His words were right. There was no need for him to tell me anything. I was still just a humble caretaker, while he was a member of the imperial family. But that didn''t mean I wanted a wall between us. Above all, in order to receive mana from him, I had to become close to him.

    I gazed at Ardion, who had wrapped himself tightly inside his blanket. His expression wasn’t good, as though he were telling me he wouldn’t let anyone inside his personal circle.

    He had been on guard from the beginning, which meant he wasn''t comfortable here, and this wasn’t a place where trust was present.

    In this situation, building trust was the most imperative.

    Recalling the Ardion in the original story, I said, "Don''t worry, Young Master. I will protect you until the end! And you can tell me what you''ve been keeping in your heart at any time."

    He gave me a mere glance and then averted his eyes. Given his attitude so far, this lack of response was quite predictable.

    I immediately whispered to Ardion, as if I were telling him a secret, “And just for your information, if you let out what’s been in your heart, you’ll feel a bit better.”

    “I will feel better?” Ardion frowned at me. It was impossible that a child like him wouldn’t be curious.

    I nodded confidently.

    “How can you guarantee that?” Ardion’s gaze was quite combative.

    “Because I’ve experienced it myself.”

    “...”

    “When I first came to this mansion, I had a really hard time. People kept harassing me... But after confiding everything in Derol, I felt a heavy weight lift off of my heart.”

    I smiled at Derol, who squeaked and grabbed my finger with his small hand.

    “Do you know what happened then?”

    Ardion didn’t ask, but he looked like he wanted to know.

    “Just because someone lent their ear to me, it felt like every thorn within my heart was pulled out. Now that I’m mentioning what I went through, I realize Derol was also in a similar situation. He had a difficult time surviving in this mansion too.”

    “What does that have to do with me?” Ardion’s green eyes were still wary.

    I shrugged. “Anyway, if you tell me about the concerns in your heart, you will feel better. Derol and I have experienced it.”

    “...”

    “For your information, we’re not the type to talk nonsense.”

    His expression didn’t change. While I calmly looked at him, Derol stuck his head out of my pocket. Both of our gazes were on Ardion.

    He furrowed his eyebrows for a moment and then lowered his head. Then, after a moment, he muttered, “How can I believe you so easily?”

    I was at a loss for words. I finally realized that the people around him had only lied to him, causing him to become so suspicious like this.

    I pondered for a moment. “You can pretend to be fooled and tell me, or you can tell me a lie.”

    Ardion raised his head. “Weren’t you in the duke’s office earlier? The duke entrusted me to you.”

    “Oh, that’s because the duke is using me. Should I tell you my secret while I’m at it?”

    He stared blankly at me, his brows still slightly furrowed. It wouldn’t hurt me to tell Ardion my secret anyway.

    He didn’t seem like the type to go around telling others.

    ... His story is more devastating than I thought.

    Anyway, when I thought about it again, raising Ardion was a good choice. I didn’t have anything to lose, and neither did Ardion. The moment I was about to say a few warm words to him, the door suddenly opened.

    I looked over in surprise and saw Duke Orchid standing there.

    I quickly put the fruit on the table in the sack and then pushed it into the corner so he wouldn’t see.

    Derol also hurriedly went into my pocket.

    Duke Orchid swept his eyes across the room before looking at me. He touched his rough chin a few times. “Laila, I personally reduced your workload and told you to focus on draining his damn mana, but I haven’t heard from you.”

    Although his words didn’t make any sense, I told him the truth. “Your Grace, I am sure you have heard it from the head maid, as I have told her.”

    “So what?! Shouldn’t you tell me about the results this morning too?” The duke rubbed the corners of his mouth hatefully.

    I looked at him expressionlessly. As expected, due to his urgency, he even came to me personally.

    I smiled as if nothing had happened. “Don’t worry, Your Grace. I just found an effective way to remove his mana.”

    It was nonsense, but there was nothing I could do. I had to quickly send Duke Orchid back and find a way.

    Of course, it wasn’t a real removal method but rather a way to make the mana completely invisible. In other words, I would teach Ardion how to hide mana.

    “Then I’ll check.” Duke Orchid strode over briskly to Ardion’s bed.

    Ardion moved back, but he quickly grabbed Ardion’s arm.

    “Let go!” he shouted, but it was no use.

    Duke Orchid lifted Ardion’s small arm with one hand and quickly rolled up his sleeve.

    Ardion’s arm was mysteriously shining with green, yellow, and red lights like flowing water.

    Duke Orchid’s face turned fierce and furious. “You said you found an effective way to remove his mana, but what is this?”

    Duke Orchid glared at me while still holding Ardion’s arm.

    Ardion tried to pull his arm away but failed. Instead, Duke Orchid gripped him tighter and looked at me, impatiently waiting for my explanation.

    I approached Ardion and pulled away Duke Orchid’s hand. “Your Grace, as I said, I have just found a way to remove it, but the mana isn’t completely removed from his body just yet.”

    Duke Orchid still held his arm.

    Eventually, I said, “It will take at least five years for the mana to be completely drained.”

    Only then did the Duke Orchid let go of Ardion’s arm. Ardion quickly cowered and lowered his sleeve, his eyes looking more alert than before.

    I sighed. We seemed to have gotten closer, but things suddenly became more complicated.

    Anyway, it’s all Duke Orchid’s fault. I glared at him.

    “Laila, think of your mother. I’m paying all those hospital bills for you,” the duke said as if everything was in his control.

    I nodded with a forced smile. In fact, his money was being used to run an illegal gambling house. I had already organized all the evidence. I said in a somewhat calm voice, “Yes, of course. By the way, I’d like to see my mother soon if possible.”

    Well, Ardion had a hard time. I pity him. Do you guys feel the same way? huhu