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Chapter 102
The Greenhouse’s Slave
Giscar grabbed Diana’s hair and kissed her. Diana stood frozen, studying his expression. It felt confusing.
It was nothing like the dismissive, scornful man he had been recently.
His stern face had softened as if warmed by spring. There was a peculiar liveliness in him — as if he were genuinely pleased to see her wearing the clothes he had bought. Giscar stared at her intently with that look.
The atmosphere was as gentle as a spring breeze. Diana looked at Giscar with an emotion she could not properly name.
“Sometimes you miss things from home,” he said.
“Still… Panborough isn’t a place of happy memories,” she replied.
Someone kept clearing their throat and looking at Diana’s outfit with cold eyes. Diana recognized that face immediately — the man with cold green eyes, the Duke of Levian. He clicked his tongue and glanced Diana up and down. It was an insultingly insolent look for someone viewing a queen.
“How did she get Panborough clothes…?”
“Clothes are just clothes.”
Giscar snapped coldly at the duke, then looked back at Diana. Was he trying to deny that his relationship with his wife had been frosty? Diana smiled faintly and took his hand.
“Thank you for the gift, Your Majesty. I never imagined you’d bring something from Panborough.”
“……”
“Well then…”
Diana bowed gracefully. She gave a little nod to those standing behind Giscar as well. When she glanced over and Rivus gave her a bright, knowing smile, Diana coldly turned her face away.
‘Good,’ Giscar must have thought.
Now that he’d declared the gift, no one could criticize her. In truth, when she’d brought Mirva with her she had expected her reputation might take a hit.
Reputation — it didn’t matter much for a place she would leave in three years. She’d raised it to an acceptable level, but what she wanted from them was simple: that they not become her enemies who’d torment her. She never wanted to be worshiped or bow down to them. So a reputation above a certain point was fine, and she planned to leave it be.
Just then a voice called from behind.
“Anne!”
Diana turned and saw Giscar running toward her. The king — running? Standing there, stunned at his disheveled hair, Giscar signaled for everyone in Diana’s party to move away and positioned himself beside her.
“I want to take a walk.”
“……”
“With my wife.”
Diana looked around at his words. Was this meant to publicly show that the king and queen had reconciled? But only maids and handmaidens were nearby.
“Anne, I didn’t expect you to wear that.”
He looked at her as if saying those words was difficult. Why would he react like that to this outfit? Panborough should only hold painful memories for him.
“…So it appears it truly was a gift from His Majesty.”
Diana’s stiff tone made Giscar draw his brow. He seemed to finally realize that her earlier smile had been insincere.
“You weren’t… appeased?”
What did he mean? Giscar looked at her incredulously.
“Why would you deliberately put this on?”
In a cold voice, Diana pointed to one of the handmaids.
“Because of the gift His Majesty gave me.”
Giscar narrowed his eyes as he looked at the bowed handmaid.
“You’ve grown quite close to Princess Levian, haven’t you?”
Diana flinched at her own words. Oh no — why did she add that? She wanted to smack her own mouth shut.
Giscar stared at her as if he couldn’t understand.
“Why would you suddenly bring up the princess?”
“……”
“And… wait, why is that woman even here?”
“Huh?”
“That annoying woman.”
Diana opened her eyes wide when she saw Giscar frown at Mirva. She was the one who should’ve been surprised.
“Why is she here?”
That was the question Diana wanted to ask — you allowed her. Before she could speak, he clutched his jaw and spoke.
“I heard Princess Levian said you hired a handmaid from Panborough — so she must be this woman.”
“……”
“Did she do it without knowing? Why her of all people?”
Giscar nervously ran a hand through his hair. He seemed to have a general idea of the situation. But the trust in his words about Princess Levian — that she might not have known what she’d done — made Diana uneasy. She forced that feeling down and asked.
“So His Majesty didn’t know about this woman and didn’t approve of it?”
“Why would I approve of that woman… I could tear her apart and still not have done enough…”
Giscar was not one to deceive Diana.
Still, Diana found herself able to feel some relief. It was true. Giscar hadn’t intentionally placed Mirva at Diana’s side.
It had simply been Princess Levian’s mischief.
“Are you going to keep that woman beside you?”
Her expectations were low, so a laugh escaped her. It felt strange — at least there was no malice. For that she was oddly grateful. He hadn’t acted to harm her deliberately.
In any case, he was not her enemy.
“I’m glad you didn’t bring her here.”
At those words, Diana felt tears fall.
“Anne.”
As the tears dropped, Diana realized how tense and afraid she had been. Even though this life was different from her previous one, she was always on edge, afraid someone might turn on her and trap her.
Thank goodness.
Thank goodness he wouldn’t go that far. Diana wiped her fallen tears away. He stared at her with a stern face, then let out a hollow laugh. He apparently understood the context of what had been said.
“How should I interpret these tears?”
He sighed deeply, took Diana’s hand and led her away. He waved the others who tried to follow them far off, and hurried into the greenhouse with her.
When the door slammed shut, Diana felt puzzled. What was he about to do? She tensed as he turned to look at her.
Their faces drew close. His rough hand awkwardly wiped away the tears that had fallen. As their eyes met his face twisted in anguish.
Then, as if making a decision, he kissed her on the lips. Diana couldn’t follow the sudden rush of feeling. He pressed his kiss firmly and pulled her to him by the waist.
She felt his hot breath. He sought her breath, mixing tongues; standing there, Diana accepted his kiss whole-heartedly.
“You know I wouldn’t do those things to you.”
“……”
“I….”
He let out a bitter laugh when he saw Diana receiving his kiss in a dry, matter-of-fact way.
“I wouldn’t do anything to harm you.”
“……”
“I….”
He buried his face in Diana’s shoulder. She felt his hand tremble slightly again.
“I….”
He could not finish his words. He knew, as much as she did, why she had thought such things. After a deep breath, he looked at the woman who had moments before been crying, and whispered.
“Miss, I was wrong.”
Diana flinched at his sudden use of polite speech.
“I never treated you like a slave. I never intended to treat you as a slave.”
“……”
“I mean, I won’t hurt you.”
There was desperation in his voice. He ran his hand over her hair again and again. Dressed in clothes from Panborough, Diana truly felt like she had returned to being the Panborough princess.
“You see, I hated it when you tried to run away.”
Maybe Giscar felt something similar. He seemed like one returned to the old ways — speaking like a slave, looking at her with a pleading expression.
Only when those past selves returned could they finally see each other.
“Run away? I never ran.”
Diana bit her lip and said.
“To die running.”
At Giscar’s words, Diana understood what he was thinking.
“There are many ways to die. When you caught a gargoyle there, you were close to death. I wanted to bind you — even put a collar on you — to hold you there.”
Diana closed her eyes and sighed slowly. His obsession with restraints clearly had not faded.
“I know this place is rougher than Panborough. I know this position is harsher compared to being Panborough’s queen.”
“……”
“I will never treat you like a slave.”
“……”
“So now, look at me….”
“……”
“Please.”
That single word, “please,” always seemed to work like a spell. Diana looked at him. His tortured, purplish eyes begged her. Should she interpret that as him worrying she might die?
He sometimes behaved as if he were still trapped in the slave-master dynamic, as if the relationship hadn’t changed and she was still a slave — as if she always had no choice.
Diana looked at this animal in her arms — the monster that had ruined her life — now whining and kissing and openly voicing his feelings as he apologized.
After all, staying on as the queen who hated the king brought too many disadvantages.
So her heart wavered.
Diana stroked his cheek, almost like taming him. Immediately, he rose and lightly bit the tip of her finger.
“…What is this.”
He licked Diana’s hand. The wet, soft sensation surrounded her finger. He bit gently, and Diana attempted to pull her hand away. The ticklish feeling made her recoil.
“Is it okay to be like this right after I’ve accepted your apology?”
“I’ve wanted to bite this fingertip ever since I saw it red earlier.”
When Diana pulled her hand back, he didn’t stop her and chuckled. Her cheeks flushed.
“You are my wife.”
She knew it. He looked at her finger and said,
“If you’re angry, you may be angry.”
“……”
“If you have complaints, you may tell me.”
“……”
“But never disrespect me again.”
Perhaps he thought he had been forgiven. He took the finger he had been nibbling and held it in his large palm.
“Now that you’re back here, you should dine with me from now on.”
“……”
“Having a meal with your wife once a day is only right.”
She nodded without resistance. At that moment, sunlight hidden by clouds filled the greenhouse with a golden glow. In the spring sunlight filtering through the leaves, the man standing there strangely appeared gentle.
It was strange — a look different from in her previous life. Even when he gave orders, it felt like consent. There was sweetness and warmth between them.
Then, suddenly, Giscar’s eyes hardened again.
“And get rid of that one. No — I’ll get rid of her myself—”
“No.”
Diana shook her head.
