TPOP 69

Chapter 69

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Sponsored by Curufin. Thank you ❤️ (3/5)

***

During her time working at Hilde, Diana handled most of the contraceptives commonly available on the market. Those were the pills the women at Hilde gulped down like water. Did the imperial court use something different?

If Emile brought the same cup next time, perhaps she should try drinking it. After making love with the Crown Prince, she tried to clean herself, but often found herself too exhausted and simply fell asleep.

Diana dragged her heavy feet toward the window. The good thing about the Crown Prince's bedroom was the large window. Sitting before the half-open window, bathed in warm sunlight and a gentle breeze, her eyelids grew heavy of their own accord.

'Summer must be coming.'

The spring at Balestega was always fresh and green, like spring itself. Carman's summers, however, were extremely dry and hot. Rain was scarce, and droughts were frequent occurrences.

Last night, Felix stroked her limp body as he always did and said,

"It'll get hot soon. Not the best weather for going out."

"The forest will be cool. If we swim in the valley, we'll forget how hot it is."

"......"

"You'll take me out again next time, right? When can you go?"

"After I finish the painting."

It was a vague answer. Felix hadn't touched his brush for days. There was no scent of paint anywhere in the palace.

It was impossible to guess what he was painting, how far along it was, or when it might even be finished. Ultimately, the painting was just an excuse; it meant he’d take her out whenever he felt like it.

The moment she heard those words, Diana, her body exhausted, burrowed back into his embrace. She kissed him without hesitation and pressed her swollen, taut breasts against his forearm.

Once the habit was formed, it wasn't difficult. Her master possessed a natural power to bewitch people. If she surrendered to his touch and movements without resistance, she would soon be swept up in pleasure, moaning with ecstasy.

Felix relished the moment she lost control, trembling all over as she felt it. In those moments of intense focus on Diana's body, he too was genuine. Sometimes, she even had the illusion that it was he, not her, who was far more impatient.

Diana wrapped her arms around her knees.

She avoided touching the metal shackles around her ankles, even by accident. They were extremely cold and hard, reminding her of the underground dungeon she had been locked in weeks ago. It was a memory she didn't want to recall, even by mistake.

'I have to bring it up again today.'

Even if it made her look like a lowly woman. Even if it earned her scorn as Hilde's fool, it didn't matter. Well, actually, it did matter, but...

Let's just think of it as a dream.

Diana pounded her tight chest, finally clearing her mind. It was a blessing she couldn't see her own plight with her own eyes. The worst part of being whipped in Hilde was having to watch the wounds ooze blood and pus. There were far too many things in this world better left unseen.

She had resolved never to return to Carman once she succeeded in escaping the imperial palace.

"Have you finished your meal?"

"Yes. ...I ate well."

Emile frowned as she cleared away the food Diana had left uneaten.

For several days now, the types of food she hadn't touched were always the same. Fish steamed in white wine to remove any fishy smell, and beef cooked so the red flesh was still visible. Emile had seen her take a small bite several times, trying to identify the food, only to grimace.

She knew Diana didn't particularly enjoy meat, but she hadn't shown this much aversion before. Perhaps she should secretly call the physician. After pondering, Emile spoke softly.

"Diana. I have something important to tell you, so listen carefully. His Highness Duke Christen wishes to speak with you personally..."

But Emile couldn't finish her sentence. Diana, who had been crouched by the open window, suddenly kicked her chair aside and stood up. Her eyes, which had been quietly closed, were now wide open.

"Diana?"

Chains clattered loudly as they hit the floor. Emile shouted something, but she didn't hear it.

A warm breeze touched her cheek. Warm... no, hot.

Her keen sense of smell sent a strong warning. This wasn't wind naturally warmed by the sun. A wretched scream echoed through the crackling sparks.

<Diana, Diana!>

As if begging to be saved...

In that moment, Diana was screaming too. The acrid smell of burning wood wafted from far away.

It came from the direction of the forest surrounding the hunting grounds.

***

Felix strode across the palace corridor with long strides. The nobles scrambled to follow him, flustered by the Crown Prince suddenly leaping from his seat during the council meeting.

"Your Highness, what is the matter? What news did the escort knight bring that..."

There was no reply.

The meeting was to determine the timing for the coronation ceremony, the next step following the Crown Prince's successful return to politics. Amidst discussions about the current Emperor's precarious health, which might necessitate holding the ceremony earlier than planned, the Crown Prince's guard urgently knocked on the conference room door.

Felix left the meeting room without looking back the moment he heard the knight's message.

He raced up the stairs and entered the inner chambers. The maids, who had been flustered in the hallway, all curtsied to him at once.

There was no need to ask what was happening. A scream like a cry came from the Crown Prince's bedroom.

"Let me out!"

It was a woman's voice. The nobles exchanged flustered glances.

Only Duke Christen grasped the situation the moment he heard the desperate cry. The Duke urgently stopped them.

"Hold on, everyone step back."

"Your Grace? What is happening in His Highness's private quarters... Wasn't that a woman's scream just now?"

“Let him go in alone. Everyone, return. Shut your mouths. Now.”

Before the sparks fly! Hugo swallowed his words and pulled his companions away.

Felix ignored the nobles retreating like an ebbing tide and opened the door. The commotion was unfolding in the corner by the window.

Something shattered with a crash. Felix’s eyebrows shot up in shock.

"I'm leaving, Emile. It smells like smoke. The forest... the forest is on fire... Master, where is His Highness—."

The bedroom was a complete mess. The curtains by the window were torn to shreds, and a small chair lay toppled over in front of them. A tray meant for serving food lay overturned in a messy heap, and the carpet was littered with leftover food and shards of broken glass.

Diana stood with her back pressed against the wall corner near the window. Her face, smaller than a palm, was completely wet with tears.

Her hair, usually smooth and resistant to tangles, was a messy, tangled mess. When Felix had briefly stopped by that morning, he had seen the woman sleeping soundly and left. In the few hours he had been gone, the woman had completely lost her mind.

Diana cried out desperately.

"If you're going to stop me from leaving, at least tell me, Emile! You can see it, can't you? What's happening to the forest right now...!"

It was a scream bordering on a plea. Felix instantly grasped the chaos unfolding. He stiffened his jaw as he took in Diana's state.

The cloth padding her slender ankles to prevent them from rubbing against the restraints had vanished, its knot likely undone. Diana's ankles, scraped and bruised by the metal, were already turning purple.

The other end of the chain was held by Emile. She bowed deeply, clearly at a loss.

"Your Highness, you've come. I'm deeply sorry for this unsightly scene. I cannot let this child leave..."

"Master?"

Diana, who had belatedly noticed him, jerked her head up. Glancing left and right, she moved, feeling her way along the wall. Her staggering steps were precarious.

Emile hurriedly swept up the broken glass shards, but transparent pieces scattered everywhere remained undiscovered. And Diana was barefoot. Felix rushed forward, but it was too late.

"Diana—"

There was no time to call her name and stop her. Diana stumbled against the corner of the side table and then stepped on a shard of glass.

"Ah."

Diana let out a short gasp.

Felix rushed over and scooped her up. Red droplets of blood splattered through the air and clung to the carpet.

Looking again, Diana’s soles were already soaked in blood. She must have stepped on shards multiple times before he arrived. Felix clenched his teeth and ordered.

"Get the chief physician here. Now!"