"Hmph!"

"Bella."

Emily, who was sitting next to her bed, rushed to her side.

"Are you okay? Does anything hurt?"

"I'm fine, sister."

Why?

Then she remembered what happened last night.

"...Leo," she muttered.

"Sister, last night…"

"We got really scared when we saw you unconscious."

"That boy… he brought you here."

"Please be healthy. Don't scare me."

Emily hugged her tightly.

"Yeah."

*****

Why was no one talking about Leo?

Until now, only a few people inside the palace knew about him. But now that he had appeared at the party, all the nobles had seen him.

Wasn’t there any question?

"Your Majesty..."

Bella looked at the person who was already staring at her.

The man had black hair and pinkish-red eyes.

"I have a question," said Duke Vale.

'Duke Vale… that means he is my mother’s younger brother.'

"It's about the boy. We all know that magic is not allowed in the Empire."

"His Majesty knows it too. You can either imprison him or throw him out of the Empire, because we can't kill a child."

"But he is freely moving around the palace."

Kevin frowned.

"Speak clearly," he said in a cold voice.

"Is there something His Majesty is trying to hide, or is he involved in something again?"

He spoke in a mocking tone.

What was he trying to say?

The room fell silent.

The nobles began whispering among themselves.

Yes, they needed a leader to start all this. Well, the Vale family was highly respected in the Empire.

Especially the former head of the family—my grandfather—who was a noble among nobles.

If everyone joined in, it could cause serious problems for us.

How cruel. Even without doing anything, they hated him so much.

No wonder he turned out that way.

But…

She stood up from her chair and slammed her hand on the table.

"He will be mine."