IHDOE Ch 74
Sharlan left his office and walked slowly down the corridor.
Darkness shrouded the hallway, leaving it dead silent in the late hour. At the far end of the corridor, the figure of Satina's slave, Katan, came into view.
Sharlan recognized him immediately. It was suspicious for anyone to wander around while the household slept.
That direction leads to her room.
Sensing something wrong, he pursued him. He caught up just as the arrogant slave opened Satina's door, grabbing his wrist before he could step inside.
[Sharlan] "What do you think you are doing?"
How dare a slave break into his master's room while she sleeps?
Beheading him on the spot would be entirely justified. Yet Katan remained calm, even after being caught red-handed.
[Katan] "This is for My Lady's sake."
[Sharlan] "What?"
Before he could twist Katan's wrist at those baffling words, a scream erupted from inside the room. High and piercing, the sound sliced through the night air.
Sharlan froze. He was caught completely off guard by a scream he had never heard his sister make in his life.
Katan wrenched his hand free from his grip and rushed inside.
Satina thrashed her arms across the bed, crying out.
[Satina] "Ah, no...! Ah...!"
Katan deftly caught her arms and pulled her into a tight embrace.
[Katan] "It's alright, My Lady. Calm down."
He rubbed her back, whispering softly to her.
[Satina] "Ah, aaagh...!"
Still trapped in her sleep, she screamed, shoving his shoulder as she flailed blindly. Her fingernails dug into his forearm, drawing blood. Even so, he held her tighter and desperately soothed her.
[Katan] "It is all over now. It's alright."
[Satina] "Katan, Katan..."
She gasped for breath, calling his name in her sleep without realizing what she was saying.
[Katan] "Yes, it is me, My Lady."
[Satina] "Stop, I want to stop now! Ah, I hate this... Save me, please!"
[Katan] "It's alright. It's alright. You don't need to worry about anything anymore."
Her body went limp.
[Katan] "It's alright."
[Satina] "Hng... sob..."
[Katan] "It's alright. Everything is over."
[Satina] "..."
She sobbed softly before her eyes closed, drifting away. Her breathing evened out as she sank back into a deep slumber.
Katan carefully laid Satina back on the bed. Only then did he look up at Sharlan, who stood dazed in the doorway.
[Sharlan] "This..."
Sharlan stood frozen, speechless with shock.
Katan spoke in a calm voice.
[Katan] "She is often like this after receiving punishment."
[Sharlan] "She clearly said she was fine..."
[Katan] "She says she is fine, but her hidden wounds run deep."
Sharlan looked down at Satina's sleeping face, his heart aching.
Having endured that place himself, he knew better than anyone that her mind couldn't be sound. Yet, seeing her smile as if nothing were wrong had lulled him into dismissing her condition as a minor detail.
[Sharlan] "Does she know about this?"
[Katan] "No. My Lady knows nothing."
[Sharlan] "Keep it from her in the future, too. Knowing will do her no good."
In the dim light, tear tracks glistened on her cheeks. Sharlan gently wiped her wet face so she wouldn't wake, making his decision.
I must dispose of Father.
Katan stared intently at Sharlan's face. Once he left the room, Katan looked back at Satina.
As he stared down at her, a long, dark shadow seeped out from beneath her bed. It crawled across the floor like an insect before gathering swiftly into his palm.
He crushed the shadow in his hand until it dissolved into nothing. Satina's expression softened instantly.
[Katan] "You won't have bad dreams anymore."
He caressed her hair and murmured softly.
[Katan] "Sweet dreams."
When she woke up the next morning, Sharlan was acting strangely.
Though he had periodically checked on her condition since her punishment, his concern today felt excessive.
[Sharlan] "Did you sleep well last night?"
[Satina] "...Yes?"
[Sharlan] "Is that so? Are you all right?"
[Satina] "Yes."
Only then did he nod, looking slightly relieved.
[Sharlan] "I see. As long as you are all right."
His intense scrutiny felt suspicious. She remembered having vague nightmares, but as far as she knew, nothing unusual had happened.
What is this about? Did something happen?
As she lost herself in thought, he spoke again.
[Sharlan] "Speaking of which, currency from the ancient empire has been discovered, though it hasn't been publicly announced yet."
He held out a small gold coin.
[Sharlan] "The Lettina Guild, the ones opposing us lately, seems to have made quite a fortune off it."
[Satina] "The ancient empire?"
Though she had leaked the information through Hedzel herself, she feigned astonishment.
[Satina] "Does the ancient empire actually exist? Isn't that just something from storybooks?"
[Sharlan] "Well, the scholars investigating it claim it's authentic, but I find it hard to believe."
He carefully studied her face as she examined the coin with curious eyes.
[Sharlan] "Still, Father will believe it."
She shifted her gaze from the coin to Sharlan.
[Sharlan] "In three days, Father will depart for the east."
He reached across the table and took her hand, leaning closer. He lowered his voice to a whisper.
[Sharlan] "He will not return from there."
[Satina] "Why is he acting like this all of a sudden?"
Back in her room, she muttered under her breath.
It was good that Sharlan had finally decided to eliminate the Duke, but something about it unsettled her.
He had been hesitating as late as yesterday, so why the sudden change?
Even after she leaked the information through Hedzel, he hadn't taken any action for a while.
Did he have a change of heart overnight?
Katan stood beside her and spoke up.
[Katan] "The Young Duke saw My Lady having a nightmare last night. It seemed to worry him deeply."
[Satina] "Is that so...?"
I see. He must think my nightmare stemmed from trauma in that room.
Only then did his strange behavior make sense.
[Katan] "By the way, My Lady, what nightmare did you have last night?"
[Satina] "Yesterday?"
[Katan] "Yes, was it about that room after all?"
[Satina] "Yesterday..."
She searched her hazy memories.
[Satina] "Yesterday, well..."
What dream did I have?
She remembered having a nightmare, but the details escaped her.
[Satina] "I felt like I was in a dark, damp cave. It felt... like it was underground."
[Katan] "Underground?"
[Satina] "Yes, and I think I met the eyes of something..."
She pieced together a faint memory.
[Satina] "I think... I saw a giant snake. And I called out its name..."
[Katan] "Do you recall the snake's name?"
[Satina] "The name..."
Katan asked with a grave expression, hanging on her every word.
Under normal circumstances, Satina would have found his intense reaction odd. But trying to force the memory back made her head throb, keeping her from thinking too deeply about it.
Satina rubbed her temples and spoke.
[Satina] "No, I don't recall that."
[Katan] "...I see."
He looked both disappointed and relieved. Satina tilted her head.
Strange. It doesn't sound like a nightmare terrifying enough to cause such a fuss.
[Katan sympathizes with the player's pain.]
[Katan's affection has increased by 2.]
System alerts rang out, interrupting her thoughts. It was the first affection notification for Katan she had received in a long time.
His affection is at 45 now…
Since Father is leaving soon, I can finally bring up breaking the engagement.
Excitement fluttered in her chest at the thought of finally ending her engagement.
Forgetting all about her nightmare, Satina searched for stationery to write a letter to the Crown Prince.
[Chamberlain] "Your Highness, a letter has arrived from Lady Satina."
Lexion loaded an arrow onto his bowstring and replied in an indifferent voice.
[Lexion] "A letter? She was quiet for a while, and now she starts up again? What is it this time? Is she threatening to kill herself if I don't meet her? Or did she stain the parchment with her tears again?"
His reaction was understandable. In the past, Satina had written him daily letters declaring her love.
Without even opening the thick envelopes filled with embarrassing confessions, Lexion had used them as fire starters or passed them along to other women, turning Satina into a laughingstock.
Things had been quiet for a few months, but the pattern was familiar. After desperately proclaiming her love for days, she would treat the Crown Prince like a stranger just to get his attention.
The silent period had lasted a bit longer than usual this time. Was it because her position in the family had recently improved?
Lexion aimed his arrow at a bird perched on a nearby branch while waiting for the Chief Chamberlain's response.
[Chamberlain] "That is... Your Highness, well..."
At his hesitation, Lexion's fingers slipped, releasing the arrow. Without proper aim, the shaft merely grazed the bird's flank. Startled, the creature flapped its wings and fled into the sky.
The hunt was ruined, but the Chamberlain's hesitation was far more intriguing than shooting birds.
[Lexion] "...What did you just say?"
The Chief Chamberlain's shoulders hunched at Lexion's ice-cold voice.
[Chamberlain] "Lady Satina... requested an annulment!"
[Lexion] "An annulment..."
[Satina] "I love you, Your Highness. Sincerely."
He recalled her crying as she confessed her love, her desperate face clinging to him as if he were her entire world.
[Lexion] "She is certainly determined to get my attention this time. Fine. If she wants to play this game, meeting her won't hurt."
He tossed his bow aside, sending nearby attendants scrambling to catch it. He swept his hair back with an amused chuckle and issued a command.
[Lexion] "Summon her to the palace."
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