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By chance, it was the same color as his Aura.
So it’s you.
Duke Argenta could tell right away.
That Felix was the student who had defeated a Superior Magical Creature single-handedly, as the dean had said.
At the same time, he realized once again how much talent the boy in front of him possessed.
‘He doesn't even know he's manifesting Aura.’
It was a common mistake made by knights who had just reached the Sword Expert level.
Lacking control, they couldn't hide their Aura and manifested it according to their emotional excitement.
At this rate, his sword wouldn't last long.
Duke Argenta manifested Aura as if to protect the blade.
The Aura emanating from his sword instantly enveloped Felix's Aura, as if suppressing it.
Only then did Felix seem to come to his senses, his eyes widening.
"Ah..."
Startled, he retrieved his sword and stepped back.
The Duke silently put away the practice sword and slowly approached him.
"Have you recently defeated a Superior Magical Creature?"
At Duke Argenta's sudden question, Felix slowly nodded.
"You know it's wrong for a lower-grade student to go subjugating Monsters without permission, don't you?"
"...Yes, I knew."
"Then why did you do it?"
"There was something I needed to find."
"What did you need to find?"
"I can't tell you that."
Duke Argenta let out a short breath and then approached him closely.
Then, narrowing his eyes, he looked at Felix.
There was a strange pressure in his gaze, and Felix squeezed his eyes shut.
He expected a scolding from the other party soon.
But what he heard was a hearty laugh.
"Haha, you're an interesting fellow."
Along with a gentle presence, Felix was taken aback by the unexpected touch on his head.
When he carefully opened his eyes, Duke Argenta was stroking his hair with a benevolent face.
Felix looked up at him with bewildered eyes.
"..."
At that moment, the Duke's Adam's apple bobbed briefly.
The light green eyes staring intently at him strangely reminded him of a woman who was no longer in this world.
‘There’s something about this kid that catches my eye.’
Duke Argenta suppressed his feelings and asked, carefully meeting Felix's eyes.
"How about it? Will you become my disciple?"
After several days of deliberation, Peony decided to accept Ayla's offer.
Her curiosity about the new possibilities Ayla presented outweighed her wariness.
However, escaping to the meeting place without being noticed by Lona, who always attended to her, was no easy task.
Inevitably, Peony decided to feign illness.
She put her hand on her forehead, slowly regulated her breathing, and spoke with difficulty.
"My headache has gotten worse. I want to rest alone today, so could you leave me alone for a while?"
With her pale face and languid voice, Lona hesitated for a moment but eventually nodded and left the room.
The door closed, and the surroundings became quiet. Peony, watching carefully, cautiously moved towards the terrace.
When she slightly pulled back the thick curtains, the scenery of the academy's backyard came into view.
More precisely, it was the path to the meeting place Ayla had mentioned.
Peony carefully climbed over the railing and landed lightly on the ground.
This was possible because the room was located on the first floor of the dormitory building.
Crossing the garden towards the annex, Peony clenched her fists tightly.
She had brought self-defense Magic items in her bosom, just in case.
‘For me, a princess, to be doing something like this...’
If she went through all this trouble only for Ayla to humiliate her, she would never let it go.
‘Because she dared to exploit the weaknesses of the imperial family.’
She was determined to make her pay the price, even if it meant mobilizing all her authority.
Finally arriving at the west annex, Peony paused to catch her breath.
Then, she slowly pushed the door open.
In the dark interior, a familiar silhouette soon emerged.
It was Ayla, wearing a cloak, and a well-built silver-haired boy.
Peony easily realized that the boy on the right was Felix, the commoner Lona had mentioned.
Peony glared at Ayla with cold eyes and threatened.
"I came here alone as you said. So tell me, how to cure my illness. If you have deceived me, I will never let you get away with it."
Instead of answering, Ayla quietly held out the medicine she had made to Peony.
"What is this?"
"The medicine to cure your illness. More precisely, an Antidote."
Peony looked at Ayla with suspicious eyes.
"An Antidote? What are you talking about all of a sudden?"
Her eyes narrowed.
"Are you perhaps trying to deceive me with such words and then poison me?"
Ayla smiled calmly, as if she had anticipated Peony's suspicion.
"Of course not. And I can prove to you that it's not poison, right?"
Without waiting for Peony's reaction, she opened the lid of the Antidote.
The transparent liquid shimmered with a beautiful blue light.
Ayla tilted the bottle as if to show off, put it to her lips, and swallowed it down.
"See? This medicine is perfectly safe. Well, I'm sure you're still suspicious, given your status."
Ayla gestured to Felix next to her and continued.
"And you can tell by looking at Felix here. He was able to overcome Mana insensitivity because of the medicine I gave him."
Peony's gaze naturally turned to Felix.
He nodded readily, affirming Ayla's words.
"It's hard to believe, but it's true. With the medicine Ayla gave me, I recently cured my troublesome Mana insensitivity."
Peony narrowed her eyes and observed the Aura flowing from his body.
And after a long time, she reluctantly accepted his words.
As a member of the imperial family, she was excellent at sensing Mana, and she could easily tell that pure Mana was stored in the other person's body.
‘Besides, she said that Duke Argenta came to see him a few days ago.’
The Duke was not a person who could be fooled by shallow tricks.
So what Felix said about his Mana insensitivity being cured recently must be true.
Peony quickly realized why Ayla had brought Felix here.
‘It must be to show proof for her words.’
If that was her aim, it seemed to have worked to some extent.
Various circumstances were adding credibility to Ayla's words.
Ayla met Peony's eyes directly and said.
"It's all up to you whether you take this medicine or not. But there's just one thing I want to ask of you."
"What is it?"
"After taking the Antidote I gave you, you must never take the Cure that your maid gives you."
"What? Why not?"
"Because it contains the poison that made you sick."
Hearing those words, Peony could hardly control her expression.
The Cure she had been taking all along contained poison.
She tried to appear calm, but her heart began to beat wildly.
The one who had assigned her the maid named Lona was none other than her own father.
He sometimes said harsh things and tried to control her as he pleased, but she had always overlooked it because she understood her father's heart.
But the person she trusted so much was slowly taking her life without her knowledge.
‘No, no. There's no way Lona would do that.’
Her body trembled with shock, but she bit her lip tightly.
Peony retorted to Ayla as if she couldn't believe it.
"Lona has been my maid since childhood. There's no way she would have done such a thing."
Ayla shrugged at Peony's words.
"Well, I don't know the details of your situation. But it's true that you shouldn't take the medicine that maid gives you."
"You..."
"If you can't believe it that much, try taking the Antidote I gave you and then decide."
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