Chapter 12

Her face was doused in tears as she continued to wail,despite my presence. Oddly enough, the sight of her in so much pain stung my heart. I did not know how to console her as I had never done it before. Others' pain has never affected me in such a personal way in the past. Therefore, the best I could do at that moment was to wrap the blanket around her and sit quietly by her side. Of all places, why did she choose to come to the forest?

"Sir Nate? When did you get here? And whose blanket is this?"

"I was having trouble sleeping, so I decided to take a stroll and stumbled upon you."

Why in the world am I making such a pathetic excuse? I should just tell her I heard her conversation with her friends hence I followed her because I was worried.

"You always come to me at my worst." She said in a sad tone.

She leaned her head on my shoulder and began to wail yet again.This time more vigorously.

"Just so you are aware, I am upset with you too, Sir Nate." She said as she sniffled and wiped the tears off her face.

"What have I done wrong?"

"I saw the young master with the princess earlier. They were…ki…" 

"That's enough, Fati. You do not need to say it out loud." I interrupted.

"I should have told you about their relationship sooner. I am very sorry." I continued as I sighed.

That bastard!

~The Next Day

The birds were chirping louder than usual as I slowly awoke. The morning wind also felt chillier on my face, as I noticed thatI was wrapped in a thick blanket which was constraining me a great deal. As I widened my eyes, I found myself staring at the stable where I was supposed to be waking up from. Then a thought came to mind. If the stable is all the way over there then, where am I?

It was then I realized that Sir Nate was sound asleep next to me, with his back leaned against the tree. He was completely defenseless

"Now that I take a closer look, he is indeed handsome in a way. He has a black mole under his left eye. How adorable."

He should show off his mole by pulling his hair back like so. I'm sure the young maidens would flock after him, despite his gruff personality. How odd. The longer I gaze upon him, the more appealing he becomes.

"What are you doing to my hair?" he blurted in a sleepy tone,which startled me.

"I-I was just looking at your mole." I replied as I chuckled nervously.

"Shall we get going?" 

He seems to be in a foul mood all of a sudden. Is he not a morning person?

"Your eyes are all puffed up from crying. Come, I shall fetch you medicine to put on them."

He gently grabbed my hand as we headed towards the stable.

++++++

"Darling! Whatever happened to your handsome face?! You are all bruised up!" I exclaimed in shock as I held his face.

"A mere scuffle between friends is all it was. How are the spring festival preparations coming along?" he replied while pulling his face off my grip.

"How can I focus on that when your face is in such disarray? Who did this to you?"

Based on these injuries, I can more or less guess what transpired. No knight in their right mind would dare to lay their hands on their liege's heir, which means the only person left is my brother. Whenever those two engage in a sparring session, Dimitriu is always the one to sustain the injuries.

"This is unacceptable! I'm going to let Kazein have a piece of my mind!"

"Do not probe any further, Emilia." He said in a menacing tone.

"Pardon the interruption, young master. Fatima has arrived." Announced the butler from the other side of the door.

Fatima? Isn't that the name of whom he mumbled in his sleep?

"Let her in." he replied as he proceeded to sit behind his desk.

When the door opened, a girl with a thin physique walked in ever so gracefully with her head bowed. Her silver hair was neatly tied back, and her dress was sprucely cleaned. Her manner of speaking was somewhat refined, and her peculiar accent sounded familiar. She oddly reminds me of a girl I met a few years ago.

"From now onward, you are to report to her highness, Princess Emilia, and assist her with the preparations for the spring festival. Do you have questions?"

"Not at all young master."

The way she kept fidgeting means she was feeling uncomfortable. I wonder if something had transpired between the two of them. Then again, what could happen between a master and his slave? It seems I had nothing to worry about after all.

"Follow me, Fatima. For now, you are to serve me tea until I decide on your assignment."

"Yes, your highness."

For some reason, her mellow tone is irritating me.

++++++

"His highness, the crown prince just left with a basket filled with snacks yet again."

"Could he be feeding those slaves again?"

"Honestly, how much longer must we put up with this behavior of his?"

The maids had no qualms gossiping about a member of the imperial family in the kitchen. Moreover, I just found out that the person who ordered Sir Nate to bring us food every day was not the young master, but his highness, the crown prince. Why? We have never run into him ever since he arrived at the duchy, so why would he be this considerate towards us? I should inquire more information from the girls upon my return.

"You! What are you still standing there for? The princess' tea is getting cold. Hurry and take it to her this instant!"

"Yes, miss!" I promptly responded.

They made me stand in a faraway corner of the kitchen. How was I supposed to know when the tea was ready? Though I am used to this sort of treatment, as this was how they behaved towards me when I was first introduced to them. I must say, this is rather irritating.

"What's with the grim expression on her face?"

"She should feel honored to be serving the princess, despite being  so filthy."

"Honestly! What is the princess even thinking by letting such a wretched creature near her? She could get sick from being exposed to that thing."

"Speaking of which, you ladies should sanitize your clothes and hands before you touch anything else."

"Right away, miss Edith!"

How glad I am that I do not work in the kitchen.

+++++

She sat near the open window as she gracefully sipped her tea while quietly flipping through the pages of the documents in her hands. She carried such a calm and poised bearing that makes one feel at ease in her presence. Her blazing red hair fluttered about her slender face, as she slowly shut her eyes and drew a soft sigh. I had a chance to read about her in the records that Duke Kartier had once entrusted me with. Her name is princess Emilia Reva Von Alkaraz, the first princess and the crown prince's fraternal twin sister.

Aside from her indomitable beauty, people say that she approaches everything she does with a rather calculative mindset. A trait that she gradually cultivated by following in the footsteps of her brother and father. Her influence stretches far and wide both locally and internationally, which means she is someone I should have never crossed paths with. 

"Do you plan on awkwardly stand there all day?" she asked calmly while setting her teacup on the saucer.

Her manner of speaking oddly reminds me of Sir Nate. 

"Come and sit over here."

With a slight nod of her head, she signaled that I sat on the chair across from her. A rather fancy white sofa that a slave like myself could only ever dream of resting on. If the mistress were to suddenly walk through these doors and see this, I can't even begin to think of the repercussions I may suffer later.

"My Dimitriu has been calling your name in his sleep as of late.What exactly is your relationship with my fiancé?" she asked as she gazed at me from head to toe.

At that moment, a frigid chill suddenly ran down my spine,while my face suddenly turned pale. I could not find any words to defend myself, nor to deny her suspicions. While it is a factthat I coveted her fiancé, I had no way of knowing that they were a couple. How do I answer this question without sounding like I am making excuses? More importantly, how do I escape from being discovered by her?

"Y-your highness, what sort of relationship could there be between a master and his slave? I am merely a lowly being who was luckily found useful enough to serve the young master."

At the sound of my own words, my heart began to sting at the reality of the situation. Whoever I was before I came to Alkaraz has ceased to exist. If Duke Kartier were ever to become aware of my feelings for the young master, he might put me to deathfor betraying him.

"I see." she pondered.

She carefully placed the teacup on the table, then proceeded to leisurely stare at me. Her gaze pierced through me like a dagger, which instantly made feel ill at ease.

"What's the matter? You did the same thing to me earlier, yet you recoil like this when I return the favor?"

I immediately slumped on the floor and begged for her forgiveness. She bore a rather sour expression on her face as she let out a loud sigh.

"Stand up! Now!" she said scornfully.

"Pardon me, your highness-oh my! I was not aware that her highness was busy."