# Chapter 03
Chapter 03
Vera was startled, as if she had been electrocuted, and looked at Cayena.
Had Cayena ever been so friendly with one of her servants?
“Your hands are cracked,” said Cayena, grabbing Vera's hand and looking around.
Seeing Cayena's own straight and slender fingers, Vera wanted to hide her hands behind her in shame.
“You must have suffered a lot.
“…not at all, Your Highness.
“Have you ever heard the term “life flashing before your eyes”?
Cayena pulled Vera to sit on the bed.
“The moment I drank the poison, I really thought I was going to die.
At that moment, I thought about the people who supported me.
Then I remembered you, who worked so hard for me all this time.
Until now, she had been Rezef's faithful servant, believing that he would recognize her one day.
She believed that when Rezef became emperor, he would recognize and appreciate her true worth.
However, his wish was not fulfilled until now, and would only continue to be postponed.
Cayena was like a person who came straight from Vera's heart and told her the words she so wanted to hear.
“I hope I'm not too late to say this, but thank you, Vera.
Vera's eyes quickly turned red.
“How absurd…
She thought about all the troubles she had been through.
Cayena hugged Vera gently and patted her shoulder, as if she understood her.
Vera couldn't hold back her tears.
“Don't cry.
We still have a lot of time together.
I would like us to get along.
Vera forced herself to swallow her screams and sobbed.
Cayena didn't push her away, but continued to hug and support her.
Then she went to the other ladies in the room, who also had red eyes from crying, and asked for a wet towel.
“Thank you everyone.
It is only because of your efforts that I am still alive.
“No, Your Highness!”
All the ladies in the room fell to the floor, bowing.
Vera was embarrassed because she couldn't hold back her tears.
Cayena noticed his discomfort and sighed while smiling.
She asked the other ladies-in-waiting.
“Hmm.
Is there anyone here who knows how to calm Vera down?
Everyone burst into laughter at her comment.
The atmosphere in the room quickly became warm and mellow.
“Everyone has such a tender heart,” Cayena said.
They smiled awkwardly and shyly at his words.
It was nice to be praised so warmly by your superior.
They realized then that Cayena's weak point was that she could be nice.
It was exactly what Cayena intended
“Now, I bet you feel a little embarrassed looking at me, so you can take a break, Vera.
But before that, I need new clothes.
My old ones seem to have turned into scarves.
Everyone laughed at his joke as Vera's face turned red.
“Your Highness!
— Cayena laughed and comforted Vera, when suddenly, she curled up and started coughing loudly.
The ladies-in-waiting remembered that Cayena was still a patient.
Frightened, they began to scream.
“Your Highness!
“Call a doctor, quickly!
— Once again, they began to look at Cayena as a patient in need of care.
His feelings were so superficial.
Cayena patiently followed his instructions.
“You should never allow yourself to become stressed, — said the doctor who had entered her room.
In that brief moment, Cayena's energy was drained in an astonishing way.
“You'll be fine with some rest,” the doctor said, as if Cayena wasn't in serious condition, but she didn't look much better than before.
The women's expression also turned grim.
If there was a problem with the princess, there was no way they could avoid being scolded.
“Princess, Prince Rezef is asking to see you.
Should we allow him in?
“It’s finally here…!”
The moment Rezef asked to see her.
“That is good.
Cayena stood up again from where she was lying.
Anyone could see it was too much for her.
She couldn't and shouldn't get up.
But she had to do it, because she was about to face the real culprit of her poisoning incident: her younger brother.
“He didn’t intend to kill me, but he intended to frame someone for the crime.”
She really was being used by Rezef.
The nickname — Marionette — suited her well.
The door opened and a handsome young man with blue eyes and blonde hair entered.
“Announcing His Majesty, Prince Rezef.
All comp ladiesanhia lowered their heads and looked at him with uneasy eyes.
Rezef Hill was Cayena's half-brother, the second male protagonist and the future emperor of the Eldaim Empire.
He was a morally depraved person who killed the emperor to take the throne.
Despite his handsome appearance, he was more sadistic than anyone else.
The emperor was cold-blooded even towards his children.
It got to the point that if others saw how he interacted with them, they wouldn't even think they were his children.
He was especially harsh on Rezef.
The emperor refused to share his powers with his son.
Having grown up under this cold treatment, Rezef naturally grew up to be a tyrant.
Olivia helped Rezef by showing affection towards him.
“He is a poor child, hungry for warmth and someone who cares.”
Cayena was angry at him, but she could see it.
Rezef looked like he had to meet her right after a walk, wearing a coat and epaulets.
“How are you feeling, Cayena?
Cayena almost burst out laughing.
It was such a strange thing to ask, coming from the person who made her sick.
She put a smile on her face.
“I can bear it.
Rezef, who expected Cayena to complain, paused for a moment at the unexpected reaction.
He had never seen his sister speak so calmly and softly.
“… is that so?
I'm glad to hear that.
He came to her bed and sat down without asking her permission.
Now, I can clearly see how carelessly you treat me.
His tone was friendly, but there was no respect or courtesy.
It was absurd to say they were close.
Rezef and Cayena were incapable of being friendly.
Each of his actions showed exactly what he thought of Cayena.
“I asked the doctor and he told me that your recovery seems to be on track.
You'll be completely fine, soon.
“It seems I worried you unnecessarily.
“Don't say those things.
As the conversation continued, Rezef became confused.
It was the first time he was able to speak so calmly to Cayena.
Maybe it was because she was sick so she didn't have the energy.
“Something is definitely different than normal.”
He couldn't say what exactly it was, but that's what his intuition told him.
Furthermore, Cayena's mature attitude made it seem like he was dealing with someone else behind his mask.
She didn't feel like her sister.
“You must be busy.
Is it okay that you came here?
Rezef looked at her with his bright blue eyes, trying to understand why she was acting so abnormally.
On the surface, Cayena just seemed tired after being poisoned and sick.
“My mind could not be at peace until I saw that you were safe.
Please forgive my immaturity.
Rezef was perplexed.
She didn't grumble or get irritated like usual.
“If she was in her normal state, she would have asked ten times when I would catch the culprit.”
Her lips, which had always been loose, suddenly closed like a clam, and Rezef couldn't read her expression.
"It must be because she is sick.
She was poisoned, so of course she would be afraid."
He understood Cayena like the back of his hand, and it was difficult to think of her any other way.
No.
It was more accurate to say that he didn't want to think of her in a different way.
He had always thought of her as a beautiful but otherwise useless woman, and that was how it should be.
Therefore, he concluded that he was overthinking things.
“I swear to find the one who poisoned you with my own hands and make him pay.
So please don't worry too much, sister.
With that said, Rezef squeezed Cayena's hand to reassure her.
“You really don’t see me as anything more or less than a tool to gain your throne.”
Cayena smiled, feeling distant.
Getting confirmation of the things she knew felt very strange.
At the moment, the two seemed like the platonic ideal of a wonderful sibling relationship.
If one didn't know the truth, one could accept my handsome younger brother acting very obediently and always doing what pleased her.
“That’s why I never thought he would poison me.”
But now, Cayena was well aware that her opponent was a predator that was hiding its claws while pretending to be a cat.
It was Rezef, and no one else, who tried to poison Cayena.
To be precise, he was trying to create a situation in which I was clearlyand poisoned.
Therefore, it was even more cruel and evil.
She stared at Rezef.
“Stop looking for the culprit, Rezef.
She felt him shudder.
“…what are you talking about, Cayena?
In Rezef's mind, Cayena should be running around, telling him to find out who was trying to hurt her.
Why did she say to stop the search?
It was so unbelievable that his head went blank for a moment.