In the Nest of the Fallen Serpent - Chapter 69

Schedule: Thurs and Sun

Chapter 69

‘It’s strange… Master…’ He called her a slave, and sometimes he was endlessly cruel and cold… Hilde touched the bandage on her left shoulder. It was almost healed now; she could raise her arm without pain. A faint flutter stirred in her chest.

‘Why am I like this today?’ She blinked, focusing on the patient before her, reining in her wandering thoughts. Everything was as usual. ‘But why are they always sleeping? Even in the middle of the day…’ She didn’t expect any reward, but it was a little disappointing not to see the joy on the faces of those whose wounds had healed.

‘Surely they haven’t been unconscious this whole time?’ Anxiety pricked at her. She turned around.

“Um, Aide.”

“Speak… Speak freely.” Moritz, who had almost used a formal address, quickly corrected himself.

“Have you ever seen the patients awake? They’re always asleep when I come…”

“Ah, that.” Moritz, about to answer carelessly, caught himself. “Of course. I’ve seen them awake many times. Don’t worry.” He stood straighter, hands clasped behind his back in a military posture. He looked more like a guard than a warden, but Hilde didn’t notice.

“That’s a relief… Thank you for telling me.” She smiled gently and turned back to her work.

Unlike the now-reassured Hilde, Moritz was sweating profusely. He was, after all, the one administering the pain-relieving sleeping draught to the injured before each of Hilde’s treatments. Furthermore, he was under strict orders from his lord to keep this a secret from her.

‘Mrs. Greta was right,’ Moritz thought, his hair practically standing on end. He’d been warned by her a few days prior.

‘His Lordship has asked that you take special care to ensure none of the…lesser soldiers give Hilde any trouble, simply because of the rumors that she’s a slave.’

At first, Moritz had been puzzled. The head housekeeper’s earnest plea seemed excessive for mere concern over a slave. But the reply to his question had been chillingly firm.

‘Hilde is special.’

‘Well, she is a bed slave, and she can use divine power, so it’s natural for His Lordship to grant her certain…considerations.’

‘No, Sir Lemon.’ Greta had interrupted before he could finish. ‘Hilde is special in a way you don’t understand.’

Then she had revealed something truly shocking. ‘His Lordship still hasn’t…taken the slave.’ And the reason? A mere shoulder wound.

A bed slave. Living in the same space. Available to attend to her master’s every whim. A slave, a prisoner of a conquered nation, no less. What repercussions could the Grand Duke possibly face, even if he were to use her and discard her, even if he were to kill her in the most brutal way imaginable? Yet this woman before him was living a life of almost unbelievable tranquility. In the embrace of the most ferocious and cruel serpent.

Moritz gulped, looking at Hilde with new eyes as she diligently worked. ‘She seems less like a slave, and more like…’ ‘…a lover in the early stages of a relationship.’ Good heavens. Moritz recoiled, appalled by his own thoughts. ‘I’ve lost my mind. What am I even thinking?’ He hastily banished the preposterous notion. The mere thought felt like an act of treason against his lord.

Yet, at the same time, he was immensely grateful for Mrs. Greta’s warning. Take, for instance, the hooded cloak the slave was wearing. ‘Such fine fabric…’ A garment worth dozens of gold pieces, tailored to fit her. The slave herself seemed utterly oblivious to how extraordinary that was…

‘I should reiterate my instructions, just to be safe.’ That evening, it was only natural that Moritz delivered a stern reminder to every knight and soldier stationed in the Grand Duke’s castle.

Benedict was in a foul mood. He simply couldn’t understand the source of his discontent. There was nothing particularly amiss.

“The castle repairs will be completed without delay, within the next week…”

“The new recruits have finished their training and will be deployed shortly.”

The reports continued, smooth and uninterrupted. He didn’t employ incompetent subordinates; such efficiency was to be expected. So why this lingering sense of unease?