After what happened, Serina seed to have disappeared into thin air.
Inside Ardion’s office, the sound of the door closing echoed, leaving both and Ardion alone.
I mostly spent my ti organizing docunts or running errands in Ardion’s office, but I was not as busy as I thought.
I occasionally found it useful to glean information about events occurring in the palace.
[eting for the Hunting Tournant]
The hunting tournant was approaching. It only took a brief glance to discover the budget issues in their discussions and the various nobles who participated.
“Laila.”
“Yes?”
Startled by the sudden call, I looked up to find Ardion staring at .
“I heard you’ve been looking into Serina lately.”
I was surprised that Ardion knew about it.
How did he find out?
While processing this, I felt Ardion's intense gaze. He seed to be waiting for my response. I quickly gathered my thoughts and replied, “It was surprising she recovered in just one day, yet she disappeared right after.”
“…”
“Do you know where she might be?”
“Is Serina that important to you?”
“I’m just curious, Your Highness.”
Although Ardion showed no outward emotion, his gaze told otherwise. “Have you been exchanging letters with her while she was on the frontier while ignoring my letters?”
“No! Not at all. I didn’t even receive any letters. At that ti, Duke Orchid’s mansion had just burnt down. I intended to send you a letter, but they said it wouldn’t reach you in the border regions.”
“So, you wanted to send a letter?” Ardion said tentatively, his enchanting brows furrowed slightly. “You must have been thinking of since then.”
I hesitated for a mont. I had indeed thought about Ardion. After all, it would have been strange to forget him after parting ways like that.
“… Yes.” As I reluctantly admitted it, I noticed Ardion's expression softened.
“Laila, do you still have that letter you intended to send?”
“Um, I’m not sure where it might be. I think I have thrown it…”
Ardion’s face hardened.
“Should I go ho and look for it? If I find it…”
“Forget it.” Ardion returned his focus to the docunts.
The room felt awkward, and I hesitated before resuming my tasks. Sotis, it felt strange to be with Ardion.
Right now was one of those tis.
I cautiously glanced at Ardion again. His striking features were the first thing that caught my eye. His good looks had only beco more pronounced with his age.
His long fingers grasped docunts, noticeably different from just a few years ago.
I recalled how Ardion used to concentrate as a child. Whenever I watched him, his ears would turn adorably red.
Back then, he was quite shy about receiving affection. I had assud he was just shy, never really considering the emotions behind it.
As I glanced at his flushed ears, our eyes t.
“Laila, if you keep staring at like that, I can’t concentrate, just like when we were younger.”
“But back then…”
“I was only pretending to concentrate. I never really understood what I was reading.”
Ardion was oddly calm. I had never thought of him in any way beyond how I had initially perceived him. I rely sought to survive and gain mana from him.
In a way, what I did was… terrible, but Ardion was aware of it too. It was a good thing that both of us were in agreent about this.
Yet I hadn’t expected him to harbor romantic feelings for all this ti.
Moreover, since I currently felt nothing for him, I thought it best to be honest. “Your Highness, I felt the sa back then as I do now. I’ve never thought of you in the way you do for .”
Ardion studied quietly before smiling. “I am aware.”
“…”
“But do you know what’s fortunate?”
“What?”
“That you might need my mana soday.”
“But right now…”
“You never know what will happen in the future. Just because you have enough mana now doesn’t an you won’t run out and need my help later.”
“I don’t want to rely on you anymore, Your Highness.”
Ardion chuckled softly. “I have never and will never see it that way, Laila.”
The closer I tried to pull away, the more he seed to draw near. I lowered my head, feeling both unsettled by the sudden absence of Serina and Ardion’s unabashed approach.
My thoughts were muddled by the two protagonists from the original story.
❋ ❋ ❋
When I returned to my room after finishing work, I collapsed onto the bed in exhaustion.
Derol scampered over to . “Master, are you unwell?”
His small face looked around anxiously.
“No, I’m just beat.”
That was partly true. Being around Ardion often made feel a tension I didn’t know I had, leaving physically drained.
Derol climbed under my hand, and I slowly stroked him.
“Master, although I enjoyed playing in that room, it feels nice spending ti with you too.”
“Are you getting bored of that place?”
Derol nodded slowly. It seed being in the sa location for too long had grown dull for him. He peeked at and rested his head on my fingers. “Honestly, it can be lonely when I’m by myself.”
“Really?”
“Sotis, those thoughts cross my mind, but it’s nothing to worry about.”
Although Derol shook his head while saying this, I couldn't dismiss his feelings. Looking back, Derol and I had spent almost no ti apart since we left Duke Orchid's mansion.
Back then, although life was tough and harsh, it sohow felt better. Even though we lived sowhat lavishly now, I kept thinking about complicated thoughts.
“Derol, was it better before we ca here?”
Derol nodded silently. Perhaps stepping into this place was a mistake.
No, maybe I was to bla for treating him kindly in order for to survive without caring for his feelings.
This thought struck belatedly, but the past had already passed. Dwelling on it wouldn’t change anything now.
So, for now… I had to find Serina. I needed to check if she was safe, and if she was, should I tell her about Ardion?
After much deliberation, I turned to Derol. “Derol.”
“Yes, Master.”
“If you unexpectedly entered a story and found yourself interrupting the love between the protagonists, would it be right to reunite them when they weren’t together?”
“Yes, but shouldn’t we also listen to their stories?”
“Their stories?”
Derol nodded. “If they were truly ant to be together, then even with interruptions, they would still end up together. If they don’t, it might indicate their destiny within that story was ant to unfold differently.”
“Derol…” I half-sat up and looked at him again.
Derol tilted his head.
“Did you read the books in this place without knowing?”
“Actually, my previous room was a library. I’ve read almost all the books there, so I got a bit bored…”
Why didn’t I notice that sooner?’
Derol flinched and looked at .
“You inherited my mana!”
“Yes.”
“So, you’re smart like because of that?”
“Master…” Derol squeaked, and I felt a slight pinch on my fingers. He had nipped to snap out of my thoughts. I lay back down.
“Still, I’m not stupid. I know a fair bit about acting and even have a childcare certification. And I’ve learned a lot about mana from Duke Orchid’s library.”
As I spoke, I gradually drifted off to sleep. It felt as though all the worries in my head had dissipated like smoke.
❋ ❋ ❋
[Third-Person POV]
anwhile, in Ardion’s office, the lights were still brightly lit. He was deep in thought, reviewing the docunts he had just signed.
I don’t want to rely on you anymore, Your Highness.
Laila's words echoed in his mind. Rely? She must have been overthinking. No, was she setting boundaries?
Knock, knock.
The calm knock interrupted his thoughts.
Ardion responded, “Co in.”
The door opened, and Delzion entered. He bowed his head to Ardion. “Your Highness, you called for ?”
“What’s the status of what I asked you to investigate?”
“There happens to be a craftsman nearby who makes mana-conducting necklaces. But he loves money and has a loose tongue. Is that alright with you?”
“Is there no one else?”
“He’s the only one, Your Highness. But at least his skill in crafting mana-conducting pieces is exceptional.”
“Alright. Get ready. We’ll go right now.”
“But it’s the middle of the night…”
“You said he loves money, so it doesn’t matter when I co because he’ll welco .”
“I… will guide you, Your Highness.”
Delzion led Ardion through the streets, arriving at an accessory shop. Like other shops on the street, this one was dark and closed.
Ardion gestured.
Delzion knocked on the door. “We’ve co to place an order.”
However, the door remained shut. Delzion knocked louder and repeated himself, “We’ve co to place an order!”
After several loud knocks, the startled barking of a dog sounded inside.
An elderly man with graying hair opened the door. “What’s the matter so late?!”
The elderly man, appearing irritated from being woken up, froze upon recognizing Ardion. “Y-Your Highness! What brings you here?”
“I’d like to commission a necklace.”
Ardion gestured to Delzion. He lifted a large sack that looked particularly heavy, sagging at the bottom in a way that suggested it contained sothing substantial.
The elderly man imdiately recognized it as a sack of gold coins. He quickly stepped aside and said, “Please, co in.”
Although the workshop wasn’t tidy, the elderly man cleared the scraps scattered around the place for Ardion and Delzion.
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