"Is this..."
As she walked and looked at the situation in front of her, Eloise could not help but be stunned. A bad premonition arose in her heart.
As this feeling arose in her heart, she felt her heart skip a beat. Then, she hurriedly took a step forward and continued to walk on.
As she continued to walk forward, the scene in front of her was also revealed.
She saw that outside the room, there were sealed openings everywhere. The windowsill, doors, or other places were all sealed tightly. At first glance, it looked like a giant prison, but it seemed particularly gloomy.
Looking at the scene, Eloise could not help but pause her footsteps. Then, she turned around and looked at the old butler.
Beside her, the old butler stood there quietly, yet his face was still so respectful.
At this moment, he felt Eloise's gaze and didn't feel surprised at all. He just turned around and smiled at her. Then, he said softly, "Your Highness Eloise, What's wrong?"
"What's going on here?"
Standing in the same place and looking at the situation outside the house in front of her, Eloise took a deep breath and asked, "Why is this place like this?"
"This is a special request from Young Master Ardim..."
Standing in front of Eloise, the old butler's face was warm. He seemed to be very respectful to Eloise. At this moment, he spoke softly, revealing the reason behind it. "Young Master Ardim feels that even though Miss Ella has offended him, she is still a lady of noble status."
"And people of noble status should not show their faces in public and have casual contact with those lowly servants."
"Therefore, Young Master Ardim specifically instructed us to seal all the openings in the room and only leave Miss Ella alone inside."
"She's inside alone?" Eloise's expression was a little sour.
"Yes."
The old butler's expression was still respectful. He seemed very warm towards Eloise, looking at a noble figure. "But please put it down, Your Highness Eloise."
"Although there are no servants to serve her, the usual things are not less."
"Usually, someone will come here every day to deliver all kinds of things to Miss Ella, without missing anything..."
"Other than being a little quieter, there's nothing bad about it."
"It's just a little quieter..."
Eloise took a deep breath and had an inexplicable ominous premonition.
Although it sounded very typical, the scene in front of her made her uneasy.
"Let's go in..."
Finally, she looked at the old butler and said, "Please help me open the door."
She said softly with a calm face.
"Okay."
The old Butler smiled and nodded respectfully at Eloise's words.
Then, a few servants slowly walked forward and opened the door in front of them.
The chains were quickly untied. There were at least four or five of these chains. Then, the door was opened.
Eloise looked at it casually, but her body couldn't help but pause.
At the open door, there were bright traces of blood.
The blood had dried up, and there were scratches on it. It seemed to have been caused by the people inside and was desperately trying to get out, causing the scene before them.
Looking at the scene before her, Eloise had a bad feeling. Then, as she approached, a foul smell came from within.
This smell was mixed with the smell of blood and all sorts of indescribable odors. It made people feel very uncomfortable.
When she smelled it, Eloise subconsciously took a few steps back, not daring to enter at all.
In front of her, the scene inside was revealed as the door opened. In the room, there was nothing at all.
Other than a bed and some remains of food, there was only a figure sitting there alone, leaning against a wall.
Her clothes were tattered and smelly, and they were even stained with the smell of blood.
At that moment, she felt the light from the outside world shining on her. She slowly turned around and looked outside.
In the next moment, she seemed to have sensed something. Her body immediately moved, and she rushed out as if she had gone mad.
"Let me out!"
She let out a roar and desperately wanted to get out.
Under the light, Eloise could see the person's appearance. It was none other than Ella.
However, compared to the past, Ella's appearance had significantly changed.
Although Ella was arrogant, her appearance was not bad in the past. She was only slightly inferior even when compared to Eloise.
But at this moment, Ella looked highly miserable.
Her expression was incredibly dull and gradually became distorted and crazy. Her entire body was covered in blood as if she was mad. She was no longer as charming as before.
Looking at Ella in front of her, Eloise subconsciously took a few steps back, her heart palpitating. In front of her, Ella was struggling, trying her best to get out of this place.
However, the old butler seemed to be very calm about this. He just silently waved his hand and directly stopped Ella, blocking her.
Though not noticeable, the old butler's strength was quite powerful. At least, the Ella in front of him was incomparable to him.
She was directly grabbed by the old butler and couldn't move at all. But even so, she still struggled and refused to stop.
"Ella..."
Looking at the situation, Eloise took a deep breath and then walked forward to stop them. The movement ahead began to calm down.
As if hearing Eloise's voice, Ella stopped her movements. She slowly turned around and looked in the direction of Eloise.
Finally, she looked at Eloise, and her eyes seemed to be filled with spirit again.
"Eloise?"
Her face was dull, but finally, she said Eloise's name.
"It's me."
Looking at Ella's expression, Eloise sighed deeply. Then, she nodded and said, "It's okay. Don't be afraid. It'll all be over"
Eloise's voice seemed to carry a strange magic power, which quickly calmed Ella's emotions. Ella slowly calmed down.
Then, a soft sound was heard. The old butler waved his hand in front of Eloise and knocked Ella unconscious.
"You..."
Eloise's expression changed when she saw this scene.
"I'm sorry, Your Highness Eloise..."
The old butler's expression was still respectful as he met Eloise's gaze, but he smiled and said, "Miss Ella's mood is still a little unstable.
"To prevent any accidents, it's better to let Miss Ella sleep first..."
He said softly as if he was thinking of Eloise.
"If it's possible, Your Highness Eloise, it's best to bring Miss Ella back to recuperate quietly.
"After a while, she'll be alright."
"I hope so..." Eloise raised her head and looked at the old butler in front of her with a cold expression.
Anyhow, she didn't have any intention of staying here any longer. She directly left with Ella in front of her.
After she left, the old butler looked at her back and smiled before he turned around and left.
"Young Master Ardim..."
A moment later, in a spacious room, the old butler looked at Ardim with a respectful expression. "Her Highness Eloise has left."
"Take Miss Ella with you."
"I see"
Ardim was dealing with some things at his desk while sitting alone in the room. At this moment, he heard the voice of the old butler behind him and couldn't help but turn around with a smile on his face. "Has the matter been resolved?"
"How is Miss Ella's situation?"
"She seemed to be a little abnormal..."
Standing still, the old butler recalled what had happened to Ella and then said, "There is something wrong with her mind..."
"But generally able to maintain her sense of reasoning..."
"I see..."
Ardim smiled and then said, "She's been locked in a dark room for more than half a month, yet she's still awake. That's pretty good..."
"But if that's the case, interesting."
For someone with wisdom, the feeling of being locked in a small dark room was not very fantastic.
Ardim specially made the room Ella was in. All the openings were completely sealed, but magic formations were also used.
The outside world might look ordinary, but one could hardly see the sun or the light inside the room.
At the same time, because of Ardim's orders, no one entered that area for a period. There was also a magic formation to isolate the sound, so no sound could be heard inside it, almost as if it was nothing.
Being inside it was equivalent to being locked in a small black room. One could not see nor hear anything, did not know if it was the day or night, and did not know the passage of time.
Under such circumstances, when time slowly passed, one's spirit would gradually collapse, and it would be difficult for one to bear it.
Ella experienced it all, yet after staying there for such a long time, it seemed that she was having only a minor mental problem. She seemed not bad, but that was it.
Ardim did not pay attention to Ella's matter. Since she had already been taken away by Eloise, this matter would end here.
'As for what happened next, it would depend on whether the counterparty knew what was going on.'
Ardim's expression was calm as this thought flashed through his mind while sitting in front of his table and chair.
…
In the gorgeous palace, Eloise was hosting Ella.
By now, Ella had already changed into brand new clothes. It seemed that her mental state had recovered a lot, and she had become a little more normal.
However, there was still some numbness on her face. It seemed that the sequelae from before had not wholly disappeared.
Looking at Ella's situation, Eloise sighed softly. However, there was nothing she could do. She could only speak softly and comfort her, "It's alright, it's all over."
"Moving forward, you can stay here with me."
"No one will hurt you."
She looked at Ella and said softly.
Hearing this, Ella lowered her head and nodded. Then, a smile appeared on her face.
It seemed that she had recovered.
Looking at this scene, Eloise also smiled and let out a sigh of relief.
Because of this incident, the Mead family's strength had been greatly weakened, and the benefits they could provide to Eloise had been greatly reduced.
However, after this incident, it was likely that Ella would be wholly devoted to her.
After all, when everyone had given up on her, Eloise had extended a helping hand and saved her from Ardim. It seemed like Ella would be loyal to Eloise because of this.
From then on, Eloise would gain a subordinate that she could use without worry.
"If that's the case, then it's not bad..."
Looking at Ella, Eloise consoled herself, "At least, Ella's talent isn't too bad. She might be able to become an excellent wizard in the future..."
Compared to Eloise, Ella's talent was not bad. She has good wizard talent and might become a wizard in the future.
If not for this incident, the Mead family would have hired a Sorcerer for Ella to teach her after some time.
A person with excellent Sorcerer talent was still a scarce resource, even in a place like the Karkoen Empire.
If Eloise could gain Ella's steadfast allegiance through this incident, then it would be great for Eloise.
After all, although the Mead family's losses were huge, they did not have much to do with her.
Although there were some benefits between Eloise and the Mead family, it was not as huge as imagined.
If she could use these things to exchange for the loyalty of a future Sorcerer, then it would be nice. Looking at Ella in front of her, Eloise revealed a smile.
However, somewhere she didn't know. Ella opened her eyes, and her eyes were filled with hatred.
...
Time slowly passed.
After about half a month, an uninvited guest quietly arrived at Ardim's manor.
"Please come in..."
In the quiet and spacious room, Ardim sat alone, holding a book and reading it seriously.
Then, he heard footsteps from the outside world. His body couldn't help but pause, then he turned around and looked behind him.
He saw a girl wearing a black robe slowly walking toward him from behind.
From the outline of the girl's body, he could vaguely see a familiar aura.
It was Ella.
"It seems that you have figured it out..."
Sitting in his seat, Ardim turned around and smiled at Ella.
