Chapter 4
Through the thin layer of gloves, I could feel the calluses on Teansis’s hand. His grip was firmer, rougher than I’d imagined.
They were the hands of a true knight.
Sometimes I forgot—because his face was so beautifully sculpted—but Teansis Kashan Acruge was one of the most skilled warriors in the empire.
After carefully feeling around my sole and ankle, he finally pulled back.
“It’s honestly surprising—there’s no damage at all.”
“Th-that’s a relief…”
Then, with a serious expression, he asked,
“Has a monster ever charged at you like that before?”
“Like this time?”
I thought hard, but nothing came to mind.
That had been my first time seeing a monster from the Taran Forest—and my first time experiencing anything so terrifying.
“No. That was the first time I ever saw one in person. I’ve never had anything close to that happen before.”
“I see…”
A shadow of unease flickered across Teansis’s face. But moments later, he seemed to shake it off and returned to his composed expression.
“Then it must’ve been my imagination.”
“Is there something wrong?”
“No. As I mentioned earlier, the incident was due to the academy’s and our own negligence. If any medical costs arise later, please send the bill to the academy.”
With that, he stood—clearly ready to leave.
As he rose, I suddenly remembered that I hadn’t properly thanked him.
“Oh! I forgot to say—thank you. For saving my life. I should’ve said it earlier, but everything happened so fast…”
“I simply did what was required of me. The broken chain was our fault. The accident shouldn’t have happened in the first place.”
He wasn’t wrong.
But if Teansis hadn’t been there, I would’ve died.
What caused the incident wouldn’t have mattered at that point.
Even if his side had made the mistake, it was he who had stepped in without hesitation to protect me—and that’s why I was still alive.
“Still… the fact that I’m standing here safe is because of you.”
“It was my duty. Whether it had been you or anyone else, I would’ve done the same.”
His words were professional—almost too professional.
He made it clear that he hadn’t saved me because I was special.
It stung a little… but I couldn’t really be upset. He was just being honest.
“Even so… I still wanted to say thank you.”
And with that, the conversation felt like it had naturally reached its end.
From the beginning, I’d worried about taking up too much of his time. That’s why I had asked the maid to pass along my thanks.
This unexpected encounter had already gone well beyond what I imagined.
Teansis and I lived in completely different worlds.
Even if it was mortifying to be knocked unconscious by a flying fruit, I still considered it a stroke of luck to have spoken with him—no matter how brief.
This was a once-in-a-lifetime meeting.
“I’ll be going, then.”
I turned around quickly, not wanting to overstay my welcome.
But after a few steps, I stopped.
Something tugged at me. A sense of regret.
To me, Teansis was like a star in the night sky.
Yes, it was a cliché. But he was beautiful, distant, and impossible to touch—yet impossible to look away from.
If this really was the last time…
There was just one thing I wanted to say.
When I turned back, he was still standing there, gazing at me with those calm violet eyes.
His face—so sharp and symmetrical it looked like it had been carved by an artist—was the kind that could make any woman fall in love.
Thinking this would be the last time I’d ever see him gave me courage I didn’t know I had.
“Duke Acruge.”
He looked at me, curious.
“I hope you stay healthy… and never fall ill.”
It wasn’t something you typically said to someone you’d just met.
He might’ve thought I was strange. But it was the one thing I truly wanted to tell him.
Stay healthy.
Don’t get hurt.
You don’t know me, but… thanks to you, so many of my days were a little brighter.
I couldn’t say all of that. So I gave a small nod and left the room without looking back.
I didn’t get to see what expression he wore in the end.
But my steps felt lighter than air.
Teansis’s residence wasn’t just elegant on the inside—it was practically a manor in its own right, complete with its own sprawling garden.
I made my way out and headed toward Kamar Academy’s front gates.
The academy grounds were massive, so I had to check signs and occasionally stop to ask students for directions.
That was when I noticed something strange.
A few men in guard uniforms saw me walking by and began whispering among themselves.
I figured I was imagining things—there was no reason for them to act that way.
But they walked straight toward me.
“Uh…?”
Before I could react, one of them grabbed my left arm, another took my right—and they started dragging me somewhere.
No warning. No explanation.
“W-what are you doing?! Where are you taking me?!”
I struggled, confused and flustered.
But they didn’t say a word.
No matter what I asked or how I resisted, they just silently, forcefully pulled me along.
“Let go of me!”
I tried pulling away, but their grip was too strong.
Eventually, we arrived at an old building with a large wooden door that looked like it belonged to a castle or manor.
At last, one of the guards spoke.
“We’ve brought her, Professor.”
“Send her in.”
At the short command from inside, the guards pushed me through the door.
I stumbled inside, frowning as I found myself face-to-face with a man I didn’t recognize.
He wore silver-rimmed glasses and a clean white lab coat. His messy hair and unpolished appearance made him look rather rough, but upon closer inspection, his features were sharp—he was actually very handsome.
“Who are you—?”
“You’re the one who came in for the assistant alchemist interview a few days ago, aren’t you?”
He cut me off, his voice direct and sharp.
That’s when I noticed the embroidery on his lab coat: [Alchemy Professor].
Now that I thought about it, I might have passed him when I first visited the lab. And earlier, the guards had called him “professor.”
“Wait… are you the professor I was scheduled to interview with?”
“That’s right.”
“I’m really sorry. Something came up that I had to check right away, so I stepped out—”
“Forget it. You drank my experimental potion, didn’t you?”
Once again, he didn’t let me finish my sentence.
I didn’t appreciate being spoken to so casually by someone I’d just met, but I had broken our appointment. So I bit my tongue.
“The potion you’re referring to… was it the pink one?”
“Yes. The one you knocked over and left behind. Judging by your face, I don’t need to ask twice.”
His constant interruptions were getting on my nerves. I finally spoke up.
“I did drink it, but only because I thought it was something else. I realize now I also left the broken glass behind. If you’re angry, I understand, and I apologize. I actually planned to come back and explain, but—”
“Explain? Do you even know what that potion was? You think saying sorry is enough?”
He cut me off again—but this time, I had nothing to say.
I didn’t know what that potion was.
If it turned out to be expensive, I’d have to take responsibility… but right now, I was barely holding things together. The attack, the chaos, meeting Teansis—it had all happened so fast. I had no money. No real title. No home to fall back on.
“I wasn’t thinking clearly. If I caused any damage, I’ll make it right—somehow. I just… I might need some time. My situation isn’t great right now.”
“You’re not listening. Just watch.”
He turned without another word and walked into the lab at the back of the room.
When he returned, he was holding a small iron cage—like a miniature prison. Inside, a lab mouse sat quietly.
He placed it where I could see clearly, then unlocked a nearby drawer and pulled out a small vial of pink liquid.
Even before he said anything, I recognized it. It was the same color, same container. The same potion I had drunk.
Without hesitation, he opened the top of the cage and placed a drop of the liquid inside.
Squeak! Squeak—!
The mouse sniffed, licked it up… and then collapsed.
No movement. Not even a twitch.
Seconds passed. Still nothing.
The mouse was dead.
“…!”
I stood there, stunned.
It felt like the air had been knocked out of me.
I couldn’t believe what I’d just seen.
What made it worse was knowing—that was the same potion I had mistaken for a drink.
But the professor looked unaffected. As if he had expected this outcome all along.
“Most of the test subjects died instantly after consuming that potion. But in very rare cases, a few showed strange reactions. After years of research, I discovered this potion responds to something unique inside a living being—something tied to their life energy.”
“…Strange reactions?” I asked, confused.
He looked at me with slight annoyance, like he was frustrated that I wasn’t keeping up, then sighed and explained further in a calmer tone.
“Did you check your reflection after leaving the lab?”
“No… I haven’t.”
“Then look now. See for yourself.”
He picked up a small mirror from the desk and handed it to me.
Now that he mentioned it—yes, I had felt something was off that day. Like I’d suddenly become… younger.
Back then, I’d rushed out of the lab to find a mirror. But with everything that happened—the monsters, Teansis—I completely forgot.
With trembling fingers, I took the mirror and slowly raised it to my face.
“Ah!”
I gasped aloud.
The reflection staring back at me—
It was… me.
But not the “me” I’d grown used to seeing in recent years.
My face looked refreshed. My skin smoother. My eyes brighter. There was a glow to me that hadn’t been there before.
I looked… younger. Like I had turned back time.
What I had seen in the reflection of the lab’s glass wall hadn’t been an illusion.
My face—without a doubt—had returned to how it looked in my early twenties.
It was impossible to believe.
“Even if I accidentally drank some experimental potion… how could this even happen?”
But the image staring back at me was far too vivid to be denied. It was real. It was me.
I quickly set down the hand mirror and stepped toward the full-length mirror in the corner of the office.
A small part of me wondered if that first mirror had been altered somehow, though it was a stretch. Still, I had to be sure.
But once I saw my reflection again—this time in a regular mirror—it hit even harder.
I looked even younger than before.
And it wasn’t just my face.
The small signs of aging—the slight weight gain, the softness around my waist and arms—had vanished.
The dress that had fit me perfectly just days ago now hung loose around my body.
Until now, I had tried to convince myself it was just a trick of the light or my imagination… but standing there, looking at my full reflection, I couldn’t deny it.
I wasn’t just younger. I looked like a different version of myself.
“Now do you understand?”
His voice came from behind me.
I looked at the mirror again, this time catching his reflection standing calmly behind mine. It matched perfectly. No distortion, no trick.
There was nothing unnatural about the mirror. This was reality.
“How… how is this even possible?”
I’d seen it. I’d touched my face. But it still didn’t feel real. This was something that happened in fairy tales—not in real life.
“I always thought it was just a theory,” he said, chuckling dryly. “But seeing the result like this… it feels like I’m watching one of my own creations come to life.”
He tilted his chin toward the nearby couch.
“Sit. This conversation is going to take a while.”
I nodded and sat down where he pointed, trying to appear composed—though inside, my heart was racing.
It was a strange mix of emotions. A part of me was afraid. Another part was… oddly excited.
But only he could explain what was happening.
So for now, I was willing to listen.
He sat across from me, his eyes studying my face closely. Then, unexpectedly, he asked,
“What’s your name?”
The question caught me completely off guard. I blinked several times, unsure I’d heard him right.
“…My name?”
“What, you think I’m asking for mine?” he said dryly, clearly impatient.
There was no point in hiding it. I wasn’t in a position to make demands.
After a brief pause, I answered clearly,
“Belia de Farrington.”
“Farrington? Doesn’t ring a bell.”
“My family holds a small barony. It wouldn’t surprise me if you haven’t heard of us. We don’t really participate in the social scene.”
It was true. My father had passed away years ago. My two older sisters had married into other families.
And I’d spent most of my time caring for my ailing mother. So the name ‘Farrington’ wasn’t exactly one that echoed through noble circles anymore.
“I see. Still, a noble, huh?” he muttered. “Honestly, from the way you look, I figured you might be a commoner.”
He said it casually, almost to himself—but there was a hint of condescension in his voice.
I found myself biting my lip.
He wasn’t entirely wrong.
The dress I wore was plain. My jewelry was minimal.
For a noblewoman, clothing and accessories were often used to show status and wealth—and mine made it clear just how little I had left.
“Alright then, Lady Farrington,” he said, shifting in his seat. “You mentioned earlier that you’d repay me for the potion?”
“…Yes.”
“Hm. If I had to put a price on it… I’d say about the cost of running Kamar Academy for a full year.”
“…What?”
I nearly jumped out of my seat.
Just the tuition at Kamar was more than most nobles could afford—so the cost of running the whole academy for a year? That was a number I couldn’t even begin to imagine.
“That’s ridiculous! That can’t be right!”
At my shocked reaction, he scoffed.
“Ridiculous? Look at yourself. What do people want more than anything else? To not die. To turn back time. You got both. You really think that has no value?”
“I… I mean…”
I faltered.
He wasn’t wrong.
Maybe I couldn’t afford to pay, but there were plenty of nobles who would hand over mountains of gold for the chance to regain their youth.
As I sat there, speechless, he smiled as if he had been waiting for this moment.
“Of course, you don’t have to pay with money.”
