Today, Ardion was fully absorbed in his magic book, barely even noticing me.

    It was a relief for me.

    Watching him put in effort made me want to do a better job.

    Well, now that Ardion had been completely raised, it was time to leave.

    Yet the thought of leaving this mansion caused me to ponder Ardion’s future.

    It reminded me that he would soon leave the mansion because he would be sent to take part in the war. Rowell had sent him away.

    I was incapable of stopping Rowell. First of all, I lacked mana, and based on the original story, Rowell harassed Ardion until the end.

    But still, I was glad he had a good time here. At least, he wasn’t throwing tantrums anymore.

    Although he laughed less than normal people, it wasn’t really a problem.

    In a daze, I looked at Ardion, who had been seriously reading the magic book since earlier.

    Occasionally, he would glance at something else, but that was all.

    I didn’t want to disturb him any further and rose from my seat. “Master, I will take my leave.”

    Ardion just kept looking at the book. I didn’t expect an answer from him, but it was somehow embarrassing when he kept silent.

    Thus, I cleared her throat and released a sigh as if nothing had happened. “Now that I remember, you will soon leave the mansion, Master.”

    Ardion''s eyes, which displayed no emotion, hardened in an instant. He raised his head and looked at me. “I’m not leaving.”

    He spoke in an unusually low voice as his green eyes shined darkly. While I looked at him curiously, Ardion stood up.

    He was tall, to the point I had to look up at him.

    “Laila.” Ardion took a step closer.

    These days, since he had been diligently learning swordsmanship, his broad shoulders were noticeable. Additionally, he was so large that he overshadowed me.

    I involuntarily took a step back while Ardion stopped in place.

    “There’s something I’ve wanted to ask a long time ago.”

    His voice low and suppressed, Ardion looked straight into my eyes. “Laila, do you love me?”

    "Pardon me?”

    “Do you love me?”

    “... Master."

    “Because I love you.”

    I was utterly surprised by what he said, staring speechlessly at him.

    But Ardion approached me with a grin on his face. “Laila, tell me you love me. If you say so, I will give you everything I have. Hm?”

    I was in disbelief. What did he mean by giving me everything he had?

    Within his eyes, I noticed something that glimmered darkly—obsession. It was a look I had never spotted from him before. Just when in the world did you start thinking about me obsessively?

    ? ? ?

    “Laila!”

    A loud voice abruptly called my name. I rubbed my eyes and climbed out of bed.

    Bluntly trespassing into my room, Benji said, “Duke Orchid is calling for you. Hurry up.”

    In an instant, I felt sour inside. Duke Orchid claimed he was a distant relative of mine, but at the same time, he made me do all the dirty work related to his family.

    In the past, the innocent and nai?ve Laila had been loyal to Duke Orchid, saying she was grateful for everything. But that Laila was gone.

    I took the letter with my trembling hands. Nowadays, my hand tremors happened more often, so I needed to quickly obtain the right mana for myself.

    Duke Orchid nodded in satisfaction and picked up his cigar as I took the letter with trembling hands.

    I badly wanted to be sarcastic to him, but I chose to keep things simple. “What is the matter, Your Grace?”

    Duke Orchid smirked and winked at the butler. The butler quickly dragged something out of another room.

    I narrowed my eyes and stared at the coming sight towards me.

    The butler was holding a child.

    To be precise, it was a trembling child who was observing the office warily. In an instant, I met the child''s green eyes, making me speechless.

    A grumpy voice sounded. “This is the child Rowell left in my care.”

    Yes, the person holding the butler''s hand was a child who looked around 13 years old.

    There were leaves and dirt all over his face, as if he had been rolling around in the forest, and his clothes were either torn or darkened.

    He felt familiar somehow.

    He clearly had the face of a child, but I felt as though I had seen him somewhere before. Well, this child was quite handsome.

    With sharp eyes, a prominent nose, and small lips, he was charming.

    As I stared at him intently, the child frowned at me even more.

    Where did I see him before?

    He was really familiar...

    Then lightning struck my mind. His green eyes... a deep color resembling a forest...

    Just then, I remembered a name from deep in my memories.

    Ardion.

    The child glaring at me now was none other than Ardion, the male lead of this novel.

    In the original story, he was a ruthless man who killed Laila, but he had yet to have that power. Right now, he was just like a wary kitten.

    After that realization, my face suddenly brightened. Finally, the day to freedom is not far away!

    I almost cried out in joy. If I took care of Ardion well, I would obtain mana and then be able to run away from here! Furthermore, I had already compiled all the information about the duke''s evil deeds.

    However, contrary to my positive expression, Duke Orchid shook his head as if he were seeing something disgusting. “I don’t know what Rowell is thinking. He was taking care of this child, but now, he discarded him to me.”

    I said nothing. Considering Ardion’s current state, Rowell evidently hadn’t cared for him.

    The only thing he did was neglect.

    I looked at Ardion''s face, who gave me a wary expression. Still, I had the heart to smile at him.

    But he fiercely glared at me. He appeared dissatisfied with everything in this room, not just with me.

    Duke Orchid crossed his legs, took one look at Ardion, and nodded at me. “I can’t educate this child like my own, so you have to raise him.”

    Coincidentally, I had a childcare teacher’s certification. My job in the real world had been related to childcare, so I wasn’t surprised. Moreover, it was something I had experienced in the real world.

    Duke Orchid looked at me, seemingly examining my face. “I thought you’d be surprised, but you are not?”

    “Do I need to be surprised, Your Grace? I just have to do what you tell me.”

    With me accepting the task convincingly, Duke Orchid was more than satisfied. “Alright, let’s put sense into this. Don''t teach him things like arithmetic or history. Instead, teach him to remove mana. We need to extract all the mana from this one.”

    Feigning my curiosity, I asked, “Why do we need to remove his mana?”