Chapter 79. A madman without common sense
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After Kayan's departure, Ihedia’s life flowed as calmly as a lake blessed by the sun.
It was a life so peaceful that it sometimes felt a little boring.
If she tried to leave the manor, if she did anything conspicuous, she would only arouse unnecessary suspicion.
With everyone in the manor, including Sawana, keeping an eye on her, even though Kayan wasn't there, she decided to let it all go for a while, enjoying the rest.
She'd wake up wrapped in cozy bedding, eat what she wanted, do what she wanted, in a warm place that didn't feel cold at all.
When she had time, she would chat with Sawana or read the book Kayan had given her.
Otherwise, she tended to the flowers and birds in the greenhouse or embroidered.
Sometimes she felt as if she were dwelling in the past, in a time when she had known no misery.
Each time she did, she remembered a few people that filled her heart with guilt.
Evan, who must be having a terrible time in Elmir, Lucas, who must be waiting for her return in his lonely cave, and Aurora, who must be heartbroken to know she's gone.......
The thought of them brought tears to her eyes.
She wished she could bring Aurora here to stay with her, but she belonged to Netira, so she couldn't approach her.
Ihedia soon shook her head.
If she tried to take Aurora away and provoked Netira, her life would be in danger.
Her reverie was interrupted by Sawana, who hurried into the greenhouse.
"Lady Ihedia..................."
Sawana called out to her in a panic.
"What's going on?"
"There's someone looking for you."
"Me?"
"She’s making a fuss that if he doesn't see Lady Ihedia right away, she'll die on the spot........... and she won't set foot inside the mansion, so she's begging you to at least identify who it is."
Ihedia considered Sawana's words, her eyes questioning.
There was no one here who would come looking for her.
And now he was threatening to die if he didn’t see her.
Who could it be?
If she was really suspicious, Sawana wouldn't have come looking for her like this.
"She said she was the maid who served Lady Ihedia in Elmir."
"What?"
"I think you should take a look outside."
Ihedia hurried to her feet and left the greenhouse.
As she headed for the front door, she heard a familiar voice in the distance.
"Please, just once, please, I have something I must tell the Princess!"
Ihedia's pace slowed as she neared her destination.
Eventually, she caught sight of a woman arguing with the guards at the entrance.
"Oh, it'll only take a moment!"
Why is Charlotte here..............
At that moment, Ihedia and Charlotte's eyes locked.
Charlotte's voice rose even louder when she recognized her.
"Princess!"
Charlotte's raggedy appearance belied where she had come from.
Her clothes were torn here and there, and her hair was a messy mess.
Her body was so skinny and bony, she wouldn't have recognized her if Ihedia hadn't heard her voice.
Ihedia hurried to her side and halted the guards.
"I know her."
Ihedia started to move closer to Charlotte, but Sawana stopped her.
"Wait a moment, Lady Ihedia."
Sawana searched Charlotte's body first, not forgetting Kayan's insistence on Ihedia's safety.
To make sure the woman wasn't carrying a weapon.
As soon as Sawana's search was complete, Charlotte stepped in front of Ihedia and knelt down.
"Princess, please help me, please help me."
Tears streamed down her face as she begged for her life.
Panicked, Ihedia tried to help her to her feet.
But Charlotte sobbed and clung to her arms.
"Please forget all my rudeness. You can whip me if you want, I'll take whatever punishment you give me, but please just listen to me, okay?"
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Ihedia decided to calm Charlotte down first and then listen to her story.
At Ihedia's command, Sawana brought water and food, and Charlotte began to gobble it down.
She hadn't eaten in days, and she gulped down her plate with the wild gestures of someone who had been starved.
It wasn't that Ihedia forgotten how she'd treated her at Elmir’s North Palace, but it didn't feel good to see her like this.
A lady of the highest nobility in Elmir, and here she was in such a disastrous state in Anut.
There was no way Patrick would have sent Charlotte to Anut like he had, and Ihedia wondered what the story was.
"Princess, I'm..................."
Charlotte's stomach was full before she composed herself and opened her mouth to speak to Ihedia.
Her eyes flicked to Sawana, who stood nearby.
Ihedia nodded, and Sawana stepped away.
Charlotte then began to tell Ihedia her story.
How she had suffered because of Queen Lena, how she had been captured by the Anuts and taken as a slave, and how she had barely survived being held captive by a homicidal emperor who killed people for fun.
Ihedia didn't think it was likely that Charlotte's visit to her was a mere coincidence.
The Emperor and Kayan were currently at odds.
"Why did the Emperor spare you?"
Charlotte flinched as Ihedia cut to the heart of the matter.
Charlotte glanced toward the greenhouse doorway Sawana had left and pulled something from her chest.
It was a handkerchief-sized piece of cloth with a scrawled inscription.
At the end of it was the mark of a red wolf, the emblem of the Anut imperial sigil.
The emperor had sent Ihedia a letter.
Charlotte continued, her voice cracking.
"Emperor of Anut knew that I was an Elmir noble, and he asked me to deliver this to the Princess."
He had written it on cloth rather than paper, as if he had already expected to be searched.
Ihedia's eyes scanned it quickly.
"How.................."
Ihedia's face went white.
Her hand trembled as she clutched the letter like someone who had seen the unseen.
Inside, it said something about Evan.
Ihedia stared at Charlotte in uncontrollable shock.
“It seems that the Emperor noticed something and contacted Queen Lena.”
"What else did he say? Tell me everything you heard."
Ihedia asked pleadingly, gripping Charlotte's shoulders.
"I'm not sure, but he said that Queen Lena was plotting to betray you and making her son as king....................."
Charlotte bowed her head heavily, unable to finish her sentence.
Everything she said was probably information the Emperor had deliberately leaked to warn Ihedia.
Ihedia's head swam as if she might collapse at any moment.
If Lena separated from Patrick, there would be no reason to keep Evan alive.
The Emperor's letter had told her about Evan and threatened that the child's life was in his hands.
Lena would be ready to kill Evan if Hashad so desired.
There were many other things Hashad must never know, such as why Patrick had kept Evan alive all this time, the location of the basement where Evan was being held, and the magical relics that would fulfill the blood pact.
The Emperor wanted two things from Ihedia.
First, that in three days, at midnight, she would leave the mansion without anyone noticing.
And second, she must bring him Kayan’s seal.
Tears formed in Ihedia's clear eyes.
Charlotte felt uncomfortable at the sight, and she spoke in a hushed voice.
"I'm sorry to have to come to you out of the blue and tell you this......."
Charlotte regretted that she had been so rude to Ihedia in the past, listening only to Queen Lena's words.
If Ihedia hadn't accepted her today, she would have been torn to shreds by the barbarian emperor's pet wolf for not doing her job properly.
Charlotte knew that Ihedia would inevitably be in danger if she went to the palace, but she couldn't stop her.
If Ihedia refused to do the Emperor's bidding, she would pay the price.
That was why Charlotte couldn't look Ihedia in the face the whole time.
With her eyes still on the floor, Charlotte opened her mouth.
"He's a madman with no common sense, and if you don't do what he wants, you're going to be in for a very big surprise, and I'm saying that for your own good."
Ihedia made no reply.
She knew the emperor's intentions, but she felt hopeless at this cruelty she could not refuse.
Unable to tear her gaze away from the Emperor's letter, Ihedia sank into endless anguish.
She was given three days.
Ihedia had three days to decide what to do next.
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