“What’s going on?” Ardion asked.

    The nearby servants quickly bowed their heads and answered nervously, “Someone has collapsed, Your Highness.”

    As we pushed through the crowd, I saw a familiar face.

    “Miss Serina?” Her name unintentionally slipped out of my mouth.

    Ardion turned to me. “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 me with an intensity that suggested he wasn’t buying it.

    “Your Highness, please don’t look at me. Look at Miss Serina!”

    In the original story, Ardion would have rushed to kiss Serina and revive her. But he was focused solely on me, 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 me. In that case, why haven’t I received a single letter from you?”

    “Pardon me, 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 seemed 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 me 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 me.

    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 me! Your Highness!” A healer arrived and immediately bowed to Ardion. Only then did Ardion shift his gaze away from me to the healer.

    “Miss Serina has collapsed. She is a close friend of mine who fought alongside me 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 consumed 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 me.

    Startled, I said, “Oh, pardon me!”

    I had nearly stepped on his foot.

    “It’s fine. His Highness has gone to a meeting.”

    “A meeting?”

    “Yes, he mentioned 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 meeting 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?”

    “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 remembered that time. 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 unharmed. But I had heard most of the servants hadn’t made it out in time, and all of this was Rowell’s doing.

    Now that I thought about it, the documents I had submitted to the court might still be there.

    “However, the documents I submitted to the court should still be intact...”

    “Then, unless they’ve been destroyed, those documents 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 name.

    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. Documents 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 mentioned.”

    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 something you’d like me 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 me for a moment before settling at his desk.

    My gaze drifted to the glass vial before me. 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 some 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 some 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.