Chapter 26 – The Archduke
Chloe felt embarrassed about being seen by the Archduke while asleep, but she preferred it than speaking with him face to face.
He would have woken me up if he’d considered my respite a problem.
And if she was to be killed, it was far better to die in one’s sleep—she did not wish to die in abject fear, as what happened with Princess Alysia.
And even if I wanted to stay up, my body is not doing so well. Having spent a few days in a row hiking up and down the mountain and not eating very well, she was getting exhausted quickly. After returning from her morning trip to Nalusuwan, she would be eager to skip her meals and go straight to sleep.
And without a proper blanket or bed, I’m not sleeping well at all. She observed Howl while massaging her aching lower back. The beautiful stallion had significantly recovered, now able to sit and stand freely. He responded to the treatment unexpectedly well.
While she wasn’t sure for how long she had to continue feeding him the anchor flower leaves, she decided to keep at it for a couple more days. He had begun accepting more and more food as he recovered, and no matter how much herbs she brought from Nalusuwan, a single batch did not last longer than a day.
Stroking the horse’s back while waiting for Trigger, she began worrying. Do I need to face the Archduke today? The prospect was vexing. And even if she fell asleep early again this time, it didn’t seem likely that he would get angry enough to take her life.
During her life amongst aristocrats as Princess Beatrice, she had learned a lot about them. The king of Elpasa feigned affection, but he was a dark man on the inside. Even though he was her father, she failed to feel any familial bond with him.
She had been told that the Archduke’s family was the most powerful one in the Empire. Even though the powerful Empire couldn’t be compared with Elpasa, she was very familiar with the nature of the aristocrats, even here. They saw themselves as the chosen ones and believed that commoners and slaves existed only to serve them.
The Archduke, with his ease in killing others, appeared similar to them. But her gut told her that he was a man of his word.
The Grahams do not break promises, huh? That’s what she had heard about the family. The Archduke didn’t seem frivolous, either. His clear, sincere low voice made him seem trustworthy, and his curt speech suggested that he did not waste time on speaking unnecessary words.
It was as if he was alone in the world and did not expect others to get close to him. He spoke to his will—not caring, and without a hint of emotion. He did not try to use others or identify someone’s weakness and use it to dominate them.
He has probably lived all his life in power. Those who had never lost anything were fair and honorable. They took care of their servants if they were hard-working and honest. She felt that the Archduke might be such person…well, could be. She had not yet known him too well.
He could have done worse things to her—a princess of the country that he defeated—but he did not. While Princess Alicia’s death was tragic, Chloe understood wars, and that she was lucky to avoid an even bigger tragedy. And this was, yet how much she hated to admit, because of his decision in sparing the dark-haired princess of Elpasa.
Despite knowing he would visit, Chloe pretended to be dozing off. It’s not like he directly ordered me to stay awake today. Besides, I don’t see the reason why I should speak to him. He should see his horse recovering and leave me to my peace.
Anyway, he must have visited the stables to appease his suspicion towards the slave caring for his favorite horse. Once he confirmed that the animal was doing well, he must have hurried out of the stables without waking her. The imperial palace was busy with its preparation for the tournament – even the stables had to devote half of its staff to this effort. Given the tournament’s importance as the largest event in the empire, the Archduke would be extremely busy as well.
“Hey, is he all better now?”
“Oh my goodness!” Chloe was startled by an unexpected voice from behind.
“What’s so surprising? It’s just me. You’re such a scaredy-cat,” Trigger, suddenly materialized, standing behind her and staring at the horse. “I remember him being sick and bleeding all over the floor just a few days ago—but it looks like he’s doing a lot better.”
“Yes, sir.”
Trigger, marveled by the fast recovery, could not look away from the animal. Once he was able to stand by himself, Howl had never tried to lie back down or sit. Even though she didn’t know much about horses, she could understand this right away. He’s got a strong sense of ego. It made sense, given his status as the steed belonging to the army’s second-in-command.
“It seems that his exceptional abilities helped him recover rapidly, sir,” she replied softly, anxious to leave for the mountain.
As if he could read her thoughts, Trigger turned to leave the stables and teased, “You didn’t put a spell on him while I was gone, eh?”
She chuckled quietly without responding. They had had many conversations during their daily excursions to Nalusuwan. Despite his appearance, he had only recently come of age. Once they got to know each other, he proved to be mischievous and very sensitive. He often relayed messages from Jorge and had been a great help to her. Even though he must have wanted to enjoy the festivities at the tournament, he tirelessly assisted her in harvesting herbs. Indeed, she was grateful to have Trigger by her side.
He’s a funny person. He chattered about everything from the combat tournament to trivial gossip about the infirmary, which made their harvesting trip to Nalusuwan enjoyable.
After returning to the stables and feeding more herbs to Howl, she stayed awake through suppertime. Fighting off the fatigue, she waited for the Archduke—given what the guard had told her, she felt uncomfortable with going to sleep early.
But I can’t bring myself to have another conversation with him. Even as she waited, the memory of their last encounter made her feel uneasy. She knew that falling asleep early was not the best move, but the thought of him filled her with fear.
I think I should avoid him as much as possible. He had not yet injured her in any way. However, the sound of his footsteps, his robust physique resembling an immense wall, and most of all…
Leave her head to hang on the palace gates.
His voice ordering her death, utterly devoid of hesitation or care, lingered in her ears, as the image of the Archduke murdering Princess Alicia remained burned in her memories.
Having experienced it once, Chloe was afraid of death above all else. Regardless of how she lived, she did not want to be done with this life. She was grateful for, and satisfied with, simply being alive. Whether she was a slave or a servant, her life was valuable.
Although the Archduke had promised to spare her life if she saved Howl, she could not erase the intense memory of their very first encounter, in which he had ordered her death. It was the most frightening day in her present life—the very thought of blade cutting through her delicate neck…
Most of all, she was afraid that, if he found out that she was Princess Beatrice, he would try to finish the job.
She could clearly remember the blade impaling Princess Alicia’s naked torso, and his determined, unhesitant motion. In a ridiculous fancy, she automatically overlapped her own face upon the image of Alicia’s in her head. Feeling chills all over her body, she decided just to close her eyes and sleep.
What if he starts prodding for my origin?
She sighed and shook off such thought. Nonsense! I am a slave and would remain an uninteresting object in his eyes.
And she planned to keep it this way.