“……No matter how much I look at it, I just don’t understand.”

Raven, who was in his room, spreading out a book and wringing his head, heaved a deep sigh.

The white thing was paper, and the black thing was letters, but the meaning of a particular combination of words was vague.

‘Come to think of it, there was such a thing as ancient language.’

Although he had learned the continental language quickly through Sione, that was within the general scope.

In the continent, various languages were mixed and used, and one of them was the ancient language with which Raven was struggling.

This language, made up of a very complex structure, was actively used until just a few hundred years ago but gradually disappeared after the founding of the empire, in line with the first Emperor’s ideology to unify the continent.

Now, the continental common language, commonly referred to as the continental language, was taking over the mainstream in speech and writing.

In the case of the book that Raven was reading now, ancient language was used a lot because it dealt with the principles of ancient magic.

‘It’s a bit awkward to ask a woman named Sione.’

Raven was not only intelligent but also had an excellent animalistic intuition.

The boy had already noticed that Sione, who volunteered to teach him how to read, was actually wary of him.

Especially, he strongly felt a foreign sensation from her gaze when she looked at him while he was with Bella.

‘Ancient language. Come to think of it, that kid knew how to use magic.’

Raven recalled Bella, who had removed his binding spell with a gesture and summoned a dagger.

Since it’s a basic book explaining the concept of magic, she might be able to decipher it to some extent.

“Shall I go see?”

With the book tucked under his arm, Raven headed toward Bella’s room.

He met a few maids and soldiers in the corridor who greeted him cheerfully, but as usual, he headed to his destination without even looking at them.

‘At this time, she’s probably in her room.’

During his short stay in the Rose Palace, Raven had been keeping track of Bella’s range of activity.

He did not know the exact reason, but since he arrived, the little girl had not gone outside the palace even once.

Judging by the fact that no new people ever came, it seemed like a place cut off from outside interaction.

Despite being a princess, he was a bit curious as to why she could not move around freely, but it was not something he needed to worry about.

As a result, Bella usually spent her time in her room, the library, the garden, and the dining room, and sometimes she seemed to sneak into the kitchen to steal snacks.

She ate so much dessert as usual, so it was peculiar that she had to take snacks away from people’s eyes.

Why she was so obsessed with sweets was beyond understanding.

Lost in various thoughts and walking alone, Raven found himself in front of Bella’s room before he knew it.

Checking to make sure no one was around, Raven cautiously knocked on the door.

“Are you in there?”

He waited for a moment, but all that came back was a silent void.

‘What now? Should I just go back?’

He had come here without thinking much, but now that he thought about it, the very act of going to Bella might appear strange in others’ eyes.

Regardless of the circumstances, Raven was no different from a captured slave, and Bella was the owner of the boy.

‘It’s better to go back to my room before someone sees me.’

Even if the royal little girl treated him well, unaware of worldly matters, it wasn’t a law that everyone around her would do the same.

Women like Sione, soldiers smiling and greeting him kindly – they were all no different from potential enemies that could turn on him at any moment.

Thinking of visiting the room of the princess, who received boundless love and respect in a place surrounded by such people, like a friend.

How dare he think that? He couldn’t believe himself, and he felt pathetic.

Just as he firmly turned to leave, a strange sound leaked out through the gap in the door.

“Ah, it hurts…….”
It was a voice so soft that it was almost inaudible, but it was clearly heard by Raven, a Benian with exceptional hearing, almost animallike.

A moan filled with pain made the boy realize it was Bella’s, and he instinctively opened the door and entered the room.

“Little one!”

In the empty room, Bella’s face, lying alone, was incredibly pale.

Looking down at the child’s face, devoid of its usual color, the terrifying sight he witnessed when his mother passed away flashed through his mind like a spinning wheel.

“Snap out of it!”

Raven bent down to check Bella’s breathing.

Fortunately, the breathing had not stopped, but the gasping, like someone about to pass away, was not a good sign.

‘It can’t be, please. Don’t die.’

He frantically rubbed the child’s cold hands and feet, shook the body, but there was no sign of improvement.

‘I need to call someone right away.’

Though he might be suspected because they were alone, in a situation where a life was at stake, that wasn’t important.