The next day, when she opened her eyes, it was already almost noon.
As soon as she woke up, Juliet looked for Driene. With her vision still blurry, she grabbed the maids helping her get up and asked,
“Where is my brother? Didn’t he come last night?”
The maid helped her sit up in bed, noticing her urgency.
“His Highness the Crown Prince stayed here until dawn before returning to his chamber.”
So don’t worry too much. While she gently reassured Juliet, another maid placed a white cloth in front of her, in case any water splashed during washing.
In the past, Juliet would have washed herself in the designated place. But now, even getting out of bed was difficult for her. Walking even a little made her short of breath and dizzy.
Still, today was better than other days. Juliet recalled the previous night, during which she hadn’t tossed and turned at all. Such nights were rare for her. Usually, her nights were filled with headaches and coughing.
The maids delicately wiped her still-pale face. Juliet caught a faint scent of turmeric from the water. Though it was familiar, it made her think of the garden she had left behind.
In the past, Juliet had planted numerous turmeric plants in her garden. She liked that they bloomed year after year, even though they were not trees.
Driene, despite not being interested in flowers, had sourced rare turmeric varieties to match her taste. He gathered them one by one in her secret garden and shook his head, saying, “How nice it is when Juliet is happy.”
Juliet loved all her gardens, but the turmeric garden was her favorite. It was a secret place she had cherished since childhood. Only those close to her, like Iasonia, Driene, and her close friends, were allowed to enter there.
However, since coming to this land, she had not seen any turmeric. While spices could be brought in from Rosenta, Juliet occasionally missed those lush flower buds.
If she had mentioned it to the man, he would have gladly brought her turmeric, perhaps even more than she had collected in Rosenta. He was capable of filling her world with turmeric.
Yet Juliet didn’t utter a word about it. Even knowing that he hadn’t forgotten the iris she had mentioned in passing, she remained silent.
It was a childish stubbornness—a prideful refusal to share what she liked with him. Juliet was proud, and that pride came with stubbornness.
If only he would just keep his distance and leave her alone, but the man read something into her silence, regardless of whether she spoke or not.
He didn’t realize that the more he did that, the more she wanted to be silent.
Should I tell him I want to see turmeric flowers?
Juliet thought as she felt the sunlight streaming through the parted curtains. It wasn’t the season, but getting turmeric flowers wouldn’t be difficult for him.
So, maybe she could call him to say thank you.
Driene didn’t say much, but Juliet knew the man must have worked hard to bring him from her homeland.
After all, the place where she was, Herventel, was the man’s domain. Things rarely happened without his will.
Having finished her thoughts, she gestured. A maid approached and bowed her head.
“Did you call for me?”
“Go tell the Grand Duke that I want to see him.”
Her tone still held a lingering bitterness out of habit. However, since the request was unusual, the maid, with wide eyes, bowed her head again in confusion.
“Yes.”
ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚
The waiting time would probably be short.
But for her anxious heart, even a moment felt long. Juliet, feeling unnecessarily tense, reached out her hand.
“Help me get up.”
And brush my hair.
The latter part didn’t need to be said. The maid smiled at her awkwardness, but Juliet didn’t notice.
At that moment, she was too focused on her own heartbeat.
Today, she thought her body felt fine, but perhaps it was all an illusion, as her chest ached slightly. She also felt short of breath and a headache coming on.
Even so, she didn’t want to lie down again. Among all her symptoms, this was the strangest part.
In the midst of it all, something was even bothersome. As Juliet looked around to find the cause, she was startled.
She didn’t usually have this habit, but she was fidgeting with her fingers without realizing it.
“…This is really strange.”
It was similar to something she had said before, but this time, no one asked what was so strange.
Everyone knew what was strange. They all had a rough idea of the cause, but one person was the exception.
Juliet separated her hands to keep them from touching and swallowed dryly. She felt thirsty, even though she was sure she had drunk enough water.
It was then that the maid who had gone on an errand returned.
Hearing the door open, Juliet almost showed her delight. What kept her from doing so was the coldness ingrained in her usual expression. It wasn’t the best habit, but in moments like this, she was grateful for it.
Juliet managed to stiffen her face and lift her chin. It was a perfectly regal appearance.
“So, what happened?”
ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚
Nanisa hesitated for a moment.
The princess was looking at her.
Her lovely green eyes sparkled. Aside from that, everything else was as impassive as ever, but Nanisa could sense from that slight change that her mistress was expecting something.
Ah, my princess. Nanisah sighed inwardly. She truly didn’t want to disappoint her. Especially during these difficult times.
Maybe she should just tell the truth. She hesitated, but that brought its own set of problems.
“Tell her I went out.”
His face was unusually pale when he said that.
Nanisa immediately recognized that something was off. The man still appeared large and strong, but he carried a rancid smell. It was the scent of blood mixed with the fragrance of sleeping herbs and medicinal plants.
Had he been stabbed? For a moment, Nanisa entertained the irreverent thought before dismissing it. The Grand Duke was the kind of man who would pull himself up even if he were stabbed. Those who roamed the outside world from a young age were all like that.
Moreover, wasn’t he the eldest son of the Inovis family?
It was common knowledge that magic flowed through that family’s bloodline.
While magic had disappeared in other places, the descendants of Inovis wielded it at will. This was the reason why their nation, Nasant, had been able to withstand several dark periods.
Nanisa had also seen the Grand Duke use magic a few times during her stay here.
He made it rain during droughts and brought warm breezes when it was chilly. Though these acts were certainly astonishing, to her, they felt more like strange phenomena than miracles.
Wasn’t it against reason for a mere human to perform such acts?
Despite her unease, she couldn’t deny his strength. Nanisa recalled the numerous rumors surrounding the Grand Duke.
They said he had the power to burn down an entire city in an instant.
Nanisa didn’t think that was a lie. If he could make it rain, why couldn’t he start a fire?
Regardless, what mattered was that there was no one who could dare to harm him.
Unless he were to harm himself, it wouldn’t be easy for him to get injured.
As Nanisa pondered for a moment, she quickly pushed the thought aside. But what did it matter? Her master was not the Grand Duke of the Empire but the precious princess of Rosenta. Nanisa had come all the way from Rosenta solely for her.
So, no matter how strong and exceptional the Grand Duke was, to her, the frail princess was far more precious.
“It is not the duty of a servant to tell lies to their master.”
No matter your situation, my mistress’s words take precedence.
It was exactly that kind of statement. In some ways, it was an incredibly audacious statement. Nanisa thought the Grand Duke might become angry. When a person is in pain, even trivial things can be irritating.
Especially an impudent servant.
He could very well shout at her right then. But the Grand Duke said nothing and simply stared into space. Nanisa secretly observed his blue eyes blinking slowly.
He didn’t seem angry, but his expression was so stoic that she couldn’t tell what he was thinking.
It was then that the Grand Duke spoke.
“…But isn’t it also wrong to disturb your master’s peace of mind?”
It was a statement full of implications. For a moment, Nanisa thought the Grand Duke was quite bold. He was suggesting that her mistress would be concerned about him.
Surely the princess wouldn’t think that way. She believed this, but given her master’s recent behavior, it was also a possibility.
The Grand Duke, sensing Nanisa’s hesitation, spoke again.
“It would be disrespectful to show my face in such circumstances.”
Nanisa didn’t know his exact circumstances, but she did not want to disturb her mistress’s peace of mind.
“Tell her I left late at night and didn’t have the chance to inform her.”
Somehow sensing that she had resolved her thoughts, the Grand Duke closed the door after saying this final sentence. Nanisa stared at the ebony door for a moment before turning away.
And now, here she was.
Damn it, Nanisa bit her lip. She felt like she was about to let out a curse she hadn’t used in a long time.
Despite struggling to support herself, the princess was sitting up in bed. Moreover, their eyes met as soon as she entered the room, indicating that her mistress had been watching the door all along.
Could it be that she was hoping for him? The princess’s green eyes sparkled so brightly that Nanisa almost asked, Did you want to see him, Your Highness?
What stopped her from committing such an act of rudeness was only her greater sense of reverence for her mistress over the impulse.
Swallowing dryly, Nanisa began to speak.
