Chapter4. Did you want me to die tomorrow?
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As she stepped into the room the servant had shown her, Trisha could tell at a glance that it was small and shabby. It was small and shabby, but what could she ask for in her position? At least there was a fireplace with wood burning in one corner. Somewhere that wasn't a cold alcove.
"The room is small, so it gets warm quickly."
Yes. That was one good thing. No matter what the moment, there was always one good thing.
The other maids won’t be busy grumbling in their assigned rooms. It must be worse than this one.
Tanya, the young maid who had followed her, was speechless and blinking. She had been dragged here on a whim, must be just as bewildered. Trisha felt even more sorry for her.
"Princess. Come here."
Tanya took her hand and led her toward the fireplace. But Tanya's hand was colder. Only the young Tanya served her. The other maids were busy running to their rooms to warm themselves. It was as if they had decided to ignore Trisha altogether. Just this once, she decided. She was too tired.
The two of them huddled in front of the fireplace, the warmth so welcome.
Tanya sighed, glad to be alive, but said nothing as she watched Trisha. She must have had a lot of questions, but she didn't ask. She was fifteen, perhaps, but she was a good maid who knew how to keep quiet despite her age.
Tanya's busyness kept her warm, and she was able to get some hot food, but then she said,
"We don't have any more firewood, but we put it in once every morning. Please take this into consideration."
Trisha was surprised to hear this from someone who was supposed to be in charge of firewood, and she was told to make do with what little was left until morning. With that?
"Are you telling me to freeze to death after just one day here?"
"That's not my business."
The man's answers got worse and worse. Didn’t matter if a princess died or not?
"Is it the same condition as the other princesses?"
Trisha asked sternly, looking at his greedy eyes. His voice was quiet, but he swallowed dryly, as if sensing an invisible force.
"Yes."
"May I visit the other princesses' rooms myself to confirm?"
His eyes wavered.
"They are all securing firewood to the best of their ability. Please follow the rules here."
Trisha could see the disdain in his eyes, and 'to the best of his ability' sounded like he was willing to spend some money. If she bribed him, he would give her more firewood.
"How am I supposed to get firewood if I can't afford it?"
They wouldn't have made a rule about freezing to death. The Tasars were cruel enough to harass her for other things, but they were not going to treat her like a petty criminal over a single piece of firewood.
Either the maids who came first have misled their servants, or they alone have been wickedly greedy.
If she had any power here, she could have gone to the higher ups and told them and set things right. It was a small matter. But now she was powerless to appeal for such a small thing.
"There is a stack of firewood in the barn at the end of the courtyard. Feel free to take as much as you want."
With those words, the man spun on his heel and headed outside. He hurried away, as if to say that there was no point in waiting, since she wouldn't bribe him. It was impossible to go fetch firewood in this cold, so she would have to bribe him later.
Haa....
She couldn’t believe she had to pay attention to such a small thing.
"Princess... What should we do?"
Maid Tanya looked terrified. It was already starting to get dark, and the firewood they had left wouldn’t last them through today, let alone tomorrow morning.
If she had packed enough to bribe, she could have just given it away and gotten the firewood. But her stepmother would not allow it, and she had very little.
As it was, she had no choice but to secure firewood before it got darker.
Trisha walked over to the window and scanned the area for the barn. It would be quite a walk, but she had no other choice.
"Get a big sack."
***
Howlllllll……
Kalos's black eyebrows knit together as he stood atop the castle after a long day of training. As darkness fell, he could hear the unearthly cries of the god Lamu over the great snow-capped mountains. It had been going on for days.
Lamu was a spirit, a god, they believed. A white wolf so huge it could leap over a great castle, a divine being, the howl of Lamu was subtly different.
Moreover, at this time of year, it should have stopped snowing and been clear for a while, but it was still snowing in the evening. He began to worry that something had happened to Lamu.
Beside him, his right-hand man, Victor, seemed to realize the gravity of the situation.
Kalos looked down at the snow-covered courtyard and thought to himself. Then.
Something moved.
"What was that?"
His eyes narrowed. It was a figure walking through the courtyard, colder now that darkness had begun to fall, and the snow was falling. There was no one in this castle who was crazy enough to be out and about at this hour. What kind of fool... No. He recognized her immediately.
The woman, the princess.
Not stupid, but crazy.
Ignoring the incredulous look on Victor's face, who was looking at the same thing, Kalos whirled around.
***
"What the hell are you doing here?"
Trisha jumped at the sudden, dry voice, but continued on with what she was doing, putting firewood into a sack. It was really, really cold. Even inside the barn, it was freezing.
Her hands were clammy and the cold air seemed to freeze her to the core. But unlike the others, it was bearable for her.
Earlier, she had carried in a sack of firewood, and Tanya had taken it and stacked it in a pile. But it wasn't enough, so she decided to make one more trip, and she was caught by this wolf.
It was the northern king, Kalos, who was very unwelcome in these circumstances. Of course, he would be unwelcome in any other situation.
"Ha! You're stealing firewood."
His words were outrageous, but she let them go in one ear and out the other. She only had one more load of firewood to carry. That's all she focused on.
She had to put aside the frustration of having to do things she didn’t have to do. Complaining and being dissatisfied didn’t mean she didn’t have to do what she was doing. It wouldn’t change anything or make anything better.
So be willing to do the hard work, and don't think about it. That's how Trisha lived her life.
"The only good thing about this barn firewood is that I can get as much as I want."
Kalos's expression was stern, as if he couldn't comprehend what was happening. But he seemed to understand her explanation that she wasn't stealing.
"They said they'd supply me with some firewood once a day, and I didn't want to freeze to death in a day, so I came here."
Kalos's eyes narrowed slightly at her words.
The servant's haggling over a small supply of firewood had been well publicized. She would never turn a blind eye to such a thing, or keep it a secret. Such selflessness was not in her nature.
If it's to her advantage, she'll say anything. And she would lie if it would save her life. If it's a lie, she's already told it.
“Ah. Did you by any chance wish for me to die tomorrow?”
Kalos's eyes narrowed further as he stared at her, as she asked a polite question quietly, though he wasn't sure if it was because of her fierceness or his frustration at not being able to read her mind.
"You will die someday, but not tomorrow."
His voice, thick and low, thundered out. Trisha was afraid of him, standing there in his thick robes, his massive body blocking the entrance to the barn.
"You don't pay another maid to do this, you do it yourself?”
Oh. I see. Trisha casually turned her back to him to hide her embarrassment and stuffed another small piece of firewood into the sack.
The answer was... puzzling. She needed to come up with a good one, and fast.
Overlooked. Flora would never do this herself, not as a princess. But there was no one else who could, and if she had ordered it, Tanya, the youngest, would have been caught. She couldn't let her fall down in the middle and be buried in the snow.
It was simpler to just get there and back herself. It was a mistake to think only of that. No, it hadn't occurred to her that she would meet this man here. Oh, no.
"You must have done this on purpose, knowing I was on the castle grounds, so I could see you."
Maybe this man was indeed as crazy as her stepmother and Flora had said. His illusion was very creative. But she didn't blame him. He was having trouble answering, and he was helping her.
"Did I get your attention?"
It was urgent to get out of here. Whether he was mistaken or not was up to him.
Still, the shrewd Kalos didn't trust her answer. If she wanted attention, she would have done something less dangerous.
Howllllll….
Suddenly, the animal cries echoed across the land again.
"Are they sick...."
Muttering to herself, Trisha lifted the large sack and started to walk past him, who was still standing in the doorway, when suddenly he grabbed her arm ferociously.
"What did you say just now?"
****
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Write a comment
Lolwtin (Tuesday, 30 July 2024 20:25)
I really like their relationship When will they be in love, I can't wait. Thank you for the chapters ♡