Translator: Nox
(9) The Darling of Lily Palace (1)
Roxy felt despair only then at Floyd's resolute voice.
She was truly prepared to do anything. She could take up a sword and go to the battlefield, and if he wished, she could attend to him at night.
To wander this world without returning to God's embrace, to encounter her family even once, to obtain such a restless death, Roxy had vowed to do anything.
Roxy grasped his sleeve with both hands. The hands clutching his clothes trembled incessantly.
"Grand Duke, please... please..."
"Stop it, Princess."
A growling voice escaped from his lips.
"I'm in a very bad mood right now."
He shook off Roxy's hands as if brushing them away and stood up abruptly. There was not a trace of hesitation in his turning back.
The despair she had momentarily forgotten returned and pressed down on Roxy. The hope that had briefly bloomed crumbled, tearing at Roxy's heart.
In the pain of flesh being torn and bones being gnawed, Roxy screamed. Like a deeply wounded beast, she crouched on the floor and wept as if vomiting blood.
Floyd, leaving the bedroom, heard her desperate cries. He wanted to turn back immediately, seize her arms, shake her paper-thin body, and shout at her to come to her senses, but he restrained himself.
Yes, cry. Scream. If she poured out her despair as if vomiting blood like that, she would eventually want to live. She would think it was okay to live.
Floyd, who came outside, found a maid standing with a pale face. The maid had also heard Roxy's cries and was clutching her skirt tightly with anxious eyes.
Floyd glanced at her and said.
"Attend to the Princess with all your heart, without lacking anything. Lay carpets on every path she takes, and select and select again the fruit she eats, and treat her only with the most precious things!"
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Yesterday afternoon, when the Grand Duke entered the Grand Ducal Palace with a woman in his arms. The employees of the Grand Ducal Palace were so surprised that their breath stopped.
When the barbarians provoked the knights of the Grand Duchy,
"The Grand Duke of Torkan is a eunuch."
The Floyd Ratean Grand Duke's hatred of women was so widely known that they sang the song.
Families who wanted the position of Grand Duchess would choose the most beautiful of their daughters and send them in as maids, have them stop by under the guise of vacation, or send them as messengers claiming to offer help, but not a single woman caught Floyd's eye.
Floyd did not need bathing or dressing attendants, and even when he occasionally needed them, he was attended to by servants or maids, and he never brought a woman into his bedroom.
So, there were rumors that the Grand Duke of Torkan must like men, not women.
Rumors that would tarnish the Grand Duke's honor reached Floyd's ears, but he simply laughed and did not get angry or try to explain, which only fueled the rumors further.
In such times, the Grand Duke, who would not allow a woman to touch a single strand of his hair, came in holding a fainted woman in his arms, so the employees could not help but be surprised.
The most surprised person was Chamberlain Marquess Jenaille Cohiten.
Jenaille was once a guard knight for Floyd's mother, Eliensa Ratean, and after Eliensa died in some incident, he protected Floyd and saw and heard many things. Therefore, he knew and understood why Floyd hated women so much and felt sorry for him.
However, he was worried because Floyd did not give women a chance even though he was of marriageable age, so when Floyd brought in a woman, he could not help but be surprised.
"Your Highness, who is that...?"
"The Princess of Kanta."
"Ah."
The moment Jenaille heard Floyd's answer, he felt like he had been hit in the back of the head. The person His Highness gave an opening to was the Princess of Kanta.
Jenaille was also well aware of the tragic events that had occurred in Kanta and the Franche Royal Family.
"The Princess of Kanta is alive."
Jenaille calmly replied and looked at Roxana. Matted hair and a dirty face as if she hadn't washed for a long time, a bony body, and a sunflower flower engraved on her collarbone.
The moment he saw that, Jenaille couldn't control his expression.
"That is...?"
Floyd realized what Jenaille was looking at and covered Roxana to hide the slave mark stamped on her collarbone.
"It's nothing to worry about."
"Yes, I understand."
Jenaille also had a granddaughter of a similar age to Roxana, so he felt sorry for this unfortunate princess.
"The Princess will stay at Lily Palace. Have a capable maid attend to her."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Jenaille followed Floyd's orders without asking any further questions, but Head Maid Countess Eldredon Hills had other thoughts.
When a few quick-witted maids heard the conversation between Floyd and Jenaille and conveyed what they had learned while observing Roxana, Eldredon became uncomfortable.
Roxana's situation was pitiful, but the Kanta Kingdom had become a colony, the Franche Royal Family had collapsed, and the only survivor of the Franche Royal Family had become a slave.
The fact that Roxana, who was declared dead in the Gania Kingdom, was alive and had become a slave meant that Gania had made her a slave and sold her off.
Torkan prohibited slavery, and Floyd often cracked down on slave traders and gave slaves their freedom, so it was understandable that he had rescued Roxana. But to take a woman who had become a slave to Lily Palace.
Lily Palace was a palace for the most honored guests who occasionally visited, and it was the most beautiful and luxurious place in this Grand Ducal Palace. No matter how much she was once a princess, a woman who had now become a slave was not a place for her to stay.
The pitiful and stimulating story that a princess of one country had become a slave spread quickly throughout the Grand Ducal Palace. Even if the Chamberlain and Head Maid tried to keep it quiet, it was difficult to stop the rumors spreading among the employees.
In such a situation, maids from good families would not want to attend to Roxana. Attending to a slave was not a very honorable thing. A slave was not just much lower in status than a commoner, but was not even treated as a person.
Eldredon, who had been managing the maids skillfully and perfectly, did not want to cause trouble because of an uninvited guest who might stay for a few days.
However, she could not ignore the Grand Duke's orders, so after much deliberation, she chose a quick and clever girl from among the maids to attend to Roxana.
That was how Petria, the woodcutter's daughter, was selected as Roxana's maid.
The fellow maids gave Petria sympathetic glances for having to attend to a slave, but Petria was looking forward to meeting Roxana.
'A princess.'
Even if she was once a princess, a princess is a princess. Petria worked in the kitchen of the Grand Ducal Palace, but she had never seen a princess before.
'What kind of person will she be?'
Petria waited in the reception room in front of the bedroom until permission to enter was granted. Kirshan, who had been inside the bedroom before Petria arrived, came out and found her.
"Wait a little longer. His Highness the Grand Duke wants to meet you first."
Those words further fueled Petria's expectations.
Petria was well aware that the Grand Duke hated women. The woman whom such a Grand Duke not only held in his arms but also wanted to meet first after waking up. It was natural to be curious and expectant.
Soon, Floyd came in without even glancing at Petria and entered the bedroom.
For a while, there was a murmuring conversation. She was curious about what they were saying, but Petria did not forget her duty as a maid and stood still, waiting for Floyd to come out.
After a long time, when the bedroom door opened, a bloodcurdling scream poured out.
Even if you scraped off your bones or thinly sliced off your skin, would you wail like this?
At the unexpected cry, Petria felt as if all the blood was draining from her body and looked up at Floyd, who was coming out of the room.
Floyd seemed very angry, but the words flowing from his mouth were an order that was completely opposite to his expression.
"Attend to the Princess with all your heart, without lacking anything. Lay carpets on every path she takes, and select and select again the fruit she eats, and treat her only with the most precious things!"
Even after Floyd left, Roxana's screams continued. Petria couldn't bring herself to go inside and waited for the crying to subside.
What kind of things do you have to go through to cry like that?
Born as the daughter of a woodcutter and having lived without any major changes, Petria could not even imagine.
The screams that shook the ceiling and hit the ground were mixed with hoarse sounds, and the sobs lengthened, and then at some point, it became quiet. Only then did Petria knock on the bedroom door.
"Princess, may I come in?"
No answer came. She was suddenly scared by the ensuing silence. 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 Roxana that came into view.
Roxana was really, very beautiful. Several times, dozens of times more beautiful than the princess Petria had imagined, she couldn't take her eyes off her.
Roxana, kneeling next to the bed, was not in a normal state no matter how well you looked at her.
The thin dress was crumpled, her hair was a mess, her face was pale, and her lips were dry, cracked, and torn. But still, it was dazzling as if the light coming in from the window was shining only on Roxana.
Petria, who had stopped for a moment and watched Roxana, barely came to her senses and hurriedly approached and supported her.
