Her face was doused in tears as she continued to wail despite my presence. Oddly enough, the sight of her in so much pain stung my heart to the point of anger. Yet I did not know how to comfort her. Others' distress has never affected me for I was taught to only look after myself, and everyone else came second. Therefore, the best I could do at that moment was wrap the blanket around her and sit quietly by her side.
"Sir Nate? When did you get here? And whose blanket is this?" she sniffled in a quavering voice.
"I was having trouble sleeping, so I decided to take a stroll and stumbled upon you."
Why in the world am I making such a pathetic excuse. I should just tell her I heard her conversation with her friends hence I followed her because I was worried.
"You always come to me at my worst." She mumbled softly, leaning her head on my shoulder as she continued to cry.
"Just so you're aware, I'm upset with you too." she sniffled as she brushed the tears off her face.
"What have I done wrong?"
"I saw the young master with the princess earlier. They were…ki…"
"That's enough, Fati. You need not say it aloud." I interrupted firmly.
"I should have told you about their relationship sooner. I've no excuse; I am very sorry." I continued with a heavy sigh.
That bastard!
~The Next Day
I awoke to the sound of the birds chirping louder than usual as the cold morning breeze blew on my face while I struggled to open my eyes. Something soft was wrapped around me which made me feel warm and cozy. As I widened my eyes, I found myself staring at the stable, where I was supposed to be waking up from. Then a thought came to mind. If the stable is all the way over there then, where am I? As I looked around, I noticed Sir Nate was sitting next to me sound asleep with his back leaned against the tree behind us.
"Now that I take a closer look, he's quite handsome. He has a black mole under his left eye that I've never noticed before."
He should show off his mole by pulling his hair back like so. I'm sure the young maidens would flock after him, despite his gruff personality. How odd… The longer I gaze upon him, the more appealing he becomes.
"What are you doing to my hair?" he mumbled sleepily.
"I-I was just looking at your mole." I stuttered in response as I retreated awkwardly.
"Shall we get going?"
He seems to be in a foul mood all of a sudden. Is he not a morning person?
"Your eyes are swollen from crying all night. Come, let's get that taken care of before we start the day."
He gently grabbed my hand and pulled me up on my feet as we walked towards the stable together.
++++++
"Darling! Whatever happened to your handsome face?! You're all bruised up!" I gasped in shock as I held his face.
"A mere scuffle between friends is all it was. How are the spring festival preparations coming along?" he replied while pulling his face off my grip.
"How can I focus on that when your face is suddenly like this? Who did this to you?"
Based on these injuries, I can more or less guess what transpired. No knight in their right mind would dare to lay their hands on their liege's heir, which means my brother is likely to be the culprit. Whenever those two engage in a sparring session, Dimitriu is always the one to sustain the injuries.
"This is unacceptable! I'm going to let Kazein have a piece of my mind!"
"Do not probe any further, Emilia." He roared in a menacing tone.
"Pardon the interruption, young master. Fatima has arrived." announced the butler from the other side of the door.
Fatima? Isn't that the name of…
"Let her in." he replied as he proceeded to sit behind his desk.
When the door opened, a girl with a thin physique walked in ever so gracefully with her head bowed. Her silver hair was neatly tied in a low bun, and her dress was sprucely cleaned. Her manner of speaking was somewhat refined, and her peculiar accent sounded familiar. She oddly reminds me of someone I met a few years ago.
"From now onward, you are to report to her highness, Princess Emilia, and assist her with the preparations for the spring festival. Do you have questions?" asked Dimitriu in a serious tone.
"Not at all young master."
The way she kept fidgeting means she was feeling uncomfortable. I wonder if something had indeed transpired. The distance I'm sensing between them feels strangely forced. Am I just being paranoid because of what happened before?
"Follow me, Fatima. For now, you are to serve me tea until I decide on your assignment."
"Yes, your highness."
For some reason, her mellow tone is irritating me.
++++++
"His highness, the crown prince just left with a basket filled with snacks."
"Could he be feeding those slaves again?"
"Honestly, how much longer must we put up with this behavior of his?"
The maids have no qualms gossiping about a member of the imperial family in the kitchen. Moreover, I just found out the person who ordered Sir Nate to bring us food every day was not the young master but his highness, the crown prince. We've never run into him ever since he arrived at the duchy, so why would he be this considerate towards us? I should inquire more information from the girls upon my return.
"You! What are you still standing there for? The princess' tea is getting cold. Hurry and take it to her this instant!"
"Yes, miss!" I responded promptly as I scurried to the kitchen table.
They made me stand in a faraway corner of the kitchen while they were engrossed in their gossip and now, I'm at fault. How was I supposed to know when the tea was ready? Though I'm used to this sort of treatment, as this was how they behaved towards me when I was first introduced to them. It still feels irritating at times.
"What's with the grim expression on her face?"
"She should feel honored to be serving the princess despite being a slave."
"Honestly! What is her highness even thinking by letting such a wretched thing near her? She could get sick from being exposed to her."
"Speaking of which, you ladies should sanitize your clothes and hands before you touch anything else."
"Right away, miss Edith!"
How glad I am that I do not work in the kitchen.
+++++
She sat near the open window, gracefully sipping her tea while quietly flipping through the pages of the documents in her hands. She carried such a calm and poised bearing that makes one feel at ease in her presence. Her flaming red hair fluttered about her slender face, as she shut her eyes and drew a soft sigh. I had a chance to read about her in the records Duke Kartier had once entrusted me with. Her name is princess Emilia Reva Von Alkaraz, the first princess and the crown prince's fraternal twin sister. Aside from her indomitable beauty, people say she approaches everything she does with a calculative mindset. A trait she gradually cultivated by following in the footsteps of her brother and father. Her influence stretches far and wide both locally and internationally, which means she's someone I should have never crossed paths with.
"Do you plan on awkwardly standing there all day?" she sighed while setting her teacup on the saucer.
Her brusque manner of speaking oddly reminds me of Sir Nate.
"Come and sit here."
With her gaze alone, she signaled that I sat on the chair across from her. A rather fancy white sofa that a slave's buttocks could only ever dream of touching. If the mistress were to suddenly walk through these doors and see this, I can't even begin to think of the repercussions I may suffer later.
"My Dimitriu has been calling your name in his sleep as of late. What exactly is your relationship with my fiancé?" she questioned tersely, her gaze scouring me from head to toe.
At that moment, a frigid chill suddenly ran down my spine, as my body tensed up. I racked my brain to find an explanation to defend myself and deny her suspicions. Alas, I couldn't bring myself to utter a single word. While it is a fact that I coveted her fiancé, I had no way of knowing they were a couple. How do I answer this question without sounding like I am making excuses?
"Y-your highness, what sort of relationship could there be between a master and his slave? I am merely a lowly being who was luckily found useful enough to serve the young master. Nothing more, nothing less." I responded as I awkwardly averted her gaze.
At the sound of my own words, my heart throbbed painfully at the reality of the situation. Whoever I was before I came to Alkaraz has ceased to exist. I must come to terms with my circumstances before anything else. If Duke Kartier were ever to become aware of my feelings for the young master, he might put me to death for betraying him.
"I see." she pondered quietly.
She carefully placed the teacup on the table, then proceeded to leisurely stare at me. Her gaze pierced through me like a dagger, which naturally made feel ill at ease.
"What's the matter? You did the same thing to me earlier, yet you recoil like this when I return the favor?"
"Pardon me, your highness-oh my! I was not aware that her highness was busy."