The words were so vulgar that one would never expect them to come from the mouth of a King, but Judith continued to laugh even at those words.
Of course, the Eland in her memory was unqualified as a brother or a King, but he was not this shallow. At that time, fear was overwhelming her reason, so she didn't have time to figure out what kind of person he was.
After she got rid of the meaningless fear, the person in front of her was a person who was not even worth confronting. With such a man sitting as the King, Tien Kingdom had no choice but to run towards destruction even after almost selling her to the Rotair.
Judith remembers crying for three days when he heard the news that her home country, Tien, ended up becoming a vassal state of the southern region.
Judith smiled bitterly. Less than a year after hearing the news, she was imprisoned in a tower by Queen Gilsis.
What does she need to know?
What does she need to know?
Judith vowed not to dwell on such things anymore. Whether this country, steeped in luxury, falls or not, whether Eland bows at the feet of another King and kisses his feet, whether he swallows his tongue or hangs himself out of shame, none of this matters to Judith. This wasn't it.
“I guess your only sister seemed so lacking in brother’s eyes. But if you think about the current situation, you shouldn’t say that to me.”
"What?"
After hearing Judith's words, Eland's eyes lit up. But she didn't look scared. Rather than doing so, she raised her head stiffly as if to say that she would do it.
“If I insist on not going to Rotair, what will you do then? Are you going to tie me up and sell me like a slave? If I hang myself before that, what do you plan on repaying that huge amount of money?”
“Is this true? How dare you stand in front of someone!”
“A little while ago, my brother’s chamberlain said something like that to my maid in front of me. She is the servant and the master.”
Slam!
Judith's cheek turned to the left with a harsh slapping sound. Mary Anne, who was watching Judith and Eland anxiously from a distance, couldn't bear to scream and opened her mouth.
Eland, who impatiently slapped Judith on the cheek, bared his teeth in surprise and trembled. This was the first time he had laid his hands on her, other than when she was little.
But of course, he wasn't surprised because he was sorry. The moment he hit her, Eland was scared, thinking what would happen if Judith used this as an excuse to hang herself to death.
If that happens, Rotair will take back the money that was paid to take Judith. If he failed to pay the compensation, he would have to bow down to the King of the South who ignored him because he was a lowly person.
“Judith, you...”
“Judith?”
Judith laughed without even thinking about straightening her disheveled hair. Seeing her seemingly ferocious appearance, Eland hesitated and retracted his fingertips.
“You never called me by my proper name, but now you're called Judith. Why, brother? You’re probably not sorry for slapping me in the face, but are you worried that I might use this as an excuse to cry and swallow my tongue?”
"What… What? Are you out of your mind?”
“The last thing my brother, who has nothing, has to sell is your poor little sister’s body. Are you so worried that I will fly away into the air that you call me Judith so affectionately? Don't worry. No matter what you call me, I will go to Rotair. I will be Prince Franz’s concubine.”
"This person...”
“So, brother, please live long and healthy.”
At the end of the life that has been stretched like that, she can fall miserably at someone else's feet.
Judith greeted Eland proudly, who was looking as if he had lost his mind, and left the battle with Mary Anne.
“What should I do? Princess, are you okay? Please show me your cheeks.”
As soon as they left the hallway, Mary Anne started crying and grabbed Judith. She had been hit so hard that her right cheek was swollen red.
“It’s okay, what can you do with this much?”
“What is this level? How do he...”
Mary Anne glanced in the direction where Eland was with tearful eyes. Judith looked like she had been beaten hard, and the inside of her mouth must have been torn open, and she could feel the stinging smell of her blood pooling on the tip of her tongue.
But Judith did not feel the pain in her cheek or the pain inside her torn cheek. When she was a Princess, she was often treated by Queen Gilsis when she was bored. Compared to the pain she suffered when she was imprisoned, being slapped felt like nothing to her, and she actually felt relieved to have been hit by Eland.
“Go quickly, Princess. I will give you a cold compress. The swelling will go down a bit.”
Mary Anne cried and dragged Judith away. Although she was younger than Judith, Mary Anne was taller and stronger than her. Holding Mary Anne's warmer hand than she remembered, Judith bowed her head, gently grasping the front of her dress as she had done in her old days.
“I have a favor to ask, Mary Anne.”
Mary Anne, who was walking sniffling, turned around, wiping her nose with the back of her hand.
“What is it, Princess?”
“Come with me when I go to Rotair.”
Mary Anne’s tearful eyes widened as if in shock. When Judith first went to Rotaire, Mary Anne cried and said she would go with her too. It may have been out of concern for the weak Princess who had not been treated properly even in her home country of Tien.
However, Mary Anne's hometown was also Tien. Her family was here, and Judith knew that around this time Mary Anne's older sister had just given birth. Mary Anne probably left the palace soon after Judith left. After that, she will meet someone she loves and live the rest of her life in peace.
But Judith needed Mary Anne. No one could be trusted in Rotair. Fearing the eyes of Queen Gilsis, the nobles, as well as the servants and maids in the palace, were hostile to Judith, and bullying and strife, large and small, continued.
It wasn't until later that she met Cheraan, but until then, she had to have someone she could trust and have by her side.
'Since I came back, Cheraan must have lived too...'
Judith burst into tears when she thought of Cheraan, who had resisted Queen Gilsis and tried to protect her until the very end.
Cheeran, who was upright, would not have accepted that Judith was imprisoned under ridiculous scandals and false accusations. In the end, she was a poor girl who was killed by Queen Gilsis.
“Princess! Oh my God, why are you crying? I'll go, of course, I'll go with you, yes? Do not cry."
Mary Anne misunderstood that the reason Judith suddenly burst into tears was because she did not respond quickly. Judith held Mary Anne's hand tightly as she desperately wiped away her tears and looked up at her, trying to steady her trembling lips from crying.
“It won’t take long. I… When the time comes, I will definitely send you back first.”
"Yes?"
“No, no. Tien is not allowed. I'm not going back to Tien... I will do my best to ensure that you, your family, and the person you will spend the rest of your life with find a peaceful place somewhere. I will definitely do that. So just stay by my side for a few years. Mary Anne, can you do that?”
Mary Anne's face turned red when she suddenly heard Judith talking about the person she would spend the rest of her life with. She was only a sixteen-year-old girl. That's why Judith's words sounded so distant and sweet to her.
Leaving Judith behind was definitely something Mary Anne hesitated about. However, there is no way that she could refuse a request that goes this far.
Even if Judith had not said this first, Mary Anne knew very well that she would have taken the initiative to follow her.
Judith is a weak person. Although she seemed a little strange today, as if she had become a different person, the Judith she knew was fundamentally a weak and delicate girl. It was so pathetic that she couldn't leave her alone.
“Princess, what are you worried about? If it's not me who serves the Princess, then who else can go all the way to Rotair with the Princess? I'll go with you. I will go with you wherever you go, so don’t worry. Now, stop crying. Your cheeks are swollen and even your eyes are swollen. Let’s go back and take a refreshing bath first. For lunch, I’ll ask the chef to make the Princess’s favorite clam soup.”
Mary Anne said with a bright smile. Only then did Judith slowly nod her head with a relieved expression and a faint smile.
After hearing Judith's unbelievable verbal abuse (if you think about Judith's usual behavior, it could be said to be verbal abuse), Eland called her again and did not make a fuss.
It must have been unbearable for his personality. Nevertheless, the reason he passed it over quietly as if it had never happened was because there was nothing wrong with what Judith said.
For the first time in his life, Eland was feeling reluctant to touch Judith. He was anxious because he didn't know where he would end up if he touched her wrongly.
Until now, Judith had been so obedient that it wasn't even fun to touch her. The Judith that Eland knew was one who floundered and shed tears whenever she was kicked or pushed.
But she has changed. He didn't know what triggered it, but it was clear that she had changed to the point where no one could recognize her.
On the day that the indemnification bill from Rotaire arrived, Eland was visibly relieved, as if he had finally had time to rest. Along with the bill, it also arrived with some jewelry and fabric, and the envoy reported that he was sending it as a gift, at least in name, to welcome the Princess.
However, all the jewels and fabrics fell into the hands of Eland. In the end, Judith left for Rotair with nothing, not even a new dress, just like she did the first time.
“Your Majesty really...”
Mary Anne, looking at the carriage carrying Judith's simple luggage, pursed her lips in dissatisfaction. Even though it was the Princess's departure, the only people who came to see her off were the chamberlain and three or four minor nobles who had been sent out to meet her assortment.
But Judith had no complaints. Unlike back then, Mary Anne was going with her. Even though she had no dowry or the clothes she was wearing were out of fashion, she didn't even feel the need to be intimidated.
“I guess your only sister seemed so lacking in brother’s eyes. But if you think about the current situation, you shouldn’t say that to me.”
"What?"
After hearing Judith's words, Eland's eyes lit up. But she didn't look scared. Rather than doing so, she raised her head stiffly as if to say that she would do it.
“If I insist on not going to Rotair, what will you do then? Are you going to tie me up and sell me like a slave? If I hang myself before that, what do you plan on repaying that huge amount of money?”
“Is this true? How dare you stand in front of someone!”
“A little while ago, my brother’s chamberlain said something like that to my maid in front of me. She is the servant and the master.”
Slam!
Judith's cheek turned to the left with a harsh slapping sound. Mary Anne, who was watching Judith and Eland anxiously from a distance, couldn't bear to scream and opened her mouth.
Eland, who impatiently slapped Judith on the cheek, bared his teeth in surprise and trembled. This was the first time he had laid his hands on her, other than when she was little.
But of course, he wasn't surprised because he was sorry. The moment he hit her, Eland was scared, thinking what would happen if Judith used this as an excuse to hang herself to death.
If that happens, Rotair will take back the money that was paid to take Judith. If he failed to pay the compensation, he would have to bow down to the King of the South who ignored him because he was a lowly person.
“Judith, you...”
“Judith?”
Judith laughed without even thinking about straightening her disheveled hair. Seeing her seemingly ferocious appearance, Eland hesitated and retracted his fingertips.
“You never called me by my proper name, but now you're called Judith. Why, brother? You’re probably not sorry for slapping me in the face, but are you worried that I might use this as an excuse to cry and swallow my tongue?”
"What… What? Are you out of your mind?”
“The last thing my brother, who has nothing, has to sell is your poor little sister’s body. Are you so worried that I will fly away into the air that you call me Judith so affectionately? Don't worry. No matter what you call me, I will go to Rotair. I will be Prince Franz’s concubine.”
"This person...”
“So, brother, please live long and healthy.”
At the end of the life that has been stretched like that, she can fall miserably at someone else's feet.
Judith greeted Eland proudly, who was looking as if he had lost his mind, and left the battle with Mary Anne.
“What should I do? Princess, are you okay? Please show me your cheeks.”
As soon as they left the hallway, Mary Anne started crying and grabbed Judith. She had been hit so hard that her right cheek was swollen red.
“It’s okay, what can you do with this much?”
“What is this level? How do he...”
Mary Anne glanced in the direction where Eland was with tearful eyes. Judith looked like she had been beaten hard, and the inside of her mouth must have been torn open, and she could feel the stinging smell of her blood pooling on the tip of her tongue.
But Judith did not feel the pain in her cheek or the pain inside her torn cheek. When she was a Princess, she was often treated by Queen Gilsis when she was bored. Compared to the pain she suffered when she was imprisoned, being slapped felt like nothing to her, and she actually felt relieved to have been hit by Eland.
“Go quickly, Princess. I will give you a cold compress. The swelling will go down a bit.”
Mary Anne cried and dragged Judith away. Although she was younger than Judith, Mary Anne was taller and stronger than her. Holding Mary Anne's warmer hand than she remembered, Judith bowed her head, gently grasping the front of her dress as she had done in her old days.
“I have a favor to ask, Mary Anne.”
Mary Anne, who was walking sniffling, turned around, wiping her nose with the back of her hand.
“What is it, Princess?”
“Come with me when I go to Rotair.”
Mary Anne’s tearful eyes widened as if in shock. When Judith first went to Rotaire, Mary Anne cried and said she would go with her too. It may have been out of concern for the weak Princess who had not been treated properly even in her home country of Tien.
However, Mary Anne's hometown was also Tien. Her family was here, and Judith knew that around this time Mary Anne's older sister had just given birth. Mary Anne probably left the palace soon after Judith left. After that, she will meet someone she loves and live the rest of her life in peace.
But Judith needed Mary Anne. No one could be trusted in Rotair. Fearing the eyes of Queen Gilsis, the nobles, as well as the servants and maids in the palace, were hostile to Judith, and bullying and strife, large and small, continued.
It wasn't until later that she met Cheraan, but until then, she had to have someone she could trust and have by her side.
'Since I came back, Cheraan must have lived too...'
Judith burst into tears when she thought of Cheraan, who had resisted Queen Gilsis and tried to protect her until the very end.
Cheeran, who was upright, would not have accepted that Judith was imprisoned under ridiculous scandals and false accusations. In the end, she was a poor girl who was killed by Queen Gilsis.
“Princess! Oh my God, why are you crying? I'll go, of course, I'll go with you, yes? Do not cry."
Mary Anne misunderstood that the reason Judith suddenly burst into tears was because she did not respond quickly. Judith held Mary Anne's hand tightly as she desperately wiped away her tears and looked up at her, trying to steady her trembling lips from crying.
“It won’t take long. I… When the time comes, I will definitely send you back first.”
"Yes?"
“No, no. Tien is not allowed. I'm not going back to Tien... I will do my best to ensure that you, your family, and the person you will spend the rest of your life with find a peaceful place somewhere. I will definitely do that. So just stay by my side for a few years. Mary Anne, can you do that?”
Mary Anne's face turned red when she suddenly heard Judith talking about the person she would spend the rest of her life with. She was only a sixteen-year-old girl. That's why Judith's words sounded so distant and sweet to her.
Leaving Judith behind was definitely something Mary Anne hesitated about. However, there is no way that she could refuse a request that goes this far.
Even if Judith had not said this first, Mary Anne knew very well that she would have taken the initiative to follow her.
Judith is a weak person. Although she seemed a little strange today, as if she had become a different person, the Judith she knew was fundamentally a weak and delicate girl. It was so pathetic that she couldn't leave her alone.
“Princess, what are you worried about? If it's not me who serves the Princess, then who else can go all the way to Rotair with the Princess? I'll go with you. I will go with you wherever you go, so don’t worry. Now, stop crying. Your cheeks are swollen and even your eyes are swollen. Let’s go back and take a refreshing bath first. For lunch, I’ll ask the chef to make the Princess’s favorite clam soup.”
Mary Anne said with a bright smile. Only then did Judith slowly nod her head with a relieved expression and a faint smile.
***
After hearing Judith's unbelievable verbal abuse (if you think about Judith's usual behavior, it could be said to be verbal abuse), Eland called her again and did not make a fuss.
It must have been unbearable for his personality. Nevertheless, the reason he passed it over quietly as if it had never happened was because there was nothing wrong with what Judith said.
For the first time in his life, Eland was feeling reluctant to touch Judith. He was anxious because he didn't know where he would end up if he touched her wrongly.
Until now, Judith had been so obedient that it wasn't even fun to touch her. The Judith that Eland knew was one who floundered and shed tears whenever she was kicked or pushed.
But she has changed. He didn't know what triggered it, but it was clear that she had changed to the point where no one could recognize her.
On the day that the indemnification bill from Rotaire arrived, Eland was visibly relieved, as if he had finally had time to rest. Along with the bill, it also arrived with some jewelry and fabric, and the envoy reported that he was sending it as a gift, at least in name, to welcome the Princess.
However, all the jewels and fabrics fell into the hands of Eland. In the end, Judith left for Rotair with nothing, not even a new dress, just like she did the first time.
“Your Majesty really...”
Mary Anne, looking at the carriage carrying Judith's simple luggage, pursed her lips in dissatisfaction. Even though it was the Princess's departure, the only people who came to see her off were the chamberlain and three or four minor nobles who had been sent out to meet her assortment.
But Judith had no complaints. Unlike back then, Mary Anne was going with her. Even though she had no dowry or the clothes she was wearing were out of fashion, she didn't even feel the need to be intimidated.
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