The Young Master I Carefully Raised Became Obsessive Chapter 21

I was relieved to see that Ardion was growing up well so far without any significant issues.

A satisfied smile spread across my face. With each passing day, as he continued to grow, I felt my escape from this mansion was drawing nearer. I focused on my al, oblivious to Ardion’s watchful eyes.

❋ ❋ ❋

Ti seed to fly by. Ardion had beco so tall that I had to look up at him when I needed to speak or et his gaze.

The quality of the duke's food was excellent. Coupled with his rigorous swordsmanship training, Ardion now exuded a mature aura.

His once unruly black hair was now neatly trimd, and his features, which had been sowhat delicate, were now taking on a distinctly masculine edge. His eyes, which once sparkled with a gentle light, now had a sharpness and a depth to them.

His once small nose now stood straight and proud, and there were tis when I couldn't help but marvel at how well he had grown.

Yet there was sothing unusual about him. Whenever our eyes t, he would often appear lost in thought, then quickly avert his gaze. This behavior had beco increasingly frequent.

Lately, he had been burning himself in books, his expression serious, punctuated by occasional deep sighs.

"Young Master, is sothing troubling you?"

He rely shook his head in response.

Despite his progress in swordsmanship training and the impressive skill of his teacher, the seemingly shabby but surprisingly competent Zikard, Ardion still seed to be grappling with sothing. He had perfected hiding his mana, evading any suspicion from Duke Orchid, so what could be bothering him?

Perhaps he’s bored with his studies?

Ardion had scarcely ventured beyond the mansion, and I had been unusually busy lately. The day of our departure was quickly approaching.

Now that I thought about it, the town festival was next week…

"Young Master, do you find studying a bit tedious lately?"

Ardion looked up at and blinked a few tis before frowning and returning to his book. "No."

Even as he said that, his expression remained troubled. I felt a change of scenery would ease his troubles slightly.

"You’ve been working hard, so it might be good to take a break. The town festival is next week. Would you like to go?"

At the ntion of the festival, Derol, who had been napping in my pocket, perked up and chirped, "I’ll go too."

I smiled and patted Derol’s head.

"What about you, Young Master?"

Looking up, I saw Ardion staring at with a stunned expression. After a mont of silence, he nodded. "I’ll go too."

Without another word, he turned and exited the room.

"I’ll let Zikard know—"

"No! I’ll do it."

"No, I’ll—"

"Zikard seems uncomfortable with you being there."

"Really? He greets every ti I go."

"Probably out of politeness."

I was surprised by Ardion's view of Zikard.

In that case…

Since Ardion went for swordsmanship training every morning, it wasn’t a problem for to handle this.

Ardion remained absorbed in his book while I sat beside him, reviewing the docunts I had gathered. Although he no longer needed my assistance with his studies, he preferred to have around from lunch to dinner. During this ti, he often asked questions about mana, which I answered.

"Laila, is there a specific flow of mana within the body?"

"Yes, Young Master. It should flow in a regular pattern within your body as well."

He slowly nodded. Sotis, I wondered if Ardion was asking questions he already knew the answers to since the information was clearly stated in the book.

With his intelligence, it should be easy to comprehend.

Nevertheless, there was no real need for him to ask , so I shifted my attention away from him.

When I beca bored, I would play finger gas with Derol. I would poke his tiny hands, and he would try to catch my fingers.

I dozed off without realizing it, a side effect of the lack of mana.

The room fell silent.

Ardion glanced over from his book and saw asleep on the table. He carefully settled beside , his gaze softening as he looked at .

Derol tried to nip at my fingers, but Ardion gently restrained him. "Don’t make a sound. I’ll take all your mana if you do."

"… You’re a bad guy." Derol glared at him.

Ardion let out a soft chuckle. "You should have been nicer to from the start."

"I’ll tell Master about this later."

"Then your friends won’t be safe either."

Derol fell silent.

Ardion patted his head. "Derol, don’t make a bad guy, understand?"

Derol turned his head sulkily, showing his displeasure.

Ardion smiled faintly and then turned back to , observing my resting figure, flowing hair, closed eyes beneath lowered lashes, evenly breathing nose, and red lips.

He gazed at for a long ti.

Then I stirred and furrowed my brow. Ardion straightened up.

Soon, I woke up. I was startled that I had fallen asleep in front of him. "Young Master, I’m sorry. I must have been exhausted these days."

"It’s fine," Ardion said nonchalantly.

The room had dimd with the setting sun.

After checking the ti, I sprang up. "Young Master, it’s getting late."

I hurriedly gathered my docunts and books. My hands were still trembling, causing the books to fall.

As I bent to pick them up, Ardion also reached for them, and his hand accidentally brushed against mine.

Startled, I pulled my hand away, and he froze.

I forced a smile. "See you tomorrow, Young Master."

Ardion slowly turned his head towards . At that mont, Derol hopped onto my hand, and I left the room with him.

Standing by the door for a mont, I couldn’t shake the feeling that sothing was off with Ardion. His intense focus on his studies and his reluctance to wake up seed odd.

"Master?" Derol peeked out of my pocket.

"It’s nothing. Let’s head back to our room."

Regardless, I shook off my concerns and entered my room.

❋ ❋ ❋

Unknowingly, the day of the festival arrived. Most of the mansion’s staff had taken the day off, so the once-bustling estate was unusually quiet.

Dressed neatly, I knocked on Ardion’s door.

"Co in."

Ardion seed more nervous than usual. Despite my arrival, he remained seated, fidgeting with the table.

"Young Ardion?"

Only after my call did he look up. His gaze was unnaturally nervous, his face beet red.

Is he coming down with a fever?

As I approached him, Ardion jumped up, startled.

"Are we going to the festival now?"

I nodded.

"O-okay, let’s go." Ardion left the room ahead of , his stride oddly awkward.

I never forced him to accompany though?

Lost in thought, I heard Ardion’s voice.

"Laila?" He was bending down, looking through the crack of the door as he waited for .

I hurried out into the corridor.

The mansion was eerily quiet, a stark contrast to the usual hustle and bustle. I found this serene atmosphere oddly pleasant.

"So, where is the festival held?"

"Near the capital."

"Ah, it's close to the palace."

"Oh, have you never been to a festival before?"

Ardion shook his head. "Rowell never let go to such places."

Hearing his lancholy tone, I inwardly cursed Rowell’s whole existence. No wonder he never beca emperor in the original story.

What could soone who just envied his brother and had such a mindset achieve? Anyways, in the original story, Ardion eventually beca emperor, albeit through a rather grim and tortuous journey.

However, the Ardion I saw now was quite pure and composed. His twisted and sensitive deanor from the original story was absent.

Ardion glanced around, taking in the surroundings that had begun to show signs of spring, with fresh green leaves starting to erge.

"Isn't it nice to be out like this?" I asked brightly, trying to lift the mood.

Ardion always seed to darken whenever topics like the palace or his family ca up.

He slowly turned towards , his green eyes unusually bright in the spring sunlight.

Seeing my smile, he nodded. "Yes, it’s nice."

I felt a pleasant warmth from his positive response. Venturing outside for the first ti in a while, I also found my spirits lifted by the fresh air.

"But do we really not need to take a carriage?"

We had already left the mansion. I looked back at it from a distance and nodded. “Duke Orchid’s mansion is close. Just a short walk, and we’ll be in the capital, so there’s no need to take a carriage.”

I walked lightly, inhaling the scent of blossoms carried by the spring breeze wafting through the air. Derol poked his head out of my pocket, sniffing eagerly.

Ardion walked beside , his gaze fixed on .

The weight of his stare finally compelled to ask, “Young Master, what’s on your mind?”

“Hmm?” His face turned an even deeper shade of red.

“You were looking at just now.”

“Oh, I was just admiring the mountains,” he said, gesturing vaguely to my side. But there were no mountains in sight, just the gentle hills of the landscape.

“There are no mountains here.”

“True. I could have sworn I saw one. That’s odd.” He furrowed his brow and tilted his head.

I glanced around again, noticing the fresh green leaves and swaying wildflowers surrounding us.

At that mont, Derol chid in, “Watch where you’re going and walk straight!”