The Young Master I Carefully Raised Became Obsessive-Chapter 98

Chapter 98

In a way, what I said was true. The old Laila had died, and now I was living again through the pages of this book.

"How is that possible? I thought I was the only one… Wait, are there others like you?"

I shook my head. "You're the only one I've seen so far. Even Ardion is living this life as if it's his first."

Ardion remembered nothing of his past life. If he had, he wouldn’t have stood idly when Serina was low on mana.

"That can't be… How is that even possible…?" It seemed Serina couldn’t quite accept what I had just told her. Then her gaze shifted to me. "I’ve never seen you before."

"That makes sense. I was just a maid working at Duke Orchid’s mansion. More precisely, I was the one who looked after Ardion when he was a child."

"…"

"In my previous life, Ardion killed me. I used to torment him."

Serina’s brows furrowed. She didn’t say anything, so I continued.

"In a way, you could say Ardion got his revenge in that life. But did he live happily after that?"

"…"

"As you know, Ardion still suffered. Especially with Rowell around, his life never truly knew peace."

"What are you trying to say?"

"I'm saying… because I tormented Ardion and died for it in my past life, I wanted to live differently this time. I didn’t want to die so meaninglessly again."

Serina’s eyes trembled. She seemed to be holding something back, but tears silently rolled down her cheeks.

"Serina, you don’t want to live the same way you did before either. That’s why you’re still trying to get revenge on Ardion, isn’t it?"

"So what?"

"Don’t you want to live happily this time? Differently from before?"

Serina let out a bitter laugh. She looked both incredulous and somehow… sorrowful. And her gaze towards me wasn’t exactly kind.

"Isn’t it a little late to be wishing for happiness? My life doesn’t exactly look like it’s heading in that direction."

"But still, you haven’t actually killed anyone yet. You almost killed me, sure, but I’m still here. Same with Derol."

"…" Serina stared at me in silence. Her lack of response told me I was right. She had come close to killing Derol and me but hadn’t gone through with it. That meant there was still hope.

"That’s why now is the time, the time to live differently from before."

Serina continued to look at me wordlessly. After a while, she turned her head away. Her gaze dropped to the bed, and I could see the conflict flickering in her eyes. It seemed she needed time to think.

I stood there for a moment before rising from my seat. "I don’t think you’re anything like Rowell."

Serina slowly looked up at me.

I gave her a small smile. "Rowell’s a piece of trash, more than you can imagine."

With that, I turned and walked away. Serina didn’t stop me as I left the room.

Only after I stepped fully into the hallway did the cool air wrap around me. I took a deep breath. It felt like the tension was finally easing out of me. Derol peeked out from my pocket.

"Derol, I didn’t say anything wrong, did I?"

"No, Master. If she has even a bit of sense, she’ll understand what you meant."

"I hope so…"

Right now, Serina was the only one who could help Ardion and me. More than that, she was the only one who knew about the magical drug.

… Because Rowell had killed everyone else involved.

Please, Serina, change your mind.

It would be better for everyone if she did.

❋ ❋ ❋

It was the grand council room where the most powerful people of the empire gathered.

Rowell sat at the head of the table, fingers tapping rhythmically against the surface. Ardion sat nearby, arms crossed, quietly observing. Like Rowell, his expression was unreadable, his face devoid of emotion.

The tapping echoed rhythmically through the chamber.

A noble sitting nearby glanced at Rowell and spoke cautiously. "The coronation is drawing near."

But Rowell didn’t respond. His gaze was fixed somewhere far off, deep in thought, and his eyes held a sharp glint. His expression was oddly rigid, brows slightly furrowed, lips pressed tight.

When Rowell said nothing, the noble cleared his throat and brought up another matter. Soon, other nobles joined in, discussing budget concerns.

Then a newcomer, recently admitted to the council, spoke calmly. "By the way, there seems to be growing voices outside the council and palace gates. Some are mocking His Highness the Crown Prince or even calling for him to step down."

Tap. Tap. Rowell’s fingers stopped. He slowly lifted his gaze. The previously noisy chamber fell into immediate silence.

"Who said that?"

"Excuse me?"

Rowell didn’t reply. He simply motioned with his eyes.

The noble quickly continued, "I didn’t see it myself, but I heard it’s mostly commoners and lower-ranking nobles with little wealth."

Rowell turned to the commander of the imperial knights. The commander, Trede, bowed quickly and stepped forward.

"Didn’t I order you to deal with those speaking out in front of the council?"

"I did, but… it’s not easy to stop the spread when more and more people keep popping up."

"Then shouldn’t we just catch the one instigating it all?"

"Yes, but…"

Rowell unsheathed his sword. A chilling metallic sound filled the chamber. The nobles, who had been talking about the coronation, instantly fell silent and nervously watched him.

Rowell pointed his blade at the knight commander’s throat. "Do I have to personally threaten someone for things to get done?"

"No, Your Highness!"

"Then you should’ve handled it properly before I had to say anything."

"My apologies."

Rowell threw the sword onto the table with a loud clang, then turned his gaze to the young noble who had spoken earlier. "Is this your first time here?"

The noble hesitated briefly, then quickly nodded. "Yes, I passed the examination and was just recently appointed."

"Then I trust you now understand how things work here."

"I’m sorry, but I don’t quite—"

Before he could finish, Rowell gestured to a nearby knight. "Take him to the dungeons."

"Excuse me? The dungeons? But I—"

"Do I have to listen to that kind of talk here too? Or would you rather lose your head like the others who insulted me?"

"Your Highness!"

"Take him away."

At Rowell’s signal, Trede nodded towards his knights. They immediately seized the young noble’s arms.

"Your Highness, I beg you! I didn’t mean any harm! I spoke without thinking…"

Even as the noble cried out, Rowell resumed tapping his fingers on the table. Tap, tap. The rhythm now felt oddly dissonant.

The surrounding nobles dared not even swallow their saliva. They only watched Rowell, afraid to speak. Only Ardion looked at him without a hint of fear or hesitation.

Silence settled over the chamber. As the others nervously looked around, one of the elder nobles, well-acquainted with the council's workings, finally spoke. "Your Highness, what should we do about the budget?"

"Wasn’t that matter already settled?"

"But Your Highness hasn’t given the final approval yet."

"I said it was settled, didn’t I?" His gaze was sharper than before, like a drawn blade.

The noble quickly bowed his head. "My apologies. We’ll proceed as per Your Highness’s decision."

In truth, Rowell hadn’t given any specific orders, but it didn’t matter. At this point, disagreeing could mean being thrown into prison or worse.

The noble nervously fidgeted with his hands.

Suddenly, Rowell clutched his chest and grimaced. The nearby nobles immediately stood and rushed towards him.

"Your Highness, are you alright?"

Rowell irritably waved them away. "Leave, all of you."

They hesitated for a moment, then bowed and quickly left the chamber as though they’d been waiting for the chance. Soon, silence returned to the room.

Only Ardion remained, sitting with arms crossed, still watching Rowell.

Rowell looked at Ardion. His eyes held no life, only burning hatred.

Ardion smirked. "Brother, you’re looking worse these days. You seem… a bit more sensitive than before."

"…"

"You’ve got a big day ahead. What’s got you so on edge?" Ardion’s voice was utterly calm.

Rowell clenched his fists. "It’s none of your concern. Anyway, how are the preparations for the coronation?"

"Everything is going smoothly. No need to worry." Ardion gave a subtle smile.

Rowell’s lips curled in return. "You’re far too relaxed for someone who’s about to die."

"And you, Brother, you’ve broken the divine prophecy just to sit on the throne, yet you don’t look very pleased. Something not going your way?"

"I told you it’s none of your concern."

"Like I said before, I’m only speaking up because I’m worried about you." Ardion smiled.

Rowell scoffed in disbelief. "You? Worried about me? The world must be coming to an end."

"You didn’t know? I’ve always admired you since we were children." ƒгeewёbnovel.com

With a grin, Ardion stood. He leaned on the table and looked Rowell directly in the eyes. "But you ignored me, just because I was blessed with mana."