MTLNOVEL Chapter 11
The room was quiet.
As if it belonged to another world.
A quietness that wasn’t heavy, but slightly strange, Kalen thought.
The first thing that caught his eye was the giant window.
Though the bed was also large, it seemed almost insignificant compared to the vast glass window.
Kalen cautiously observed the area.
A girl sat on the bed, barely noticeable.
Had he not opened the door rather loudly? Or was she deliberately ignoring him?
It was unclear, but Kalen remained calm.
Since the girl had been gazing outside the window this whole time, she must be Eliana.
At the same time, Everchant’s words came to his mind.
The task was simple: Eliana should be able to endure his presence without any complaints.
Rumors suggested that one could not even approach her room without symptoms arising. In that sense, this was somewhat reassuring.
“…Is she ignoring me?”
As the thought crossed his mind, another one emerged.
Though he hadn’t been inside the room for long, Eliana’s gaze had yet to waver from outside the window.
Young nobility were often heard to have poor temperaments, but this seemed excessive.
It was evidently an act of deliberate neglect — ignoring someone who had just approached her.
Kalen quietly cleared his throat.
However, the response was the same — complete indifference.
Eliana’s gaze remained locked beyond the window.
“Perhaps I need to confirm.”
The vague term “beside” Everchant had mentioned left its exact distance ambiguous. Kalen figured that “right next to her” would suffice, so he moved without hesitation.
Thud… Thud…
With each step, a realization became clear.
“She doesn’t know…?”
It turned out that Eliana wasn’t ignoring Kalen — she hadn’t even noticed him entering.
And as Kalen reached the side of the bed, close enough to feel her presence, a faint throbbing began in his chest.
It felt like mana overload. But it was less severe than the rumors suggested. While others spoke of pain akin to their heart being incinerated, Kalen’s pain was restricted to a dull ache — manageable enough to bear.
At that moment, a voice broke the silence.
“Is… someone there…?”
Was “transparent voice” the right term for this? A voice flowed out, clear and unobstructed like crystal.
“Emma… Is that you…?”
Emma was the name of the teary-eyed trainee maid.
Kalen stood still, frozen in place before her.
“Why aren’t you answering…? Emma…?”
Eliana’s gaze, though directed toward him, did not seem to see Kalen.
*
Walking was difficult for her, Everchant had mentioned about Eliana. But that wasn’t the only issue.
Neither her eyesight, nor her hearing, nor anything else, was within normal human parameters.
“Emma… This is bad… Even if you’re the least harmful… when you come this close…”
Eliana feebly pushed Kalen away. Perhaps she could barely discern shapes. Upon roughly gauging this, Kalen spoke.
“Hello.”
Eliana hesitated, her hand stopping mid-motion.
“Who…?”
The curiosity in her voice was overshadowed by fear. After all, if one couldn’t see well and a strange voice suddenly appeared, fear would be a natural reaction.
Her voice was faint, her existence almost indistinct. Was she trying to conceal herself? Or were her surroundings simply causing her to withdraw?
Kalen turned his gaze to the garden outside the window, confirming something important for himself.
“Do you like gardens? I understand you don’t see well…”
“…”
“Hmm, that’s strange. I thought I heard the greeting a moment ago.”
Kalen looked directly at Eliana, meeting her gaze.
Her appearance was best described as celestial. Her eyes, tinted like a cloud-streaked sky, were impossibly clear and beautiful.
The voice and appearance matched perfectly, Kalen thought, as he straightened up. His primary concern was whether the mana overheating would affect him, so he had to report this first.
Kalen turned to walk away.
“Wait…”
The whisper from behind was too faint to be heard.
*
“Don’t… go…”
In the quiet room, Eliana stretched out her uncooperative arms, murmuring.
Her mind was in turmoil.
What just happened?
That distance wasn’t familiar. Though Eliana knew that for a voice to be so clear, one must be at least very close to the bed…
This was someone new.
Definitely not Emma, judging from the shape discernible before her.
Someone other than Emma had entered her room.
How long had it been since someone visited? Eliana was already confused by this fact alone.
“Who…”
These were the only words lingering in her mind.
Didn’t I overcome loneliness long ago?
Why is my heart trembling so much from just one strange person?
Of course, it touched a wound deep within.
Once, many people cared for her: the Chief Butler, the Head Maid, various servants, and her older siblings.
But as time passed, her cursed illness grew worse.
The once-kind voices began to carry painful undertones that she couldn’t endure.
When fewer people knocked on her door, it was almost relieving.
Though loneliness began to grow, worse noises stayed away.
In the end, only Emma remained by her side.
For seven years, the world beyond her door became unknown, and only the vague scenery outside her window reminded her that she was Eliana of Lakatus.
But now, who was this person?
The illness had grown too severe for her to control, yet this voice carried no pain.
More astonishingly, as long as this person was near, her mind began to feel refreshingly clear — whereas now, after they left, her mind felt muddled again.
The sudden gust of unexpected change had overwhelmed her, and she hesitated too long, missing the chance to call out.
Eliana stared at the door.
For the first time since being confined to her room, she had looked away from the window and toward something else.
*
“It’s… fine…”
“Yes.”
“Haha…”
Everchant chuckled nervously. He justified it due to his position, his circumstances.
But the fact that a single sentence could crumble him like this only proved he wasn’t much of a father after all.
Now this unexpected gust of hope felt so welcome.
“Never mind the position. Even if you need to kneel, I’ll kneel. Can you take responsibility for Eliana’s protection?”
At this point, nothing else mattered.
His daughter — above everything.
Though he already made a choice he could never undo, he could only be grateful to have one more chance.
Even if it couldn’t solve the root problem, isn’t it pitiable not to grant even one wish to your daughter?
With this thought in mind, Everchant gazed at Kalen, and fortunately, what followed was what he hoped to hear.
“What exactly should I do?”
“Have you heard of the Winter Isle in the North?”
“I have.”
The Winter Isle of the North. Renowned for its snowscapes even in the snowy northern territories. So exceptional that it earned the nickname “Flower in Hell.”
Though dangerous, a place worth visiting before death.
“You’ll take Eliana there, alone.”
The purpose of the camping with the trainee maid suddenly became clear.
“Though her eyes are poor, she probably won’t see much of the scenery anyway.”
“I’m not the one making the judgment. I asked Emma, the girl who takes care of Eliana, if her wish remained unchanged. She said it had not changed. Eliana knows best her limitations, and the meaning is what she seeks.”
“Whichever way things turn, I take no responsibility. It’s a risk I share as well.”
“Should something happen, it would break my heart, but what can one do? This is her wish.”
The conversation stretched on, arriving at Eliana’s complexion.
“…We’ve talked too long. In any case, learn the care methods from the Head Maid, and we’ll arrange a separate coachman training.”
“Understood.”
With that, Kalen moved to get up.
“Thank you.”
Just as Kalen was about to leave, he hesitated due to Everchant’s sincere voice.
“Truly.”
“Understood.”
*
The door to the Lord’s study closed briefly, only to reopen not long after.
“Did you call?”
“Burrn, Chief Interior Manager.”
“Yes, Lord.”
The Chief Interior Manager, responsible for overseeing the household affairs of the mansion and estate, had entered.
Though Everchant’s expression remained cold, those who had served him for a long time could detect a difference — traces of relief, joy, even regret.
“Redirect the entire dignity allowance for this month.”
“To where, my lord?”
At the same time, Everchant smiled earnestly.
“For all that is needed for the protection.”