Enoch guessed that she must have been angry because the princess didnât say anything. In any case, he didnât want to be sold as a slave, so he tried to excuse himself.
At that time, the princess held his hand. Her hand was small but soft and warm.
âYou can say worse things. Iâll be happy if it makes you feel better. Then Iâll at least be a little bit useful to you.â
With her eyes filled with tears, the princess smiled. This time Enoch was speechless. He was about to choke on her level of stupidity, but he decided to let go, rather than be moved into choking her instead. He even thought he wanted to open Aranâs little head, but somehow he couldnât shake off that hand gently holding his.
âItâs only natural that you canât afford to care about other peopleâs feelings when youâre having a hard time and when youâre angry at the world. Besides, Iâm not angry or tired, but Iâve been ignoring your feelings. Iâve already done something terrible to you, so you donât have to feel guilty.â
Who felt guilty? It was so stupid that he didnât even have the desire to laugh.
Aran wiped the tears off with her sleeve and guided him to the table. As soon as the small bell rang, the servants appeared with trays full of food.
âYou didnât eat, did you? Come eat with me.â
The table was filled with greasy and luxurious food.
Enoch belatedly felt a raging hunger. The imperial palace was never stingy with its staff, but as bullying intensified, he found it hard to eat a proper meal. Enoch, in his prime, could not get enough nutrition from a meal mixed with trash and stones. So far, he had endured with his natural physical strength, but even that was gradually becoming limited.
All the food on the table was his favorite. Even the patient Enoch could hardly resist this temptation.
âCome and sit down. I told them to prepare it with care, but I donât know if itâll suit your taste.â
Aran led Enoch, still standing motionless, to a chair. Then her hand casually brushed his stomach.
âUnghâŚâ
As he had let his guard down, Enoch let out an unseemly groan.
âWhatâs wrong?â
âItâs⌠nothingâŚâ
He hurriedly hid his face, but couldnât help the cold sweat on his forehead. Aran noticed his poor state at once.
âWhere are you sick?â
âNo.â
âLet me see for a moment.â
Enoch grabbed Aranâs hand which was lifting his clothes.
âI canât believe youâd lift up a manâs clothes in broad daylight. If His Majesty were to find out, my neck would surely fall through.â
âThere wonât be a problem if you donât tell him. Let go of me.â Aran spoke in a harsh tone against him. Still, Enoch sighed, still not letting go of her hand. âThis expression, I really donât want to use it, but itâs an order.â
Enoch slowly let go of her hand at those words. Aran peeled off his coat without saying a word. And soon she opened his mouth blankly in amazement at the wounds that he was dealt have been revealed.
âAhâŚâ
Enochâs body was covered with black and blue bruises and wounds wherever her eyes traveled. Some of the wounds were covered with new ones before they were healed.
âNo, how did youâŚâ
Of course, Aran had never experienced violence. So it was even more shocking for her that tears welled up in her eyes.
âWho⌠who did this?â
âIs that important?â
âTell me who did. I wonât let them do this again.â
Aran was sorry that she didnât know what to do. She could have never imagined that he was being treated like this because she clung to him like this. She didnât have a clue as to what the situation was of the fallen Great Duchy.
She was resentful of her stupidity. Her face flamed at the thought of how he must have laughed at her inside when she said she would protect him and make him happy.