Imprinted with the Obsessive Male Lead - Chapter 26

For a while, the Grand Duke’s castle was quiet. Nita devoted herself diligently to treatment, and just as she had for the past ten days, she ate well and rested deeply. Like someone trying to become even a little healthier no matter what, she didn’t miss a single session of the doctors’ treatment. Chase, as usual, repeated his routine of going on patrols and attending to the Grand Duke’s duties, and no mana fog appeared.

It was a frighteningly peaceful time. As if it were the calm before a storm.

Late afternoon, as the sun began to set. The fourth floor of the Grand Duke’s castle, dyed red by the sunset.

“Your Grace, it’s Anthony.”

“Come in.”

The door to Chase’s study opened.

Entering with proper courtesy, Anthony checked the empty desk by the window, then quickly moved his eyes to find his master. Long, slender legs were sticking out from beyond the armrest of the sofa in front of the fireplace. Anthony walked toward the long sofa beside the fireplace and stood with his hands clasped behind his back.

“In case you may have forgotten, I’ll inform you. His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince’s evening ball is tomorrow.”

“I know.”

Chase, lying loosely with a book covering his face, answered without moving. His voice was normal, but judging by the way he lay there, he looked almost like someone who had fainted. Since it was a sight Anthony occasionally saw when his mind was complicated, he wasn’t surprised and calmly continued.

“The party is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. Since you dislike drawing attention, we’ll aim to arrive around 9.”

“Do that.”

“I contacted the Imperial Crown Prince’s secretary office, and the Grace side will be attending as planned. The Duke will be absent, but both Young lords and the young lady will definitely be there.”

Anthony paused for a moment, then hesitated before adding carefully.

“Has your decision not changed?”

It meant whether he would send Nita Grace back. Anthony stared intently at Chase, whose expression was hidden behind the book.
After a brief silence, he finally gave an answer.

“Probably.”

It was an ambiguous reply. Compared to before, when he had firmly intended to send her away, it wasn’t a bad change, but…

Anthony’s eyes narrowed. He didn’t look entirely pleased with Chase’s answer.

Until recently, Anthony had no objection to his master’s decision to send Nita back. But after witnessing her power with his own eyes, his thoughts had changed somewhat.

Recently, Nita had become a topic of conversation not only in the Grand Duke’s castle but throughout the north. They said a small, cute mage had erased mana with a beautiful light never seen before. It wasn’t the first time a mage had come to the north. Nor was it the first time the people of the north had witnessed purification. But Nita’s power was different.

‘The mana vanished in an instant and sparkled like stardust as it poured down to the ground. It was incredible.’

Those were Logan’s words on the day he brought Nita to the castle. To be honest, Anthony hadn’t believed him. He thought Logan had exaggerated because it had been so long since he last saw purification.

But in that moment when Nita purified the mana fog, Anthony felt as if a world tree he had never seen before had come alive before his eyes. It was a sensation he couldn’t put into words. Startled, Anthony had quickly looked around, only to realize he wasn’t the only one who felt it.

Everyone around him had frozen, unable to utter even a single word of admiration, simply staring blankly at Nita Grace’s back.

At the sight of black mana flowing into her body wrapped in golden light, transforming in an instant into beautiful fragments of light and scattering through the air.

Meanwhile, she herself finished the purification as if it were nothing and even bounced lightly in place, but in that fleeting moment, everyone there had been captivated by her power.

The Grace family, who oversaw the Mage Tower, were not welcomed in the north. After the previous Grand Duke died and the young Chase ascended to the position, they stopped sending purification mages, making various excuses.

Unlike other forms of magic, purification magic was under special management by the Mage Tower. There were not many mages with purification abilities, and since it was the most necessary power in the Empire, it couldn’t be used carelessly. Though they knew it was just an excuse, there was no other option as long as the Mage Tower refused to send mages.