At Floyd’s resolute voice, Roxiana finally felt despair.
She had truly been prepared to do anything. She could wield a sword and go to the battlefield, and even serve him at night if he wished.
Roxiana had vowed to do anything to encounter her family just once while wandering this world without returning to God’s embrace, to obtain a restless death.
Roxiana clutched his clothes with both hands. Her hands trembled endlessly as they gripped his garments.
“Your Grace, please… please…”
“Stop it, Princess.”
A growling voice flowed from between his lips.
“I’m in a very bad mood right now.”
He brushed off Roxiana’s hands and abruptly stood up. There was not a trace of hesitation in his back as he turned away.
The despair that had been momentarily forgotten returned to weigh heavily on Roxiana once more. As the briefly blossomed hope crumbled, it tore at Roxiana’s heart.
Amidst the pain of flesh being ripped and bones gnawed, Roxiana screamed. Like a deeply wounded beast, she curled up on the floor and wept as if coughing up blood.
Floyd could hear her anguished wails even as he left the bedroom. He wanted to turn back immediately, grab her arms, shake her paper-thin body, and shout at her to please come to her senses, but he held back.
Yes, cry. Scream. As you pour out your despair like vomiting blood, someday you’ll want to live. You’ll think it’s okay to live.
Outside, Floyd found a maid standing with a pale face. The maid must have heard Roxiana’s cries too, as she was anxiously gripping the hem of her skirt.
Floyd glanced at her and said:
“Serve the princess with utmost sincerity and without lack of anything. Lay carpets wherever she walks and select and re-select only the finest fruits for her to eat!”
+++
When His Grace the Grand Duke entered the grand ducal palace yesterday afternoon carrying a woman in his arms, the employees of the palace were truly shocked to the point of holding their breath.
When the barbarians provoked the knights of the Grand Duchy,
They sang songs like, “The Grand Duke of Torkan is a eunuch.”
Floyd Ratean’s misogyny was so widely known.
Families desiring the position of Grand Duchess would choose their most beautiful daughter to send as a maid, have her visit on vacation, or send her disguised as a messenger offering help, but not a single woman had caught Floyd’s eye.
Floyd did not require assistance with bathing or dressing, and on the rare occasions he did need help, he received it from male servants or attendants, never allowing women into his bedchamber.
So rumors circulated that the Grand Duke of Torkan must surely prefer men to women.
Although rumors that could damage the Grand Duke’s honor reached Floyd’s ears, he merely laughed heartily without anger or attempts to explain, only fueling the rumors further.
At such a time, when His Grace the Grand Duke, who wouldn’t allow a single hair from a woman, came carrying an unconscious woman in his arms, the employees couldn’t help but be surprised.
Among them, the most shocked person was the head chamberlain, Marquis Jenail Cohiten.
Jenail had been a knight guarding Floyd’s mother, Elienne Ratean, and after Elienne died in some incident, he had seen and heard many things while protecting Floyd. Therefore, he knew and understood the reason why Floyd detested women so much and felt sorry for him.
However, while he had been boiling with concern over Floyd not giving women a chance despite being of marriageable age, Floyd came carrying a woman, so he couldn’t help but be shocked.
“Your Grace, who is she…?”
“The princess of Kanta.”
“Ah.”
The moment he heard Floyd’s answer, Jenail felt as if he’d been struck on the back of the head. Of all people, the one His Grace had shown an opening to was the princess of Kanta.
Jenail was also well aware of the tragic incident that had occurred between Kanta and the Franche royal family.
“So the Princess of Kanta was alive.”
Jenail replied calmly while examining Roxiana. Tangled hair and a dirty face as if untouched for a long time, a body with protruding bones, and a sunflower engraved on her collarbone.
The moment he saw it, Jenail failed to control his expression.
“Is that…?”
Floyd realized what Jenail was looking at and adjusted Roxiana to cover the slave brand stamped on her collarbone.
“It’s nothing to worry about.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Jenail also had a granddaughter around Roxiana’s age, so he felt pity for this ill-fated princess.
“The princess will stay in the Lily Palace. Have a capable maid attend to her.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
Jenail followed Floyd’s orders without further questions, but the head maid, Countess Eledrun Hills, had other thoughts in mind.
When a few sharp-eyed maids who had overheard the conversation between Floyd and Jenail and observed Roxiana relayed what they had learned, Eledrun became uneasy.
While Roxiana’s situation was worthy of sympathy, the kingdom of Kanta had become a colony, the Franche royal family had fallen, and the sole survivor of the Franche royal family had become a slave.
The fact that Roxiana, who had been declared dead in the Kingdom of Gania, was alive and had become a slave meant that the Ganian side had turned her into a slave and sold her off.
Torkan had banned slavery, and Floyd often struck down slave traders to free slaves, so it was understandable that he had rescued Roxiana. But to bring a woman who had become a slave to the Lily Palace?
The Lily Palace was the most beautiful and luxurious place in this grand ducal palace, meant for the most distinguished of distinguished guests who occasionally visited. No matter that she was once a princess, it was not a place for a woman who had now become a slave to stay.
The pitiful yet provocative story of a princess of a country becoming a slave spread quickly within the grand ducal palace. Even with the head chamberlain and head maid trying to keep it quiet, it was difficult to stop rumors from spreading among the employees.
In such circumstances, it was unlikely that maids from good families would want to attend to Roxiana. Serving a slave was considered highly dishonorable. Slaves were not just much lower in status than commoners, they were not even treated as human beings.
Eledrun, who had managed the maids diligently and perfectly until now, did not want to cause discord because of an uninvited guest who might stay for only a few days.
However, she couldn’t ignore the Grand Duke’s orders either, so after much deliberation, she decided to choose a quick-handed and clever girl among the maids to attend to Roxiana.
Thus, the one selected as Roxiana’s maid was Petria, the daughter of a woodcutter.
While her fellow maids gave Petria sympathetic looks for having to serve a slave, Petria was looking forward to meeting Roxiana.
‘A princess, they say.’
Even if she was once a princess, a princess is still a princess. Although Petria had worked in the kitchen of the grand ducal palace, she had never seen a princess before.
‘I wonder what kind of person she is?’
Petria waited in the reception room in front of the bedroom until permission to enter was given. Kirshan, who had been inside the bedroom since before Petria arrived, came out and noticed her.
“Wait a little longer. The Grand Duke wants to meet her first.”
Those words further inflated Petria’s expectations.
Petria was also well aware of the fact that the Grand Duke detested women terribly. For such a Grand Duke to not only bring her in his arms but also want to meet her first thing after she woke up. It was natural to be curious and expectant.
Eventually, Floyd came in and entered the bedroom without even glancing at Petria.
For a while, the sound of murmuring conversation could be heard. Although curious about the content, Petria did not forget her duty as a maid and stood quietly waiting for Floyd to come out.
When the bedroom door finally opened after a long time, a blood-curdling scream poured out.
Would one scream like this even if bones were carved out or skin was thinly sliced?
At the unexpected sound of crying, Petria felt as if all the blood had drained from her body as she looked up at Floyd coming out of the room.
Floyd looked extremely angry, but the words flowing from his mouth were completely opposite to his expression.
“Serve the princess with utmost sincerity and without lack of anything. Lay carpets wherever she walks and select and re-select only the finest fruits for her to eat!”
Even after Floyd had left, Roxiana’s screams continued. Petria couldn’t bring herself to go inside and waited for the crying to subside.
What kind of experience would make someone cry like that?
As the daughter of a woodcutter who had lived without any major changes, Petria couldn’t even begin to imagine.
The screams that shook the ceiling and beat the ground became hoarse, the sobs lengthened, and at some point, it became quiet. Only then did Petria knock on the bedroom door.
“Princess, may I come in?”
There was no answer. The ensuing silence made her nervous. Worried that the princess might have taken her own life, she opened the door without asking for permission.
At that moment, Petria was startled by the sight of Roxiana that met her eyes.
Roxiana was truly, exceptionally beautiful. She was several times, tens of times more beautiful than the image of a princess Petria had imagined, to the point where she couldn’t take her eyes off her.
Roxiana, kneeling beside the bed, was in an abnormal state by any generous assessment.
Her thin dress was crumpled, her hair was a tangled mess, her face was pale, and her lips were dry and cracked. Yet, it was as if the light coming through the window shone solely on Roxiana, making it dazzling to look at.
After pausing for a moment to observe Roxiana, Petria finally came to her senses and hurriedly approached to support her.
Turns Out He’s Been Secretly in Love with Me
One-line summary: He acts like he doesn’t like her but is actually playing hard to get.
Synopsis:
Xu Muzhou like her. He has liked her for a very long time, and through repeated schemes, he finally closed the distance with her.
But this is still far from enough.
He wants to be the one who stands out among her many suitors, to fight for her attention, and to make her take the initiative to pursue him.
_____
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