"P-Princess, are you alright? Are you angry at me? I apologize if I offended you-"
Sui began her hoard of apologies because she did not know what had set the princess off this time.
She wanted to ensure the princess was not too angry with her, but the princess only blinked and put Sui back on her feet.
"Don't talk to me briefly; I might snap at you. I will put you down when I want to."
The princess did sound like she was in a bad mood.
Sui could not help but feel irritated by the princess's behavior. It was too difficult to keep up with her ever-changing moods, and Sui could only sigh in irritation.
Thankfully, the princess did not carry Sui inside the Imperial Palace. She allowed Sui back down once the Imperial castle was within sight.
However, the lack of conversation between the pair made Sui feel awkward.
"So, you finally made your way back here, dumb princess. Was the freedom of the outside world too much for you? You forgot to come back at all."
White hair, perfect skin, and striking blue eyes looked at the princess with a dotting expression.
There was no malice in Duke Victor's eyes when he greeted the princess.
He kept an eye on Sui and seized her before moving his gaze back to the princess.
"Tsk, why did I have to run into you first out of everyone? Save your speech for later, Victor. I am too tired to deal with your bullshit today."
The princess complained harshly, but that did not even phase Victor.
He looked even more cheerful because of the princess's scolding and even made a shuddering expression.
However, Sui could see that the man was not intimidated.
"Ahh, look at those fierce eyes and hat fiery temper. Since when did our princess begin to show such emotions? It delights me so much to see my little girl having fun."
Duke Victor might be the only person except for the emperor who got away with ruffling Princess Yunjin's hair…. or that was what the rumors said.
But today, Sui witnessed this for the first time.
Victor's hand looked massive on the princess's head as he ruffled those short blond locks before pulling his hand back.
The princess tried to swat it away half-heartedly but was too late.
"Oops, look at the time! I should head inside now. Yunjin, I will meet you in the morning. I need to share something regarding your case with you."
The duke's gaze lingered on Sui just a moment longer than she would have liked, making her body shudder at the attention she was receiving.
Sui quickly looked down to avoid meeting the duke's gaze.
'Stop paying attention to me. I do not need to stand out more than I already do.'
Sui bit her lip to keep her complaints inside her mind.
However, it did not take long before another gaze moved to look at her. This one was familiar and caused Sui to risk looking up.
The princess looked at Sui with a burning expression, making her nervous.
"I shall take my leave now, princess."
Sui had worked hard today, and her body was aching as a reward. She wanted to fall asleep and not wake up for a weak.
But work was necessary for Sui to be able to eat so she could fall unconscious and waste her weak away.
The princess bit her lip in agitation, and Sui felt as if the princess had something to say to her.
But the words never passed her lips, and Sui was dismissed.
Sui blinked as the princess disappeared behind the doors of her palace. The guards glared at Sui to go away now and made her realize a significant fact - her sleeping quarters were on the other side of this compound.
As a slave, Sui was given one of the lowest-ranked quarters in the worst part of this complex.
On the other hand, the princess lived in one of the upper-class compounds built specifically for royalty.
Their stations could not be more different, even if Sui tried.
"How long will you keep polluting this space with your presence? Didn't you see the princess dismissing you when she went in? You should head back home as well now."
The guard was rude to Sui when he forced her to return.
The other guard looked more concerned for Sui, but he did not contradict the first guard either.
Sui noticed the coat-of-arms that decorated these guards' armor had an additional insignia along with the royal guard's.
'I see! So, these guards are likely low-rank members of the nobility. Were they sent here to try and forge relationships with the princess? Did I wound their pride by becoming one of the princess's guards before them?'
As far as Sui knew, the princess had four famous guards, but no one knew their identity.
Sui was the only one revealed publicly, and as the fifth member, she was the talk of the town.
'It makes sense. The other four of the princess's guards must be from the noble families. Keeping their identity hidden must be a way to prevent certain households from gaining more power.'
Sui understood the politics behind this, but she already had enough on her plate to worry about this as well.
"Hurry up and get going already! How long will you loiter around here for?"
The guard asked Sui again and she finally walked away from the compound.
It took her exhausted body approximately an hour to get back to her bed and throw her body down on it.
Usually, Sui wiped off her make-up when she went to sleep. But her body refused to move once it tasted the sweet relief and softness that was her bed.
All the stress and tiredness of the day was welting away under the sweet embrace of her bed and Sui had fallen asleep within seconds.
When she woke up the next morning, her body was sour and tired.
The sun was also beginning to rise in the sky and Sui realized that she was shivering because of the cold.
Someone had pulled the blank off her body to wake her up
"Give it back to me."
Sui demanded, now looking around for her blanket.