Chapter 68
***
Sponsored by Curufin. Thank you ❤️ (⅖)
****
Felix's silence stretched on. After waiting a long while, Arnold finally hesitated and spoke up.
"And... Duke Christen was wondering why you suddenly took an interest in the royal family of Dortes and the Spring of Balestega."
The invasion of Dortes was an event inextricably linked to the tragedy that had befallen the Carman Imperial family at that time.
After the Empress, beloved by the people for her virtuous character, was murdered by the Emperor's concubine, and the Emperor tacitly accepted it, the people's trust in Carman was shaken more severely than ever before.
To obscure the truth, the Emperor launched a war of conquest against Dortes, a nation then in diplomatic hostility. This strategy proved effective, as the war resulted in an unprecedented, overwhelming victory. The Empress's murder was soon forgotten, and the Emperor emerged as a triumphant ruler, his confidence soaring. This was also why Felix severed ties with his father, the Emperor, and secluded himself in a secondary palace.
To be precise, it was Duke Christen who forced him into seclusion. Had it not been so, Felix would have had no hesitation in ripping out his father's heart and staining the canvas with its blood.
So it was only natural the duke reacted so sensitively to this matter.
"What shall I tell His Highness the Duke?"
"...Hmm."
The Spirit Summoner held great value, both internally and externally. If Hugo Christen were told the truth outright, he would welcome it with open arms. However, Felix's mind was not focused there.
His eyes grew deep as he quietly considered the peculiar phenomena Diana had caused thus far. Arnold, not wishing to disturb his pensive lord, remained silent.
"It's not strange for an elementalist to handle spirits. What matters is what they intend to do with them."
It was a statement Arnold found difficult to grasp immediately. Felix offered no further explanation.
"Keep this from the Duke."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Normally, this would have concluded the report. But after a moment's hesitation, Arnold added.
"And what I'm telling you now... isn't what you ordered, but I felt you should know. While continuing to investigate Miss Diana's identity, I discovered there is a medicine that can cure her eyes."
"Cure her eyes?"
"Yes. It appears she was poisoned with a toxin called Munua, and an antidote exists. However, the ingredients are extremely difficult to obtain, and there are very few physicians capable of preparing the medicine."
There was no medicine the Crown Prince of this country could not obtain. With a single word from Felix, the antidote would be in his hands tomorrow.
In truth, it had already been procured by order of Duke Christen.
"There must be a reason he cannot take his eyes off that maid. Perhaps pity for her blindness... Hmm, though I doubt he truly understands what it means to feel pity for something. Still, it likely plays a role. Prepare the antidote. It will prove useful in some way. Keep this from His Highness for now."
Arnold was not the duke but the Crown Prince's knight. He was his lord's hands and feet, eyes and ears, bound by duty to report everything he saw and heard.
"An antidote exists..."
Felix slowly chewed the words over. His gaze remained fixed on the moon, buried in the dead clouds. Time had slipped by, and the moon was nearing full. Thick mist hung heavy, dimming the moonlight.
He slowly lowered his head. Beneath the cloud-covered night sky lay the hunting grounds where, just hours ago, he had rolled around holding Diana. Felix stared at the forest, visible only as blackness where the light did not reach, and spoke briefly.
"Bring it by tomorrow."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"And one more thing. Prepare the oil."
Though it was something the Crown Prince often ordered, it seemed out of place at this moment. Did he intend to paint at this hour?
But the question vanished quickly.
His lord’s well-shaped lips moved several times. It was a command both astonishing and unexpected. Arnold’s shoulders stiffened subtly.
“…Yes, I will prepare it as commanded.”
Arnold, concealing his unease, bowed deeply and withdrew. There was no need to question the Crown Prince's command. Nor was there any need to wonder at the reason. Fulfilling instructions without fail was the sole purpose of his existence as the Crown Prince's shadow.
The loyal knight, as always, bowed with reverence and exited the inner chambers.
Even as the door closed, his master's gaze remained fixed on the forest, enveloped by the dark blue night sky.
***
From the day after returning from the forest, Diana regained her vitality. Perhaps the tension had suddenly eased, for her appetite returned as if by magic and sleep came in waves.
The gamble she had taken that day, dragging Felix into the water, had yielded tremendous results.
‘There was definitely a spirit there. In that water. I could feel it with my own hands.’
When she dipped her hand beneath the surface, the presence dwelling there would nudge her fingers up, tap, tap. It would wrap around her entire hand, shaking it like a handshake, or cling to her knee, tickling her skin.
<Hello. Hello.>
<So glad to see you again.>
Though she didn't actually hear voices, Diana could understand their intentions perfectly naturally.
<Long time no see, Diana.>
<We've been waiting for you.>
<Nice to meet you.>
<Nice to see you.>
Her heart ached as if reuniting with an old friend. The day she returned from the forest, she couldn't sleep a wink. Of course, Felix's relentless desire after returning to the palace played a big part, but her heart pounded and her eyes kept welling up, making sleep impossible.
The moment the spirit tenderly caressed her skin kept replaying in her mind.
<We'll help you.>
<You can escape!>
In every moment she escaped the pleasure Felix forcibly imposed, Diana thought of the forest and the spirits. It was her own world, one he could never invade or coerce.
The water spirits she met in the forest would help Diana. They wouldn't deceive her or betray her. If only she could have stayed there a little longer. If only she could have exchanged a few more words, if only they could have devised a way to escape this place together.
Once was not enough. She had to keep going to the forest. To cross the gorge behind the hunting grounds, the spirits' help was absolutely necessary.
With a clear purpose and hope, everything else felt insignificant. Like playing coy with the man who locked her in that secret room, or the shameful acts exchanged during lovemaking.
Even the chain fastened to her ankle overnight.
"......"
Diana tapped her stiff ankle with her fist.
A thick towel was tightly wrapped around Diana's right ankle. Over it was fastened a heavy restraint, as solid as a stone. Even just touching it, she could tell it was a hideous contraption.
A chain was attached to the end of the shackle, long enough to allow her to move freely within the study and bedroom. However, its considerable weight left her breathless after just a few steps. The clanking sound of the chain was also unsettling.
Felix had put her in this predicament last night. She knew asking why would be futile, so she kept her mouth shut. He didn't say a word either.
Did he want to capture this scene in a painting? But then, she hadn't heard the scratching sound of a pencil.
"What did I do wrong, Master?"
"Well... You don't always have to do something wrong to be punished."
"...That's an utterly absurd thing to say."
"Your tone is insolent."
Arrogant or not, it felt like she had become the dog guarding his bedroom. Her mouth turned bitter with the rising humiliation, like stomach acid.
But even this, she could endure. After all, with the spirit's help, cutting off something like this was no trouble at all.
Still, her movements were undeniably sluggish. It took her an eternity just to reach the table set for dinner.
Emile, who had been staring intently at Diana eating slowly, asked.
"When was your last period?"
"It was the last day of last month."
"And your cycle?"
"One month... though it occasionally runs two or three days late."
"Then it should start soon."
Another month had passed. Diana drank the water Emile offered as usual. The tea, which had a pungent smell, turned into refreshingly cool water the moment her hand touched it. Emile did not leave her side until Diana emptied the cup.
"When your period begins, you must inform me immediately. We cannot have any bloodstains left on His Highness’s bedchamber."
"Yes, Head Maid."
What had they mixed in the water? Diana had drunk it several times before sensing anything unusual, so it couldn't be poison.
'Asking about my menstrual cycle makes me think it might be birth control.'
But if it was birth control, why would they secretly put it in the water cup?
Write a comment