Chapter 40

Chapter 40: Dream a Bit Longer (3)

In front of Aran, who was putting down her clumsy embroidery, a servant laid down the teacup. Aran, who had inadvertently turned her eyes to him, hardened her face when she saw the servant’s face.

“I told you not to do this, Enoch.”

“What should a servant do if he doesn’t do his work?” asked the beautiful boy unsympathetically.

“You’re not a servant. You’re my fiancé. Who dares make you work? Tell me who it is and I’ll punish them severely.”

“The engagement has already been broken. It was because of the sins my parents did by your parents.”

“Don’t say that. If I ask your father for it, you’ll be able to be reinstated soon,” Aran’s answering voice was not confident.

“No matter what you say, you cannot reinstate a traitor’s child. His Majesty has shown great mercy just by keeping me alive.”

“My father does all my favors.”

“As soon as your request goes too far, he will enslave me and send me where I cannot come back.”

What he said was true. Aran bowed her head.

“If you don’t have anything else for me to do, I’ll be going now.”

“No! Don’t go.” Aran hurriedly grabbed his hand and pulled him to the chair next to hers. “You’ll have to work again when you get out. You must be tired. Sit here and relax.”

Instead of sitting on the chair, Enoch gazed at the princess. Aran struggled to smile when their eyes met. Only the princess didn’t know that her kindness made him more distressed.

The eyes of the people inside the imperial palace on Enoch were never pleasant. The elegance and beautiful appearance of the Grand Duke he inherited had been factors that evoked jealousy and dirty desires on others ever since he became a servant.

The fellow servants vented all the resentment they had received from their masters on Enoch. Now that his status was that of a commoner, there was nothing to hold them back. Even the servants who were originally from the common people ignored him. It was very natural for him to get punched in his sleep for no reason or to have trash in his food.

Enoch had enough power to stop them but never resisted. As a result, minor injuries to his body had not ceased since his demotion to a servant.

Sometimes ladies and high-ranking maids tried to seduce him. Whenever he politely refused, abusive language and sharp criticism replaced their coquettish gestures. They sometimes left more scars than physical violence.

Despite the insulting treatment, Enoch quickly accepted his situation and chose to survive. However, the dumb princess openly treated Enoch with special care, and for that reason, the harassment did not go away no matter how hard Enoch tried. No matter how strong his resolve was, Enoch was also a man and at a young age, so he couldn’t bear but to be angry with the princess at times.

“Don’t get things wrong. I am no longer your fiancé. Or do you intend to mock me?”

“What do you mean mock you…?”

It was not very harsh, but Aran, who’s never been criticized before, was shocked by that alone. The princess’ face turned sheen white.

Enoch felt a warped joy. He could see a little bit of what the servants were doing to him on her stunned face.

“I didn’t mean that. I was just thinking of you…”

“If you really think of me, please treat me like an ordinary servant.”

“Enoch.”

“Don’t call me by my name. Who remembers every servant’s name?”

Tears welled up in the princess’ eyes. Enoch pretended not to know it and left the princess’ quarters without paying due respect.