Chapter 22: That Man’s Still Making Waves

To be honest, Tina hadn’t planned on reading that kind of book.
It felt weird.

But after she did, Althea’s reaction wasn’t what she expected. Instead of shock, she gave praise:
“The writing’s pretty good. Let’s stick with this one.”

“Uh… sure.”

Tina wasn’t sure if Althea was deliberately teasing her. It was hard to imagine someone reading that kind of book for the plot rather than the pulse-pounding parts.
But since Althea said so, Tina would have to grit her teeth and keep going.

“Time to sleep.”

That night, Tina’s sleep was restless.
She kept feeling like someone was touching her in her dreams, but she had no proof.

The next morning, as she tried to get out of bed, her legs gave out the moment they touched the floor.
Unable to catch herself, she crashed into a cabinet with a loud thud.

Althea, jolted from a sweet dream, looked around and realized her bedmate was gone.
“What happened?”

Peering over, she found Tina writhing on the floor in pain.
“Your legs… don’t move!”

Althea lifted Tina’s leg, inspecting it closely. Her calm expression darkened instantly.
The ominous feeling made Tina’s heart sink.

Oh no, I can’t hide it anymore.
“What’s wrong with your legs? Why’s it this bad?”

“Uh, it’s still that curse. It never really went away.”

“Sigh—” Althea let out a long breath. Tina braced for a scolding.
But instead, Althea just picked her up and placed her back on the bed.

“Can you still walk?”

“Seems… not.”

“I see…” Althea fell silent, a rare occurrence. “It’s my fault. I dragged you into this.”

“It’s not like that, Althea. I genuinely wanted to help you. This is nothing. I can’t walk, but I can still live.”

Tina thought she was being reasonable. If she’d never experienced disability, she might’ve broken down, maybe even wished for death.
But in her past life, after crossing over, her condition was worse than immobile legs—just lying in bed, waiting to die.

Compared to that, this was bearable.
With a wheelchair, she’d still be functional.

But Althea didn’t see it that way.
Back in the cave, when Tina said she’d be fine, Althea believed her, avoiding overthinking it.

Now, she learned it was all a lie.
Tina had known from the start that the curse would cripple her.

“What kind of joke is this? If I’d known, I wouldn’t have let you save me. How could you sacrifice yourself like that?”

Faced with Althea’s questions, Tina had no words.
“It’s your carefree attitude, your endless patience, that makes me feel so guilty, Tina.”

Althea’s head bowed, her voice choking. “Even if you’d blamed me just once… Why go this far for me?”

“Althea, my answer’s always the same: because it’s worth it. Have you thought about how I’d feel if I didn’t save you and watched you die in front of me?”

The answer was obvious.
“I’d be devastated too. So, logically and emotionally, saving you was the best choice. I just hope you won’t dwell on it too much.”

“Fine…” Althea softened, snuggling close like a kitten, hugging tightly. “I’ll find a way to fix this. Wait for me. When you’re healed, we’ll get married, okay?”

“Sure. Don’t worry, with my legs like this, you’re probably the only one who’d want me,” Tina teased.

“Don’t say that! Can’t you care about yourself a little?” Althea thumped Tina’s chest lightly.

“Alright, alright. Let’s try this: I’m a princess locked in a tower by an evil curse. I need a brave knight to defeat it and take me home. More fun that way, right?”

“Lame!” Althea got out of bed and soon had a maid bring in a wheelchair.
“Try it out. See if you can move around.”

Tina propped herself into it. It felt like a modern wheelchair, but magic-powered, making it effortless.
“Who invented this? Pure genius.”

“Um… Rune did.”

“Huh?”

“He was always tinkering with stuff like this, though most of it went unused.”

Tina had to admit she was impressed.
That guy’s offline and still making an impact?

She’d have to visit her—maybe even improve the design.
“I’m heading to the library to look for answers,” Althea said, pinning her hopes on the kingdom’s thousands of tomes for a curse-breaking method.

“Don’t overdo it. Rest if you’re tired.”

Unable to help physically, Tina could only support Althea from behind.
Though, given the curse came from an archbishop, it was likely permanent. She’d probably be in this wheelchair for the rest of her time.

After parting ways, Tina cranked the wheelchair’s magic to max, zooming from the palace to the maids’ quarters, startling everyone.

Man, this thing’s practically a motorcycle.
Rune’s invention was no joke.

Under judgmental stares, Tina stopped at a path by the attic.
A silver-haired maid noticed her, approaching with exasperation.

“What? You’re using my wheelchair?”

“Hehe, saving Althea messed up my legs, so I borrowed it.”

“Ugh, fine, you’re forgiven. But next time, don’t be so blatant, okay?”

Rune didn’t want to be scolded even after “dying.”
“Forget that—how’s it going? You adjusting to the new body?”

“Not bad.” The maid twirled her skirt, showing off her agility.

Tina could barely hold it together.
How’s this guy so okay with being a girl already? And pulling off the look so well?

“Hey, be honest—have you secretly wanted to be a girl for ages?”

“Tch, don’t slander me! The maids kept pestering me, dressing me up and asking for feedback. That’s how this happened.”

Unbeknownst to Rune, under the influence of the body and environment, even her rebuttal came off as feminine.
“But speaking of, Everett saw me once and hasn’t come back since. Wonder why.”

We’re supposed to be bros—why’s he ghosting me in my time of need?

“Good question. I’ll take you to find him sometime.”

Tina sensed a juicy story waiting to unfold.