Chapter 142 – Between Us Are Secrets (1)
As I kept staring at the writing on the report, my eyes started to hurt and I returned to my room. I had been feeling dizzy. These days, my eyes continuously throbbed when I looked at the dense characters.
“I haven’t tidied up the room yet, Your Majesty.”
“It’s fine.”
I dismissed the maid and lay down on my bed. She already cleaned the room three times a day anyway, and the room was always clean. As I leaned against my bed and pressed my eyes, I caught sight of blue feathers on the window sill.
‘Did Heinley send a letter?’
It reminded me of the blue bird that was Queen’s friend. I approached the window on my knees and studied it. The only blue bird that came in my room was Heinley’s, but I didn’t see the bird anywhere. Instead, I spied something reddish on the wall below the window.
‘Blood?’
My own blood seemed to chill, and I hesitantly stretched out my fingers. I touched the red stain. As soon as I felt the liquid on my fingertips, I quickly withdrew my hand and looked at my fingers again.
It was clearly blood. It was even still wet!
‘No…!’
Did the blue bird get hurt when it came here? Several days ago, Sovieshu had warned that any birds that came near my window would be shot with arrows. I leaned my head out the window and looked downwards, but no bodies were seen. That didn’t alleviate my anxiety though, and I went outside and searched through the western palace gardens.
There was no bird at the area beneath my window. Was it a coincidence? I went back to my room and left the window open just in case, and asked Laura to keep watch for any birds.
At work, however, I still couldn’t concentrate.
“You look tired, Your Majesty.”
Even my deputy advised me to go in and rest. I took his council and hurried back to my room after I finished all my essential work as the empress.
“Lady Laura. Are there any birds that flew here?”
Laura shook her head.
“No. I sat by the window all this time, but none came.”
Was I overreacting? Laura stood up and left, and I took her place in the chair and looked out the bedroom window. I didn’t see any archers outside, but that didn’t mean anything. I was sure that Sovieshu’s men concealed themselves when watching the area.
As my gaze was fixed on the empty sky, I suddenly heard a noise from the parlor room. I closed the window and went out, only to find one of Sovieshu’s servants standing in the parlor room with a food cart. On it was a large round plate with a silver lid. Countess Eliza and Laura were standing beside him.
“What’s going on?”
I turned to Countess Eliza, but the servant quickly answered in her place.
“His Majesty the Emperor ordered this to be delivered to you.”
“Food?”
Why this so suddenly? The servant smiled and uncovered the plate.
“This.”
Sitting on the plate was a roast bird. The aroma of spices wafted in the air as soon as the lid was removed.
“Wow! It looks delicious!”
I heard Laura clapping in delight. But my mind was blank. My eyes could only see the blue feathers ornamenting the roast.
“…”
“Your Majesty?”
Blue feathers…roast bird…
The sight of dark golden oil and red and green fruits never looked so sickening. I looked at the plump legs and body of the bird, and bile rose to my mouth.
“Ugh!”
“Your Majesty!”
I clamped my hand to my mouth as the ladies-in-waiting ran over to me. My vision seemed to turn white, and the sight of roast meat seemed to swirl in front of my eyes.
Blue feathers, blue feathers…red blood under the window and blue feathers…!
“No…ah, no!”
“Your Majesty!”
“Doctor! Get a doctor! Hurry!”
The sound of a bell, someone running but with far away footsteps, the slam of a door opening and closing all like a dizzy party dance—
Someone held me and thumped me on the back, but my senses kept falling away as if my soul was already halfway out of my body.
***
‘Bird?’
Rashta was on her way to the southern palace when she spotted a small creature that had fallen on the lawn. The bird’s body was pierced by a large arrow.
‘Is someone hunting here?’
She frowned. Her etiquette teacher had told her that hunting in the palace was prohibited, and the rule applied to everyone—slaves, commoners, and n.o.bles. She approached the bird in wonder.
“Poor thing.”
Rashta was not very interested in birds, but it was her first time seeing one with such blue feathers.
‘Rashta would look like a n.o.ble to raise such a bird in a golden cage.’
Like Duke Elgy…
‘What?’
Why did she think that raising this bird would make her look like a n.o.ble? She realized that this was not her first time seeing a blue bird. There had been one with Duke Elgy before.
‘It looks like the bird from then.’
Rashta looked around, took a step closer to the bird, then was startled when the bird opened its eyes and broke into a sad cry. The bird was alive. Not only that, there was a small note tied to its leg.
‘Is that the bird Duke Elgy uses as a messenger?’
She hesitated, stretched out her hand, and pulled the letter out. If this was for Duke Elgy, it would have to be delivered. She opened and read it while walking to the duke’s room.
-If there is some difficult matter you are going through, thinking about it breaks my heart.
-If you share your suffering with me, Mckenna will squeeze out his wisdom for you.
It didn’t look like it was about anything important…but it seemed to be a love letter.
‘Was this sent by Duke Elgy’s girlfriend?’
Rashta tilted her head, and when she arrived at his room she delivered the letter.
“What is it?”
“Rashta picked it up on the way back.”
“Wow. That’s exciting.”
He thought that she was playing games with him, and he smiled and opened the letter. After a moment, his brow furrowed, and he looked back at her.
“Where did you find this?”
“It was tied to a blue bird.”
The duke’s expression darkened, and Rashta was convinced that the bird was indeed meant for him.
“A bird?”
“It was. .h.i.t by an arrow and it was on the ground—”
Duke Elgy jumped to his feet before she could finish speaking. He ran out of the room, leaving her behind, before finally coming back with the injured bird in his arms. She looked warily at it, sure that the bird would soon die.
“Is it the Duke’s bird?”
“Ah. My bird, yes. Thank you.”
He placed the bird on the bed, took a bottle of liquor from the shelf, and poured it on the bird’s wound. The bird screeched and writhed in pain. He finally stopped, then he turned to Rashta apologetically.
“I can’t treat the bird when you’re here. Can you go back?”
“Can’t Rashta help?”
“I can take care of it. Oh. And thank you for retrieving the letter, as well as your story. ”
He paused for a moment before continuing again.
“Did you read the letter?”
“Oh…I…”
“It’s alright. If you find a fallen letter, read it to your heart’s content.”
Rashta gave a cute smile, and Duke Elgy put his finger to his mouth conspiratorially.
“Keep the contents of the letter secret. I don’t want anyone to know I have this relations.h.i.+p with the owner.”
Owner? Who was it…? Rashta was curious, but she nodded and left. When she returned to her room, she called for Viscountess Verdi.
“Lady Verdi. Do you happen to know who McKenna is?”
“McKenna?”
“I think it’s someone connected to Duke Elgy.”
Viscountess Verdi replied that she didn’t know, but Arian—a new but experienced maid— spoke up.
“The McKenna a.s.sociated with Duke Elgy is likely Heinley I’s a.s.sistant.”
“Heinley I? King Heinley?”
“Yes. He is a close friend of Duke Elgy, and is King Heinley’s closest aide.”
Rashta recalled meeting Prince Heinley when he stayed at the palace. Back then, there was also another man with blue hair that stuck to Heinley like a magnet. Was that him? She recalled the words Duke Elgy said to her earlier.
– Keep the contents of the letter secret. I don’t want anyone to know I have a relations.h.i.+p with the owner.
The words echoed constantly in her mind. A letter that seemed to whisper love and could not be shared…
Rashta covered her mouth in embarra.s.sment.