Chapter 22……………………………..
“Ivelina!”
At the sound of her name, Ivelina, who had been about to run, froze.
It was a very familiar voice.
“Arsen…?”
Her voice trembled.
It was almost a whisper, so Arsen probably didn’t hear it.
He didn’t seem to miss it, however, as heavy footsteps drew closer.
“Ivelina.”
A large shadow fell in front of her.
Even knowing it was Arsen, she was terrified.
Ivelina shook her head and curled herself up even tighter.
Arsen moved closer to her but noticed the men trembling with numb, vacant eyes.
They seemed not to see him at all and kept sobbing, begging him to leave.
Arsen placed a hand on the nose of one fallen man.
Unfortunately, he was still breathing.
Arsen clicked his tongue briefly and hurriedly knelt on one knee in front of Ivelina.
“Ivelina, it’s me.”
“Sniff….”
At the gentle voice, tears streamed down her face.
Arsen carefully embraced her.
“It’s alright. I’m here, so you don’t have to be afraid.”
“Ah, Arsen… I, it’s not like that—”
“I know. How could you possibly commit such cruel acts? I know everything.”
Ivelina trembled and burrowed into his embrace.
Arsen gritted his teeth.
Seeing the pill bottles on the floor, he could imagine the situation without any explanation.
He felt an urge to tear those men’s limbs off and feed them to wild beasts.
But her body was unusually hot.
Arsen tilted his head and placed a hand on Ivelina’s forehead.
It felt like a burning flame.
“Ivelina, we need to return to the mansion quickly.”
“Arsen, my chest… it feels so tight. It’s like… something is swirling inside me.”
Ivelina clutched his sleeve, panting heavily.
Arsen looked at her, puzzled.
Her red eyes glowed strangely.
Something seemed to swirl even within her pupils.
Arsen instinctively realized this wasn’t just a fever.
He stiffened his expression, took off his coat, draped it over her, and lifted her into his arms.
“Just hold on a little longer. I’ll make you comfortable soon.”
“Ugh… sniff….”
She twisted her body restlessly.
As Arsen hurried along, something caught his sharp eyes.
Upon closer inspection, it was the cloth she always used to cover her eyes.
He immediately picked it up, shoved it into his pocket, and quickened his pace.
Arsen first walked briskly, then broke into a run within seconds.
After leaving the garden, he caught sight of a servant.
“D-Duke?”
“Summon Marquis Veloce immediately.”
“Huh?”
“Bring Marquis Veloce here!”
“Yes, yes!”
The servant’s face went pale and he hurriedly nodded before running toward the ballroom.
Ivelina remained in Arsen’s arms, writhing in pain.
“Arsen…”
“Yes, Ivelina. I’m right here.”
“It hurts… it hurts so much…”
Her voice was so fragile it seemed she might break at any moment.
“Just a little longer… please endure. I’ll make it stop hurting.”
Even in her dazed state, Ivelina realized how much Arsen was struggling.
She bit her lip tightly and endured it.
“Arsen!”
As they reached the carriage, Karina, bustling around, hurried over.
“My goodness, child! What’s happening here, hm?”
“I’ll explain in detail later, Mother. I have a request.”
“…A request?”
Karina’s expression hardened.
“It’s probably not about you but about Ivelina. Tell me what the request is.”
Arsen glanced at Ivelina and whispered swiftly in a low voice.
“There should be three elite troops in this garden. The reason she’s in pain is surely because of them. Earlier, for some reason, she seemed mentally unstable.”
“…I’ll handle it. You return to the mansion.”
Karina’s voice was firm.
Even though she had left the imperial palace for the north, she was a powerful authority.
Arsen trusted she could handle it with a simple measure, which was why he asked.
“I’ll explain everything when we return to the mansion.”
“Very well.”
At that moment, Leonard came rushing.
“Duke, why did you summon me—”
He paused upon seeing Ivelina in Arsen’s arms and adjusted his glasses.
“It must be mana-related.”
“…Yes. I’ll explain on the way since time is critical.”
Arsen carefully held Ivelina as he got into the carriage.
Leonard followed, and the carriage set off toward the mansion without hesitation.
“It’s a mana overload.”
“A mana overload?”
“Yes. Those with only a small amount of mana won’t experience this, but the princess is different.”
Leonard clicked his tongue and continued.
“The princess has more mana than I do. I actually insisted on teaching her magic to help her learn to control mana.”
“…”
“When under extreme stress, mana behaves strangely and begins to go out of control. If trained properly, this doesn’t happen. Terrifyingly, the mana can discern threats to its owner. If it deems someone dangerous, it affects the mind. The main symptom is hallucinations. In severe cases, the mind collapses completely. Cruelly, she may see hallucinations for life, making normal life impossible.”
Arsen frowned and held Ivelina tighter.
He now understood why the elite troops had reacted the way they did earlier in the garden.
“So, the solution?”
“It’s simple. We just need to extract the excess mana and regulate it.”
He narrowed his eyes. Leonard sighed and added more.
“She can’t do it herself, so I must forcibly extract it. She’ll feel pain. Don’t stop me, no matter how much she screams—if we stop midway, it could be fatal.”
Arsen nodded grimly.
The carriage sped, and soon they arrived at the mansion.
He adjusted his hold on Ivelina and jumped down.
She lay limp, panting weakly.
Pale silver mana now visibly flowed from her.
Noah’s eyes widened as they returned earlier than expected and led them inside.
“Duke, should I prepare anything?”
“Do not allow anyone near the second floor until I say so.”
“Yes.”
Noah bowed and closed the door.
Inside, only Arsen, Leonard, and Ivelina—lying on the bed, panting—remained.
“Let’s begin. Duke, hold her firmly.”
Arsen bit his teeth and grabbed her arms.
Leonard exhaled deeply, placing his hand over her solar plexus, closing his eyes, and concentrating.
He had to forcefully extract her mana by channeling his own, requiring immense focus.
Blue mana flowed from Leonard’s hand into Ivelina.
“Ugh…!”
The unfamiliar mana caused a violent rejection.
Ivelina gasped and shook her head.
“It hurts… it hurts…!”
“Just a little longer,” Arsen whispered into her ear continuously.
Leonard furrowed his brow; the pure mana caused a massive backlash.
If mishandled, the mana could rebound and cause harm.
He gritted his teeth and forced the mana in.
Ivelina clutched the bedsheet as if to tear it apart.
She screamed until her voice grew hoarse.
Silver mana gushed out.
As more mana left her, her pallor slowly returned to normal.
Sweat dripped from Leonard’s forehead onto the floor.
After a long time, he finally withdrew his hand.
“Phew… it’s done.”
Ivelina lay almost fainted.
Arsen quickly checked her over.
Her color had returned, and her heart was beating steadily.
He exhaled in relief and looked at Leonard.
“Thank you. Without you, it would have been difficult.”
“Well… it may sound boastful, but if it weren’t for me, it would have been serious.”
Leonard shrugged and stood.
“No need to see her off. She’ll be confused if she wakes too soon, so explain carefully. Mana will take two days to fully settle. She won’t wake during this time. If it exceeds two days, write to me again.”
“I understand.”
Arsen nodded slowly.
“When you return north, send a letter. I’ll be teaching there, and I can check on her condition.”
“The butler will prepare the carriage. Take it back and remember this favor.”
Leonard bowed and left the room.
Alone, Arsen held Ivelina’s hand and bowed deeply.
His hands trembled.
He had stayed kneeling for hours, moving only because her fingers twitched slightly.
“Ivelina?”
Arsen lifted his head instantly.
She blinked slowly.
The swirling red in her eyes had calmed.
“Arsen…?”
“Yes, it’s me. You endured very well. Good job.”
Arsen gently kissed her forehead and cheek.
She looked at him weakly before closing her eyes.
Satisfied that her breathing had eased, Arsen pulled the cord.
Berry immediately entered, likely having waited.
“Change her dress; she’ll be uncomfortable sleeping. Make the room as dark as possible, and call me immediately if anything abnormal occurs.”
“Yes. Madam has just arrived. She is waiting in the parlor.”
Arsen nodded and stepped out.
He let go of the door handle and, with a determined expression, headed toward the parlor.
