Bab 42: Mana Drain
Ellendise brought the unconscious Archduke towards the outskirts of a forest, in a safe spot where it was hidden and away from prying eyes. With the last bit of her mana, she formed a protective barrier around his body to ensure his safety while he was asleep.
'Forget about me. Let us live our life separately.'
After that, using her remaining strength, Ellendise went back to the county, dragging her tired body.
As the sun peeked from the horizons, rays of light spanning across miles blanketed the land, a lone figure in white was slowly walking towards the mansion of Count Vitron.
The guards who saw the figure squinted their eyes and wondered just who was stupid enough and disrespectful to come to the county so early in the morning without prior notice.
Only when the familiar mop of silver white hair flickered under the sun like majestic silk, did the guards realized that the person was familiar. And when a small girl in a white dress, limped towards them with a tired yet smiling face, their eyes finally widened as sweat broke through their bodies.
"May I come in, gentleman?" She asked in a soft tone.
The two guards stared at her with horrified expression because after she said that, a mouthful of blood was spat out.
Ellendise took a step forward but she ended up falling to the ground, her knees giving up as she descended like a fallen angel. The heavy thud resounded across the quiet surrounding and became a wake up call that doused the stunned guards with ice cold water.
"Lady Ellen!"
"My lady!"
They shouted simultaneously.
At the early hours of sunrise, the count's mansion was thrown in a complete chaos. The arrival of the count's only daughter who suffered a severe mana drain became the hot topic of the whole county. It wasn't a secret considering that the count's daughter appeared at the gates of the count's mansion herself where everyone was free to see her.
It was also hard to forget that striking silver hair that gave people a long lasting deep impression. For days, mages and doctors came in and out of the count's mansion in order to check on the count's daughter.
When Valrug heard his cousin was in a dire situation, he forgot about everything and immediately drove a carriage towards the count's mansion, ignoring his father who was shouting at him for ditching sword training.
Letia also came after hearing this, hence, the two who were especially close to Ellendise were very worried but what awaited them was a sleeping girl in a temporary coma.
Valrug felt like the world dimmed around him as the memory of his mother sleeping in a bed overlapped with the girl before him. His whole body trembled in fear and agitation while he struggled to breath almost like an invisible force was squeezing his lungs and trying to induce asphyxiation.
"Ellen.." He murmured weakly as he looked at the sleeping girl who was akin to a porcelain doll. Even while unconscious, her beauty remained intact and transfixed the people around her.
"Daddy said that Lady Ellen suffered from a severe mana drain.. She needs time to rest and recover." Letia explained while looking at the silver haired girl with a sad look.
Letia was very clear of Ellendise's nature. The girl was not the type to be reckless or impulsive without reason. She had always been reserved and kept her thoughts to herself. She did not show weakness that would allow others to hold it against her.
Letia knew that Ellendise was a person obsessed in learning knowledge. No matter how subtle or discreet she was, people around her would still notice. To Letia, she found her admirable for being so hard working and ambitious.
Letia naturally knew that Ellendise must have her own reasons. Letia still worried. The person she admired was bedridden and had suffered a drawback, would she be alright once she woke up an realized that many days have passed since her coma?
Valrug paced around while clenching his fists. "This doesn't make sense. Why would Ellen be in this state? She isn't the reckless type. We share the same desire to pursue magic but she of all people knows her boundaries the most." Valrug remarked as he tried to think of an answer.
According to the rumors, Ellendise came to the county once the sun broke free from the horizons. As soon as she approached the gate and spoke one line, she fell and coughed out blood. This was a sight that had forever haunted the two guards on duty because as the witnesses, they were unable to explain why the count's daughter was outside and had received criticism.
Unless Ellendise herself came forward to explain this matter, there would be many speculations and stories that would ferment and float around in order to provide an explanation for this matter.
Valrug himself was very curious. His eccentric cousin who acted like an adult most of the time had left the count's mansion and suffered a severe mana drain.
She was only ten years old and this piece of news was enough to cause a smear on her reputation. Why was she outside? Did she perhaps left and went outside to fool around? Was she being ambitious because she wanted to achieve great things with her magic? This clearly backfired since she came back in a state of mana drain.
A young lady leaving her family's estate without any guardian or guards was questionable. People would think that the count's family was lax in their discipline towards their children.
Valrug did not know all of his cousin's thoughts but he was aware that there was a reason for this incident. At the moment, they needed to focus on her health so she could recover faster. Then they would learn the truth from her own lips.
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Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone