Chapter 24
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Valentia was grabbed by a maid with one hand and dragged across the floor, loosely thrown into the next room.
No one took care of her. Valentia suffered alone in that darkness, a place where no one came.
It hurts.
Falling in and out of consciousness, Valentia murmured to herself.
It hurts, mom.
Her back hurt, filled with a searing pain like fire.
And in her weakened state, the first person she thought of was her deceased mother. Would things have been different if she had a mother? If she just had at least one person who loved her?
Not realizing how hurt she was, she wrapped herself in a blanket, trying to relieve herself of the pain. That was when she passed out from the pain and the fever. She did that repeatedly, waking up and losing consciousness, over and over.
It was only after four days that she was barely able to get up.
I’m thirsty.
She couldn’t eat these past four days, and she was extremely dehydrated. She reached for the water by her bedside and drank it. It was stagnant water that wasn’t very fresh, but after these past few days, even water like that was a sweet comfort.
How long was I unconscious?
Valentia struggled to sit up, taking off her clothing, torn from the whipping.
Her clothing felt wet, and she thought it was because of the blood and sweat, so she assumed her clothing would be a mess. But when she took them off, there was not a hint of blood.
Strangle, though she was sweating from the massive amount of pain and her clothing was completely torn, there was no trace of her whipping on her flesh. There wasn’t even a little bit of blood and when she looked at her back in the mirror, there were no wounds or bruises.
Such a thing exists in this world.
Valentia smiled helplessly.
Apparently she used a whip that left no traces because she didn’t want to be caught abusing her. She didn’t realize something like that existed, so a part of her was somewhat amazed, even though she was the one who had gotten beaten.
Her reflection in the mirror was a mess. She was haggard, her makeup was smeared and dirty, and her face was wet with sweat she didn’t get to wash off properly.
And seeing that made her want to cry.
Valentia grit her teeth tightly, holding back her tears.
Fortunately, the initial blow to her cheek had cooled down now. It was still very painful, but there were no visible wounds. It was so painful, she was having difficulty moving her body.
It really was a whip meant specifically for abuse.
She wasn’t feeling very well still, but she couldn’t afford to miss anymore class, so she forced her exhausted body up and went to the Academy. She didn’t want to stay in the mansion, so she left much earlier in the morning, and ended up arriving before anyone else. There weren’t many people around.
Valentia sat in the lecture hall, looking out the window. The sky was pitch black.
It’s not time yet.
She reassured herself, reminding herself that it was still dawn.
Morning just hasn’t come yet.
She thought that over and over again, reminding herself that a time as brilliant as the rising sun would come. That was the only comfort she had to help her endure right now.
As time passed, more people gathered in the lecture hall, one by one.
[Jays] “Hello, Miss Valentia.”
[Valentia] “Oh, yes. Hello Mister Jays. Is everything alright?”
[Jays] “You know my name?”
The man who said hello to her could not hide his embarrassment.
[Valentia] “Of course. You take the same lecture as I.”
There was only one lecture that covered this topic of study, so there were many students there, probably nearly a hundred. And yet, she remembered his name, so Jays was a little surprised.
[Jays] “Since you already know who I am, it’s nice I don’t need to introduce myself.”
She remembered him being a commoner rather than a noble. From what she knew, he usually took lectures in relation to business administration since his father owned a venture.
[Valentia] “Is that so? In anycase, is something wrong?”
[Jays] “Is it alright if we speak for a moment?”
[Valentia] “Yes, of course.”
[Jays] “Why don’t find someplace more private?”
She wondered what was going on with this student she wasn’t very familiar with, but she readily nodded and followed along with him. She still had a lot of time until the lecture began.
As she stood up from her seat, she winced, feeling a shooting pain in her back. Then, they walked out together to the back courtyard—a rather isolated place, where not many people passed through.
[Valentia] “Then, what is it?”
[Jays] “Well, I don’t really know the best way to put this.”
[Valentia] “Speak comfortably.”
[Jays] “These days, you’ve been spending a lot of time with Lord Lexus.”
[Valentia] “Ah, yes.”
It was clear now that he wanted to talk about Lexus, but she couldn’t fathom the reason as to why.
[Jays] “And I trust you know his history with women.”
[Valentia] “Is there anyone at this Academy who doesn’t know?”
[Jays] “Oh, that’s true.”
Jays smiled briefly at Valentia’s calmly given answer. He thought for a moment about whether or not she would be offended that he was insulting the Prince, but then he felt like a fool for even entertaining the thought. Valentia was a rational woman.
[Jays] “Of course, I know he’s a pleasant and nice person to be around, but I just thought it was strange for him to approach you, Miss Valentia. I thought he might have some ill intent in mind, and that I should warn you to be careful.”
[Valentia] “Thank you for worrying about me.”
It wasn’t a very pleasant story, but what he was saying technically wasn’t wrong.
[Valentia] “But when I look at him, I see a good person.”
It was not until those words inadvertently left Valentia that she realized something.
She thought he was a good person.
[Valentia] “…..He’s a good man.”
Good enough for her to repeat that sentiment again.
[Jays] “I know he’s nice, but when it comes to women, he can’t be trusted.”
[Valentia] “You shouldn’t judge someone based on one thing.”
Jays only knew what Lexus looked like when he was at the Academy. He appeared like the worst of the worst—an awful man who played with the hearts of women.
But he was also someone who would throw himself in front of an oncoming carriage to save someone who was running into danger.
He was someone who took in a stray dog, rather than prying into the circumstances that prevented her from doing so. Someone who naturally suggested they take that dog on a walk together. Who was very sweet to her.
He gave her a kindness that no one else had given her. A kindness that radiated warmth.
And then Valentia realized something else.
Yes. That’s right. He’s…
[Valentia] “He’s a warm person.”
Valentia murmured her realization to herself, a vacant look on her face like it was only now dawning on her. Then, she shook herself back to her senses.
[Valentia] “Besides, it is not possible for him to be attracted to me as a woman, so you can set that worry aside.”
[Jays] “No, that……”
Truthfully, Jays was very interested in Valentia himself. Actually, he was very fond of Valentia.
He thought she was a sincere and good person. To him, she was a wonderful woman who went about her way, regardless of how the people around her looked at her.
However, the gaze she earned from others was intense and a little burdensome, so he dare not get any closer to her. She was the Iron Maiden, an outsider at the Academy. If he were to get close, he would earn that ire alongside her and would be pushed outside of the main flow of the social circles, rejected by those around him.
But the more he watched her, the more he started to like her.
When the Prince verbally abused her, he felt angry, but then he quickly became anxious seeing the Prince approach her so suddenly.
And that anxiety deepened when Valentia started to actually get close to him. He felt uneasy so he felt the need to warn her.
But now Valentia was speaking to him coldly.
[Valentia] “You don’t know him truly.”
[Jays] “I…guess that’s true.”
He never had an in depth conversation with the Prince. He was just repeating the stories he’d heard circulating around him, so he couldn’t exactly deny her words.
[Jays] “But whenever I hear about the women who meet up with him…..”
[Valentia] “So because you heard that, that’s definitely how he is? Then I suppose that means I am most certainly a tough and cold-hearted person like the rest of the student body makes me out to be. An unlucky and detestable woman who ignores others, right?”
She knew exactly how others spoke of her at the Academy.
They did not hide their contempt for her and spoke openly in front of Valentia. With loud voices she couldn’t miss, they would insult her in front of her, as if they were speaking of something else entirely.
Valentia once confronted someone who spoke of her like this, asking them why they were talking about her, but they brushed her off. They shared a laugh with their friends, saying, Why do you assume it’s about you when I was talking about something else?
[Jays] “That’s definitely not it…..”
[Valentia] “You don’t really know me either. How can you be so sure?”
He closed his mouth. In the end, there was nary a difference between himself and those who cursed her. He was also giving her advice spoken out of ignorance, telling her to be wary without knowing much else about the Prince.
He felt ashamed enough for his entire face to turn red.
[Valentia] “I’ve spoken with Lord Lexus and that is my assessment. I thank you for your advice, but it’s truly not necessary.”
[Jays] “………I think I spoke out of turn without knowing much.”
Then Jays turned silent as he stared blankly at Valentia, who was now smiling brightly.
They called her the Iron Maiden because she was always making such a cold expression, like a creature made of the purest iron.
So it was a bit strange and awe striking to see her smile like that in front of him. When did she start smiling like that? He’d been watching her from a distance for so long, but this was his first time seeing her make that sort of face.
[Valentia] “I’m glad you are the sort of person who can freely admit that.”
She meant that to mean it was fortunate he was someone who could acknowledge his own mistake, and that he was not an obstinate fool, set in his ways.
[Valentia] “We should get going now. The lecture will begin soon.”
[Jays] “…Yes. Thank you for your time.”
[Valentia] “Then have a good day.”
He wanted to make an excuse, but he didn’t know what to say. And so, after all that, Jays had no choice but to send off Valentia like that.
I’m such an idiot.
He felt helplessly guilty and was full of regret. He wasn’t speaking carelessly, nor was he approaching her thoughtlessly with the idea of gossiping with her. But that was the image he portrayed of himself in the end.
And more than that, it hurt to know that if Valentia ever thought of him, she would imagine a small minded person who spoke ill of others.
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