"His family might banish him to another kingdom to start anew after his prison sentence is completed."
"Well, he deserves it. If Orian didn’t intervene, then it would be that young lady’s future that will be ruined. I heard the victim is supposed to wed the son of a marquis. If she was discovered to be with another man’s child before marrying her fiance, I imagine the marquis would have her secretly killed to avoid tainting their reputation."
"Indeed, that punishment is well-deserved—"
Oriana was still in a state of shock while the servants chatted. "H-How did this happen?"
Because of a nobody like her, a nobleman was punished? Such an improbable tale of justice could only be found in novels and plays.
"How? That is the wrong question. You should ask who made it happen."
Oriana was not that dumb. If these servants were this happy and praised that incident, then it must be their master’s own handiwork.
"His Highness?" she asked.
"His Highness never spares anyone who offends him and his people," Neil spoke with a proud expression.
Just then, they heard the sound of someone running and Damien came towards them with a strange expression on his face.
Oriana found it funny. Every time she saw this man, he always seemed to be in a hurry. It appeared regardless if it was work or gossip, Damien was the one with the quickest feet.
"Neil, there you are! What are you doing?"
"My cousin just shared what happened during the morning royal court session. Why? Is Mister Roman calling for us?"
"Oh, no, no, not that. I have another piece of fresh news for you all. You won’t be able to believe what I heard. I just came from the royal pharmacy, you see..."
Those words caught the interest of everyone.
"Count Milton got injured!"
"What?"
"The Count was on his way back to his residence from the palace after the royal court session was over in the morning. For some reason, the horses of his carriage suddenly went crazy and brought his carriage outside of the capital. No one knows what happened but the Count was found in the forest by the royal knights. He fell out of the carriage, and the horses ran away and the coachman was missing as well. The Count was gravely hurt, and even after the Countess requested a royal physician to check on him, all physicians concluded his right hand was broken and left leg was completely crippled."
Everyone was shocked at the news.
"He didn’t even get the chance to get over what happened with his eldest son yet another disaster struck him before he could go home. Tsk. Can you imagine what the state of their household is in right now—"
Oriana’s shock gradually morphed into doubt because of a horrifying thought.
Was it not the Count’s right hand that slapped her? He seemed to have also used his left leg to kick her twice. A shiver ran down her spine.
’It can’t be just a coincidence. Did he...did he do it...?’
"Orian?" Neil called her, seeing her in a daze. "Are you pitying that cruel man who hit you?"
She shook her head as she was not that forgiving. That man blamed and hit her to save his son—he was even going as far as to kill her. Such cruel people, who treat people of lesser birth like garbage, deserved no mercy from her.
However, Oriana understood that in this world, lives were not created equal. In Walter Milton’s eyes, it was righteous to protect his own blood kin, even if his son had been the one in the wrong.
The Count might not be a good person, but he was at least a doting father.
Oriana didn’t know what to feel after hearing this news.
After eating and taking a short break in the rear garden, Oriana returned to the library. She opened the sixth book on her stack, but instead of paying attention to the content inside, her mind was somewhere else.
Unknown to her, she was waiting for her master to return.
’Does he often return late? Is it normal that he stays outside like at the Ahrens? It’s been three days since I started working in the palace, added to the few days of me serving him at the Ahrens, I guess I have been his servant for a week.
’So much has happened, yet I don’t know anything of worth about him, not to mention his name.’
Something clicked in her mind as she looked at the book in her hand.
’There must be a book here about the royal family!’ She looked at the numerous books on the shelves of the library. ’I am sure I will find something useful among them.’
Just as she thought about searching for them, the door of the library opened. Her handsome master entered the study.
’He is back?!’ She gaped. ’When did he? Why didn’t Mister Roman or the other servants call for me to welcome him?’
Arlan, who had already changed into comfortable clothes— a white shirt with its long sleeves rolled up to his forearms and a pair of fitting black pants— walked towards her. He gazed at the woman sitting on the carpeted floor and was surrounded by books and sheets of paper.
She hurried to stand up but she heard him say, "Keep sitting."
Oriana obeyed. "Welcome back, Your Highness."
Arlan simply nodded and walked towards her, making her feel nervous. She did her best, but what if he wasn’t satisfied with her work? Before coming to the city of Karlin, Oriana had never served nor worked under a person’s supervision before. This was her first time experiencing the anxiety of having a direct superior.
The prince kneeled on one leg and picked up a few pages of her notes. He observed them carefully, and his silence brought another wave of anxiety through Oriana.
"Handwriting is good, but the drawing...tsk!" He complained, "It’s hard to distinguish which herb it is. I can’t even tell if this is a flower or the open mouth of a ferocious monster."
’What the—’ Oriana tried her best to draw a reference image of the herb from the books, but she was being criticized for her efforts. "I am an herbalist, Your Highness, not a painter nor an artist!"
"Oh, are you raising your voice at me?"