Malyn came across Alexis crying purely by chance.

The night before, Malyn had been slapped by the king. While in his arms, with him caressing the inside of her thigh, she had mentioned that she wanted to have a child. The king, who had always said that he could not take off his mask until he heard the first cry of his child, slapped Malyn the moment he heard her say this, as she pretended to be shy.

“Don’t be foolish.”

The king growled, clenching his teeth as he whispered,

“If you act so boldly, I’ll throw you to the hunting dogs as their feed.”

Her lip was split and she was dismissed immediately. She hadn’t been in the King’s chambers long – not even long enough to have a cup of tea.

When she returned to her room, the maids were shocked at the sight of her and quickly applied a cloth soaked in cold water to her face, then applied ointment to the wound. The strong smell of herbs filled the air. With little time to rest, she awoke early in the morning to find a bruise forming on her cheek.

“Ah.”

Layla, who had been sleeping beside her, sensed movement and quickly sat up.

Lately Layla had been sleeping in Malyn’s bed. It just happened. Since that day, Malyn had asked Layla to sleep in her bed. Although they had been sharing the bed for about ten days, Layla was still visibly reluctant, always hesitant and reluctant to get into bed. But every morning she would jump out of bed before Malyn awoke and leave.

But this day was different. Layla, who had been staring at Malyn’s bruised cheek until dawn, had overslept for some reason. Malyn waved her hand dismissively at Layla.

“Don’t.”

“Ah.”

Not even knowing what she was being told not to do, Layla hesitated. Malyn stood and wrapped herself in a thick cloak.

“Don’t follow me.”

“But…”

“If anyone in this castle would kill me, it would be the king, not anyone else. And I’m not going to the king now.”

“…”

She really didn’t want to take her anger out on anyone, she just didn’t want to see Layla’s face right now.

Malyn put on her leather shoes and walk out, and Layla didn’t follow. At least Layla never insisted on doing things that Malyn didn’t want, and that was the one thing she appreciated.

‘Foolish girl.’

As she walked down the long corridor, she thought to herself. The “foolish girl” she was referring to was herself. When Layla had proposed a new life to her, she’d thought she could live forever as a princess, then as queen. She knew that path could be more difficult than expected. She was already aware of the Veldam king’s violent nature.

Still, Malyn considered this life far better than her former life as a maid. Yes, she had been beaten, treated worse than a dog, and even threatened to be fed to his vicious dogs. She wasn’t saying, by any means, that it was a good thing to be slapped and thrown n*ked out the door.

Yet, she had fine clothes now and never went hungry. She didn’t have to lift a finger, and when it was cold, she could have enough wood brought to warm her room. She wanted to be satisfied with that. And, for the most part, she was.

But despite all that, sometimes this life felt even more degrading than the life she had survived as a wanderer on the streets.

The leather shoes were light and comfortable, making hardly a sound even on the stone floor. Malyn could walk silently in her fine clothes and shoes, yet at this moment, she found all of it tiresome. And so, she was heading to the library. Today, she was determined to finish the book about the princess surrounded by thorns. In it, a knight who becomes her protector eventually falls in love with her and seeks out a sorcerer to offer his eyes to the princess. But the wicked sorcerer tells the knight to slay yet another dragon.

She was curious about what happened next, but the past few days had been filled with unsettling, burdensome events, leaving her little time to read. After the king had slapped her yesterday, she figured she wouldn’t be summoned to his chambers for a few days.

But before long, she heard a ghostly sound.

“Huhuhu…”

Chills ran down her spine. What on earth could that sound be? A ghost? In the morning, in a castle bustling with people? But then Malyn realized—someone was crouched in the bushes about ten steps away, crying.

Malyn let out a small sigh of relief. Ghosts were her greatest fear, and though some might scoff, it was something she simply couldn’t help. She cautiously approached the bushes—and was surprised.

The woman sitting there with her shoulders bare, crying, was someone Malyn knew well: Alexis.

She was the woman rumored to have been brought here by the king after he saw her singing in the theater, the one who always seemed sorrowful, which the king apparently disliked, sometimes even withholding food from her. There she was, huddled alone in the bushes without a maid. Her rounded shoulders were completely bare, and goosebumps covered her skin. Doesn’t she feel cold? Malyn didn’t know what to do, so she just stood there, staring down at the crying woman.

“Ah…ah…”

The woman didn’t realize Malyn was there and continued to cry. Her appearance was one Malyn knew all too well—nearly n*ked, in a thin, strange dress that barely covered her. It didn’t seem like she had come here dressed like that; there was a fur coat tossed nearby.

‘It looks expensive.’

Malyn thought.

The coat was of extremely high quality. It gleamed with a rich sheen—Malyn had never touched anything so fine. It must have been a gift from the king, despite his complaints about her constant tears. Even though he found her crying tiresome, he still gave her luxurious things.

Malyn found herself briefly imagining what it would be like to take that coat, escape the castle, sell it, and live comfortably somewhere else. She could probably get two gold coins for it. With two gold coins, she could settle somewhere for a while, maybe find work as a maid…

It was a far-fetched fantasy, but she indulged it for a moment as she stood there in front of the woman.

Of course, the thought didn’t last long. The air was cold, and Malyn was only wearing a single robe. The woman kept her face buried in her knees, still crying, and Malyn wasn’t sure what to say to her. After all, most people don’t want their crying interrupted.

Maybe it would be better just to walk away. Just as she thought that, there was a sudden snapping sound. She turned instinctively towards it. A foolish squirrel had fallen on a branch and quickly scurried away without a sound. Malyn watched the scene in confusion before looking down again.

Alexis looked up at her, her face streaked with tears, her eyes puffy and red, her lips parted slightly in a blank, bewildered expression. She wasn’t beautiful in the conventional sense, but there was something alluring about her appearance. Malyn almost understood the king’s interest – to see such a face in tears might indeed arouse the desire to torment.

No, no, that’s wrong.

For a split second, Malyn nearly slapped herself.

‘What a cruel thought.’

To even entertain such an idea towards someone who was crying. She knew she had a mean streak, but she certainly didn’t want to stoop to the level of the king. The realisation took her by surprise.

‘Thinking of standards when it comes to living… am I starting to see myself as a real princess?’

It would be a bit laughable for a former street maid to consider herself above others.

“Who are you?”