WMEEM Ch 8

How Long Will You Be Like This?

[Terkan] "That Raff... what a complete bastard."

He spoke in a flat, emotionless voice.

I thought I misheard the last word. Though I had not known him long, he seemed polite and refined. Despite his strange aura and gaze, he appeared far above vulgarity, making his profanity unexpected.

And this was not mere profanity. Calling a foreign emperor a complete bastard...

As I blinked in astonishment, Terkan offered his characteristic smile.

[Terkan] "Does my language offend you?"

[Celeste] "What?"

My surprise lingered, preventing a coherent response.

[Terkan] "I asked if insulting your relative and native sovereign displeases Your Highness."

[Celeste] "Ah... no."

[Terkan] "Insulting someone behind their back is fair game. Especially when they thoroughly deserve it."

[Celeste] "I agree."

[Terkan] "You fell silent, so I feared I had offended you."

[Celeste] "No, it is not that. It felt satisfying."

My mind had merely stalled from shock. In truth, it was immensely satisfying.

[Celeste] "I have never heard anyone curse him before, so it felt strange. But did you not know I lived like this?"

He had acted as if he knew everything about me.

[Terkan] "I was informed that you were denied a formal education. I knew your circumstances were harsh, but I never imagined it to this extent."

A stew, where all ingredients were mashed together, was my usual meal. Fresh fruits and vegetables were luxuries I never saw. Moreover, food was provided in quantities barely sufficient to sustain life, leaving me perpetually hungry.

My wardrobe consisted of a few thin dresses. Even in winter, no thick bedding or warm clothes were provided, nor was there heating, leaving me shivering constantly. Thank goodness winters in Calyx were short. Had it been Kellinev, I would have frozen to death.

At best, on days Tarega ventured outside the palace, she brought back worm-eaten fruit from neighbors for us to taste. Occasionally, she obtained discarded clothes so we could somehow endure the winter. Even huddled together, many winter nights were too cold for sleep.

Passing a day like that was a blessing. When Raff, in one of his twisted moods, summoned me to be beaten in the dark, sunless dungeon, I returned bruised and battered, nearly dying from fever.

That was my reality until mere days ago.

Dressed in fine garments and seated in a grand room before a mountain of food I couldn't finish alone, my chest tightened with emotion.

I regret complaining about my heavy dress on the way to the dining hall. Everything demanded gratitude, yet I had griped about a little weight.

[Terkan] "Your Highness."

He called out as I fell silent.

[Celeste] "I am fine. Let us eat. I can't even remember the last time I tasted such food."

[Terkan] "I shall step outside. If using a fork and knife feels uncomfortable, please dine as you wish."

[Celeste] "Don't leave on my account."

[Terkan] "My intention in dining alongside Your Highness was to ensure your comfort. If my presence causes discomfort, that defeats the purpose. Dine comfortably, and call me whenever you require anything. However, this exception applies only for today."

Terkan rose from his chair and offered an impeccably polite bow. He looked nothing like the man who had just uttered profanity moments ago.

The door clicked shut behind him.

After a moment's hesitation, I abandoned proper etiquette. I set aside the fork and knife and ate with my hands. It was indescribably delicious.

---

After I returned to my suite, dizziness struck without warning. Strength drained from my limbs, and the fever I thought had broken surged once more, an ominous sign.

Terkan had noticed my pale complexion and asked if I felt unwell, but I insisted I was fine, believing I could manage it.

Though my chest felt heavy and my hands grew icy cold, I assumed lying down would cure it.

Before he departed:

[Terkan] "Do you have a moment?"

[Celeste] "Yes."

Though I longed to lie down, I honored his brief request and stepped into the reception room.

Sitting down failed to ease the dizziness. If anything, the vertigo intensified, as did the constriction in my chest.

[Terkan] "Moving forward, don't address any palace servant as you do Tarega or me."

[Celeste] "...How should I address them?"

I thudded my fist against my chest, trying to soothe the tightness.

Indigestion?

[Terkan] "Approaching them with warmth is acceptable, but you must never cultivate familiarity with subordinates."

Though I had never acted overly familiar, I accepted his instruction. But my deteriorating condition prevented me from processing his words properly.

[Terkan] "Gentle and warm, yet dignified and solemn. Keep that etched in your mind at all times."

[Celeste] "That sounds... so difficult."

[Terkan] "Achieving perfection is difficult."

[Celeste] "I understand—"

A sharp, painful numbness shot through my limbs, and nausea surged up my throat. Even conversing with him became an ordeal.

[Celeste] "I understand... I will... do as you say."

I barely managed a response before covering my mouth with both hands and bolting for the bathroom.

I recall little of how I reached it, but the moment I burst into the bathroom, violent retching overtook me.

Agony twisted and contorted my insides, as if an unseen hand was churning my stomach.

After purging every bit of food alongside bile, the vomiting finally stopped.

When I rinsed my mouth with water, I realized Terkan stood beside me. Someone had been rubbing my back gently... had that been him?

I lacked even the strength to speak. I raised a finger to wave him away, but the ceiling spun wildly, and I collapsed.

Terkan caught me before I struck the floor.

Sudden darkness engulfed the world. As I drifted into an endless abyss:

[Terkan] "When... will you wake... Celeste?"

A distant voice pierced through my fading consciousness.

What do you mean, Terkan?

Then, darkness swallowed me completely.

---

A ceiling I had never seen before.

Where am I?

It was not the ceiling I saw every morning. Nor was it the dungeon.

I soon realized this was not my annex in Calyx, but my bedroom in Kellinev, and relief washed over me.

[Celeste] "Tarega!"

Ah, I forgot. Tarega had gone for her instruction.

Knowing this would continue for days brought a sudden flutter of panic, yet knowing I was no longer in Calyx settled my mind.

A pleasant fragrance drifted from the bedding. I buried my face in the pillow and inhaled deeply before sitting up to inspect my condition.

Though not fully recovered, my body felt lighter than yesterday.

Parched, I stepped out of bed and pulled the golden cord. A maid knocked and entered.

[Maid] "You called, Your Highness?"

[Celeste] "I am thirsty."

[Maid] "Do you require anything else?"

[Celeste] "No. Just water for now."

Last night, Terkan instructed me to adjust my speech toward servants, but old habits proved stubborn.

Changing twenty years of habit overnight was no simple task. Still, keeping his warning in mind was essential. Occasional lapses were forgivable, but I intended to practice whenever possible.

I accepted the glass, drank, and gestured for the waiting maid to withdraw.

[Maid] "What shall we prepare for breakfast?"

[Celeste] "Has Emperor Batizo eaten... yet?"

My attempt to adjust my phrasing mid-sentence stumbled awkwardly. Yet the maid answered without batting an eye.

[Maid] "His Imperial Majesty dined early and has begun his administrative duties."

So we were not to dine together. I felt relieved to eat alone rather than beside Batizo.

Still, lingering fatigue made me reluctant to walk to the dining hall. I wished to eat here.

Uncertain if that was permitted, hesitation held me back. I refused to invite rumors or criticism by acting improperly.

[Celeste] "A light meal will suffice."

Hoping she would suggest the bedroom or dining hall on her own, I spoke vaguely.

[Maid] "Shall I have it brought to your bedroom?"

Just as I hoped, she offered.

[Celeste] "That would be ideal."

Terkan had instructed me to speak with gentle warmth, yet overlay my voice with depth and gravity. Though it didn't come naturally, I forced myself to try.

Gentle and warm, yet dignified and solemn.

I hoped I succeeded.

Once the maid departed, I let out a heavy sigh. It was far from easy.

I rose, washed in the prepared water, and loosely brushed my hair.

Unsure if dining in my nightgown was proper, but lacking other clothes, I wrapped a shawl around my shoulders and waited.

The maid returned accompanied by two others, each bearing a heavy tray. Though I had requested a light meal, a feast covered the small bedroom table.

[Celeste] "This is far too much for one person."

[Maid] "You may leave whatever remains."

Why prepare such abundance only to discard it?

[Celeste] "Will the leftovers be thrown away?"

The head maid dismissed the other two before turning to me.

[Maid] "Your Highness, leftovers are not discarded; we consume them."

[Celeste] "Why would you eat my leftovers..."

[Maid] "We eat His Imperial Majesty's leftovers as well. Commoners rarely taste such delicacies, so we consider it a privilege. Servants both inside and outside the palace envy us greatly."

Once I understood her explanation, I perused the spread and selected a velvet-smooth soup alongside a single piece of bread.

[Celeste] "Take the rest away."

[Maid] "Pardon?"

The maid looked astonished.

[Celeste] "This is enough for me. Take the rest so you and the others may eat. Leaving it on the table will only tempt me."

I wanted them to enjoy fresh food while it remained untouched.

[Maid] "That is impossible, Your Highness."

[Celeste] "Why?"

[Maid] "The kitchen staff will be reprimanded."

[Celeste] "Why?"

[Maid] "Leaving dishes untouched implies the kitchen staff failed to prepare an appetizing meal, inviting severe scolding."

Once again, I realized that living as a princess was utterly exhausting.

Shortly after breakfast, the maid informed me that Terkan had arrived in the reception room.

I stepped into the reception room and found Terkan standing beside the long sofa. He offered a polite bow and waited as I took my seat.

Two teacups and a teapot occupied the table. As steam wafted from the spout, he lifted the teapot and poured a cup for me.

The moment the clear stream touched the porcelain, a captivating fragrance filled the air. A scent at once familiar and elusive.

After pouring his own cup, Terkan gestured for me to drink.

[Terkan] "Has your condition improved?"

[Celeste] "Yes, much better. I caused you great trouble last night."

The tea tasted bitter and herbal as expected, yet it surpassed the brew Raff had served, carrying a far richer aroma.

[Celeste] "Do all teas taste like this?"

[Terkan] "Tea is not consumed for taste alone."

[Celeste] "Then for what?"

[Terkan] "The aroma holds paramount importance. Inhale the scent and savor it quietly before sipping. You will find the flavor subtly shifts alongside the fragrance."

Having tasted tea only twice in my life, I struggled to discern the difference.

[Celeste] "I can't tell what is different. Does drinking more teach one to discern it?"

[Terkan] "Consuming vast quantities guarantees nothing; one must learn to savor it."

[Celeste] "That sounds complicated. By the way, this tea..."

[Terkan] "Speak, Your Highness."

He set down his teacup, awaiting my words.

I have definitely smelled this before.

[Celeste] "Is this... the tea Raff served to Emperor Batizo? How strange. It smells and tastes different, yet somehow similar."

[Terkan] "Is it superior or inferior?"

[Celeste] "Far superior. Perhaps because Raff is not here."

I inhaled the aroma once more.

As I took a deep breath, the fragrance lingered in my nasal passages.

Though impossible for it to reach my chest, the aroma seemed to seep deep inside, untangling the knot of anxieties in my mind.

So this is how one savors tea. I had wondered why anyone drank something so bitter, but now I understood its purpose.

Though the flavor remained herbal, it cleansed the palate completely, signaling the meal's end.

[Terkan] "It is the exact same tea. Because different hands brew it, the scent and flavor subtly shift, appearing entirely distinct."

[Celeste] "The maids of Kellinev brew tea far better than Raff's servants."

[Terkan] "I brewed it personally."

I lifted my head from the cup in surprise.

[Celeste] "You made it yourself?"

[Terkan] "Hilydians understand this tea best."

Hilydians. The same Hilyd mentioned by Raff?

If my memory serves me correctly...

A people who inherited fairy bloodlines, whose empire fell to Garsa a century ago and faded into history. Renowned for their mastery in crafting tea, only a handful of skilled Hilydians remained in existence.

Is Terkan one of those few?

As I recited my memory aloud, he lifted his cup with a subtle smile.

[Terkan] "Your memory is remarkable. Reciting it word for word."

[Celeste] "I was not trying to memorize it... Are you truly Hilydian?"

Curiosity burned as to why a Hilydian resided in a foreign land under Kellinev's Emperor, but asking recklessly felt improper.

[Terkan] "Your expression clearly asks why a Hilydian serves the Emperor of Kellinev in a foreign land."

As always, his perception was sharp.

[Terkan] "I assisted His Majesty during a perilous moment on the battlefield. Rescuing him would be the accurate phrasing."

[Celeste] "Rescued him? You rescued Emperor Batizo?"

Judging by appearances alone was foolish, yet Terkan possessed a lean frame and youthful, delicate features. Seeing someone who looked completely incapable of violence rescue the feared Batizo demanded newfound respect.

[Terkan] "I possess many capabilities beyond what meets the eye."

A spacetime mage and an extraordinary swordsman. Paired with flawless looks, the "perfect person" Terkan described was none other than himself.

[Celeste] "When did you meet Emperor Batizo?"

[Terkan] "My bond with His Majesty began five years ago."

[Celeste] "Five years ago..."

Even if Terkan were a year younger than me, he would have been nineteen now, meaning he was fourteen back then. No matter how gifted, believing a fourteen-year-old child possessed swordsmanship capable of saving Batizo was hard to fathom.

[Celeste] "Do only trained soldiers enter battlefields?"

[Terkan] "In dire circumstances, anyone marches. However, I was trained."

[Celeste] "Dire or not, you were a child five years ago. Who sends a child to war..."

Terkan let out a soft chuckle at my astonishment.

[Terkan] "Who is a child?"

[Celeste] "You."

[Terkan] "I may appear young, but I am hardly of such tender age."

I couldn't estimate his age. No matter how high I guessed, he hardly looked older than me.

[Celeste] "Surely you are not older than me?"

[Terkan] "What if I am?"

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