Chapter 8
A shabby shed on the Atelians’ farmland. Some years ago, deep in the winter, Euclis and Uriel had taken Chesney there.
‘If you escape from here, we won’t torment you for one whole month, Chesney.’
Euclis giggled, slamming the shed door and securing the lock.
‘Euclis, Uriel. Please don’t be like this! I’ll do anything you tell me to do from now on, huh?’ Chesney scrambled to the locked door and banged on it. However, the hard shed door only left red marks on the young girl’s fists.
‘You’ll do anything? Then you can escape from here. That’s an order, Chesney. Try to get out of here.’
Euclis and Uriel retreated from the shed, giggling. Chesney called out from behind them until her voice went out. That year it was a particularly cold winter. In winter, when the ground froze, tenant farmers naturally tended to come around less. On top of that, there weren’t any passersby around this shed in the middle of remote farmland.
‘Is anybody there? Help me, please…’
She used all her strength to get out, but the sole door’s doorknob was so high that she couldn’t even get her hand on it. As time passed, her body temperature dropped, and her throat became extremely dry.
This was an awful nightmare. Nothing came close to the pain she’d already suffered from. She shed tears because of the nightmare about lelangs. But the dream, as if it were her past, didn’t end there.
However, just like in the fairytales, a few hours later, someone arrived to save her. A wad of white fur falling from a high window woke her up while she rolled around on the dirt floor of the shed.
‘Are you alright? Drink this.’
A beast the size of Chesney’s body dropped a bucket down to her. Then her body curled up to feel the warmth.
‘I guess I was dreaming. A talking dog and—’
‘I said drink this.’
‘M’kay.’ Opening the bucket with shaky hands, Chesney took a gulp of water, to quench her thirst Slowly warming up her chilled body.
‘You’ll die if you fall asleep. Open your eyes.’
‘M’kay.’
‘Hey stupid, don’t just answer me.’
The trash-talking white wad of fur became one of Chesney’s only friends. It was so precious for her that the time they spent together remained her happiest memory.
* * *
Chesney woke up in a fancy bedroom decorated with subtle blue and white. The soft bed and warm blanket were wrapped around her as if hugging her.
“Your Majesty, have you come around to yourself?”
Bobbi’s detailed face appeared as soon as Chesney’s eyes opened. Nodding slowly, she held on to the clues about the dream she just had and tried to recall it. A wad of white fur that’d come to rescue her when she was trapped in a shed. It wasn’t a prince riding a white horse, but she at least remembered that it was white.
From then, the white wad of fur had become friends with her, spending time with her in the clammy shed. But not too long afterward it disappeared. That had happened almost ten years ago. Chesney guessed that it had probably exhausted its life and died somewhere. But why couldn’t she remember that dog’s name? Even though it had clearly been a good friend to her, its name never popped up in her head.
“A nightmare’s a nightmare. Don’t be so strung up on the mischievous nightmare that those lelangs brought out.”
Bobbi stroked her thin blond hair.
“It wasn’t that bad of a dream. Since it left me with a fond memory.” Chesney said.
Bobbi raised her eyebrows as if feeling strange about her words. “Even though you were attacked by a herd of lelangs, you arrived safely in Kaupoon. Just rest, Your Majesty. You can call a servant if there is anything you need.”
Standing up, Bobbi arranged the chairs next to the table at the corner of the bedroom.
“And when will my husband…”
From the looks of herself lying in the middle of the bed, Chesney knew she hadn’t spent the night with White.
“Please rest.”
Bobbi left without answering. Chesney, feeling blue, looked down and fiddled with her wedding band.
* * *
Relaxed and care-free Belcansus. In line with the nickname ‘barbarian’, the military personnel in the royal palace did not do much either. They spent their days either sunbathing in the garden or terrace or swimming in the lake. Totally different from the hustle and bustle of the city in Sepion, the people here were like beings melted into nature. Maybe that was why Chesney enjoyed this place; this beautiful green forest felt like her hometown.
“Your Majesty, shall I get dessert ready?”
“That’s okay.”
She felt sorry for the chef who would have worked hard to make it, but the food in Belcansus was terrible except for the meat. But then again, sadly, Chesney didn’t enjoy eating meat that much, because she favored fruits, vegetables, and cheese-oriented dishes. After coming over to Belcansus, she had only filled her stomach with small amounts of food just enough to satisfy her hunger.
“If there is anything else you need, please summon me whenever.”
“Yes, I sure will.”
Returning to her room from the dining room, Chesney looked around at the few pieces of luggage she’d put on the table. Even spending time here was like work. Time went by so slowly, almost like it’d paused. On top of that, White hadn’t yet returned since the first night at Hanella’s mansion, owned by the royal family of Belcansus. That was why she needed to spend her time busily, to prevent her heart from rotting black.
Holding a book she was leisurely reading, she decided to spend time sitting near the forest seen through her bedroom window.