15: An offer Sui dare no refuse

"It's so noisy outside. Maybe I should go and silence everyone."

"P-Princess, that is not a good idea. They are just worried about you, and also-"

Sui opened her eyes slowly and focused on the strong voice of the princess and the doctor. She could feel the softness of the mattress beneath her body and her head.

'This is not my room, but it feels familiar. Did the princess bring me back to her room again?'

Sui wondered if this was the case, especially not after Sui had been treated by the nanny the day before.

For now, Princess Yunjin had likely brought Sui to a spare room or a guest room. 

Even if that was not the case, it was easier for Sui to believe her fabricated lie than to believe the princess favored her.

Sui observed the princess and the doctor briefly and tried to find out when she should interfere with their conversation.

There seemed to be no good time for Sui to interrupt, so she kept quiet until the doctor noticed her.

"Ah, you are awake! That's good. How do you feel? Do you think you can sit? I need to check on you."

The doctor ordered, and Sui tried her best to follow.

Her body seemed to have no energy to lift her head, much less sit-down.

The doctor bit his lip at the display, and his eyes moistened at the display.

"Doctor, what do you think you are doing? I gave you the potion to cure her. So why are you not using it?"

The princess asked while leaning over the doctor's shoulder to look at Sui.

Her eyes hit Sui's breath, and she instantly looked away.

It was good that the princess was not looking at Sui but at the doctor treating her.

"P-Princess, do we need to do that? This potion is far too valuable…not that I am undermining the cost of human life, but still! This is a magical potion that can cure any disease. You should save it-"

The doctor tried to make the princess understand that he was thinking of her when he advised her.

However, the smiling princess seemed uncaring. 

The look in her eyes did not change, and ultimately, the doctor had to step down and stop being stubborn.

He took out a small golden bottle from his bag and handed it to Sui.

"Take a small sip. As small as you can, alright? Resist the urge, no matter how much you want to take more."

The doctor ordered as he handed Sui the small vial.

The doctor let out a wounded noise for every inch the bottle came close to Sui.

His arms were shaking when Sui reached out to take the vile.

"Hurry up and drink it. Oh god! I don't think I can see this. Please don't drop anything on your clothes."

The doctor was pleased as he looked away from Sui.

Sui thought about pretending to take the medicine and faking her condition, but one look at Princess Yunjin's smiling face told her it would not work.

'Warning! Danger! Let's find a way to get out of here!'

But no matter how much her mind warned her, Sui knew she did not have a chance to run away.

She took the barest of sips from the potion, but almost half of it escaped her since she was lying down.

Once the potion hit her system, energy filled her body, and Sui could push herself to sit while leaning back against the bedrest.

"Oh no! What did you do? I told you to take it easy and not waste a single drop of this potion. Do you know how much it even costs? My precious potion."

The doctor cried as he watched his potion being wasted.

Before he could make any other comment, Princess Yunjin placed a hand on the doctor's shoulder before she threw him out of the room.

Sui could only watch this happen with a muted face.

Her head was still not warped around that she had survived the tiger in the forest.

'That tiger! It was killed, right? Did Princess Yunjin do that?'

Sui wanted to ask the princess if she had been the one to save Sui, but her voice would not leave her throat, no matter how much she tried.

"Do you want to run away from me? Do I make you nervous?"

Princess Yunjin asked suddenly as she took a seat in front of Sui.

The chair looked small and uncomfortable while being occupied by the princess's big and strong frame, but it was that sadistic smile on the princess's face that caused Sui to gulp.

"E-excuse me! I-I do not want to run away. Why would I want to run away, princess?"

Sui asked with a nervous laugh.

She wanted to look anywhere but at the princess's face now. But the princess was looking at Sui with an intense look in her eyes.

"I see. So, you do not want to run away from me. That is good to know. Otherwise, life is about to become impossible for you. After all, you will need to spend as a part of my guard unit."

The princess dropped this bomb with a smile on her face.

Sui's mouth opened and closed in shock as she tried to digest what she just heard.

'E-Ehhh! Has the princess gone mad? Why would she ask me to work in her palace? And in her guard unit, no less? Wait! Does this mean that the princess is looking for a reason to kill me but cannot find one? Will I die because of this?'

Sui's brain made up scenarios for her while pretending to be right before the princess.

"T-This offer…can I decline it?"

Sui asked in a hesitant voice.

She realized she was asking for the impossible, but trying could not hurt, right?

"Well, sure-" Really, it was that easy? Was Sui worried for nothing? "-but your head might fly off for saying no to me. Do you still want to deny me?"

The princess asked. Sui quickly shook her head.

Now, Sui no longer had a choice but to serve in the princess's palace.

____

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