Extra S*ave Saves the Crown Prince Chapter 8

“Are you okay?”

 

The slaves’ quarters were tucked away in the least noticeable corner of the palace. Up to four people shared a room, but now, with numbers low, only two were assigned per room. The person I shared with was Eva, who had been at the Crown Prince’s palace for five years.

 

“You need to eat something.”

 

I waved her off, telling her I was fine and that she should go eat. I didn’t even feel like talking.

 

Click, I heard Eva closing the door as she left. I buried my face in the pillow. My whole body was burning. What was the point of reading the Original Story? I hadn’t even known about the setting where slaves were branded with their affiliation.

 

‘I shouldn’t have taken those two days off for nothing. Damn.’

 

Did I really have to go this far just to get into the Crown Prince’s palace? I asked myself. Wouldn’t it have been easier to settle down at Pikedore Port with the priest and Aunt Noah?

 

『I’ll come to get you.』 

 

He said he’d come for me, but in the end, I was the one who came to where he was. Everything was backwards. He probably didn’t even care that I was alive anymore. So why did I come all the way here, suffering like this?

 

To prevent the bad ending?

 

Yeah. How heroic of me, truly heroic. I cursed myself thoroughly.

 

『Sez.』

 

That voice wouldn’t leave my ears, my chest. The man who nodded that he was fine even as he bled all over—I still couldn’t erase him from my mind. I still felt sorry for him. A slave, pitying the Crown Prince. I wanted, if only a little, to prevent him from meeting the worst ending like in the Original Story.

 

‘And there was that ending where the Empire is overrun by Beasts, too.’

 

I didn’t know how, but I was the only one in this world who knew what was going to happen next anyway. If I could change things, I had to try as much as possible. Now that I was a slave in the Crown Prince’s palace, I’d gotten as close to the stage as I could.

 

If I could prevent the ending where the Beasts overrun the Empire, my chances of survival would increase. It was bad enough to possess a slave—I at least wanted to avoid dying to Beasts.

 

I still didn’t know how far I could go, but I had to try everything I could.

 

“Haa….”

 

My head hurt.

 

The next day.

 

My fever had gone down and I felt better. I even washed up, being careful with my wounds.

 

“Are you okay?”

 

“Yeah, I’m feeling better.”

 

“Knew it.”

 

“Hm?”

 

“Oh, nothing. Let’s go eat. You must be hungry.”

 

I still felt weak, but with the fever gone I was much lighter. As we headed to the dining hall, I felt like the passing slaves kept glancing at me. The smell should be gone by now, but maybe the years of herbal ointments had seeped into my skin?

 

“Eva. Do I smell or something?”

 

“Smell? What do you mean?”

 

“Oh, never mind.”

 

It must just be that I was new and people were curious. The dining hall was self-serve; you got your own food on a tray. I pretended not to notice people’s stares and ate. Once the food was in front of me, my appetite came roaring back.

 

“Sez. Are you feeling better?”

 

I was just getting into my meal when a shadow fell over me. Looking up, I saw Solga, the slave chief, standing there.

 

“Oh, yes.”

 

“That’s good. When you’re done eating, come to my room with Eva.”

 

“Yes.”

 

He turned and walked away, so I focused back on my food.

 

“Pfft.”

 

“Why are you laughing?”

 

As soon as Solga was gone, Eva burst out laughing.

 

“It’s just… the slave chief is human after all.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“He went out of his way to talk to you. In front of everyone.”

 

“Huh? Why is that?”

 

She gave me a look like she couldn’t believe I didn’t know. When I just looked confused, she shook her head.

 

“Don’t you feel all these stares? You’re really dense, aren’t you?”

 

I looked around and saw people still glancing at me. Why were they staring so much? Was this how they welcomed new people?

 

“Just eat.”

 

Eva kept shaking her head. I decided I’d ask her about it later and focused on my delicious meal.

 

＊ ＊ ＊ 

 

Eva and I had been called to receive training about the Crown Prince’s palace. Eva showed me around and explained the layout.

 

Go around at times when there are as few people as possible.

 

If you run into someone, bow deeply and never raise your head.

 

She repeated these things so many times they were drilled into my ears. Truly fitting for the lowest class.

 

“Is the Crown Prince here now?”

 

“No!”

 

Eva looked around nervously, as if someone might overhear.

 

“He’s only here a handful of days in a year.”

 

“Really?”

 

“He spends more time in Enaphok.”

 

“I see.”

 

“Yeah. So we just have to get through those few times.”

 

Eva whispered so quietly it was almost like a mosquito buzzing.

 

“Get through?”

 

“Yeah. Why do you always look like you don’t know anything?”

 

Eva looked me up and down.

 

“Do you really not know?”

 

“Know what? I don’t.”

 

“There’s a reason this place is called the Palace of Blood.”

 

“Palace of Blood?”

 

“No matter if you’re from an island, haven’t you heard the rumors about His Highness?”

 

“Rumors? I heard he’s the Empire’s hero.”

 

“He is a hero. But he’s also a very scary person.”

 

“Scary?”

 

“Do you know how many people have died in this palace?”

 

I recalled the Original Story, <Moon Soaked in Blood>.

 

There was a description that the male lead killed people with an explosion of power from birth. Of course, it wasn’t intentional, but because of that, even his family saw him as a monster and abandoned him. As a child, he couldn’t control his power and lived only within the barrier the priest had set up. Regardless of his own will, just having that power might have made him a terrifying being.

 

“Scary, right? So while His Highness is here, we have to keep our heads down and stay hidden. Never stand out.”

 

Palace of Blood. What a fitting nickname for a tragic Original Story. I thought even the owner might not want to come to this palace, since everyone was so afraid of him. It made me sad that he wasn’t welcome even in what should be his own home.

 

“Sez, this is it. The place you’ll be in charge of from now on.”

 

“Wow.”

 

Goosebumps rose on my arms as I realized—this really was a palace.

 

The sound of water was gentle here; this was the Crown Prince’s palace bathhouse. The changing area was spacious and luxurious, but the white marble bath itself was breathtaking.

 

On the walls, marble statues taller than a person were carved in various poses. The hexagonal bath in the center was so big ten people could fit in it easily.

 

“It’s really amazing.”

 

“Right? If you open that door, there’s even an outdoor bath.”

 

Eva opened the door with a meaningful look.

 

“Wow.”

 

I couldn’t help but gasp. Surrounded by a bamboo grove, it felt like another world. The round moon shimmered above the bath, and a pleasant breeze rustled the bamboo. Sitting in this bath, looking up at the stars, you’d feel like you owned the world.

 

“You’re totally out of it, huh?”

 

“This is really nice. Here.”

 

“You said it’s nice?”

 

“Huh?”

 

“You’ll be seeing it every day from now on, so that’s good for you.”

 

Eva patted my shoulder, smiling. She kept smiling as she showed me the cleaning tools and methods, which made me a little suspicious.

 

＊ ＊ ＊

 

“Am I really an idiot?”

 

And I realized why Eva had laughed, in less than a day. I had to be an idiot. I wasn’t here to enjoy the bath—I was here to clean it.

 

Sssshhhhh.

 

I sprayed water on one of the statues in the bath. The woman was carved playing a harp-like string instrument elegantly.

 

It looked beautiful, but cleaning between all those crevices was a nightmare. The half-draped folds of her clothes were so lifelike I had to use all my strength to clean them.

 

Scrub scrub. Scrub scrub scrub. Sssshhhhh.

 

The minerals in the bathwater might be good for the body, but they made the white marble look dirty fast. Even though I cleaned every day, there was never a day I could slack off. And at the end, I had to finish by wiping everything down with a dry cloth, so I was building muscles all over.

 

“Ah, this is hard.”

 

At least there was no one supervising me right next to me—that was a plus. And honestly, since I’d been so dirty for so long, I didn’t mind making things clean. I’d grumble about all the statues while I cleaned, but when I finished, I felt proud.

 

“Knock knock.”

 

While I was resting from exhaustion, Eva came in, making a knocking sound with her mouth.

 

“Are you done cleaning?”

 

“Yeah. More or less.”

 

“Excuse me for a second.”

 

Three other slaves followed Eva in. It looked like they’d finished their own areas. Now that I thought about it, I was always the last to get back to the quarters, but maybe it was just my imagination.

 

“Wow. This is insane.”

 

“The statue is glowing.”

 

“Look at how dry and clean the outdoor floor is.”

 

They wandered around, marveling at everything.

 

“Sez, you’re amazing.”

 

“As expected, someone from the Salt Island.”

 

“I think this is the first time I’ve seen this place shine like this.”

 

“What the—are you insulting me?”

 

Eva, the original person in charge, protested. But she wasn’t serious, and she smiled a little too.

 

“I just cleaned really hard, that’s all.”

 

Their eyes sparkled even more at my words. Feeling a bit burdened, I pretended to tidy up the cleaning tools in a hurry.

 

After that, people came every day to check out the bath. It was only after Solga scolded everyone for leaving their assigned areas without permission that the visitors stopped coming.

 

And so, the days at the Crown Prince’s palace passed in the same way. Every day, I spent my time practically hugging the statues in the bath.

 

“His Highness will arrive tomorrow.”

 

Then, one morning at roll call, Solga announced the news calmly. I could feel the air around us instantly freeze.

 

“Check your assigned areas even more carefully. If anything’s lacking, help each other. Once your work is done, do not leave until you receive further instructions.”

 

Even if the Crown Prince came, slaves couldn’t go out to greet him. I wished I could at least see his face from afar, but it didn’t seem likely. It had been three years since I last saw him. How much had he changed? Would he even remember the slave he met on Salt Island?

 

“Don’t be too discouraged. It’s just a hurdle we have to get over. Steel yourself.”

 

Eva seemed to think I was scared at the news of the Crown Prince’s arrival. But she herself was pale as a sheet. Even those who usually smiled looked tense.

 

I seemed to be the only one not scared.

 

The entire atmosphere of the Crown Prince’s palace was both busy and stiff. It felt like the night before a storm.