Children are like blank canvases; depending on whose hands they’re in, their personalities change significantly. Langsty was worried that Rachel might have poisoned the ignorant Ariana.

At that moment, Chamberlain Efrin rushed in, speaking in a tense voice.

“Your Majesty. Ariana is…!”

Russel quickly stood up.

“What’s wrong with Ariana?”

“Her fever is skyrocketing. She seems very ill.”

Pandemonium broke out.

Everyone in the office got up to find a doctor, even Langsty.

The family physician of the White family, as well as renowned doctors from the city, were called upon as they rushed into Ariana’s room.

Ariana, lying on the large bed, looked incredibly frail. Her emaciated body, arms covered in old scars, and bruises that had turned yellowish over time.

Her hair, dampened by the cold sweat from the fever, clung to her forehead. Her lips, pale and cracked, were stained with blood.

“How could this be…!”

Pelos had a daughter about Ariana’s age, so he knew what a girl her age should look like.

“How could this… How is this exaggerated abuse!”

Stung by Pelos’ outcry, Langsty flinched.

Even to Langsty’s eyes, Ariana’s condition did not look fabricated. His niece, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time, was too skinny and bore old bruises everywhere, looking like a child from a slum.

“Look at this, Brother! How can this be faking abuse, faking running away!”

Perhaps due to Pelos’ loud voice, Ariana’s tiny face twisted in more agony.

“I was… wrong…”

Her small lips parted, letting out a broken voice.

“I’m sorry… please forgive me… I was wrong… please… please forgive me…”

Desperate pleading, agonizing apologies.

The members of the White family stood there, frozen.

Ariana’s frail arm moved to cover her face as if trying to protect herself from the onslaught of blows, moving so pitifully.

“Please… Mother…”

In the unbearable silence where no one could even breathe, a voice apologizing to her mother echoed.

Catherdin, who had once wielded a sword on battlefields alongside her husband, couldn’t bear to watch. Tears flowed from the eyes of the woman once called the “Witch of the Battlefield.”
It’s alright. It’s okay now.

Even though he knew he had to say that, he couldn’t bring himself to approach her. The moment anyone moved, it felt as if that frail, tiny body would crumble and disappear, so no one dared to make a move.

At that moment, Uriel, the family doctor, entered.

“My goodness. Look at this.”

After examining Ariana’s condition beside the bed, Uriel muttered gloomily.

“This, this. My, why is the bruising like this… dear me.”

She let out a heavy sigh throughout the examination of Ariana. Only then did Russel cautiously ask,

“Is Ariana okay?”

“Your Highness, who is this young lady?”

“She’s my daughter.”

Uriel’s eyes widened in surprise. She had many questions but knew that satisfying her curiosity was not the priority, so she calmly explained.

“Your Highness, it appears the princess has been suffering from malnutrition for a long time. Her body has bruises all over; though none appear recent, they indicate prolonged abuse. It will take some time for the bruising to fade. Additionally, based on the condition of her feet, it seems she got her wounds from walking barefoot.”

Each time Uriel spoke about Ariana’s condition, the people of the White family twitched and shuddered.

“It seems she has a fever now due to the fatigue accumulated over a long period. Her body is weak, and it seems she couldn’t endure the fatigue. For now, she should rest and eat a nutritious meal upon waking. She will also need to take medicine good for stamina recovery.”

Russel asked in a choked voice,

“Is there any problem?”

“We already have a heap of problems…”

Muttering to herself, Uriel quickly softened her words after seeing Russel’s expression.

“If she eats well and rests, she should gradually get better. Children recover quickly, so with proper nutrition, even the scars should fade in time. I’ll go back and prepare the medicine.”

After Uriel left, no one dared to speak.

They merely stared at the little girl lying still on the bed.

Unable to hold it in any longer, Felos, who had been clenching his fists and grinding his teeth until his jaw muscles twitched, finally spoke.

“I can’t just let this insane woman…!”

Thwack!

Theodore slapped the back of Felos’s head, who seemed ready to go after Rachel right then.

“You keep quiet, you fool.”

“So we just let her go after making the child suffer like this? Huh?”

“If we don’t let her go, do we start a war?”

“Yes, we should! Do we really need that many troops to beat up those serfs suckling on the Emperor’s teat? I can do it alone. I can go there and wipe them all out, bring Rachel’s head, and make Ariana feel better.”

Theodore sighed.

His youngest son was too aggressive and short-sighted, but he couldn’t say he didn’t understand the sentiment.

Theodore himself wanted to go to the western territory right away, catch Rachel, and make her kneel before Ariana.