Until the Substitute Saintess is Loved: The Sister Sent to the Convent as the Villainess Heals Everyone's Hearts with Her Healing Powers - Chapter 19

“Believing common weeds are medicinal herbs. That could only happen to the person who stole them from Mona’s room. Griffe. Let’s hear the details in the guest room.”

Lord Landrick took a step forward.

“No, no, no! I saw it! I saw Lupina burying and hiding something in the herb garden!”

Lord Landrick let out a soft sigh at her screaming.

“That’s right! There were other medicinal herbs buried in the herb garden too! I just couldn’t tell because I can’t distinguish between medicinal herbs and weeds!”

“But if Lupina buried them, there would be no reason to hide weeds. She can tell the difference between medicinal herbs and weeds.”

“This can’t be! This can’t be happening! Why, when Lupina is such a wicked woman?!”

“Even if she is wicked, that doesn’t justify framing her for crimes she didn’t commit.”

“Yes it does! For me it does!”

“That can’t be right. You should apologize to Lupina.”

“I’m telling you it does! This face is the proof!”

Screaming half-crazed, Griffe threw off the veil covering her face.

In that instant, time stopped.

Everyone gasped. Several nuns covered their mouths and averted their eyes.

Griffe’s revealed face.

Half of it was terribly burned and blistered.

Red, swollen flesh bulged in places, and one eye was crushed narrow by the swollen tissue. The other eye, undamaged, was large and lovely navy blue, making the ravaged half of her face appear all the more tragic.

“You… that face…”

“Mona. What happened to your earlier energy? Are you that shocked by my face? Of course, everyone is. I didn’t want to end up like this either! But, but… it’s because Lupina broke the young mistress…!”

Tears overflowed from Griffe’s eyes.

“Griffe!”

“Lady Griffe!”

Liesl and Lute came running from a distance.

Lute brushed the dirt off the veil Griffe had thrown and handed it to her.

But Griffe didn’t use it, instead clutching it tightly.

(Ah, so that’s why you two were wearing veils too…)

As maids serving here, the two had no need to hide their faces like the nuns. Yet they deliberately did so for Griffe’s sake.

Following Griffe, who had burns on her face, they hid their own faces. So Griffe wouldn’t have to see them – they knew showing their unmarred faces would hurt her.

“…Lady Lupina. Do you remember Lady Camille Langweil, daughter of Count Langweil?”

While stroking the sobbing Griffe’s back, Lute asked me.

Lady Camille Langweil.

An unfamiliar name.

I’d never heard it from Sister Lupina either.

When I shook my head, Lute let out a disappointed sigh.

“Of course. That’s how insignificant it was to you. Driving someone to ruin must be such a trivial matter it doesn’t even remain in the corner of your memory.”

“But we remember. Because Lupina bullied Lady Camille until she broke her spirit, that’s why Griffe ended up like this!”

Lute raised her voice filled with anger.

(Sister bullied her…? But as Liesl said, for Sister, it must truly be something she doesn’t even remember…)

The fact that I’d never once heard Lady Camille’s name from Sister Lupina was proof.

“Lupina. You’ve probably forgotten, so let me remind you. The Lady Camille I served was truly kind. Her pale blue hair was beautiful too, and I thought if she were a saint, she’d surely heal everyone without discrimination. But I wasn’t the only one who thought so. Someone said it during a party – that Lady Camille was like a saint. Lupina, do you remember now? It should have happened right before you.”

…I don’t know.

I’m not Sister Lupina.

“Huh? Really, you don’t know? Then I’ll continue. You must have disliked that a young lady who wasn’t a saint was praised as being like one. From that day on, Lady Camille started being bullied by you. At first, the young lady remained resilient, smiling that the misunderstanding would clear up someday. But that day never came. As an example, you cut the hair of a young lady who never even aimed for the saint’s position! Well? You remember now, don’t you? Remember your sins!”

I had no response for Griffe, who screamed while crying.

But not because I couldn’t remember.

I had heard about it once from Sister.

‘How presumptuous to aim for my position,’ she had boasted to her maids. That she’d been magnanimous to let them off with just cutting their hair.

Cutting a noblewoman’s hair – I thought it was quite cruel. Even if I hadn’t heard the name, that’s why it remained in the corner of my memory.

“Wait, that’s strange. The one being bullied by Lupina was the young lady you served, right? So why did you end up like that?”

“Because the young lady’s spirit broke! After her hair was cut, the young lady was no longer her former self. When she saw me, her maid, she mistook me for Lupina. These navy blue eyes – she thought they resembled yours! In a state of panic, the young lady threw tea at me. Crying and screaming while begging for forgiveness, she attacked me, hitting me repeatedly until I lost consciousness. By the time the other servants found me, my face was already beyond healing. Tell me, why? Why did the young lady have to be bullied like that? Why did I have to be made to look like this? It’s all, all because Lupina is a wicked woman!”

Screaming, Griffe started running toward me.

Just before she could touch me, Griffe was caught by Lord Landrick’s hand.

With a light twist of her arm behind her back, he rendered Griffe powerless.

“So that’s what happened with Lady Camille Langweil too…”

While looking at Griffe with pity, Lord Landrick murmured.

(Ah, Sister. How deeply sinful are you…?)

It was only natural she was resented and hated.

Griffe must have adored Lady Camille deeply. That’s why she undoubtedly continued serving her young mistress even after she became mentally ill. And yet, because she had deep blue eyes that reminded others of Sister, tragedy struck.

“…What happened to you is unfortunate, I think. But even so, that face wasn’t Lupina’s doing. I can understand wanting to frame Lupina for stealing the medicinal herbs. But the people you hurt weren’t Lupina. They were the patients of this treatment center.”

“I, I didn’t!”

“But you knew, didn’t you? That the patients were suffering. That’s why you tried to pin the false charge on Lupina while the medicinal herbs were still usable.”

It was Griffe who had diligently cared for the vomiting patients. Not just that time – she had always treasured the patients.

“Lady Griffe…”

“D-don’t touch me!”

I cupped Griffe’s face with both hands, though she was still restrained by Lord Landrick.

“I don’t think this will atone for my sins. But please, let me heal you.”

I poured healing power into Griffe’s burn scars. The red, swollen scars slowly changed shape, becoming smoother. Old wounds that have set over time are much, much harder to treat than fresh ones.

I wonder when Griffe suffered these burns.

I don’t know.

I simply focused all my efforts on healing her.

The more desperately I concentrated my magic, the more changes appeared on Griffe’s face. The eye that had been crushed narrow by swollen flesh opened wide and lovely, the reddish-black stained skin becoming smooth and soft. When I restored it to white skin, cheers erupted from around us.

“It’s healed, it’s healed, Griffe!”

“There’s nothing left on Lady Griffe’s face!”

Lute and Liesl came running and announced through tearful voices.

Hesitantly, Griffe gently ran her fingers along her cheek with the hand not held by Lord Landrick.

“No way…”

“It’s not a lie. Is there a mirror? Someone bring one. You could probably see in this sword too.”

Lord Landrick released Griffe and drew his sword from its sheath.

The polished, broad blade reflected Griffe like a mirror.

“My, my face… my face!”

“Whoa, don’t get any closer to the sword, it’s dangerous.”

Lord Landrick stopped Griffe as she staggered closer to see better.

“Griffe! I brought it!”

Mona handed over a hand mirror she’d brought from somewhere.

“Really, it’s back, to how it was…”

Tears welled again in her large navy blue eyes.

(I’m glad I could restore it)

I found myself wanting to tear up too.

I’d been worried whether I could properly restore such an old wound.

But perhaps because they were burn scars without poison involved, I could return it to her original beautiful face. If poison had been involved, I probably couldn’t have healed it.

Griffe, who had been staring at the mirror, suddenly turned to look at me as if struck by realization.

“…I’m, sorry, I’m sorry…………”

I nodded slightly at her apologizing through tears.

Normally, I should be the one asking for forgiveness. After all, I’m here as Sister Lupina.

Even if I could restore Griffe’s face, I couldn’t heal the broken spirit of Lady Camille Langweil, whom she cherished so dearly, with healing magic.

Even so.

If my nodding here could lessen Griffe’s guilt, then I wanted to do it.

——Afterward, when she had calmed down, she told us where she had buried the medicinal herbs, and we were able to recover the sennagi grass.

Any later, and they would have surely rotted and become unusable.

The sennagi grass growing in mine and Mona’s room had also matured safely.

There should be no more suffering from Kuzen disease.