Chapter 15

“You made me lose!”  

The woman snapped irritably, while the man behind her chuckled.  

“This rat-sized dump is already cramped enough to burst, and if you can’t even stay quietly in a corner, at least don’t waste food!”  

“Look at you taking your anger out on a kid. That’s why you keep losing.”  

“Shut up!”  

“Did you just tell me to shut up?”  

As Kanis, who was cautiously observing, began to pick up the fallen cards one by one, the woman kicked the pile of cards and yelled.  

“Get out of here! Go! How many times do I have to tell you, you idiot!”  

Kanis’s eyes met the woman’s disdainful gaze. She placed the cards she had picked up back on the floor and retreated to a chair in the corner, covered with a blanket.  

Kanis curled up, hugging her knees.  

Her toes felt like they were about to crack from the cold.  

She was probably hungry.  

That’s why, even though she knew what would happen if she lingered, she couldn’t help it.  

Because they were her only family.  

Kanna slowly opened her eyes.  

Her fingertips were trembling.  

This was why she hated falling into deep sleep.  

Even after 300 years, you’d think the memories would fade, but for some reason, that time always felt vivid in her dreams.  

Every emotion, every atmosphere, even the smells.  

Kanna turned her head to look at the armchair where Michael had sat the night before.  

The chair was empty.  

In truth, she had known since she woke up.  

There was no presence to be felt in the room.  

Outside the bedroom, there were only a few servants moving back and forth.  

The surface of the blanket she unconsciously gripped felt cold.  

Even though it was nearly midday.  

How easily weakness crept in.  

To snap herself out of it, Kanna slapped her cheek with a loud smack, but all it did was turn her head to the side. She remained lying down, listless.  

Just then, the sound of hurried footsteps approached, and the door burst open.  

“Miss Kanna! I’m here! Good morning!”  

Jehel barged in, her face looking far from cheerful despite her lively greeting.  

“Ah! No, no, this won’t do!”  

“Miss Kanna is sleeping in for the first time; you shouldn’t wake her—”  

The startled servants rushed in after Jehel.  

When Kanna peeked her head out to look at them, Jehel shamelessly raised her chin.  

“See? She’s awake.”  

“Yes, because you slammed the door open like that, she’s awake now.”  

The servant’s retort carried a sharp edge.  

Was that person always capable of speaking like that?  

Kanna watched as Jehel and the servant locked gazes in a tense standoff.  

Then, as if on cue, they both turned to Kanna.  

“You’ve been awake for a while, haven’t you?”  

“You just woke up, didn’t you?”  

Kanna alternated her gaze between Jehel’s desperate look and the servant’s earnest expression. In the end, she chuckled softly.  

She found it amusing that they were making such a fuss over something so trivial.  

But witnessing her laugh caused Jehel and the servants’ expressions to change dramatically.  

Like people who had just seen the stormy skies suddenly clear, they were initially stunned, and then,  

“Oh, World Tree! How can someone be so beautiful!”  

Jehel proclaimed with her resounding voice.  

“I’ve never seen her smile like that! I swear it’s my first time!”  

“Can the Crown Prince’s bloodline really be this adorable?”  

“Wait, my heart’s racing, and I can’t see through my tears….”  

The servants chimed in, their voices overlapping.  

Naturally, Kanna’s expression crumpled like damp laundry upon hearing this.  

“Why… why are you like this?”  

As she tried to discreetly lift the blanket and scoot backward, Jehel leaped onto the floor and tackled her in an instant.  

The blanket flipped over, and Kanna fell into Jehel’s arms.  

“You adorable thing! Smiling so foolishly with that messy face!”  

“What… what did you just call me? Foolish? Did you just—”  

Come to think of it, Jehel was the same person who had once called the Master of the Mage Tower a pushover.  

Perhaps inspired by Jehel’s audacity, the servants had quietly gathered around the bed.  

“Oh, I’m so tired. Can’t I just stay like this for a bit?”  

“What does that have to do with me?”  

“Miss Kanna, you’re my… how should I put it… my energy booster.”

She suddenly remembered that day.  

The day when Jehel had clung to her for half a day after she jumped from the third floor.  

At the time, she wondered why she wouldn’t let go. Maybe Jehel had been trying to… encourage her in his own way.  

Just like how Michael had patted her back last night.  

After a moment of hesitation, Kanna awkwardly patted Jehel’s shoulder.  

Then, with her ears slightly red, she said curtly, 

“Alright, that’s enough. Get up now.”  

When Jehel pretended not to hear and lay still, a servant rolled up their sleeves with determination.  

“Alright then! Aide, please get up. Everyone, let’s help her up!”  

“Ack! The servants of the Crown Prince’s Palace are going to kill me!”

“Miss Kanna doesn’t like this! Move aside!”  

As Jehel rolled away quickly on the bed to evade them, one servant shouted, 

“Don’t dirty Miss Kanna’s bed with your overnight clothes!”  

“Exactly!”  

“Since when has this been Miss Kanna’s bed—argh!”  

At some point, everyone grabbed a pillow and began a fierce battle.  

Eventually, the chaos subsided only after Kanna, who had been rolling around to avoid the commotion, kicked off the now overheated blanket and emerged.  

This place never had a moment of peace.  

The servants coughed from the dust in the air as they opened the windows wide. Kanna, meanwhile, stared at Jehel, who now lay in the center of her bed, snoring.  

Come to think of it… Jehel, who had been humming as she left work yesterday, had returned with Michael after receiving an urgent message from the border.  

And… had she been working since then?  

Kanna suddenly grew curious and asked, 

“Where’s Michael?”  

At that moment, the bustling servants froze.  

One of them dropped a duster, the sound unusually loud in the silence.  

“There was… an urgent message from the border.”  

Everyone gulped and looked at Kanna.  

“Did he go to the border?”  

Kanna didn’t think much of it at first.  

But the servants’ reactions seemed suspicious for such a minor matter.  

If the destination wasn’t the issue, then the reason must be.  

And lately, Michael’s primary concern had been the whereabouts of Kanis Riventi.  

The moment she realized this, Kanna frowned.  

“Don’t tell me he’s searching for Kanis Riventi?”  

But… I’m right here?

The servants approached Kanna hesitantly, looking unsure of what to do.  

“Well… it’s not confirmed information, and His Highness told us not to say anything.”  

“What information?”  

“There was a sighting. Someone said they saw someone who looked like her. But… she appeared to be seriously injured.”  

“Oh dear. I hope she’s found quickly and receives treatment.”  

The servants, thinking Kanna’s response wasn’t typical of a child hearing news about a parent, were slow to reply.

“Y-yes, that’s right.”

“Miss Kanna, you don’t believe that she’s the Master of the Mage Tower? Then who could the real Master of the Mage Tower be…”

The servant who asked the question didn’t even finish their sentence before being mercilessly jabbed in the side.

“Didn’t His Highness tell us not to ask until she speaks about it herself?”

“What if it hurts her feelings?”

While they whispered warnings to each other, Kanna stretched her stiff body.  

The aftereffects of mana exhaustion lingered faintly.  

Her vision blurred and refocused a couple of times.  

Of course, the mana she had depleted last night had already recovered.  

Since it was a residue of the mana that had been sealed, it didn’t take long to replenish.  

Now Kanna had learned that she could maintain her original form for about ten minutes and that Michael would be away from the palace for the next few days.  

How should I use this opportunity?  

If she played her cards right, she might resolve everything before he returned.  

Somehow, she already felt a sense of relief, though it left a strange aftertaste.  

How could he leave without even saying goodbye? After rambling nonsense all night long when it wasn’t even necessary.

***

The Emperor pressed his temples.  

“Alright, speak. What do you propose to do?”  

The ministers, who had been cautiously observing, began speaking one after another as soon as the Emperor gave his permission.  

“Your Majesty, isn’t it necessary to formally introduce Lady Kanna?”  

“What about the upcoming Imperial Palace banquet? It’s an event that includes the noble heirs, and Lady Kanna would be much more…”  

“Before that, shouldn’t we conduct a thorough verification of her bloodline?”  

“Ah! His Highness the Crown Prince himself has declared it!”  

“With all due respect, that’s the part I find questionable. On what basis did he—”  

“If the Master of the Mage Tower can no longer be controlled, shouldn’t we at least secure her child?”  

“Think about it! What if the Master of the Mage Tower returns and uses this as an excuse to interfere with the Imperial Family?”  

“Are we even certain that child is truly of the Master of the Mage Tower’s bloodline?”  

At that final question, the ministers, who had been buzzing like a swarm of bees in front of the Emperor, all fell silent and turned to look behind them.