Published at 5th of January 2021 09:47:20 AM
Chapter 22
Her arm was bandaged, and the bandage was soaked in blood . Gaius leaned towards her to grab her arm, and quickly unwrapped the bandage . Apollonia flinched from the pain, but didn’t try to shy away from him .
Gaius, Petra, and Sid all stared at Apollonia’s left arm .
“No!”
“Ah…!” As soon as Apollonia groaned, a flash of embarrassment flushed across Gaius and Petra’s faces .
There was a jagged wound on her arm, obviously from a sharp object . The wound was spoiled and dirty, as if it hadn’t been treated properly . Even looking at it was painful .
“Ugh… it hurts, Father . ” Blood began to gush from the open wound .
“It’s hideous . ”
Apollonia couldn’t bear to see her bleeding wound any longer, and covered it with the bandage once again . Gaius grudgingly slackened his grip .
“Your Majesty, Her Highness needs to rest . ” Sid interrupted anxiously, worried about how much she was bleeding . Gaius released her arm .
“Take the princess back . And don’t let anything like yesterday happen ever again . ”
The two of them alone in the study once again, he turned towards Petra, frowning .
“Uh…” Apollonia groaned again as they were leaving the emperor’s palace .
“Be patient, Your Highness . You’ll feel better once you go to your room to wash the wound . ”
Apollonia sighed deeply, and gently poked her brand-new wound .
Please download our sponsor's game to support RLN!
document.write('');
The wounds she’d received on the day of the banquet had healed in less than a day, then disappeared as if they’d never existed after another half a day . So she’d smashed a vase a few hours ago, and sliced her arms in the same spot with a piece of the broken vase .
In case the emperor had called a doctor or examined her arm for a long time, she’d even applied a poisonous herb to prevent her wound from healing . It was painful enough to make her head spin, but at least her ploy had worked . And thanks to that pain, she’d been able to perform a realistic charade in front of the emperor and Petra .
Now, for the time being, she’d be able to avoid their scrutiny . If her acting had been as convincing as she thought, the fact that she had the assassin in her pocket would remain a secret .
“You are strong, Your Highness,” Sid hissed in a low voice as they passed through the corridors of the emperor’s palace . He’d reluctantly agreed to hurt her arm again, but had strongly opposed the application of the poisonous herb . He’d feared the pain would be too much for her .
“Are you disappointed I’m strong?”
“Not at all . I’m rather proud of you . You’ve become more and more like the late emperor . ”
It was a blunt answer, but Apollonia smiled, forgetting her pain . She didn’t care about the opinions of most people . Only Sid’s praise was precious . She didn’t mind being compared to her tough grandfather .
The two of them left the palace feeling relaxed, and encountered a lone maid at the entrance of the palace . She was Petra’s young maid, who Apollonia had seen before .
Sponsored Content
Normally, Apollonia would just ignore her, but the maid’s appearance, alone and with her head down, was a little strange . Apollonia stopped next to her .
“You’re my aunt’s maid . ”
“Y-Your Highness, The Princess . . ”
“Would you raise your head?”
The shiny-haired maid didn’t look up, even when Apollonia asked her to raise her head .
“Didn’t you hear the princess? Raise your head . ”
She hesitantly lifted her gaze when Sid beckoned her . Apollonia thought that somehow, the maid’s demeanor resembled her own .
Sponsored Content
“It’s hideous . ”
To be exact, it resembled Apollonia’s act .
Once she saw her face, Apollonia immediately understood her attitude . She looked to be about Apollonia’s age, but her face was covered in bruises, and blood was crusted on the edges of her mouth .
Apollonia raised an eyebrow . She’d heard rumors about this maid .
This was the girl who’d been tasked to serve her cousin, Gareth Liefer . She’d been ordered by Petra to accept her son’s affections but had refused . She was now practically a slave .
“Let’s see how long she can endure it . ” The previous month, Gareth had gathered a group of young noblemen and told them of his intentions . And at the banquet two days ago, he’d said something even worse .
“No matter what she does, she can’t escape . She won’t last long . I’m sure she’ll surrender very soon . ”