IDED | Chapter 143

Episode 143

Serena was caught in an awkward posture as she was suddenly seized by a fervent kiss.

Having overused her magic, her legs gave out beneath her. Just as she was about to collapse, Azaid firmly held her up with his arms, supporting her.

The places his scorching lips brushed past burned with lingering heat.

“Mm…”

Even her soft moans were swallowed up by the rough kiss. His movements were as desperate and unrestrained as a man diving into water after enduring unbearable thirst.

Serena wrapped her arms around Azaide’s neck, her fingers tangling in his golden hair. The purple ripples and blue flames still swirled around them.

Although outwardly composed, her heart pounded violently, her mana core surging as if set ablaze.

Just when she thought she might lose herself completely, Azaid let her go.

“Haa…”

Her breath came in ragged gasps, her chest rising and falling. Pausing to take a deep breath, Serena immediately checked on Azaid’s condition.

She quickly cupped his cheeks, aligning their gazes. His deep eyes met hers.

“……”

So this is what it feels like to be drawn into someone’s eyes. Serena couldn’t look away from Azaid.

His gaze was so gentle, so filled with longing, that she couldn’t tear herself away for even a moment. A dull ache welled in her chest as Azaide pulled her into his embrace.

“Thank you.”

“……”

“For coming to me.”

With that inexplicable confession, the turbulent mana that had surrounded them finally settled.

The place was a disaster. The ceiling was full of holes, and the dressing room had been completely devastated. Letting out a long sigh, Serena felt relieved that the rampage had ended.

“If you’re grateful, stop getting hurt.”

Leaving only those words behind, Serena drifted into a deep sleep in Azaid’s arms, as if she belonged there.

Meanwhile, Leonard ensured that no mages approached the area, just as Serena had instructed.

Instead, he deployed knights to contain the aftermath of the rampage with their auras, preventing further damage.

However, people who had heard the explosion were already gathering near the main palace, whispering anxiously.

Leonard swiftly began handling the situation. By the time he retrieved an antidote from Serina’s quarters and distributed it to the mages, a knight approached him.

“My Lord, we have captured a suspicious individual near the main palace.”

A man, tightly bound, was dragged forward. Leonard’s eyes widened as he recognized him.

It was none other than James Greenwood.

Leonard’s voice turned sharp.

“What are you doing here?”

“I-I got lost…”

“The banquet hall is far from here. And there were guards at the entrance—how did you get inside the main palace?”

At Leonard’s interrogation, James’ face turned pale.

His gaze kept flickering downward. Leonard’s sharp eyes caught on to his bulging front pocket.

As if it held something he absolutely couldn’t afford to be discovered.

Leonard gestured to the knight beside him.

“Search him.”

“Yes, sir!”

“H-Hey! What do you think you’re doing?! Let go of me!”

James struggled violently. As expected, he was definitely hiding something.

‘Damn it! This can’t be found out!’

Cold sweat trickled down James’ back.

In truth, after completing his mission, he had received a map marking the location of a certain seal from an unknown agent of the Duke.

He had planned to slip away unnoticed, but in the chaos of the explosion, he had panicked and been caught.

‘If this is discovered, I won’t just lose it—I’ll be ruined!’

Only the Duke knew the location of the Greenwood Seal.

If he was caught carrying a map detailing its whereabouts, it would be undeniable proof that James had been colluding with Aaron Greenwood.

“No!”

He screamed in desperation, but bound as he was, resistance was futile.

James let out a final, pitiful cry, but the map was snatched from him in an instant and delivered into Leonard’s hands.

Recognizing what it indicated, Leonard issued a command to the knights.

“Check the location marked on this map.”

“What should we do with him?”

“Lock him in the imperial underground prison. Bind him tightly so he can’t escape, and confiscate all his belongings.”

“Yes, sir!”

Annoyed by James’ incessant protests, the knight gagged him before dragging him away.

Leonard dispersed the gathered crowd and immediately rushed to the scene. As he approached, a voice called out.

“You’re just getting here now?”

“Your Majesty!”

Leonard spotted Azaid emerging from the wreckage, carrying Serena in his arms. He hurried over, relief washing over him.

It seemed Serena had succeeded.

“Are you alright?”

“As you can see.”

Azaid formed a thin smile, his lips curving slightly. Thankfully, he appeared to be unharmed.

“But…”

Leonard’s gaze shifted to Serena.

Her face was deathly pale.

With her eyes closed and her body limp, she looked terrifyingly lifeless. Leonard’s expression stiffened.

“C-Could she be… dead?”

“Do you want to die instead? Don’t spout nonsense just because you have a mouth.”

Azaid growled lowly, clearly irritated.

Despite his scolding, his voice was quiet, as if he were being careful not to wake her.

Leonard hesitated, opening and closing his mouth, until Azaid continued.

“Don’t worry. She just overexerted herself and fell asleep.”

“You should have said that from the start.”

“And who was the one jumping to conclusions?”

Azaid shot him a sharp look before adjusting Serena securely in his arms and walking away with graceful steps.

Leonard hurried after him, reporting as they moved.

“How is your condition? Should I summon the royal physician?”

“I feel better than ever, so don’t bother.”

“In fact, James Greenwood infiltrated the main palace. We believe he is connected to the rampage, so we have detained him in the underground pris—”

“Shh. Serena’s sleeping. No talking.”

“…Pardon?”

Azaid paid no mind to Leonard’s dumbfounded expression and strolled away from the disaster scene.

The terrorist attack during the Founding Festival banquet threw the empire’s celebratory atmosphere into chaos.

Fortunately, the culprit was caught quickly. However, when it was revealed that he was the escaped Aaron Greenwood, the entire empire was left in shock.

Even those who had doubted the trial’s verdict turned their backs on him. Aaron Greenwood would never recover from this.

Serena remained unconscious for two full days after the rampage.

As a result, Azaid, growing even more overprotective, forcibly confined her to a luxurious room under the pretext of her recovery.

Thus, she spent her time idly in bed, bored out of her mind.

Just as she was starting to grow restless, an unexpected visitor arrived.

“I heard you were bedridden, but you look fine. Feels like I wasted my time coming.”

Ophelia, holding a bouquet of flowers, spoke with a playful smirk.

Knowing this was just Ophelia’s way of greeting people, Serena accepted the flowers with a smile.

“His Majesty dotes on me excessively, after all.”

“Well, considering you got caught up in the rampage, I suppose it makes sense. You do realize you almost died, right?”

“I expected you to call me insufferable for being humble, but hearing you say that is a surprise.”

“Ahem! …How’s your condition? You look fine on the outside.”

Ophelia examined Serena closely before asking cautiously.

“I’m fine now. If anything, lying in bed all day is making me restless.”

Serena rolled her shoulders to prove her well-being before gesturing for Ophelia to take a seat.

“I wanted to visit sooner, but His Majesty only recently allowed visitors.”

“I know you’re busy with the succession ceremony. No need for excuses.”

“You really need to fix that habit of being so blunt. It makes people uncomfortable.”

Ophelia rolled her eyes and subtly reproached Serena. Serena gave a slight smile and muttered, “Well, that’s nothing new.”

In truth, Ophelia had indeed been busy. On the day of the terror attack, the imperial knights discovered the Greenwood seal at the location indicated on the map seized from James.

The seal had been hidden beneath a massive tree in the Greenwood estate. Once the subordinate who had concealed it was also captured, James’ involvement was quickly exposed.

Thus, even before officially becoming the head of her family, Ophelia had to root out all the branch forces that had been complicit in the scheme. What James had done was nothing short of treason.

In exchange for receiving the seal from Aaron, he had placed an unknown object inside the imperial palace. This was no trivial matter.

“At least James Greenwood admitted to the charges and helped identify those involved. That’s a relief.”

“A relief? I lost nearly a third of my retainers because of that.”

Ophelia ground her teeth in frustration. Cleaning up the mess James had left behind was clearly infuriating for her.

“I knew he was a fool, but I never imagined he’d go so far as to put a honey-coated blade in his own mouth.”

“He must have been blinded by his thirst for power.”

“Anyway, I’m glad to see you’re doing well. But speaking of which…”

Ophelia hesitated, struggling to continue. As Serena blinked at her in curiosity, she finally spoke cautiously.

“Could you ask His Majesty to let Leo get some rest? He’s practically wasting away.”

“Lady Ophelia, let’s be honest. You’re just using my hospital visit as an excuse because you’re worried about Sir Leonard, aren’t you?”

Serena chuckled in disbelief, and Ophelia shamelessly covered her mouth with her fan.

“I won’t deny it.”

Since she admitted it so candidly, there was nothing more to say. Serena could only let out a wry laugh.

How could someone be this shameless?