Chapter 14: Are You Really A Princess?

"T-then, is there any way for me to help?" Swan asked Lady Jade. 

"Help? You mean, helping to lift off his curse?" Jade asked, and Swan nodded enthusiastically, which surprised her to no end. "Oh my, you are… I don't know how to describe you. Why would you want to help him? You don't even know his curse."

"I-I don't know his curse, but…" Swan paused for a few seconds. She was smart enough not to give her the real answer because it would diminish her value. 

The true reason why she wanted to help was because she was sent to die. She had no worth, and nowhere to go after she became Gale's bride. She thought if she could help, even if it would kill her, then at least she would be useful to one person in her pitiful life. 

At the same time, it would also expose the fact that she was not the princess that held much value in Holy Achate. She was just a prostitute's daughter who happened to have been fathered by the late king. 

Thus, Swan thought of a better reason to appease Jade's question, and replied, "… because I am his wife…"

Jade grinned, she sipped her tea and put it back on the saucer with a loud tap. 

"If that's your resolve, I'm sure that Gale will eventually tell you about his curse," Jade said. She got up from the chair and walked towards Swan. She stood in front of her, towering her with a devious smile and spoke, "I can't tell whether you are brave, or naive. But, I hope that you will not take back your resolution just now. Well, you don't have a choice anyway."

Swan gulped.

For some reason, Lady Jade's smile turned devious for no reason. It made her nervous, thinking of what will happen in the future. But she had made herself clear anyway.

She wanted to be of use, so she should have no fear.

"I-I don't know if I can help. But I will try my best, Milady!" Swan insisted.

Lady Jade chuckled, "I think Gale will be in trouble now. How can he get another wife if you are this cute?"

"C-cute?!" Swan's face turned red instantly. She had never been called that her whole life, and it confused her, wondering if Lady Jade was being honest or being sarcastic. It reminded her of that time Aria called her beautiful, then slapped her right on the face for fun. Swan went pale instantly, and she quickly lowered her head, "I-I'm sorry if I offend you, Milady. I didn't mean to…"

"Hm?" Jade raised her brow, sensing something was wrong. "I'm not mad at you."

"Y-yes, sorry…"

Jade started creasing her brows. She observed the petite young lady in front of her and noticed a few suspicious signs. Jade pinched Swan's chin, and forced her to look up, she noticed a bruise at the corner of her cheek. It wasn't too noticeable, especially when Swan had such a beautiful pair of ocean eyes that would draw all attention to her eyes immediately. 

On top of that, from this perspective, Jade noticed how skinny this woman was, which was quite strange since Holy Achate's beauty standard preferred women with voluptuous figures. This young lady was gorgeous, but her body, demeanor, and also bruises raised a question, "Are you really a princess from Holy Achate?"

Swan held her breath as her heartbeat accelerated instantly. She was forced to stare at Jade's peering eyes, so she couldn't do her usual lying-while-looking-away method. 

"Answer me, Swan of Holy Achate."

"I-I am a princess!" Swan replied, but it only made her extremely guilty, because she had never seen herself as one. If she could compare herself to anyone in the Holy Achate palace, she would think of herself as a mere maid, since she lived in the maid's quarter. "M-my father is the late King Tyrion!"

Swan mixed the truth in her lies, to make sure that she was more convincing. 

Though the late king never saw her as a daughter, at least he was kind enough to let her live in the palace. 

Jade's lips thinned as she had gotten her answer. She let her go and said, "Whether you are a princess or not, it's up to Gale to be with you. Besides, you have the privilege to be marked by him, something I don't get to get."

"B-but you said that he can mark anyone."

"He can. But you are the first one to be marked, not me," Jade murmured. "Who knows how many women he will mark in the future? Don't you think it's pitiful? To accompany him since we were young, only to get rejected in the end."

Swan noticed that Lady Jade—who had been very calm and collected the whole time showed a hint of being upset, "Lady… you are…"

Jade quickly turned around and said, "It's nothing. You have the privilege, use it wisely and you will stay alive and well."

Swan had a lot of questions popping into her mind about Jade and Gale now, but she dared not to ask anything. All she did was watch her slowly walking out of the room, leaving her with doubt. 

'If Gale can abandon a beautiful lady who has accompanied him since he was young, then what about me? I'm sure he will just abandon me after he finds another woman…'

Swan knew that she had no worth for a king like Gale. She was nothing but a tool to be used or dispensable. 

Nevertheless, she was still a young woman who had been raised in Holy Achate, where virginity and marriage were supposedly sacred. The idea that her husband who had taken her virginity would throw her away soon after he found a better woman broke her heart.

'Ah, you can't feel like this, Swan. You are sent to die. You're not supposed to feel for something else for the beast.'

Swan kept telling herself to stay within her boundaries. 

But she still felt sad.

'If your death is inevitable, I wish you'd just kill me without taking my virginity, Gale…'