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Chapter : 12
Crunch. His teeth clenched tight, the vein on his forehead bulging. Duke Eike could not tolerate things not going his way. If this weren’t the capital but his own territory, there would have been an uproar long ago. But this was the capital, inside the castle walls. There were too many ears nearby. And Duke Eike, more than anyone, cared about how others saw him.
In the end, Duke Eike clicked his tongue and shouted,
“Get the hell out! When you reach the territory, don’t come to the main estate—go to Delor Castle instead. I don’t even want to see your face!”
After being tormented all night and finally coming out, dawn was breaking. Feeling utterly dumbfounded and furious, Tris glared at the eastern sky turning reddish.
Peta, who was beside him, said,
“Let’s go back now. I’m afraid if we stay here, lightning might strike again.”
“You go on ahead.”
“Why? What are you going to do?”
“I’ll cool my head a bit before I go. I know why you keep following me, but I can at least give you this much space, right?”
At that, Peta’s face flushed with embarrassment.
“You… knew?”
“How could I not? Anyway, it’s not your fault. I know better than anyone what kind of person my father is.”
Peta lowered his head and muttered,
“I’m sorry.”
“Forget it. You didn’t have a choice anyway. That rotten lord…”
Tris lightly punched Peta’s shoulder and said,
“So do me a favor as a friend. Let me catch my breath for a bit. I’m so mad I feel like I’m going to lose it.”
“Y-Yeah. I won’t tell the lord.”
“Thanks.”
After sending Peta away, Tris headed straight for the tower where Emblin was staying. The cold treatment of Queen Merrill and Princess Emblin was well known, so it wasn’t a secret where her quarters were. With the capital in festival season and it being early morning, the guards were lax. And for Tris, climbing the castle wall was nothing.
Elga pleaded, her face twisted as if she were about to cry.
“Princess Emblin didn’t do anything like that. We don’t know why either.”
There wasn’t even a guard at the tower. No one would step forward to stop an intruder. Elga had no choice but to rely on Tris’s mercy.
“Please, have mercy…”
She couldn’t finish. Tris roughly shoved her aside, exposing Emblin completely.
Without realizing it, Tris held his breath. His eyes narrowed as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He stared at her. Was this really Emblin? Her face looked even paler under the deep shadows of her long lashes, her lips drained of color. She looked so fragile.
Somehow, she didn’t seem like Emblin at all. Every time he had seen her, she had been arrogant and strong. With her distinctive haughty expression, she looked down on the world, standing straight as she met contemptuous gazes head-on. She had been like that just yesterday too. Even while being humiliated, she had not yielded to Tuke.
But now… she looked like she might crumble at any moment.
Tris rubbed his forehead with one hand. He had come to question her about what kind of trick this was, but now it felt meaningless. A deep breath slipped from between his lips, and the anger that had filled his chest subsided. In its place came an uncomfortable tightness.
Elga trembled as she watched him. What if he took out his anger? She couldn’t stop him with her own strength. His silence seemed to drag fear closer with every step.
Tris asked quietly,
“What happened? You were fine just yesterday.”
“Well…”
Suddenly his brow twitched.
“No… what is this?”
Before Elga could stop him, Tris reached out and brushed aside the hair covering Emblin’s forehead. A curse slipped from his lips.
“Damn it.”
“Was this done by His Majesty?”
No matter how unwanted Emblin was, only a few people would dare lay hands on a princess.
Tears streamed from Elga’s eyes—a silent yes. Tris bent closer to inspect Emblin’s forehead. It looked like she had been struck hard by something blunt. With a blow like that, she would have lost consciousness immediately. He carefully touched around the wound. It was hot.
Sitting beside the bed, Tris said,
“Bring water and a towel.”
“What?”
“Hurry.”
Elga rushed off. Tris’s sharp tone had softened a little. He soaked a towel in water and wrung it out himself. Bringing down the fever was the key.
As he cooled Emblin’s head, he asked softly,
“Has she regained consciousness?”
“No. She hasn’t woken up even once.”
“With a hit like this, even if she wakes up, it’ll be hard. The world will seem unbearable with nausea and headaches.”
“What? What do you mean…?”
Tris looked at Elga as if she were unbelievable.
“Don’t you even know that much common sense?”
Elga’s face reddened. Lowering her head, she said,
“I was a maid. All I know how to do is clean and attend to people.”
Tris frowned and looked around. Only then did Emblin’s situation, which he had heard about only in rumors, come starkly into view. The gray space shrouded in cold dampness. Again, his chest tightened.
But he didn’t show it and said coldly,
“Then learn. First, don’t cover the wound until it’s fully healed. After that, you have to bring down the fever. And when Princess Emblin wakes up…”
Elga listened with wide eyes. In truth, neither Merrill nor Elga had known what to do. They had just cleaned the wound and waited. But Tris was different. He was telling them what came next.
There were countless ways a person could be injured, but few known treatments. At best, knights knew the most. Yet King Accers would never summon a knight for Emblin.
Tris took an ointment from his pocket. Falling off horses or getting badly hit during training was common, so knights learned basic treatment. Tris had too. More so because he was the duke’s heir and the future head of the Eike knights.
From childhood, he had toured villages, seeing with his own eyes what he possessed and how he should rule it. He had a strong sense of responsibility for his territory and didn’t discriminate. Commoners, serfs, outcasts, even the duke’s bastard—all were Eike’s people he had to govern and protect. Because he cared, he noticed; because he noticed, he wanted solutions. That was all.
As he spread the ointment on Emblin’s wound, Tris muttered,
“I was going to ask why you did such a thing to me, but seeing you like this, it feels like we were both victims.”
As if she heard his voice, Emblin’s eyes flickered. Tris continued evenly,
“We’re now in a position where we have to follow His Majesty’s decision.”
Then, in a firm tone, he went on,
“But remember that we are both blameless. So don’t bow to scandal, and don’t lower your head. I won’t. I’ll make people see me, not the rumors. I hope you do the same.”
Tears flowed endlessly from Elga’s eyes. She had never heard such kind advice. And to tell her to make people see Emblin herself… spoken in such a cold tone, it pierced her heart even more.
“If I end up marrying you… I swear on a knight’s honor that I will never let you suffer like this again.”
As the ointment seeped in, Emblin’s brow twisted in pain. It must have burned. Even unconscious, she could feel it.
Then, as if it was too much, tears formed at the tips of her long lashes. Tris reached out and wiped them away. Hot tears touched his fingertips.
His face hardened. Strange. His heart kept feeling unsettled, tightening. Tris sat down right beside her and began gently stroking her hair. Idella used to say that touching her like this made her fall asleep easily. Slowly, he caressed Emblin’s head.
The feel of her brown hair… The corners of his lips unconsciously lifted, as if smiling. It felt so good. Each time he touched it, the smooth texture seemed to wrap around his hand, and his mood began to lift.
Then he suddenly came to his senses. She was hurt, and here he was smiling over something so pointless. Was he crazy? Feeling how strange he was, he tried to pull his hand away—just then, Emblin let out a deep breath, as if she were finally a little more comfortable. So… he kept stroking her hair until she fell asleep.
After a while, Tris stood and said,
“Apply this to the wound often. A scar can’t be helped, but at least it won’t fester.”
Elga bowed so low her nose nearly touched the floor.
“Thank you.”
Tris was about to say more, but stopped. What use was it to say anything else to someone trapped in this tower? He turned to leave the way he had come, then suddenly asked as if something had occurred to him,
“But what did you mean by saying you were leaving?”
“Ah… that is…”
Scanning the quiet tower, Tris asked again,
“Where is Her Majesty the Queen?”
Elga swallowed hard. Merrill… she had gone to see King Accers. Would she be safe? Only now did Elga’s heart drop in fear.
