Chapter 29
“… Your Majesty, shall we go to eat?”
I asked softly, hoping to get this over with. To my relief, he seemed to like my cautious tone and his frown lifted.
“Are you hungry? Let’s go.”
I nodded, understanding Thierry’s natural tendency to defer to me when I was hungry.
“Oh.”
He turned to leave the room, stopping to grab something he’d forgotten. Turning my head slightly, I caught sight of the head of the maid, still standing silently behind me, eyes downcast.
“So, I should just assume that Marie is coming tomorrow?”
I flinch.
The maid’s chin lifted slightly, revealing a glimpse of her swampy green eyes.
“It’s…”
Satisfied that I wouldn’t have to see either of them tomorrow, I followed Thierry out the door for a tearful breakfast.
I had a feeling this was going to be a long day.
***
“How about that?”
The day was off to a bad start, and breakfast was getting long. The fear that I’d be eating through lunch at this rate rose in the back of my throat.
“… It’s delicious.”
Thierry’s prying demeanor from earlier was out of the ordinary.
What are you doing today, what did you do yesterday, what did you do before bed, what did you do before you went to bed. His behavior, as if he needed to know everything about me, sent a chill down my spine.
Maybe this was a dream revelation, maybe it wasn’t just a dog dream, maybe he’d caught me like a mouse in my dream to warn me to watch out for Thierry today!
I stared uneasily at Thierry’s handsome face as he scooped food onto my plate.
‘You’re not going to find out my food tastes like this just so you can serve me something I don’t like later, you can’t be that childish… No. I hope not.’
I couldn’t tell if the food was going to my mouth or my nose. And when I tried to put my fork down, Thierry would quickly fill my plate, so I couldn’t say I couldn’t eat anymore.
“Do you have a sweet tooth? Do you have a favorite dessert?”
Thierry’s questioning didn’t stop there.
“I like… desserts of all kinds.”
“And you prefer salads to meat? You haven’t touched meat.”
“Yeah, I prefer something lighter for breakfast.”
“I see. I’ll take note.”
… What? Are you really trying to figure out what I can’t eat? My eyes twitched like I was having a twitch.
“Princess, are you full? You’ve slowed down considerably.”
His tone of voice was also a problem. The title, which used to be called out without acknowledgment, like a passing dog, had become strangely mild.
To the point where the word “Princess” sounded languid, wrapped in a languid tone.
I almost wondered if my ears were wrong.
“You look like you’ve eaten as little as birdseed.”
If you were in my shoes, would you let it go? Ah, well, if it was Thierry, I’d ignore it. I swallowed a sigh inwardly.
I was so uncomfortable earlier that all the food felt like it was stuck in my throat, so I was going to have to find some digestive medicine as soon as I got back.
I lifted my glass of water and smiled sheepishly.
“I’ve been watching you, and you eat so little. Why can’t you eat?”
Yeah, because I ate with you…
“Aren’t you sick?”
You’re making my stomach churn…
“If you’re so unwell, why doesn’t anyone know? Am I the only one who knows?”
I swallowed hard, the words stuck in my throat.
‘Please stop…’
It’s too much! No matter how much he wants something from me, he’s so far from being delicate, and when he acts like this, I wonder if it’s his affection that makes him different.
I’m the only one who knows, Lari, and I don’t know why those words stuck with me. This is ridiculous. Why does it sound cute and make a big deal?
‘Ha, this is a big deal.’
I’m starting to worry that I’m falling for his play.
Okay, let’s change the subject.
I gingerly set my glass down and open my mouth to speak, but he’s the first to mutter sarcastically.
“I’m going to have to get rid of this right now.”
“What?”
“I gave you this life to serve a purpose, and if I can’t do my job, you should die.”
His face was so cold and heartless. The man who had called out to me so harmlessly a moment ago was gone, and in his place was a ruthless tyrant who had taken the lives of many.
It was like a midsummer night’s dream.
‘Wow… I must have gotten carried away. I’m waking up.’
It hit home because I knew he wasn’t just saying it, he was going to do it.
‘You changed so suddenly that I thought it was even more suspicious, and then I almost forgot about it…’
I felt my heart sink instantly as I realized how easily he could control people’s lives. It was as if I was sinking into the depths of the ocean.
‘Is it because I keep trying to relive the past?’
The man in front of me was the Emperor of Podia, and I kept trying to see the Thierry I remembered in him, even as he addressed me verbally as His Majesty.
Maybe I’m stuck in a past I’ve missed, and I’m using the excuse of finding the Thierry of the past as an excuse to open up my mind.
‘… Let’s get a grip. I’m just a patsy.’
My tangled thoughts grew colder.
“Princess?”
“What?”
My gaze snapped up at his call. I was so lost in my own thoughts that I realized in hindsight that I hadn’t thought to answer him, and my voice faltered slightly at the top of my lungs.
“You look pale, are you okay?”
“Ah…”
I wasn’t, but I couldn’t say that outright.
But what bothered me was that I didn’t know if I should pretend that I didn’t know what I had just said. Someone’s life could have been lost because of me.
And most importantly, my predicament might make him even more angry if I added to his dubious favor.
‘Ugh, what are you doing to me?’
I pursed my lips, unsure of what to do. And then Thierry, his eyes scanning my face, jumped out of his seat and walked over to me, his large hand casually reaching for my face.
“What’s wrong? Wait, wait. I’ll call the doctor.”
My body reacted first. My body jerked back slightly, as if dodging a bullet.
“Oh, no, I’m just a little tired… Sorry.”
His hand paused awkwardly in midair, and I realized my mistake as I watched the limbs of his hand, which had been rigidly still, slowly begin to contract.
I lifted the corners of my mouth as calmly as I could, hoping to make amends. Hoping my smile would look natural and that his interest would wane.
His lips pressed together, and I felt a slight tug. His gaze lingered on my eyes and lips for a long moment, his bright red eyes flickering as he stared at me.
I lowered my eyes, unable to meet him any longer. His hand slid down, following his gaze.
“…”
Like the breathless breakfast that began, it ended in silence.
***
Apparently unmoved by the disjointed meal, Thierry didn’t show up for dinner, or breakfast for that matter.
I sat on the terrace attached to my room and rummaged through the simple meal. Luckily, the handmaiden had kept her promise and sent Marie to be my maid today, but Thierry was too much of a nuisance to make her return a pleasant one.
“Princess, do you have no appetite?”
“Mmm, just a little in the morning.”
My tone had softened in response to Marie’s desperate pleas for me to make her feel comfortable, as she had pledged her loyalty to me in tears as soon as she arrived in the morning.
Marie gave me a pitying look at my lukewarm response. Her transparent face seemed to say, “My Princess needs to eat well to stay healthy.”
“I’ll eat slowly. Go do what you have to do.”
“Oh, yes. I’ll be waiting outside, if you need me.”
The only thing better was that she didn’t argue with my instructions. The fact that she understood that I wanted to be alone and moved out of the way eased my frustration a little.
Well, just a little.
I couldn’t help but feel frustrated because Thierry was the cause of my frustration in the first place.
I felt unsafe whenever I could see him, and now that I couldn’t see him anymore, I felt unsafe again.
“… You’re not going to be offended, are you?”
My heart sank as I realized that if he was just annoyed and chose to ignore me, that was fine, but I was going to grind my teeth in frustration.
I absentmindedly fluffed the scramble with my fork, my shoulders shaking with the ominous realization that this might be my future. I pushed my plate away slightly and propped my elbows up on the table.
“I can’t do this.”
I rested my chin on my fists, my face serious.
I knew there was nothing I could do, but I felt strongly that I was letting my hands go too soon. If I waited patiently for people’s interest to die down, I might get whipped around and have my head snapped off.
‘I have to get my side of the story somehow.’
I was desperate to have someone I could trust, someone who could hide me behind and move in front of me.
Someone who could hide behind me and move me forward… Especially if they invest in me.
‘Isn’t this almost a unicorn?’
