A sound of light and faint foot steps alerted the knight, guarding the hallway, any normal person wouldn't probably notice.
The lady is definitely awake.
Sir Ulysses waited patiently for the lady to open the door, or even call for him to get Miss Wendy, not worrying even a bit with since the castle is casted with a protection barrier around, and the Grand Duke placed a labradorite stone in the lady's room, it's casted with protection spell that prevents any offensive magic near the lady's room.
The knight have good senses himself, the child is not in danger in any way, Sir Ulysses and Miss Wendy both have black onyx necklace bestowed by the Grand Duke that connects to the lady's ring if the child ever be in danger.
The lady is probably looking at her rewards, the knight could only assume, with the faint rustling sound he heard.
He heard a small sound of the balcony's door unlock, thinking the lady is probably looking at the plant and bouquet she received, the knight knows how much the little lady loves staying at the late grand duchess' garden conservatory especially after she recovered and was allowed to explore the mansion.
The child really likes plants and he even watch the little lady borrow and read various books, even the advance books from the academy that the heir apparent left in the library, the lady was reading a book about botany once.
"Lady Althea? Are you still awake?"
No answer.
Sir Ulysses waited patiently for a couple minutes, even after the lady's mutism was cured, she's still so used to not answering people sometimes is what the knight thought.
But a sudden wave of unfamiliar energy from the room alerted the knight's senses and the smell of blood lingering in the air alerted the knight.
"My lady, I'm opening the door to check as a protocol." The knight called as he tried to open the door, but it wouldn't barge no matter how hard he try twisting the knob.
"Lady Althea!" the knight shouted, banging the door and trying to kick it.
It was never locked, it wasn't supposed to be lock, even so, he should be able to break the door.
But the unknown heavy energy only terrified the knight further.
"Lady Althea!"
"Sir Ulysses, what are you-" Madame Zola who caught a sight of the knight in guard, panicking and kicking the lady's door, was interrupted when she sense the unfamiliar heavy energy coming from the room.
"Lady Althea?!" the old lady panicked approaching, knocking the door and trying to twist the knob open.
"Call someone to get the Grand Duke and call Miss Wendy to come here!" Sir Ulysses shouted as he tried to use his air affinity to create a force to open the door but failed miserably as Madame Zola run down the hallway.
Why did the black onyx necklace fail to alert him? It's suppose to cause an electric shock if the lady is in danger, was a question that confused the knight.
"My lady!" The knight shouted, after all his effort the door knob twist itself and slammed open, which startled the knight.
He barge in the room of the little lady, only to find the child laying in the middle of the balcony.
The frail little lady's right hand has a visible huge cut, and is bleeding furiously, it cause a surge of terror to the knight, who was trained to act rational become recklessly terrified.
"Wendy! Albert! Anyone!" Sir Ulysses screamed helplessly just as the loud footsteps rushing echo through the castle.
Sir Ulysses pick up the child carefully just as the sound of the portcullis opening, seeing the Grand Duke, heir apparent and the grand duchy's high ranking knights enter, he can see it through the glass wall of the closed balcony.
Madame Zola on the other hand, was running out of the castle's main building heading to the servant's building on the north east side.
"Miss Wendy!" Madame Zola called loudly as Wendy jolt up from her seat who just finish her fill, seeing the old lady's mortified face, Wendy quickly rush out of the building, as they both run their way to the main residence.
Just in time when the Grand Duke entered and caught a sight of Wendy and Zola running across the courtyard with both mortified expression.
The Grand Duke immediately look up to the second floor of the east wing, he quickly pickup a rare and unfamiliar heavy energy, coming from the floor where his daughter's room is located.
He rush his horse to go faster and quickly make a stop in front of the house hop off the horse immediately, charging pass the two servants running at the same direction.
"Y-Your Grace." called by the knight holding his daughter's almost soulless looking body.
Grand Duke immediately get in to grab the child and stroke his daughter's silver white hair with his trembling hands, the child is breathing peacefully, as if she was only asleep yet too pale than the usual.
"Call the high priestess." is the only thing the Grand Duke said as Sir Ulysses who look as if a cold bucket of water splash on his face, immediately bowed and get up to rush out of the room to heed the Grand Duke's order while Wendy quickly move in to grab the emergency box under the bed and Madame Zola shut the door quickly and guard it to prevent other's to see the situation, especially the heir apparent.
"Your grace, let me treat my lady's wound." Wendy spoke breathlessly and the Grand Duke stand up to put the child on the bed.
He grab the small bloody right hand carefully, Wendy take out a white towel and quickly dampen it with disinfectant.
The Grand Duke grab it and carefully wipe the blood, it's metallic smell, he was so used to the pungent smell of blood in war, but knowing it's his daughter's make him sick to his stomach and as if his chest feels tight and suffocating.
The white towel was now stained with blood, but what taken them aback is the hand of the child is woundless.
The Grand Duke and even Wendy was so sure there was a big cut on the child's palm that caused the bleeding, now both shock.
"Y-Your grace, the late grand duchess could heal a wounded person without being awakened." Wendy stammer, remembering the grand duchess' ability to cure people's wounds, the grand duchess was a weak child and only has a small amount of mana, even the Grand Duke was so sure the lady inherited the grand duchess' weak stature when it comes to mana and affinity.
"My wife was never awakened, even she, doesn't know what her own affinity was even till she passed, yet could cure a stranger's wounds before, it's possible that this child inherited either her mother's ability even with the lack of mana they both suffer with." the Grand Duke reckon as he stand up and handed the towel on Wendy.
He walk his way to the balcony, observing the area.
It's getting even darker now with the full new moon being swallowed in the dark, the grand duke snap his right fingers and the lights suddenly turn on with the wind magic the flip the switch.
A sight of brown leather small book, the labradorite ball that he casted with protection spell to be put on his daughter's room on top of the tea table.
The ball contradicts any offensive spells of magic in this child's room, if that so then that energy that he have never felt before, wasn't offensive that could harm the child.
He found a piece of sharp tanzanite with a blood on it, laying on the marbled floor stained with blood, making the Grand Duke tense up, and the familiar glass of holy water on the table, is half empty.
He sharply spotted a sepal of the red camellia plant resting on the table, missing a flower on it, he grab the book and flip the pages yet nothing was shown and looks like an unused journal except for one page that was folded to half.
He open it but there was nothing to see, he's so sure it's most likely a grimoire that only his daughter could read herself.
There are grimoires that existed that way, every imperial, royal and grand ducal families have one for to help the heir apparent.
If that's the case, this grimoire must be a belonging of his wife, is the possible answer that the Grand Duke could think of.
The child suddenly had her mutism cured but he believes it's the doctor's concoction that helped, the little girl have always been a bright child even with that flaw, the lack of mana is the only life threatening issue that the Grand Duke is trying to solve to avoid the child from being easily harm by others.
And the high priestess, she was looking so highly of his wife's linage, he has always been suspicious and vigilant from the beginning that's why the grand duke is still trying to do all sorts of solution to her daughter's lack of mana, to prevent the high priestess from trying anything ridiculous and getting too close to his children.
The Grand Duke clean up the scenario before the high priestess could see, he place the grimoire book, and the bottle of holy water in the child's toy bag, he even clean the tanzanite with his cape and place it in the bag too, he wipe the labradorite ball and it's stand clean with his black cape, putting it back on the bedside.
"Your grace-"
"If you truly value your lives, never say a word outside, even the high priestess, and keep it between who witnessed, it's for my daughter's safety, the child of your Ilia's last imperial princess." The Grand Duke threatened as Wendy bowed courteously.
"I heed your command your grace, you know my loyalty is all for the her grace even when she passed already, and the late grand duchess' beloved family." Wendy said firmly, the late grand duchess is like a sister to her that she never had, her loyalty for the ruined Ilia's imperial princess, is unmatched.
"You too Madame Zola." The old lady, who's standing helplessly on the side, guarding the door, bowed deeply.
"My life will forever be devoted to serve and protect the grand ducal family, you have nothing to be worried about, your grace." the old lady said devotedly, swearing for her life.
The Grand Duke wasn't worried about Ulysses saying more than he should, he is trained to call the high priestess without elaborating what happened without the Grand Duke's signal, if he was told to call and get the high priestess, then that's the only thing he could do, no more or less.
The Grand Duke grab his sword from the floor and put it back in the sheath on his left side.
Wendy close the little lady's bag, putting it on top on the bedside, where it was before.
"Never mention this matter to anyone, if someone ask, just tell that the child was too tired from today's event that caused her to pass out, tell it to Ulysses too." the Grand Duke said as Wendy and Zola bowed, then move to change the child into a clean clothing.
The grand duke take a seat on the couch, and wait for the high priestess' appearance.