Leni stood up silently and sat down.
She lowered her gaze, but Blayden bent his knees and lowered his body in front of her.
Scanning her face, which surely looked dreadful, he pulled out the rose hairpin stuck in her hair.
Leni jerked her head up.
“Why are you taking someone else’s belongings?”
“This is mine.”
“That’s nonsense!”
“Because you are mine.”
She was left speechless.
Legally, maybe.
But wait as long as you want.
I will never become your possession.
No, I’ll escape from here before a hundred days pass.
“The owner speaks, and you must answer, slave.”
Leni slowly opened her mouth, then snapped it shut.
When she glared at Blayden defiantly, a sneer flickered at the corner of his mouth.
“That’s why you’re foolish. If you want to run away, you have to distract the one holding you. If you stand bristling like a hedgehog, I’ll keep my eyes wide open and watch you.”
Hmph!
Pretending to care.
I’m not fooled anymore.
“Say it. Yes, master.”
Wake up from your dream.
Never!
I won’t call you that.
I won’t!
Watching her narrow her eyes with intensity, Blayden reached out his hand.
When his thick hand caught her lips, Leni’s eyes widened in shock and she froze.
Blayden leaned in and whispered soothingly,
“I don’t mean to serve me with your heart. Just call me. If you just open your mouth, it’ll be easier on yourself.”
“Umm…”
Leni struggled with the lips holding her mouth and shook her head vigorously. Blayden let go of her and asked in frustration,
“What do you get by stubbornly resisting?”
“I cannot lie.”
Leni straightened her head and snapped back.
Blayden’s eyebrows twitched.
His once bright eyes darkened.
For a moment, there seemed to be moisture in his blue pupils, giving Leni courage.
“I will call you Lord Rehat.”
“You still don’t understand your situation.”
Shaking his head, Blayden grabbed her chin and jerked it forward sharply.
“Listen well. I can call you whatever I want and give you a new name. But you cannot recklessly call my name. Understood, slave?”
I’m not a slave, Leni clenched her teeth.
Tears welled up in her eyes but she couldn’t cry.
She didn’t want to show tears in front of this man.
“From now on, move as I say. If you keep bothering me, I might cut you down, so don’t risk your life over trivial matters.”
Pushing her face aside, Blayden stood up.
“Yesterday was the longest day of your life. Let’s see if you survive today and get to see tomorrow’s sun.”
He gave a cold sneer and strode out of the room with long steps.
Left alone, Leni hugged her knees.
As soon as she buried her face between them, a sob escaped.
Her dress sleeve was torn and messy.
When she had switched clothes with Kiabel, it was beautiful, but the green silk, now ragged and shredded, seemed to reflect her situation.
In just one day, her fate had fallen into ruin.
Dreaming of playing the role of a princess on stage felt like a distant memory from a past life.
Father.
The face she missed came to mind, squeezing her chest painfully.
She should have asked about his whereabouts first.
She couldn’t run away alone leaving her father behind.
Were the troupe members safe?
Now that His Majesty had collapsed, who would back them?
Her head started to ache from all these worries when the door opened.
Leni wiped her wet eyes and looked up.
A tall, slender young woman with a dark complexion approached and stood before her.
“You’re the new slave, right?”
She put both hands on her waist, speaking boldly.
“Uh? Uh-huh.”
Leni nodded awkwardly and studied the woman.
She had a slender face with sharp features.
Her chestnut hair was short and puffed up at the crown, revealing the nape of her neck.
She wore a light brown tunic and black pants.
She didn’t seem like a palace maid.
The woman’s age and status were both hard to guess.
Her light brown eyes with slightly upturned edges sparkled with curiosity, giving a somewhat boyish impression.
But her sunburned, rough face showed the battle-hardened spirit of someone who’d fought through life’s storms.
Above all, her strong, broad shoulders and calloused hands made it clear that palace life was far from her experience.
The woman looked down at Leni and asked,
“What’s your name?”
Her tone was friendly but somehow carried an edge that made her hard to treat lightly.
“Solenia. But I go by Leni.”
“Alright, Leni. I’m Sharino.”
The woman extended one hand.
Was she offering a handshake?
Leni reached out her right hand and, while clasping Sharino’s, muttered,
“I thought you were a man.”
“I am a woman.”
Sharino gripped her hand firmly and pulled, and Leni, drawn up by the strength, glanced at her.
Sharino chuckled as if she found it amusing.
“Is it because of the name?”
“Yes.”
‘Sharino’ was a masculine-sounding name.
“My real name’s Sharina. I used Sharino during the war to make things easier, but now I’m more used to this name. The war lasted five years, after all.”
Had she fought on the battlefield?
If she went to war five years ago, how old might she be now?
Sharino opened the window to let in fresh air and looked at the bed.
Despite her fiddling with the bedding, there wasn’t even a trace anyone had slept there.
Not knowing what to do, Leni stood by the window in a daze.
Sharino, grabbing a water bottle, muttered to herself,
“This is unusual. Sleeping here all the time.”
So this wasn’t the Red Wolf’s quarters after all.
“Does Lord Rehat have another place to stay?”
“Yes. Usually he stays at the barracks outside the outer castle with the soldiers.”
I see.
“He hates women coming and going in his quarters. What happened to the captain last night?”
Sharino muttered and then looked at Leni.
Feeling a bit startled, Leni reflexively asked,
“The captain?”
“Yeah, Lord Rehat is our captain. I’m from the Kinolf unit.”
What was the Kinolf unit, and who was “we”?
“Kinolf means the King’s Wolves. Lord Rehat is called the Red Wolf on the battlefield. Brave wolves fighting for the king, you know? We’re his personal guard, the wolves’ wolves, but since our pay comes straight from His Majesty’s pocket, we’re also the King’s Wolves. Whoever pays the money is the boss, right?”
“Yes, yes.”
Leni was overwhelmed by the torrent of talk.
So eager to be friendly with someone she just met—was she that easygoing?
It might be good to get close.
Having someone like this watching over her might make it easier to escape.
“Anyway, glad to have extra help. The war is over, but work keeps piling up like the enemy. Can you help me out, Leni?”
Sharino asked cheerfully, and Leni smiled slightly, hoping her smile looked genuine as she put both hands forward.
“Yes.”
I’m not a slave.
But I’ll endure it thinking I’m playing the role of one.
If I want to escape, I’ll need to make the watchers lower their guard.
The massive Clavil Castle was divided into inner and outer sections.
Passing through the outer castle walls overlooking the wide fields, there was a quarter-mile radius of land, and to enter the inner castle, one had to cross a drawbridge suspended over the moat.
The outer castle was mainly where the army and support staff stayed.
Various workshops and livestock pens were also located there.
The inner castle was where the royal family resided.
It was also the space where nobles and officials handled state affairs.
In other words, Klabil Castle was both a fortress and a palace, and in itself, a small village.
Leni followed Sharino to the outer castle’s barracks.
Sharino went to a tent next to the stable and handed her some clothes.
“You should change into this.”
It was a tunic and wide-legged pants.
It looked like they were going to dress her as a man and put her to proper work.
That might be a good thing.
Pants would be better than a dress if she wanted to run away.
Leni sneakily asked Sharino as she was about to leave the tent.
“Um… have you heard anything about the troupe?”
“The troupe?”
“Yes. I heard a famous troupe came to perform a victory celebration.”
“Oh, that must be the group camping in the Forest of Forié. Leni, do you like theater?”
“Not really. Just curious.”
She wasn’t sure if she should hide the fact that she was part of the troupe.
If she appeared to be gathering information, it might raise suspicion, so she had to be careful.
While Leni was thinking this over, Sharino’s cheerful expression from a moment ago turned serious.
“Listen carefully, Leni.”
“Yes.”
“The mood among the knights after last night’s incident is tense. A nighttime curfew was imposed starting tonight. In times like this, it’s best to keep your mouth shut. Even if you’re curious, hold back.”
With His Majesty collapsed and the princess dead, the palace must be in turmoil.
“Still, since it seems like you’re really curious, I’ll tell you. The performance was canceled. The troupe members were ordered not to move.”
“So, are they still in the forest?”
“Well… probably where they were before.”
Is my father with the troupe?
Were they all dragged somewhere?
Hearing this little bit of news didn’t bring relief; instead, Leni’s worries grew.
“Hurry up and change clothes and come out. There’s a mountain of work to do.”
Sharino gestured toward the clothes and went outside the tent.
Leni quickly changed, folded her dress, placed it in a corner, and stepped out of the tent.