Elene’s Request

Yesterday's chapter...

...

"Daisy, is Prince Claus in?" Elene asked.

Daisy was slightly surprised seeing Elene, but as an experienced maid, she replied instantly.

"Yes, Do to need to talk with him?"

"Please." Elene nodded.

Daisy turned towards me and used her gaze to ask for my instructions.

"Let her in." I said.

Daisy nodded and let Elena pass.

Elene entered the room and tried to smile, however, her smile was obviously forced. I could notice and trace of sadness and fatigue on her face, caused by the events of today.

She was wearing a loosely-fitting robe that hid her beautiful body. Her long black hair was slightly wet, probably because she took a bath before coming here.

I could imagine the reason she came here. Actually, I was expecting something like this, but she came sooner than I expected.

"Prince." Elene bowed slightly.

"Stop it, sister Elene. You know that with our relationship, you don't need to bow when seeing me."

Elene smiled wryly and stood up. She could read between lines and understand the meaning of my words, but currently, she was not in the mood to pay attention to it.

"Prince, you probably know why I'm here."

I nodded. Currently, there was only one reason that could make Elene come to see me.

Elene sighed. She then looked at Daisy and put on an apologetic expression. "Daisy, can I talk with prince Claus in private?"

"Of course, sister Elene." Daisy accepted easily. She then shot a mischievous glance towards me and smirked.

This girl already knew about my relationship with Elene, so she could guess how this was going to end.

Once Daisy left the room and closed the door, only Elene and I remained inside. Elene moved her body uncomfortably on her chair and stared at me.

"Prince, I hope you can spare my husband's life."

I did not answer. As I expected, Elene was here for that.

Seeing my silence, Elene turned nervous. She hurriedly opened her lips to continue speaking, afraid that I reject her without giving her time to speak.

"I-I know that Raul has offended you repeatedly and that his actions today are more than enough to give him the death sentence, but please, I beg you. I-If you truly like me as you told me before, please save him."

Then, Elene bit her lips and bowed. She remained like that for one whole minute, waiting for my answer patiently.

Finally, I sighed.

"You know what would have happened if Raul's plans succeed today?"

Elene did not answer.

"Daisy would have died." I said grimly. "Tell me, Elene, do you think that Raul would have spared Daisy's life?"

Elene didn't know how to answer.

"I don't understand." I continued. "I saw how Raul treated you today. He did not hesitate to hit you in front of the entire palace! How can you plead for someone like him!?"

"… Please, he is my husband."

"Sigh… Elene, why don't you forget about him? I probably can't take you as my main wife, but you can become my concubine. Hell, if you truly insist, I don't mind going against this world's practices and taking you as my wife. Why must you insist on saving him?"

"… If I become your wife, will you spare him?" Elene looked up to my face as asked.

I fell silent.

"Sister Elene, do you still love him?"

"… I don't know… Probably not…"

"Then, why are you doing this?"

"… Even if I stopped loving him, and he treats me like that, he is still my husband. It's my duty to help him and support him."

I focused my gaze on Elene for a moment. Standing up, I circled inside the room repeatedly and thought about Elene's plea.

In fact, I already expected this long ago. I understood Elene well enough to know that she would not let her husband die.

The issue was, how to make use of that to my advantage.

I looked at Elene and heaved a sigh.

"Sister Elene, do you like me?"

Elene was startled. She looked at my face for a brief moment before putting an awkward expression.

"… I don't know. I think I hate you, but sometimes, I miss you and want to see you…"

Better than I expected.

"… Sister Elene, I truly like you. However, I can't forgive your husband so easily... But, I'll agree."

"Really!?" Elene's face brightened.

"But I have one condition."

Elene nodded. "Do tell, prince."

"You will not see him again. After today, you and he will cut ties completely. He will be exiled to a faraway place where he never will have contact with us. He will be unable to contact his family or friends and will lose everything he owns. Even if I spare his life, I'll not forgive him for his mistakes."

Elene's expression turned complicated, but she nodded. "Fair enough. I'm alright with that."

"Okay then, tonight someone will take him out of the prison." I said.

Elene gave me a grateful look. "Thank you, prince."

She then put on a hesitating expression and bit her lips.

"… Actually, prince, I was expecting you to ask for my body in exchange for sparing Raul's life."

I raised my eyebrow in surprise. I truly want to do it, but if I do, you will hate me completely.

Elene looked at me and took a deep breath. She then stood up and walked towards me while she removed her robe slowly.

"... I'm happy that you didn't... And, I want to repay this favor... It's the least I can do to repay you for your help."

Her glistening white skin appeared before me.