TPOP 86

Chapter 86

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Diana. Stay seated there. By the window.

She had no choice but to follow the edge of the carpet she felt with the toe of her shoe toward the window. A chair leg caught her foot with a thump. She felt around the chair to gauge its size before awkwardly perching her hips on it. The thick smell of blood had made her dizzy, but sitting by the window made breathing easier.

Security at the secondary palace was definitely lax compared to the main palace. Or perhaps there were simply too many spies infiltrating to breach the tight defenses. This was certainly a matter worth considering.

The previous spy had been caught just the day before. The cycle was too short, far too short. It was puzzling how they knew exactly when Felix would be at the secondary palace to strike, even though there was no crowd present.

Just as the canvas was half-filled, a rustling sound came from the corridor as a group moved. Felix glanced toward the doorway, set down his brush, and signaled to Arnold.

"Clear it away. Tell the Duke to wait on the first floor, and take Diana to my bedroom."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Two knights carried the body, carpet and all. Arnold approached Diana, who had been holding her breath near the window, and told her in a low voice to get up.

Why send her to the bedroom again? Why not just send her to her room... Perhaps from all she'd endured lately, the mere word "bedroom" sent shivers down her spine. She'd been sleeping soundly these past few days in a small, hard bed where she could lie alone in peace.

Arnold pushed Diana into the bedroom, checked to ensure no one else was inside, then left. He warned her not to venture out carelessly.

Diana pressed her ear to the door crack. The faint clamor of elderly nobles arguing drifted through.

"You must send that woman away immediately, Your Highness!"

"If you refuse to send her away, then stay in the main palace! Why do you keep coming to the villa?"

"The Prince and the Count of Montagne know Your Highness's weakness. The situation is different now! We cannot allow so many spies in the secondary palace...!"

Diana chewed on the words before realizing.

Prince Eisen was targeting her.

The Crown Prince knew this fact yet still came here.

Unbeknownst to him, she had undoubtedly been on the brink of death several times already. It was likely an order based on the calculation that, rather than any value in her, capturing or killing her could place some kind of shackle on the Crown Prince. Or perhaps to seize his weakness.

‘His weakness… me?’

Surely not. But if it wasn't about weakness or shackles, why keep her here? And why did her master persistently seek this place? The questions Diana pondered were no different from those of the nobles.

The master was acting irrationally stubborn. Why?

Instead of repeating the same words, Felix dismissed them all. Diana heard footsteps approaching and hurriedly stepped back a few paces from the door. Almost simultaneously, the bedroom door opened.

"......"

Diana bowed her head a beat too late.

The moment the door opened, the smell of blood hit her. It was the scent emanating from the man striding toward her now. Not a stale, lingering scent, but thick and pungent, as if it had just been spilled.

Had he personally captured a spy?

If so, that spy would already be dead. But why personally, why…

Felix, who had stepped forward without her noticing, spun Diana around in place. Her body swayed awkwardly as his gaze swept over her. She couldn't tell exactly where he was looking, but she could feel him examining her.

Suddenly, her heart felt strange.

Why is this man doing this to me?

"For now, you'll sleep here."

"...Why...?"

"You don't need to know."

After checking Diana's still-bandaged wrist, the man now lifted her chin. Before she could pull away, his lips met hers. It was a light kiss, lingering briefly before breaking.

Felix left her with a warning to stay put and disappeared through the door. Diana remained frozen in place long after his footsteps faded completely.

The answer to the question she had searched for so desperately had emerged unexpectedly.

This man, the most noble in the land, this cruel and heartless man, could he possibly…

Me…

***

"No. That can't be."

It can't be.

Diana denied it for the umpteenth time today. She'd been in this same state ever since the Crown Prince shoved her into his bedroom two days ago. Asking herself the question, arriving at an answer, then immediately rejecting it. It was utterly foolish.

"Me? Really?"

She burst out laughing at the possibility she'd unconsciously conjured. What kind of stupid idea was that?

The master wasn't the kind of person with such a humane character. Just look at everything he'd done to her so far.

It wasn't even worth worrying about. If by some chance it were true, nothing could be more horrifying. Diana scrubbed the laundry as if washing away the absurd, unmentionable assumption.

That was when it happened.

“One week from now, dawn at the laundry site.”

An unfamiliar voice tickled her ear before fading away.

Diana, wringing out a towel, froze. She turned her head too late; the footsteps had vanished like an auditory hallucination.

‘It was one of Duke Christen’s men. The voice sounded just like it did a week ago.’

The first time the stranger had left a whisper was the day she returned to the palace. Just now, three times, the unknown figure had reminded Diana of the days remaining before vanishing.

What had once been twenty days was now just a week away. That day would be when Duke Hugo Christen sent Diana away from here.

Of course, she couldn't blindly trust that date. The whims of those in power were nothing new. She must use the date as a reference, but also consider whether there would truly be an opening to slip out of the palace on that day.

Diana gathered the laundry and rose.

As she approached the entrance to the palace, another unfamiliar voice called out to her.

"Good day, young lady. Where should I place these pigments?"

Pigments. Come to think of it, yesterday Catherine had muttered to herself about needing to replenish the pigments that were running low. She had ordered white lead, red lead, and pure gold. Diana had heard her order pigments she'd never even heard of before. It seemed the pigment merchant had brought them.

"Please leave them at the first-floor entrance. Thank you."

"Yes, I'll put them over there. Um, but you look familiar... Could you be the maid who used to serve the noble lady at the Depierre household?"

Diana had expected him to just ask his question and leave, but the young man spoke to her in a friendly tone. She flinched and took a step back, causing him to startle and step back even further.

"Ah, right. You dislike being approached, don't you."

"Have you seen me before?"

"From afar. My neighbor runs a fabric shop, and I often went to the Depierre residence to assist the tailor's work."

Her reputation couldn't have been very good. Nephrin took every opportunity to gossip about Diana's improper behavior to the other servants.

Yet the young man didn't seem to look down on Diana. After glancing at her briefly, he began chatting cheerfully.

"I hadn't seen you around lately and was wondering how you were doing. So you've been working at the Imperial Palace? Things must be rather unsettled there these days, huh? Rumors are swirling that His Majesty the Emperor will soon pass away, and the capital's streets are buzzing with it. There are also many voices expressing concern for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. I heard he’s very frail.”

Diana couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity. The man suddenly fell silent.

"......?"

Startled by the abrupt quiet, Diana quickly wiped the smile from her face. The young man waved his hands apologetically.

"Please smile, ma'am. I've always thought so, but your smiling face is truly beautiful."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. And it's definitely difficult. Making eye contact the first time…."

Diana awkwardly lowered her eyes. This was a tease she'd endured ad nauseam. Ever since losing her sight, whenever she ventured outside, unfamiliar men would frequently block her path and abruptly bow their heads to her. They claimed it was to look her in the eye at once, but for the recipient, it was hardly a pleasant experience.

Anyway, this fellow showed no sign of backing off quickly. Diana hesitated for a moment.

‘I don’t know when that man will cross over to the palace. Should I send him away so he doesn’t mistake him for someone else?’

But she quickly changed her mind.