Calysto observed a thin line of sweat on Nikolay’s forehead. She waited for her host to speak up.

“Papyrus has pulled back from his earlier vow.” Another pause heightened Calysto’s curiosity. And then Nikolay resumed, “He says he’s no longer interested in Elena.”

“Weren’t they supposed to get married?” Calysto asked.

“Yes.”

“Then why has the young man reneged on his vow? Elena is such a sweet child.”

“He says Elena has lost interest in him.”

“But why?”

This time Nikolay stammered, “He thinks Elena has a crush on the prince.”

“She has a crush on the prince,” Calysto whispered to herself, and then said, “Do you mean she has fallen in love with Ismarus?”

“I’m afraid so,” Nikolay muttered with his head held low.

For a while, Calysto sat in her seat frozen like a statue. Words failed her. They had been through hell. One after another, tragedies struck them from all directions. And now this. She wondered if Nikolay had any expectations.

“What if this village chief expects Ismarus to marry his daughter? How am I going to tell the truth to him?” Calysto asked herself.

At last, Calysto broke the uneasy silence. All this time, her head was held low as well. Raising her head, she looked straight into the eyes of her host, and asked, “Are you certain, Papyrus is telling the truth?”

“Your highness, at this point, I think it’s all just conjecture. Papyrus did not disclose to me how he came to this conclusion.”

“Send him to me, I’ll try to find out from him. In the meantime, I’ll talk to your daughter. By the way, has Papyrus said anything about Ismarus?”

“No, he has not? I suppose he has no idea.”

“It could well be the case. Anyway, I am grateful to you for being up front about it.”

Nikolay thought perhaps it was the end of the conversation. But it was not. Calysto continued, “One more thing. You do understand where you stand, and where we are, don’t you?”

Nikolay felt embarrassed. With a deep voice, he responded, “Yes, your highness, we do.”

Calysto raised her brows as she said, “I hope no one has been nurturing any kind of unattainable hopes. It will not be helpful to any of us.”

“I want you to have faith in us, your highness. We are fully aware of our status. I will not allow any attempt to impose upon you and your son unfair demands.”

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

In the meantime, outside the royal residence, being aware of Calysto’s aversion to idolatry, the jester tried to dissuade a villager from erecting the statue of Artemis at the gate of the royal residence. The jester struggled to find a common ground. He was wary of offending the religious sentiment of the villagers. Hence, he gave assurance to the villager that upon discussing the matter with Ismarus and Calysto, it was going to be settled. The jester was particularly cautious for the villager was none but the priest of the nearby temple.

While all this had been going on at the royal residence, Elena went to the hut where Papyrus had been living. She found him lying on a chowki, in a depressed state.

Without any kind of greetings, she said to him, “I need to talk to you. I need to know why I’m being incarcerated against my will. Why I’m being prevented from attending the sessions at the royal residence. My parents won’t tell me anything. I have a feeling, you’re at the center of all this.”

Unlike most men of the time, the dark black hair of Papyrus did not cross his neck. He sat on his chowki with head held low as Elena stood before him. He kept quiet, thinking of a way to respond to Elena’s inquiry. And then the bass of his voice filled the hut. “I have nothing to do with any of it,” he said calmly.

“Are you sure you didn’t say anything to my parents?”

“I just said, I was no longer interested in you.”

“You said you were no longer interested in me,” Elena repeated what Papyrus had said, clearly expressing her indignation. “It was more than enough,” she added. Then she asked, “Did you not explain to my father the reason?”

“No, I didn’t bother.”

“Why?”

“I suppose your father is a wise man. He should be able to figure out the reason.”

“Oh yes, perhaps he has,” Elena muttered.

“Now, why don’t you tell me the reason? I would like to hear it straight from you.”

“I know it’s over. I can see the change in you,” Papyrus’ deep voice echoed in the hut.

“What changes have you noticed in me? Talk like a man. Don’t whine like a woman,” Elena was full of contempt.

“Oh, don’t pretend. You know what’s been going on in you.”

“I don’t know what you’re referring to, I really don’t,” Elena almost screamed. “Be frank about it, will you?” she added.

Papyrus could no longer hold himself. “You’re in love with the prince, aren’t you?” he shot back at Elena.

“He’s a beautiful person. I feel sorry for his misfortunes, that’s all. After all he has lost, still he has the courage, the strength to continue. Any sane person is bound to admire his resilience.”

“Is this why you stare at him, while others listen to the stories of the jester?”

“Have you been spying on me? Shame on you Papyrus, shame on you! I can clearly see now, you’re not even half the man I thought you were.”

“Anyone with half the vision can see what I see in you now. I’m sure, by now your father has found out as well.”

Elena curled her lips in disgust. With her brows pulled down, close set of dark brown eyes down turned, her nose wrinkled, suddenly she appeared more like a venomous serpent about to strike.

In self-defense, the reflexes of Papyrus kicked in. The last words of Elena aroused in the human giant the hidden beast. Humiliation, coupled with deep sense of indignation drove Papyrus into a killing mode. It was as if a monster had taken over. He stood over Elena, his hands strangling the life out of the little lady.

“Uh, I can’t, I can’t breathe! Let go!” Elena choked. Her hands struggled to free herself from the deadly grip. Moments passed quietly, and the struggle continued. Papyrus could not tell when Elena’s hands had dropped. Her face turned blue with the tongue sticking out. Realizing what he had done, Papyrus shrank back to his chowki with a guilty expression, dropping Elena’s lifeless body onto the floor. How long he stared at the corpse, he had no idea. The noise of footsteps brought him out of his dazed state. He turned to find the jester and another villager staring at him with their eyes reaching their foreheads.

“What on earth has happened over here?” the jester whispered.