Chapter 14: 14

“H-His Majesty, the emperor, has delegated his power to the crown prince. That means the crown prince also has authority over Atrichen,” Emilla stammered.

“Well, I’ve never heard of a monarch that passes over the harem. Please come back after you’ve received confirmation.”

Without waiting for a response, Irene walked past Emilla with an apathetic expression. Her well-balanced body, shaped by years of training, coupled with her upright posture and gait, exuded an aura of elegance and authority not unlike royalty. She instantly stole the hearts of the maids waiting in the bathroom to attend on her and they stared at her with awe.

Emilla gritted her teeth and exclaimed, “If you act hastily, you’ll impact the kingdom profoundly! Would that be okay? Do you intend to challenge the emperor like this?”

“Consider the commands of the empire as my own and honor it.”

Emilla’s words caused Irene to recall the kingdom’s orders Helink had delivered that day. She thought she’d abandoned her mission and allegiance as a knight the moment she crossed the border, but it seems that wasn’t the case. She thought of the traces of her life that still shackled her, gritted her teeth, and clenched her fists. ‘Was I always such an emotional person? I’ve wasted my energy for no reason,’ she thought, as she felt her self-esteem plummet again.

“Yeah, my body isn’t good for anything else anyway. What do I need to do?” Irene said in an impassive tone, as she unclenched her fists.

‘She’s nothing. She was the ‘Goddess of War’? She’s just a war hostage,’ Emilla inwardly scoffed. Turning to the maids who were waiting for orders, Emilla began, “She’s from Theorin, where the people are known to be barbarians. Moreover, her body has been on the battlefield surrounded only by men—”

Everything happened in an instant—Irene’s eyes flashed like a sharpened sword, and with quick strides, she had Emilla pinned against a wall. As she strangled the attendant with her right arm, she held a pair of nail trimming scissors to Emilla’s neck with her left hand. The loud clattering of the tray, which had contained the scissors, echoed in the room after tumbling out of the handmaiden’s hands. Emilla had made a huge blunder—by disparaging the Theorin people, she had touched on the one thing capable of angering Irene.

“Say it again. What?” Irene growled.

“I-I am the crown prince’s… of the palace…”

For those in Atrichen, no matter how high their ranks were, couldn’t ignore Emilla’s words. But this didn’t apply to Irene. “I told you to say it again! Now say it!” Irene repeated.

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“Ugh. They say the people from Theorin… are barbarians. It makes sense. Have I said anything wrong? Everyone would think the same if they heard a lone woman was on the battlefield with a bunch of men. Don’t think that you are different,” Emilla choked. Though it wouldn’t be strange for her to have a hole in her neck by now, she remained arrogant. Emilla seemed to mistakenly believe that the crown prince’s authority was her own.

“My soldiers put their lives in my hands and went to war without fear of death! And you dare insult them?”

“E-even if the kingdom was to see blood, you dare…” Emilla trailed off, leaving the rest of the threat unspoken. Seeing how Irene refused to back down after she’d emphasized her affiliation with the Ravello palace, Emilla brought up the kingdom instead.

“Your actions henceforth will represent the kingdom.”

‘Curses!’ Irene wasn’t able to rid herself of the order that rang out in her head, so she loosened her hold and stepped back. Her dignity, which her kingdom held no regards for, was now being trampled by her own two feet. She tossed the scissors she could’ve used to take Emilla’s life at any moment, which crashed into a corner of the smooth marbled floor. “Fine. Do as you please. However, there must be laws here too, and I hold grudges,” Irene said.

As soon as Irene released her, Emilla fell to the floor and coughed loudly. As she grabbed her neck, she inwardly cursed, ‘She’s nothing but a hostage! An old virgin who can’t even be compared to Lady Della! What use is there to ask about the law? I’ll make her understand that life isn’t easy!’

After Emilla gave out orders through gritted teeth, the shivering maids approached Irene and began to groom her. They bathed her, examined the insides of her mouth and nails, and then dressed her in thin pajamas and a gown.

“This way,” Emilla said, after confirming everything was in order.  Her neck was still flushed red with marks from Irene’s grip and the bubbling anger within her.

Irene was guided out of the bathroom and down a long hallway. Then, they ascended a few flights of stairs, down another maze-like hallway, until they finally reached the innermost room of the crown prince’s palace. Mr. Jackley and Mrs. Jean Grendel, the grand chamberlain and head maid of the Ravello palace, were waiting out front to greet them.

“From here on, I will guide you. Come this way,” Jean said. After opening the heavy door, they arrived inside the prince’s chambers. “You can wait here.”

Irene wordlessly nodded her head, sat on a bed and waited for Kael’s arrival.

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