Chapter 58

Story 33. The Maid of the Forbidden Place (1)

Chapter 58

“Alright, Juya, I will see you later.”

Eriez understood me perfectly, and he moved fast. Eriez knew the geography of this area very well, and he was even more aware of even the smallest alleyways in the eastern district where he used to work.

After Eriez left, Prince Camille asked me, “Juya… What will you do next?”

I hugged him tightly. The sweet scent of his hair tickled my nose, trying to hide my feelings, I raised my voice. “… Your highness, I will be here for you to listen to whatever truth and honest opinion you want to share, so… Would you consider stopping taking that special drug?”

“…”

Just being near him made me feel intoxicated. He smelled of that distinct odor, and the prince looked even more delicious with it. I added quietly, “It might feel comforting to let yourself run free because of that drug, but it will be only a matter of time before you lose yourself to it… I would never want something like that to happen to you, Your Highness. I… I would never want that.”

I wondered if the prince understood what I was trying to say.

***

Afterward, I spent my days in the prince’s quarters. I didn’t return to the Innocent Ones’ selamlique, but even then, I could feel the atmosphere changing within my brothers.

As we got closer to the Sacred Day, I noticed that the outer walls of the prince’s quarters are being damaged by stones and sticks. Some servants reported to me that they witnessed suspicious shadows looking down from the roofs.

Strange loud noise from the ground, which hasn’t happened in a while, was heard again. On top of that, there were hysterical sounds somewhere outside, making me feel tense and anxious.

Everyone was tense.

Me, those on my side, and our enemies…

Then finally, the servant announced to me, “The Innocent Ones are waiting outside and are requesting to see you, Iztal Juya…” It was the same situation as before. It was like a déjà vu. If I didn’t go out, they would insist on having the prince come out instead and explain everything. If I went out, they would beat me up like last time until Eriez or his buddies would come to rescue me. Maybe this time, Hakim Karid would appear to stop the fight.

This was precisely what the defector would want.

Thus, this time, I went out to the garden with his highness. When my brothers saw me, they talked all at once, “Hey! There you are! So I hear the Virtuous Priestess is stored here somewhere! When will she be leaving? Are you trying to hide her this upcoming Sacred Day again? You are using the priestess!”

“Juya, you dog! We were wondering why we haven’t seen you lately, and now we know why! You are with the prince now! Did you eat him up too? What a sl*t you are! Your taste in men changes too quickly, don’t you think?”

“So is it true that Prince Camille and the Virtuous Priestess are sleeping with each other? Are you part of this orgy, Juya? Hahahaha…!”

“Wait, there are odalisques too, aren’t there… So there are more than three of you… That’s so hot! What an orgy it must be! Let us join you!”

They no longer deserved the name “The Innocent Ones.” However, when they saw the prince following behind me, my brothers quieted down.

Prince Camille asked, “What are they talking about?”

I answered, “It’s nothing, Your highness. They are just talking nonsense. Just baseless rumors. Your highness, please return inside so you can rest. I will take care of them.”

“But Juya… Last time…”

“I will be inside very soon, so there is no need for you to worry.”

I considered dragging this out to frustrate them, but their language was not fit for the prince. I spotted Iztal Nairim, who was standing awkwardly in the corner. When I glared at him, he saw me and flinched.

After the prince left for his library, I noticed that Nairim and his friends left the garden. I said to the rest of the brothers, “Gosh… I can’t believe you guys still believe these stupid rumors. Are you saying that the Virtuous Priestess is here? How ridiculous! Did Manar tell this to you guys? He did, didn’t he?”

“So it’s not true? Is that what you are telling us, Juya?”

“Well, if you want to find out for yourselves, then why don’t you come in and look for her?”

“Huh? You bastard… Are you running away?!”

Without looking back, I followed the prince’s footsteps. No one was stopping the brothers, so I could hear them right behind me. I told the servants in advance not to prevent or fight the brothers unnecessarily. Before I reached the library, I met with the prince. Hugging him tightly, we threw ourselves against the secret door.

“Huhhh… Juya! But what if those people see us and enter here too…”

The prince was worried that they could see us, but I was doing this on purpose. In fact, I hoped that they would follow us.

When a noise resounded, the secret door slid open, and when I sent the prince inside, I pushed down the tables and decorations around me on the floor so it would impede those cashing us.

“Your highness, is there somewhere safe to hide inside the secret place?”

“N-no… Not anymore, because you told me to get rid of any dangerous spaces…”

“Then you need to go to where Hawaki is right now! I will distract them a little before following you.”

“But even if we go there, what could we do…”

“You need to hurry up!”

The prince seemed doubtful of my plan, but he had no choice but to do as I asked. I remembered the layout of this secret space and where certain items were. Even after the cleanup, the burning smell was still strong in the rooms in the middle. In one place, many jars of alcoholic substances were stored safely.

I found them and poured all of them on the floor. The overwhelming smell filled the air, and those who weren’t used to the odor would feel dizzy. This could buy me some time.

I saw the brothers scrambling to follow me from afar. After making sure that they saw me, I ran towards the small storage room that led down to where the women were staying. Instead of opening the door on the floor, leading to where the women are staying, I covered the door using a metal lid and opened another one that led to another room.

There was a set of stairs that looked much sturdier than before thankfully. I went down, and when I spotted the brothers at the end of the hallway, I yelled at them, “Hey! You idiots! I’m right here!”

When they first saw me, they looked confused. I felt a little embarrassed, afraid that it was too evident that I was trying to trap them. However, they had no choice but to follow me, and they did. Did they realize how odd this was? They were all trying to get through the secret door in the library, yet I appeared from a completely different place and was calling for them.

Thankfully, they were too stupid to know. All they did was scream and come after me.

“Get him!”

When I was sure they were all running towards me, I went back up the stairs to get to the small storage room. Again, I pushed down anything I could find on the floor, so it would be hard for them to follow me. The servants cleaned the area thoroughly, but they obviously couldn’t clear out the smell completely. Before I became dizzy from it, I opened the heavy door next to the ladder. I was about to go down the ladder when suddenly, I saw one of the brothers throw their daggers at me.

“…!”