The Young Master I Carefully Raised Became Obsessive
Ch. 111

Chapter 111

Setina trembled as she looked at the servant. The servant kept his head bowed. I stepped towards him. Suddenly, Setina, who had started to raise her hand, shook as she stared at me.

Without saying a word, I picked up the fallen tray and handed it to the servant. “Take this tray away for now. Clean up the rest later.”

“What? But…”

I leaned in and whispered in his ear, “I’ll take care of things here. If you stick around, you’re not going to see anything pleasant.”

At that, the servant bowed repeatedly and backed away. I slowly stood up. Setina was still staring at me.

“Your dress is a mess. Shouldn’t you go change quickly?”

At my words, the nobles nearby approached and looked at Setina, whispering in low voices.

“I think the dress looks worse than before.”

“Still, standing there like that, wouldn’t she be embarrassed?”

They were whispering, but I could hear them clearly. Evidently, so could Setina. Her face flushed even redder.

She quickly turned and walked past me. She used to shriek at me like a shrew, but now she couldn’t say a single word.

It really showed how much the situation had changed.

I watched her retreating figure for a moment, then looked around. Everything seemed peaceful on the surface, but unease pounded in my chest. No matter where I looked, Rowell was nowhere to be seen.

“Your Highness, are you expecting someone?” Duchess Heverun asked.

I smiled and shook my head. “No.”

Just then, Derol cautiously poked his head out. People seemed surprised at first, then quickly took interest in him.

“Isn’t that the mouse we saw at the wedding?”

“Ah, I think his name was Derol.”

They already knew his name. More people began to gather around. Derol looked at me, and I gave him a nod. It meant it was safe to come out. There was no danger right now.

At first, he shyly tucked himself back into my pocket. But as admiration filled the air, he slowly peeked out again.

“He’s even cuter up close.”

Some kept their distance, but most were drawn to him. Derol looked around, seemingly intrigued by the attention.

Then a bit of a commotion broke out. I turned my head to see Rowell entering the hall. As always, his knight commander was by his side, along with several nobles.

It seemed this really was an unofficial celebration the day before his coronation. Even the nobles who’d been focused on Derol turned to murmur among themselves.

“I heard His Highness the Crown Prince was coming…”

“He must be here because of the coronation. It’s frowned upon to host a ball at the palace before then.”

“Well, I did hear crowds are already gathering outside the palace.”

“And even though His Highness is trying to arrest the ones causing trouble, someone keeps interfering. They’re hard to catch.”

Just then, I felt a gentle touch on my shoulder. I looked up to see that Ardion had come to my side. Our eyes met, and he spoke quietly.

“Laila, it’s time to strike from behind.”

I nodded and followed him.

Rowell, surrounded by people, lifted the corner of his lips when he spotted me. The sight disgusted me.

“Your Highness, congratulations on your coronation tomorrow. Come to think of it, everyone here must have gathered to celebrate it, haven’t they?” said someone close to Rowell in a flattery-laced voice.

I laughed inwardly.

As Ardion and I approached, people moved aside.

“Congratulations on your coronation tomorrow, Your Highness.” Ardion smiled faintly.

Rowell stared at him for a moment before smiling back. “You’re finally speaking properly.”

“…”

“Mind your behavior. Since you're going to offer your mana at the temple tomorrow, you need to stay in one piece until then.”

“Don’t worry, brother. I’m already being cautious.” Ardion smiled.

Rowell’s face hardened, then he turned to me, eyes sharp. “Don’t you have anything to say to me?”

“Congratulations,” I said, bowing slightly. 

For now, I had no choice but to play along. I didn’t want to cause unnecessary trouble before the real show began.

When I lifted my head, Rowell was watching me. “Still haven’t changed your mind?”

“No. I haven’t.”

“That’s unfortunate. Then I’ll just have to force you after the coronation.” Rowell smiled at me.

Ardion stepped between us, blocking his view. “I knew you were out of your mind, brother, but I didn’t expect you to speak like that here.”

Rowell scoffed in disbelief. “What are you talking about?”

I grabbed Ardion’s arm. He looked back at me. I gave him a silent signal. It was time to hit Rowell where it hurt. He seemed to understand, though his expression was tense. But when I kept looking at him, he calmly stepped aside.

Finally, I could see Rowell clearly. I took a deep breath. It was time to enact everything I had planned in my head.

I stared straight at him and said, “What would you do if I were to die right here?”

Mana glimmered around Ardion. I gently grabbed his arm. He frowned at me. I shook my head slightly.

Ardion stared at Rowell for a moment, then let the mana dissipate. He gestured at Delzion, who nodded and walked towards the ballroom doors.

Rowell had been watching the whole time and now wore a mocking smile.

I drew a dagger in front of his eyes and placed it against my wrist. Rowell reached to stop me, but Ardion blocked him.

“Don’t touch her.”

“You’re out of your mind.”

“Then aren’t you just as insane? You gave Laila a magical drug, and you tried to pin the emperor’s poisoning on her.”

Gasps erupted around us.

“The emperor’s poisoning is still under investigation. Do you have any real evidence?”

Ardion signaled Delzion, who nodded and opened the door. Soon, a man barely able to stand was escorted in by two people.

“This man was the emperor’s former healer. After His Majesty passed, he returned to his hometown. He’s just now come back.”

“Ardion, you’re wasting your time. That man…”

Before Rowell could finish, Delzion stepped forward with a document. “Can you see this? It states he acted under your command. It says he mixed toxins into the emperor’s medicine for nearly twelve years under your orders.”

Shock swept through the room. Even the nobles by Rowell blinked in disbelief. Then more people entered through the door.

Starting with Duke Delit and followed by many others wrongfully imprisoned, people who had all been locked up together.

One stepped forward and said, “His Highness also gave me orders to add a small amount of poison into His Majesty’s elixirs. Many of us ended up in prison because of this.”

“I was His Majesty’s personal healer. When Lady Laila was falsely accused, I simply said something seemed strange, and they threw me in prison.”

The nobles whispered with solemn expressions.

“What on earth is going on?”

“Wasn’t that healer by His Majesty’s side for a long time?”

“Now that I think about it, it was strange how so many people from the palace were imprisoned right after the poisoning. So this is what happened.”

Rowell chuckled coldly. He glared at Ardion and said, “You’ve worked hard preparing all this. But what now? You still can’t take me down.”

“Why would you think that, brother?”

“Because you won’t kill me.” Rowell sneered.

Ardion stepped closer. “Do you really think so?”

“Then go ahead and kill me.”

“Well, the list of your crimes is too long to end you here. I plan to watch a little longer.”

Then Ardion flicked his fingers. Rowell clutched his chest, seemingly struggling to breathe. 

Commander Trede rushed over. “Your Highness!”

Rowell, gasping, waved his hand at Ardion.

Trede quickly shouted to the nearby knights, “Arrest Ardion at once! He’s undermining the empire’s—”

Before he could finish, the commander dropped to his knees, mana swirling around him.

“You’re the ones truly defiling the empire. Instead of guiding a misguided ruler, you carried out vile acts without shame.” Ardion stood with arms crossed, looking down at them.

“This empire has laws. As a prince, I certainly don’t have to accept orders from scum like you.”

The knights’ faces twisted in suffocation.

I gently tugged Ardion’s arm. “Ardion, that’s enough. We should put them all in prison for now. We haven’t uncovered everything yet.”

Then the ballroom floor began to shake. I glanced around, confused—then saw Rowell laughing.

“Did you think I’d go down so easily?”

At the entrance stood Serina. Someone held a sword to her, and she was writing a magic array on the floor with a stiff expression.

Rowell glanced at her, then said, “This place will sink soon enough.”

In an instant, the ballroom turned into chaos. Screams echoed, and the exits were already clogged. Escaping looked almost impossible.

T/N: I knew letting Serina go was a bad choice 🤐