6. Drink as much as you want
The Empress of the empire has died.
The funeral lasted for ten days. The palace staff were mobilized for the grand event of the funeral, and Daphne and others had no time to breathe.
Instead of the ornate ornaments that adorned the palace, black cloth was hung everywhere, and fresh white roses were placed every day.
The palace was visited by priests and foreign dignitaries, and the more guests there were, the more work they had to do.
Daphne was pushed around and eventually had to take on the job of cleaning the guest rooms, which everyone avoided. She had to clean the rooms every day for the guests who visited them.
Then she looked around.
Nowell was nowhere to be seen. The stable keepers were making noises. Could it be that he was mobilized there?
Daphne felt a bit empty that the person who spoke to her kindly disappeared so quickly.
'I thought so too.'
There were people who occasionally showed Daphne a friendly side. But they all disappeared at some point. This was natural, given the frequent changes in departments in the palace.
Daphne was busy. She didn't even have time to sit down and rest, and there was no one friendly enough to talk to. Four bodies were not enough, and Daphne had forgotten about Nowell, just like the others who had approached her before.
This was because she was increasingly worried about Asherad rather than some man who had only spoken once and then disappeared.
She feels sorry for Asherad, who lost his mother.
But Asherad will always be noble.
Because he was a superior being to her. The funeral will also proceed with dignity. As if sadness were an elegant curtain hanging over his face.
He asked me to stay by his side.
She wants to join him soon. Won't it be too difficult?
Is he crying alone?
Daphne's lips curled up as she recalled her mother, whom no one mourned. She, too, had cried alone after her mother passed away. She remembered the image of Asherad sitting alone in the Crown Prince's garden, which was inaccessible to anyone except those who were not permitted to enter.
Daphne wants to go see him. But the rule is that she can't go see him until he calls her first.
But she wanted to see him.
After a tiring schedule, she wondered if he would be shedding tears over the loss of his mother.
“You have a good fate.”
Daphne turned her head at the sarcastic voice. She realized that she was cleaning the window. A girl of her age with dark brown hair and blue eyes.
It was Amanda. Daphne's body was stiff with tension. While working in the palace, Daphne created several groups within herself. Those who were most hostile to her, those who were less hostile, and Asherad.
Amanda was one of her most hostile people. When Daphne met Amanda's eyes, she quickly lowered her head. Then her eyes narrowed even more.
“You have time to be lazy by yourself, right?”
“Amanda, stop it.”
The person standing next to her was Sarah. Sarah was one of the less hostile people.
Sarah always looked at Daphne with pity in her eyes, but she was also the type who did not take any active action.
Amanda said, gritting her teeth.
“You are the seed of disaster.”
“Amanda!”
Sarah shouted in a hurry. Tears were welling up in Sarah's eyes as she shouted, but Daphne was puzzled and didn't know what they were.
Amanda shouted at Sarah.
“Why! Why can’t you say anything!”
“It’s all over.”
“It’s annoying not knowing anything!”
Daphne had no idea what they were talking about. Amanda said, snickering.
“You, do you know what happened to Nowell?”
Daphne looked puzzled. Why was Nowell suddenly here? Daphne tried to muster up the courage to speak up.
“Amanda, stop it.”
Sarah spoke in a firm voice, that did not respond. Sarah, who was always calm, sometimes got angry and could not even do anything carelessly to Amanda.
As expected, Amanda flinched at Sarah's persuasion. Sarah grabbed her hand and said,
“I’ll take care of it, so stop.”
“...”
Amanda looked at Sarah with a look of incomprehension. Sarah smiled.
“Sorry, Daphne, are you surprised? You don’t know. It’s just Amanda taking it out on you, as always.”
She was still gentle, but her face was trembling. But Daphne didn't notice it and asked.
“...Where did that guy named Nowell go?”
Daphne asked with great courage. Then Sarah lowered her head for a moment, then raised her head and smiled even brighter.
“No, nothing.”
This time, she knew. It was such an artificial smile. When she tried to dig into it, Sarah said.
“Oh, Daphne! You’d better hurry up and finish cleaning the windows. His Majesty will be here soon.”
Her eyes widened. After Sarah and Amanda left, she quickly cleaned the window. If the Emperor noticed, something might happen again.
As soon as she left the place with the bucket and mop, a commotion was heard.
Daphne looked across the hallway in surprise. It was just as Sarah had said. Fortunately, he hadn't seen her, so Daphne was able to leave.
'Could it be that Sarah helped me?'
In the midst of the feast of unintelligible conversations, there was only one thing Daphne could know. Sarah, who always took a step back and just sent her a look, was helping her.
“What is that thing?”
The day was not good. Daphne opened her eyes wide and shivered. The room cleaning was usually done when there were no visitors.
“Are there nothing but unskilled, filthy people in the Peneus Empire?”
The visitor kicked the mop bucket she had brought.
“Your Highness! Please hold on tight.”
“I clearly said I was going to rest after breakfast!”
The screaming was quite irritating. Daphne squeezed her eyes shut. It seemed like today was the day.
Managing foreigners' rooms was one of those jobs that no one wanted to do.
If you did it well, it was basic, and if you didn't, your neck was cut off. It was inevitable that the ugly duckling Daphne would take on the job.
Daphne sat down on her knees.
“Hey, hey, forgive me...”
There was no proper voice. From what she heard, the owner of this room, Prince Pindus, clearly had a schedule all day.
Daphne bit her lip. Someone had given the wrong time. But that excuse was no use to him.
Daphne was about to apologize properly. Just as the head in her sight was about to rise from her two legs, a kick came flying at her.
“Who dares to raise their face!”
She was hit on the shoulder and rolled on the floor. The hair tie that had been tied tightly around her broke and flew around carelessly.
"Wait for a sec."
It hurt. It hurt so much. From the kick to her shoulder, from hitting the floor.
She was bullied, but luckily, she rarely experienced direct violence.
It was a pain that was inflicted without consideration for whether the person lived or died. Just this one kick was too painful for her body to bear. The pain flowed down her body. She looked up, panting for breath. Daphne's blue eyes finally turned to the Prince.
The Prince wasn't just a fairy tale character like Asherad. He was a plump young man with a plump body that was almost embarrassing to compare to Asherad.
He glanced at Daphne's face, then smiled cruelly and grabbed the knight who had kicked him.
“Who told you to kick?”
“...”
“Yes, Peneus is not such a foolish country; I let my guard down.”
The Prince crouched down beside her as she lay face down, lifted her chin, and looked her over, as if he were valuing a work of art. He licked his tongue.
Goosebumps ran down her body as if he had licked it with his tongue.
“Can’t we treat such a beauty so harshly just because she made a mistake once?”
“...”
“Get up, get up. Get up.”
It was a soft word, but she knew that if she didn't get up, she would be kicked again.
Daphne carefully raised herself up and faced the crouching Prince of Pindus. Something in his eyes made her feel sick.
“Your beauty is revealed when you let your hair down. I like your hair down like this, but everyone here makes you tie your hair up. Isn’t that boring?”
“Your Highness, I would rather have you executed...”
As one of the knights spoke cautiously, the Prince shouted.
“Shut up!”
“...”
Daphne, who was right in front of him, flinched greatly at the threatening voice.
“Oh, I didn’t yell at you.”
The Prince tried to speak softly and reached out to touch Daphne's slender wrist, which was exposed. She felt a tickling sensation as if he was scratching it with his thumb, as if insects were crawling on it.
“I won’t punish you for your cute mistake.”
“...”
“But there will be a price to pay, right?”
The hand that had been caressing her face moved over her ear and caressed her shoulder and back. Her face turned blue.
Although she had no idea that the Prince of Pindus was a lecher, she instinctively knew what the man wanted.
Ah, Asherad.
Daphne called out to the one she had in mind. She knew. He was busy right now and didn't have time to worry about someone like her.
Still, in this situation, seeking him was as natural as seeking God. Prince Pindus's breathing quickened. As Daphne felt the foul heat, the Prince cried out.
“Everyone, come out!”
Everyone turned around at the Prince's words. It's over now. She shut her eyes tightly. But she couldn't hear the knights' footsteps.
“Tch.”
The Prince clicked his tongue as if he were displeased with something. As Daphne was wondering, a voice was heard from behind her.
“What is the matter, Prince of Pindus?”
Daphne was delighted. Never before had those words felt like light to her.
The one who came to the messy room was clearly Asherad. She saw his person entering the room like a dog seeing its owner.
He was in mourning, wearing only black clothes, which matched his black hair terrifyingly well. His sharp face and dark, sunken eyes radiated a sharp energy.
Asherad moved his sharp eyes, then narrowed his eyes and looked at the Prince after assessing the situation. He had a knack for creating tension in the atmosphere with just silence, but the Prince seemed to be overwhelmed by the momentum and spoke awkwardly.
“This bitch made a mistake. She was too lazy and didn’t finish cleaning even though I was here.”
“Is that so?”
Daphne looked resentful. But her words would not be accepted.
Asherad smiled gently as always. The Prince of Pindus also raised the corners of his mouth when he saw that.
“So, I will forgive her sin on the condition that I take this one maid. What do you think?”
Daphne almost screamed. She had no idea that the Prince would directly demand her body.
“I believe you will permit it, Crown Prince Asherad. You have no choice, do you?”
It was extremely rude to treat the Crown Prince of the empire. The knights of the Pindus kingdom looked at the Prince, who was so blatantly rude, sweating profusely. When Asherad did not respond, the Prince spoke again, provoking him.
“If you don’t want to get on your father’s bad side.”
At that moment, Asherad's eyes flashed coldly. However, those eyes soon disappeared. Asherad turned his head and looked at Daphne's face. Her eyes were filled with tears, and she looked at him earnestly. A smile appeared in Asherad's eyes, and then on his beautiful face...
“Drink as much as you want.”
He spat out cruel words.
The Empress of the empire has died.
The funeral lasted for ten days. The palace staff were mobilized for the grand event of the funeral, and Daphne and others had no time to breathe.
Instead of the ornate ornaments that adorned the palace, black cloth was hung everywhere, and fresh white roses were placed every day.
The palace was visited by priests and foreign dignitaries, and the more guests there were, the more work they had to do.
Daphne was pushed around and eventually had to take on the job of cleaning the guest rooms, which everyone avoided. She had to clean the rooms every day for the guests who visited them.
Then she looked around.
Nowell was nowhere to be seen. The stable keepers were making noises. Could it be that he was mobilized there?
Daphne felt a bit empty that the person who spoke to her kindly disappeared so quickly.
'I thought so too.'
There were people who occasionally showed Daphne a friendly side. But they all disappeared at some point. This was natural, given the frequent changes in departments in the palace.
Daphne was busy. She didn't even have time to sit down and rest, and there was no one friendly enough to talk to. Four bodies were not enough, and Daphne had forgotten about Nowell, just like the others who had approached her before.
This was because she was increasingly worried about Asherad rather than some man who had only spoken once and then disappeared.
She feels sorry for Asherad, who lost his mother.
But Asherad will always be noble.
Because he was a superior being to her. The funeral will also proceed with dignity. As if sadness were an elegant curtain hanging over his face.
He asked me to stay by his side.
She wants to join him soon. Won't it be too difficult?
Is he crying alone?
Daphne's lips curled up as she recalled her mother, whom no one mourned. She, too, had cried alone after her mother passed away. She remembered the image of Asherad sitting alone in the Crown Prince's garden, which was inaccessible to anyone except those who were not permitted to enter.
Daphne wants to go see him. But the rule is that she can't go see him until he calls her first.
But she wanted to see him.
After a tiring schedule, she wondered if he would be shedding tears over the loss of his mother.
“You have a good fate.”
Daphne turned her head at the sarcastic voice. She realized that she was cleaning the window. A girl of her age with dark brown hair and blue eyes.
It was Amanda. Daphne's body was stiff with tension. While working in the palace, Daphne created several groups within herself. Those who were most hostile to her, those who were less hostile, and Asherad.
Amanda was one of her most hostile people. When Daphne met Amanda's eyes, she quickly lowered her head. Then her eyes narrowed even more.
“You have time to be lazy by yourself, right?”
“Amanda, stop it.”
The person standing next to her was Sarah. Sarah was one of the less hostile people.
Sarah always looked at Daphne with pity in her eyes, but she was also the type who did not take any active action.
Amanda said, gritting her teeth.
“You are the seed of disaster.”
“Amanda!”
Sarah shouted in a hurry. Tears were welling up in Sarah's eyes as she shouted, but Daphne was puzzled and didn't know what they were.
Amanda shouted at Sarah.
“Why! Why can’t you say anything!”
“It’s all over.”
“It’s annoying not knowing anything!”
Daphne had no idea what they were talking about. Amanda said, snickering.
“You, do you know what happened to Nowell?”
Daphne looked puzzled. Why was Nowell suddenly here? Daphne tried to muster up the courage to speak up.
“Amanda, stop it.”
Sarah spoke in a firm voice, that did not respond. Sarah, who was always calm, sometimes got angry and could not even do anything carelessly to Amanda.
As expected, Amanda flinched at Sarah's persuasion. Sarah grabbed her hand and said,
“I’ll take care of it, so stop.”
“...”
Amanda looked at Sarah with a look of incomprehension. Sarah smiled.
“Sorry, Daphne, are you surprised? You don’t know. It’s just Amanda taking it out on you, as always.”
She was still gentle, but her face was trembling. But Daphne didn't notice it and asked.
“...Where did that guy named Nowell go?”
Daphne asked with great courage. Then Sarah lowered her head for a moment, then raised her head and smiled even brighter.
“No, nothing.”
This time, she knew. It was such an artificial smile. When she tried to dig into it, Sarah said.
“Oh, Daphne! You’d better hurry up and finish cleaning the windows. His Majesty will be here soon.”
Her eyes widened. After Sarah and Amanda left, she quickly cleaned the window. If the Emperor noticed, something might happen again.
As soon as she left the place with the bucket and mop, a commotion was heard.
Daphne looked across the hallway in surprise. It was just as Sarah had said. Fortunately, he hadn't seen her, so Daphne was able to leave.
'Could it be that Sarah helped me?'
In the midst of the feast of unintelligible conversations, there was only one thing Daphne could know. Sarah, who always took a step back and just sent her a look, was helping her.
***
“What is that thing?”
The day was not good. Daphne opened her eyes wide and shivered. The room cleaning was usually done when there were no visitors.
“Are there nothing but unskilled, filthy people in the Peneus Empire?”
The visitor kicked the mop bucket she had brought.
“Your Highness! Please hold on tight.”
“I clearly said I was going to rest after breakfast!”
The screaming was quite irritating. Daphne squeezed her eyes shut. It seemed like today was the day.
Managing foreigners' rooms was one of those jobs that no one wanted to do.
If you did it well, it was basic, and if you didn't, your neck was cut off. It was inevitable that the ugly duckling Daphne would take on the job.
Daphne sat down on her knees.
“Hey, hey, forgive me...”
There was no proper voice. From what she heard, the owner of this room, Prince Pindus, clearly had a schedule all day.
Daphne bit her lip. Someone had given the wrong time. But that excuse was no use to him.
Daphne was about to apologize properly. Just as the head in her sight was about to rise from her two legs, a kick came flying at her.
“Who dares to raise their face!”
She was hit on the shoulder and rolled on the floor. The hair tie that had been tied tightly around her broke and flew around carelessly.
"Wait for a sec."
It hurt. It hurt so much. From the kick to her shoulder, from hitting the floor.
She was bullied, but luckily, she rarely experienced direct violence.
It was a pain that was inflicted without consideration for whether the person lived or died. Just this one kick was too painful for her body to bear. The pain flowed down her body. She looked up, panting for breath. Daphne's blue eyes finally turned to the Prince.
The Prince wasn't just a fairy tale character like Asherad. He was a plump young man with a plump body that was almost embarrassing to compare to Asherad.
He glanced at Daphne's face, then smiled cruelly and grabbed the knight who had kicked him.
“Who told you to kick?”
“...”
“Yes, Peneus is not such a foolish country; I let my guard down.”
The Prince crouched down beside her as she lay face down, lifted her chin, and looked her over, as if he were valuing a work of art. He licked his tongue.
Goosebumps ran down her body as if he had licked it with his tongue.
“Can’t we treat such a beauty so harshly just because she made a mistake once?”
“...”
“Get up, get up. Get up.”
It was a soft word, but she knew that if she didn't get up, she would be kicked again.
Daphne carefully raised herself up and faced the crouching Prince of Pindus. Something in his eyes made her feel sick.
“Your beauty is revealed when you let your hair down. I like your hair down like this, but everyone here makes you tie your hair up. Isn’t that boring?”
“Your Highness, I would rather have you executed...”
As one of the knights spoke cautiously, the Prince shouted.
“Shut up!”
“...”
Daphne, who was right in front of him, flinched greatly at the threatening voice.
“Oh, I didn’t yell at you.”
The Prince tried to speak softly and reached out to touch Daphne's slender wrist, which was exposed. She felt a tickling sensation as if he was scratching it with his thumb, as if insects were crawling on it.
“I won’t punish you for your cute mistake.”
“...”
“But there will be a price to pay, right?”
The hand that had been caressing her face moved over her ear and caressed her shoulder and back. Her face turned blue.
Although she had no idea that the Prince of Pindus was a lecher, she instinctively knew what the man wanted.
Ah, Asherad.
Daphne called out to the one she had in mind. She knew. He was busy right now and didn't have time to worry about someone like her.
Still, in this situation, seeking him was as natural as seeking God. Prince Pindus's breathing quickened. As Daphne felt the foul heat, the Prince cried out.
“Everyone, come out!”
Everyone turned around at the Prince's words. It's over now. She shut her eyes tightly. But she couldn't hear the knights' footsteps.
“Tch.”
The Prince clicked his tongue as if he were displeased with something. As Daphne was wondering, a voice was heard from behind her.
“What is the matter, Prince of Pindus?”
Daphne was delighted. Never before had those words felt like light to her.
The one who came to the messy room was clearly Asherad. She saw his person entering the room like a dog seeing its owner.
He was in mourning, wearing only black clothes, which matched his black hair terrifyingly well. His sharp face and dark, sunken eyes radiated a sharp energy.
Asherad moved his sharp eyes, then narrowed his eyes and looked at the Prince after assessing the situation. He had a knack for creating tension in the atmosphere with just silence, but the Prince seemed to be overwhelmed by the momentum and spoke awkwardly.
“This bitch made a mistake. She was too lazy and didn’t finish cleaning even though I was here.”
“Is that so?”
Daphne looked resentful. But her words would not be accepted.
Asherad smiled gently as always. The Prince of Pindus also raised the corners of his mouth when he saw that.
“So, I will forgive her sin on the condition that I take this one maid. What do you think?”
Daphne almost screamed. She had no idea that the Prince would directly demand her body.
“I believe you will permit it, Crown Prince Asherad. You have no choice, do you?”
It was extremely rude to treat the Crown Prince of the empire. The knights of the Pindus kingdom looked at the Prince, who was so blatantly rude, sweating profusely. When Asherad did not respond, the Prince spoke again, provoking him.
“If you don’t want to get on your father’s bad side.”
At that moment, Asherad's eyes flashed coldly. However, those eyes soon disappeared. Asherad turned his head and looked at Daphne's face. Her eyes were filled with tears, and she looked at him earnestly. A smile appeared in Asherad's eyes, and then on his beautiful face...
“Drink as much as you want.”
He spat out cruel words.
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