Chapter 245

Chapter 245

Dalia had been forbidden by Hamal from entering. Each time Kaichen went to Ja Yanghwa’s room, she would obstruct him, grumbling in dissatisfaction.

The way she pouted her lips and glared at him with her fierce cat-like eyes was undeniably cute, but this time, he couldn’t fulfill her wishes.

It was because, after conversing with Yanghwa for a few days, he had come to certain realizations.

Yanghwa, who didn’t open up to anyone else, smiled innocently at Kaichen and readily answered any question he posed.

“I’m from Suran. I have three older brothers and two older sisters… They must be furious that I ran away. They’ll be so worried, but I really want to go back. I miss them so much…”

Initially, he had simply assumed she was an immature girl who had fled from Suran. Silently, Kaichen extracted the remnants of opium from her as she entrusted her body to him.

“Mr. Kaichen is kind. Pure and gentle… You radiate warmth. Oh! You don’t know my name yet, right? I’m Yanghwa. Ja Yanghwa. People used to call me the flower of Suran… but I’m sure everyone is upset right now.”

Though he hadn’t replied, she had no qualms talking to herself.

He had already learned her name from Dalia. However, the mention of being the “flower of Suran” struck a chord within him.

While he had assumed she was a commoner, he began to wonder if she might be an aristocrat from Suran.

In particular, the surname Ja seemed familiar to him.

Unable to dismiss the discomfort he felt, after completing the day’s treatment, he reached out to Julius.

If she belonged to a noble family in Suran, Julius would have better knowledge.

If she indeed had noble status, there might be a possibility that she could be of assistance when the path to Suran opened in the future.

Little did Kaichen know that by delving further into this matter, he would find himself entangled in even greater trouble.

“The Ja (慈) family of the Suran Empire? What about it?”

“That woman addicted to opium, her name is Ja Yanghwa.”

“But wasn’t she just a Yanghwa?”

“She claimed to be the flower of Suran. Given her surname, I don’t believe she’s a commoner in Suran, but please verify. It could be useful for future diplomatic relations with Suran.”

“The flower of Suran? Wait, hold on. The Ja (慈) family? Ha!”

“What’s the matter?”

“The emperor of the Suran Empire bears the name Ja Hong Hae, Kaichen. In that country, only the imperial family carries the surname Ja.”

Kaichen found himself compelled to devote himself to the path of Ja Yanghwa.

What was supposed to be a brief meeting extending no more than a few minutes turned into a session that lasted half a day.

His objective was to help Ja Yanghwa interact with others while gathering information.

Julius wanted to personally speak with Ja Yanghwa. However, due to her severe social phobia, she was only able to meet with Kaichen and no one else.

Kaichen felt reluctant. Nevertheless, the diplomatic relationship with the Suran Empire held significant importance, and the empire had been searching for their youngest princess, who had fled from home, for several years.

Given the clear implications for Princess Exchetra’s future behavior, Julius was eager to establish contact with the Suran Empire as soon as possible.

However, communication magic did not extend all the way to Suran, and it was impossible to reach the country in a single bound using movement magic, resulting in delayed news delivery.

An ambiguous week passed by.

Kaichen began to feel a slight trepidation towards Dalia, who no longer obstructed his path or displayed her discontent openly. Instead, she observed him from a distance.

Even when he attempted to approach her first, she would lock the door and refuse to open it. If he tried to use magic to reach her, he knew she would behave like a ghost and remain unseen.

No matter how much he spoke to her, she remained silent. It was frustrating, but he understood the reason behind her behavior and had nothing to say.

If this wasn’t an annoyance, then what was?

Kaichen let out a sigh and stood before Ja Yanghwa’s door.

He received the tray from the awkwardly smiling lady-in-waiting and offered a nod of acknowledgment.

“I’m sorry, Archmage…”

“No need to apologize.”

With the tray in his hands, Kaichen opened the door with practiced ease.

Ja Yanghwa had been secretly watching from beneath the blankets and quickly sprang to her feet upon realizing it was Kaichen entering. She hurriedly moved to the sofa and settled on her knees.

Kaichen placed the tray in front of her and took a seat across from her, initiating the conversation.

“Are you still unable to meet with others?”

Ja Yanghwa, seemingly absorbed in her meal due to hunger, looked up with wide, fearful eyes, as if her response lay within them.

“Am I… bothering you?”

“Today marks the end of your treatment.”

“Then… does that mean you won’t come anymore?”

“If you assure me that someone else will take proper care of you, then I won’t need to.”

“I… I’m not ready yet…”

“You mentioned finding comfort in my magical power, but I wasn’t the one who saved you.”

Ja Yanghwa averted her gaze and fidgeted uncomfortably.

Though he felt a slight pang of guilt for interrupting her meal, he could hardly bring himself to feel sorry for her. Because of her, he hadn’t had a proper conversation with Dalia in a week.

He didn’t like to burden Ja Yanghwa, yet he couldn’t bear the thought of hurting Dalia’s feelings over such a matter any longer.