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Chapter 6 – [Part 1]
It’s been three days since Kainer left. No news came, and the more time passed without any word from him, the heavier Saye’s heart grew. Can’t he come back just one day sooner? She wanted to let him know that she remembered. Contrary to her restless heart, time passed by so slowly that it was painful. Even if she grabbed a book that would interest her, she couldn’t see the letters.
The attendant came with a book. Kainer had mentioned something about her favorite adventure story coming out, but the excitement she felt was no longer the same as in the past.
“Miss Saye!”
Her petite frame flinched. As she heard Enin’s sigh, Saye knew she had come to see her again. Cezanne opened the door and grinned. Cezanne had a lively and friendly personality to the extent that Saye felt bad for being wary of her the first day they met. Every day, Cezanne visited Saye and told various stories.
“I’m going to have lunch with the others right now, but they said they want to see Miss Saye too.”
“I’m fine.”
“If you stay in the room like this today too, His Majesty will be heartbroken when he comes back later. It seems like you can’t come out because of us. Come and eat something delicious together with us.”
Saye couldn’t help but heed her words when she mentioned Kainer. She hated making him worry.
“If you don’t want to go, you don’t have to go, Your Majesty.”
“Oh, Enin. Saye wants to go.”
“Stop it, Miss Cezanne.”
“What. I have now entered the harem. You should call me ‘Your Highness’ like you do with Miss Saye.”
“It’s because you didn’t come in officially with His Majesty’s permission.”
“Oh my, are you going to treat me like this even though I was once His Majesty’s fiancée?”
“Isn’t that a story that ended years ago?”
Saye flinched at the word fiancée. Enin carefully watched Saye’s reaction.
“Hohoho, Miss Saye, these are all old stories. I couldn’t even remember that time.”
Cezanne, holding Saye’s hand affectionately, covered her mouth with one hand and laughed. Enin looked at her and frowned.
“Did you bring it up on purpose?”
“Enin! How exactly do you view me? I just want to get to know Miss Saye. We’re going to keep seeing each other in the harem, right?”
There was nothing wrong with Cezanne’s words. Saye shook her head to stop Enin as she was about to say something.
“Let’s eat together, I’ll go with you.”
“Oh, as I thought, Saye would join us.”
She folded her arms in a friendly way and Cezanne showed her tongue to Enin.
* * *
Most of the women in the harem were gathered at the dining table on one side of the garden. Saye was the only official concubine, so they all got up and conveyed their respects, but their expressions were shaky. Maybe it’s because they knew she’s a commoner.
Saye looked down at them with a shy smile on her face and bowed her head.
“Miss Saye, please eat some of this too.”
Cezanne gave some food to her. Saye ate only a few fruits, uncomfortable in her seat.
“Thank you.”
“Miss Cezanne has a beautiful heart too.”
“Yes. She has a pretty face and a nice family.”
The women laughed. Saye also nodded in agreement.
“Oh my, none of that matters, even if you shower me with compliments. You have to show it well to Saye here.”
The women’s expressions flickered again. Then they subtly ignored Saye and looked for another topic of discussion. Cezanne lowered her voice as they exchanged gossip, each talking about the new silk and jewel merchant.
“Miss Saye, have you heard?”
“What is it?”
“I heard His Majesty Kainer got hurt.”
Crash—
The knife she was holding fell. Enin, who had been a few steps away from the dining table, approached, but Saye raised a hand to stop Enin in her tracks.
“Th-that what…”
“He must have been ambushed.”
She remembered five years ago. Was he seriously injured, just like that time? Rendered speechless, Saye couldn’t even blink her eyes and only her hands moved because they trembled. Cezanne gently wrapped her arms around her and continued.
“He wasn’t hurt as badly as you think.”
“Really?”
“I’m sure that’s what my father said. That’s why, in the evening, I’m secretly going to sneak out and see how His Majesty is doing.”
“How?”
“Cezanne, this ruby arrived from the south. It’s about the size of a child’s fist, and now the harem is buzzing with rumors of it. Who will be the owner?”
When the woman opposite Cezanne spoke to her, their secret conversation was interrupted.
“Oh my, Saye. Ask His Majesty to buy it.”
Even as the woman urged and Cezanne countered her, Saye couldn’t hear any of it. She wanted to find out quickly how Kainer was doing and whether he was in critical condition. As Saye’s expression hardened, the woman who brought out the jewelry said with a sullen face.
“It seems that Saye is not interested in jewelry. She’s not interested in what I have to say.”
“Oh, you’re wrong. She’s very kind. Saye, are you not feeling well?”
At Cezanne’s kind question, she only nodded her head.
“You must be very weak. How could such a weak person receive such a great Sultan?”
When someone sarcastically said, the women burst into laughter. Saye’s face turned red. Cezanne said as she gently comforted her.
“Actually, some of the women who slept with His Majesty talked about how wonderful he was. Hoho, did you think that Miss Saye is the only one that His Majesty has taken, hm?”
“Ladies, you are all talking too much.”
Enin, who was listening behind her, spoke coldly, and everyone bit their tongues in an instant. It’s probably because they don’t want to be hated by Enin, who had raised Kainer since he was a child.
“Enin, it’s true. Miss Saye needs to know everything.”
Only Cezanne responded to Enin. That’s a good thing. Saye never thought that Kainer, who had held her so tenderly, would not have a woman before. His safety was the only thing that dominated Saye’s mind right now.
“Tell me please.”
Saye took Cezanne’s arm and spoke, and she whispered again.
“I will go to Miss Saye’s room at night. Let’s talk again then. Instead, Enin should not be there. She will prevent me from telling you about His Majesty.”
“Your Majesty, why don’t you go back to your bedroom and rest?”
Enin approached Saye and asked. Saye was stiff with worry. Then Cezanne turned her head, as if she had not said anything like a lie. She then brought up the story of the jewels that she had not even finished before.
No one cared about her anymore. They didn’t want her to be there anymore, so Saye leaned into Enin as the older woman lifted her body up.
“Is it because you were in an uncomfortable position?”
The pale Saye was wracked with worry. As Saye shook her head without strength, Enin let out a sigh mixed with concern, thinking that she should be a little healthier and stronger so she could win against those girls. If today’s incident got into Kainer’s ears, he would never let this go.
Leaving the place with Saye, Enin’s gaze turned to Cezanne. She had some suspicions that Cezanne was plotting something, but she wasn’t sure about it.
The breakup between Kainer and Cezanne was one-sided. Although they were engaged five years ago, after meeting Saye, Kainer separated himself from all the women around him. For five years, he had no women while he gathered people and power just to get to Saye.
That was best known by Enin, the only woman who had been by his side. She would tell Saye this story when things got a little better. Then the anxiety of not trusting Kainer will disappear as if washed away entirely. And once Kainer returned, she was sure that Cezanne and her uncouth mouth would be kicked out at once.
* * *
Enin had entered the bedroom earlier and was staring at the fidgety Saye with strange eyes. She stood by the window several times and looked out, then sighed, and when Enin and her eyes met, she tried to say something but thought against it.
“What’s wrong?”
“No. It’s just…”
Did Enin know about Kainer’s situation? Cold sweat ran down her back. With no sign of Cezanne coming, Saye tried her luck.
“Did Lord Kainer get hurt?”
“What? How could Your Majesty…”
“H-How bad is it?”
Saye jumped from her seat and approached Enin, taking the older woman’s hand in hers. It was clear even if she didn’t look at her. It was a secret from Saye, but it’s true that Kainer got injured.
“It’s not life-threatening. You don’t have to worry too much.”
“How come… Why isn’t he coming back to the palace right away?”
“Because his work is not done yet. His Majesty considers this opportunity to pull out the roots.”
Enin had just heard the report that an arrow hit his shoulder, but it was definitely not a serious injury. As his nanny, it’s no question that he was worried about Kainer, but it was nothing compared to Saye, who had the color drained out of her face.
“He knew Your Majesty would react like this, so His Majesty ordered me to keep it from you…”
“I h-haven’t even told His Majesty my feelings yet.”
“Don’t cry, Your Majesty. His Majesty is not the kind of person who’d be defeated easily.”
However, when Enin did not explain the wounds in detail, so Saye just became even more anxious. The door opened just in time. As always, it was Cezanne who entered Saye’s room without a measure of courtesy. Cezanne clicked her tongue. From the look of the crying Saye in Enin’s arms, she noticed that Saye had spoken to Enin about Kainer’s injury.
“Miss Cezanne.”
“Enin, don’t look so scary.”
“You made Her Majesty worry by telling her about useless things. In the first place, it was classified, so Miss Cezanne should not know, so how did you know?
“Hohoho, is there such a thing like a secret in this palace? You can know everything if you just search a little.”
“When His Majesty returns, I will report you.”
“Do whatever you want. Once upon a time, when I was Lord Kainer’s fiancée, Enin couldn’t have treated me like this.”
“That is a thing of the past.”
Enin replied coldly. Kainer’s engagement to Cezanne came about after she pursued Kainer to death. Enin did not like Cezanne from the beginning. She was a creature of jealousy, and she was terribly arrogant. In the first place, she didn’t even have the heart to care for anyone, so Enin immediately assumed her intention to approach Saye was impure.
“Right. It’s a thing of the past.”
Saying that, Cezanne’s eyes lit up coldly. Enin didn’t even see it, as she hugged Saye who was in tears.
“Kyaaaa!”
At that moment, a loud scream rang out. Someone urgently called for Enin from outside.
“Enin! You need to come out.”
“What’s going on?”
“One of the girls has a problem.”
A few people rushed in and looked for Enin through front of the door, with an urgent expression on their faces. Enin oversaw the harem, and she was responsible for even the peace and safety of the girls who forced themselves into the harem.
Wishing that Kainer would come back soon, Enin looked back as she headed towards where she was being called.
“Come with me, Miss Cezanne.”
Apparently, she didn’t like leaving Cezanne with Saye alone.
“Sure. I know Enin doesn’t believe me.”
Cezanne shrugged as if it wasn’t a big deal, and she was the first to walk out the door. Enin, who was heading towards the commotion, ordered the maid who was near her.
“Never let Miss Cezanne enter Her Majesty’s room.”
“Yes, Miss Enin.”
However, contrary to Enin’s request, Saye’s bedroom door opened again. Because Cezanne handed jewels to the maid. Cezanne, who came in quickly, looked furtively behind her and took the robe that the maid held in her arms.
“We’re going to see Lord Kainer from now.”
“How?”
“Wouldn’t it reassure you to see him with your own eyes? To see if the wound is okay. Hasn’t Enin told you how much he’s hurt?”
Saye nodded her head with an anxious face. Cezanne grabbed and roughly peeled off the garment made of the finest silk that Saye was wearing.
“Let’s change this. Miss Saye, your appearance stands out, so make sure to wear a veil. I’m not an official concubine yet, so if I call you my maid, we can leave the palace together.”
“Will I really see Lord Kainer?”
Cezanne smiled broadly as she looked into the tear-filled eyes.
“Of course. That’s why you’re going with me.”
The words that Kainer told her to quietly wait in the palace are no longer in Saye’s mind. As Cezanne told her, she changed her clothes into a maid’s robe, put on the veil, and bowed her head. And as Cezanne and the two of them were about to leave the palace quickly, the guards called to stop them.
“Where are you going?”
“There is an urgent message coming from my father, and I have to go away for a while. This is my maid.”
Normally a woman of Cezanne’s stature would ride a palanquin, but to show that they were really in a hurry, the two rode on horses. She was terrified to ride a horse for the first time in her life, but Saye pretended to be as calm as possible, putting her eyes down to the mane of her horse. The guard, who knew who Cezanne was, soon cleared the way, and Cezanne’s horse started to run fast.
Cezanne only taught her the basics of riding a horse, so as she advised, she kicked her horse on the side and lowered the reins, and the horse ran. It was the outside that Saye wanted so desperately to see, but nothing caught her eye. She was preoccupied with not wanting to be left behind by Cezanne.
The unfamiliar landscape, which she hadn’t seen in over a decade, didn’t draw her attention either. A house made of white clay, a shop she had seen in a book, rare animals, and people laughing out loud just passed by her peripheral vision.
Please, let him be safe.
As soon as she remembered his face, the memories that were special to her flooded her mind, and she wondered if he was alive. Let’s trust Enin’s words for it. The unbelievable story that he had become a Sultan just for her, even Saye wanted to believe that now.
“It’s here.”
The place where Cezanne stopped was an old building in a dark place, inside the market. The sun had just set, and the night was getting darker. It seemed that there were hardly any people in this place, and the noise of the noisy street they had passed through could only be heard from afar. There was not a single person nearby.
“In a place like this, Lord Kainer…”
“Come on in.”
Cezanne urged, pushing Saye’s back. It’s as if the black darkness, without a single ray of light, was about to devour her. But Saye was used to the darkness. If Kainer was in this darkness, she was willing to go inside.
“How about Miss Cezanne?”
When she looked back at Cezanne, who had come with her to see Kainer, just before stepping into the darkness, Saye felt a chill going down her spine. Cezanne had a venomous smile on her lips. Her eyes were filled with contempt, jealousy, and resentment that she didn’t bother to hide any longer.
Why did she tell…?
“Cezanne?”