Ch. 39 - Another Trial

Ch. 39 - Another Trial
Lucian gasped. Riven immediately looked at the king, who was still naked. He quickly took Lucian's clothes and helped him get dressed.

"Why did he come here?" Lucian muttered as he hastily put on his clothes.

Once he was done, Riven immediately stepped away. Lucian cleared his throat before allowing Grant to enter the study adjacent to the room. He quickly made his way there.

Grant entered the study and glanced at Riven, who looked pale and exhausted. Despite the smile on his face, he remained silent before greeting Lucian.

"Forgive me, Your Majesty. This is very urgent," said Grant.

Lucian sat in his chair and motioned for Grant to sit. "What is it?"

"It's about the request from the kings of the neighboring kingdoms regarding the continued trial of Emeria," Grant said.

Lucian took a deep breath. He had been avoiding this topic because he himself was uncomfortable thinking about it. But he stared intently at Grant for a moment, making the general uneasy.

"I don't know why they're in such a hurry," Lucian said.

Grant looked at Lucian. "Is there a reason to delay it? The sooner, the better."

Lucian turned away, exhaling sharply. He knew how much Grant hated Emeria, hated Elena. He felt the same way, but the main enemy was dead, Emeria was destroyed, and he had lost his reason to put Elena on trial.

There was another reason.

Something that held him back—something that made him question himself.

"They will arrive soon. I beg you to prepare everything immediately, Your Majesty," said Grant.

Lucian remained silent.

Grant looked at the king, clearly dissatisfied. "You won’t change your mind, will you, Your Majesty?"

Lucian tapped his fingers on the table. His mind was racing.

"Whatever happens, we will lose our strength, and there could be another war if you don’t grant their request."

Lucian nodded. He knew the consequences all too well. He had received military aid from those kingdoms. They each had their own hatred and reasons for defeating Emeria. But their demands were suffocating him.

Gaulle was free, victorious, yet still oppressed.

He disliked this situation.

"Take a rest, General. We’ll discuss this again tomorrow." Lucian couldn’t make a decision right now.

"They are on their way here. I just wanted to inform you."

Lucian glared at Grant. "Shouldn’t you have reported this to me first? How could you receive guests without consulting me?"

Grant bowed respectfully. "Forgive me, but I know you want to resolve everything properly. Sooner or later, we must decide the fate of that slave."

Lucian clenched his fists.

Riven, standing not far from them, could sense the tension between the two. Lucian was unusually harsh with Grant. But given the situation, it was complicated. Especially considering Lucian’s recent relationship with Elena, Riven was sure the king had other plans. Meanwhile, Grant knew he couldn’t let Elena go.

Grant then excused himself and left. He bowed respectfully and walked out. He looked at Riven, gave him a small bow, and smiled slightly.



Three days passed.

Elena felt that her body had recovered. When Michelle examined her, she was no longer giving her medicine. She was relieved that the girl was finally well.

Elena had been planning to return to the mining site for a few days, fearing Lucian would be angry if she appeared lazy. She had come up with many reasons to stop herself from going. Lucian didn’t want her to work until she was fully recovered, but he also didn’t want the girl to know he cared.

It was truly troublesome. But Michelle always managed to calm Elena down.

"You don’t need to go to the mining site," Michelle assured her.

"But I’m healthy now. I can work."

Michelle nodded. "True, but it’s better if you work inside the palace. You don’t need to go to the mining site anymore."

Elena fell silent for a moment. "But His Majesty told me that if I’m healthy, I should go back to work at the mining site."

Michelle sighed. "You’ll get hurt again if you go back there. Trust me. Rest for a week, then you can work again inside the palace."

"Are you sure that’s okay?" Elena asked, just to be certain. She didn’t want Michelle or herself to be punished for resting too much.

Michelle nodded. "Trust me."

Hera, who overheard, was also happy and couldn’t hide her excitement. "Oh, I’m so glad we’re not going back there. I don’t want to see that pervert again!"

Elena chuckled. She was just as happy—much happier than Hera—because she remembered how the captain had made her heart beat uncomfortably. Now, she could breathe easy.

They hugged each other in joy. But then Elena noticed something.

Michelle looked pale. Elena and Hera exchanged glances, then pulled the woman closer.

"What’s wrong? Are you sick?" Elena asked.

Michelle was startled by the sudden question. With a smile on her face, she shook her head. "No, I’m fine."

Hera stared intently at Michelle’s face. "You look like you haven’t slept in a week, Michelle! How can you say you’re fine? Come on, tell us what happened?"

Michelle lowered her head, trying to smile. Hera had never been gentle, but like Elena, she was clearly worried. Finally, Michelle spoke.

"I didn’t want to say anything. But my daughter’s condition has worsened recently," she said softly. She struggled to hold back tears.

Hera immediately hugged her. She knew the story of Michelle’s daughter, who could only lie in bed now.

Elena looked down. While Hera comforted Michelle, she was lost in thought. Guilt haunted her. All of this had happened because of her father. That man had tortured Michelle’s daughter. Was she even worthy of comforting that woman?

Elena looked at Michelle, who was still talking to Hera, and wiped away her tears. That woman was so genuinely caring. If Michelle had been vengeful, she could have tormented Elena from the very first day—but she hadn’t.

She was such a kind woman. So why was she still facing such hardship?

"Why, Father? How could you be so cruel?" Elena felt a heavy weight on her chest.

Elena grabbed Michelle’s arm. Her eyes were filled with tears.

"I’m sorry, Michelle." Elena felt uneasy and lowered her head again.

Michelle looked at the girl and quickly took her hand. "Why are you apologizing? It’s not your fault." Despite her sadness, she still tried to comfort Elena.

But those words couldn’t erase her guilt so easily.

"If His Majesty permits, I want to see your daughter, Michelle."

Michelle nodded. "Of course. Please don’t blame yourself. I know your nature and character are very different from your late father’s."

Elena couldn’t say anything. Nothing could measure her regret and guilt. She had reached the point where she was willing to give up her life to repay her father’s actions.

"Have you told His Majesty?" Hera asked.

Michelle shook her head. "No. It’s not necessary."

But Hera always found a way to get what she wanted. She approached Riven and told him what had happened to Michelle. She was sure Riven would tell Lucian.

And that’s exactly what happened.

Lucian summoned Michelle to ask about her daughter. Michelle, of course, wouldn’t hide anything from Lucian. But she was clearly confused about how he knew.

"Her condition is very bad, Your Majesty. She can’t eat anything. I’m afraid she—" Michelle couldn’t continue. Tears welled up in her eyes again, but she quickly wiped them away.

Lucian could feel her sadness. He took a deep breath. "Bring her to the palace. I will summon the royal doctor to examine her."

Michelle stared at Lucian for a moment, making sure she wasn’t dreaming. Royal doctors were only for members of the royal family. She was just a lowly servant.

"Oh, Your Majesty..."

"You’ve taken care of me all this time. I can only give what I can. I can’t promise anything else." Lucian continued, "I hope the royal doctor can help."

Michelle couldn’t hide her gratitude. She bowed respectfully and thanked Lucian repeatedly.

After Lucian dismissed Michelle, he immediately asked Riven to arrange for Michelle’s daughter to be brought to the palace and to prepare a room for her.

Riven nodded and turned to leave. But Lucian stopped him.

"What is your relationship with Elena?" Lucian asked suddenly.

Riven froze, confused. "Excuse me?"

"You got that information from that girl, didn’t you?"

Riven immediately understood. He looked at Lucian, who appeared stiff and expressionless, but he knew the man disliked that Elena had told him.

Riven forced a smile. "It wasn’t Elena. Her servant told me."

Lucian nodded. Though his expression was flat, he seemed relieved.

Riven bowed respectfully before leaving. Lately, Lucian had started using Elena’s name more often than calling her “slave.”