Ch. 36

Ardion placed his hand on the horse's flank. Soon, a white light began to emanate from his hand, and the horse's eyes sparkled with life, snorting and scratching the ground, seemingly recovering its health.

“You can heal horses…”

He drew his sword while I was full of questions.

If he could do that, why bother with the sword?

Shocked, I stared at him.

He gave a casual smile. “Laila, sometimes using a sword isn’t so bad. It keeps others from acting recklessly.”

“But, Your Highness, you could have healed the horse. Why resort to drawing your sword?”

“There’s no smoke without fire. Normally, I would have killed him immediately, but I’ll follow your advice this time.” Ardion grinned and turned his horse towards the forest.

Has Ardion always been like this?

He was calm, as if he had anticipated such a situation. If I compared the Ardion now to the previous Ardion I knew, they were distinct and distant, as though they were not the same person.

I thought I had helped change Ardion’s personality for the better, but was that all an illusion? Or had his experiences in the frontier truly altered him?

Yet, upon reflection, the original Ardion was a tyrant—cruel and obsessively fixated on the heroine, Serina.

It was strange, considering all I had heard from Derol to his sword-drawing temper. Has he been hiding his true nature until now?

That seemed plausible. The Ardion I knew was different from the one others had described.

I had heard a person's temperament didn’t change easily. Still, witnessing Ardion’s interactions with Derol, I had thought his cruelty stemmed from his experiences in the frontier. Now, I realized he might have always been like this.

So, did he pretend to be shy in his youth? I stared into the dark forest where Ardion had disappeared. Events I had previously overlooked began to vividly resurface in my mind.

I felt I was finally starting to understand the Ardion I had been oblivious to until now.

❋ ❋ ❋

At the hunting tournament, nobles were gathered around tables in a tent set up for socializing. I walked there with Delzion.

I asked Delzion, “Is His Highness really that cruel by nature?”

“Are you not aware, Miss Laila? In the frontier, he was more infamous for his brutality than his skills.”

“…”

“He’s only tempering that nature for your sake, Miss Laila.”

Just then, someone approached Delzion. It was his subordinate, whose face didn’t seem particularly bright.

After the subordinate stepped back, Delzion said quietly, “I’ll find out more about those who manage His Highness’s horses. You must stay here.”

“Why?”

“His Highness ordered that you remain nearby. I believe he’ll want to see you right after the tournament.”

“Me?”

“Miss Laila, do admit it.”

“What do I need to admit?”

“His Highness holds you in high regard.”

I couldn't deny that, so I had no reply. He bowed and left with his subordinate.

Inside the tent, there were beautiful decorations of flowers and leaves. This empire seemed genuinely devoted to embellishments.

I looked around and found a spot with fewer people to sit.

Suddenly, someone approached, and wine spilled around my chest. “Oh dear, what a mistake.”

I looked up and recognized a familiar face—the noblewoman who had previously yelled at me. It was ironic that we had made the same mistake.

“Your outfit doesn’t seem too expensive, so you shouldn’t complain.“

I smiled. “Yes, don’t worry about it. This is nothing.”

Calmly, I placed my hand on the stained area. Gradually, the red marks began to fade to white. I had practiced water magic consistently, so cleaning stains like this was no problem.

As I expertly erased the wine stain, her expression twisted in surprise, yet I gave her a casual smile. “Please don’t make that expression when you’re not sorry, Lady.”

Her face flushed in shame, and her fists trembled in anger as she glared at me.

I chuckled inwardly and rose from my seat. “Is it hard to accept that I’m the prince’s personal maid?”

When I turned around, she seemed to regain her composure and held her head high. “Well, a commoner like you could never marry the prince.”

“I have no intention of marrying the prince.”

“Then I suppose that’s a relief. A commoner aiming to marry a prince is quite greedy. Even having a noble title seems unreasonable.”

“Noble title?”

“Oh, didn’t you know? The prince is struggling to figure out a title for a maid of a common birth.”

I was speechless, taken aback.

Gaining momentum, she continued, “No matter how much the prince is infatuated with a commoner, the person he will eventually marry will be someone like me—a noble, not some insignificant commoner.”

The fact that Ardion was preparing a noble title for me was new information.

I remembered the price of the hunting tournament included a wish. He had already hinted that he hoped his wish aligned with mine.

“Don’t you think so?” She smiled.

I felt a desire to counter her. I calmly collected my thoughts and retorted, “It is indeed a bit unusual that a commoner like me has become the prince’s maid. But my magical abilities aren’t too shabby, are they? While ‘others’ might get angry over stains, I can effortlessly remove them myself.”

Her face reddened again.

Observing her expression, I feigned concern. “You seem to flush quite often. Are you feeling unwell?”

“That’s none of your concern.”

“I am simply worried because I’ve heard those who blush often might have lung issues.”

It was an absurd statement, but it was my best option. Her face flushed even more, and her eyes sent daggers at me. This time, she didn’t shout.

She had spilled wine on my clothes, and since I had acted worried about her, she seemed speechless.

Moreover, onlookers kept glancing our way, and her actions could affect her reputation. Given her previous behavior, I thought her reputation was already in shambles.

Even during Ardion’s victory celebration, the maids had said she seemed to be looking for someone to vent her frustrations on.

The noblewoman said sharply, “Do your job as a maid, and don’t meddle unnecessarily.”

With that, she exited the tent. As murmurs filled the air, a maid approached me with refreshments and whispered softly, “I’ve never seen her back down so easily.”

When our eyes met, she smiled and began tidying the dishes in front of me. One by one, others began to sit beside me.

“You’re the prince’s maid, right?”

I nodded and greeted them cheerfully. They were all either maids of participants in the hunting tournament or companions of those who came to watch.

They didn’t seem like ordinary commoners, and my recent display towards the noblewoman had piqued their curiosity, especially since I was the prince’s maid.

“I had no idea the prince would hire a maid. I expected a male assistant.”

“Isn’t there a knight captain?”

“That person has served the prince from the beginning. I heard he’s been with him since he went to the frontier.”

I engaged in conversation with them. In the past, I wouldn’t have been able to talk to them at all.

This was a rare opportunity.

I calmly asked the person sitting next to me, “By the way, do you know where Lady Serina went? She came with the prince to the ball, but I was surprised when she suddenly disappeared.”

“Oh, Lady Serina? I heard she left.” The woman who answered set down her teacup gracefully and continued, “Lady Serina is a bit unique. She doesn’t speak much and replies in brief phrases.”

I had sensed that from her manner of speaking at the ball. Hearing she had indeed left made me feel strange, as if something was amiss.

She seems tied to Rowell in some way.

As I pondered quietly, the conversation briefly halted. 

But soon, they noticed my dress and asked eagerly, “We saw you use magic earlier. Are you skilled in water magic?”

“Yes, sometimes cleaning with magic makes things easier.”

“That must be convenient. I wish I could use magic.”

As I chatted with them, I demonstrated a spell to fill an empty teacup with water. They all marveled in awe. I felt a sense of pride realizing my abilities impressed them.

While I was captivating them with my water magic, I felt something stir in my pocket.

It was Derol.

I had almost forgotten about him. I withdrew my hand, and they looked at me confusedly, so I grinned and told a lie. “I need to conserve mana. I’ll show you again when I have time later.”

When I put my hand back in my pocket, Derol nibbled on my finger gently. It seemed lunchtime was approaching, and he must be hungry.

“Excuse me, I have to head out now.” I grabbed a few scones. 

When they looked at me curiously, I added casually, “I’m planning to snack while on my way.”

“Then take more refreshments. The ones made in the palace taste different from anywhere else,” a slightly older person advised.

I appreciated her kindness. “Thank you.”

After grabbing a few refreshments, I left the tent. I found a spot a little away and set Derol down on the ground.

“Master.”

“Derol, aren’t you hungry? Here, eat this.” I cut the scones and financiers into small pieces and handed them to Derol. He eagerly nibbled at the bits with his tiny fingers.

“Is it good?” I sat down and asked.

Derol nodded.

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