Chapter 103
The healer waved his hand around . Blue mana lights floated in circles before suddenly entering my body. For a mont, my mind felt sharp and clear, then… darkness. I lost consciousness in an instant.
In the darkness, I kept hearing soone call my na.
“Laila.”
The voice, low and trembling as if soaked in sorrow, kept echoing. I couldn't open my eyes. My mind was too dazed to form a single coherent thought.
All I could do was listen. The voice kept ringing in my ears.
“Laila…”
The more I heard it, the more it felt like I was sinking into despair. My heart ached. There was sothing strange about the voice, so sort of power. I wandered through the haze of my mind, guided only by that voice.
And then light began to wrap around , warm and bright. Slowly, my senses sharpened.
I opened my eyes in a hurry.
A calm voice echoed in my ears. "Are you awake now?"
I turned my head to see a healer watching .
“Where’s Ardion?”
“He had to leave just a mont ago due to urgent business.”
I slowly nodded.
The healer continued in a composed tone, “And you’ll need to rest for a few days.”
Hearing that stirred sothing in . A calm heart gave way to unrest, an anger I couldn’t quite place welled up.
How much longer would I have to suffer because of Rowell? I lifted my wrist. There was still no mark, and I still didn’t know how to extract the magical drug.
On top of that, Rowell had made so bizarre proposal.
I’ll end up dying from Rowell’s tornt either way.
I pressed against the bed with my arms and tried to sit up, but the healer quickly waved down.
“You must rest. And… did you know?”
“Know what?”
“You were pregnant…”
“Pregnant?”
The word was so unexpected that I couldn’t help but raise my voice. But the healer’s expression wasn’t good.
After a brief pause, she continued in a calm voice, “However, it seems you suffered a miscarriage due to the mana shock you endured.”
My mind went blank for a mont. I hadn’t even known about the pregnancy, let alone the miscarriage. It wasn’t sothing I had ever considered. My hands started to tremble on their own, and a cold chill ran through my head.
I exhaled slowly, and little by little, my surroundings gradually ca back into view. I turned to the healer and asked, “Does Ardion… know?”
“Not yet.”
“Then please… don’t tell him.”
“But His Highness…”
“I’ll take care of it. Please,” I asked earnestly. If Ardion heard this now, it would only cause him more pain. He had already apologized to when he didn’t need to. He didn’t need more guilt.
I slowly sat up in bed.
The healer tried to stop again. “Your Highness, you mustn’t overexert yourself.”
“Can I at least walk around nearby?”
“You can… but you still need to rest…”
“Is my mana stable?”
The healer nodded. “Your Highness’s mana has stabilized. There’s no issue.”
In the past, when I was in this kind of condition, my mana would be unstable and my head would constantly spin. But now, I felt fine. At least my mana had fully recovered. And more than that, using it no longer felt draining.
I used to have no trust in my body, but now, I could feel a faint belief growing. Most importantly, my hands weren’t trembling because of mana anymore. I was okay.
“If my mana’s fine, then my body should be too.” I calmly stood up from the bed.
The healer realized she couldn’t stop any longer. “Still, try not to use your mana for a while.”
“I will.”
The healer gave a polite bow and left the room. I looked around. That was when Derol jumped onto the bed.
“Derol, where were you?” I smiled and petted him.
Derol nuzzled into my hand. “I was always by your side, Master. Are you alright now?”
“I’m fine. What about you?” I carefully checked him. He didn’t seem hurt anywhere. His fur still glead.
“Master, I’m fine. I got banged up a bit from the fall, but it hardly hurts now.”
That eased my mind a little. I gently stroked Derol and murmured, "I think I need to go see Serina now."
“Is sothing wrong?”
“I just don’t think I can delay this any longer.” I clenched my fist. I had to find a way to take Rowell down.
Sensing my resolve, Derol quietly climbed onto my hand.
I slipped him into my pocket and left the room. As I stepped into the corridor, a servant ran up to .
“What is it?”
“Your Highness, Lady Serina wishes to see you.”
Perfect timing. I nodded and headed towards Serina’s room.
❋ ❋ ❋
Serina was sitting at a table, waiting calmly, as if she’d been expecting . Seeing enter, she stood from her seat.
I sat in the chair across from her.
As soon as I did, Derol poked his head out of my pocket, climbed into my hand, and squeaked, “Master, can I go up on the table?”
I glanced at Serina, then whispered to Derol, “Wouldn’t that be dangerous?”
“Not at all. In fact, I’d like to protect you right now.”
I was about to tell him it wasn’t necessary but stopped. Things weren’t particularly dangerous at the mont, and if Derol felt that way, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to indulge him.
I lifted him onto the table. Serina frowned as she looked at him.
“He won’t bite if you leave him alone. And like I said before, Derol is extrely clean.”
Serina kept her scowl but shifted her gaze back to .
“So, I heard you were looking for .”
Only then did she relax her expression and speak firmly. “First, let out of here.”
“…”
“I won’t kill Ardion.”
That eased my mind a little. “Then what about the magical drug…?”
“I can’t tell you anything about it.”
Without that information, I wouldn’t be able to move forward. “Then I can’t accept your request.”
“Then I guess I’ll be staying here until I die.” Serina didn’t flinch. She stared straight at , as if she really intended to stay here forever if I refused.
Even if everything she’d said up to now was a lie… I didn’t have many options left. She refused to tell about the drug, but maybe I could convince her with ti.
At this point, Serina was the only one who knew anything about it.
I studied her face.
At least she had changed her stance. That was progress. It ant my words were getting through to her, even if only a little. So for now, it was best to accept her condition and see how things unfolded.
“Fine. But I’ll need to talk to Ardion first, so give a little ti.”
“How long?”
“I’ll give you an answer before dinner.”
Serina nodded.
I asked, “By the way, if you leave here, where will you go?”
“Well, Rowell will co after eventually, so I’ll have no choice but to go to him.” She sounded indifferent, almost casual, without a trace of fear.
“He might kill you.”
“But he won’t. I’m the only one who knows about the magical drug. He wouldn’t kill so easily.”
She had a point. Unless the drug was completely gone, Rowell would keep her alive.
I nodded and stood. Then I looked at my wrist and asked, “Did you use your mana to place the drug in my body?”
Serina didn’t respond, just stared at .
“I won’t ask anything more about the drug. Just… please answer .”
After a brief pause, she nodded. “Yes. I used my mana to do it.”
I nodded and stepped away from the bed. There was nothing more to hear. Now I needed to speak with Ardion.
“I’ll be back before dinner.”
I held out my hand to Derol. He quickly climbed into my palm.
Serina watched with a stiff expression. “You’re… kind of impressive.”
“What do you an?”
“That you live with a rat like that.”
“He’s my only friend. He stayed by my side when things were hardest.”
I placed Derol back in my pocket and turned around. She said nothing more, and I hadn’t said it expecting a reply anyway. I closed the door behind .
The hallway was quiet. I checked the ti. It was still before lunch, but I wasn’t sure where Ardion would be.
Just then, a servant passed by and greeted .
I stopped him with a question. “Do you know where Ardion is?”
Surprised, he looked up at , then quickly bowed. “If the etings are over, he’s probably in his office.”
I thanked him and made my way there. Ardion’s office was on a different floor, just one level up, and the atmosphere there was quieter.
As I walked down the hallway, I thought about how to kill Rowell. It wouldn’t be easy. He held too much power.
Finally, I arrived at Ardion’s office just as the door opened and Delzion stepped out.
“Your Highness?”
T/N: Uhmmm… I don’t think this is the normal reaction of soone who had just lost her child in a miscarriage but… okay?
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