“Why did you save me?”
Leni searched for an answer in those cold, dark blue eyes.
Looking back, Blayden had been surprisingly friendly all day.
His attitude in the forest had been rough, but he had helped her.
Without him, she would have been stung by that wasp and ended up in a terrible state.
Even in the king’s bedchamber, though he had provoked her, he didn’t scold her for her rudeness.
In the dark passageway, he was fierce, but in the end, he told her where to find Princess Kiabel’s room, just as she had asked.
A man who showed kindness in a twisted way.
Just as her heart began to soften, a terrifying image flashed before her eyes—Princess Kiabel, her throat slit, blood dripping.
Leni clenched her teeth.
***
No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t understand why the broad-shouldered Red Wolf had saved her.
It couldn’t have been out of sympathy.
He didn’t seem like the kind of man who would help someone in trouble without expecting something in return.
Then… was it because of her father?
Because he was under the prince’s patronage, and Blayden was doing her a favor because of that?
Was the Red Wolf on the king’s side rather than the prince’s?
She couldn’t be sure of the political dynamics inside the palace.
Everything was uncertain.
A thick fog clouded her mind, and she let out a sigh.
At her soft sigh, Blayden’s eyebrows twitched.
“How does it feel? To put on the performance of your life in front of highborn nobles?”
“Performance?”
“That’s how acting is done. You stake your life on it. That’s how you survive.”
Did he really save me?
Why?
“With poor acting skills, you’ll starve to death for sure.”
Though he said it mockingly, it sounded like concern.
Should she thank him?
No. She couldn’t assume he was on her side.
There might be a hidden agenda.
Now that her life was truly on the line, she couldn’t trust anyone—not even herself.
Lost in confusion, Leni shifted uncomfortably.
She tried to stretch her legs and stand, but collapsed back down.
Her entire body ached like it had been beaten with a club.
She moved her throbbing arm slightly when suddenly a threateningly low voice hit her from up close.
“Nothing seems broken, so shall we begin the interrogation?”
What now?
Leni lifted her head and cautiously watched Blayden’s expression.
“Interrogation?”
“Everyone who was in the king’s bedchamber collapsed. Why are you the only one unharmed?”
“I… I don’t know.”
“Figure it out. If you want your father to live.”
Only then did she remember what she had momentarily forgotten—her father.
Panic set in as she looked around.
They were alone in the spacious room.
He had said her father was in his room.
But wasn’t this the Red Wolf’s place?
“What happened to my father?”
“Not my concern.”
“But you saved me. Please help him.”
Leni suddenly grabbed his arm.
Her small hand clinging to his strong arm seemed pathetic. Blayden twisted his lips as if amused.
“If you’re going to ask for help, maybe don’t do it while holding a weapon.”
“What?”
His gaze dropped to the steel hairpin in her other hand.
“Oh—right.”
Still clinging to his arm, Leni awkwardly pinned the hairpin back in her hair.
She could feel the mess of tangled strands in her hand.
Embarrassed by how disheveled she must look, she straightened her back.
Trying to at least maintain her posture, she looked into Blayden’s eyes and politely asked,
“Would you please tell me how my father is, Sir Rehat?”
Blayden let out a dry chuckle.
“You fool. Don’t you know your place? ‘Sir Rehat’? Who told you to use that name so lightly? You’re no longer the darling little princess of a theater troupe.”
He yanked his arm away and stood up, walking to the door.
He opened it and seemed to give orders to a guard standing outside.
Left alone, Leni took the chance to scan the room.
The spacious room, lit by candles all around, felt cold and bare.
A large bed sat in the corner, and at its end was a long bench covered in satin.
Near a window with heavy curtains hung, there was a simple wooden table with four chairs.
That was all.
The fireplace was clean, with no logs or ash, and there were no decorations to speak of.
Not even a rug on the floor.
Considering Blayden’s status, the room was astonishingly plain.
Was this really a bedroom?
It didn’t seem like the kind of personal space Blayden would bring her into.
Then where was this?
He mentioned interrogation, but it didn’t feel like a torture chamber.
And where in the world was her father?
Desperately glancing around the room, Leni tilted her head back and froze.
The ornate ceiling overwhelmed her vision.
The oak-covered ceiling was divided into squares like a gigantic chessboard.
Inside each square border was an oval portrait.
The upper bodies of people, appearing to be kings or queens, dressed in luxurious clothing, were painted in richly colored detailed miniatures.
It was so beautiful that an admiring sigh escaped her lips just as footsteps were heard.
Leni closed her mouth and hastily lowered her head.
Two young attendants brought in food.
Bread, meat, and fruit were laid out on a wooden table.
After the attendants withdrew and the door was closed, Blayden gestured toward the table.
“Eat.”
“I’m not hungry.”
Leni replied politely, glancing sideways at the bed in the corner of the room.
Maybe they would do something strange after feeding me.
Maybe there’s no complicated intention.
Maybe they really just needed a toy for one night and brought me here.
Blayden approached briskly and grabbed her elbow.
“Ah!”
Her small body was no match for the rough grasp.
Leni was pulled to her feet and dragged in front of the table.
Blayden roughly ordered as he sat her down on the hard wooden chair.
“Eat even if you’re not hungry. You never know when food will enter a slave’s mouth.”
The food looked fresh and warm, and smelled good.
Come to think of it, she hadn’t had a sip of water since returning from the market.
There was well-roasted, oily turkey meat and plump salmon.
Large rye bread and butter.
Next to a large wooden cup that seemed to hold tea, there was apple pie and fresh strawberries.
Normally, her mouth would have watered, but her tense body didn’t feel hungry.
Still, this was an opportunity.
Looking at the ripe, red strawberries, Leni thought hard.
There’s no point in just resisting without eating.
Pretending to obey while coaxing him is better.
I’ll get the information I need, then look for a chance to run away.
Leni picked up the strawberry closest to her and took a bite.
Sweet fragrance spread inside her mouth, but her mind was elsewhere.
I’ll get out of here.
I’ll find the Tarsewin Shrine the princess told me about.
I’ll find out where my father is.
I’ll visit His Highness.
If he has regained consciousness, he will help me.
But how?
There were too many variables and obstacles.
As the princess said, I ran toward the Ruet Convent but got caught.
Is the place called Tarsewin Shrine really safe?
What if His Highness hasn’t woken up?
The more she thought, the deeper the despair grew.
Leni chewed the strawberry carefully and picked up some bread.
She had to buy time.
She couldn’t act rashly.
While she tore and ate the rye bread, Blayden sat across the table.
Since the table was small, she couldn’t avoid his sharp gaze.
The torn sleeve of her dress exposing her shoulder bothered her.
She twisted sideways and asked,
“Is that promise still valid?”
First, she had to coax the Red Wolf.
“What promise?”
“Didn’t you say that if we meet again, I could say what I wanted?”
“Hah! The wish you spent instead of the gold coin? You’ve already used it.”
“What?”
“You asked me to tell you where Princess Kiabel is. As you wished, I guided you to her quarters.”
Ah, that’s right.
Leni slumped her shoulders in dismay.
“To waste a wish to save someone else’s life, how foolish.”
He was right.
She had blown that wish instead of using it for a kiss.
Feeling pathetic for a moment, Leni then resolved her mind.
To save Princess Kiabel…
She did not think it foolish to have tried to give orders.
Even if the princess ended up dying, she would cherish her own heart that tried to help her.
And now, she would find her own solution without the Red Wolf’s help.
Since she had learned the other’s true intentions before harboring false hopes, it was rather for the better.
Having finished all the rye bread, Leni dipped her hand into the bowl of water, then wiped her wet hand on the tablecloth.
Thanks to that, her stomach was full, and her strength had recovered.
“I will find my father myself.”
She had the king’s travel pass in her possession.
If she had entered the princess’s quarters, she could probably pass through other places as well. First, she would head to the Tarsewin Shrine.
“Thank you for the delicious meal.”
Leaving behind a half-hearted but somewhat sincere thanks, Leni stood up.
The moment she turned her back on the table, a deep voice pierced her ears.
Startled, Leni turned around.
Blayden’s harsh gaze flew at her like a net.
“What did you just say?”
“Solenia Radelyon. Isn’t that too long for a slave’s name? A slave’s name should be short. If it’s long, it’s troublesome to call.”
Slave.
Yes.
She had become his slave.
In exchange for sparing her life.
She had tried to understand the reality, but she simply could not believe the situation.
She had never even imagined such a thing in her dreams.
“You don’t actually intend to make me your slave, do you?”
Leni forced a crooked smile.
What could he want from having me?
Blayden’s expression, seated like a statue, was cold.
His gaze was so calm it became frightening, then he spoke quietly.
“I’m serious, and you’re already mine.”
There was a firmness in his calm tone that would allow no further resistance.
Leni felt like she was bound in chains.
Nothing.
There was nothing she could do to change this situation. She tried to breathe out, but the fact that she had become a slave weighed on her chest like a stone.
“So then, So—”
“Leni!”
Her desperate heart burst out in a shout.
She didn’t want to lose even her name.
“Everyone calls me Leni. If you want to shorten my name, please call me that.”
What does a name matter?
She had barely survived death.
She had fallen to being a slave.
What difference did it make what she was called?
Yet, for her fallen self, her name was the only thing she felt still belonged to her.
She wanted to protect even that.
Tears welled up in her stinging eyes.
Blayden’s face blurred and she couldn’t read his expression.
Please.
Leni clenched her fists as if praying, hoping she wouldn’t become more pitiful here.
As her fingernails dug into her palms, a deep voice was heard.
“Then it’s Leni.”
Her fists unclenched, and she breathed again.
It was ridiculous.
Being called by the name she’d been called before was the greatest favor, and she should be grateful for it.
How had she ended up in such a situation?
Pulling up the dress that was about to slip off her shoulder, Leni clenched her teeth.
Just as the bitter moisture was gathering in her mouth, Blayden shifted his posture.
At the creaking sound of the chair, Leni flinched and shuddered.