The Young Master I Carefully Raised Became Obsessive-Chapter 99

Chapter 99

"Ignored? That's a harsh word."

"That's the only way I can see it. And now, you're trying to strip away every last bit of my mana to kill me."

"…"

"Would my death make your life easier, Brother?"

"Ardion."

"You think you can govern this empire without ever having received the blessing of mana?" Ardion let out a faint laugh.

Rowell reached for the dagger lying on the table, but Ardion immediately grabbed his arm.

"I'm not going to die by your hand. Not now."

Rowell tried to raise his hand, but Ardion wouldn't let go.

"You dare…" Rowell lifted his gaze, his eyes bloodshot with rage.

"You were the one who first said all my mana should be extracted during the coronation at the temple. You said it was the only way for the high nobles and priests to acknowledge you."

Rowell said nothing, just glared at Ardion.

Ardion met his eyes, tilting his head slightly. "Was I wrong?"

Rowell stared at Ardion for a moment, then dropped the dagger. Only then did Ardion release his wrist and step back.

He immediately turned away. Being around Rowell didn’t seem to be good for him in any sense.

Mana light was already beginning to flicker faintly around his arm. He headed out of the council chamber but suddenly stopped. Then he turned his head and said to Rowell, "By the way, when did the chest pain start? It seems serious."

"…"

"I’m saying this because I’m genuinely concerned, Brother."

As Rowell shot him a cold glare, Ardion simply smiled faintly and exited the chamber. The moment he left, Rowell spoke up. "What happened to Serina?"

The knight commander at his side quickly answered, "Well… we’ve searched, but we can’t find her. She may have gone somewhere else…"

"Find her and bring her back immediately. I've got enough things irritating me already."

"Yes, Your Highness. And what shall we do about Laila?"

Rowell tapped the dagger on the table. After a few taps, he drove the blade down into the table. "I’ll deal with her myself. I heard she’s in Ardion’s palace."

"But, Your Highness, that's too dangerous, especially with your heart condition worsening…"

Rowell slowly lifted his head. His gaze, already lifeless, pierced into the knight commander. "Are you hoping I die right here and now?"

"N-no, Your Highness! I would never dare!" The knight commander bowed his head in panic.

Rowell slowly turned his gaze away. "It seems I'll have to kill Ardion before the coronation. I can't stand the sight of him any longer."

He rose from his seat, eyes fixed on the dagger embedded in the table. As he moved, the knight commander hurried to follow behind him.

❋ ❋ ❋

Serina remained silent the entire afternoon. I asked the maid who entered her room just in case, but she said Serina hadn’t said a single word.

Anxiously, I wandered around my room. Derol also seemed uneasy, sitting silently by the window. Then came a knock at the door.

"Come in."

The door opened immediately, and a servant entered. "Your Highness, you have a guest."

"A guest?"

"Yes, Duchess Heverun is here to see you."

I stood frozen for a moment. Why would the duchess come here?

I couldn't come up with a single answer.

"Laila, is something wrong?"

I turned to see Ardion looking at me. He approached me casually, but I instinctively stepped back.

"Laila?"

"The duchess is here. I should go greet her." I forced a smile and walked towards the door.

The servant stood ready by my side, and I quickly gave her a discreet look. She seemed momentarily flustered but bowed and began to guide me.

After what had happened with Ardion over the past two days, I had no desire to be near him. I still didn’t know why he came to my room just now. He's probably going to bring up marital duties again and ask me to share the bed.

As that thought crossed my mind, I checked my veil. Until the red marks disappeared, I didn’t want to be anywhere near him. My body was far too worn down.

At this point, the duchess's visit felt like a relief, even if I didn’t know her purpose.

Ardion’s palace had several drawing rooms for receiving guests. The largest one was on the first floor, decorated with ornate wall designs and elegant carpets.

Duchess Heverun was sitting with a steaming teacup in front of her. She was wearing a deep green dress with an emerald embedded in the center that caught the eye.

I walked in calmly. When I entered the drawing room, she looked up. The moment our eyes met, she smiled. "It’s been a while, Laila… or should I say, Your Highness the Princess?"

I returned her smile with a gentle one of my own and greeted her. "Please, you can still call me Laila."

"Oh, but now that you're married, it’s only proper to say Your Highness. I dropped by without notice. I hope I’m not intruding."

"Not at all. I’m grateful you came."

I hid my questions behind a smile. Truthfully, I didn’t know the duchess well.

Back then, she had listened to me because of the cookies and the fact that she knew Rowell’s true nature. But now, I had no idea why she had come here.

I picked up the teacup in front of me. The duchess watched me with a smile, her gaze oddly persistent. I tried to ignore it and took a small sip.

As I set the cup down, the duchess spoke. "That time, the cookies were delightful."

She glanced at the servant beside her, who then placed a box of cookies on the table. It was about the size of two palms and wrapped elegantly.

I looked at her.

The duchess smiled and said, "Just as you recommended, I used almond powder, and they turned out wonderfully. At the ball I hosted, these cookies were the most popular."

She looked at the box, then back at me. "More importantly, I’m relieved to see you're doing well. People in my social circles have been very curious about you."

"About me?"

She nodded. "Actually, I did a bit of talking. In the beginning, people had a terribly wrong impression of you."

I nodded calmly.

The duchess looked surprised. "You knew about your reputation?"

"I saw it in the newspapers, though I haven’t heard the rumors directly."

"I see. Well, the social circles were full of negativity about you. So just as His Highness suggested, I spread a few stories about how the two of you fell in love. Did you know about that?"

It was the first time I’d heard any of this. I shook my head, flustered.

"Then, this is all new to you?"

"Yes. Ardion never mentioned any of it."

"Well, maybe he didn’t think it was important, but thanks to me, your image has improved a lot."

Thinking back, when I was captured by Rowell, I wasn’t well-liked by the people of the empire. They accused me of putting on an act during the trial. But lately, the newspapers had started portraying me as a legendary femme fatale who captured a prince’s heart.

"So, were those newspaper articles your doing too?"

The duchess chuckled with her hand covering her mouth. "No, that wasn’t me. I think the reporters just compiled the most sensational parts of the rumors they heard. But most nobles now think very highly of you."

"That’s a relief."

I had always assumed nobles wouldn’t like me since I was a commoner. Ardion had even tried to grant me a title because of it. But after the marriage, everything seemed to settle down quickly. It looked like the duchess and Ardion had gone to great lengths for that.

Now that I thought about it, there weren’t many who opposed the marriage because of Rowell.

Maybe I was only able to marry Ardion peacefully thanks to Rowell’s presence. Otherwise, the opposition would’ve been overwhelming. Especially in the noble council, where many powerful families likely wanted to marry into the imperial family, the idea of a commoner like me must’ve been infuriating.

"Your Highness?"

I snapped out of my thoughts at the sudden question and looked up.

The duchess was smiling at me. "What were you thinking so deeply about?"

I shook my head and glanced at the cookie box. "Oh, nothing. Thank you. I’ll enjoy these cookies."

As I set the box down, the duchess nodded.

"By the way, how have you been settling in lately? Have you been receiving invitations to any balls or gatherings…?" She trailed off mid-sentence and looked towards the doorway.

I followed her gaze. Ardion?

He was entering. Our eyes met, and he immediately walked over to me. Then, with a sharp gaze, he turned to Duchess Heverun. "What brings you to my palace, Duchess?"

"Oh, I enjoyed the cookies so much that I wanted to thank Her Highness, and I wanted to check how Her Highness was doing."

At her response, Ardion smiled as he sat down beside me. "Is that really all?"

"If not, what other reason would I have to be here?"

"Hmm, perhaps you came to invite Laila to your next ball?"

The duchess’s smile faltered slightly, her lips trembling a little.