Chapter 1.25: Another Side Part 1
The crown prince's invitation to lunch pleasantly surprised Yona. After the trial, the man had shut himself off from her. He spent most of his time with his prized consort, who was bedridden. Thinking of the woman made her develop a headache. Yona was used to the dynamic the couple had, but it was still annoying. The entire world revolved around their relationship. The couple had grand romantic gestures, extravagant dates, and lovey-dovey conversations.
This made the rest of the harem begin to collapse. They hated that the prince wasn't paying any attention to them in favor of his prized possession. Yona witnessed the other women running out of his room after bursting into tears from arguments. They would vent to her about their feelings, as she was the new head of the collective. Before everything went to shit, she would be doing the same with Cleo. While no one voiced it, the blonde could tell that her absence hurt the others deeply.
The woman welcomed each harem member with love and warmth. It was clear they hurt her that the prince kept adding new women, but she stayed polite. She helped them get over their homesickness by spending nights with them. The assassin helped them learn the customs of the country. She even went out of her way to protect them from any racist assholes. So when she was dragged away from them, the collective broke. It was hard to believe she would lash out and try to kill an innocent woman.
"Mistress, your meal is done." A servant interrupted Yona. She had pushed in a small trolly that carried some trays. The blonde sighed as she sat up and waved the woman over.
With how tense the environment had gotten, the ladies chose to eat alone now. It was rare for them to gather for breakfast chats as they had done before. It was hard with the three empty chairs that distracted any conversations with their presence. The blonde was the first to go off on her own and she found that the privacy was enjoyable. She would eat her dishes in silence, her lamp dimmed so there was minimal light. She'd have a fork in one hand and a book in another the entire time, uninterrupted.
The trolly was quiet as the meek woman pushed it over. She kept her eyes downward, as it was disrespectful to look directly at a noble. Every inch of skin beside her neck and wrists was covered. This was so knights and royals wouldn't stray from their duties at the sight of her figure. Yona didn't think it would be much of a problem, anyway. Servants like her were branded to show everyone their place. They decorated her skin with hot iron pokers and metal sticks that made her look gross.
Once the trolly was close enough, the servant stopped and bent down. Her gloved hands grabbed one of the many plates and brought it over. Yona leaned over to inspect its contents. She had been having issues with a cook who constantly burned fish. The blonde was used to it having a nice crispy crunch. The cook in question didn't understand that and gave her a disgusting, black mess. Today someone else took the bullet for them and made her meal. Her salmon was a delicious golden color on its top, with steamed asparagus on its side.
"The salmon was pan-fried like you requested, ma'am." The servant spoke softly, making sure to stand a good distance away. Yona had a habit of throwing plates that displeased her.
The woman paid the servant's anxiety no mind. She moved the plate to be held by one hand. "Did you bring the newspaper I requested?" She held her free hand out for the paper to be put into it.
The servant nodded and reached under her apron. The fact that all female servants wore multiple layers came in handy at times. Yona had asked for a newspaper that wasn't allowed in the palace. It wasn't because the paper itself was banned but its contents. The servant didn't know this and in her blissful ignorance risked death to get it. The blonde felt a bit bad about this. But once she saw the paper, all of that guilt faded away. She accepted it eagerly and began to unfold it. The servant had made it as tiny as possible to avoid any detection. Once the paper completely unfolded, she began to read. Her eye caught a name that made her heart stop.
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"Ma'am?" The servant was startled as Yona suddenly put her plate back. Underneath the mask the woman wore, the blonde could see her panic.
Sighing, the blonde moved some of her hair out of the way and frowned. She hadn't expected this. "You can leave now. Tell the cook who made the fish that it was delicious after you throw it out."
The servant recoiled, her arms shaking. "Ma'am, was something wrong with the fish? I can have it remade immediately if you wish."
Yona couldn't help but feel annoyed. She knew the woman was just doing her job. Servants had to make sure their superiors were pleased before running off. They had to bow their heads and follow orders perfectly, just as they had been trained to do. But her voice sounded like a buzzing little fly in her ears. She was acting like she was going to cry. The poor thing had even started to shake where she stood. The blonde decided to spare her an argument and be nice for a change. After all, the servant had given her the greatest gift she could ask for. It would only be kind to give her one in return.
"The fish was delicious, but I'm not hungry anymore." The servant froze when Yona looked directly at her. "If anyone asks why you brought everything back, tell them exactly what I said."
The woman looked relieved that the dish was fine. She let her shoulders fall and nodded her head. "Yes, Ma'am, I'll go tell the kitchen straight away." The trolly practically flew with how fast she pushed it away. The room door shook with how hard she slammed it shut on her way out.
The noblewoman waited for a good five minutes before reading the paper. It was a free magazine that was published once per month. Ever since Cleo's near execution, Yona had the servant bring her one. It was the only paper she knew that reported from the nation the assassin was native to. While being biased toward the royal family, they gave authentic accounts of citizens' opinions of their actions. It divided the public on who to side with. And with each additional issue, she found the percentage who felt they wronged Cleo grew rapidly.
Women who had been cheated on wrote that they felt her pain. If their husband had brought home a random street urchin, they'd lose it too. Some men even shared that they felt pity for her. They believed she made a rash decision because of her infatuation. And then there were more radical citizens who claimed Cleo was the start of a rebellion. The magazine was smart enough to publish all of this anonymously. If talks of rebellion against the crown prince became serious, she doubted they'd live long.
Today's headline made her feel cold. Her entire body was overwhelmed as she read it. The name was all too familiar, but she didn't want to believe it. If it was true, then Cleo had been more clever than she had originally thought. To interact with someone so closely linked to the blonde's and prince's past was dangerous. And then to engage in a heated argument that led to an assault by them was mad. Yona was taken aback. She had never known Cleo to be the aggressive type. Despite her title as an assassin, the woman was very soft-spoken.
"One report says the vile seductress berated the man for his family's financial failing," The magazine had an interview with two witnesses. They were incredibly biased in both directions. "While another claims the man acted like a perverted pig. And that the heiress was only defending herself."
The fact that her former boss' son assaulted Cleo was insane. A man from her past who she had once dated was caught harming her. The woman who welcomed her all those years ago and treated her like a sister. It made her mind spin. She didn't know whether to be angry at him or her. Everything that was happening made her want to contact Cleo immediately. She had to find out how the assassin came across the Bryant heir. And she needed to warn the woman to stay far, far away from him.