Chapter 10

The silver moonlight illuminates the castle of the Argaint Kingdom at midnight. All the occupants in the building except the guards were already asleep on their beds. But there is still the sound of chatter between men and women in a certain room. They were Princess Aishia and Ziel Grisel. If others discovered it, they would be accused of immoral acts. Maybe it wasn't a problem for Ziel, but it was different for Princess Aishia as the first Princess of the Argaint Kingdom. Her good name will be ruined when it is found out.

"It's already the 15th day since your first treatment, Aishia. Your mana has stabilized, and your ability to control mana flow is at the level of an expert. It just takes a little while longer, and you will be able to recover from your previous condition." Ziel explained to Princess Aishia about her condition.

"Yes. It's all thanks to you." Princess Aishia answered softly. Her cheeks flushed without her noticing.

Ziel was allowed to call her name directly without any honorifics ever since they returned from the festival. It was the 15th night since Princess Aishia's first treatment, and Ziel had taken care of her every night since then. Right now, Princess Aishia could easily control her mana flow. But sometimes, she still needs help from Ziel.

"No. It's all thanks to your effort and talent that you were able to recover so quickly. Normal people might take 1-2 months." Ziel answered honestly according to his observations.

"I was able to quickly understand the mana circulation process because you taught me well." Princess Aishia timidly praised Ziel.

The atmosphere between them turned awkward. After a moment of silence, Princess Aishia finally spoke and tried to change the subject.

"May I ask you something, Ziel?" Princess Aishia asked doubtfully.

"What's that?" Ziel looked directly at Princess Aishia's face.

"Who are you? What is your purpose of working as a servant in this kingdom?" Princess Aishia ventured to ask Ziel.

"I'm just a servant who wants to live comfortably and peacefully in this world." Ziel was not angry and replied calmly. Princess Aishia nodded and didn't ask any further. She understood that Ziel didn't want to talk much about his matters. So Princess Aishia didn't want to force Ziel if he didn't want to talk.

The treatment for Princess Aishia's condition that night finally ended. Before Ziel left the room, he suddenly took a box from his pocket. A small black box with white ornaments.

"This is for you, Aishia." Ziel gave the box to Princess Aishia.

"What's this?" Princess Aishia tilted her head in confusion.

"This is a gift. Tomorrow is your birthday, and I want to give it early. Because I can't possibly give it to you in front of so many people at your birthday party." Ziel explained to Princess Aishia.

Princess Aishia received the box and held it tightly as if afraid the gift would escape from her.

"Thank you, Ziel. Can I open it now?" Princess Aishia was curious about the contents inside the box.

"Of course, you can open it." Ziel nodded slightly in response.

Princess Aishia slowly opened the box. After he opened it, he could see a gray light emanating from the object inside the box. Princess Aishia took it out of the box. What Ziel had given her was a beautiful gray bracelet with snowflake ornaments. Princess Aishia trembled when she saw and touched the bracelet.

"Ziel, this is?" Princess Aishia asked in a trembling voice.

"That bracelet is your birthday present." Ziel nodded in response to Princess Aishia's question.

"That is not what I mean!!" Princess Aishia subconsciously shouted at Ziel.

"So, what do you mean?" Ziel didn't understand what Princess Aishia wanted to ask.

"This bracelet is made of dragon bone?" Princess Aishia asked fearfully.

If what Princess Aishia thought was true, then Ziel gave her a priceless gift. She knew how precious the material used to make the bracelet was. Princess Aishia only hoped that Ziel would deny it because the gift was too precious. On the other hand, she was pleased that Ziel gave her such a gift.

"Yes, you're right. The bracelet is made of dragon bone. Your eyes are quite sharp." Ziel nodded and acknowledged it. Princess Aishia looked at Ziel with a blank face. But she quickly came back to her senses.

"Of course, I know! My father also has an artifact in the form of a ring made of dragon bone and can temporarily double his power. But, are you sure you want to give this thing to me? This bracelet is too precious." Princess Aishia still couldn't believe Ziel gave such a precious thing to her.

"I'm certain. Ah, that bracelet is also an artifact." Ziel said flatly.

Princess Aishia opened her eyes wide after hearing Ziel's words. Then he saw the bracelet in his hand.

"Can I have this bracelet?" Princess Aishia asked Ziel doubtfully.

"Of course, it's your birthday present. You should wear it." Ziel nodded to reassure her.

Finally, Princess Aishia received the bracelet and put it in her right hand. The bracelet matched her snow-white skin perfectly. Princess Aishia smiled happily after seeing the bracelet on her wrist. Her face was flushed like a girl who had just received a gift from her lover.

"You said that this bracelet was an artifact. So what's the power?" Princess Aishia suddenly became curious about the artifact on her wrist.

"The bracelet has two functions. First, it will protect you when you are in danger." Ziel started explaining the power of the bracelet to Princess Aishia.

"And the second?" Princess Aishia became even more curious.

"The bracelet will help you control your mana. Do you remember what I said when I first started treating you? I said, 'I will find a way so you can do your treatment without my help'. So I made this bracelet." Ziel explained the second function of the artifact to Princess Aishia.

Princess Aishia's body suddenly trembled, and her breathing stopped for a moment. She clenched her fists tightly to hold back the tears that were about to spill. Then she asked Ziel with Fear on her face.

"What do you mean!? Don't you want to see me again!? Did I do something wrong that you hate me!? Then I apologize to you, but please don't hate me!!" Princess Aishia screamed in panic after hearing Ziel's explanation. She thought that Ziel didn't want to see her again.

Ziel shook his head when he saw Princess Aishia's reaction. Then he stood up from his seat and looked directly into Princess Aishia's eyes from behind his mask.

"No. You never did anything wrong, Aishia. I never hated you. What I do is for your good. It would be dangerous if I were in and out of your room in the middle of the night any longer than this. Someday someone might find out, and your reputation as a Princess will be ruined." Ziel said seriously.

Princess Aishia couldn't help but fall silent after hearing what Ziel said. Everything Ziel said made perfect sense. But Princess Aishia still couldn't accept it because she felt she would lose something if she did.

"So, tonight is the last night of treatment from me, Aishia. Your condition has improved, and you can take care of yourself with the bracelet. Soon your mana will be completely stabilized, and you can achieve your dream of becoming a great mage." Ziel added his words.

"I understand." Princess Aishia answered briefly.

She was trying not to cry. Ziel intended to leave the room immediately when he saw Princess Aishia's face.

"Then I'll go first, Aishia." Ziel said to Princess Aishia.

"..." Princess Aishia just kept quiet and lowered her head.

"That doesn't mean we can't meet again. Remember, I'm still Princess Elise's butler. We can still meet tomorrow as usual." Ziel tried to comfort her.

"..." Princess Aishia still didn't want to answer Ziel's words.

Ziel decided to leave the room after seeing Princess Aishia remaining silent.

"Good night, Aisha." Ziel quickly came out of Princess Aishia's room. After closing the door, he could hear a sad cry from inside the room. Ziel couldn't help but sigh heavily when he heard that.

(Sorry. Right now, I can't feel anything for the people of this world. So how can I love someone? But maybe it will happen one day after this curse is gone.)

Ziel suddenly stopped while he was walking down the corridor. He looked towards the Alba Mountain Range.

"Looks like there will be a big storm in this kingdom tomorrow. It's very troublesome." Ziel narrowed his eyes and spoke in a low voice that no one else could hear. After that, he disappeared into the darkness.