Chapter 21: If Someone Hits You, Stab Him With A Dagger
“Did you come to say your last goodbye?”
“No.”
Adeline had tried to send her maid away, worried that she might die, but the maid had insisted on staying. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
“Princess. I have something to tell you.”
“Go ahead.”
“Please save me.”
Adeline walked to the window, holding a long candlestick. “Isn’t this conversation over? Unless you run away, it will happen someday.”
“You can protect me, Princess.”
The flame in the candle, which had been fluttering feebly, turned blue. Adeline said nothing.
Collin stood in the doorway, weeping desperately. “I’ll become the princess’ person. I’ll do whatever you ask. I’ll beg you, Princess, please…”
“Collin.”
“Princess… I heard that even though you have a rough way of speaking, you are a kind person with a soft heart. You had no nanny to care for you and no teacher to teach you. But when the cat you raised died, you cried so much that you were sad every day, shedding tears until you left the palace… so why?”
“Collin. My cat died.”
“Yes?”
“Cesare strangled it to death.”
Collin subconsciously wrapped one hand around her neck, letting out a strangled groan as if she had been choked. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
Adeline sighed. “Have you ever wondered why Cesare made you his confidant when you were young, inexperienced, and lacked courage?”
“No…”
“Because your name is Collin.”
“Yes? Why is that?”
“My cat that Cesare killed was named Collin. A young, pretty creature like you, with brown fur.”
The crying that had stopped came rushing back. Collin cried while looking at Adeline, wrapping her hands around her own neck.
“Princess… help me.”
Thick tears fell. Adeline thought the child in front of her had an abundance of tears. She cried every time they were attacked on the way to Marma. She cried when Adeline fell unconscious from an arrow wound.
Adeline could have fought Cesare to protect this child, but she wouldn’t. If she valued Collin, Cesare’s violence would only escalate. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
“Take this.” Adeline pulled a small dagger from the drawer. The blade curved thinly toward the end, and sharp serrations adorned its edge. She carelessly wrapped a white handkerchief around the sharpened blue dagger and held it out to Collin. “Take it.”
“Yes?”
“Take care of your own body. You are too scared to run away, so how can you betray Cesare? Take it. If Cesare beats you again and tries to kill you, stab him with this dagger. Kill him.”
She forced the dagger into Collin’s trembling hand.
***
On the last day of the ball, a huge cheer erupted from the Hall of Glory. Huge VI declared Marma a thousand-year empire and ascended to the position of emperor himself. The nobles cheered. The rich land, filled with God’s blessing, would be recorded in the continent’s history as the first empire. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
That was why the Emperor didn’t mind that the Lion King had not attended Cesare’s engagement. All her father wanted was for the Lion King to appear on the last day of the ball. He wanted to show that the king of the barren desert was nothing more than a beast in front of the emperor of Marma, a ruler with a thousand years of history. It was truly an ignorant bluff. Adeline didn’t know how the Lion King reacted, but it was unlikely that the King of Beasts would be intimidated by a human emperor.
The ball, which should have ended, continued for another month. It was a celebration not only at the imperial palace but also wherever the nobles gathered. Drinks, food, gambling, and auctions followed. Adeline was finally assigned to a palace. It was located in the most remote part of the imperial palace, perfectly fitting the conditions she had mentioned to the Lion King.
“To the father of all people, the sky of the empire, to the great emperor, and to Adeline’s most beloved father….” Adeline wrote a letter to her father, who had become emperor, in words that did not reflect her true feelings. “Thank you for your grace. My soul will always remain at the feet of His Majesty the Emperor….”
She didn’t even need to think about it in advance; the lie came quickly.
“I will be loyal with all my heart until the day I die.”
It was perfect. She picked up the letter and blew the ink dry. The newly assigned palace was surrounded by a forest, so the air was clear and cold. Outside the half-open window, the night breeze whistled through the trees. This time, it was the bedroom on the second floor again. She could have chosen a higher floor, but she dismissed the idea, not wanting to navigate too many stairs.
It was deep in the night when everyone was asleep. It was also the favorite time of the errand boy.
“Are you going to send that letter?” He was sitting at the foot of the bed. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
“I have to send it. I wrote it to send it.”
“I don’t think the emperor would like that.”
“I’m not writing it to win his favor. I wrote this to show to others.”
The errand boy fell onto the floor, giggling. When he laughed, his eyes narrowed into thin lines, making it difficult to see his pupils. Adeline let him laugh to his heart’s content; there was no one guarding her room in the middle of the night.
“Princess.”
“What?”
The errand boy still called her Princess. When she checked that the ink in the letter had dried and placed it inside a golden envelope, the errand boy asked in a sing-song voice,
“So… where is my room?” Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
***
Check out my Patreon to read advanced chapters!
