, as he turned away, his gaze lingered on Aelith for a fraction longer than necessary before he finally stepped out and closed the door behind him.
The sound of the latch clicking shut felt louder than it should have.
Only then did I look back at Aelith.
"Tell me," I said simply.
Aelith studied me for a brief moment, as though confirming something he had already suspected. Then he spoke, his tone calm but far more serious than before.
"My lady, your mana did not weaken from stress alone," he said. "There is something else inside it."
My body went still.
The air in the room seemed to tighten.
"...Something else?" I repeated slowly.
Aelith nodded once.
"A disturbance," he continued. "A resonance. As though your mana reacted to a memory that does not belong entirely to you."
I swallowed.
My fingers curled faintly at my sides without my permission.
The words were too close.
Too accurate.
For a moment, I almost laughed, but nothing came out.
"...What does that mean?" I asked carefully.
Aelith did not answer immediately. Instead, he took a small step closer, his gaze steady and unwavering. Not invasive, but observant which made it impossible to hide from.
Then he asked quietly, "Tell me, my lady. What are you hiding?"
The question struck harder than I expected.
My breath caught.
I felt dangerously exposed, like someone had placed a hand over something I had not even realized I was protecting.
I stiffened. ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com
"Aelith," I said firmly.
He watched me closely, and something in his expression shifted. Likean understanding qas forming from fragments he had not fully named yet.
Then he sighed softly.
"I see," he said at last.
That single phrase made my chest tighten.
Not because it confirmed anything.
But because it sounded like he believed he already knew enough.
Aelith lowered his gaze briefly, then reached into his coat. When his hand emerged again, he held something small between his fingers.
A bracelet.
Thin, elegant, and woven delicately. The surface had a faint green shimmer.
"This is a bond bracelet," he said calmly.
My eyes narrowed slightly.
He continued, "It is made from the vines of an ancient elven tree. It is meant to be given to one’s eternal partner among our kind."
I blinked once.
"...Excuse me?"
Aelith gave a faint, almost self-aware smile, as though he already understood how that sounded.
"In normal circumstances, it is a symbol of a lifelong bond," he clarified. "But in your case, I am repurposing it."
That did not make it better.
He stepped closer and gently took my hand before I could fully process what was happening. His touch was careful, professional, but steady enough that I did not immediately pull away.
"This bracelet allows me to sense fluctuations in your mana," he explained. "If something goes wrong again, I will know immediately."
I stared at him.
Then at the bracelet.
Then back at him again.
"...You are very casually skipping over the entire ’eternal partner’ implication," I said slowly.
Aelith paused for half a second.
Then, without hesitation, he replied, "Yes."
He then lifted my hand slightly.
"May I?" he asked again, as if this was still a normal medical procedure and not emotionally charged elven symbolism disguised as safety equipment.
I stared at him for another long moment then exhaled.
And for reasons I did not fully understand, I did not refuse.
