Life as a Tower Maid: Locked up with the Prince - Chapter 13

TM has been completely translated on Patreon

Chapter 13

Translator: Yonnee

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After taking in a deep breath, I opened the door to the bedroom. Then, as I descended the attic ladder’s steps, I saw Albert, who was reading a book.

He had been concentrating on his book with his monocle on his eye, but he turned to me.

“What’s wrong, Rosé?”

“I need to sew.”

I laughed nervously as I picked up the sewing basket inside the room.

Looking at me closely, Albert Rosé from his seat.

“Your face is pale.”

“I’m fine.”

I tried to smile, but I had one hand clutched over my stomach. Oh, it hurts so much.

“Well it looks like you have a stomachache.”

“…I’ll be honest. I think what I ate earlier isn’t sitting right with me, Your Highness. It hurts.”

“You did eat in a hurry. What are you trying to do, though? Why do you need that basket?”

“I need… to prick my finger. Prince, may I talk to you after this?”

Smiling awkwardly, I slowly moved to the attic ladder with the basket in my hands.

With a stiff jaw as though he couldn’t understand what I was doing, Albert asked me again.

“You’ll… prick your finger?”

“Yes, please let me do that first.”

“…Okay then.”

Albert didn’t seem to understand the purpose of pricking one’s finger, but I couldn’t worry about explaining to him first.

I’m dying, okay? Dying. Anyway, I decided not to hide anymore because I really needed to get rid of the pain.

I groaned and took out a needle. It was a needle for sewing clothes—well, it was perfect for the job.

Disinfection is a must. I hovered the tip over a candle flame first that Albert had left on next to the bed.

He was just looking at me without saying a word.

That’s understandable. I don’t think it’s common in this time and place to prick fingers.

“If Your Highness feels sick later, you can do the same thing. It’s very effective, so it’s a good remedy.”

“What the hell are you going to do with that needle…”

I raised my hand and pricked my finger with it.

At that moment, black blood flowed out as I felt a slight sting.

Wow, so I guess that stomachache was actually really bad.

Albert had been standing behind me, but he instantly moved closer to me. He held me from behind, reached out for the needle I used to prick myself, and took it away from me.

It looked like he was giving me a back hug.

Albert muttered with a low voice.

“Rosé, what are you doing?”

The air sank coldly even though I couldn’t see his face.

With him holding me, I felt goosebumps running up my spine.

“I-I just pricked my finger… because I wasn’t feeling well…”

“And what does that have to do with injuring yourself with a needle?”

Albert grabbed my wrist lightly, focusing on my index finger.

Blood was still trickling down from the top.

His cold voice made me nervous as he continued to stare while holding onto my wrist.

I blanked out as I realized I’m being interrogated for a mistake I didn’t even realize I made.

“It’s a folk remedy…”

“So you don’t mean to do anything more?”

“What else would I do? Your Highness, my life is precious to me.”

I was feeling quite unfair because Albert’s tone was so accusatory.

He moved away from my side and went in front of me. He was still holding my wrist.

Then, he sat in front of me and made an order with a clear voice.

“Rosé, look at me.”

It was only then that I realized he was someone who was truly going to be a king. What he’d shown so far was only a fraction of his presence.

He knew how to control people with just the tone of his voice. My heart pounded heavily.

“Look at me.”

I couldn’t avoid looking at him anymore. I finally lifted my gaze and faced him.

The face I once thought had gotten softer was as cold as a glacier. His severe expression was so scary, and no matter how handsome he still was, I wanted to run away.

Those red eyes were more terrifying than they were beautiful.

The vicious gaze made me recall that he was someone who knew how to kill people.

He was the man who would kill Rosteratu and all of the king’s allies just so he could rise to the throne.

Even if those killings were justified, it’s not something that could be understood by someone who thought with a modern perspective. I never imagined killing anyone in my life.

“You’re not lying.”

Albert’s voice reached my ears.

Pretending to be calm even as my hands trembled so much, I replied.

“I-I’m not.”

I stammered anyway. At this rate, Albert would know what I was thinking.

And indeed, he went straight to the point.

“Are you afraid of me, Rosé?”

I didn’t want to say I was frightened of him, but it was difficult to avoid answering. I was too flustered to think of a good excuse.

When a person gets driven into a corner like this, it’s difficult to keep up pretenses like the usual.

“S-Some people are n-naturally like that, Your Highness. I understand.”

But what I said didn’t work.

Albert narrowed his eyes.

“So you are scared of me.”

Was it so important to verify if I was or not? My lips quivered as I replied.

“I think Y-Your Highness already knows the answer.”

“But you didn’t answer me directly. This is your chance to answer well.”

I was usually good at catching onto these things. Only then did I realize why Albert asked me again one last time.

He didn’t want to hear the truth.

He didn’t want to hear that I was afraid of him.

Why did he want to hear a lie when the truth was so obvious?

“Rosé.”

He called my name in a hurry.

And I finally opened my lips.

“I’m not scared. The Prince is so handsome after all. It’s okay since you’re handsome.”

My inner voice was screaming something different from what I just said, but after saying this, I visibly calmed down and seemed to be less frightened. And I think the atmosphere around Albert became more relaxed than earlier—or am I mistaken?

“Thanks, Rosé.”

Because you said what I needed to hear.

I think I could hear those words from him even as he didn’t say them directly. I gulped and nodded.