.....
Irene shuddered, her eyes widening. She immediately understood what he meant—he had seen those scars. She had completely forgotten about them.
Memories surged before her: her brothers' bullying, the cruel punishments from her father's wives for petty,baseless reasons.
She stammered, trying to mask her panic:
"They're… old accidents… don't trouble yourself over them."
Lucas resumed lowering the zipper, and with every inch more scars appeared. His silence grew heavier.
At last, he stepped back deliberately cold.
"Now you can change."
She quickly clutched the dress to her chest and moved to the corner.
Lucas sat back, his thoughts stirring. Her answer made no sense—what kind of "accidents" left such marks? And in such concealed places, uneven, clear evidence of someone else's cruelty.
Irene dressed in silence, then whispered:
"I'm done."
He turned and saw her in his oversized white robe and trousers
looking so small within them, like a child hiding in her father's clothes. Her cheeks flushed, eyes avoiding his, as she tried to cover the front. She looked almost endearing.
Lucas exhaled, covering his mouth as he stifled a laugh.
She glared at him, blushing furiously.
"Stop laughing!"
He rubbed his face, a smile tugging at his lips.
Her face burned even redder at his look, and she quickly turned away. For the first time, he found her endearing. Sitting at the edge of the bed, he feigned indifference.
"Go to sleep now. We've got a long road tomorrow."
The bed was far smaller than the one back at the palace. Irene lay on its edge, clinging to the side as much as possible, pulling the blanket tight around her as if to shield herself.
Lucas, after changing into his own sleepwear and lying beside her, felt a strange unease at her nearness. His shoulder almost brushed hers despite her effort to pull away, her uneven breaths reaching his ear in the silence.
He turned slightly toward her, seeing her back. Raising a hand to his forehead, his mind wandered to the scars he had seen. The image wouldn't leave him. Something inside refused to dismiss it. How could a pampered princess bear such marks? Perhaps from an accident, a fall—but the hidden placement and irregular shapes suggested otherwise.
He glanced at her again, lingering for a long moment, torn between curiosity and restraint. He longed to question her but saw how determined she was to conceal it. In the end, he was almost certain she would never tell him the truth. Closing his eyes slowly, he found sleep elusive.
---
In Iscard…
Fantine sat in her small room, silence broken only by the wind whistling against the windows. She lit the lamp, its warm yellow glow spreading across faded walls and modest shelves. Sitting on the bed's edge, she took up the letter she had just received.
She opened it slowly, and froze at the sight inside. She pulled out the papers slightly… a stack of money, neatly bundled in thousand-denomination bills. She gasped softly, staring in disbelief.
Whispering to herself as she drew out the letter that came with it:
"Oh God… why did you send me all this money, Irene?"
She read the words carefully, her eyes moving across the lines until a long sigh trembled from her chest. Pressing the letter to her heart, she murmured with a shaking voice:
"How can you ask me to accept this as a gift? I'm trying to atone for my mistakes… I don't want to burden my conscience further."
She sat for a while, gazing at the lamp in thought. Irene's request was no easy matter—traveling so far, dangerous for an old woman like her. Yet guilt tugged at her. Perhaps the girl felt she had already burdened her too much, pushing herself to send such a sum in compensation. But Fantine understood: Irene had no one in Iscard she trusted more than her.
She pulled out fresh paper and began writing in her flowing hand:
"My dearest Irene,
How are you, child? This old woman misses you greatly. I am in good health, don't worry about me… Thank you for your generosity, but I cannot accept the money. The place you asked me to go is my birthplace—it won't be hard to reach. I'll request a short leave from work and travel there at no cost. Don't worry, I will do everything you asked, and rest assured—I'm not doing this for you alone, but also for my daughter Louisa. Set aside your worries, and tell me if you need anything else. I'll be sure to send you anything useful I find."
She finished, folded the letter carefully, and hid it under her bed.
Elsewhere in the palace—in his grand study—the king, Arxon, sat while the prime minister read him the latest reports. His voice steady:
"Your Majesty, a shipment of weapons has been delivered to the secret bases successfully through the export vessel.
No issues crossing, thanks to your clever plan. This will make future operations much easier. But… there is a problem. That girl, Irene, informed us some time ago that the financial situation in Valerian was stable, and since then, she has sent nothing.
Though we have flooded their treasuries and markets with counterfeit currency in large sums and continue to do so, matters have not collapsed as we expected. Could it be they discreetly stabilized the issue without informing the council,
to avoid internal unrest? Or are they concealing it because of her presence among them? Forgive me, Majesty, but perhaps she is not as brilliant as the servants and her tutor claimed. She isn't providing enough information. What should we do with her?"
Arxon sat silent for a moment before replying with heavy coldness:
"I expected as much. King Christophe is no fool—he must have found a temporary solution. But… if we cannot strike their treasuries and economy directly, then we shall move on to our second plan."
The minister bowed.
"As you command, Majesty."
After hesitating, he added:
"And regarding the girl…?"
Arxon lifted his cold gaze to him.
"I'll keep her for now. She'll be useful when the time comes. And when her usefulness ends… I'll dispose of her. She already knows too much."
A sly smile curled on the minister's lips.
"A wise decision, Majesty."
He pulled out another paper.
"As for her life there, as you requested, reports from our spies brought news of her reputation in her husband's household. It seems her relationship with Lucas is unstable. Some said he bought her an expensive necklace, but those claims are unconfirmed—no one has seen her wearing such a piece, so that's unlikely. What has been confirmed, however, is her attendance at the recent tournament ball, where witnesses say her husband rejected her during their first dance. That suggests their relationship is poor. Yet, recent reports confirm they are traveling south. The information was delayed, so they may already be there. I propose we send her a private message, instructing her to improve her relationship with her husband… so she remains useful longer."
A cold smile touched Arxon's lips.
"That fool… yes, do it. I've already told her her life will be the price if she ruins matters. Seems she's gone blind to that now."
The minister bowed again, respectfully.
"Then… we shall refresh her memory."
Silence fell, broken only by the echo of rain outside.
---
Vol2 coming soon