Chapter : 14
Before the Marchioness Magnum came to wake her, Elfreda had already opened her eyes.
She blinked slowly, still half asleep, until she realized she had fallen asleep in the same bed as him last night.
Startled, she turned to the side—but the space beside her was empty.
Disappointment pulled her eyebrows downward.
Carefully, she reached out to touch the spot. It was already cold.
‘When did he leave?’
He was busy. And last night, when she asked him to stay for a while, it was only for a short time.
If she remembered correctly, he had stayed until she almost fell asleep. He had also quickly brushed off the question about Serina before she drifted off.
Elfreda comforted herself with the thought that she hadn’t seen him leave in her right mind.
Just then, the Marchioness Magnum entered.
“Good morning, Marchioness Magnum.”
Elfreda greeted her kindly, but the response was a cold glare.
The marchioness seemed even more displeased than yesterday, and the other maids were the same.
Elfreda guessed it was because of Ainar’s visit last night.
In fact, from that day on, when Ainar stopped visiting her room, the maids’ moods clearly improved. She even heard them whispering, “I knew it wouldn’t last long.”
Elfreda wasn’t too hurt. Just the fact that he had come two days in a row was already something she was grateful for, considering how busy he was.
And even if she did feel disappointed… she had no position to show it.
She was the granddaughter of his enemy. How could she shamelessly go and seek him out?
All she could do was fulfill her duties day by day.
That alone might be the only useful thing she could offer him.
That was when it happened.
*****
“Soldiers from Makaeri have killed citizens of Machi.”
It was the day before Serina’s departure.
Elfreda, who was working, dropped her pen the moment she heard Marchioness Magnum’s report.
She turned in shock.
The marchioness looked at her with a cold, piercing gaze and added in a frozen voice:
“Three people.”
Elfreda felt a sharp headache and asked,
“Where is the princess now?”
“She is in the Guest Palace for now.”
Elfreda immediately stood up.
As she walked toward the Guest Palace, Ainar’s words echoed in her mind.
“Do not give them a reason to start a war…”
Now Serina had clearly given them exactly that.
Elfreda arrived at the palace with a heavy heart.
“Is Princess Serina inside?”
The maid of the Guest Palace did not even hide her disdain. Her eyes clearly showed she saw Elfreda and Serina as the same kind of “barbarian.”
Silence was the answer.
Elfreda entered.
Inside, Serina was lounging on a soft fur-covered sofa with an unpleasant expression, just like outside.
Anger rose in Elfreda, but she forced herself to stay calm.
“What is the meaning of this?”
“This is rightful revenge.”
Serina snapped back sharply.
“They insulted great Makaeri!”
According to Serina, while she had been sightseeing, she had received many hostile stares. She ignored them to avoid trouble, and the guards did nothing but follow her.
But today, some citizens insulted Makaeri openly after not noticing her presence.
The soldiers, unable to tolerate it, beat them severely.
The crowd did not intervene out of fear, and Serina allowed it silently.
That was how the incident escalated into deaths.
Serina’s pride in Makaeri was extreme, as most of her people’s was.
In a way, it was impressive she had endured this long—but this had clearly gone too far.
Elfreda pressed her temple and said firmly,
“Whatever you heard, killing them was excessive.”
“Then what? I was supposed to just endure it like you, you weak failure?”
Serina stood up abruptly and walked toward her.
“You think I should just take insults like a fool?”
Her face was red with rage, looking genuinely wronged.
Elfreda felt suffocated.
She still vividly remembered the first night she arrived here.
If the maids could casually open her door for assassins, what else could happen now?
And now this.
It would not be strange to pray just to survive each night.
Elfreda bit her lip and forced herself to speak calmly.
“I don’t think His Majesty your father told you nothing before you came.”
“He told me to behave properly.”
“Then it seems only I must behave properly.”
“What?”
“Please tell His Majesty not to worry when you return. If I don’t bow my head here like a corpse, I doubt I’ll keep my head attached.”
“Are you mocking me right now?”
Elfreda did not respond. She turned around.
At that moment—
“Ah!”
A painful scream escaped her lips.
Serina, unable to control her rage, grabbed Elfreda’s hair and slammed her into the ground.
“How dare you speak like that to me!”
Elfreda hit a table hard and collapsed to the floor.
Dazed, she looked up.
That expression made Serina even more furious.
She slapped Elfreda’s face.
Smack!
Elfreda’s head turned to the side.
Serina smirked.
“Yeah. This is where you belong.”
“You think wearing a small crown makes you important now?”
She tapped Elfreda’s head mockingly.
“This tiny country could be wiped out by Makaeri anytime we want. Know your place.”
Elfreda’s head throbbed.
Slowly, she picked up her fallen tiara.
She realized staying here was pointless.
But before leaving, she had something to do.
She stood up and walked toward Serina.
You are the queen of Machi. Your actions are my actions.
Ainar’s words echoed in her mind.
If she left like this, she would not even be able to meet his eyes again.
She could not add another weakness to herself.
“Still not enough?”
Serina began to speak—but Elfreda grabbed her hair tightly.
“Ah!”
And slapped her.
Smack!
Serina’s head snapped to the side.
The maids rushed to restrain Elfreda, but she resisted strongly.
“How dare you touch me!”
Her sudden firmness made the maids hesitate.
Serina clutched her cheek in disbelief.
“You… you bitch!”
“If I leave this place looking like the only one beaten, what do you think people will say?”
Elfreda said calmly, almost on the verge of tears.
“If you don’t want your reputation ruined with my bloodline involved, don’t complain over a single slap, Princess.”
She turned and left the Guest Palace.
She pulled out the pins from her messy hair, let it fall loose, and placed her tiara back on.
People stared at her as she walked, and she felt unbearably embarrassed.
Still…
Good job, Elfreda. You did well.
They both hit each other once. That could be explained as a sibling dispute.
People would likely just dismiss it as “barbaric behavior from outsiders.”
She laughed bitterly at that thought.
Then she stopped.
Someone she least wanted to see stood ahead of her.
“….”
It was Ainar.
