***
Judith had nearly reached the hallway of Astel Palace when another loud noise pierced the air.
It sounded like glass shattering, followed by the crash of something heavy hitting the floor.
The memories of her past life, where she had been tormented by such sounds on a daily basis, slowed Judith’s pace.
Yet, she pushed herself forward, ignoring the cumbersome dress that caught around her ankles.
Reaching the end of the hallway, Judith saw Duke Berzi standing at the palace entrance, his hand on his forehead in clear distress.
“What happened?”
Startled by the sudden, youthful voice, the duke lifted his head and, upon seeing Judith’s face, bowed deeply.
“Your Highness.”
“What’s all this commotion?
Has something happened to Prince Franz?”
“Well…,” the duke glanced toward the interior of the palace, then, with a troubled look, began to explain.
In the Lotheir Royal Palace, a council meeting was held every few days, attended by nobles of the capital who held the rank of count or higher.
Ordinarily, these meetings were led by the king and the heads of various factions, but since the king had been unwell for several years, Queen Gilsis had been attending in his stead.
“However, today, Her Majesty brought His Highness, Prince Franz to the meeting.”
“Franz?”
Judith’s eyes widened in surprise.
The duke nodded solemnly, his face clouded with concern.
“The queen intended to humiliate him in front of the prominent nobles.
With Prince Franz’s coming-of-age ceremony less than a year away, she criticized him for not possessing the qualities of a crown prince, accusing him of failing to gain the support of the nobles despite his age.”
“But that’s not true… He’s not unfit to become the crown prince.
Her Majesty hasn’t allowed him to be, so how can…”
“The majority of the nobles attending the meeting are under the queen’s influence.
They can’t speak up, no matter what she says.
They’re spineless, knowing full well the accusations are false, but they will only nod and agree as soon as she criticizes Franz’s qualifications.”
A cold rage flickered in the duke’s eyes.
Judith frowned, her heart heavy, and covered her face with her hands.
“To be publicly ridiculed and condemned in front of so many nobles…
I understand completely, but I fear this commotion might leak out and further tarnish His Highness’ reputation.”
“I’ll go in.”
Judith’s words startled the duke, who was massaging his forehead.
Before he could respond, she walked into the palace, her expression remarkably calm.
Watching Judith’s retreating figure, so fragile that she seemed like she might break at the slightest touch, Duke Berzi let out a soft breath, a mix of admiration and despair.
He had heard she was seventeen, but her demeanor was strangely mature, even worldly.
He felt a glimmer of anticipation he hadn’t expected before.
Astel Palace was a place where princes often resided, but it wasn’t the crown prince’s palace.
The unspoken custom was for the crown prince to occupy Helan Palace, which was currently Krolld’s.
Judith felt a pang of sympathy for Franz, the king’s legitimate son, denied the rightful place of the crown prince, yet she personally favored Astel Palace.
It was more refined and elegant than Helan Palace, which Krolld had flamboyantly remodeled to suit his taste.
Now, the palace was shrouded in a heavy silence, an atmosphere of unease and foreboding.
Standing before the tightly shut door, a door that seemed to be sealed forever, Judith clasped her hands and took a deep breath.
Then, she slowly turned the handle and opened the door.
“Didn’t I tell everyone to stay out?
Leave!”
Franz yelled, not bothering to turn around, assuming it was a servant.
The room was in utter chaos.
A small sofa with red cushions had been overturned in front of a bookshelf, and the items on the shelves had been tossed to the floor, shattered or strewn about.
The windows, once neatly arranged in a square formation facing the garden, were now broken, shards of glass scattered inside and out.
Franz stood in front of the shattered window, his head bowed, looking as desolate and fragile as if he himself had been broken.
“Your Highness.”
Franz lifted his head at the soft yet firm tone.
He turned slowly but didn’t look directly at Judith.
The slight angle of his turn was like the distance between them now, and a feeling of anxious concern wrapped around her small frame.
“Leave.”
Franz’s eyes were bloodshot, and he ran a hand through his hair.
Judith, seemingly ignoring his words, slowly approached him.
“Your Highness, please calm down.
Anger that cannot achieve its purpose will only hurt your body and mind.”
“What?”
He laughed hollowly; his fierce gaze fixed on her.
His expression was so fierce it seemed as though he might slap her, but Judith didn’t so much as raise an eyebrow.
Her boldness left Franz speechless, a sense of utter helpless frustration washing over him.
“Leave.
I’ve told you twice.
I won’t say it a third time.”
“And if I refuse?
What will you do, Your Highness?
Will you throw me out the window, just as you did that table?”
“Are you trying to make fun of me now?
I am nothing but a worthless fool, without talent or skill, a hollow shell of a man.
My wife is no more than a stranger I’ve just met, without knowing her face or name.
What dignity is left for me to lose if I were to throw her out as well?”
“Then do it.”
His breath hitched at her response.
“What did you just say?”
“If that’s what it takes to calm your anger, then by all means, do it.
Throw me out the window.”
“Are you not afraid?
Do you have no sense of self-respect?”
“I do, Your Highness.
I have both pride and fear.
But I’m not afraid of you throwing me out the window.”
“Then what do you fear?
You were calm when bandits appeared, and I heard you didn’t shed a single tear in the face of Her Majesty’s wrath.
Your courage is unmatched, and yet you claim there is something you are afraid of.
What is it?”
His voice was consumed by anger and sorrow.
Unable to forgive his own powerlessness, his rage turned inward, punishing himself most brutally.
Now she understood.
She reached out slowly, gently taking Franz’s injured one in hers.
Perhaps caught off guard, he didn’t pull away.
His long, well-formed fingers were scratched and torn.
Judith carefully wrapped his injured hand with hers, bowing her head as she whispered softly.
“What I fear most, Your Highness, is you abandoning yourself.
That alone terrifies me.”
Franz’s golden eyes widened slightly, their storm of rage giving way to astonishment and hesitation.
The tremor in his body subsided, and his breathing calmed.
“Control your anger, Your Highness.
There is neither eternal daylight, nor unending darkness in this world.
There will be many things beyond your control, and they will continue to torment you.
But you mustn’t let that torment suffocate you.”
“…”
“Your Highness, the better the swordsmith, the more slowly they sharpen the blade.
The better the hunter, the more meticulously they set their traps.”
Franz chuckled, “Do you even know what you’re saying?”
“Yes, I do.
And I believe you have the ability and the right to do it.”
“I’m neither a skilled swordsmith, nor a brilliant hunter.
I’ll never be anything—just a fool.”
Judith ignored his bitter sarcasm and self-deprecation as she gently tugged on the hand she held.
He seemed to resist for a moment, but then, as if making up his mind, allowed himself to be led.
She led him to the overturned sofa and sat him down.
Then, she sat beside him.
Their knees touched slightly as they sat, angled toward each other.
Judith reached into her pocket and pulled out a small medicine box and a clean cloth.
She wiped the blood from his hand and carefully applied ointment to the wounds.
“I know that feeling.”
The ointment stung as it seeped into the torn wound.
Franz winced involuntarily and looked at her.
“You do?”
“When I was in Tien, my mother passed away early, and my father never paid any attention to me.
My brother constantly called me a useless girl.
Even after I grew up, he would insult me at every opportunity.
He reveled in my tears and fear.”
She smiled faintly, the bitterness of long-buried memories resurfacing.
She glanced at Franz, and his eyes, though seemingly empty, reflected a hidden character.
She could sense his sympathy and a subtle apology for her plight.
‘Kind man.’
Judith suppressed the urge to stroke his cheek and continued speaking as she wrapped a long strip of cloth around his hand.
“I believed I was incredibly foolish and useless.”
“…So, you don’t think that anymore?”
“No, I don’t.
People who crave to harm others with words are simply unable to bear their own emptiness.
I resolved to no longer offer myself to those vile wolves who only quench their thirst with innocent tears.”
A wisp of hair, thin and black, fell from her neatly arranged updo, swaying gently as she moved.
Franz’s gaze lingered on her eyelashes, dark and delicate, as they fluttered occasionally.
He slowly traced his eyes over the rest of her features.
Her pale cheeks, tinged with an unhealthy flush, and her bloodless lips, undeniably lacking in typical allure, were somehow captivating.
Perhaps it was her eyes, he thought.
Her eyes were like the first spring sky after a harsh winter.
“I’m done, Your Highness.”
Judith tied the cloth securely and removed her hands.
Franz, his injured hand stiff and difficult to move, flexed it a few times before lowering his gaze and whispering.
“…Thank you.”
Judith’s eyes crinkled at the edges, as if genuinely pleased.
Franz slowly surveyed his wrecked room before closing his eyes.
He felt utterly drained, as though he were unraveling, but the terrible rage had vanished without a trace.