Love Me Just Once (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 124

From the balcony overlooking the garden, Mahanas tapped the table with anxious fingers.

Upon arriving in Reden, he had granted Ophelia the two southern islands and bestowed a title upon her, just as she had demanded.

But the money still hadn’t arrived—not even a reply, let alone the payment. Meanwhile, the letters of demand sent by the Second Prince of Egelbamot continued to pile up, one by one.

If only he’d known it would come to this, he should’ve just handed her over to the Second Prince right away. Mahanas thought this as he idly touched his jaw, now fully healed. He still couldn’t accept that the Grand Duke had committed such a barbaric act against him. Every time they’d met before, the man had perfectly played the part of a sane and reasonable noble—was it all just an act?

Or perhaps Ophelia had simply gone along with his whispers.

Mahanas no longer believed his sister was innocent. He had raised her with such strict discipline precisely to prevent her from being tainted by ill influences—yet were women simply born this way? How else could his sister, who had never even held a man’s hand before, have so swiftly ensnared a husband the moment she slipped from his sight?

“Bring me tea.”

The servant swiftly obeyed. Mahanas took a sip of the familiar red brew, waiting for his anger to subside. Tea made from Dallihwa flowers was known for its invigorating and calming effects.

Yet no matter how long he waited, his boiling frustration refused to settle.

Finally, with a deep frown, he turned to the servant.

“Was this tea properly steeped?”

“Yes, yes. Steeped exactly as usual.”

“Then why is it like this?”

Mahanas peered into his teacup. The color remained the deep red he remembered, and the fragrance was unchanged as well.

But something was different. Normally, drinking this tea would lift his spirits and fill his body with vitality—but today, he felt no change at all.

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