Chapter 5
***
Prince Eisen put a comforting hand on Diana’s frightened shoulder.
"My brother is very affectionate by nature. He can't easily pass up something delicate and beautiful. He won't throw you out."
“….”
"So cover his eyes and plug his ears until I come and cut off his head. That's your job."
The prince spoke to Diana as though it were a possibility, but in reality, it was nonsense. It was one thing for the Crown Prince to let his guard down for a moment and spend the night with a maid, but to be the kind of mistress he constantly sought was something else entirely. To win his heart by using her body.
Regardless of Diana’s reservations about such a thing, it was an unrealistic plan to begin with. She was dealing with a Crown Prince, not a commoner.
What kind of Crown Prince would bother with a maid?
"I can't do it, Your Highness, how dare a common maid like me dare to try to win the heart of an imperial lord...."
"If you succeed in winning my brother's heart, I will not only provide you with the antidote to heal your eyes, but also help you return to your homelessness of Dortes."
Diana's new employer was far more generous than the Viscount and Viscountess Despierre, and far more clever. Eisen made her a deal she couldn't refuse.
Diana's home island of Dortes had become an Imperial colony, and she could no longer come and go freely without a pass, which could only be obtained from the Imperial Commander-in-Chief, sent directly by the Emperor. He would grant passes as many times as he wanted, as long as it was the Prince’s orders.
Eisen's offer was like a dime a dozen to Diana, who had never given up hope of returning home. He even offered an antidote to cure her eyes, and if she could get it, she could start a second life back home.
‘But it could be rotten rope.’
There were always two sides to every tempting deal.
"What happens if I fail?"
When she asked, Prince Eisen laughed as though he had heard the obvious.
"As soon as my brother discovers that you are my spy, you will die. In a most horrible and cruel way. My brother is affectionate, but his limbs are not."
"......."
"Even as a corpse, you will be ravaged until their intuition is unleashed. I hope I never have to see your body."
The words sent a chill down her spine.
"Of course, if you are lucky enough to survive his hands, I will cut your throat myself."
Diana hadn't been given a choice in the first place.
When she exited the room where she had stayed for seven years, Viscountess Clara was waiting for her.
Clara gripped Diana’s shoulder firmly.
"You must never disappoint him, Diana."
The tension was evident in the Viscountess's noble face. If this failed, woe would be upon Diana’s head, and upon the House of Depierre for selling her. Having incurred the Crown Prince's wrath, a noble viscount like Depierre might be wiped out in an instant.
Failure would not be for nothing. Diana mocked secretly.
"Thank you, my lady."
Diana picked up her luggage and left the manor, a carriage waiting to take her away.
****
Diana's senses had been heightened since birth.
Her other senses had developed in leaps and bounds since she became blind. Her sense of smell, hearing, touch, and even taste. She could remember the sound of someone's voice, and she could distinguish between body odor on clothes and the slightest hint of the outside world.
The scent of your collar, the lightness and heaviness of your step, the feel and sound of the ground underfoot, the smell of the air at different times of day, the temperature of the sun.
Thanks to this, she could easily find the paths she had taken and remember most of the people she had seen and touched. Thanks to her senses, which complement her vision, Diana had worked for the past seven years without incident.
But that was only if the place was familiar to her. For someone who could not see, an unfamiliar place she had never been before would be a source of terror.
After leaving Viscount Depierre’s home, she arrived at a mansion she knew nothing about, where she spent three days memorizing all sorts of trivia about the palace and the Crown Prince, and then she was loaded into a carriage and driven somewhere.
The carriage came to a screeching halt after some time.
Diana knew instinctively that she had reached her destination. The mysterious driver who had brought her here dragged her out forcefully.
"Is this the palace?"
"Yes."
Even the texture of the floor beneath her low heels was a world away from her usual path. The slick stone floor threatened to slip at the slightest misstep. The fine, plush soil from the garden, the fragrant rosin smell of a well-maintained building, and the faint scent underneath….
‘The smell of blood?’
It was a faint scent, drowned out by so many other odors, but it was definitely blood. The fishy scent of blood in the corners of the walls, in the seams of the floor. Diana’s back stiffened.
As Prince Eisen had mentioned, the Crown Prince was known to be a gentle and tender-hearted man. He had a long-standing reputation for being gentle with everyone, a trait that made him a prince. Whenever he made a brief appearance at an imperial event, many admired his handsome appearance.
However, it had been more than 13 years since the Crown Prince had appeared in public.
His naturally frail constitution had deteriorated after a severe fever that left him with limited mobility. For the past three years, he had been completely absent from the palace.
In recent years, there were even doubts about his ability to succeed to the throne. Naturally, all eyes were on the next in line for the throne, Prince Eisen.
Even before she was blind, Diana had never seen the Crown Prince's face or a portrait.
"It is not necessary for you to know his face, and it is good that you need not be deceived by his appearance."
"But if, by any chance, I should fail to recognize His Highness and be rude...."
"That won't happen. There is not a man on earth who would not recognize him, even if he were blindfolded."
Judging by Prince Eisen's words, one of the lush rumors surrounding the Crown Prince was certain. That he was quite handsome.
Someone walked up the cobblestone path. The knight introduced Diana.
"Chamberlain, this is the new maid from House Osprey. I hear that the Duke has already placed her in the workforce.”
"I heard, this is the girl."
The chamberlain looked Diana up and down. The knight tapped her on the shoulder, signaling her to follow.
Diana lifted the hem of her dress and bowed.
"I'm Diana Escalif. I have a letter of recommendation from Duke Osprey.”
"I've heard the story. They say you can't see, but can you really not see anything, or is it a congenital condition?"
"I lost my sight as a result of eating the wrong food in my childhood, but I have no trouble working."
Her throat went dry as she recited her memorized answer.
"The chief chamberlain is a strict old man, and one of the few members of my brother's entourage. Your first task will be to pass his tests and be placed in the palace."
"I don't want a child who's too much trouble. The master is sensitive enough as it is, and I don't want to cause more trouble than he already has."
The old chamberlain seemed to be displeased with her. Fortunately, the knight came to Diana’s defense.
"She's not sloppy, she's quick. She may walk slow, but her hands are nimble. She's quick and loyal, and she's never offended the Duke before."
"She can't see, is that possible?"
"Once she gets used to the layout of the palace, she'll find her way around remarkably well without a cane; you won't have to worry about her touching unnecessary things, witnessing or talking about what she’s not supposed to. Besides, look, isn't she beautiful?"
Diana tensed, feeling the stinging gaze on her face.
***
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