The Abandoned Princess’ Secret Bedroom - Chapter 20
“Princess. It’s okay…”
“I…that… that man…was tall, although I didn’t look closely at the color of his hair. It seemed brightly colored. And he acted like he knew me…”
“Princess…”
“When he ran away, I think he went to the right.”
Llewelyn looked at Tristan. She tried to put back on her clothes, but they were torn and kept falling apart. She bit her lip.
“Come on, follow me.” Tristan looked at Llewelyn, then ran out. He ran into the warehouse she visited earlier. Did he follow her? Llewelyn sank to the ground and hugged her knees.
Her body trembled. At that moment, a dark shadow came over her. Llewelyn raised her head in confusion. Did that man come back? She breathed a sigh of relief. It was just Tristan.
“Did you find him?”
“We mobilized knights to track him down.”
“Aren’t you supposed to go too?”
“If I do, the princess will be alone.”
“Is that important…”
“It is important. More than anything else.”
Tristan rarely cut her off. Llewelyn sighed. Tristan took off his burgundy cloak and wrapped it around her body. As Tristan tied the cloak’s strings, his arm lightly touched Llewelyn’s back. Llewelyn trembled.
“Relax… I have to.”
That man might wander if he was not caught, but how could he even be allowed to freely wander around this palace?
Llewelyn shook her head, and Tristan took her hand.
“I will catch him. Do not worry.”
“…”
Llewelyn nodded her head. Llewelyn’s hands were as cold as ice.
“Sir Tristan, how did you get here in the first place?”
This was a separate palace. The detached palace itself wasn’t a bad palace. However, it had become the most humble palace ever since she was abandoned.
At Llewelyn’s interrogation, Tristan seemed to stiffen.
“Princess, I was just here because I wanted to give you something.”
“Are you lying?”
“No! I…” he trailed off.
Llewelyn paused. “I just wanted to know why you came here.”
Tristan sighed in relief. He examined Llewelyn’s face. She looked calm as always, but her body was trembling.
“Princess. I’ll take you to bed.”
Llewelyn nodded her head. When she stood up, she tripped on his cloak and he had to grab her waist to steady her. She bowed her head.
Following Tristan, she bit her lip in shame.
Without protection in the royal palace, she almost became the victim of a depraved man. Even if she was protected, she couldn’t even scream. When they reached her room, Tristan said.
“Relax.”
“…”
“I will guard the outside.”
When the bedroom door closed, she was relieved. It was only then that she felt like she was in her space. Llewelyn tried her best to stand up, but as soon as the door closed, she collapsed, and her body began to tremble.
“Ah. Ahhh!”
She scratched her neck that the man had licked like a beast. Thick, red lines were made with her nails. She screamed again. The supreme princess of this country almost got r*ped in the palace! It was sad because it seemed to be the amalgamation of her abandonment.
She struggled to swallow her tears, and her screams continued. She was scared. She couldn’t stand it because she was afraid. Even when the warlock cursed her, she endured it resolutely. But if the palace isn’t a safe place…
“Argh… Mother…”
Her mother was a gentle and warm person. She missed little Alpheus and her mother, who always cared for them. She groaned and hugged her knees. She even missed her father.
No matter how much her father hated her, if the princess of the country had almost suffered something like this, he would never have stayed put. To him, she wasn’t a lovely daughter, but she was still a ‘child’ to be responsible for.
She was alone and she was afraid.
She wanted someone to hug her. She wanted someone to comfort her. She wanted them to say it’s okay. She wanted them to tell her everything was going to be okay.
A man with red hair came to mind for a moment, but Llewelyn shook her head violently.
It was very difficult to endure this hard life alone. It was disappointing to think that such a terrible act could be committed in the future. She desperately wanted to know who her attacker was.
Then, the door swung open.
“Princess.”
Tristan’s bewildered voice rang out. Llewelyn looked up with tears in her eyes. Their eyes met.
“This is… It’s polite to pretend you don’t see it.” Llewelyn said, her tone harsh. She wished that he had left. She wanted to strengthen herself and recover. Paradoxically, when someone was next to her, she was able to put up with the pain alone.
“Excuse me.”
Suddenly, Llewelyn’s eyes widened as he embraced her body. She pushed Tristan away at once.
“What is this? Sir Jayad…!”
“Sorry for doing this uninvited. But I think you need it.”
“Sir Jayad…!”
“You can think of me as just a blanket.”
He called himself a sword, but now he was a blanket. When would this person call himself human?
His hug was not deep nor close. All he did was put his arms around her and pat her back. Llewelyn wanted to rebuke him for being rude. She was just about to say, do you think it’s okay to hold a woman like this, who was almost r*ped by a man?
However, she couldn’t push him away. He knew it too. What Llewelyn needed right now was calm.
Who had ever comforted her like this in her life?
Tears streamed down Llewelyn’s face. The knight who was ignored by his master was comforting her, saying that it was okay. No matter how much she insulted him, here he was.. Why was he so stupid?
“Fine.”
As if trying to reassure a quivering kitten, Tristan clumsily offered her consolation. It was the comfort Llewelyn needed the most. His wide arms gave her a sense of stability. Llewelyn finally let out the emotions she was trying to suppress.
Feelings that she couldn’t show kept leaking out.
“I’m scared…”
“…”
“Why is this happening to me? My mother, my younger brother, and this stigma… I haven’t done anything wrong…”
“…”
“I vowed to act dead. Why, why?”
Llewelyn’s tears wet Tristan’s shoulders. Not knowing what Tristan was looking at, she eventually succumbed to his gentle embrace.
“I will be by your side.”
She was at a loss for words.
“I will protect you.”
Llewelyn did not believe him, words didn’t mean anything. Still, she felt grateful for that comfort. Gradually, her body stopped shaking. Llewelyn slowly pulled herself away from Tristan.
“Thank you, Sir Tristan.”
*
“Doesn’t the princess want this to be a secret? It must be a secret!”
“Secret? What secret are you talking about? This is a big deal. It means that someone was trying to harm the princess by taking advantage of the lack of surveillance!”
Lord Jayad strode forward. Count Darrell, the leader of the White Knights, turned white.
“It wouldn’t be good for the princess either. The princess’s honor…”
“So, now, do you think the White Knights should ignore the fact that they neglected to escort the princess?”
“Sir Jayad! Do you think you’re going to fight the White Knights?”
“Why are you pretending to ignore what I have to say!”
Tristan looked at the White Knight commander who threatened him. It is well known that the White Knights were sensitive to politics as they were organized to serve aristocrats, but these days, their negligence had been excessive. They were almost all Pamela’s private enlisted men, working only for her and the King. As a result, it wasn’t like Llewelyn didn’t exist.
“Sir Jayad! Follow the queen’s words.”
“I will tell His Majesty.”
Tristan Jayad’s opinion had not changed. He could not stop the image of Llewelyn crying from flashing through his head again and again.
Just then, Bastian walked into the room. He was startled to see the two commanders.
“Sir Jayad, Sir Darrell. What’s going on here?”
Bastian’s face looked pale today.
“I have an urgent request for you, Your Majesty.”
“Tell me.”
“Sir Jayad!” Bastian frowned subtly at that cry. Unlike Count Dayrell, who was anxious, Tristan was calm.
He cast a quiet gaze at the princess’s brother.
“Please let the Red Knights take charge of the princess’s escort from now on.”
“… What?”