Chapter 51 – A Passing Fling (1)
Ishakan raised his eyebrows, which prompted Genin to briefly report the events that had occurred in the princess’ quarters.
As he heard the story, Ishakan’s eyes squinted and his eyebrows furrowed. However, he did not growl or emit any sign that showed his anger. In a low voice, looking at Genin straight in the eyes, he spoke. “I thought I told you to take care of her, Genin.”
The hazy smoke from the leaf cigarette that was slowly incinerating wafted in front of his face. Ishakan’s eyes narrowed, and his blazing golden pupils which had yet to cool down, pulsated.
“But you are here.” Ishakan did not need to say much. His meaning was clear.
Immediately Genin’s face paled and drained of its color. She kneeled down. On her knees, in front of Ishakan, she kowtowed and bumped her head on the ground. Her hands were shaking as she committed her admittance to her wrongdoing.
Haban, who was standing beside, could not properly breathe as he looked at the scene in front of him. It was hard to see Genin begging for forgiveness.
“It’s okay to make a mistake once, but twice is not.” Ishakan wearily exhaled as he commanded, “Get up. Please be cautious next time.”
“Thank you.”
Genin bowed down once again, her forehead touching the ground, and then she rose on her feet.
Locked in his thoughts, Ishakan suddenly mumbled. “She vomited blood. That is indeed strange.”
Haban and Genin glanced at each other. They seemed to come to a consensus through their brief exchange. In Genin’s stead, who had previously been scolded, Haban opened his mouth. The connotation that came out from his words were implicit.
“Was it not because you tormented her last night?” It was a reassuring remark as if there was no truth clearer than this. Ishakan smiled briefly and shook his head.
“It can be a cause… but I only gave her a puff yesterday.” As soon as he picked up his cigarette, Haban’s eyes popped.
“Isn’t that a poison to humans?”
“It is a medicine for them if appropriately used.”
Genin replied to the stupefied Haban. She reassured him that Ishakan would not in any way, harm the Princess, let alone feed poison to her.
“Right. It is quite suspicious if there is an adverse reaction like vomiting blood.”
Ishakan threw the cigarette that he held in his hands to the floor. The cigarette mixed into the pool of blood. Ishakan trampled on the embers of the leaf, completely extinguishing the fire.
His hands curled into a fist and he softly said.
“Do you not think something is happening in the Palace of Estia?”
♔
Every now and then, Leah would experience some dizzy spells. Whether it’s because of Cerdina being stricter on managing her diet during meals, or her habit of sleeping late due to her busy schedule, she didn’t know.
What she did know is that this was the first she had vomited blood and fainted right after. When she finally regained her consciousness, the first sight she was greeted with was Countess Melissa, whose eyes were puffy red due to her endless crying.
“Princess!” the Countess exclaimed as soon as she realized the Princess was now awake. She had called out quite loudly, it was hardly a surprise when moments later, a horde of maids and servants immediately came to crowd all over her, calling out to her in relief.
Countess Melissa helped Leah in sitting up, gently propping her up against the pillow, as the other maids fussed over the princess as well.
“Princess!”
“Are you alright?”
“Does it hurt somewhere?”
“Do you need anything?”
The questions and concerns continued flitting around her. Meanwhile, Countess Melissa had all but forgotten proper etiquette and decency for she clung dearly onto Leah’s arm. Leah could only follow blindly at every question thrown at her, growing further and further more confused with the onslaught of voices.
It was a little later that Countess Melissa finally realized her plight.
“Step back all of you!” she immediately ordered, “The princess had only just awakened, give her space.”
Despite her good intentions, everyone felt deeply offended. It wasn’t that she was wrong, but it was mainly because Countess Melissa was the first to charge into without remorse to the princess’ feelings after just being woken. Sensing the irony of her statement, Melissa hid her embarrassment behind a cough.
Baroness Cinael was one who was bold enough to voice her displeasure.
“Can’t we even show our relief in the Princess finally waking up?” she asked, and Melissa, to her credit, looked a little sheepish…
“Baroness, that wasn’t, how can you-” but the Baroness only cut her off.
“If I recall, Countess, you were the first to encroach on the Princess’ personal space! Clinging and yelling gladly at her waking up.” she pointed out further.
And after that statement, she burst into tears, prompting the other ladies and daughters in the room to follow suit. One by one they all cried out, filling the space with a wailing noise. Leah sat up, moving to pacify the crying ladies…
Countess Melissa only wiped her tears away, making the princess lean back once more before steeling her resolve.
“Nonetheless, the princess had only just woken up. Don’t you think she needs some more rest before consoling you?” she asked them.
At her words, even the Baroness cannot deny the truth. And so reluctantly the cries died down, silence once more reigning in the room.
With her audience pacified, Leah lightly brushed her hair to the other side of her neck, which was full of sweat. Then she drank a little bit of the water that Countess gave her and listened to the events during which she was unconscious for.
“You have been sleeping for the whole day.” Countess Melissa told her.
After Leah had collapsed and vomited blood, the royal palace was immediately thrown in a disarray. Blain, who had been standing in front of Leah, had immediately caught her before she hit the ground.
Melissa further told Leah how Blain had immediately moved to summon the medics, his face aghast as he carried her.
“He was certainly concerned for your health,” she remarked, “Contrary to how he is whenever he was tormenting you.”
Melissa shuddered at the thought of him, remembering how detestable Blain was. Despite her urge to say more condemning things about him, she held back, and continued on until she finished relaying to the princess everything that happened.
When she was done with that, she immediately jumped onto a different topic.
“Though I must say, the barbarians seemed decent enough.” she told Leah, referring mostly about Genin.
Leah mused to herself how fond the Countess was of her, if by the way she praised the Kurkan was anything to go by.
As she listened further, she could agree that Genin certainly sounded likeable enough.
During the time when Leah fainted, Genin immediately pushed Blain aside, who was shouting frantically. She wrapped her arms around Leah’s unconscious frame before she rushed to the bed and laid her there.
She then unfastened Leah’s belt, which constricted the airway and blood flow of her body before taking the lead among the bewildered maids.
But she didn’t stop there.
The medics arrived late and could not even properly diagnose what ailed the princess. Genin took it upon herself to step up and assess Leah’s situation. She then offered to light up a strange candle, which she believed would help the princess recover.
And indeed, it worked as the princess had indeed survived.
