Extra S*ave Saves the Crown Prince Chapter 20

Cesaria Lechegno.

 

Today, she was wearing a blue dress. It had no lace, but was adorned with frills, making her pure beauty stand out even more. Her silver hair, braided and twisted up to one side, was simply lovely.

 

It felt as if someone had deliberately seated her there to paint her portrait—she looked that perfect.

 

Click.

 

The door closed behind me. It seemed she had called for me.

 

It felt odd to greet her first with a “Hello,” so I simply bowed and stood quietly. My legs were stiff from hurrying all the way here, but I dared not sit.

 

“Is your arm all right?”

 

“Ah, yes. It’s completely healed. Thank you.”

 

To think I was having a one-on-one conversation with the female lead of the Original Story. It was a strange feeling.

 

“I heard you’re from Salt Island.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“The Goddess must have helped you, for you survived there.”

 

“Yes. Thanks to a priest, I was able to live.”

 

To be honest, I had a lot I wanted to say to her, too. Like, don’t let your father control you, go find your own happiness. Or, why not honestly ask the Crown Prince for help?

 

“Then, you should live your life with even more gratitude to the Goddess.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Don’t dare to look up at places you cannot reach.”

 

The muscles behind my shoulders tensed. Her words were plain, but the hidden intent behind them struck cold and sharp.

 

“Be grateful for the role you’ve been given. That’s the reason you were saved.”

 

“Yes.”

 

My skin prickled. I could imagine all too well what kind of eyes she was using to look at me.

 

“Show me your face.”

 

Her tone was gentle, but there was not a hint of warmth in it. I lifted my gaze slightly to her face. As expected, her blue eyes were full of coldness.

 

I only lifted my face, then dropped my gaze back to the floor. She told me to show my face, not to meet her eyes.

 

A brief silence fell.

 

Even without looking, I could feel her gaze on me. What could she be thinking as she looked at my face? I felt a chill for no reason. All I could do was quietly stare at the edge of the tablecloth and let time pass.

 

“Have you ever made tea before?”

 

Only after a long silence did she speak again. It felt like a subtly dismissive remark, since slaves usually don’t make tea.

 

“Yes. But I’m not very skilled at it.”

 

“It’s fine, pour me a cup.”

 

I’d experienced various things since coming to the Crown Prince’s palace. Among them, I’d made tea while working in the dining hall. But I didn’t have much experience, so I couldn’t guarantee the taste.

 

‘Should I be punished for serving such bad tea?’

 

She wouldn’t actually scold me with that in mind, would she?

 

The original female lead was a fragile character who suffered because she fell in love with a man she was supposed to kill. But now, she just seemed like a cold beauty, and it felt very unfamiliar.

 

I saw that everything was already prepared for tea by the door. The teapot was steaming. The moment I saw it, my palms began to sweat. The maid standing outside the door was probably the expert—why was I being given this ordeal?

 

Clink, clink.

 

I gathered every ounce of my soul to brew the tea. My hands shook so visibly that I had to take several deep breaths. If it were any other noble, I’d probably have already failed at this point. But the original female lead waited silently without a word.

 

From my memory of working at the apothecary, these were definitely Hatashi tea leaves. Used as an herb, these leaves were less bitter and had a rich, nutty flavor, making them popular. The only downside was that they were very expensive. If I messed up and had to brew it again, I’d want to dig a hole and hide.

 

At least she didn’t complain about how slow I was. When I poured the tea into the cup, a pale coral color appeared. If memory served, this was the right color for a well-brewed cup.

 

Tap.

 

I placed the teacup in front of her as if presenting a treasure. She must already know my fingers were trembling, so there was no point in hiding it.

 

“Thank you.”

 

It must be my imagination that she didn’t look like someone truly grateful. She placed the back of her hand against the cup, as if to feel its warmth.

 

“Um, Lady.”

 

I called out to her on impulse. I didn’t know when I’d get to see her again. But now that I’d called her, I had no idea how to start the conversation. Besides, unlike the Original Story, I’d overheard talk of a broken engagement, which made me even more confused.

 

“If you called me, you should speak, shouldn’t you?”

 

“Um, I just wanted to ask if you’ve been sleeping poorly. This tea is said to have a strong awakening effect…. I’m sorry. I was out of line.”

 

I could see shadows under her eyes. She must have a lot on her mind. But I couldn’t guess how she would steer the story from here, so I made up a story about the tea.

 

Don’t trust your father too much. I couldn’t just blurt that out, so I wanted to tear my hair out.

 

“No, you’re right.”

 

She picked up the teacup and looked into it. Then she turned the cup over.

 

Sluuurp.

 

The tea I’d poured my soul into spilled down onto her thigh.

 

“It’s better not to drink it.”

 

“!”

 

Even though the water had cooled a bit while brewing, it was still hot. I poured cold water onto a white cloth from the tray. Then I hurried to place the cloth on her thigh.

 

“Selie!”

 

The moment she shouted, the door burst open.

 

“My lady!”

 

A maid rushed in and snatched the cloth from my hands. She poured more cold water on it and placed it on the lady’s thigh.

 

“Ugh.”

 

Only then did she let out a groan.

 

I stood there in a daze, as if watching a scene from a novel. What on earth just happened?

 

“You! What have you done! How dare a slave—!”

 

The maid, Selie, screamed sharply.

 

“Selie. It’s all right.”

 

“My lady, this is why I said I should stay with you. Ugh. Just hold on a moment. I’ll fetch the doctor.”

 

“It’s fine. This is the palace. I don’t want to cause unnecessary commotion.”

 

“But what if it leaves a scar? I’ll call someone right away. No, you! You go!”

 

“I’ll bring the physician.”

 

The slave overseer appeared outside and bowed. She didn’t even look at me and hurried off somewhere. I could see more and more eyes turning our way from the corridor.

 

“How dare you, to our lady!”

 

Selie glared at me, her eyes brimming with tears. Cesaria bit her lip as she looked down at her thigh.

 

Stunned, I was at a loss for words.

 

“I’ve brought the physician.”

 

The overseer and I stood with our heads bowed until the physician finished first aid. Cesaria occasionally let out small groans.

 

“Wait here. Punishment will be decided.”

 

Once the treatment was over, Selie supported the lady and spat out her words as if chewing them. Cesaria just passed by me with indifferent eyes.

 

“I’m sorry, my lady. I’m truly sorry.”

 

The overseer kept apologizing, kneeling on the floor. I knelt beside her, not for myself but for her sake.

 

I felt very uneasy about what Cesaria had done. The look on her face as she overturned the teacup was one of desperation, not pleasure.

 

.*. *. *. *. *. *.

 

“I’m sorry. But, Overseer, I didn’t—”

 

“I know.”

 

“Pardon?”

 

Overseer Solga looked me up and down, then clicked her tongue.

 

“You won’t be able to avoid punishment.”

 

“Yes, I understand.”

 

Solga glanced sharply at me again. She didn’t seem pleased with my quiet acceptance, either.

 

The walk back to the Crown Prince’s palace felt even longer. I followed a deserted path, and as the palace came into view, I felt a little more at ease. It felt almost like coming home.

 

The thought of being whipped filled me with despair, but I could only hope it would end with just one blow. Or maybe I’d be given some monumental task as punishment and told to finish it all.

 

Even if it was hard, I’d be grateful for that kind of punishment.

 

『What if you weren’t a slave anymore?』

 

That voice must have been lingering somewhere in my heart. It suddenly echoed in my ear. Even as a slave, I preferred to stay in this palace. Even after all this, I didn’t want to leave. No matter how unfair things were, it was all right. As long as I could stay here and see him, everything was all right.

 

＊ ＊ ＊

 

“My lady, does it hurt?”

 

“It hurts.”

 

On the way back to the Lechegno residence. Selie kept sniffling and fanning her with a fan, hoping to cool the heat from her thigh as quickly as possible. A thin bandage was wrapped around the thigh exposed under her lifted dress.

 

“Selie.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“You saw that girl, didn’t you?”

 

“Yes! How dare she hurt you! You mustn’t let her off. Please don’t go soft on her.”

 

“Was she pretty?”

 

“Pardon?”

 

“Was she prettier than me?”

 

“My lady….”

 

“Selie.”

 

“She wasn’t, my lady. She just looked ordinary. She’s a little pretty for a slave, but she can’t compare to you.”

 

“Selie. Don’t look at me like that.”

 

“Sorry?”

 

“Don’t look at me with pity.”

 

“A-ah, my lady! I would never!”

 

“Fan me.”

 

Selie gripped the fan with both hands and fanned her hard. Cesaria turned her head away, not liking the tears welling up in Selie’s eyes.

 

Her mind was filled entirely with that slave, Sez.

 

Objectively, she was a pretty girl. She kept her gaze lowered, but didn’t seem servile. Yet, when making tea, she showed all her nervousness with her whole body. She didn’t try to hide anything, just showed herself as she was.

 

Maybe that’s why he was drawn to her?

 

She was the complete opposite of herself, who only ever hid things. Just imagining him smiling at that slave made her whole body burn. It was nothing compared to the burning pain in her thigh. If she could get rid of that slave, she’d be willing to do more than just pour tea—her emotions were that intense.

 

But in any case, the slave was property of the Empire, so she couldn’t have her expelled right now. If the Crown Prince truly loved Cesaria, maybe he would’ve granted her request. But that was unlikely.

 

“What would be a good punishment?”

 

“How about cutting off her food?”

 

“Not something like that.”

 

She wanted a punishment that wouldn’t end quickly, something that might even get her expelled altogether. Only then would her self-inflicted wound have been worth it.

 

In the rattling carriage, Cesaria pondered a punishment that would be effective without seeming excessive to anyone. The Crown Prince had already left the palace with the advance party, so a minor incident like this wouldn’t be reported to him.

 

Cesaria lifted her arm and looked at it for a moment. That day, it should have been this arm, not the slave, that was cut by the sword. Then she would have been the one he carried away. She chewed over that thought again and again as she considered what would be the wisest punishment.

 

But the next day, Her worries turned out to be pointless. The incident reached the ears of Duke Lechegno himself. He was furious and requested that the slave be expelled from the palace entirely.

 

Since the request came in the name of House Lechegno, it couldn’t be ignored, so a compromise was reached.

 

The punishment was to include the slave in the Enafolk rearguard party.

 

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