Chapter 6
Chapter 6
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: The Second Man Who Drove Me to Death
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“I greet the Crown Prince, the little sun of the Empire.”
“I didn’t call you here to make you so uncomfortable. Let’s at least have a meal first.”
Esther gave a small nod toward Helios, who smiled warmly at her, then pulled out the chair opposite his and sat down.
The moment Esther took her seat, Helios pressed a small button on the table beside him as if he’d been waiting.
“You called, Your Highness?”
“I’m having lunch with her. Bring the food.”
“Understood.”
A somewhat mature-looking maid bowed her head and stepped out. Before long, she returned, leading attendants with trays that filled the room with the aroma of food.
“What’s on the menu today?”
“Tomahawk steak seasoned with the oil the Elpis Merchant Group provided as a sample for their upcoming sales. The sirloin is top quality, so it should be nice and tender.”
Steam rose hot from the steak, as if to boast that it had just come off the fire.
Forks and knives were promptly placed before Esther and Helios, but neither of them touched their utensils.
“For you to rise to the position of Merchant Guild Master at such a young age…”
Helios cut himself off abruptly before he could say it was congratulations.
He’d nearly made a huge mistake. He wanted to berate himself for nearly blurting out something so thoughtless when the father she’d cherished so dearly had just passed.
“I express my regrets over what happened to Ete, your father. I must acknowledge that he was truly exceptional.”
“Thank you.”
Esther’s indifferent voice held no emotion whatsoever.
The immense fear he’d felt back in the carriage came rushing over Helios again. A powerful urge welled up to pull her into his arms and confirm her presence.
“Your Highness?”
Esther called out to him tensely at the ominous expression on his face, where veins bulged in his clenched jaw.
No. Helios barely suppressed the inexplicable impulse. He didn’t want to see her push him away again.
“Isn’t managing the merchant group difficult?”
“My members are filling in all my shortcomings. Becoming guild master so suddenly at my age, it’s a position far beyond my worth.”
“Nonsense. They follow you because you have the talent for it.”
Helios clenched his fist under the table against that inexplicable fear he couldn’t pinpoint. Yet his gaze never left Esther.
Her petite frame looked so fragile, on the verge of collapse, even more so than his own body, and it worried him.
As his emotions gradually subsided, Helios cleared his throat and urged her once more.
“At least eat something. Especially now, you need to take good care of yourself.”
“...”
“The sudden death of your guild master must have been hard, but still…”
In the end, that was all he could say. Pathetic, he thought, grabbing his knife and fork to stuff something into his mouth.
Esther watched Helios, who seemed a little flustered, then picked up her knife as if following his lead.
This was utterly different from the attitude she’d seen in her previous life. Though wary, she couldn’t help the contradictory wish that this side of him would last.
But even so, Esther hated this man.
The indifferent one who hadn’t given her even a shred of attention or comfort. The cruel one who, to the very end, had made her realize just how much of a burden she was to him.
“Aren’t you going to eat?”
“Ah, yes. Thank you.”
Helios’s heart grew uneasy as he watched her hand hovering motionless in the air.
That earlier topic had been a misstep after all. If he could take back the words he’d carelessly flung at her wounds in the past, he’d lick the floor clean.
“...”
Esther hesitated for a moment before finally slicing off a bit of steak and putting it in her mouth.
It didn’t matter how good the meat was. She hadn’t come here to actually eat anyway.
“I’ve heard you’re preparing something special. They say you’re importing that unique oil used in this dish—the Emperor himself tried food with it and said it wasn’t bad.”
“I’m grateful for such kind words.”
“So, are preparations going smoothly?”
Helios gazed at Esther’s wrist, which looked even thinner than last time he’d seen her, then let out a small sigh.
It would be wonderful to see her pursuing her ambitions freely, but he didn’t want her suffering for it.
Why do you keep drawing my eyes with that precarious look?
Why am I drawn to you like this again?
You should have at least been happy.
In that instant, as an incomprehensible wave of emotion surged through him, Helios dropped his fork onto the table with a clatter.
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
Esther’s sharp gaze lingered on Helios for a moment before flicking away.
Why, again? To break down the wall she was rebuilding against him, Helios pressed on.
“I know your goods are top-notch. For something with potential, we could even sign a contract with the Imperial Palace.”
But to Esther, any talk of a contract with the palace was like touching a deadly reverse scale.
She looked up at Helios, who brought up the contract so casually, feeling nothing but contempt. She’d almost forgotten this man was part of the palace too.
She bit her lip in self-reproach for nearly forgetting the true nature of Helios.
The meat in her mouth tasted foul. Or maybe it was just this situation.
“We couldn’t presume to draft a contract for the esteemed Imperial Palace without letting them inspect the goods first. Our top priority is always delivering quality products to our customers.”
It was a phrase Ete had repeated like a habit since her childhood. It was his will itself.
Something formal Helios, who’d bought out that will with money and discarded it, could never understand.
“Right, of course.”
A nauseating discomfort surged up like bile. Esther now felt revulsion even in the air of this place.
With a clink, she dropped her fork loudly as the bile rose sharply.
“Are you all right? I’ll have them bring new utensils…”
As Helios looked up while saying this, he saw Esther’s face drained white, her hand trembling slightly. Without thinking, he reached out to her.
No, please—not this time. Don’t vanish like you’re about to fade away.
The fear buried deep in Helios’s heart reared its head again. And Esther, without hesitation, dodged his outstretched hand and spoke.
“No, Your Highness. I’m fine. I apologize for my lack of manners. Please forgive my clumsiness with your magnanimity.”
After her straightforward apology, she pulled a handkerchief from her bosom without so much as glancing at the napkin before her.
As if she didn’t want to touch anything here anymore. As if to declare she wanted no further entanglement.
“I’m sorry, Your Highness, but as you said, I’m still quite shaken by my father’s death, and eating is difficult for me right now.”
Esther pressed gently on her solar plexus, twisting her face. Helios’s hand trembled with the fresh wave of guilt and remorse that hit him.
Why can’t I understand even one thing about her properly? Why couldn’t it have been me instead of you…
“I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can manage the meal. My apologies.”
Her sudden apology snapped Helios’s thoughts short.
He couldn’t even recall what he’d been thinking. But there was no time to dwell on that now.
“If you’re unwell, we should call a physician…”
“No, Your Highness. How could a commoner like me dare summon the palace’s chief physician?”
“Your health right now is…!”
Helios barely lowered his voice, which had risen unwittingly as if to say it wasn’t true, clenching his large hand into a fist on his knee.
It was no longer suspicion—it was certainty. She kept bringing up her status to widen the distance between them.
“I know it’s improper, but may I be excused first?”
Esther cut Helios off firmly, pulling her chair back as if ready to stand any second.
Watching her, Helios realized it. Somehow, this much distance had grown between them. And Esther wanted to widen it further.
I have to hold on. This time, I have to turn everything back.
A strong voice churned in his mind. Looking at Esther’s face made his vision go white.
Why? Now that I’ve finally met the Esther I wanted to see…
“Your Highness?”
Helios stared at her, his face pale as a ghost. The voice echoing in his head grew faint, replaced by another.
What right do you have? On what grounds would you cage her? You coward who only knew how to run away.
Helios barely restrained the hand reaching for her against his own will and said,
“Very well. Let’s leave it for next time.”
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
The moment permission came, Esther shot up from her seat, bowed deeply, and performed the proper courtesies.
“I’ll take my leave now.”
Esther swallowed down another surge of nausea and backed away.
It was revolting. How had she not realized sooner? This place didn’t suit her at all. And the same went for that man.
But now she knew. That was enough. With no lingering attachments, Esther left Helios’s room with swift steps.
She felt eyes following her, but that was no longer her concern.
“…Haa, haa.”
She’d barely escaped the room, but Esther’s heart raced with worry that Helios might come running after her, calling out in that urgent voice.
She practically fled the Crown Prince’s quarters, rounded a corner, and hid her body.
“What was I thinking…”
What was she thinking? Had she really wanted to lean on that man’s careless words of comfort, even for a moment? After everything he’d done, had she still not learned her lesson?
She knew full well what he’d been after with those touches, so why this betrayal gnawing at her?
“Not this time… absolutely not.”
Esther forced her trembling legs to move and kept walking.
The corridor before her stretched endlessly, matching the grandeur and scale of the Imperial Palace.
Dragging her weakened legs made her body sway slightly. It was a relief no one was around, having walked quite a distance from the prince’s rooms.
“Ugh…”
Her body was warning her it had reached its limit, but right now, Esther wanted just one thing.
To escape this suffocating place as fast as possible. Only leaving the palace would let her breathe again.
“Urk…!”
The moment she exited the palace and slipped into an alley, relief mixed with nausea surged up. Esther crouched down and vomited bile onto the ground.
Her throat burned, but she had no time to care. She needed to purge all this disgust to survive.
“Haa, haa…”
After emptying everything, Esther staggered to her feet. It was exhausting, but she had no time for this. She needed to hurry back to the merchant group and prepare for work.
The instant she rounded the corner to leave the alley, her body collided with a passing man.
“Ah…”
“Oh, sorry. Are you all right?”
Esther stepped back, about to apologize, but froze at the familiar voice.
Or rather, she was too stunned to speak.
“Is something wrong, lady?”
Noel de Micarus, the man who had driven her to death.
He stood right before her.