Chapter 1310: The Prince’s Precaution ( 1310 )

"Ah, right~"

Gloria smiled, pulling out her own mana talkie and mana glasses, slipping them on with practiced ease. "I want to check on him too. I wonder how many elven girls have approached him while we’ve been away."

Liana shot her a sharp, jealous side glare before responding. "I’ve been in contact with him. With Buddy around, most of the elven girls only look from a distance. They’re too nervous to approach."

"Ara~ really? My, my~" Gloria’s smirk widened. "Even with Young Master in disguise, he still has admirers among the elven girls, and they’re known as the most beautiful race. How troublesome~"

"True." Liana sighed, before channeling her mana and tapping her mana talkie, activating her mana glasses.

"Young Master?"

"Hmm?"

Liana tilted her head, waiting for a response. Silence.

"Young Master?"

Gloria, who had just activated her mana talkie and mana glasses, was about to channel her mana when she noticed Liana take off her mana talkie and examine it.

"Liana? What’s wrong?"

"Nothing..." Liana said, her brow furrowing as she checked the device. "He’s not responding. Maybe it’s broken?"

"Really?" Gloria tapped her own mana talkie and called out.

"Young Master?"

Silence.

"Hello?"

"Young Masterrr~?"

She paused, her expression shifting to confusion. "Weird... There’s just crackle. Like there’s no signal."

Liana’s eyes narrowed. She quickly checked her mana glasses, tapping through the views, cycling through the live feeds. She focused on the fountain at the Elven Northern Border town square, but there was no sign of Javier or Buddy. She bit her lower lip, her fingers moving faster as she tapped through other locations around the town.

"Gloria." Liana hissed, her voice sharp. "Check the other areas now."

"I’m on it." Gloria’s fingers moved rapidly across her mana glasses, cycling through different views. "Not here... not here either..."

Liana’s eyes narrowed, her jaw tightening as a cold realization settled in. Her hands trembled slightly as she bit her lower lip, her expression shifting from worry to frustration, then to pure anger.

"Young Masterrrr!!!" she hissed through gritted teeth, her voice low and dangerous.

Both of them tore off their mana talkie and mana glasses, shoving them into their pockets as they stood up in unison, rushing toward the main door.

The door swung open, and Lyzia, Liana’s youngest sister, peeked her head inside with a soft smile.

"Lianaaa~"

Liana exhaled sharply, shaking her head. "Sorry, Lyzia. We have to go. Something urgent came up. We need to check on our Young Master."

"Umm..." Lyzia stepped inside, clasping her hands in front of her, her voice soft. "There’s someone from Armand here. She arrived on the flying metal."

Liana’s eyes narrowed with suspicion. "Who?"

"Umm... she said her name is Erinette."

Liana and Gloria exchanged a glance. Their faces went pale, then flushed with fury as the realization struck them like a thunderbolt.

Liana’s cheeks flushed with rage as she bit her lower lip, her voice dropping to a low, seething murmur.

"I’m sure this was Young Master’s plan all along."

She glanced sharply at Lyzia before moving closer, staring directly into her sister’s eyes. "Lyzia... did you know about this?"

Lyzia averted her eyes, her hands fidgeting nervously. "Um... I... I don’t know what you’re talking about... L... Liana..."

Liana crossed her arms and narrowed her glare at Lyzia, who now looked even more uncomfortable.

"It’s suspicious. Within this week, there have been so many ’family activities,’ so many ’hangouts,’ all keeping us busy and distracted from checking on our Young Master."

Gloria moved beside Liana, crossing her arms with her hand resting on her chin, a sweet, deceptive smile spreading across her lips.

"Yes~ It is a little suspicious, isn’t it?" She tilted her head, her voice light and airy. "My own brothers were so insistent on spending time with me. So eager to keep me occupied. I wonder why~?"

Her smile widened, her eyes narrowing with dangerous amusement.

Lyzia swallowed hard, keeping her lips tightly shut as she averted her gaze, her hands fidgeting at her sides.

Liana stepped closer, her voice dropping to a low, dangerously sweet tone. "Lyzia~"

"Y... yes... L... Liana?"

"Did you just trick me? Do you not really love me as your sister?"

Lyzia’s eyes widened in genuine panic, her hands flying up in a frantic gesture.

"N... No! None of us were tricking you! We really missed you, both of you! The reason we kept having all those family activities and spending so much time together was because we truly wanted to be with you!"

"Really?" Liana narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"Mm... yes..." Lyzia nodded quickly, her voice softening. "Brother-in-law... contacted us. He asked how you both were doing, and he wanted to make sure you had the best time possible while you were here. Do family activities together. He said he really wanted you both to spend time with your families. He said he was sorry for not being able to give you time off to visit your hometown sooner. He was the one who suggested everything."

Before Liana and Gloria could say anything, Erinette stepped inside, crossing her arms with a calm, composed expression.

"You should not think negatively or suspiciously of your own family. Family is meant to be cherished, not doubted. They acted out of love, not deception. Prince Javier asked them to spend time with you because he wanted you to have this moment, a rare chance to reconnect with those you hold dear. He did not do it to deceive you, but to give you something precious. And your family just followed the wishes of someone who wanted nothing more than for you both to be happy"

Both Liana and Gloria clasped their hands together and bowed gracefully.

"Mrs. Erinette."

Erinette glanced at both of them, her voice steady and warm.

"You have both served as Armand maids for so long before becoming betrothed to the prince. You have been through everything together, triumphs and hardships alike. As someone who knows how Armand operates, and especially how much Prince Javier worries about those he loves, you should understand his reasons."

She paused, letting her words sink in.

"He wanted to protect you. He wanted you to enjoy your time with your families without the burden of this mission. And the King himself was concerned about his future daughters-in-law. He did not want you caught in unnecessary danger. Trust in the love that has been built between you, and do not let suspicion cloud what is true."

Liana and Gloria fell silent, their gazes dropping to the floor as Erinette continued.

"Prince Javier himself did not want to bring you both along. But knowing that it has been so long since you last visited your families and your hometown, and since the mission was taking place in the same nation, he made a choice. He wanted you to have this time with your loved ones."

Erinette’s gaze sharpened, her voice carrying a firm edge.

"However, he made it clear from the start that the mission was his alone. You were meant to spend time with your families, not to follow him into danger. But knowing how you two insisted on following him, he had to find a way to keep you both safe and happy at the same time. Do not mistake his care for deception."

Liana and Gloria kept their eyes fixed on the floor.

"Y... yes, Mrs. Erinette."

"Mm... Now. You have three hours. Use them wisely. Pack your belongings, have lunch with your families, spend some time with them, and say your goodbyes. After that, we will return to Armand. The King has ordered me to ensure you both arrive safely, and I intend to carry out that order."

Erinette turned and paused at the door, glancing over her shoulder with a cool, warning tone.

"And you both should know better than to try to slip away. I trust I won’t have to remind you of the consequences."

After Erinette left, Liana and Gloria both let out a long, weary exhale before glancing at each other.

Liana sighed softly. "She’s right, you know. We should have known better. This is how Armand operates. We can’t just follow him into every mission, no matter how much we want to."

Gloria nodded and smiled, a hint of resignation in her eyes. "Yeah... I guess we don’t have a choice but to comply with what Mrs. Erinette said. She’s not someone we can argue with."

Liana chuckled softly. "It’s not like we have a choice anyway. Even after we passed the special underground training room on level ninety-nine, the two of us combined still couldn’t defeat Mrs. Erinette."

Gloria let out a soft laugh, raising her palm to her lips. "True. Even after we officially become Young Master’s fiancées, I doubt we could beat her. She’s on a whole different level."

"Mm..." Liana glanced around and looked at Lyzia, who was standing nearby with a nervous smile.

Lyzia saw Liana’s mood soften, and her face lit up. She rushed forward and hugged Liana tightly, rubbing her cheek against her sister’s.

"Liana! I’m glad you’re not mad!"

( End Of Chapter )