T K H C

🍁 Chapter 8

At my words, Madame DeJoue’s lips twitched. It was obvious that she didn’t approve.

She sighed.”Haaa. You won’t listen to what I say, anyway, and it isn’t as though your request is difficult.”

I thought the fact she didn’t find it difficult was even stranger than my request, but I didn’t say so out loud. We had promised not to be suspicious of each other.

“But the palace is too dangerous. I’ll look for another location for you, though I don’t know if Prince Julien will agree to meet with you…”

“Oh, I can take care of that. Just tell me where.”

“Yes, my lady.”

I bit my lip. There was no place where I could talk to Julien without surveillance… I had to show him that I was trustworthy, first, before I would be able to apply medicine to his wounds.

“For Carol’s next meeting with the prince, can he come over to the duchy?”

After all, it’s best to have the home ground advantage.

“…That should be possible.”

It wouldn’t be difficult to forge a letter to the Empress from Duchess Gratoni. I had bought off the maid who attended to her a long time ago.

I smiled a little, my heart feeling slightly lighter.

The fish called the crown prince had entered the fishbowl of my heart.

***

Madame DeJoue arranged Julien’s visit to the duchy.

For the whole week, I felt like I was standing on thin ice.

When Julien finally crossed the threshold to the house, I breathed a sigh of relief.

“It has been a while, your highness.”

It really was a week that felt as long as a year.

“Hi, Julien.”

“…”

Julien did not respond to Carol’s nor my greeting. He knew that we knew.

I led the prince to the parlor under the pretext of showing him the new decorations in the mansion. There, I had already prepared a box of medicine on top of the table.

Responding to my somber mood, Carol also followed me quietly into the parlor.

“What is this…?”

Before the bewildered prince could walk back out, Carol grabbed his hands and sat down.

Well done, Carol.

I patted her head for doing as I asked her to. Then, I carefully moved to hold the prince’s hand.

Carol sat on the floor in front of him. I didn’t really want to expose her to this, but there wasn’t anything I could do, so I let her stay.

“Don’t be frightened,” I said.

I slowly rolled up Julien’s sleeve.

Fuck.

Unknowingly, I bit my lips. I took out the medicine from the box and applied it to the bruised and bloody wound. Unable to push me away, the bemused prince covered his face with his free hand.

“…Julien, are you hurt?” Carol whispered.

The prince didn’t reply to her question.

“You’re hurt?” she asked again.