Chapter 79: Psychological Trauma

Orlan’s shock gradually faded as he took a deep breath.

He glanced at Nolan, who stood beside him, then said bitterly, "I owe you another favor, Prince Nolan. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to repay you."

According to their agreement, he would only support Elina if Nolan succeeded in curing both Alicia and his wife.

Now, Alicia had been freed from her curse, and it was only a matter of time before Nolan healed his wife as well.

Nolan had even helped eliminate those who had harmed his family from the shadows.

Such kindness couldn’t possibly be repaid with money.

After all, as a prince, Nolan had no need for wealth.

Nolan simply chuckled and waved his hand dismissively.

"You don’t need to worry about that, Marquis Orlan," he said calmly. "Capturing Nina and Melissa was also for the good of the Empire—and myself. They were apparently planning something grand to resurrect the Demon Emperor. I’m just glad we stopped them in time."

Orlan and Alex were stunned by the revelation. With a face full of doubt and astonishment, Orlan suddenly asked, "Prince Nolan, is what Melissa said about resurrecting the Demon Emperor really true? Isn’t that just nonsense?"

Nolan crossed his arms over his chest and replied, "No, it’s not nonsense—it’s real. The man confirmed it himself after absorbing the memories of the entity that had taken over Melissa’s body."

"Hiss!" Orlan and Alex instinctively drew sharp breaths in fear.

They looked at each other, struggling to believe what they had just heard. At first, they thought it was a lie... but it turned out to be true.

"Anyway, I’m going back to my room. I’m tired and sleepy," Nolan said with a lazy yawn.

Snapping out of his daze, Orlan slowly nodded. "Very well. I understand. Once again, thank you, Prince Nolan."

Nolan gave a small nod in return before turning around and leaving Orlan’s room.

Watching him go, Orlan let out a long sigh and smiled wryly.

This debt... it’s far too great to repay...

...

"Huh... this trauma won’t be easy to heal."

Inside Alicia’s room, Jisha stood beside the bed, watching the little girl sleeping peacefully.

But Alicia’s eyebrows occasionally furrowed, as if she were trapped in a never-ending nightmare.

Sadly, there was nothing Jisha could do. She had tried various spells to calm her sleep, but all of them had failed.

For some reason, the frown always returned—proof that the nightmare hadn’t gone away.

Just as Jisha was lost in thought, the sound of approaching footsteps snapped her back to reality.

Startled, she turned and saw Nolan standing in the doorway, his expression calm and unreadable.

"Nolan?" She called out instinctively, then immediately covered her mouth and checked on Alicia.

Fortunately, the little girl remained asleep, allowing Jisha to let out a quiet sigh of relief.

It had taken a great deal of effort to get Alicia to rest. The girl was still deeply shaken by what had happened with Nina and Melissa.

"Why are you here? And when did you get back?" Jisha asked in a hushed voice.

Earlier, she had searched the entire mansion for Nolan but couldn’t find any trace of him.

Even her tracking spells had failed, which made her fear that something might’ve happened.

Thankfully, the annoying man had finally returned, and her worries melted away.

"I’ve been back for a while," Nolan replied shortly as he stepped slowly into the room.

Nolan’s flippant answer annoyed Jisha, but she held back from snapping at him—arguing now would only risk waking Alicia.

"So, where have you been? Don’t you know Lord Orlan is worried about you?" she asked, pursing her lips.

Nolan: "..."

If you’re going to lie, at least make it believable.

Orlan just woke up from fainting, and now you’re saying he’s worried about me?

Aren’t you the one who’s actually worried?

Nolan almost said it out loud but decided to stay quiet.

Jisha was thin-skinned, and exposing her lie would only embarrass her.

He simply shook his head and turned his gaze to Alicia, who was still sleeping on the bed. In a flat tone, he said, "Where I go is none of your business."

Jisha froze for a second, then clenched her teeth in frustration.

"You—"

But before she could finish, Nolan raised a hand, cutting her off.

"Let’s skip the pointless talk," he said casually. "Tell me how Alicia is doing. Why does it look like she’s trapped in a nightmare?"

As he spoke, he reached out and gently rubbed Alicia’s chubby cheek, which occasionally tensed with fear and sorrow.

Still irritated, Jisha held back her retort and forced herself to stay calm.

She let out a small sigh before answering, "This girl is traumatized. Ever since I managed to get her away from the scene, her expression has been blank—filled with fear. Sometimes, she calls out Lord Orlan’s and Melissa’s names in a trembling voice."

Her gaze fell on Alicia as she gently rubbed the girl’s small hand.

"When I examined her, I found she was deeply affected by what happened with Melissa and Nina. It’s psychological trauma... and it might take a long time to heal. Or perhaps, it may never fully heal."

If it had been a physical injury or something magical, Jisha would’ve been confident in her ability to treat it.

But mental trauma was different. It was a wound buried deep in the heart and mind—something no spell could simply erase.

Usually, only those closest to the person could help them recover. In Alicia’s case, that meant Orlan or her mother—someone with a deep, emotional bond.

"Psychological trauma, huh?" Nolan muttered, narrowing his eyes as he stopped rubbing Alicia’s cheek.

He hadn’t expected this to happen to the little girl, but given how close she was to Melissa and Nina, it wasn’t entirely surprising.

Then, turning to Jisha, he suddenly smiled. "Alright, let me take care of Alicia. You must be tired—go rest."

Jisha blinked, stunned by his words. She looked at Nolan in disbelief.

"Are you serious? You’re not joking, right?" she asked hesitantly.

Nolan rolled his eyes and waved a hand dismissively, as if swatting away a fly. "Get out of here."

Jisha stayed quiet for a moment, but a gentle warmth bloomed in her chest.

As irritating and reckless as he often was, this man always managed to show a caring side when it mattered most.

"Alright. I’ll leave Alicia to you. Take good care of her, okay?" She said firmly.

"Yeah, yeah, I got it. Just go already," Nolan replied in his usual lazy tone.

Without another word, Jisha turned and walked out, leaving Nolan alone in the room.

Once the sound of her footsteps faded into silence, the laziness on Nolan’s face disappeared, replaced by a cold, focused expression.

He turned to Alicia, his gaze sharp, and gently placed the tip of his index finger on her forehead.

"If the trauma won’t heal on its own... then the best option is to erase every memory of that day—Melissa, Nina, all of it," he murmured.

Under the moonlight streaming through the window, a soft purple glow began to gather at his fingertip.