Chapter 5 – [Part 4]
“Keuhk…”
An overwhelming pain engulfed him. He had never experienced so much pain in his life. Returning to reality in an instant, Kainer found Saye right before his eyes.
“Ugh…”
“Are you okay?”
Tears welled up in her eyes as she pressed her hands on the wounded area with both hands.
“Don’t cry.”
“Blood keeps coming out…”
If she hadn’t pressed his chest, he might have lost consciousness and died like this. The clean cloth she offered to bring was already bloody. The same went for a few pieces of cloth lying next to it.
“Eat this first. Fortunately, a few concubines are drinking alcohol today.”
Wine was always available, but liquor with high alcohol content was quite difficult to find. When Saye poured the cactus liquor onto the wounded area, a burning pain came again.
“I have to disinfect…”
Saye did not know what to do after hearing his reaction. She clearly didn’t want to see him hurting, so Kainer struggled to hold back his groans. For some reason, this child who was treating him seemed to be in more pain than him.
“Give me the drink.”
She quietly handed the bottle to him, and he drank it all at once.
“Ah… Don’t drink everything…”
“Otherwise, the pain is unbearable. Didn’t the book you read mention borrowing the power of alcohol?”
It was a joke, but the child did not laugh and just nodded her head seriously. This time, she held out the water to him.
“You’ve lost a lot of blood, so you have to eat something. Here’s fruit, water, and bread. I wanted to bring you some meat, but there’s nothing left…”
It was the first time he ate leftovers. His mouth was dry and he didn’t want to eat anything, so he just leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes for a moment. Then, something wet touched his lips.
It was a little difficult to wet the bread in water to soften it and then put it in his mouth from the same tip of the fingers that applied cactus liquor to the wound.
“Eat, please.”
“…What if I’m a bad person?”
“Bad people wouldn’t say that.”
Calmly, Kainer took the sodden bread and ate it. Saye’s eyes were wet with tears once again, soaking the bread in water and bringing it to his lips. She had a shaded face, but perhaps in a few years, she would boast of a beauty that was superior to anyone in the harem. Realizing this, Kainer was exasperated.
“You need to eat more.”
He couldn’t remember anyone feeding him food when he was young. It didn’t feel bad now, so Kainer opened his mouth again quietly.
“You’re weird.”
“What?”
“A normal woman would call for help and scream.”
As he obediently ate the bread, Kainer’s tongue brushed against Saye’s finger. He asked her, but she turned her gaze away, clenching her fingers.
“What’s your name?”
“…Saye.”
“You have no last name?”
“Because I am not a nobleman’s daughter.”
Saying that she was a commoner, Saye gauged Kainer’s expression. Usually, people of higher status treated commoners badly. Kainer, who sensed that she was expecting such behavior from him, grabbed Saye’s wrist as she soaked bread in water, and led it to his mouth.
“I don’t care.”
She breathed a sigh of relief, probably worried about it, then smiled faintly. Seeing her face, Kainer wished she could smile a little brighter.
“In a few years, you’ll be in full bloom.”
She was the Sultan’s flower, which he could never pick. Realizing this, Kainer’s eyes darkened.
“No one cares about me.”
“They’re all stupid.”
She wanted to wipe his bloody face, but it seemed to no avail because the cloth was already very dirty. Saye put the last piece of bread in his mouth and tried to pull away from him.
“Are you okay?”
Kainer moved and covered his chest with his hands and groaned as her little body clinged to him. He was relieved at that little body. Her expressions, her attention to each of his reactions, seemed to wrap around and comfort him, who had been hurt by his own blood and flesh.
“Don’t let go. Hold onto the wound tightly.”
She nodded and her small hands pressed against his chest.
“Saye.”
“Yes?”
His heart ached at the worry in her gentle gaze. He had no goals in life. He was a great man, but he never coveted his brother’s place. He hated any type of trouble. Satisfied with his current position, he planned to return to the Tuaregs when his older brother became Sultan.
How long would it take for this bud to bloom? Would she be able to live in hiding until the end without being caught by the Sultan? Until he comes to pick her up.
“Keep hiding. Out of the Sultan’s sight.”
Her little head tilted with a face not knowing why he was saying that. When this flower blooms most beautifully, he shall come to pick it.
His life’s goal had been so easily determined. This little one took root in his weakened and broken heart at once. How dare this ignorant Sultan’s flower take root in his parched heart.
Kainer’s finger caressed Saye’s cheek.
“Even if you would catch the Sultan’s attention, then it’s not your fault. You will grow up to be so beautiful.”
Kainer laughed. Saye smiled softly without realizing her own expression.
“I won’t care.”
Kainer knew that becoming the Sultan would allow him to reap the concubines of his predecessor.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Eat well, sleep well, and wait nicely.”
His head began to spin. How long would it take for a rebellion to succeed?
The first thing to do is cut off the older brother who would be the initial problem, and then cut off the mother as well. Yes, what about the sister who pierced his chest and cut off his blood and flesh?
“Don’t think about anything.”
“Why?”
“Because your eyes are scary.”
Children were honest. At Saye’s words that seemed to look straight into him, Kainer nodded his head compliantly.
“Yes. Let’s think about it next time.”
I want to see your face a little more.
And when Saye, who had been pressing on Kainer’s wound until dawn, fell asleep and woke up, she found herself covered with a bloody blanket, alone with not a trace of the wounded man.
* * *
Enin supported Saye as her legs almost gave out from beneath her.
“Th-that was Lord Kainer!”
Realizing that and thinking about it, it was around that time that Kainer started going in and out of this quiet library.
“His Majesty was so depressed that Your Majesty couldn’t remember, but you finally remember it now!”
Enin was delighted. Saye kept silent for a moment, immersed in her muddled thoughts. The memory of that time was clearly imprinted in Saye. It wasn’t something that could be forgotten easily, but with a bloodied face and a low, pained voice, she couldn’t easily recognize that it was Kainer.
If only she had found out sooner…
Still pondering, Saye shook her head. Even if she found out quickly, she was the Sultan’s concubine at the time.
“Your Majesty, please tell him about this when he returns. He will be very pleased.”
“That’s why he was so kind to me.”
“There’s only one reason he saved your life, but Your Majesty’s warm heart must have touched him dearly.”
She took a moment to savor the memory. It was the first night Saye, who had always been alone, spent with someone. She couldn’t ask anyone if they knew the man. That night, Saye clamped her mouth shut in case he was still being pursued. There was no trace of him being dragged away, so she hoped that he had escaped safely. Every time she thought about it, she assumed that she’d probably never see him again in this lifetime, and she was content with the thought that he was living well somewhere out there.
“Why didn’t he tell me?”
“Perhaps His Majesty wanted you to remember it for yourself.”
“Why…”
“It was a special moment, and His Majesty fell in love at first sight!”
“Lo-love?”
“The wound was inflicted by his only sister and her fiancé. She had stabbed him with a knife. His Majesty realized for the first time that his only blood relative held no love for him.”
What Enin said was shocking. How could his sister point a sword towards her own brother? It shouldn’t be because he was a cruel person who’d swing his sword at his brothers’ necks. He just had no choice but to survive.
“It’s too much…”
“You are such a person, that’s why His Majesty keeps taking care of you with such devotion.”
Enin tenderly held Saye in her arms as she started to shed tears. In her warm embrace, Saye burst into tears.
“His Majesty will be upset. Stop crying, Your Majesty.”
“But… but…”
“If Your Majesty were a handmaiden, His Majesty would have taken you far away with him. But you were the Sultan’s concubine. That’s why he eventually coveted the throne and became Emperor.”
“Then, if something goes wrong, how can I…”
Saye continued to weep.
“It’s scary if someone who swore that they would never put a knife on your back even if they were pushed makes up his mind.”
Enin thought it was better. If the First Prince had ascended as the Sultan, Kainer would not have survived. There’s no way he would keep his younger brother, who was better than him, alive. The world they lived in was such a place, so Enin thanked Saye. Because of her, Kainer obtained a goal for his life.
“I miss Lord Kainer so much.”
“I, too, would like to see him soon.”
“How can I wait for a week when even one day is too long?”
“Think about what to say when you meet His Majesty. Your Majesty can talk to me when you are feeling anxious.”
Enin said playfully and wrinkled her eyes.
“Time will go by quickly.”
“If he gets hurt again…”
“He won’t. At that time, he let his guard down in front of the person he trusted the most, but this time it’s not the same. No one can harm him.”
After hearing Enin’s assurance, Saye held a hand against her chest.
As they comforted each other, they didn’t think that anyone was listening to their conversation. The person who secretly entered the library after following Saye heard the entire story and laughed secretly.