Chapter 46: Rare bloodline
The door closed behind them with a soft thud, and silence settled over the study. His eyes stopped on the girl at the back—nervous, quiet, her hands clenched tightly in front of her. Millie Cartwright.
He straightened his back and spoke firmly. "You are aware of why you are called here, right?"
Millie looked up quickly, startled. She swallowed a lump in her throat and nodded, voice barely above a whisper. "Y-Yes, Duke."
His stare hardened. "I expect an honest answer. If you try to lie, you know what will happen."
Millie’s heart pounded louder in her chest. Her knees trembled, but she stood her ground and gave another small nod. "Yes, Duke."
The Duke leaned slightly forward, his expression now far more serious than before. "You... who are you?"
The room felt heavier.
Millie opened her mouth and quickly answered, almost as if trying to prove herself before being misunderstood again. "I’m not lying about my Identity, I’m Millie Cartwright... fifteen years old, Duke. You took me from the orphanage three years ago. I’m just a servant..."
The Duke gave a small nod. His voice came again, lower this time. "Based on your actions earlier... how long have you known you are capable of such a thing?"
Millie hesitated Her mouth opened, but no words came out at first. Then, slowly, she looked down at her feet, her voice small and trembling.
"My... my mother. She had it too," she said. "She used to heal people in secret in the village. But when I was ten... she got very sick. She knew she was dying. Before she passed, she... she said she would give it to me, when she held my hand, there was this... warmth. A light. And after that, she was gone. And I... I could feel it. Her gift But my mother made me promise to hide it so she teached how to hide any healing traces. She said... healing attracts danger. That people would use it. Or worse."