Chapter 18
“……What on earth is going on here?”
Cloé shouted as she came running at the summons of the maid. Her eyes trembled uncontrollably at the sight before her.
Until just that afternoon, Jane had been laughing and chatting with her. Now, she was unconscious in her chair. Judging by the body tied to the chair and the water pooling around her, it seemed she had been subjected to water torture.
Without a moment to think, Cloé rushed to Jane’s side. She untied the ropes coiled around her frail body, leaving bright red marks on her soft skin. Cloé gently touched Jane’s cheek, but there was no sign of her opening her eyes.
“What have you done?”
“I merely carried out my duty as a master,” Helena replied with a chilling calm. Her indifference made Cloé’s anger boil even more.
“Duty?”
“Since the child disobeyed the orders of her master, it is only right she be punished, isn’t it?”
The situation Cloé had feared had finally come to pass. She had expected some misfortune to befall Jane, but this punishment was extreme. Was it really a crime? After all, all Jane had done was serve another person.
Cloé’s body swayed uncontrollably, unable to contain her rage. Her weakened frame felt as fragile as a fallen leaf fluttering in the wind.
“Sometimes I wish I could punish even the child’s parents,” Helena continued, teasing mercilessly.
“Isn’t it too much to harm an innocent child and even their parents?”
“Punishment is my choice,” Helena shrugged, feigning casualness.
“Well, perhaps I was a bit too harsh for a first mistake,” she added, smirking.
“Your Highness’ judgment may ease my wrath a bit,” she said, her words dripping with clear malice.
The way she flicked her eyes and the slight movements of her legs showed Helena was enjoying this situation.
‘Of course… this was all planned to put me in trouble,’ Cloé thought. She gripped the hem of the black dress Jane had personally picked out for her earlier that day.
Her gaze shifted between Jane, lying in her arms, and Helena, finally resting on Jane’s face. The child’s lips were blue from the cold, and she cried even while unconscious.
‘It must have been terrifying.’
The child who had sworn to protect her lay sprawled on the cold floor.
‘This is my fault.’
Cloé regretted letting her personal feelings guide her. Accepting Jane had been a mistake—one that endangered an innocent life.
“This is my fault.”
She whispered, her voice barely audible. Jane’s reaction was minimal. Cloé noticed Helena’s eyebrows twitching up and down, signaling that an apology alone was insufficient.
Biting her lips so hard that blood came, Cloé felt the crimson drops fall on Jane’s cheek.
“Please forgive my sin, Helena.”
Though she had never imagined bowing to these two, her knees—already bent to shield Jane—now faced Helena. The pride that had once been untouchable, something she had sworn to protect, had crumbled into worthless debris.
Was it because she had hurt someone she loved? Or because she had been defeated by someone she refused to yield to? Cloé fell gravely ill after that day, spending countless nights in a fragile mental state. Only after some natural recovery did she open her eyes.
“…Mistress.”
Jane was by her side.
“Jane!” Cloé, forgetting even her own weakness, rose instinctively and hugged her. Jane felt Cloé’s smaller frame, now even more diminished.
“I… I was only worried about what might happen to you…”
Cloé, who usually spoke gracefully, struggled to form a sentence. She buried her face in Jane’s shoulder, unable to finish her thoughts. Jane’s face twitched slightly in her arms.
Cloé was terrified—not for herself, but at the thought that her decisions could endanger someone else’s life. Had the threat been directed at her alone, it would not have been so frightening.
“I’m sorry…”
For the first time, Cloé spoke fully—an apology. Jane began to cry, her legs, pinched to hold back tears, swelling painfully.
“Mistress…”
Jane sniffled, opening her mouth, then closing it again when her blue eyes met Cloé’s equally blue gaze. The salt from their shared tears and sweat left a stinging taste. Both had felt the same terror, the same regret, as if facing death.
As their faces repeatedly plunged into salty water, memories of their lives flashed before them—regrets, fears, and fleeting wishes. Jane reminded herself not to cling to the pity of others, not to endanger herself or those she loved…
When Cloé finally arrived, she knelt with her back to Jane, sacrificing the pride she had built to protect the child.
“Why are you crying? Are you hurt?”
“No, I’m fine. You don’t need to worry about me, Mistress.”
“How can you say that? Anything you need, I’ll prepare it all…”
Even Cloé’s usually firm voice faltered, and it was all her fault. Jane’s beautiful face had been marred, but she felt a fleeting sense of joy—having served such a steadfast person, having loved someone who could care so much.
“I’m really okay,” Jane said, gently detaching from Cloé.
“Don’t worry about me…”
“I’m not your person anymore.”
The casual farewell struck Cloé dumb. Jane’s cold reply made her mouth shut immediately, leaving only her fragile breath escaping through the small gap between her lips.
Jane’s ordeal meant they could no longer be together. Guards would now monitor them to prevent further accidents. Even if separated, their vulnerability to one another would eventually cause another crisis. To prevent repeating today’s disaster, they had to part ways.
“I came for you… because I pitied you. That’s all.”
Jane forced herself to speak harshly. She wanted Cloé to feel disappointed, to feel the necessity of being firm.
“From the time you were a princess, admired by all, bright and dazzling—you vanished in an instant. That’s why I helped. Had I known we’d be hurt like this, I would have stopped.”
As Jane poured out the lines she had rehearsed for days, she felt herself fading with each word.
“…I… now…”
She reached the last line—the simplest, strongest sentence—but her lips refused to speak. Perhaps her mouth was too raw. Swallowing would help, but instead, she tasted salty mucus. Strange. She had thought she had finished crying, but in her effort to feign composure, the body betrayed her.
Jane finally looked up and faced Cloé, only to meet her faded blue eyes. Eyes that seemed to pierce through every lie. Cloé knew Jane was lying, avoiding her gaze, trembling with unspoken emotion. She observed silently, yet without reproach. She even managed to keep a small smile.
“Good.”
“….”
“You did well, Jane.”
“….”
“Have a pleasant journey. I’ll always be here waiting for you.”
The quiet that should have lasted endlessly ended with Cloé’s hoarse voice. It sounded rough, occasionally metallic, yet to anyone listening, it would have seemed like the voice of an angel.
Jane, finally crushed by her own act of deception, clung to Cloé and cried freely. All the pent-up tears burst out, unstoppable.
“Yes.”
“I… I’ll definitely… come back to see you… so… please welcome me…”
Jane wanted, with all her heart, to ask Cloé to keep her by her side. No matter the threat or injury, she wished to remain close to her.
“Someday… we’ll meet again, right?”
But that moment did not have to be now. Jane endured. She hoped that someday, when Cloé was happy, surrounded by those who could protect her, she would be able to find Jane again.
“Then.”
“….”
“I’ll try. I’ll work much harder so that I can reach you again.”
Her words, though simple, carried beauty and sincerity.
