Chapter 13
She quickly concealed her expression and took a deep breath. With a stoic expression, she spoke to Mary, who stood at the open door.
“If it’s not urgent, be prepared.”
“Of course. But it’s really urgent.”
Her icy gaze pierced Mary. Seeing Mary’s face, which had turned pale as a sheet, Letícia stepped out of the room straight away.
‘Could it be that Father encountered trouble on his way back?’
Or perhaps the Emperor noticed something and had already taken action. She hadn’t expected him to move so quickly. Had she been too complacent?
Maybe even the events that had unfolded had taken a turn.
‘It’s okay. Nothing has been confirmed yet.’
She tried to control her expression by running various assumptions through her mind.
Her hand clenched involuntarily in anxiety. Though her nails dug into her skin, causing a tingling pain, she couldn’t release the tension. The past always haunted her whenever it resurfaced.
When would she be able to break free from this deep-seated anxiety?
Letícia forced a calm voice out of her throat, but her steps gradually quickened.
“Tell me on the way what’s going on.”
“Your Majesty, it’s… ”
Stop.
Letícia’s steps halted.
It must be something related to Arden. The oddity that had settled in her mind alongside the sense of relief was surprising. Since when had they shared secretive matters? The maids’ bustling felt awkwardly out of place.
Even if something had happened to Arden, would it change anything if she went?
It wouldn’t change a thing.
Letícia suddenly calmed down.
“Continue what you were going to say.”
“His Majesty… ”
Uh-oh.
Letícia’s gaze fell upon Mary, who seemed to have turned speechless. Or rather, she seemed to have lost her words.
Letícia blinked slowly, looking around at the maids bustling about.
“Just because I go, His Majesty won’t miraculously recover.”
“…”
“Since the physician has gone, there seems to be no need for me to go.”
At this, another maid who had been quietly listening to Letícia’s words added.
“Your Majesty, Lord Raymond specifically asked for Your Majesty to accompany him.”
“I should have listened to the advisor’s words.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Was it Joanna?”
Yohanna shivered.
Under Letícia’s gaze, she bowed deeply and said, “I-I’m sorry. I think I misjudged. Please forgive me!”
“Forgiveness is not something easily granted. Remember that.”
Without hesitation, Letícia turned her body towards her room. In the past, she would have rushed to him immediately, throwing herself at him, but now she was different.
“Mary, unless it’s urgent, don’t disturb my time.”
“I’ll remember, Your Majesty.”
“Let the others know too.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Soon, Letícia’s door was firmly closed.
❖ ❖ ❖
“Why am I even here?”
She tightly clutched her draped shawl and stood in front of the door, contemplating for a long moment. She hesitated, unable to bring herself to enter.
The words about Arden collapsing kept lingering in her mind. Despite trying to ignore it, her heart felt uneasy, and she couldn’t sleep well. Eventually, she found herself standing in front of Arden’s room.
“Unless something serious happened, Raymond wouldn’t have come looking for me.”
The awkward reactions around her also bothered her.
After much deliberation, Letícia spoke to the doorkeeper.
“Inform His Majesty that I have arrived.”
“I’m sorry, Your Majesty, but it might be better for you to come next time.”
“Why? Is there a reason I shouldn’t go in?”
“Well, that’s…”
The gatekeeper hesitated, casting anxious glances around. Letícia’s gaze narrowed further, and she eventually said to the gatekeeper.
“I’ll take responsibility, so open the door.”
“But, I…”
“Open the door.”
Under the unfamiliar tone, the gatekeeper turned pale and nodded. As the door opened, a man appeared, wiping his hands on his shirt sleeves.
“Lord Raymond.”
“Your Majesty, I greet you. You may enter, but please don’t be alarmed.”
“You all didn’t seem too concerned when I came to find you.”
Raymond nodded to the gatekeeper. The door opened slowly, and Letícia entered the room.
“…”
What she saw before her made her doubt her own eyes.
The room was littered with broken glass shards, and there were bloody marks scattered around.
Arden was lying on the bed, struggling to breathe, with his arm covering his eyes.
Next to him, a dagger lay discarded.
Although his hand was bandaged, blood still dripped onto the floor. Letícia stood frozen in place, clutching her dress tightly.
Just because he collapsed, did he have to cause such a commotion?
Thunk.
Suddenly, something flew towards her and hit the wall as the door closed.
Crash.
With the sound, blood trickled down Letícia’s cheek.
“…”
Before she could even grasp what had happened, she was dumbfounded by the events that unfolded. A wound marred her previously flawless skin.
Too stunned to scream, Letícia merely felt the stinging pain as she looked down at Arden lying on the bed.
“No one was supposed to disturb me.”
His voice, hoarse and barely audible, resonated quietly in the room. Letícia’s chest sank as she heard his exhausted voice.
He got up from the bed, staggering towards her, and grabbed her chin.
“Why did you…?”
His unfocused blue eyes wavered aimlessly. Letícia pushed his hand away from her face.
“What are you doing?”
Even as she pushed his hand away, he remained steady. Staring blankly at Letícia, he muttered softly.
“Why did you take actions you never did before? I told you not to come. ”
She didn’t want to come either. Letícia was already regretting coming here. If she hadn’t seen this scene, she wouldn’t have felt uncomfortable.
‘What happened?’
Was it the conversation with her father that changed his mood? If so, something must have happened between them that day.
Letícia knew Arden couldn’t sleep and occasionally struggled with trauma, but she didn’t realize it was this serious.
Most of all, after Arden collapsed, didn’t Raymond instruct the maids not to call for her? Letícia asked, puzzled by Arden’s words.
“…You weren’t called?”
“Even if I called, would you have come? I’m just a mere pawn to fulfill your duties.”
Arden’s face twisted. However, his gaze remained fixed on the wound on Letícia’s cheek. He suddenly grabbed her and pushed her out of the room.
“Dispose of the unnecessary pretense of being my wife.”
He said, with a self-deprecating smile.
“…Indeed. I must admit, I acted out of character by trying to take care of you. Actions to benefit each other are unnecessary between us. I’ll be more careful from now on.”
But despite her words of caution, Letícia’s expression was colder than ever.
She immediately turned around and walked towards her chambers. She didn’t even shed a tear out of astonishment.
“What did I just witness?”
Arden’s loss of composure invoked memories she wished to forget. Even when the emperor invaded, he acted like a person who had lost his mind, covered in blood.
Letícia shook her head to erase the remnants of those memories.
As she reached her chambers, Mary, who had discovered her, gasped.
“Oh my goodness, Your Majesty!”
From a distance, Mary and the maids hurriedly approached.
As they got closer, the maids’ faces turned pale at the visible wound on Letícia’s cheek.
“If I say His Majesty caused the injury, what kind of expression would they make?”
Letícia thought of Arden’s face. The day he abandoned her overlapped with the current situation. What could be the reason behind it?
Though it hadn’t been long, everyone fell to the ground at the sight of Letícia’s cheek, which bore a fresh wound upon her return.
“I’m sorry. I should have followed Your Majesty… My negligence.”
“It’s okay, get up. Others might start thinking strangely.”
Mary and the maids rose immediately at Letícia’s words, adjusting their postures.
“You look tired. You all can leave.”
“But the wound…”
“Just bring some medicine, there’s no need to fuss.”
Seeing a flawless face marred by a wound would undoubtedly cause a stir if others saw. Now that she was receiving the treatment a queen deserved, Letícia worried if she would remain steady.
“She seemed to have calmed down a bit.”
If she had known such a situation would arise, Mary would have followed the queen instead of adhering to the standby order. She wished she could turn back time. Then she wouldn’t have left the queen’s side.
“Mary, it’s okay. You don’t have to make that face.”
“Aren’t you in pain?”
“Yeah. Oddly, the cheek doesn’t hurt.”
Instead, another part of her body ached. If she could, she would have cut out her heart to remove the wounded part. Then she wouldn’t feel the sharp pain anymore.
“You must be tired. Let me know if you need anything.”
She lightly patted Mary’s shoulder and smiled faintly. Shortly after, a maid brought medicine and handed it to Letícia.
“If you need anything, just call for us. Until then, no one should come in.”
Maintaining her indifferent expression until the end, Letícia entered her room.
Thank you for the chapters. ❤️