Chapter 88 "You have no knowledge of the king's private life..."
The Elf Realm is warm and spring-like all year round, except for one month when strong winds blow. The wind is strong and the rain is heavy, and almost no elves venture out.
The rain was pouring down outside the window. It was still dark, and I was patrolling the palace as usual.
Outside the semi-open corridor, rainwater cascaded down in countless streams, flowing into the garden's drainage ditch. This had been the case for the previous three days, but today was different.
The drain was clogged, and the garden was flooded, threatening to engulf the walkway. The garden manager urgently directed the craftsmen to repair the drain and simultaneously drain the water.
I stood in the corridor and watched for a while.
As I was leaving, I slipped and fell down the corridor steps, landing flat on my back.
The garden manager rushed over, but because of the difference between men and women, he couldn't help me up. He could only hold up an umbrella for me and said, "How are you? I'll call someone over."
"Okay." I was in so much pain I could barely speak. "My...my foot hurts..."
A short while later, two maids rushed over and helped me back.
I injured my ankle. Although it wasn't serious, it was difficult for me to stand up. I was about to report to the main hall, and I was planning to have the deputy head maid help me there, but she suddenly had diarrhea and was stuck in the toilet.
Ordinary maids are not qualified to accompany me into the royal palace, so the situation suddenly became urgent.
"What should I do?" I said to the maid who was massaging my ankle. "Perhaps there is a way."
A quarter of an hour later, the doors of the royal palace opened, and a group of ministers and the chief steward looked in surprise as I limped in, late as I was. I walked with difficulty, and if it weren't for a beautiful woman in fine clothes and glittering jewels supporting my arm, I would have fallen to the ground long ago.
The ministers knelt before the throne to report, but everyone's attention was drawn to them, including the king himself.
The king's gaze first fell on the head maid before landing on the beautiful woman's face.
The beautiful woman sensed the gaze and boldly raised her head to meet the king's eyes. Her exquisite features, bright eyes, and gentle smile illuminated the almost entirely male-dominated hall.
The king smiled slightly at her.
The air inside the hall was strange; the ministers and chief eunuchs' eyes gleamed, their gazes were ambiguous, and they whispered among themselves…
Half an hour later, the beautiful lady helped me out of the main hall, but the king's personal attendant suddenly appeared and politely stopped her, "Lady Eleanor, His Majesty requests that you wait for him in the side hall."
A hint of joy flashed in Eleanor's eyes. "Yes."
I was helped back by another maid. I had just sat on the bed and taken out some liniment when the imperial physician came over with his medicine chest and female physicians.
I was speechless. The king was probably afraid I was faking illness, so he summoned them to verify.
The imperial physician examined me for a while and said it was nothing serious. A female physician would massage me every day, and I would recover in about three to five days. Before leaving, he left me a bottle of medicinal wine, for which I naturally expressed my gratitude.
Late at night, just as I was about to go to sleep, I was suddenly summoned by the king.
Inside the magnificent palace, where even the pillars and walls were inlaid with jewels, I stood on a soft light blue carpet, watching the king, dressed only in a dark blue nightgown, lean back in a soft armchair and languidly gaze at me.
"Are you very interested in the private lives of kings?" he asked.
I shook my head.
"How's your foot?" he asked again.
"Much better," I said.
"I'm wondering, what did Eleanor offer you that made you risk the king's wrath to bring her into the palace?"
“You’ve misunderstood,” I stammered. “I suddenly twisted my ankle and couldn’t find anyone suitable to help me, so I had to ask her for help.”
He smiled broadly.
Do you think we're all fools? Or do you think all the nobles in the hall are fools?
I remained silent.
"I feel like I should punish you properly. What's the best way to do it?" A hint of desire and ambiguity flickered in his eyes.
I started to panic. What if they asked me to repay them with my body?
As it turned out, I was overthinking it. The next second, he raised his voice slightly: "Eleanor, come in."
In the dim candlelight, I was stunned. Eleanor entered gracefully, her skin was snow-white and flawless, her pert peach-shaped buttocks could hold a glass of water, and her long, slightly wavy brown hair cascaded down, covering most of her body. She was truly beautiful!
“You can serve us tonight,” he laughed, “since you’re so interested in the private life of a king.”
I spent that night amidst the sounds of wind and rain. The wind outside was extremely strong, and the rain was also extremely heavy, pounding against the glass with a loud thud, miraculously blending with the voices of the man and woman inside.
I stood stiffly, holding the tray that held the kettle and cups.
Listening to the sounds of wind, rain, and... tossing and turning inside the bed.
Awkward and surprised.
What's embarrassing is doing this kind of service work, and what's astonishing is that a person who has been paralyzed for twelve years still has so much strength to do this. Although his skeletal thin body has gained a lot of flesh and his waist looks quite strong, it shouldn't make him so energetic.
Okay, I guess I'm just not very knowledgeable.
After their lovemaking, they collapsed onto the bed. I put down the tray, drew back the thick bed curtains as per procedure, and told the maids waiting outside that they could come in.
The maids carried basins of water and towels to wash the bodies of the king and Eleanor, who were nestled on the chaise longue.
I watched the other maids change the sheets and duvet covers, trying my best not to look in that direction.
As Eleanor gracefully left the king's room, draped in a silky nightgown, her maids followed behind, and I followed as well.
Just as I was about to step out the door, the king suddenly pulled me back. I was startled, only to find myself pinned against a wall covered in ornate wallpaper by the naked king.
My heart suddenly started racing.
"How do you think I did?" he asked breathlessly, pressing down on my arms to restrain me and prevent me from moving.
"Very good." I answered nervously, my heart pounding, knowing full well he was asking about my performance in bed.
"Did I disappoint you?" His voice was alluring.
"No." How could there be? What does it have to do with me?
"Well, how about we give it a try?"
I was so shocked that my face turned pale. "No need, you've only just recovered, haven't you?"
He burst into laughter and suddenly hugged me tightly. The heat and desire emanating from his bare upper body acted like a strange, fleshy-colored hood, enveloping me completely.
I'm having trouble breathing.
I forgot how I escaped his room; I was probably in a terrible state, even scrambling and crawling. In short, I was in a very sorry state.
The wind and rain were still strong in the corridor. The strong wind almost blew me away, and the wild raindrops soaked my long hair, but I felt extremely comfortable.
He wouldn't actually violate me, but I felt scared, felt threatened, and was afraid that some force would gradually pull me toward him.
——
After that night, I received invitations from some noblewomen to attend their parties, hoping to win me over. I also met several beautiful women who offered me gold and silver, asking me to help them arrange an audience with the king, but I refused them all.
In their eyes, I probably became a pimp.
This is so frustrating!
I've disappointed them, and I won't do such a thing again. First, the king has already made me a guest for a whole night, a veiled warning that if I overstep my bounds, he might punish me as well. Second, Luo An was imprisoned in the dungeon for a month because he put laxatives in the deputy head's tea, preventing her from accompanying me to the main hall. I don't want anyone else to be punished because of me. Third, and most importantly, these women who came to me aren't of high enough status, and the benefits they offered weren't significant enough.
If it aligns with my vital interests, I'll jump into any pitfall that lies ahead.
The night was cool and still. I sat on the steps in a corner of the corridor. Tonight was my shift; after my last round of patrols, I could rest.
The black wolf reappeared silently behind me once again.
"When will you begin your operation?" it asked in a low, hoarse voice.
"Are you all ready?" I didn't turn around.
"No, but my body was failing, so I had to act immediately!" it said.
I didn't turn around, but instead tossed a small note behind me: "Take this back and read it."
There was no sound behind me. I slowly stood up, turned around, and saw only the night wind blowing; there was no one there.
A few days later, I felt something was vaguely amiss. The palace suddenly became heavily guarded, the king temporarily canceled the morning meetings, and the old princess hadn't come to me to cut her wrists for several days.
After inquiring with Luo An, he learned that the king was preparing to severely punish the former king, several key figures, and their families. In order to avoid any mishaps, the king canceled all meetings, large and small, and spent all his time from morning till night with his advisors, discussing feasible plans to wipe them all out.
The old princess is said to often stay by the king's side—perhaps that's why she hasn't come to see me recently, or perhaps she knows the blood is useless to her, so she gave up.
I sincerely hope that my feeling that she wanted to devour me was just an illusion.
Black Wolf's warning to me was just a warning; it wouldn't come true.
Unexpectedly, two days later, I was once again dragged to the old princess's palace by a group of maids late at night.
This time was different. A pot of steaming water was burning on the fireplace in the inner chamber of the palace. I wasn't thrown onto a soft chair as usual, nor were there any maids holding down my wrists, ready to cut me.
I was thrown onto the carpet by several maids, next to a large chopping board with a gleaming cleaver on it.
I was horrified, recalling the time I was about to be made into a meat pie by a long-haired woman.
"Take off her clothes and wash her first." The old princess, her head tilted to the side, sat in her wheelchair, looking at a large bucket of water beside the fireplace. "Your blood won't work; we'll have to rely on your flesh."
She chuckled, her owl-like eyes gleaming.
Before I could react, a thick wad of cloth was stuffed into my mouth, and my hands and feet were immediately tied up.
This was even more terrifying than making meat patties; my eyes were also blindfolded.
"So as not to frighten her too much," came the old princess's leisurely voice, "so that her flesh may become stiff."
I struggled desperately, making muffled noises, but my clothes were still ripped off, and I was thrown naked into the bucket of water.
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