Chapter 28
Not long after everyone left, Lamia quietly appeared. In her hands was a bucket filled with warm water instead of food.
“Where’s the food?”
“I thought Her Highness would freeze to death before the food was ready, so I brought this instead. Look, your lips are completely blue. I told the innkeeper it looked like you were going to die, and she rushed to give it to me.”
Lamia chuckled mischievously.
She soaked a towel in the warm water and wiped my face, then had me soak my feet in the remaining water.
“If you soak your feet in warm water, your whole body warms up quickly.”
Her gentle touch felt awkward, so I wriggled my feet and muttered under my breath.
“You sure didn’t mind putting me in danger before…”
“Still on about that? I had to save myself back then. But we’re on the same side now, aren’t we? It’d be troublesome if Her Highness died before I had the chance to run away.”
“Tch.”
Her words were cheeky, but for some reason, I didn’t find them annoying.
While I soaked my feet in the bucket, she flopped down onto my bed without asking.
The way she did it was so natural—and it was the first time someone had ever taken my bed—that I was dumbfounded.
She either didn’t notice my look or chose to ignore it, resting her head on her arm and grumbling at me.
“I’m starving. I barely ate anything while hiding in the palace.”
“How did you even hide without getting caught? The guards must’ve turned the whole palace upside down.”
She shrugged lazily.
“Here and there, you know? Trade secret. Don’t ask. I’m too hungry to talk anyway.”
She looked a lot livelier than I did for someone claiming to be exhausted.
We kept whispering in low voices, conscious of the knights guarding the hallway.
“So when do you plan on running away? Isn’t it about time?”
“Ah, I need to eat first. I saw the innkeeper chopping up meat earlier. Mmm…”
She licked her lips with anticipation.
She was fascinating to watch.
“Just to be sure… you do know you’re wanted all across the Empire, right?”
With so many soldiers dispatched to find her, how could she be so relaxed?
“Of course I know. That’s why I even dyed my hair in the middle of hiding. Do you know how hard it was to steal hair dye?”
Then she glared at me.
“And that wanted poster? All your fault! You pinned the theft on me!”
“It wasn’t like that…!”
“Oh really? Then what was it?”
“I’m innocent.”
“Innocent my foot. Come on.”
“…”
Even though I didn’t steal anything, I had no way to explain it, so I fell silent.
Then Lamia suddenly leaned in, her eyes gleaming.
“We’re accomplices, and I think I’ve lost out more, so shouldn’t you at least share the treasure we stole?”
I narrowed my eyes and glared at her.
“Think carefully about what you did to me that day.”
“Did you just admit you stole it?”
“I’m calling you shameless.”
“How much did you steal? Can’t you give me just one small thing?”
“When exactly are you leaving?”
“Teleportation magic isn’t free. Just give me one gem, okay?”
“I thought you said you were just going to eat.”
“I never said I’d leave right away. I said I’d eat first.”
The conversation kept circling around.
Even as the water cooled around my feet, I kept talking.
It felt strange to have such light, random conversations with someone.
Talking with Lamia was different from talking to Kal or Kallias.
“Don’t you want to go home? Your family must be worried.”
She wiggled her foot and replied,
“Your family is whoever you meet, and home is wherever you lay your head.”
Suddenly, I remembered what the palace guard said when I first met Lamia.
“How dare a gypsy utter the princess’s name, you filthy worm!”
Come to think of it, the guard had spoken as if he knew her.
“Are you… a gypsy?”
Lamia grinned.
“Call me a romantic wanderer.”
So she was a gypsy.
Was that palace soldier right about knowing her? Was she really not a thief?
I asked calmly.
“Then why would a romantic wanderer sneak into the palace?”
“Excuse me? I was kidnapped!”
“By whom?”
“The Empress!”
“Why?”
“How would I know? I was with a traveling group, and I think one of those bastards sold me out.”
“Sold you?”
“Yeah. He brought some fancy booze and shared it around. Next thing I knew, I was all groggy. When I woke up, I was trapped in a crate! Shackles on my arms and legs—I was terrified!”
She spoke about this horrific event as if it were nothing.
Her expression was so calm I couldn’t tell if she was lying or not.
A crate? Why smuggle someone into the palace inside a crate?
I wanted to ask more, but just then someone knocked on the door.
Knock knock.
“Who is it?”
Lamia shuffled to the door and asked.
“I’ve brought your meal.”
Lamia, who had looked bored the whole time, brightened instantly.
She flung the door open.
An inn servant stood there holding a tray. Judging by the outfit, he worked at the inn.
“Give it here.”
She eagerly took the tray from him.
As the servant handed it to her, he glanced briefly at me.
Our eyes met.
In that moment, I froze.
That man…!
I recognized the shape of his eyebrows.
I knew who he was—but he clearly didn’t think I would recognize him.
Naturally so. In this life, we hadn’t met yet.
He was the one who acted as the hands and feet of Viscount Pelsus, taking care of all the dirty work—murder, abduction, torture.
Why is he here?
Was this related to Kabbalah? Or Andrea’s doing? Was he here to kill me? Or Kallias?
The man calmly handed the food to Lamia and left, pretending to be a harmless servant.
My heart pounded wildly.
I don’t know exactly what’s going on, but I have to warn Kallias without alerting the maids.
“Your Highness? Are you okay?”
Lamia shook my shoulder.
I suddenly grabbed her wrist. My hands were pale and trembling uncontrollably.
“Don’t eat that.”
“What’s wrong? Are you sick?”
“Don’t eat it, Lamia.”
She looked confused, glancing back and forth between the food and me.
My heart was thundering, and a terrible pain tore through my chest.
“Urgh…”
A flood of memories exploded in my mind.
Rough hands dragging me, the darkness of a dungeon, kicks, the fear of death—they all came back.
“Gasp…! Haa…!”
I couldn’t breathe.
“Should I call someone? A knight, anyone? Just wait!”
Lamia tried to rush out of the room.
I held her back.
“No…! Don’t, don’t go… Stay, please…”
Gasping, I clung to her.
She stomped in panic, unsure what to do.
I clung to her as tightly as I could.
With my other hand, I grabbed my hair, trying to shake away the terrifying thoughts.
Then Lamia suddenly hugged me tightly.
“It’s okay.”
“…!”
“It’s okay. You’re okay.”
A hand patted my back. A warm body. A pressure wrapping around me.
Focusing on those unfamiliar sensations helped me calm down, like magic.
“You’re okay now.”
Those words broke me, and tears welled up.
“Sniff…”
I buried my face in her shoulder and sobbed quietly.
But it didn’t last long—I forced myself to stop crying.
There was no time for tears now.
“Lamia, can you use that magic again? Like when you changed my face before?”
“Huh? Um…”
Through blurred tears, I saw her confused face.
I wiped my face and grabbed her shoulders.
“There’s no point hiding it. I saw everything. Please, just use that magic and pretend to be me for a bit.”
“What?”
“Just lie in the bed and pretend to be asleep in case the maids come.”
“What are you going to do?”
She looked at me with suspicion. A moment ago I’d been white as a sheet and shaking, and now I was suddenly making strange requests.
“Are you sure you’re okay? Are you thinking straight? Do you even know where you are?”
“I’m fine. Please.”
I put on Lamia’s outer clothes and pulled up the hood to hide my face and hair.
I have to warn Kallias.
