It was not even ten minutes after the servants had left that His Majesty the Emperor barged into my room.
He looked at Laskan, who was standing there awkwardly, and at me, who was pretending to be lying down on the bed, and then grabbed Laskan by the collar without warning.
Even among the sturdy soldiers, Laskan was a head taller, so strictly speaking, it would be more correct to say that he was captured... In any case, it was certainly a somewhat comical sight.
“This bastard is worse than a worm.”
The Emperor chewed and spat out his teeth, his eyes looking more fierce than ever.
“How dare you, as a human, leave a sick child behind?”
Between each breath, the Emperor's fists struck Laskan's waist and back. It was amazing how such strength could come from the old man's slender body.
It didn't hurt as much as it looked, but Laskan didn't even groan once despite being hit so many times.
“...To the Princess, putting forward a dirty, filthy desire?”
To begin with, Laskan had never had any dirty or filthy desires, so it was an unfair accusation. If he had wanted to do something, he would have done it...
But he just bowed his head obediently, looking terribly sorry, as if he were meekly admitting all the charges against him.
When I, unable to stand by, tried to intervene loudly, a torrent of nagging came flying at me like sparks.
“How could you, a child who is not even healthy, walk around outside of bed?”
“Uh, how...”
A pitiful look was directed at the bottom of the bed. Following the Emperor's gaze, I realized that the shoes Laskan had given me were lying carelessly under the bed. One of them was still on my feet.
In my haste, I thought only of jumping into bed... As I pulled the blanket over my head without saying anything, the Emperor let out a long sigh.
“Thirty minutes was too long. I should have sent a servant every fifteen minutes...”
“...”
“What’s with that expression? Does that mean fifteen minutes is enough for your dirty desires?”
"...No."
“Then, does that mean that the Princess who is groaning in pain is not even worthy of your dirty lust?”
Only then did Laskan's face, which had been quietly accepting the situation, take on a look of resentment.
“I never, ever, thought about that...”
“You really have dirty intentions!”
After that, all kinds of criticism towards Laskan continued.
If you answer, he will grit his teeth, saying that you dare talk back to the Emperor, and if you don't answer, he will go on a rampage, saying that you are ignoring the Emperor. This is until Laskan, who could no longer endure it any longer, promised to leave the Princess' Palace on his own two feet.
The Emperor said it would be best to do so immediately and ordered him to pack his bags. He gave him only a short compliment, acknowledging his merit in volunteering for the many hardships until the Princess came to her senses.
It goes without saying that the surveillance of the Princess's palace became even tighter after that. Somehow, it seemed like they were controlling Laskan even more strictly than outsiders...
Just when I was starting to get bored of lying in bed, Thalia and Irina were finally allowed to visit.
Irina and Thalia burst into tears when they saw my face. I also felt a sting in my nose and hugged them tightly.
We were stuck together, crying and laughing for a long time, and after our emotions calmed down, we talked about what had happened.
I was surprised to find that there were far more people involved than I had thought: from the champagne-carrying servant, to the palace apothecary, to several maids...
Even so, I was a little impressed when I heard that there was not a single suspicion left that Duke Kairak had anything to do with the assassination of the Princess.
He was an enemy, but he was truly a great man. If it weren't for the last look in his eyes before I collapsed, I would have thought I was doubting him. I shivered as I recalled that time.
It was so quiet and lonely that even the most rambunctious chatter felt insufficient. If the palace doctor hadn't told me to rest, I would have gladly stayed up all night.
My body quickly recovered. I didn't feel any pain anymore. I quickly fell back into my daily routine.
"Your Highness."
After drinking all the medicine and tea that the palace doctor had been giving me every hour, the door that had been knocked on twice opened softly. It was the chief chamberlain.
“What's going on?”
“The priests have come to take the final blood draw.”
Irina looked at me with anxious eyes.
Although I had regained some of my original physical condition, I had not fully recovered. In the meantime, she seemed worried about forcibly drawing blood.
But I couldn't delay any longer.
It is said that the judgment stone has the property of purifying itself if it is not fed blood within a certain time.
If you soak it in clean, purified water, the time will be shortened, but even if you don't soak it, it is said that a certain amount of loss or deterioration cannot be prevented. To prevent that, you need to supply blood for the judgment stone to eat...
Anyway, the fact that it was postponed until today was meant to be for my convenience.
“Let them in.”
As soon as my permission was given, three priests, one of the Duke of Kairak's men, one of His Majesty the Emperor's men, and Cesare entered the room.
It was a much smaller number than the original number, but it was a consideration for me, who had been sick in bed for a long time.
“Your Highness, I greet you.”
It wasn't the priest I usually saw, but a slightly younger one. I nodded roughly and took the sword from the hand of the kneeling priest.
No matter how many times I did it, putting a stick on my body was never a very pleasant experience.
"Ugh."
I trembled at the feeling of the cold blade. The blade was so sharp that even if I just held it lightly, my palm was cut and blood dripped down. In that state, I clenched my fist on the judging stone and let the blood drip down.
The blood did not soak into the stone, but formed a globule like dew on the surface. The blood formed like that was absorbed for a month. It was an amazing sight, no matter how many times I saw it.
“Your Highness, put your hand...”
As I held out my hand, the priest carefully applied medicine to my hand.
When I applied this, my wound healed quickly. I don't know what it's made of, but it was very effective.
As soon as the priests and agents withdrew, Irina asked worriedly.
“Are you okay? Are you feeling dizzy?”
"It's okay."
“How about skipping going to the library today?”
I shook my head.
“The palace doctor said that regular exercise is the shortcut to regaining health.”
“...I may be presumptuous, but you can’t call walking to the library exercise. No matter what, you even saw blood.”
“It’s shallower than the last time I got stabbed by an embroidery needle.”
“...”
“Don’t worry, and go home.”
“I’ll go, but...”
Irina trailed off as if she really didn't feel like leaving me alone.
I gave Irina and Thalia a short two-week vacation before the third competition began.
All the servants, maids, and maids of the palace were locked up until the culprit who poisoned me was identified. It was a kind of diversion.
Thalia had set off three days earlier in the evening because the journey was so far away, and Irina had cut off the time by two days, worried about leaving me alone.
It was this morning that she received a letter from the Countess of Tulear telling her to return home immediately, and she was forced to pack her bags.
Irina, wrapped in a hat and coat, looked like she was going on a trip to a faraway place. It was not like I would ever see her again, but I couldn't help but cry.
Is it because I've been sick in bed for a long time? Irina asked suspiciously as I sniffled.
“...Are you sure it’s okay for me to go?”
“Then. If you don’t go now, you’ll never be able to go again.”
“For the rest of my life...”
“Originally, the position of the Emperor’s Chief Maid was a lifelong position.”
Irina burst out laughing at the lame joke.
As the servants loaded the last of the bags onto the carriage, preparations for departure were complete. I went out to the main gate of the palace and saw her off.
Irina was worried about me until the moment we drove away, with her upper body leaning out of the carriage window.
“Make sure to take your medicine every morning, noon, and night.”
“I will do that.”
“If you feel sleepy while reading a book, go to bed and sleep!”
"Yes!"
“Don’t just wash it in cold water because you don’t want to wait for the water to heat up!”
“...”
It was so unusual that later on, she would ask me if I knew the order in which I should put on my underwear.
I was very embarrassed because some of the secretaries who were going to work recognized me and bowed their heads to greet me. In the end, they almost waved me away instead of greeting me.
Soon, the carriage became so distant that it appeared like a dot.
As I was staring at that sight, Lisa spoke to me in an unusually stiff voice.
"Your Highness."
The face she turned around with was pale, like someone who had been insulted. She whispered in my ear.
“The Duke of Kairak’s daughter has requested to see you secretly.”
I ordered a tea table to be set up in one of the empty rooms in the Princess's palace.
I said I would gladly meet her face to face, but honestly, I don't know what kind of face I should make when I see her.
Duke Kairak has already tried to kill me three times. Should I forgive his daughter? After all, Veronica is the one who will benefit the most from my death?
It was difficult to come up with a clear answer. With a complicated mind, I entered the room where the Princess was waiting. It was a space I had never used while staying in the Princess’s palace.
The air, untouched by human body heat, felt particularly cold. The Princess was sitting in the room with her hood pulled over her head, and when she saw me, she stood up gracefully.
"Your Highness."
When I thought of the Kairak family, I couldn't help but feel angry, but strangely enough, the moment I met Princess Veronica's blue eyes, all my emotions subsided. Her face looked even paler than mine.
I sat across from Veronica and offered her a chair.
“Sit down.”
The awkward moment of sitting down on the chair passed, and silence filled the room for a while.
Veronica was reluctant to speak first. She seemed unsure of what to say. She moved her lips a few times, but then kept them down.
Since it didn't seem like we would be able to start a conversation today, I told her what I wanted to say first when I saw her again.
He looked at Laskan, who was standing there awkwardly, and at me, who was pretending to be lying down on the bed, and then grabbed Laskan by the collar without warning.
Even among the sturdy soldiers, Laskan was a head taller, so strictly speaking, it would be more correct to say that he was captured... In any case, it was certainly a somewhat comical sight.
“This bastard is worse than a worm.”
The Emperor chewed and spat out his teeth, his eyes looking more fierce than ever.
“How dare you, as a human, leave a sick child behind?”
Between each breath, the Emperor's fists struck Laskan's waist and back. It was amazing how such strength could come from the old man's slender body.
It didn't hurt as much as it looked, but Laskan didn't even groan once despite being hit so many times.
“...To the Princess, putting forward a dirty, filthy desire?”
To begin with, Laskan had never had any dirty or filthy desires, so it was an unfair accusation. If he had wanted to do something, he would have done it...
But he just bowed his head obediently, looking terribly sorry, as if he were meekly admitting all the charges against him.
When I, unable to stand by, tried to intervene loudly, a torrent of nagging came flying at me like sparks.
“How could you, a child who is not even healthy, walk around outside of bed?”
“Uh, how...”
A pitiful look was directed at the bottom of the bed. Following the Emperor's gaze, I realized that the shoes Laskan had given me were lying carelessly under the bed. One of them was still on my feet.
In my haste, I thought only of jumping into bed... As I pulled the blanket over my head without saying anything, the Emperor let out a long sigh.
“Thirty minutes was too long. I should have sent a servant every fifteen minutes...”
“...”
“What’s with that expression? Does that mean fifteen minutes is enough for your dirty desires?”
"...No."
“Then, does that mean that the Princess who is groaning in pain is not even worthy of your dirty lust?”
Only then did Laskan's face, which had been quietly accepting the situation, take on a look of resentment.
“I never, ever, thought about that...”
“You really have dirty intentions!”
After that, all kinds of criticism towards Laskan continued.
If you answer, he will grit his teeth, saying that you dare talk back to the Emperor, and if you don't answer, he will go on a rampage, saying that you are ignoring the Emperor. This is until Laskan, who could no longer endure it any longer, promised to leave the Princess' Palace on his own two feet.
The Emperor said it would be best to do so immediately and ordered him to pack his bags. He gave him only a short compliment, acknowledging his merit in volunteering for the many hardships until the Princess came to her senses.
It goes without saying that the surveillance of the Princess's palace became even tighter after that. Somehow, it seemed like they were controlling Laskan even more strictly than outsiders...
Just when I was starting to get bored of lying in bed, Thalia and Irina were finally allowed to visit.
Irina and Thalia burst into tears when they saw my face. I also felt a sting in my nose and hugged them tightly.
We were stuck together, crying and laughing for a long time, and after our emotions calmed down, we talked about what had happened.
I was surprised to find that there were far more people involved than I had thought: from the champagne-carrying servant, to the palace apothecary, to several maids...
Even so, I was a little impressed when I heard that there was not a single suspicion left that Duke Kairak had anything to do with the assassination of the Princess.
He was an enemy, but he was truly a great man. If it weren't for the last look in his eyes before I collapsed, I would have thought I was doubting him. I shivered as I recalled that time.
It was so quiet and lonely that even the most rambunctious chatter felt insufficient. If the palace doctor hadn't told me to rest, I would have gladly stayed up all night.
My body quickly recovered. I didn't feel any pain anymore. I quickly fell back into my daily routine.
"Your Highness."
After drinking all the medicine and tea that the palace doctor had been giving me every hour, the door that had been knocked on twice opened softly. It was the chief chamberlain.
“What's going on?”
“The priests have come to take the final blood draw.”
Irina looked at me with anxious eyes.
Although I had regained some of my original physical condition, I had not fully recovered. In the meantime, she seemed worried about forcibly drawing blood.
But I couldn't delay any longer.
It is said that the judgment stone has the property of purifying itself if it is not fed blood within a certain time.
If you soak it in clean, purified water, the time will be shortened, but even if you don't soak it, it is said that a certain amount of loss or deterioration cannot be prevented. To prevent that, you need to supply blood for the judgment stone to eat...
Anyway, the fact that it was postponed until today was meant to be for my convenience.
“Let them in.”
As soon as my permission was given, three priests, one of the Duke of Kairak's men, one of His Majesty the Emperor's men, and Cesare entered the room.
It was a much smaller number than the original number, but it was a consideration for me, who had been sick in bed for a long time.
“Your Highness, I greet you.”
It wasn't the priest I usually saw, but a slightly younger one. I nodded roughly and took the sword from the hand of the kneeling priest.
No matter how many times I did it, putting a stick on my body was never a very pleasant experience.
"Ugh."
I trembled at the feeling of the cold blade. The blade was so sharp that even if I just held it lightly, my palm was cut and blood dripped down. In that state, I clenched my fist on the judging stone and let the blood drip down.
The blood did not soak into the stone, but formed a globule like dew on the surface. The blood formed like that was absorbed for a month. It was an amazing sight, no matter how many times I saw it.
“Your Highness, put your hand...”
As I held out my hand, the priest carefully applied medicine to my hand.
When I applied this, my wound healed quickly. I don't know what it's made of, but it was very effective.
As soon as the priests and agents withdrew, Irina asked worriedly.
“Are you okay? Are you feeling dizzy?”
"It's okay."
“How about skipping going to the library today?”
I shook my head.
“The palace doctor said that regular exercise is the shortcut to regaining health.”
“...I may be presumptuous, but you can’t call walking to the library exercise. No matter what, you even saw blood.”
“It’s shallower than the last time I got stabbed by an embroidery needle.”
“...”
“Don’t worry, and go home.”
“I’ll go, but...”
Irina trailed off as if she really didn't feel like leaving me alone.
I gave Irina and Thalia a short two-week vacation before the third competition began.
All the servants, maids, and maids of the palace were locked up until the culprit who poisoned me was identified. It was a kind of diversion.
Thalia had set off three days earlier in the evening because the journey was so far away, and Irina had cut off the time by two days, worried about leaving me alone.
It was this morning that she received a letter from the Countess of Tulear telling her to return home immediately, and she was forced to pack her bags.
Irina, wrapped in a hat and coat, looked like she was going on a trip to a faraway place. It was not like I would ever see her again, but I couldn't help but cry.
Is it because I've been sick in bed for a long time? Irina asked suspiciously as I sniffled.
“...Are you sure it’s okay for me to go?”
“Then. If you don’t go now, you’ll never be able to go again.”
“For the rest of my life...”
“Originally, the position of the Emperor’s Chief Maid was a lifelong position.”
Irina burst out laughing at the lame joke.
As the servants loaded the last of the bags onto the carriage, preparations for departure were complete. I went out to the main gate of the palace and saw her off.
Irina was worried about me until the moment we drove away, with her upper body leaning out of the carriage window.
“Make sure to take your medicine every morning, noon, and night.”
“I will do that.”
“If you feel sleepy while reading a book, go to bed and sleep!”
"Yes!"
“Don’t just wash it in cold water because you don’t want to wait for the water to heat up!”
“...”
It was so unusual that later on, she would ask me if I knew the order in which I should put on my underwear.
I was very embarrassed because some of the secretaries who were going to work recognized me and bowed their heads to greet me. In the end, they almost waved me away instead of greeting me.
Soon, the carriage became so distant that it appeared like a dot.
As I was staring at that sight, Lisa spoke to me in an unusually stiff voice.
"Your Highness."
The face she turned around with was pale, like someone who had been insulted. She whispered in my ear.
“The Duke of Kairak’s daughter has requested to see you secretly.”
***
I ordered a tea table to be set up in one of the empty rooms in the Princess's palace.
I said I would gladly meet her face to face, but honestly, I don't know what kind of face I should make when I see her.
Duke Kairak has already tried to kill me three times. Should I forgive his daughter? After all, Veronica is the one who will benefit the most from my death?
It was difficult to come up with a clear answer. With a complicated mind, I entered the room where the Princess was waiting. It was a space I had never used while staying in the Princess’s palace.
The air, untouched by human body heat, felt particularly cold. The Princess was sitting in the room with her hood pulled over her head, and when she saw me, she stood up gracefully.
"Your Highness."
When I thought of the Kairak family, I couldn't help but feel angry, but strangely enough, the moment I met Princess Veronica's blue eyes, all my emotions subsided. Her face looked even paler than mine.
I sat across from Veronica and offered her a chair.
“Sit down.”
The awkward moment of sitting down on the chair passed, and silence filled the room for a while.
Veronica was reluctant to speak first. She seemed unsure of what to say. She moved her lips a few times, but then kept them down.
Since it didn't seem like we would be able to start a conversation today, I told her what I wanted to say first when I saw her again.
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