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"We couldn\'t have picked a worse time for a joyride," Vyan shouted over the storm, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

His horse snorted, shaking its head as if to agree with its rider.

"This isn\'t a joyride, Vyan. There is a village at the d of this long road that needs us," Clyde shot back, urging his horse to go faster.

Vyan rolled his eyes, reluctantly kicking his horse into a faster pace to match Clyde. He cringed at the sight of how soaked Clyde was, while he remained completely dry under a magic shield he had be using all along.

"Why are we in such a hurry, Clyde?" Vyan inquired, his tone laced with apathy. "What can I ev do? I am not a healer."

"Yes, you are not. What you are is the Lord of Ashstone. It\'s your responsibility to check on your subjects\' well-being. Do you want to appear heartless?" Clyde rebuked, exasperation coloring his words.

"Well, I am just trying to be rational. There is nothing I can do for them by personally paying a visit at this time of the night," Vyan reasoned, his voice flat and disinterested.

Clyde sighed, shaking his head. It was no use trying to make flowers of empathy bloom in Vyan\'s black heart all of a sudd.

Vyan would only do what he thought was logical, which rarely aligned with what was humane.

"Yeah, that\'s true. But it\'s more about showing you care—ev if it\'s fake. You can still appear like a kind hero, don\'t you see that?" Clyde insisted, his desperation barely contained. "Come on, you are smarter than that."

"Oh, I am. Which is precisely why I st a message to Thea," Vyan revealed with a nonchalant shrug. "I mean, I can\'t let an tire village die from an epidemic. Imagine what that would make me look like. A true tyrant—"

Clyde yanked his horse\'s reins, bringing it to an abrupt halt, and exclaimed, "You did what?"

"I just did what I could to hide the fact that I have the heart of a tyrant," Vyan replied dryly.

"Not that! Who did you say you st a message to?" Clyde\'s voice was a mix of shock and frustration.

"Oh, it\'s Thea. I asked her to visit Calver village at her earliest convice," Vyan stated casually, as if discussing the weather.

"Th why…" Clyde\'s lips trembled as he struggled to control his anger. "Why hav\'t you said anything until now?"

"I would have. That is, if you ever gave me the chance," Vyan pointed out, feigning innocce. "You just dragged me out of my office and forced me onto the first horse that caught your sight."

Clyde let out an exasperated sigh, the weight of the situation pressing down on him.

It was true, he had be hasty.

Wh he first received the news last night about the Calver villagers coughing up blood, he panicked and ran to Vyan. Without batting an eye, Vyan calmly suggested they sd in all the best doctors of Ashstone.

But the doctors were of no use wh each of their patits wt limp under the medications. After all, they couldn\'t ev idtify the pathog causing this.

So, within a single day of waiting, the situation had spiraled out of control.

"Look, Clyde," Vyan spoke up, catching his atttion, "I know you feel guilty for not doing more, but trust me, you did the best you could."

Clyde shot him a flat look. "Clearly, you did too—by summoning a healer."

"Yep," Vyan admitted shamelessly. "Besides,it\'s not like I said I would never visit Calver village. I just didn\'t see the point of rushing through this heavy downpour."

"It\'s not like you are ev affected by the rain!" Clyde snapped, his mood a little more playful than before.

"True," Vyan shrugged, "but Atlas here isn\'t exactly a fan of mud baths, are you, old frid?" He patted the horse\'s mane sympathetically.

Atlas neighed in agreemt, as if commiserating with Vyan\'s dilemma, nudging his hand affectionately.

"If only you cared about this epidemic as much as you care about your horses," Clyde muttered under his breath.

Vyan shot him a sidelong glance. "What was that?"

Clyde shook his head quickly. "Nothing. Let\'s keep moving."

"Alright, but let\'s take it slow this time," Vyan cautioned.

Clyde sighed, muttering, "Sure, because we wouldn\'t want to exhaust Your Grace\'s one of the favorite steeds."

Clyde couldn\'t help but briefly wonder if he was outranked by all of Vyan\'s pets in terms of employee hierarchy.

As they trudged through the rain in silce, Clyde couldn\'t resist a jab. "Did Princess Althea actually agree to join us, or did you assume she would come?"

Vyan raised an eyebrow. "Of course, she agreed. She should be there by the time we get to the village, considering I st a messger to her this morning."

"What? She is there already?" Clyde sped up, now thoroughly soaked and mildly offded. "Next time, announce the important news first, my lord!"

Vyan chuckled softly to himself. "He lectures me about the villagers\' welfare, and th worries more about his crush\'s company. Quite the priorities, Clyde."

In a flurry of determination, Clyde spurred his horse forward, leaving Vyan trailing in the muddy wake of his urgcy.

It was Clyde who arrived first at the rain-soaked Calver village.

Through the pelting rain, he scanned for the medical camps, a knot of worry tighting in his chest. Spotting them at last, he dismounted swiftly and hurried towards them with purpose.

There, amidst the frantic sce of injured villagers and hurried medics, he found Althea.

She appeared to have arrived only momts before, yet she wasted no time in attding to one of the patits.

Clyde stood transfixed as Althea\'s hands glowed with a celestial light, her touch like a balm on the man\'s bloodied chest. His violt coughs ebbed into grateful sighs, and a smile bloomed on his weary face.

A cheer erupted from the onlookers, their voices blding with the drumming rain.

"The heavs have st us an angel! We are saved!" they cried out.

But amidst the jubilation, the pleas began.

A sobbing mother grasped Althea\'s arm, begging for her son\'s life. A desperate daughter begged for her mother\'s salvation. A man, his face etched with fear, demanded atttion for his wife.

In an instant, Althea was besieged by a throng of desperate souls, their needs overwhelming her.

Before the palace guards could interve, Clyde acted.

With a swift incantation, he conjured an invisible shield a Althea, gtly pushing the clamoring villagers back.

"Please, give Her Imperial Highness space," Clyde\'s voice cut through the tumult like a blade. "She will td to each of your loved ones in turn, starting with the most critical. Please, have patice."

His firm words carried authority that silced the crowd. They stepped back, eyes filled with hope and trust, allowing Althea the room she needed to work her healing magic.

Clyde stood resolutely in front of Althea, meeting her unreadable gaze head-on.

With a snap of his fingers, warmth veloped her, dispelling the chill of the rain-soaked village.

"Clyde, I don\'t have time to dry off right now—" Althea began, her voice tinged with protest.

"Just half a minute," he interjected calmly. "You must take care of yourself first. We can\'t afford our healer falling ill, can we?" His words carried a subtle warmth, echoed in the faint curve of his lips.

In momts, her clothes and hair were dry, and Clyde\'s smile wided. "There you go. Now you are ready to work your magic, Your Imperial Highness."

He hadn\'t expected gratitude or acknowledgmt, half expecting her to dismiss his gesture.

Ever since their tse counter three days ago, he had noticed that she was keeping her distance, her demeanor cool and distant.

Clyde couldn\'t fathom what had caused the rift, but he hadn\'t anticipated any positive response from her.

So, wh Althea\'s face lit up with a bright, thankful smile, her light gre eyes sparkling with guine gratitude, Clyde felt his heart melt into a puddle.

"I would have be lost without you just now," she admitted gratefully. "Thank you, Clyde. You are a lifesaver."