Izrina's knuckles paled around the shovel, the shovel that she gripped ever so tightly like it will aid her in flying into the sky if push ever came to shove. She must have lost her mind to think she could trust the king's brother to keep her secret for her.
"Is that... the king?" The servant, who had been working with Izrina asked when he had confirmed. Quickly, he fixed his shirt and yanked the shovel from Izrina. The servant began shoving the horse manure with a loud grunt.
Izrina took slow steps back. She didn't know why the servant had decided to do that since he had asked her to pack the waste and feed the horses while he takes a quick nap, but this had to be the universe helping her somehow.
"Aldie?" Neron remarked with a tired sigh. "Do you not understand the concept of obeying orders?"
The prince chuckled softly, pushing the crutches towards Neron. "Since I don't, will you mind helping a stubborn younger brother out?" he tilted his head to the side, giving Neron a sheepish grin.
Neron didn't move immediately; he stared at the wooden stick then at his brother. He glanced up at the sky. "What crime did I commit in my past life to-" he moved his feet but stopped when he saw someone running towards them.
Izrina, on the other side, stared at the two brothers. She was going to run back inside the stable and hide, but she wanted to see if the king would abandon his brother on the ground! Was he that evil?
And just then, someone joined the royal family. It was none other than the head courtesan who was running with her dress in her hand.
Izrina turned around quickly, sitting on her heels, she pretended to pick up grasses. It wasn't just the king but also the mean Lady Fox, or was it Feyrne? Izrina's heart thumped against her chest, causing her eyes well up not with tears but fear.
Was this what Spinola meant when she asked her to stay alive? Had the woman seen the future and know this would happen? Izrina pulled the hard weeds with force to ensure people ignored her existence, or at least saw it as useful.
"Aldie!" Lady Feyrne cried, almost as if she didn't notice the king. The woman squatted beside the prince, pulling him up to her chest. "What are you doing out here in the cold?"
Aldrich moved his face, trying to smile despite the squeezing hug the woman gave to him. "I might not live... Feyrne.... there is something called bre-"
"What happened?" Feyrne moved back, placing her palm on his cheeks. "Your cheeks are red.... are you cold? Why are you sitting on the ground?"
Izrina turned her head to the side, still pretending to be very busy. She noticed the head courtesan had the prince cradled in her arms and the king was...
He was looking at them.
Izrina glanced at the woman and the prince again, then at the king. Something was different about his side view now. He was seriously staring at the duo like they had something he wanted. Something he longed to have.
"Is that Lady Feyrne and Prince Aldrich?" The servant murmured, pausing in his pretentious hard work. "The rumors must be true."
Izrina's working ear perked up with curiosity. She hopped closer to the source. "What rumors?" This time she tried to alter her voice so she would more like a man.
"The rumors of a prostitute who seduced someone from the royal family," the servant whispered.
Even Izrina's hurting ear twitched. She raised her brows, pressing her lips tightly, so she didn't gasp. The rumor was scandalous, but she didn't expect more from a palace that named fallen women doves and men couldn't control themselves around the whores either.
But more than that, Izrina was curious who the rumor was about. Though she had a wild guess, and it was that Lady Feyrne and the king shared a bed and at the moment the king was jealous seeing his plaything with his brother.
Was he jealous? Was that the reason for the intense glare? Izrina twitched her lips. She turned to get a closer look at the king. The head courtesan looked young because of the powder and paints that hid her face, including the tight way she pulled her hair back, which made her eyes look strained, further intensifying her mean gaze.
Izrina could tell that the woman was old enough to be the king's mother. Izrina felt sick to her stomach at the thought of it. This kingdom was really horrible, rotten to the core.
Feeling someone's eyes, Neron turned.
Izrina was faster. She turned her eyes away. Pulling the weeds fastidiously that tiny pebbles flew up hitting her face, but she didn't stop.
Neron traced his eyes from the two workers to the stable, to the duo before him. "You two can take this inside," he said to the two without looking at them.
It was then that Lady Feyrne noticed the king. She bowed. "Please forgive my-"
"I see Zeke is still alive." Neron interrupted. He sauntered towards the stable. "You kept him alive, after all."
Izrina's eyes tweaked when the king's voice came closer. Her hands could barely grab a grass without shaking. She was going to pass out before getting caught. Izrina could feel his presence. It was oppressive...and just....it made her heart race faster.
"Zeke!!"
A black horse from inside the stable neighed at the sound of its owners' voice, making soft kicks at the door.
Izrina got on her knees, this time bringing her face very close to the ground almost like she wanted to check if the stones were breathing.
"Good boy!" Neron clapped with pride when he noticed one servant awkwardly lying on the ground. He moved his head to the side and hummed but didn't stop walking to his horse. When he got to the stable, he opened the small door, letting the beast out.
"I thought I'd lost you, my boy." Neron rubbed the horse's body, making sure his face touched the horse's own. "You deserve a treat..." he ruffled scanning around for what to feed his horse.
"You over there." Neron pointed at the servant on the ground. Before he could say anything else, the other servant with a shovel ran across, stepping on Izrina's hand.
Izrina pulled her hand back, biting her inner cheek, so she didn't cry, but her hand turned red from the impact.
Neron noticed this action. He furrowed his brows when the servant on the ground didn't show sign of pain even after being stepped on. And that caught his attention. Taking a step closer to the servant, Neron tried to see the person's face, but the other servant stepped forward.
"Yes, your majesty." The servant curtsied. "I always make the horses here get cleaned up... particularly that one."
Neron moved his eyes from the servant's face to his horse. A single trace of annoyance on his forehead. "He has a name." He replied in a low, almost unheard tone.
"Ah!...yes... um...he is..." The servant stammered, feeling his neck get itchy from nervousness.
"Get on with it or get out of my face." Neron muttered with a sigh. Once the servant disappeared with speed from the King's presence, he went straight to feed the horse.
Meanwhile, Izrina remained a kiss away from getting under the ground. She moved on the ground like soldiers crawling into enemy's camp.
"Did you lose something precious?"
Izrina clenched her fist when she heard the voice above her. She shook her head in response.
Neron chuckled softly. "My days.... little one, you use words for a king."
"No.. ehm..." Izrina cleared her throat, trying to make her voice gruff. "No, Your Majesty."
Neron twitched his lips. "Showing the king your back equals treason and is punishable by death."
Time's up! Izrina reminded herself and with a quick, flexible jump she had learnt from dancing, she got on her feet.
"Good." Neron remarked with a smile. "Now...back to what I asked earlier. Did you lose something?"
Izrina couldn't hear him clearly. She tried to, but her racing heart made everything else noisy. This wasn't the first time she stood before the king. It was just the first time she was standing before him dressed as a boy.
"I'm sorry, Your Majesty." Izrina settled for an apology. Whatever it was the king had said, a servant had to always apologize. And at the moment she couldn't raise her eyes to look at his lips.
Neron frowned, but it was for a second. He reached for the servant's shoulder. "A man of this kingdom must not be weak," he stated.
Izrina felt the king move her shoulder until she faced him. She forgot how breathing worked.
"Keep your chin up, young boy. You have nothing to be afraid of."
Raising her face helped Izrina follow the King's lips, when she understood what he said. Izrina huffed a breath. The king thinks she is a boy?
"Do you understand me, young lad?"
Izrina's head bobbed up and down on her neck. "Yes...." she was happy. She couldn't contain her excitement. The king didn't find out. "Yes, your majesty."
"Good! Now, that's how you work for me. Always keep your head up."
If someone could look into Izrina's soul, they would see how she danced with so much joy. Spinola and Cora had worked hard for this, and it worked! The king didn't recognize her. And that means the prince hadn't betrayed her either. Izrina turned to look at the prince, and she found him staring at her worriedly.
'But it takes an idiot who has seen you twice not to recognize you even in those clothes...'
Izrina bit her lip to stop herself from laughing. The prince didn't need to worry because his brother was an idiot. The Supreme Emperor was an idiot. Izrina turned red from holding her laugh.
Deep in her mental jubilation, Izrina no longer concerned herself with the conversation between Lady Feyrne and a courtesan that had arrived. Or the glint that flashed in Neron's eyes as he watched her.
"Lady Feyrne." Just then, another courtesan arrived. Bowing to the prince first and Feyrne, she said, "We have the new girls assigned to the kitchen except one. Rina is missing."
Lady Feyrne narrowed her eyes. "Help me take the prince back to his room," the woman ordered. "And for the new girl, find out if she served any official and someone took her away last night."
"Yes, my lady."