Before Elis could say more, Jessy pulled her sleeves up. Today, the maid happened to be wearing attire without buttons on her sleeves, easing the nanny into lifting them.
As Jessy exposed Elis’s arms up to the elbow, her eyes widened in shock, and she stood frozen in silent disbelief. The unexpected sight also took the derian Prince himself aback.
Callis, who was aware of Elis’s condition, felt a pang of guilt for montarily forgetting about the scars on the maid’s arms. A heavy silence filled the room.
Feeling embarrassed and exposed, Elis hurriedly finished washing her hands and pulled her sleeves back down, covering her arms once more.
"It’s done. I’m all right now," she murmured, trying to regain her composure.
However, Kiev’s serious expression indicated that the matter was unresolved.
"Let see it," he spoke in a low, commanding tone.
"It’s fine," she replied.
"I dislike it when I have to repeat myself," said the prince, a hint of warning in his voice.
Elis hesitated, but with Callis’s discreet signal, she had no choice but to comply. She extended her hand, laying it out for the prince’s checking.
"Both hands," Kiev ordered, his voice firm and unwavering.
Sensing the tension in the room, Jessy and Callis watched closely, aware that Kiev’s actions went beyond a re inspection.
Nervously, Elis revealed her other hand, now showing both of her pale palms to the prince. Kiev placed his hands onto hers, a gesture that caught the attention of his sister and the nanny.
It was an unusual action for a simple inspection, but they decided not to question the prince’s motives, trusting his judgnt.
Unbeknownst to the others, Kiev clandestinely channelled his mana into Elis, tapping into his magical abilities to alleviate her fear and cast an enchantnt to uncover the source of her distress.
When his gaze fell upon the dreadful scars etched on her arms, an unwavering determination filled him, compelling him to unravel the truth behind their origin. He understood that directly asking Elis would likely prove futile, as she would seal her personal matter from him.
Therefore, he turned to this unconventional thod, closing his eyes and imrsing himself in the depths of her mind as the magic was cast.
In the darkness of her mories, Kiev witnessed the haunting scene of Elis being confronted by several n in a dimly lit room. One of them held a whip, and they all laughed cruelly at her. Her cries echoed in the room.
’Stop! Please stop! Let go! Sobody help !’
’You won’t get away tonight, b*tch!’
The n began to undress themselves, and the laughing continued...
The shocking images disappeared abruptly when Elis pulled her hands away, breaking the connection between them. Kiev opened his eyes. His red ruby eyes widened in shock as he looked at the maid without a blink.
He didn’t witness the entirety of the painful mory, but it was enough to understand the gravity of what she had experienced.
"I... I think I’m truly fine now," Elis stamred, her embarrassnt evident as her cheeks flushed red.
She was unaware that the derian Prince had peeked through her mind, viewing a piece of her darkest mory buried deep under the enchantnt.
Kiev’s expression transford into a mix of anger and frustration as the weight of the maid’s fear fully dawned upon him.
Regret filled his eyes as he realised the gravity of his actions. Driven by curiosity, he had invaded Elis’s mories without her consent, and now he couldn’t escape the haunting mory that played in his mind.
At that mont, a strong urge to interrogate Elis and uncover the identity of those who had hard her surged within the derian Prince.
But as he looked at her, a wave of empathy washed over him, reminding him of the importance of preserving her dignity. He understood that bringing up the matter would only crush her further, exacerbating her pain and violating her trust.
Recognising the delicate nature of the situation, Kiev made a conscientious decision to keep his discovery a secret.
"I apologise if my actions earlier were intimidating. The truth is, I didn’t do anything harmful to the grand duke. Yesterday, he and his knights invited for a hunting expedition. We had a pleasant ti together and even shared a late dinner at the mansion afterwards. If you don’t believe , you can confirm with the grand duke himself or ask Sir Skyler, the knight you’re close to. He was with us throughout the evening," Kiev explained, hoping to alleviate Elis’s doubts.
"You were gone hunting with the grand duke yesterday? But aren’t you currently in a dispute with him? How did things change so suddenly, and how did you beco so close to him?" Callis asked, clearly surprised by the revelation.
"It was a matter of utmost importance. There was a dangerous group of beasts lurking. It could pose a danger to Princess Anna and all of you, too, so we had to take imdiate action to eliminate it. That’s why I collaborate. As for our dispute, it hasn’t been resolved yet. The grand duke and I have agreed to a temporary truce so he can undertake a mission assigned by the palace," Kiev clarified, shedding light on the situation.
He went on to share details about the postponent of the duel, Kyren’s impending departure to the Agathe Islands, and Anna’s temporary stay in the palace.
"The grand duke agreed to allow Her Highness Princess Anna to stay here?" Jessy exclaid, finding it hard to believe.
"Yes, I specifically requested it from His Majesty, and the grand duke also agreed to it, respecting the duel’s rules," Kiev confird.
Elis stepped back respectfully, giving the derians space to continue their conversation.
"That ans I’ll have the chance to et her!" Jessy exclaid, her excitent palpable.
"That was the intention," Kiev replied with a smile. "Although the knights and the healer will accompany Princess Anna, I will ensure that you have the opportunity to see her."
Elis couldn’t help but wonder about the nanny’s excitent to et Anna, whom she already knew to be the Princess of Ardel from Garin. It seed unusual to her, as she thought they had never t before.
However, as she observed how well the people around her, including Kiev, had treated her, she couldn’t find any fault in their intentions.
The news also brought a sense of anticipation and joy to Callis.
"The healer will be accompanying? You an Mr Rafe Amares will be staying in the palace, too?" Callis asked, her surprise evident in her voice.
"Yes, he is. Why are you so shocked?" Kiev inquired.
Jessy turned her eyes to the derian Princess, concerned by the intensity of her reaction.
Feeling a mix of excitent and nervousness when Rafe was ntioned, Callis struggled to find the right words.
"Nothing... It’s just... umm... I actually need to get more dicine from him for my injury. You see, I’ve been diligently following the schedule of my dication, and it’ll run out soon since he only gave Elis a small amount to prepare," she explained, trying to downplay her anticipation.
Kiev furrowed his brow, trying to grasp the situation.
"Did I hear it correctly? Have you been taking your dicine? Are you really my sister?" he teased, a hint of doubt in his voice.
"Brother, please, stop making such jokes! I’m telling the truth! I have been taking my dicine as instructed! You can ask Jessy and Elis about it," Callis insisted, her tone earnest.
"She’s right, Your Highness," Jessy confird, supporting the derian Princess’s statent.
Callis bead with pride and was grateful for the support.
Kiev was surprised as he processed the nanny’s statent. It dawned on him that it was the first ti his sister had willingly complied with taking her dication. Throughout her life, she was known to avoid it like a plague, which made this new developnt all the more remarkable.
Amidst his astonishnt, Kiev’s intentions to heal her himself remained unchanged.
"You won’t be needing that dicine anymore. I’m here to heal you. I returned late last night, and I didn’t want to disturb you, so I ca early today to do it," he declared.
Callis hesitated, caught between her excitent at the news about Rafe and her brother’s offer to heal her. She didn’t want to miss the opportunity to spend ti with the healer she had grown fond of. If Kiev recovered her injury, there would be no more excuses for her to see Rafe.
"I... I don’t want to be healed," The derian Princess decided, surprising both Kiev and Jessy with her sudden statent.
"What?" both of them exclaid simultaneously, their astonishnt palpable. Even Elis couldn’t hide her surprise.
Callis took a deep breath, gathering her thoughts.
"Yes... I’ve been reflecting on it and believe I’ve relied on your healing abilities too much, brother. I haven’t given my body a chance to heal naturally. It’s important for to go through the natural healing process to strengthen my body," she explained, creating an excuse to justify her decision.
Kiev’s brow furrowed in confusion.
"I’ve never heard of such a thing," he remarked, genuinely surprised by Callis’s perspective.
"There is! I read in one of the books. Anything we learn from our own experience will make us better. The sa goes for our body."
"But natural healing can take months. Even for a derian like yourself, it will still be at least a month," Kiev expressed, concern evident in his voice. "Are you certain about this? I don’t mind, then, especially since the grand duke is also expected to return in about a month. So, we’re still going to stay here, and you can recuperate, but you’ll have to endure discomfort throughout that period."
Callis responded promptly, radiating confidence, "Yes, I’m sure! This is my chance to grow and upgrade myself!"
In the derian Princess’s mind, only one thing was occupying her thoughts—a month for the opportunity to pursue Rafe and make him fall for her.
Jessy looked at the princess solemnly, shaking her head subtly as a sign that she disapproved of the idea. She could easily discern what was going through Callis’s mind.
"Jessy, please..." the derian Princess pleaded.
The nanny sighed, torn between her concern for the princess and her desire to support her. She couldn’t bear to witness Callis making such a request, but she also couldn’t help but worry about her well-being.
"I’m a grown-up! So, I’ll take full responsibility for my decision!" the derian Princess said firmly.
"Very well then," Kiev agreed, unaware of the hidden agenda behind his sister’s decision. He assud Jessy’s concern stemd from this being the first ti Callis refused healing. Little did he know that there was more to it.
"Thank you so much, brother!" the derian Princess exclaid gratefully.
Elis remained silent. She had observed Callis’s interactions with Rafe and noticed the unmistakable display of affection in the derian Princess’s expression when the healer held her yesterday.
It was clear to her that Callis had developed feelings for the healer. However, she decided to respect the princess’s personal preference and chose not to involve herself in the budding romance.
"Elis, get a servant to clean up the ss. Don’t try to do it yourself. We don’t want you to get hurt again," Callis then instructed, her cheerful tone brimming with happiness.
"Yes, you can call the servant who ca to clean the room yesterday. She’s quite ticulous," Jessy suggested.
"She’s on leave today, Jessy, along with several other servants. But rest assured, I’ll arrange for soone else to attend to it promptly," Elis responded.
"Oh... Why are they on leave?" Callis inquired, intrigued. "Is there a special occasion?"
"Yes, there is. Today is the mid-autumn festival, and it’s being celebrated at the plaza. The head servant granted most of them leave for the occasion. Of course, there will still be other servants on duty and standby to replace them," the maid explained.
"There’s a festival happening? Oh, my! That ans there will be delicious food like the other day! I really want to go! Can I, brother? Can I?" Callis asked eagerly, her mouth watering at the thought of the delectable street food she had enjoyed with Arl.
"But your shoulder is injured. Didn’t you say you didn’t want to heal you?" Kiev reminded her.
"But not my feet! I can still walk! Oh, please! It must be fascinating, right, Elis?" Callis pleaded, her eyes filled with anticipation.
"Oh, yes! There will be fireworks tonight as well," Elis added.
"Fireworks!" Callis’s eyes sparkled with delight. She then turned to Kiev, employing her best puppy eyes. "Brother, please..."
"If you go, you’ll want to buy a lot of food and things! You tend to spend a lot during events like this. Who will carry all your items?" Kiev asked, raising a valid concern.
"You and Jessy, of course! And we can bring Elis and Arl too! And since the escorts won’t have much to do, they should co with us," Callis suggested, her excitent contagious.
"Now you want the entire entourage, plus Gerhard’s maid. It will only be a burden for her," Kiev pointed out.
"Not at all, Your Highness. I am at her service," Elis assured.
As the derian Prince’s gaze shifted to the maid, he couldn’t help but be reminded of the painful mory he had just witnessed. The sight of her face stirred a pang of guilt within him, washing over him like a wave.
"If I may suggest, we can go a bit later, as now it’s still too early. By that ti, all the stalls will be opened, so you’ll have a variety of choices," added the maid.
Oblivious to Kiev’s expression, Callis exclaid, "Do you hear that? She doesn’t mind at all! Oh, you’re definitely coming with , Elis! We can have girls’ shopping ti!"
Kiev sighed and shook his head, realising that his sister was unstoppable once she set her mind on sothing.
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