“What’s going on?” Ardion asked.
The nearby servants quickly bowed their heads and answered nervously, “Soone has collapsed, Your Highness.”
As we pushed through the crowd, I saw a familiar face.
“Miss Serina?” Her na unintentionally slipped out of my mouth.
Ardion turned to . “Do you know Serina well?”
“Ah, no. I just know her from her reputation. She’s quite well-known on the battlefield…” I fumbled through my explanation.
Ardion looked at with an intensity that suggested he wasn’t buying it.
“Your Highness, please don’t look at . Look at Miss Serina!”
In the original story, Ardion would have rushed to kiss Serina and revive her. But he was focused solely on , as if Serina’s state was of secondary importance.
“Your Highness, Miss Serina has collapsed.”
“So, since you’ve heard about Serina, you must at least know a few things about . In that case, why haven’t I received a single letter from you?”
“Pardon , Your Highness?”
Is that really important right now? I shouted in my head in disbelief.
Ardion continued to ignore Serina as he waited for my response. I looked over at Serina. She seed to be drifting in and out of consciousness.
“Your Highness, we need to take care of Miss Serina’s condition right away—”
“Why should I do that?”
His words froze my thoughts, leaving dumbfounded.
Serina needed Ardion’s mana. The fact he even considered it was completely absurd. This was all wrong.
I couldn’t let Serina die because of .
Just as I bent down to offer my own mana, Ardion grabbed my hand. “What are you doing? It’s dangerous.”
I was about to argue when a loud, purposeful stride approached.
“Excuse ! Your Highness!” A healer arrived and imdiately bowed to Ardion. Only then did Ardion shift his gaze away from to the healer.
“Miss Serina has collapsed. She is a close friend of mine who fought alongside on the battlefield. Please take special care of her.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
The healer signaled his companions, and soon, Serina was carried away on a stretcher. As soon as my gaze saw her limp body, I felt a pang of guilt in my heart.
She certainly needed Ardion’s mana. It was like that in the original story.
After Serina was taken away, my thoughts were consud by her. I wasn’t even aware of where I was going. As gloom shrouded my mind, I heard a cough, which shattered my thoughts. I looked around. Ardion had vanished. Only Delzion was facing .
Startled, I said, “Oh, pardon !”
I had nearly stepped on his foot.
“It’s fine. His Highness has gone to a eting.”
“A eting?”
“Yes, he ntioned it earlier. Didn’t you hear him?”
I shook my head. I had been too lost in thought to pay attention.
Delzion glanced at his watch and said quietly, “From the looks of it, the eting might take a while…”
His words sparked a thought in my mind.
“Can I step out for a bit?”
Delzion raised an eyebrow at my request. He rubbed his forehead and replied, “Where do you intend to go?”
“Do you know where Miss Serina is?”
“She was taken away by the healers. She’s probably in the infirmary on the first floor.”
“Then I’ll just take a quick trip down there.”
“Please don’t stay there for too long.”
“I’ll be back soon.”
With that, I hurried down the staircase. As I descended, I saw a bright light flooding the central hall. I scanned the area to find the infirmary.
Just then, I spotted soone in white entering the room. I rushed inside and found several healers attending to Serina.
I ran up to them and asked, “How is Miss Serina?”
One of the healers shook his head solemnly. “Lady Serina is currently almost out of mana. We will do our best as His Highness instructed, but the mana she needs is incredibly rare…
“His Highness has that rare mana. However, we cannot use His Highness’s mana without permission. Even if he agrees, there’s no guarantee he’ll freely give it.”
It was disheartening news. I stood there, lost in thought until the mory of the mana vault I had seen earlier ca to mind. “Is there any mana in the vault?”
“We can’t disclose that. It’s confidential and can’t be accessed by people of low status.”
“But His Highness specifically told you to take special care of her!”
“The mana vault can only be opened with His Majesty’s approval. Even His Highness cannot access it without consent.”
At that mont, a smooth voice interrupted, “What’s the matter?”
I turned to see Rowell standing there, accompanied by two aides. The healer, who had been stiff with , imdiately rushed over to him.
“Your Highness, what brings you here?” The healer’s expression brightened considerably. It was clear Rowell held significant power in this place.
Feeling bitter, I stepped back from the bed. Suddenly, aware of soone watching , I turned to find Rowell’s gaze on . His eyes made uncomfortable. I averted my gaze, only to hear his voice directed at .
“It seems you need sothing.”
Indeed, Rowell was observing intently. I would rather beg Ardion for mana than ask Rowell for help.
“No, Your Highness, I don’t need anything,” I declined firmly and turned away.
But Rowell blocked my path. Soon, our eyes t.
“An oddly familiar face. What’s your na?” Curiosity glimred in his eyes.
Realizing I would likely be seeing him often near Ardion, I quickly replied, “I am Laila.”
Rowell stared at for a mont before I passed by him.
❋ ❋ ❋
As I approached the eting room, the door swung open. Delzion spotted and smiled. It seed I tid my arrival well.
Ardion erged from the eting room, flanked by an elderly man discussing sothing with him. His expression was indifferent, while the elderly man’s hands trembled slightly.
Once the elderly man stepped back, Delzion moved closer. “I hear a hunting tournant is going to be held.”
“A hunting tournant? Isn’t that scheduled for the year after next?”
As we walked, I contemplated how to get mana from Ardion as naturally as possible.
If it weren’t for , Serina would have been saved. She would be perfectly fine right now.
“Before that…” Ardion turned his gaze to , catching off guard. “Laila, do you happen to have any information about what Duke Orchid and his ilk have done?”
I was taken aback by his unexpected question. The events regarding the duke felt like a distant mory.
I never thought Ardion would bring it up.
I took a mont to steady my thoughts before answering calmly, “I had so docunts, but they were burnt.”
“Burnt?”
“Yes. After you went to the frontier, a fire broke out at Duke Orchid’s estate, and when I checked later, there was nothing left.”
I vividly rembered that ti. Fortunately, I had been out for a walk, distracted by my own worries, so I hadn’t faced the consequences.
My close friend Benji had also been out, so she escaped unhard. But I had heard most of the servants hadn’t made it out in ti, and all of this was Rowell’s doing.
Now that I thought about it, the docunts I had submitted to the court might still be there.
“However, the docunts I submitted to the court should still be intact…”
“Then, unless they’ve been destroyed, those docunts still exist, right?”
“Yes.”
Ardion nodded slowly.
“Why do you ask?”
“Because Jonok is still alive.”
“What?” My voice rose instinctively.
“And his remnants are still causing trouble.”
I had heard the news of the Duke’s death, but I hadn’t heard anything about Jonok. No wonder I felt uneasy.
Jonok had done many wicked and cruel things. He had frequently troubled the servants and had even run an illegal casino under the duke’s na.
He had not only caused Derol’s life to be miserable but mine as well.
My hands trembled when I thought about him. Just then, a warm hand covered mine. I looked up at Ardion.
He said in a low voice, “I’ll take care of them all.”
“Your Highness.”
“I’ve had my share of trouble too.”
“But you must have a lot on your plate besides that.”
“That event was tied with Rowell. The duke is gone now, but Jonok is still alive.”
Just then, Delzion opened the door to Ardion’s office. Docunts covered the desk, and Delzion placed several more pieces of paper on it.
“Your Highness, I will take my leave now. I will look into the matter you ntioned.”
Ardion nodded. Delzion left, and silence enveloped the room.
I felt awkward under Ardion’s stern gaze. Slowly, I turned to face him. He was leaning against his desk with his arms crossed.
“Your Highness, do you have sothing you’d like to do?” I tried to sound nonchalant.
Ardion smirked. “No.”
“Then may I take my leave?”
“You cannot.” His smirk vanished.
Reluctantly, I sank into a nearby chair. He looked at for a mont before settling at his desk.
My gaze drifted to the glass vial before . It was filled with water, but I knew it could also hold mana.
If Ardion chose to focus, he could easily infuse the vial with mana. With his vast reserves, drawing so into such a small container wouldn’t even faze him.
But how do I ask him for it?
After much contemplation, I decided on a straightforward approach and to simply ask. “Your Highness.”
He lifted his head, his green eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that made my heart race.
“Would you be able to put so mana into this vial?” I held the vial up for him to see.
In response, his expression changed subtly, a flicker of interest dancing across his features.
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