"Why are you out here?" A voice disrupted Oriana’s thoughts, causing her to turn her head. "Master."
Observing her restless deanor, Erich approached her, concern etched across his face. "What’s troubling you?"
Oriana glanced in the direction where Arlan had vanished, struggling to find the right words to explain to her master.
"I... I just stepped out to get so fresh air, but I suddenly felt restless."
Erich studied her pale complexion. "You’ve been working since morning. You need rest."
"I’m fine, Master," she replied with a forced smile, as if to prove her point. She then asked, "But why are you awake at this hour?"
Erich lazily scratched his temple, still bearing the signs of sleep and exhaustion on his face. "My mind conjured up new dicines for the King, and I need to start preparing them."
"I’ll help you," Oriana offered.
Noticing her troubled state, Erich accepted her offer. "Alright. Co inside."
Oriana cast one more glance at the rear of the Queen’s residence before turning to head back inside. Her heart remained unsettled, despite her efforts to push her concerns aside.
"The palace belongs to the Royal family, and he’s the Crown Prince. Nothing can happen to him, right? He must be here for so undisclosed work," she reassured herself.
Together with Erich, Oriana busied herself with the new dicine.
"I’ve listed all the required ingredients and the procedure here. We just need to follow it precisely," he said, handing her a piece of paper. "You can start on the first part, and I’ll begin preparations for the more intricate second part."
Oriana nodded, accepting the paper. Despite their work, Erich sensed that Oriana’s thoughts were elsewhere. He decided to initiate a conversation to help her montarily forget her troubles.
"Did you discover why the dicine you were preparing for your grandpa kept turning black?" he inquired while engrossed in his work.
Oriana nodded as she continued to grind the herbs. "Yes, it’s due to the darkness attribute within . It was affecting the potency of the black nightshade in the dicine."
"Do you have a solution?"
She nodded again, "I learned that aside from the darkness attribute, my body also possesses divine power. I need to harness that divine power to counteract the darkness so it won’t affect the herb’s effectiveness."
"That’s a relief. At least now you can prepare dicine for your grandpa."
In response, she simply nodded and resud her work. After a while, she spoke again, "Master, I won’t be around for a few weeks."
"Are you planning to return ho?"
She set aside the crushed herbs to pick up another and replied, "I plan to bring my grandpa to the capital. I can’t leave this place for now, and I want to keep him close to . Since you’re here, you can check on him. It would be helpful."
"That’s a thoughtful idea."
But Oriana pursed her lips. "I’m not sure if he’ll agree. He’s always been averse to coming to the capital or even closer areas. We’ve always lived in border villages of the kingdom. He once warned to stay away from the capital, the royal palace, and the people here."
Erich raised an eyebrow, "Does he have any past grievances with the Royal family?"
"I don’t think so. We’re commoners without wealth or a family na. People as lowly as us wouldn’t have anything to do with the Royals. I believe he simply cherishes his simple life and wishes to avoid trouble with powerful individuals, so he’s always cautioned ."
Erich observed Oriana’s delicate features. Her extraordinary beauty was uncommon among ordinary people, and he had noticed it when he first saw her a few years ago. However, he refrained from ntioning it, respecting her beliefs. Perhaps she was simply blessed with a noble beauty among commoners.
"I hope your grandpa agrees," he comnted.
"I’m praying for the sa."
"When do you plan to leave?"
"I’ll ask for His Highness’s permission tomorrow and likely depart the day after tomorrow."
Erich nodded in response.
An hour passed as the master and apprentice finished preparing the dicines. Erich looked at Oriana and said, "Thank you for your help at this late hour. It’s late now. You should rest. There’s a guest room you can use instead of returning so late."
"It’s alright, Master. I’ll head back. I need to resu my duties as His Highness’s personal aide in the morning, so I can’t afford to be late."
"As you wish. Tomorrow afternoon, you can accompany to see the King."
"I will. Goodnight, Master," Oriana offered a slight bow and turned to leave through the rear of the guest mansion.
"Why are you going that way? The exit is over there," Erich pointed out.
"I’ll take a short walk through the rear garden before leaving," she replied, though she knew why she was drawn to that part of the guest mansion.
"Goodnight," Erich responded before heading back to his room.
Oriana entered the garden and cast her gaze toward the rear section of the Queen’s residence. She hoped to catch another glimpse of Arlan, her worry gnawing at her.
Unable to spot anyone, a sense of uncertainty washed over her. ’Has he already left, or is he still there? Should I investigate? What if I’m discovered and face consequences?’
Despite her inner conflict, she ultimately chose to check. But then...
She stood frozen in her tracks.
A tall silhouette erged once more from the shadowy depths at the rear of the Queen’s mansion. The figure moved with an unsteady gait, grasping for support wherever possible, as if struggling to navigate the path.
"His Highness?" Oriana questioned, her heart racing.
She took a tentative step forward, her desire to reach him overcoming her hesitation, but she suddenly noticed sothing else.
"Evil Black Magic?" she whispered under her breath, a chill running down her spine.
The shock sent a tremor through her, causing her feet to waver, but she quickly regained her composure. She fixed her gaze on him with a mix of disbelief and a deep hurt etched into her eyes.
’He is in pain.’
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