I Abandoned the Male Lead Who Cheated with the Villainess - Chapter 146

Gulp, Berthe sniffled and took a sip of the cocoa. The marshmallows floated on top, but her face showed no sign of enjoyment, as if she couldn’t taste it at all. She was clearly still in shock and overwhelmed.

“Do your parents, or the village elders, know about this?”

“Yes… everyone’s looking for her down there right now. I thought, since Ivonne is a wizard… maybe she can help…”

Berthe spoke with cocoa still smeared on her lips. Mary carefully wiped Berthe’s mouth and adjusted the blanket that had fallen off her shoulders.

Although Mary hadn’t been particularly warm or friendly to the children, and they had grown distant due to Herix, from her behaviour it looked like she originally liked children.

“My mom told me not to go to Ivonne. The high-ranking people like the Crown Prince said ‘don’t come without a business,’ which actually means don’t come even if we have a reason. But… what does ‘business’ mean?”

Berthe sniffed again, her nose still running. Ivonne was certain now that the reason the children hadn’t been visiting lately was because of Herix.

“That… well, no. It doesn’t matter. I’m fine now. You can come anytime.”

“Really…?”

“Yes, really. Let’s go look for Ameline. And you can come anytime, okay?”

“Okay…”

Ivonne, being a perfect maid and a powerful wizard, knew that if she took action, Ameline would surely be found in no time. Berthe seemed relieved.

“So don’t cry, just drink up. You need to warm yourself up if we’re going to go find Ameline.”

“Yes, okay.”

Berthe reluctantly started drinking the cocoa. Mary handed Berthe a warm piece of bread with care and looked after her attentively, telling her to take her time. Ivonne, watching the scene, couldn’t help but think about the Snow Fairy Berthe had mentioned earlier.

‘Dark green eyes…’

An image of someone appeared in Ivonne’s mind. But she quickly shook her head.

‘That’s not possible. Senior Isaac is in the sea prison.’

That prison was notorious for being so secure that the prisoners couldn’t escape even in death. No matter how extraordinary Isaac was, he wouldn’t be able to break free from the magical restraints designed to keep him bound.

‘Earlier, when I overheard Herix and the department head talking, they mentioned that they even administer a d**g to suppress magic generation once a day.’

For a wizard, suppressing magic generation was almost like slowing down the flow of blood. It was a measure that would keep them barely alive.

So, it seemed unlikely that Isaac was the Snow Fairy.

On the other hand, it appeared that Berthe had finally relaxed a little, finishing her cocoa and starting to nod off.

‘She’ll probably try to follow me.’

Ivonne had suggested they search for Ameline together to comfort Berthe earlier, but she knew that wasn’t feasible. Her hands had just thawed from the cold, and there was no way she could go out in this freezing weather.

“Just rest for a bit. I’ll find Ameline quickly.”

Berthe still didn’t know about the shackles on Ivonne’s ankle, or that they prevented her from using magic. But Berthe trusted Ivonne and, despite the adults’ objections, had come all the way to the Tens Mansion.

Holding Ameline’s hat tightly, Berthe must have believed Ivonne would find Ameline, without a doubt.

‘I can’t let her down.’

And Ivonne was truly worried about Ameline. The person behind this must be a wizard, but all she could do was pray that nothing bad had happened to her.

‘Now, the problem is these shackles…’

The shackles were enchanted, and no matter how physically strong one was, they couldn’t be broken easily.

But for Ivonne, they weren’t just a physical constraint. Because of the magic-suppressing enchantment, she couldn’t use any of her powers. Her safety had become as vulnerable as an ordinary person’s, and that was why Herix had been so meticulous in caring for her.

When Ivonne had first put her feet into these shackles, she hadn’t understood how dangerous it was to strip a wizard of their magic. She had felt betrayed when Herix explained it to her later—it wasn’t just the loss of magic, but the very trust she had placed in him.

‘Without hesitation, he placed these shackles on me.’

Sitting down, Ivonne let her hand fall to the shackles, gently brushing them. The metal felt lukewarm from her body heat. She was reminded of why she was wearing them in the first place.

‘If I want to go find Ameline, I have to remove this. But if I remove it, everything I’ve endured to stabilize Herix will be for nothing.’

Whether she could even remove them was uncertain, and doing so could make things worse. However, Ivonne didn’t hesitate for long.

‘Herix will understand.’

Herix knew both Berthe and Ameline. He knew how close Ivonne and Ameline were.

‘If I tell him the children are in danger, I know he’ll understand.’

With that in mind, Ivonne decided to undo the shackles that had been placed on her for Herix’s sake and leave the Tens Mansion. However, there was another problem—silent servants had gathered near her without a sound.

“…”

“Mmm…”

Mary, pretending to clear away Berthe’s cocoa cup, blocked Ivonne’s path, while the butler stood behind her, inspecting the cleanliness of the window sill.