Kai hadn't anticipated the public spectacle of his refusal. It was supposed to be a private affair where he would diplomatically decline and be on his way. Now, with a handful of pairs of noble eyes glued to him, the depth of his words grew heavier by the second.

With the nobles who clearly sided with Eldric right behind him, the entire situation became a matter of face and respect.

Eldric's face, moments before a picture of charming authority— the facade of a prospect for the future crown, had morphed into a thundercloud. The prince's jaw clenched tight, a muscle in his temple twitching like a trapped critter.

The nobles behind him looked at him like he had just unravelled his plan to kidnap the king in front of them.

Kai looked to his left. Leopold stood straight, clearly finding amusement in the situation. He seemed to be stopping himself from smirking.

When he noticed Kai’s gaze, he widened his eyes, a silent question passing between them as if he was asking “What the hell did you just say?”.

If Kai could, he’d shrug his shoulders at that— though, time was of the essence.

He needed to defuse the situation before Eldric unleashed his royal fury on an unsuspecting ballroom. Easily, Kai could become the next big thing that the entire kingdom talked about. And he didn’t want that. Not yet, at least.

Stepping forward, Kai cleared his throat, the sound echoing through the sudden hush that had fallen over the crowd nearby. Though the music and the chatters from the ladies on the side were unbothered at what was going on with the prince.

"Your Highness, I understand your concern for the well-being of the kingdom, and I commend your initiative." He paused.

Eldric remained silent, his gaze unwavering, daring Kai to continue. If gazes could throw daggers, Kai would be fighting for his life.

"However," Kai continued, pushing forward, “I believe I'm not well suited to work with you on this initiative and fulfil the demands of the entire kingdom. We could discuss other ventures later and I would find you to discuss more about the beast wave and its logistics. For now, I would like to take my leave and discuss a few matters with Leopold here.”

He threw a glance at Leopold, hoping he would catch on and Eldric wouldn't try to make an issue out of his rejection here. From the look of things, he was trying to portray an image of a calm and collected ruler and lashing out won't help it, no matter what the reason might be.

As if on cue, Leopold stepped forward. "Yes, your highness. We will take our leave.”

With that, Leopold took a step back, a silent invitation. Kai, seizing the opportunity, took it with a grateful smile after giving a respectful nod to Eldric.

The prince didn't seem to have expected him to walk away like this and was too stumped to say much.

Soon, they strode away from the stunned group of nobles, leaving Eldric fuming behind.

As Kai walked away with Leopold, thoughts churned with a conflicting mix of adrenaline and tension. He had just rejected the prince in front of his lackeys and rumours were bound to spike up about it. He was also pretty sure that he won't get much out of the kingdom in aid and in their next meeting, Eldric might not be amiable.

He doubted the prince was going to do anything questionable straightaway. At most, he would wish for his territory to be razed down by the beast.

Kai suddenly met eyes on him and as he looked sideways, Leopold met his gaze with a slow grin. “I wonder if you are crazy or brave?" he chuckled. His voice tone itself spoke volumes to say that he was in admiration. “To say that to a prince?”

"Perhaps a bit of both. This political arena is like a battlefield and I believe I just provoked a rather strong warrior."

Leopold couldn’t help but smile. “At least you have the guts for it. That's always important in battlefields.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Kai caught a glimpse of Eldric, still fuming amidst the chattering nobles. Whenever he spoke to someone, his jaw ticked while he threw daggers at the side where Kai was.

A sigh escaped his lips.

This little rebellion wouldn't come without consequences and he had broken all bridges with him. But he doubted the prince was ever on his side if his theory on the whole beast wave situation is true.

"I need some air," he muttered, gesturing towards the balcony. "Before the prince decides to stage a public execution."

Leopold's grin widened. "Excellent idea. And speaking of executions… I wouldn't miss your duel with Count Chase's son tomorrow. I have seen a few of his duels and he's good. I really wonder how your skills would stand in front of him.”

“You already know of it?” Kai asked.

“Most nobles do. Reyk is going around inviting everyone to make it a spectacle of sorts. I don't know what happened between you two, but he clearly hates you.”

“I don't know about that myself.”

Kai shrugged, wondering how Reyk was going to react when he would lose in the duel in front of the nobles he had personally invited.

Although the duel had come out of nowhere, it was also a way for him to show himself off to the kingdom elite and a turning point in forming his public image.

His thoughts died down as he felt another piercing gaze on his back.

He shook it off and walked towards the balcony doors where guards stood on the sides. He gave a brief nod at one of them who stared at him.

Pushing them open and stepping out into the cool night air, he felt a sense of relief wash over him.

He could only stay here until the prince got embroiled in other topics and could later slip out of the ball. Maybe he could even go out and explore this part of the castle as he hadn't been here before.

As he stepped towards the railings, he froze.

A figure out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. Princess Amara, her face a shade of pale unlike he'd ever seen, leaned against the railing, her body wracked with tremors despite the cool night. A cold sweat clung to her skin, and her eyes held a vacant, almost haunted look.

A jolt of unease shot through Kai. This wasn't just fatigue. There was something off about her.

She was on her knees before he knew it, clutching to her sides and whimpers escaping her parted lips.

He approached her cautiously, not willing to ignore her. There was a strange energy emanating from the princess, a ripple of mana fluctuating around her— uneasiness filled his gut.

Reaching her side, he knelt before the princess, his voice laced with concern. "Princess Amara?"

Kai's unease escalated into a full-blown panic as he drew closer to the princess.

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There was no mistaking it now— a coldness radiated from her, a sickly energy that gnawed at the very fabric of life. Her breaths came in shallow gasps, each one a struggle. If he didn’t help her, she’d be a lifeless form pretty soon.

He didn't need to be a medical expert to know that.

Ignoring the prickle of uncertainty, Kai reached out, his hand hovering over hers. A tendril of his own mana flowed forth. It was him playing the odds, a desperate attempt to stabilise her failing body. The energy flowed cautiously, a gentle current seeking purchase in the churning chaos within her.

If he was right, her mana was going unstable for some reason, destroying her from inside and it didn't look like it was a short term problem. Probably this was a symptom of whatever sickness she was suffering from.

I hope this helps, Kai knitted his brows in focus.

Slowly, ever so slowly, the tremors in Amara's body began to subside. Her breaths deepened, the fight ebbing from them replaced by a fragile peace. A sheen of sweat receded from her brow, and a faint but steady pulse returned to her wrist.

Relief washed over Kai, a wave of exhaustion following close behind.

As he focused on the lingering energy signature within her, his eyes widened in shock at what he found.

Before he could voice it out, his attention broke by a sharp intake of breath that came from behind.

A maid had appeared at the far end of the balcony.

Her eyes darted between Kai, kneeling beside the princess, and Amara's now-peaceful form and how he held her in his arms.

The way the maid looked at him said a lot of things— mainly, that this little encounter could be turned into a major misunderstanding.

***

Relief flooded Kai as it wasn’t just any maid who found them; it was Amara's personal maid and once he introduced himself and explained the situation, she immediately understood what had happened.

"Your Highness," she said softly, kneeling beside the princess and checking her pulse. "Thank goodness you found her. I was searching for her since she wasn’t in the ball. It seems tonight's… activities were too much for her. Her health hadn't been the best in the last few weeks," she muttered in just above a whisper.

Kai stayed silent, looking at Amara’s state. He didn’t know what to say except to suggest solutions for her ailment.

"We need to get her inside,” she continued. “Can you take her inside? I’ll show you where to go.”

Her brown eyes bore at Kai pleadingly. The urgency of her voice was concerning and it seemed like she had an idea that Amara's condition was still far from the best.

“Sure,” Kai uttered and scooped Amara into his arms.

She was unsurprisingly light, her frail frame was perhaps even lighter than even a kid.

“This way, Lord Arzan,” the maid said and started walking to a corner of the balcony where there was another door that led towards a small pathway.

They moved through it for a while and soon, the maid opened up the doors of the princess's bedroom.

“What about the guards? Why can’t we request their help? It’s the princess,” Kai stated as a matter of fact and slowly placed her on the bed.

The maid closed the door silently and looked at him straight.

“We can't take help from the guards. It had to be discreet. If it comes out that the princess had lost her consciousness, Prince Eldric would accuse Her Highness of stealing his spotlight. He hosted the ball, therefore he is the one that should be the centre of attention tonight."

Kai nodded, his lips pursed in a thin line. Royal family dynamics were something he wasn't much privy to. He knew the princes didn't get along, but it seemed like even Amara wasn't well liked.

The maid rushed to a bedside table, her movements efficient as she retrieved a vial filled with shimmering capsules.

"These are her medicines, Lord Arzan," she explained, holding up the vial. "A special concoction from the royal alchemist, formulated for her condition."

Kai eyed the capsules with a tight frown. He recognized the faint hum of mana coming from them and he could guess what they did. At the same time, her condition wasn't something medicines can help with. "They won't work," he stated bluntly.

The maid’s hand froze mid-air. "What do you mean? These are the best available!"

"They might be for a normal illness, this… this is something different." He shook his head and looked at Amara. "Your Highness is suffering from a rupture in her mana heart. Her mana core, the very source of her magical power, is fractured. These pills are merely a temporary suppressant, a band-aid on a gaping wound."

Her eyes widened further in shock. Just as Kai thought the maid couldn’t be shocked further, he was proved wrong. Her hand slowly moved to place the vial filled with pills on the side table near the bed.

“How did your lordship know what she suffers from?” Her question came out in a suspicious tone.

"What can we do?" She whispered when Kai didn’t reply immediately, her voice trembling. "These pills are all we have…"

"We need a different way to heal her, at least temporarily." Kai nudged his chin towards the vial that was on the table. “As to answer your previous question, I’m a Mage. And I’ve seen the effects of Mana Heart rupture before. That’s how I know Her Highness’s disease. And well, I felt it when I was pushing mana into her earlier. Her heart is broken literally and it's already a miracle that she's still…”

He didn't say more, but he didn't have to.

"But… How can you help?” The maid asked. “Other than the pills, I know nothing that could help her."

Kai knelt beside the bed. "There's a risky procedure I can perform. Can you trust me for a bit?"

“Lord Arzan, it's the princess’ life we are talking about here.”

“I know that, but trust me, if you feed her those pills, they would simply put her in a state of sleep and try to stabilise her broken core. Once she wakes up, she would again suffer from the same thing,” he said, not wanting to explain further. “Just let me do what I can. I will take responsibility.”

Taking a deep breath, Kai placed his hand gently on Amara's chest. The coldness radiating from her body sent a shiver down his spine. Yet he pushed through it. He needed to focus, to channel his mana with utmost precision.

“This will be uncomfortable for the princess, but I need complete silence and stillness."

The maid nodded, her eyes glued to Amara's face. She walked around the bed and sat on the other side of the bed, squeezing the princess's hand.

Kai placed his hand gently on her chest, his fingers tracing a line over her sternum before forming a small, precise cut with the sharp edge of a mana blade.

Blood dripped from it to the neatly arranged fresh bedding, Kai couldn't care less about it.

His eyes narrowed in concentration, and he pushed a steady stream of mana through the incision. The maid's eyes widened, her face going pale at his actions. He met her eyes briefly, offering a reassuring nod before returning his focus to the task at hand.

This might be quick, but I’ve to be careful.

His mana flowed smoothly, like a river of light, finding its way around her mana core. The core itself was fractured, its seamless surface marred by deep fissures. Kai could sense the instability, the chaotic swirl of energy threatening to break free. He took a deep breath, channelling his mana with careful precision.

His own core pulsed in response, a steady rhythm that he used to guide his efforts. It was almost as if he could hear two heartbeats and feel two mana flows at the same time; one steady, the other— not so much.

He visualised his mana as threads of light, weaving them around Amara's damaged core.

The threads intertwined, forming a resilient lattice.

He could feel the strain, the resistance of the core's fractured state pushing back against his efforts. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and he maintained his focus, knowing that any lapse could result in catastrophic failure.

The maid gasped, her body trembling slightly as the mana threads began to take hold.

Kai's threads acted as a temporary scaffold, providing structure and stability where there had been none. He worked quickly, his mana threads knitting together the broken pieces of her core with meticulous care. Each knit was careful, his hands steady, breath coming in shallow gasps.

As the lattice took shape, the core's chaotic energy began to settle. To top it off, he sent another thread of mana and crystallised it around the stitches, so they wouldn't break.

Seconds passed by when he did the same procedure to the other side of the neatly done stitches.

One more stitch…

Kai let his mana threads complete the final stitch and turn it into a binding. A sigh escaped his lips when he was done.

He looked at the maid immediately. “It's okay for now. Keep an eye on her. She should wake up in a few hours.”

“Is she really okay?” The maid asked, her voice quivering as she looked at Amara who was now beginning to take steady breaths.

“Yes.” He nodded, knowing that whatever he said, the maid would only completely believe him when the princess would wake up. “My method should keep her core intact.”

But he knew this was only a temporary solution.

The stitches he had created were not a permanent fix— they would hold for now, giving the princess some time to find a permanent solution for the core.

Kai withdrew his hand slowly, the incision sealing itself with a faint shimmer. He felt the residual mana dissipate, leaving behind a faint tingle in his fingertips.