Although the scroll with healing spells had treated all the bruises on her body, there would be wounds that couldn’t be healed mentally. And those festering wounds would have made her unable to trust people.

“If Lady Lorencia realizes my sincerity, she might open her heart. Until then, I will be by her side.”

It was perhaps natural that Lorencia pushed people away and didn’t trust them. He had to quietly stay by her side and wait until she let her guard down and approached him.

“I intend to serve her diligently.”

Teishar hadn’t planned how to treat Lorencia well. But he wanted to make her feel happy and various emotions, to make her laugh sincerely.

“It’s fortunate that we found Ella Goddess’s child, even if it’s late. Actually, I thought you were being nice because you fell in love at first sight.”

“Your Highness, do you think I fell in love with Lady Lorencia at first sight?”

“Of course. Anyone who saw would have thought you were acting like a man who fell in love at first sight.”

“Did it seem that way?”

Charlotte nodded and smiled. Teishar cleared his throat briefly. His ears turned slightly red.

“There’s something I don’t understand. From what I heard from Her Majesty the Queen, Ella Goddess’s child is supposed to be an extremely beautiful and strong race. It would be impossible to kidnap Musila, so how were they able to bring her here and confine her? Is Lady Lorencia’s father perhaps Count Pol Heredian? I have so many questions.”

“No matter how beautiful and strong, Ella Goddess’s child has a fatal weakness.”

“What is it?”

“It’s love.”

Recalling his father’s words, Teishar sighed deeply. His father, Magus, had said that Musila was the last remaining child of Ella Goddess.

Musila, with her red hair and dark blue eyes, was said to have great power.

“Love, you say? If I heard correctly, is it that love? To think that love would be a fatal weakness for Ella Goddess’s child.”

It was horrifying to even think about the Pol Heredian family abusing her, Prince Ruans taking good care of the abused Lady Lorencia, and then Lady Lorencia developing feelings of love for Ruans.

Teishar clenched his fist. His father was right. The bad insects ate away at the tree, made it rot, and caused it to die. So the young tree must be treated with medicine before bad insects are attracted to it, and transplanted to fertile soil.

“What are the abilities of Ella Goddess’s child?”

“I’m not sure of the details.”

Teishar had no intention of ever telling others about the power Lorencia possessed. According to Magus, Ella Goddess’s children use different powers depending on the color of their eyes. Among them, those with purple eyes possess the power of wisdom and foresight.

It seemed that Lorencia herself didn’t know about her own power yet, but the Pol Heredian family and Ruans must know what kind of being she is. That’s why they would surely use force to take her away somehow.

Moreover, if they learn that her power is the power of foresight, it would be too dangerous for her to stay in the Isuter Empire.

If Lorencia awakens her power and uses it correctly, it would be fine, but if not, he might have to uproot the tree according to the duty of the snake. That must never happen. No matter what, the young tree must be raised properly.

“We must protect her well, Duke Teishar.”

“Protection is a given, Princess Charlotte. Not only will I protect Lady Lorencia, but I will also take care of her with all my might. I will show her, who has been abused, that there are beautiful places in this world and good people exist.”

Feeling his throat go dry, Teishar drank the cold tea on the table in one gulp.

“I’m too anxious to stay here. I must go fetch Lady Lorencia.”

As Teishar left the reception room, his heart pounded unpleasantly. He felt as if an arrow of anxiety had pierced his heart, as if something had happened to the young tree.

As Teishar’s long legs quickly walked down the corridor, he saw a face he didn’t want to see right now in the distance.

“Duke Spencer.”

“Prince Ruans.”

“I heard that the Pol Heredian family had taken Roa… Lady Lorencia to the imperial palace.”

The saying that good things don’t always continue to happen to people came to mind. Bad things follow as much as good things. That saying was accurate. For example, the current situation is just like that.

Teishar thought, ‘If only this place where I’m standing now were at least a battlefield, I could kill the annoying Ruans right in front of me…’ But unfortunately, this place is not a battlefield, but a corridor in the imperial palace of the Isuter Empire.

“Duke Spencer. Where is Roa?”

It was a waste to leave Ruans, who was calling Lorencia’s nickname affectionately in front of him with a worried face, standing there. But he had to endure. No, he decided to endure.

“Where on earth did you take Roa? Please don’t take Roa away from me.”

Teishar’s red eyes widened. Then he smiled again as if flowers were blooming.

“What kind of relationship do you have with her, Prince Ruans?”

“I don’t know why you’re curious about what kind of relationship we have, but I asked where Roa is, Duke Spencer.”

Teishar ran his hand through his hair and walked towards Ruans. He approached close enough that they could see each other reflected in each other’s eyes.

“Why are you looking for her? Don’t look for her, Prince Ruans.”

“Duke Spencer.”

“What I’m saying now is not a joke. I hope you won’t look for her.”

Ruans raised one corner of his mouth crookedly and laughed loudly.

“It’s best to answer when I’m laughing like this, Duke Spencer. I’ll ask again. Where is Roa?”

“Let me tell you one thing, I will never, ever send her back to the count’s residence, Prince Ruans.”

At Teishar’s cold rejection, Ruans finally revealed his discomfort towards him.

“Now I understand. Our Roa wants to return to the count’s residence, but you’re preventing that. I’m curious about the reason you’re preventing Roa from returning to her home.”

Ruans spoke to Teishar in a low voice, twisting his lips. But Teishar showed no sign of being shaken by Ruans’s provocation.

“Why did you forcibly take Roa away and confine her? Duke Spencer.”

“Prince Ruans.”

Teishar leaned towards Ruans. He had thought that abuse was the only reason Lorencia couldn’t trust people. But he realized through this brief conversation with Ruans that abuse wasn’t everything.

The way Ruans speaks is a method that blurs the point and shifts blame. His way of speaking reduces self-esteem and makes one doubt oneself just by conversing. Not only that, it makes it impossible to judge right and wrong in any situation.

It was too horrific. The people of the Pol Heredian count’s family tormented Lorencia physically, and Ruans pressured Lorencia mentally, instilling guilt for crimes she hadn’t committed, and making her lose her self-esteem.

And through this conversation, he understood exactly why Adrian was wary of his half-brother Ruans. He had a natural talent for creating deeply misunderstood situations.

“May I give Prince Ruans a warning?”

“Are you saying you’re going to give a warning to me, the Second Prince of the Isuter Empire?”

Ruans met the gaze of the red eyes looking down at him. The sharp red gaze of Teishar made him feel a chill down his spine, as if a large snake was constricting his body.

“What kind of warning do you want to give, Duke Spencer?”

“You shouldn’t make a snake angry.”

Teishar was angry. Very much so.

“Don’t ever affectionately call Lady Lorencia’s nickname in front of me again.”

After saying that to Ruans, Teishar took a deep breath and only then straightened his body that had been leaning.

“Lady Lorencia will never return to the count’s residence.”

“How dare you…”

“If you were close enough to call her by a nickname, you must have known that she was constantly being abused. Why did you leave her alone?”

“That’s why I made her a count’s daughter.”

“The abuse at the count’s residence continued. I don’t want to hear words like ‘how dare you’ from Prince Ruans who didn’t stop that abuse. If you have even a little conscience, I hope you won’t look for her. What I’m saying now might sound like a warning, but in fact, it’s the best consideration I can give to Prince Ruans.”

Illina didn’t move until Lorencia grabbed and turned the doorknob of the reception room. She just cried. Lorencia was disappointed by the sight of her giving up so easily when they hadn’t even started yet.

Illina just kept repeating that it was impossible, that it didn’t make sense. A sneer escaped.