Chapter 7

***

Once Sez returned, Runa made sure to give her a complete once-over before speaking.

"Something must have happened, Your Royal Highness! Goodness, you look pale!"

Sez did her best to explain. She looked pale because she had minor indigestion, not because Rayton did something to her. He was rather kind to escort her back to her place. Technically, she wasn't lying.

Runa just looked at Sez, her eyes almost comically wide. It must be surprising to Runa that Rayton actually brought her back to her quarters.

“Are you sure nothing happened?” Runa's eyes reached the jewel box in Sez's arms.

Sez had to gloss over it. "It looked too humble for a prince's birthday gift, so…"

Sez had assumed that this would bring Runa some relief, but she didn't back off easily. This time, she questioned Sez about the participants. The only other face she saw apart from Lisette and Rayton was Owsen, the head steward, who occasionally visited just to deliver the emperor’s words.

“The same as always then.”

Runa spoke, clicking her tongue. The truth was that the emperor always summoned Lisette to the inner palace on Rayton’s birthday, in contrast to any other day that he usually goes to meet her. Sez could come up with two reasons. One was that he didn’t want to meet Rayton face to face, and the other was that he didn’t like Lisette celebrating her son’s birthday.

Runa also said that it only had been a couple of years since she was allowed to start holding a humble party for Rayton. Sez thought Rayton indeed had a slightly worse life than her, thinking about her own shabby party that only she attended apart from her mother.

“So, the head steward was there?” Runa was worried again, saying Owsen had a close relationship with Yerna.

‘Is there anyone in this palace who isn’t close to her?’

Sez thought blankly, seeing Runa being so wary of her mother. True, she’d beat the hell out of Sez once she found out, but that’s it. Sez wasn’t too scared of taking a few slaps as she did back in her childhood days.

What Sez didn't know was, that her mother was much madder than a few slaps could fix.

***

Yerna came at dawn.

"You insubordinate bitch!"

BAM!

A sudden slap knocked a drowsy Sez across her bed. Her cheek was on fire.

"How dare you cross me! Did you really think you could just sneak out to that damned Rayton's birthday? Right under my nose?!"

Yerna yanked Sez’s gleaming hair. Sez was slammed, rolled, and finally thrown against the floor like a ragdoll.

"Mistress!"

Runa ran in, her face white as snow. She managed to carefully put herself between the two, but Yerna kept slapping her.

"Calm down, mistress. I beg you..."

Sez held her burning cheek and stared at Runa's back. At this age in her past life, she feared her mother's violence more than anything. It was Runa who always protected the trembling girl. She was not the same little girl, however. She had seen much worse.

‘Hell, I even felt my head get cut off!’

While still hurt, it wasn't unbearable. She was kind of a specialist when it came to being beaten, anyway.

"You too, Runa! Ungracious bitches!"

Sez frowned as Yerna slapped Runa. While she didn't care about herself getting beaten, Runa was a different matter. Sez blocked Runa with her petite body.

"Mother, I'm sorry. Please leave Runa out of it, she has nothing to-"

Yerna cut off her words by mercilessly kicking and stomping her. Sez yelped and crumbled as Yerna kicked at her ribs. Breathing like an angry hippo, Yerna's glare pierced her daughter who was crouching in pain.

"That slut Lisette always looks down on me and now you’re siding with her."

Yerna was angry because Sez seemed to be getting along with both Lisette and Rayton. That was obvious. Yerna didn't like them. But she also didn't like Sez either. From her perspective, it was like a trinity of asshats screwing her over at the same time.

'No wonder she's so mad.' Sez thought.

Yerna had big ambitions and an equally sized inferiority complex. The emperor kept favoring that vulgar dancer who had given birth to a son, while Yerna had a daughter. If the emperor visited Yerna once in a while, maybe Sez's life would have been less miserable.

Yerna entered the palace before Lisette, but the emperor had no interest in her. She couldn't bear a royal offspring. It was a miracle that Yerna even got impregnated.

For the first time since her first night... the drunken emperor got into bed with Yerna, and she had a baby. It was a daughter.

Sometimes Yerna was consoled by those around her.

''At least Princess Sez is much better than a cursed son. Actually, a daughter has her uses if you marry her off to a good house."

“...”

Those words always made Yerna want to knock the stuffing out of Sez while cussing that she was not outstandingly beautiful nor sociable, and her speech was slow and awkward too.

She never suspected that her own constant violence made her daughter like that. To Yerna, Sez's depression, sociophobia, and aphasia were not the result of childhood trauma. It just meant her daughter was as useless as trash.

The bigger the gap between her ideals and reality, the larger the rage. Fortunately, Yerna had a perfect punching bag to take her frustration out on. Her daughter.

"You had to stick your nose in and grow feelings for that damned thing?"

'I'm twelve though... isn't it a bit too early to grow feelings?'

Sez had such useless thoughts as she was getting beaten.

"Why did it have to be Lisette? Why Rayton? Of all the princes!"

"Please, mother, I'm sorr-"

"You're endangering not only yourself but me also! Don't you get it, you little shit?!"

'Well, she's not wrong.'

Sez thought. The emperor didn't like Rayton, so it wasn't advisable to stick close to him.

"I... I didn't think that far. I was just bored and alone in the palace so..."

"Then you should have shoved your head into a book like you always do!"

Excuses didn't work at all. Sez decided to shut up obediently and endure it. She made a mental note that she would get kicked more for talking back.

Sez endured a ruthless beating as tears dripped down her face. Of course, the tears were fake.

However, Runa saw her crying and grit her teeth, then stood up to hold Yerna back. Her heart must have sunk as she saw Sez crying. Sez pulled at the hem of Runa's dress.

"..."

“..….”

The two made eye contact. Sez spoke wordlessly.

'Don't-do-it. I'm-o-kay.'

Runa's eyes widened as Sez took the beating silently.

"Do it again and I'll break your legs in half!"

That was the eighteenth time Yerna had said that. In other words, the beating was nearing its end. Sez lifted her head a little and saw Yerna panting. Her hair was everywhere.

'She looks tired. Then I'll...’

"Kyaaa!"

Sez yelped in pain as she was yanked by her hair again.

Had Yerna still not cooled off yet? Did she want to go for another beating?

Right as she was about to panic... Yerna slammed Sez's head against the bedpost.

"No, Your Highness!"

Upon hearing Runa scream, Sez raised her head dumbfoundedly.

Drip, drip, drip...

'Yep, that's blood.'

A pretty good amount, too. Yerna hesitated slightly. Maybe she wasn’t planning to go this far... but that didn't mean she going to apologize to Sez for it. Yerna glared down at Sez and Runa for a moment before exiting the room.

"Good, now you won't be able to leave your room with that face. That's what you get for going against me!”

That was all she said as she left.

"Oh, dear... Your Royal Highness..."

Runa was a second away from crying. Sez didn't answer, staring at the carpet soaking up her blood. Yerna was right. It might be best to stay in her room with this face... but she couldn't afford to as she had to meet Rayton today. It was the first day of his Kazarkish lessons.

"I'll call the physician right away-"

"Is she gone?"

"Your Royal Highness?"

"My mother. Is she gone for good?"

Runa jumped up and checked the hallway, perhaps she thought Sez was still in deep fear.

"Yes, she’s gone. So don't worry for now and… Your Royal Highness?"

Runa's eyes widened as Sez suddenly ripped the bottom of her dress. Sez rolled up the fabric and stuffed it into her nostril.

“Runa, I'm going out for a minute.”

“What do you mean?! Didn't you hear what your mother said?”

Runa looked as if she was about to faint. Sez felt sorry for worrying her for two days in a row, but she had no choice. Sez tied up her hair and held Runa’s hand tightly.

"I'm fine, really. So, you don't have to worry. It’s not the first time this has happened, right?"

“Your Highness…?”

"And thank you. But don’t act like that from now on. I don’t care about being beaten but I hate to see you getting hit."

“...”

"It'll be noon soon, my mother’s teatime. She won’t return until at least late noon. I'll be back before then. I promise."

Sez finished spewing out her words and scurried out. Runa stared at her back blankly.

‘Is she the same princess I knew?’

Only after that Runa’s jaw dropped did she realize that Sez hadn’t told her where she was headed.

***

Sez hurriedly walked to the west library.

While she didn't know the exact time, she remembered seeing him there in the early morning. It was close to noon and she feared she was already late. Sez was worried that he would take this to his advantage and stand her up. He wasn’t too happy about the tutoring, in the first place.

Sez paused to catch her breath. Her head was still numb after the beating. This was a whole new experience for Sez as she was only used to a couple of slaps. Her nosebleed showed no signs of stopping as well.

Sez sighed and further tore the hem of her dress, stuffing it into her bleeding nose. The previous one was already useless, drenched in blood.

‘I’m such an idiot, I could’ve just asked Runa to bring some bandages.’

“...”

Sez stumbled through the door. The library was empty as always. Sez passed through the entryway and walked through the bookshelves. Sez was relieved as she headed to the seat by the largest window. Someone was standing there. Rayton - not to her surprise.

She stood in front of him.

“Brother.”

Sez managed to draw out a bright tone.

“I’m here!”

Suddenly, a deep wrinkle ran between Rayton’s eyebrows. Rayton murmured things like ‘damn it’ and ‘blasted’ before lifting his head.

“...”

Then, he made a weird expression.