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c81=c100 of the WN
81. The Cruel Princess Interrogates
At the Medical Ward...
We had the guards transport Val, who was visibly injured and weakened, to the castle's medical ward. Thanks to the resident healer, a special ability user skilled in treating injuries, his serious wounds were mostly healed. It turned out his injuries were more from bruising and abrasions than actual cuts, and after a day of rest, the healing magic began to take effect. The doctor assured us that he would be fine, as long as he remained still to allow the healing to progress.
Initially, I left everything to the guards and the medical staff. After receiving permission from Father and Mother to temporarily invite a "guest" to the castle, I returned to the medical ward with Stayle, Arthur, and Tiara. Tiara remembered Val and had been quite frightened at first, but now she was calmer, hiding behind Stayle and watching Val carefully.
As the first princess’ guest, Val was sleeping in a private bed when we arrived. While he had been unconscious, his body had been cleaned of mud, and though his clothes were simple, they were clean and neat. He no longer resembled the ragged homeless man we had seen earlier.
He was clearly still weak, as he had not woken up by the time we arrived. Looking at him now, with his face relaxed and devoid of the usual sharpness, he appeared to be in his early twenties. The artist who drew him for the game had depicted him with a handsome face, but seeing him asleep, with his brown skin, he looked quite handsome. In the game, he only had two expressions: one of malice and the other of surprise, so I had never seen him like this before.
"Pryde… why did you help this man?"
Stayle spoke gravely, his expression showing that he had an idea, but still, it seemed almost impossible to him.
"Hey, Stayle. Who is this man?"
Arthur, clearly wanting an explanation, looked at Stayle, who replied quietly, "You don’t remember him?"
"Four years ago, during the knight division’s ambush. He was the only surviving assailant that you and the knight commander captured."
"Ha?!"
Arthur’s eyes widened in shock. He seemed unable to process the information, stammering, "This... this guy? The one from...?" His hand instinctively reached for his sword, but he hesitated, barely stopping himself. There was a flicker of murderous intent, and it was clear he was deeply shaken. It was understandable; both the knight division ambush and the subsequent cliff collapse were events Arthur could never forget, especially since his father had been directly involved.
"Calm down, Arthur. This criminal has been bound by an enslavement contract by my sister. He cannot harm anyone."
Stayle raised his hand to calm Arthur, but Arthur continued to glare at Val, still not understanding. It might be best to let Arthur calm down first.
"Sorry, Arthur. If you don’t want to stay, I’ll call for the Imperial Guard, Jack."
"No, I’m staying. I won’t leave."
Arthur's words were firm as he continued to glare at Val. Stayle sighed, seemingly relieved that Arthur had managed to regain some composure.
"May I ask something, sister?"
"What is it, Stayle?"
Stayle turned to face me, then slowly began to speak.
"I’ll ask again—why did you help this man? Or are you planning to continue helping him?"
Tiara and Arthur exchanged glances, both looking back and forth between me and Val.
"I ordered this because of my own will. And now, he is without a doubt a citizen of my beloved country. I’ll decide what to do after I hear what he has to say."
If he truly came seeking help, I would do everything in my power to assist him. However, depending on what he says, I may not extend my help, even if he asks for it. He was in such poor condition that it was possible he simply clung to life and came to me. Or perhaps he had been attacked or pursued by someone. Even if he hadn’t directly asked for my help, I had ordered him to come to me in his time of need.
"Even if he didn’t seek my help, I had ordered him to come to me if he ever found himself in a situation he couldn’t handle on his own and truly needed help."
If he hadn’t wanted my help, he wouldn’t have come to me in the first place. To be honest, I was horrified when I realized that the homeless person the guards had dismissed was him. I cursed myself for not realizing sooner. How could a commoner, and a criminal at that, have come to meet me, the first princess of the castle, without breaking the law? If I hadn’t noticed, he might have survived at that spot, only to drag himself to the castle gates, be turned away by the guards, and have to keep dragging himself back to me. The enslavement contract’s command was absolute. If I hadn’t made that foolish order, I might have caused his death.
"...I will follow Princess Pryde’s will."
Arthur, now somewhat calmed, murmured quietly. "Thank you," I said, expressing my gratitude. Arthur gave a small, reluctant smile and nodded.
I returned the smile and looked back at Val.
How had he spent the past four years?
Tiara, still a bit afraid, slowly approached me and then moved toward Val. She gripped my hand tightly, but when I held her hand, she squeezed it back, looking worried. She reached out with trembling hands, gently touching Val’s dark brown hair, brushing the tips of it as she carefully stroked his head.
"?!"
Suddenly, Val, who had been asleep, grabbed Tiara’s slender arm.
Tiara screamed, and Stayle and Arthur immediately drew their swords.
"Val, that’s an order! Let go of that arm! She is a member of the royal family!"
The moment I raised my voice, Val turned toward me, and before he could react, he released his grip.
Under my command, the enslavement contract forbids him from harming anyone or even touching any member of the royal family. It seemed that he had reflexively grabbed Tiara out of instinct.
Val looked confused, seemingly bewildered by the situation. He stared at his hand, which had grabbed Tiara, then looked down at his own appearance, then at his surroundings, and finally, he looked at us.
"What is this place? When is it? Who are you all?"
His words were disjointed, and he seemed very disoriented.
"Calm down and listen. This is the castle. You collapsed in the middle of the road. I am Princess Pryde Royal Ivy... your master, with whom you made the enslavement contract."
Val’s eyes widened as he processed my words. For a moment, he made an instinctive move to escape, but his body suddenly froze with an unnatural creak.
"What?! Agh... damn it!!"
It was as if something was controlling him, as he bent his body, kneeling, unable to move. One of the clauses of the enslavement contract was, "Show respect to the royal family." As long as we were present, he could not cross in front of us or even rise without my permission. Val appeared to be unable to move, as though his body were glued to the bed.
This was the power of the enslavement contract.
Val tried to resist, but in the presence of the royal family, his efforts were futile.
"Let me introduce you properly. Listen carefully. This is Tiara, the second princess, and this is Stayle, the first prince. You’ve met them before. Like me, they are also members of the royal family."
One of the conditions of the enslavement contract was "Obey the royal family." Once he recognized this, he would no longer be able to defy Stayle or Tiara.
Val looked at them both with narrowed eyes, and his face twisted further.
"Answer me, Val. Why were you collapsed in that place?"
He could neither lie nor remain silent in front of me. He gritted his teeth in frustration, and slowly began to speak.
"...I... I came, as ordered by Princess Pryde... by the enslavement contract..."
It wasn’t by coincidence. He had come to see me. Despite his words full of resentment, his fingers trembled with anger.
"…I will forgive your disrespect, but only on the condition that you do not harm anyone. Relax."
I couldn’t bear to forcefully bind him with the contract. If he was willing to speak, I would listen to him, but his state was too cruel. I temporarily allowed him some respite, and it was as if the invisible chains loosened. Val’s body visibly relaxed, as though freed from an invisible restraint.
Then, in the next moment, he suddenly threw off the bed covers and ran toward the window.
"Stop!!"
Before Stayle or Arthur could react, my command stopped him cold. He froze with his back to us, refusing to move.
"Damn it... this...!!"
Val continued to resist, but I walked toward him slowly.
"Turn around."
Val slowly turned to face me, his expression twisted with hatred. His brown skin and dark brown hair framed his sharp, hateful gaze.
"Why did you try to escape just now?"
I asked him, seeking the reason behind his actions.
"...I was just dragged here by the enslavement contract. I never wanted to see any of you royal scum."
I could hear the sound of his teeth grinding in fury. So, he didn’t want my help. But still, if he didn’t want help, the enslavement contract would never have been activated in the first place.
"You wished for help, didn’t you?"
"No!! I didn’t want any help from you!"
"‘From me’... So, you wanted help from someone else, not just me, didn’t you?"
He flinched, looking away and grinding his teeth again, muttering under his breath, "Yes."
His own words betrayed him, and I saw the truth in them. He might not want to admit it, but he couldn’t lie to me.
EUN: Thanks for reading~
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