Chapter 57

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“Princess, as you ordered, we have set up another bedroom in the inner palace.”

 

When Raha returned to the outer palace, the attendants bowed and reported.

 

Raha replied appropriately and immediately headed for the inner palace. It was a structure where the bedroom was seen as soon as she walked through the hallway of the east wing and opened the door, but there was no Shed.

 

The empty bedroom was somewhat desolate. Even though the place was filled with all sorts of glamorous things.

 

Raha crossed the large bedroom to the opposite hallway. As she walked impatiently, she soon came to a new door, and she opened the door without hesitation.

 

The maids had all sorted it out. The stove fire was burning well and warmth drifted in where only cold air was circulating. There was also a nice fragrance from the flowers they had put in.

 

The bedroom was quite large, though not as large as the central bedroom where Raha stayed. The new slave was sleeping in the center bed.

 

Raha approached and sat on the bed. The new slave’s face was crisp as usual. This time they said he would not die.

 

What would this slave who will not die say to her?

 

He would not have the strength to strangle her anyway, because of the weak branding.

 

Raha looked down at the slave for quite a long time, and then got up. Was it because she was nervous? She was thirsty. She had to inevitably go to the bedroom for a drink of water.

 

If Shed was back….

 

Raha, who was thinking for a while, laughed. It was a self mockery. She knew this would happen, but it was pathetic of her to be so uncomfortable to see Shed’s face now.

 

Raha walked to the bedroom.

 

“…….”

 

The bedroom was empty, overshadowing the worries. Raha wet her dry throat with water and went back to the new bedroom. Raha stroked the sleeping boy’s forehead with her fingers.

 

Raha, who had been staring at the boy, lifted her gaze. There was a bedroom over that thick marble wall. Where did Shed go? Did he go to the other side because he didn’t want to see the place where he had affairs with her? The place was wide, so Raha couldn’t even guess where he was.

 

Where would he be sitting and what would he be thinking about?

 

Raha sat leaning against the bedhead and pulled her knees together. With her chin on her knees, she slowly fell asleep.

 

* * *

 

A few days later.

 

Karzen looked at Raha’s white neck and asked.

 

“Doesn’t your slave satisfy you these days?”

 

Raha, who was having lunch with Karzen, answered lightly.

 

“Yes, Karzen.”

 

Her skin was as white as it had been before she was presented with bedroom slaves.

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“Because he was presumptuous.”

 

“Presumptuous.”

 

Karzen had an interesting look on his face.

 

“It’s a very meaningful word.”

 

But Raha did not laugh, unlike usual. She poked at the fresh leafy greens as if she was really feeling sick. But there was no fault, because even that was graceful.

 

The dining room of the imperial palace, where the emperor and the imperial Princess ate dinner together, was beautiful and overwhelming. The light flickered softly in the crystal chandelier that the attendants had previously set up.

 

Karzen asked in a casual voice.

 

“Should I kill him?”

 

Raha, who seemed a little troubled, shook her head.

 

“No, Karzen.”

 

“Why?”

 

“He didn’t do anything wrong.”

 

“Oh dear. My twin is too soft hearted to be a problem.”

 

Lightly criticized, Karzen’s expression looked quite good. He spoke with a pleasant look in his eyes, like a bad boy who has found an interesting toy.

 

“Yes. Come to think of it, there was a new slave I gave you as a gift.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“When he grows up, no.”

 

A dark smile appeared on Karzen’s lips.

 

‘But before that, I’ll gift you some more slaves.”

 

“More slaves?”

 

“I think it will take about a year.”

 

At least next year they wouldn’t be making a lot of noise if he has a new war of conquest. And just about that was the limit of Karzen’s patience.

 

“Still, you know that, Raha.”

 

Karzen smiled very gently.

 

“There are many ways to break people down.”

 

Instantly, goosebumps rose up Raha’s spine. It was because his face looked very similar to when she maintained her fake kindness. It didn’t matter if Karzen was a conspicuously beautiful man or not. Just the fact that he was a twin who looked so much like herself horrified her.

 

“Yes, Karzen.”

 

“They must be weak with the branding, too. I can’t believe they are slaves who adore their masters without knowing their position. You have to break them from head to toe for them to understand.”

 

Breaking them and trampling them down so they can’t come to their senses. That was Karzen’s way and also ……. It was also the way of Raha, whom Shed said was cruel.

 

“Raha.”

 

Karzen tilted his chin lightly at Raha, who did not answer.

 

“Don’t you like my opinion? It’s a pretty good method.”

 

“No, I like it.”

 

Raha smiled obediently.

 

“I’ll do as Karzen says.”

 

Karzen chuckled.

 

“The problem is that you’re so beautiful, Raha.”

 

“Is that so?”

 

“Yes, my beautiful and cruel twin.”

 

Karzen, who whispered, laughed at what was pleasant. Looking at the emperor tilting his glass of wine, Raha smiled accordingly.

 

After a while, Jamela, who entered the palace again today, asked while drinking tea with Raha.

 

“His Majesty seems to be very busy these days.”

 

“Is that so?”

 

“He’s not good at making time.”

 

As she said so, Jamela looked at Raha with subtle eyes. The Princess would have dined with Karzen again today, but that was not something to have any feelings about.

 

They were brother and sister. Not just siblings of the same age, but twins born on the same day at the same time.

 

“The Princess and His Majesty really seem to be very much alike.”

 

“Because we are twins.”

 

Raha, who answered in a soft tone of voice, continued.

 

“That doesn’t mean the Lady should look at me and think of His Majesty.”

 

“What do you mean, how embarrassing.”

 

Jamela hid her mouth and smiled. She continued, looking at the thin winter tree branches. Spring was near, even if it didn’t look like it. The mornings and evenings were still cold and windy, but during the daytime there was a slight hint of spring.

 

“One more week to the competition.”

 

“Will it be spring then, too?”

 

Jamela tilted her chin at Raha’s question.

 

“I don’t know for sure. As you know, the seasons are fickle.”

 

“It could be winter.”

 

“But…… we have enough heaters here and there, and the temperature will never drop.”

 

Jamela, who interpreted Raha’s question differently, spoke in a slightly nervous tone. Raha blinked and replied in a relaxed tone.

 

“Of course. I know, Young Lady. We prepared it together.”

 

These words meant that they would also share the merits, but would also share the responsibility if any accident happened to the competition. However, there was no need to say it.

 

Of course, Jamela was thinking only of the former. The latter would not even be considered. If Duke Winston had been here and heard Raha’s words, he would say “I knew it…” he might have decided that he had to put more checks and balances on her.

 

But Jamela smiled glamorously, like a well-educated daughter of a great noble family, even if she was uncomfortable and inconspicuous.

 

”Of course. Princess. It was truly an honor to prepare for this great event with you. I hope you will continue to teach me much from now on.”

 

Was it to prove that she was worthy of the position of Empress, or to attract the attention of Karzen that had been pouring into Raha? Jamela, who had been preparing for the competition, spoke in a happy tone.

 

The fact that Jamela was busy meant that Raha was also busy. No matter how much she’s the duke’s beloved daughter, she’s a noblewoman at best. She could not work in the leadership of this huge imperial palace. The fact that Jamela worked so diligently meant that Raha had to stay up all night and then stay up all night again.

 

Raha looked out the window after taking a sip of warm tea.

 

* * *

 

Shed wiped the cold water off with a towel and looked out the window. There was a frost wedged in the window sill due to the sudden drop in temperature.

 

When he stepped out of the bathroom, a servant was waiting for him with his clothes.

 

“Get dressed and come out. The Princess sent them.”

 

Shed received his clothes and went to his accustomed bedroom. If he were a slave in the true sense of the word, he would have been willing to undress right then and there, but he was currently the imperial princess’s only bedroom slave.

 

The servant was well aware of the subtle power of the imperial Princess, so he silently left the inner palace and waited outside the door.

 

Shed, who had changed his clothes, looked at one place for a moment before going out.

 

There was no reason to look at the bedroom where he had stayed for several months. But something on the table caught Shed’s eyes.

 

It was the dagger that the imperial Princess had brought him and held in her arms in the middle of winter, when there was a lot of snow.

 

It was at that moment that the bright smile of the Princess was far more unfamiliar and ticklish than the treasured sword that he had come to accept.

 

Shed, who had been staring down at the dagger, lifted the handle. He opened the door to the west wing corridor and left. The ugly. corridor, which had never been entered before and had been empty since that day. Shed lifted the dagger as he approached a row of hard columns.

 

Slam!

 

After a few repeated strikes down, the censor section near the handle was impacted and gradually cracked. Shed pulled off the blue gemstone from the cracked handle.

 

The Princess did not like her eyes. She had never said such a thing openly, but he could tell by the feeling. However, the jewel on this treasured sword happened to be blue, a color similar to her eyes.

 

She would not have chosen it after knowing.

 

Even if it wasn’t a blue jewel, this treasured sword looked very rare. Perhaps that was why she brought it. It didn’t mean anything. Shed shined the jewel in the cloudy light. It was a strange color. With many concessions, one could say that it resembled the color of the Princess’s eyes.

 

Shed returned to his bedroom with the jewel in his pocket. Only a cracked sword lay alone on the table.

 

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