Chapter 5. Take off your clothes and do some tricks
***
"Don't go anywhere near Kayan Bayate. I've heard of women from exile who've been taken to his mansion and lost their minds within a month. He's worse than King Patrick."
Elmir was abuzz with tales of the infamous Kayan Bayate, whose reputation had grown since before the arrival of the Anut diplomatic mission.
And the rumors had traveled to every corner of the palace, even to the North Palace, where Ihedia lived.
A black wolf with blue eyes.
A bloodthirsty warmonger, clad in an ornate shell like the god of beauty.
The next Raquil Shabob, or beautiful bastard.
These were all words to describe Kayan Bayate.
It was also why she had been unable to hide her disdain for him since the moment she first laid eyes on him.
And now she was standing here in such a pathetic state, trying to catch his eye.
"What is it?"
Kayan's piercing gaze swept over Ihedia's entire body, sharp as a well-honed knife.
Ihedia's breathing stopped for a moment, feeling as though she had been insulted beyond repair by that gaze alone.
If she were Kayan Bayate, she, too, would be wondering if the woman in front of him was insane.
Ihedia turned her head slightly to the side.
Somewhere, Patrick's servants were watching them.
‘Yeah, just for today, just to make it through the day.’
The image of Evan slumped helplessly in his cell flashed before Ihedia's eyes.
She steeled herself once more.
Tonight, somehow, she had to get into Kayan's bedroom.
"Do you mind if I come inside for a moment?"
Kayan looked down at Ihedia with a frown, as if he was suspicious.
The woman had come to his bedroom at this late hour, dressed to the nines and carrying a tray of drinks.
He wondered if this noble woman, who considered Anut barbarians, had come to seduce him.
Kayan crossed his arms and leaned slightly against the door, speaking in a sneering tone.
"By day, you pretend to be a fair maiden who blushes at the mere sight of a barbarian's attire, and by night, you seek out a man's bedchamber as a courtesan?"
"..."
"Indeed, the women of Elmir have a way with men."
Ihedia made no reply to Kayan's blatant mockery.
Instead, she stared blankly into space, ashamed enough to cower in place.
His sharp voice spoke again.
"Go back."
Kayan started to close the door, but Ihedia hastened to stop him.
"Wait."
"..."
"I sincerely apologize for my disrespectful behavior to Lord Bayate."
"..."
"Please give me a moment of your time."
He couldn’t believe his ears for a moment.
Kayan stared serenely at the princess, who looked nothing like a dried up leaf.
It seemed unlikely that she had come as a courtesan, as he had said.
This was the face of a woman who had come to seduce a man.
The face of a condemned man going to the guillotine would be better than this.
Kayan had a reasonable suspicion that this woman was hiding a secret weapon somewhere, or that the liquor she was carrying was poisoned.
But that didn't make sense either.
If she harmed him in this situation, the idiot king's head would be hanging in the middle of the street for the rest of the day.
The power of the Anuts could have torn this insignificant nation to pieces in half a day.
Whatever the Princess’ intentions, it was funny how she could ask to be let into the bedroom and not be able to hide the self-deprecation in her eyes.
The thought of giving herself to the beast must have twisted her stomach.
‘Who the hell do you think you are, Princess Elmir?’
Whenever he remembered why he'd ended up in Anut in the first place, he felt an uncontrollable surge of cursing.
Could it really be that it had nothing to do with her?
Suddenly, a fierce anger welled up in his chest.
"How unexpected, for I have never had a madwoman crawl into my bedchamber on her own two feet."
"..."
"Because, as you know, this body doesn't have the best reputation."
Kayan blurted out the eerie words without a care in the world.
Nevertheless, the young princess stood before him like a stone pillar.
"Well, if that's the case, come in."
It was only for a moment, but Ihedia's eyes held a chill of fear.
But there was nothing she could say anyway.
‘It doesn't matter.’
Kayan grinned, baring his teeth like an angry beast before its prey.
There was no reason to stop a tasty deer from entering a wolf's den without fear.
‘You started this, and I'm not a fan of refusing.’
Kayan's eyes and Ihedia's green ones met in a straight line.
She walked slowly into Kayan's bedroom.
A moment later, the door slammed shut, plunging the hallway into a chilling silence.
****
As soon as Ihedia stepped inside, she set the tray on the table and picked up the flask.
It was so natural, it was as if she'd been planning to do this all along.
Seeing her like that, Kayan couldn't help but laugh.
She had deliberately spilled his drink on the floor in the banquet hall, claiming that her eyesight was not perfect.
Seeing her acting so strangely colorful, he was more amused than angry.
"I suppose your blindness has become normal."
"Sometimes, on days when I'm tired, my vision is blurrier than usual, and I wasn't feeling particularly well that day, don't get me wrong."
The vacant gaze, the expressionless face, the dull tone.
This woman seemed to have a knack for saying the most unbelievable things.
"Elmir must be in a bit of a hurry, seeing as how the precious pearl of the realm is willing to offer herself to a barbarian with an unflattering face."
Kayan spat out the venomous words.
Ihedia's gesture toward the flask paused.
Her breathing became erratic.
It was not like she didn't see this coming.
Pretending she hadn't heard anything, she finished pouring the drink and held it out to Kayan.
"It's made from a grain called Iasin, which doesn't grow in Anut. It's also a rare grain that is only served to honored guests in Elmir."
Kayan stared at Ihedia as she offered the drink, then accepted it with an ice-cold smile.
But he didn't drink it.
His cold eyes reflected his distrust of Ihedia.
Ihedia poured herself a drink as well, her face emotionless.
She downed it in one swallow, staring straight at the man with her fierce eyes.
"It's quite a strong drink, but it has a nice flavor, now put aside your doubts and give it a try."
Kayan formed a smile whose emotions were unknown.
He took the drink from her, stared at it for a moment, then tossed it to the ground.
Ihedia swallowed dryly and glanced at Kayan.
He chuckled and tossed the bottle on the table, too, onto the floor.
The entire contents spilled out, filling the room with a pungent, sweet aroma.
"Forget this shit. I'm in a hurry. You didn't come here for a friendly drink."
Ihedia’s her fingers twitched.
She was a quick thinker, after all.
The drink she handed him was laced with a secret liquid that no one else knew about.
It was water brewed from the petals of the raven that blooms in the North Palace.
It was sensitive to alcohol.
Therefore, by adding it to alcohol, a small amount could be used to get people drunk faster and deeper.
On the other hand, it was also a magical ingredient that, when combined with hot herbal tea, became a stimulant that could withstand hard liquor.
She had barely made it past the eyes of the Northern Palace watchers.
'My only hope of surviving this night is gone.’
It was not that she hadn't thought of the number of such cases, but she felt her heart clench tightly in her chest at the sense of loss.
The stimulant she had taken beforehand had been useless.
Ihedia's despairing eyes drifted to the bottle rolling on the floor, empty.
What to do now?
"That's odd, is there something in your drink?"
Reading the agitated Ihedia's mind at a glance, Kayan cut to the chase.
Ihedia unconsciously clutched the hem of her dress.
"I am not so foolish as to wish harm on the Commander-in-Chief of the Anut on this occasion."
Her head cocked as if to stare down her opponent, her voice filled with the majesty and regality of royalty.
Kayan still didn't like the presumptuous demeanor of the fair princess.
She didn't seem to be afraid, even though she was alone in the bedroom with the insolent Anut. No, she's pretending on purpose.
"Did you slip in some sort of elixir to make me horny, then? Hmm, I don't need that."
Ihedia's brow narrowed slightly, as if Kayan's provocative words had worked.
Suddenly, he wondered how far this noble woman would be willing to put her pride aside.
He leaned back against the couch, his face languid.
"I'm not in the mood right now, and I think the good princess should show some sincerity, don't you?"
Unable to grasp the meaning of the words, Ihedia looked up at Kayan, a little puzzled.
"Why don't you take off your clothes and do some tricks?"
Kayan's brilliant smile gleamed devilishly.
Ihedia's previously impassive face flushed with embarrassment.
***
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