It Turned Out She Wasn't a Favored Concubine - Episode 16

My shoulder ached from where Rozedel had grabbed it. Her long, neatly trimmed nails had scratched me.

The next moment, Rozedel casually withdrew her hand and spoke loudly.

“Fine. I accept your apology. But I’m a bit tired from yesterday’s banquet, so would you please leave now?”

Without waiting for a response, Rozedel turned and walked away. Her maids followed.

As I stood there blankly, Louis approached and asked if I was okay. Of course I wasn’t. I rubbed my shoulder and looked up. The sky above was as blue as in the world I came from.

This palace seems to be full of good actors.

With that idle thought, I slowly turned to leave. My plan to build irrigation ties with the concubines had failed. A perfectly disastrous failure. A joint product of my foolishness and Erich’s interference.

I kept letting out hollow laughs. Maybe it was better to have seen Rozedel’s true nature—at least that’s what I told myself for the sake of my mental health.

Louis looked at me with concern, but I kept silent. I couldn’t even tell what expression I was wearing. I returned to the palace and buried myself deep in bed, just like the day before.

As usual, Erich requested a walk. I refused, of course. If he had even a shred of decency, he would’ve left me alone.

Claiming concern for my health, Erich came rushing to my chambers. With disgustingly worried eyes, he looked at me.

He even had time to spare, sitting for a good half hour on the small chair beside my bed. Right in front of me, buried under the covers. What a waste of time.

At this point, I had no choice but to speak.

“Please leave.”

My voice came out hoarse and dry.

“How could I leave when Arne is unwell?”

Of course, Erich wouldn’t listen the first time. I spoke more firmly.

“Your Majesty’s presence makes it hard for me to rest comfortably. So please leave.”

Erich’s eyebrows twitched. Did he understand the meaning behind “I can’t rest because of you, so get out”? But he still hesitated, not lifting himself from the chair.

“If I’m disturbing your rest, I’ll leave, of course. But my heart is uneasy. The incompetent palace staff can only bring medicine. Is there anything else I can do to help?”

The best way you can help is by getting out of my room. I growled inwardly and threw off the blanket roughly. His eyes, soaked in melancholy, were still performing brilliantly. I bit my lip and asked,

“When can I meet Perlo Shanaiyer?”

Erich’s expression hardened, as if something unpleasant had been shoved in his face. I took satisfaction in shattering his fake concern and added,

“I think I’d feel better if I met Perlo Shanaiyer. You said you’d contact him, but has there still been no response?”

It had been quite some time since he promised during our walk, yet Erich hadn’t mentioned Perlo’s name even once. I wasn’t sure he’d even tried to contact him. That’s why I asked—Erich clearly had some aversion to Perlo Shanaiyer.

“…Still no response.”

As expected. Erich spat the words out with displeasure.

“He’s a rude man who dares to ignore the palace. Arne has no need to meet him. His skills are decent, but the Motus artisan affiliated with the palace is just as good. Don’t waste your time waiting.”

Erich rejected even my future request. Don’t wait unnecessarily—meaning I’d never get to meet Perlo Shanaiyer.

No matter when I asked, Erich would’ve blocked it just as firmly. He had never once granted me what I truly wanted.

After Erich left, I sat blankly on the bed, killing time. The heavy curtains made it hard to tell how much time had passed. If Louis hadn’t brought dinner with a worried face, I might’ve sat there all night.

I had no appetite thanks to Erich, and left most of the food untouched. As Louis cleared the leftover meat and barely touched mushroom soup, he spoke cautiously.

“Please don’t be too upset.”

“Hm?”

“I overheard Lady Rozedel speaking harshly earlier.”

Rozedel had lowered her voice only when speaking informally to me. I looked at Louis curiously, and he pointed to his ear.

“I’ve always had good hearing since I was young.”

Louis wasn’t just a capable maid—he was practically a human sonar.

“I’m sorry for eavesdropping unintentionally. And though I’m not in a position to say this, if I may… perhaps you shouldn’t be too heartbroken over your relationship with Lady Rozedel? Historically, it’s rare for concubines to share genuine affection. I don’t think you need to suffer over it.”

“But from Rozedel’s perspective, she has every reason to resent me. Thinking about yesterday’s banquet…”

“But Your Highness didn’t intend any harm. You were trying to support Lady Rozedel, weren’t you?”

Louis clasped his hands.

“I want Your Highness to find peace. Of course, trying to be kind to others isn’t wrong. But relationships are mutual, aren’t they? Since Lady Rozedel drew the line, I worry you’ll get hurt if you keep pushing too hard.”

Louis was speaking entirely for my sake. His sincerity was deeply touching. I was grateful he wished for my peace, grateful he recognized my inner turmoil, grateful he understood me. It was a precious comfort.

“Most of all, Your Highness has me and—well, the Marquis of Edelheit behind you. No matter what storms come, he’ll protect you.”

Louis pulled a familiar letter from his pocket. It was from Giskal.

“A reply from the Marquis. Since you’re siblings, maybe you could share your feelings honestly? Sometimes just talking can bring relief. And if there’s anything you can’t resolve alone, please ask for help.”

Louis knew I saw writing to Giskal as a way to lift my spirits. His suggestion stirred a strong temptation in me.

Should I just let it all out?

Tell him I tried to mend relationships but Erich ruined everything, that Erich’s performance now made me sick, that I never expected Rozedel to lash out so cruelly, that the nobles’ stares were so blatant they scared me, and that Erich seemed to be deliberately sabotaging my chance to meet Perlo Shanaiyer.

Just ask for help. Maybe I’d feel better if I let it all out. I didn’t want to suffer alone.

But…

To truly express everything, I’d have to explain Erich’s duplicity and the possibility of being discarded. That wasn’t a light matter. It wasn’t just emotional—it was a serious and sensitive political issue.

And it was all just speculation. Even if I said it, I had no proof. That’s why I’d held back in previous letters.

The urge faded. I pressed my hands to my forehead. Still, maybe I could at least ask for help contacting Perlo Shanaiyer? I wouldn’t need to mention Erich—just use the auction meeting as an excuse.

I looked at Giskal’s letter Louis had left. Slowly, I unfolded it. As always, the handwriting was neat.

Giskal’s letters always began by asking about my well-being, followed by a page describing the most memorable event of the past few days.

This time, it was about the birth of a white foal. The mother horse had groaned through the night, and the stable hands stayed up to help. At dawn, the young life entered the world. Thankfully, both mother and foal were safe, and everyone rejoiced. The birth of life, even of a humble creature, was precious here…

The letter described the foal wobbling, the mother supporting it, and the foal finally standing upright. My lips softened into a smile. Soon, that foal would run freely across green meadows. Just imagining it made me happy.

But I soon realized that for the foal to run across those imagined meadows, it would take time.

The birth of life, even of a humble creature, was precious here…

Here—where Giskal was—was a battlefield. A brutal place of blood and flesh. That mother horse was likely a warhorse or a pack animal.

Giskal was at war, on the battlefield. That’s why I had to sneak in using Motus just to check on him. Yet I had momentarily forgotten.

Forgotten that Giskal was in that blood-soaked battlefield. Despite our frequent letters.

That realization made me rummage through his past letters. They were neatly stored in a white box. I didn’t need to search long.

None of Giskal’s letters described the battlefield. Not even a hint of war. The life he shared with me wasn’t one of bloodshed—it was the birth of a foal, a hidden flower garden in rugged terrain, a servant’s small mistake, knights’ barehanded duels and reconciliations.

Did he do that on purpose? For me?

Of course. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be so hard to find even a whiff of war in his words.

“Sigh… I’m really pathetic.”

I felt ashamed of myself. Giskal had been so considerate, and I had treated him like an emotional dumping ground.

If I vented as I pleased, he’d be the one drenched in my mess.

Regardless of speculation or politics, I couldn’t burden someone suffering on the battlefield. Even the request to help contact Perlo Shanaiyer—I decided to hold off. Giskal was at the distant border, in the middle of war. As a commander at that. He must have had a lot to worry about already, and I didn’t want to add a headache.

Especially since Perlo Shanier was a difficult person to reach. I had to try to find a way on my own first. Even if there was no way and I had to ask for his help later, now was not the time.

No matter, no matter how much Perlo Shanier was my last remaining hope.

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