Horses and Maids (2)
The tension in the air thickened at once.
“But, Duchess! What is this girl even saying!”
Abigail stepped forward in fierce opposition, insisting it was absolutely out of the question. Then Illid joined in as well.
“Duchess, the imperial physician will arrive soon. Would it not be better to wait until then—”
“But is His Majesty not in pain right now!”
Even as they spoke, the Emperor’s breathing grew harsher and more labored. I positioned Karina directly in front of His Majesty.
“Ease His Majesty’s suffering until the physician arrives. Do nothing more than that.”
“Yes, my lady.”
Karina rummaged through the basket slung over her shoulder and pulled out a leafy herb. She tore the leaves into small pieces, dropped them into water, and carefully poured the mixture into the Emperor’s mouth.
“Cough—cough—”
His Majesty let out a few dry coughs after swallowing the herbal liquid. But it lasted only a moment. Soon his breathing visibly calmed, and the body that had been writhing in agony began to relax.
“How is this possible…?”
Illid, who had been standing guard beside the Emperor, muttered in a daze. He seemed utterly shocked that a mere maid had managed to soothe the Emperor with nothing but a handful of leaves.
Before long, the imperial physician reached the hunting grounds. His Majesty was immediately carried back into the palace.
I followed behind the Emperor alongside Illid, and the servants trailed after us.
“Haa…”
An exhausted Karina tried to return to her stable.
But at that moment—
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Someone grabbed her arm with a grip like iron.
“His Majesty has just fallen asleep. There is no longer any cause for concern, so please do not worry too deeply.”
The imperial physician emerged from the Emperor’s chambers, bowed respectfully to me and Illid, then took his leave. Only then did the tension finally ease. Illid leaned against the marble wall and let out a long sigh of relief.
“It is fortunate he was not gravely injured.”
“Indeed.”
I, too, could finally breathe easily.
Due to the Emperor’s sudden injury, the hunt was postponed indefinitely. In addition, the morning court session and evening banquet originally scheduled for today were canceled one after another.
It also fell to me to inform the nobles inquiring after His Majesty’s condition. Just moments ago, I had given the assembled ministers in the audience chamber a brief summary of the situation. I made no mention whatsoever of Karina.
“By the way…”
Illid glanced around before speaking.
“I do not see Hellion anywhere.”
“You are right. The last I saw him was back at the hunting grounds. Have you seen him since, Your Grace?”
“No. I have not seen him either after that moment.”
Just as he said, Hellion was nowhere to be found. I called for Abigail.
“Abigail. Where is Archduke Hellion?”
“Well…”
Abigail hesitated for a moment before answering in a troubled voice.
“Archduke Hellion has imprisoned Karina in the underground dungeon.”
Without delay, Illid and I headed for the dungeon beneath the imperial palace.
Even though it was daytime, the place was as dark as night. Red torches burned here and there along the ceiling, and a chill emanated from the cold stone walls.
As we reached the deepest part of the dungeon, we heard someone sobbing quietly. When we drew closer, we saw Karina crying beyond the iron bars.
“Duchess of Wintera!”
The moment she spotted me, tears streamed down from her golden eyes.
She had always worn a bright, cheerful smile, but not now. Her face, visible through the gaps in the bars, was clouded with fear and bewilderment.
Her slender neck trembled continuously as she fought back sobs, and her thin shoulders shook helplessly. Though my heart ached, I deliberately looked away from her with an indifferent expression.
Hellion stood beside the cell. Unlike the weeping Karina, he stared at me and Illid with a cold, impassive face.
“Archduke Hellion. May I ask why you have brought this maid to the dungeon?”
At my question, Hellion looked down at me with his arms crossed. His expression clearly asked whether that was even a question worth asking.
“Why don’t you take a look at the desk behind you?”
Hellion tilted his head slightly and pointed to a stone desk in the middle of the cell.
Illid quickly walked over. On the desk lay various kinds of medicinal herbs and a few gold coins scattered about.
“I simply cannot understand why this maid suddenly appeared in the imperial hunting grounds.”
Hellion continued to stare at us with his arms still folded.
“A stable hand who is not even a hunting attendant suddenly shows up in the middle of the hunt. Did that not strike you as strange?”
“Now that you mention it…”
Illid finally seemed to sense something amiss.
Earlier, we had been too preoccupied with the Emperor’s convulsions to think clearly. But now, it was obvious that the maid’s sudden appearance in the hunting grounds had been suspicious.
“It looked as if she had prepared in advance. When I investigated after she calmed both the horse and His Majesty, I found her room filled with these herbs.”
“……”
“When I pressed her, she admitted to digging up herbs in the imperial hunting grounds and forest to sell at the market… Everything that comes from the imperial palace belongs to the imperial family. No matter how small the item, touching it or taking it outside is punishable. Did she not know that?”
Karina’s sobs grew louder.
Hellion was right. The imperial family was extremely strict about anything from the palace leaving its grounds—even a single blade of grass.
“But do you know what this maid did that was even worse?”
Hellion raised the end of his sentence sharply, as if daring us to guess. I looked at the gold coins on the stone desk and asked,
“Did she sell the herbs at an exorbitant price?”
“No.”
“Then did she sell them at an absurdly cheap price?”
“No.”
“Then what on earth—”
“She blocked my path.”
At Hellion’s answer, I recalled how Karina had stepped in front of him to save the Emperor’s horse.
Of course, her actions had been wrong. According to imperial law, anyone who injured the Emperor could be executed on the spot. Even an animal was not exempt.
Moreover, the Emperor’s horse, Lou, had injured not only His Majesty but also the head groom and several servants.
If left alone, someone could have been trampled to death beneath its hooves. No matter how much the Emperor cherished the horse, putting it down immediately would have been the correct decision.
“It was a horse that had recently lost its foal.”
Karina wept from inside the iron bars.
“For days it refused to eat and showed signs of abnormal behavior, so I reported it to the head groom in advance. But he said that since it was a horse His Majesty treasured, it must still be taken on the hunt.”
“……”
“I was worried that Lou might cause trouble, so I secretly slipped out of the stable with herbs and followed His Majesty, the Duchess, and both Archdukes. When Lou began acting strangely, I stepped in.”
“……”
“I know Lou was at fault, but even a speechless beast must feel unbearable grief at losing its child. I could not simply stand by and let Lou be killed.”
“Good heavens…”
Illid, who had been listening, clicked his tongue in pity.
“It is true that blocking the path of a member of the imperial family was wrong. However, easing His Majesty’s pain with herbs is something worthy of praise. So let us release this maid now, Hellion.”
Illid approached the cell and grasped the iron latch.
At that moment—
“No.”
Hellion stopped Illid’s hand.
In an instant, an invisible tension crackled between the two cousins.
Illid stared silently at his younger cousin who had blocked him. His expression remained as gentle as ever, but his eyes told a different story.
He was sending a silent warning for Hellion to back down. But Hellion did not retreat. He stood firm, stubbornly blocking his cousin.
“That horse should have been killed on the spot. And so should anyone who blocked the way. That is the law and the rule.”
“In the end, His Majesty is safe and the horse he cherishes has been calmed. Is it not too cruel to treat the maid who helped in that situation this way?”
“Do not judge by the result. This maid blocked my path, claiming she would calm the horse. Because of that horse, others could have died, yet she acted to save the one animal she liked!”
“But—”
“Calm the horse? So in that moment, should we have said, ‘Ah, I see. You came to calm the horse,’ and stepped aside? On what grounds should we have trusted this maid?”
Hellion sharply cut off Illid’s words.
“In the military, such a thing is unimaginable. When others are being injured and dying, who would leap in front of their superior’s gun out of personal feelings?”
“The imperial palace is not the military.”
Illid dismissed Hellion’s words at once. A bitter smile rose to Hellion’s lips.
“That’s right. This is not the military. It is far worse than the military.”
“What…?”
“As expected, it is impossible to discuss rules with someone from the South who is only bright and has no sense of discipline. After all, what would a coward who is even afraid of the sight of blood know?”
“You—!”
Illid flared up, ready to retort, but suddenly closed his mouth.
If this continued, it would clearly escalate into a much larger fight. Illid swallowed his anger and returned to his usual calm expression.
“There is no point in the two of us arguing like this. The authority to decide does not lie with us.”
Illid turned away from Hellion and smiled gently at me.
“Did His Majesty not entrust all authority over the disposition of palace servants to the Duchess of Wintera?”
Suddenly I had been dragged into the middle of their quarrel.
Flustered, I gave a small nod. Illid approached me with his back still turned to Hellion.
“Then please render your judgment, Duchess. Between the coward of the South and the brave man of the North—which of us is more correct?”