The wound on the concubine's body was not deep. The roughly cut wound clearly showed the clumsiness of a woman holding a sword for the first time. It would be difficult to heal nicely, but if she ate well and rested well, she could recover quickly. However...
“It’s been so long... If the maid hadn’t come in to check on her, she might have lost her life.”
Blood continuously flowed from the clumsily cut section, filling the bathtub. Judging from the misaligned wound, it must have been difficult to cut properly, so she must have cut it with her own hand several times. Thinking of the woman who had worked hard and stubbornly to die, overcoming the sharp pain, made his mouth feel bitter.
“How is Your Majesty?”
The doctor's expression turned sour at Alexander's question. The reason he asked, even though he knew his condition, was that he expected even a small change. It had been two weeks since the concubine woke up. The King had not slept even for a moment. And she was not a woman who would wake up even if she was attached to him. If you were to judge by the wound, the King's wound was deeper.
The swordsmanship of a man who had cut off hundreds of heads and a woman who had never stepped on an ant could not possibly be the same. In terms of depth, he was the one who had come closest to the artery. But perhaps it was because their basic physical strength was different? A considerable amount of blood had flowed out, but the King was still alive. At least until now...
“You need to get some rest.”
The doctor moved his dry lips. Rest was essential for recovery. But the King did not rest, and it was not in the doctor's power to make him rest. However...
“Sir Alexander, your lady heard.”
The adjutant came and told him. He walked down the corridor to greet his wife. A woman so thin that he had not recognized her in two weeks was looking out of the corridor in the rain. Alexander paused for a moment and stared at his wife. After a while, she turned her head as if she had sensed his presence.
"Honey."
Jules called him. Alexander swallowed a sigh and stood before her.
“How are you both?”
Jules asked. Alexander did not answer. Jules, who was clearly in a state of shock, wiped her wet eyes and slumped her shoulders. The concubine was not dead. However, just like the first time, the prognosis was unpredictable. What if she never woke up? That was the most terrible assumption. That this state of affairs would continue. That the King would go mad like this.
“What about Grancel?”
It was raining. The rainwater hit the columns lined up in a row, making a loud noise. Alexander thought of the Count Grancel family. The cause of death given by the coroner was sudden death due to cardiovascular disease. Did the Princess have cardiovascular disease?
He doesn't know. But it was not uncommon for a month-old baby to die. Whether it was in the palace or in a noble family. It was common for children in common households, and it happened occasionally even in noble families. So it wasn't completely unacceptable. And the Princess was just a month old. She was born weak, and she must have felt a lot of pressure from the change in environment because she was suddenly separated from her mother. Even a healthy baby would have suffered from a fever if she cried that much. However, wasn't she a baby born weak like her mother? Can the Princess's death be said to be solely Henrietta's fault?
The very idea of taking a daughter away to rule over her mother was wrong. The King's thinking was not understandable. At least Alexander thought so. No matter what was twisted, the idea of separating a woman who had just given birth from her child was...
“What are you thinking about?”
Jules asked. Alexander was speechless for a while, then slowly opened his mouth and answered what his wife had asked.
“She will be executed.”
It was not a question of what he was thinking, but an answer to what would happen to Grancel. Jules looked at him blankly and asked again.
“Count Grancel?”
“He won’t be able to die gracefully because of the sins he's committed.”
All the crimes that had been covered up would be brought to the surface. The same goes for Henrietta. Even if she had not killed the Princess intentionally, the circumstances of the abuse were clear. The King would not allow her to be guillotined. It was clear that he would cut her throat repeatedly with a dull axe, like butchering a pig, and then decapitate her head.
“Why do you have that face?”
Jules asked the same thing. What are you thinking? Why is your expression so bad? But Alexander didn’t know what to do with his expression at Jules’s words, so he just wiped his dry face. Then Jules came over and wiped the sunken area under his eyes.
“Your face is amazing.”
She muttered in pity as she looked at his sunken eyes and hunched cheeks. Alexander took his wife's hand, which was stroking his dry cheek, and kissed her lips.
“I think it’s my fault, too.”
“What are you talking about?”
Alexander hummed as he kissed the back of Jules' hand. Jules already had a face that said it wasn't his fault. Alexander smiled lowly.
“...Loyalty is not something you can do.”
“Where can I find a loyal subject like you?”
“I just watched and did nothing while they were taking the one-month-old daughter away from her mother.”
“That is, His Majesty... Yes. He is not a normal person either.”
“I am in a position to speak as well as Count Icalant.”
“It’s not your fault, though.”
Jules said as if sighing. Alexander kissed his wife, who was looking up at him with pained eyes. Jules hugged him. Alexander buried himself in his wife’s small body and closed his eyes. Count Icalant spoke to him and then moved away from the King. It was not the King who threw him out, but the Count himself who lowered himself and distanced himself from him.
And Alexander...
“I watched every time His Majesty made a wrong decision, because I thought it was a matter for his family.”
“I know. That’s not something you can do.”
“He is a smart person.”
Jules looked up. It was funny what she had said after badmouthing him so much. Alexander pinched his wife's cheek and said, 'Really.'
“So, if I had advised him, he might not have treated the Princess like that.”
“Alex.”
“I told him that he shouldn’t do that. I told him that the heart of a woman he loves can’t be changed that way. I told him that he had to take care of his child. His wife must be very hurt because his daughter was born sick. Now that he's a father, as a father...”
Everyone saw the King and the concubine fall out. If he had known it would turn out like this. If he had known that the little child would leave this world like that, he would have done something long ago. No. It is not right to make excuses like this. It is cowardly of him to let go of the King for fear of being kicked out.
“Alex.”
Jules gently grabbed his hand. His gaze, which had been wandering through the air, landed on her. Jules gently grabbed her husband’s face and met his gaze.
“So now we have to help.”
Else opened her eyes four days after a fortnight. Sibyl, who had been holding her wife’s round fingernails while she slept, felt her fingertips moving slightly and opened his eyes. It was a cold morning. The court doctor who had arrived at the crack of dawn was checking on her. Sibyl, who had moved his office near the bedroom, was keeping an eye on Else, unable to leave his seat even before an important report.
Four days after the previous fortnight, the doctor who had given medicine to the unconscious Else sighed and looked at the King's worried face. The man, so thin that it wouldn't have been strange if he collapsed at any moment, was just waiting for the woman to open her eyes.
"Hmm..."
Long eyelashes fluttered, and a faint moan escaped from her dry lips. The King, who had been waiting for her with a fearful face, trembled slightly when her green eyes finally met his gaze. It was a momentary tremble, but the expression of fear was clear and vivid.
“Else.”
When Else lost consciousness, he was the one who had been petting her and looking after her with affection. However, when the woman opened her eyes, he was like a beaten dog, unable to approach her, and just wandered around her. Seeing him like that, the doctor opened his mouth before him.
“Your Highness, are you conscious? Do you know who I am?”
The woman did not answer. She did not nod her head, but her pupils were focused, and she did not seem greatly surprised.
“Let me check the condition for a moment.”
The doctor checked the condition by turning over the eyelids and also checked the condition of the wrist. For four days and fifteen days, was it because she had spent all her energy trying to maintain consciousness? The condition was not good, but it was not bad either. For now, she had to focus on keeping her position and recovering her body, but compared to the situation at the beginning, when it was so bad that he couldn’t even guess the prognosis, this was a good condition.
“The condition is not bad. It will take some time, but for now...”
The King’s eyes were distorted. The court doctor stopped reporting on the concubine’s condition and turned around. The King’s gaze was only on the concubine’s white lips. He was sweating lightly, and his dry lips twitched as he reached out with his right hand to touch her neck.
“Do you want to drink water?”
The King asked affectionately. The concubine glanced at him and closed her eyes. When his hand was about to raise her up, the concubine shrugged her shoulders. The doctor swallowed dryly in embarrassment. It was obvious to anyone that she was avoiding the King.
The King's face hardened. However, instead of forcing her to rise, he called the maid. The maid came in and made the concubine drink water. After emptying two glasses of water, the concubine stared blankly at her wrist. The place where she had been roughly cut. The place where the blue veins were clearly flowing. She said nothing.
"Your Highness."
The concubine, whose lips had been quivering, raised her head. It was a very slow movement. It was as if a weight had been placed on her cervical vertebrae. The doctor looked at her with a tense face and asked one important question.
“Are you unable to speak?”
“It’s been so long... If the maid hadn’t come in to check on her, she might have lost her life.”
Blood continuously flowed from the clumsily cut section, filling the bathtub. Judging from the misaligned wound, it must have been difficult to cut properly, so she must have cut it with her own hand several times. Thinking of the woman who had worked hard and stubbornly to die, overcoming the sharp pain, made his mouth feel bitter.
“How is Your Majesty?”
The doctor's expression turned sour at Alexander's question. The reason he asked, even though he knew his condition, was that he expected even a small change. It had been two weeks since the concubine woke up. The King had not slept even for a moment. And she was not a woman who would wake up even if she was attached to him. If you were to judge by the wound, the King's wound was deeper.
The swordsmanship of a man who had cut off hundreds of heads and a woman who had never stepped on an ant could not possibly be the same. In terms of depth, he was the one who had come closest to the artery. But perhaps it was because their basic physical strength was different? A considerable amount of blood had flowed out, but the King was still alive. At least until now...
“You need to get some rest.”
The doctor moved his dry lips. Rest was essential for recovery. But the King did not rest, and it was not in the doctor's power to make him rest. However...
“Sir Alexander, your lady heard.”
The adjutant came and told him. He walked down the corridor to greet his wife. A woman so thin that he had not recognized her in two weeks was looking out of the corridor in the rain. Alexander paused for a moment and stared at his wife. After a while, she turned her head as if she had sensed his presence.
"Honey."
Jules called him. Alexander swallowed a sigh and stood before her.
“How are you both?”
Jules asked. Alexander did not answer. Jules, who was clearly in a state of shock, wiped her wet eyes and slumped her shoulders. The concubine was not dead. However, just like the first time, the prognosis was unpredictable. What if she never woke up? That was the most terrible assumption. That this state of affairs would continue. That the King would go mad like this.
“What about Grancel?”
It was raining. The rainwater hit the columns lined up in a row, making a loud noise. Alexander thought of the Count Grancel family. The cause of death given by the coroner was sudden death due to cardiovascular disease. Did the Princess have cardiovascular disease?
He doesn't know. But it was not uncommon for a month-old baby to die. Whether it was in the palace or in a noble family. It was common for children in common households, and it happened occasionally even in noble families. So it wasn't completely unacceptable. And the Princess was just a month old. She was born weak, and she must have felt a lot of pressure from the change in environment because she was suddenly separated from her mother. Even a healthy baby would have suffered from a fever if she cried that much. However, wasn't she a baby born weak like her mother? Can the Princess's death be said to be solely Henrietta's fault?
The very idea of taking a daughter away to rule over her mother was wrong. The King's thinking was not understandable. At least Alexander thought so. No matter what was twisted, the idea of separating a woman who had just given birth from her child was...
“What are you thinking about?”
Jules asked. Alexander was speechless for a while, then slowly opened his mouth and answered what his wife had asked.
“She will be executed.”
It was not a question of what he was thinking, but an answer to what would happen to Grancel. Jules looked at him blankly and asked again.
“Count Grancel?”
“He won’t be able to die gracefully because of the sins he's committed.”
All the crimes that had been covered up would be brought to the surface. The same goes for Henrietta. Even if she had not killed the Princess intentionally, the circumstances of the abuse were clear. The King would not allow her to be guillotined. It was clear that he would cut her throat repeatedly with a dull axe, like butchering a pig, and then decapitate her head.
“Why do you have that face?”
Jules asked the same thing. What are you thinking? Why is your expression so bad? But Alexander didn’t know what to do with his expression at Jules’s words, so he just wiped his dry face. Then Jules came over and wiped the sunken area under his eyes.
“Your face is amazing.”
She muttered in pity as she looked at his sunken eyes and hunched cheeks. Alexander took his wife's hand, which was stroking his dry cheek, and kissed her lips.
“I think it’s my fault, too.”
“What are you talking about?”
Alexander hummed as he kissed the back of Jules' hand. Jules already had a face that said it wasn't his fault. Alexander smiled lowly.
“...Loyalty is not something you can do.”
“Where can I find a loyal subject like you?”
“I just watched and did nothing while they were taking the one-month-old daughter away from her mother.”
“That is, His Majesty... Yes. He is not a normal person either.”
“I am in a position to speak as well as Count Icalant.”
“It’s not your fault, though.”
Jules said as if sighing. Alexander kissed his wife, who was looking up at him with pained eyes. Jules hugged him. Alexander buried himself in his wife’s small body and closed his eyes. Count Icalant spoke to him and then moved away from the King. It was not the King who threw him out, but the Count himself who lowered himself and distanced himself from him.
And Alexander...
“I watched every time His Majesty made a wrong decision, because I thought it was a matter for his family.”
“I know. That’s not something you can do.”
“He is a smart person.”
Jules looked up. It was funny what she had said after badmouthing him so much. Alexander pinched his wife's cheek and said, 'Really.'
“So, if I had advised him, he might not have treated the Princess like that.”
“Alex.”
“I told him that he shouldn’t do that. I told him that the heart of a woman he loves can’t be changed that way. I told him that he had to take care of his child. His wife must be very hurt because his daughter was born sick. Now that he's a father, as a father...”
Everyone saw the King and the concubine fall out. If he had known it would turn out like this. If he had known that the little child would leave this world like that, he would have done something long ago. No. It is not right to make excuses like this. It is cowardly of him to let go of the King for fear of being kicked out.
“Alex.”
Jules gently grabbed his hand. His gaze, which had been wandering through the air, landed on her. Jules gently grabbed her husband’s face and met his gaze.
“So now we have to help.”
***
Else opened her eyes four days after a fortnight. Sibyl, who had been holding her wife’s round fingernails while she slept, felt her fingertips moving slightly and opened his eyes. It was a cold morning. The court doctor who had arrived at the crack of dawn was checking on her. Sibyl, who had moved his office near the bedroom, was keeping an eye on Else, unable to leave his seat even before an important report.
Four days after the previous fortnight, the doctor who had given medicine to the unconscious Else sighed and looked at the King's worried face. The man, so thin that it wouldn't have been strange if he collapsed at any moment, was just waiting for the woman to open her eyes.
"Hmm..."
Long eyelashes fluttered, and a faint moan escaped from her dry lips. The King, who had been waiting for her with a fearful face, trembled slightly when her green eyes finally met his gaze. It was a momentary tremble, but the expression of fear was clear and vivid.
“Else.”
When Else lost consciousness, he was the one who had been petting her and looking after her with affection. However, when the woman opened her eyes, he was like a beaten dog, unable to approach her, and just wandered around her. Seeing him like that, the doctor opened his mouth before him.
“Your Highness, are you conscious? Do you know who I am?”
The woman did not answer. She did not nod her head, but her pupils were focused, and she did not seem greatly surprised.
“Let me check the condition for a moment.”
The doctor checked the condition by turning over the eyelids and also checked the condition of the wrist. For four days and fifteen days, was it because she had spent all her energy trying to maintain consciousness? The condition was not good, but it was not bad either. For now, she had to focus on keeping her position and recovering her body, but compared to the situation at the beginning, when it was so bad that he couldn’t even guess the prognosis, this was a good condition.
“The condition is not bad. It will take some time, but for now...”
The King’s eyes were distorted. The court doctor stopped reporting on the concubine’s condition and turned around. The King’s gaze was only on the concubine’s white lips. He was sweating lightly, and his dry lips twitched as he reached out with his right hand to touch her neck.
“Do you want to drink water?”
The King asked affectionately. The concubine glanced at him and closed her eyes. When his hand was about to raise her up, the concubine shrugged her shoulders. The doctor swallowed dryly in embarrassment. It was obvious to anyone that she was avoiding the King.
The King's face hardened. However, instead of forcing her to rise, he called the maid. The maid came in and made the concubine drink water. After emptying two glasses of water, the concubine stared blankly at her wrist. The place where she had been roughly cut. The place where the blue veins were clearly flowing. She said nothing.
"Your Highness."
The concubine, whose lips had been quivering, raised her head. It was a very slow movement. It was as if a weight had been placed on her cervical vertebrae. The doctor looked at her with a tense face and asked one important question.
“Are you unable to speak?”
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