13 Stupid

The room's door creaked open, and Yuna watched as the maid's leather shoes clacked in. She carried a silver tray in her hands, and on top was a single glass of water.

Yuna felt her aching stomach while looking at the water on the maid's tray, 'Ah, I should've told her to get me some food too,' she thought with regret, 'Oh well.'

The maid came before her to bend down to display the glass. Yuna took the drink with awkward hands and gulped it unhurriedly, savoring the liquid on her shriveled tongue.

After finishing the water, she set it aside to stare at the maid, whose expression stood ever unchanging. She glanced at the butler who stood by the sidewall, awaiting an order, then looked back at the maid.

Yuna waited for her throat to feel a bit moister to speak, then asked, "Tha.."

But a terrible strain pulled on her throat before she could finish her sentence. Violent, unbearable coughs left her mouth. Yuna did her best to stop coughing by massaging her throat to feel better.

Since the water didn't do much to help her voice, she looked at the maid.

She understood what Yuna wanted and walked to a side table to pull out a pen and journal.

...Yuna looked at the two items with a complicated gaze.

She could speak this world's language but didn't know how to write anything.

The maid saw the troubled gaze and returned the journal and pen to the cabinet. She pulled out her own pen and handheld notebook to jot something down.

Sighing quietly, Yuna surrendered to enduring the pain and asked curiously with a creaky voice, "That... Is what you did to me just now... magic?" Yuna hoped her guess was correct, or she'd look terribly foolish right now.

But all the signs were pointing to yes, right?

A drop of sweat rolled down her face when she didn't receive a response. The only reply she got was the maid writing another note in her notebook.

That's when she bowed and left, leaving Yuna wondering if her guess was wrong or right.

The door shut with a soft click.

She stood in place, unsure what to do or how to spend her time, for the rest of the remaining time she had left was her last chance of peace before hell. She didn't doubt the king's words, for he had no reason to lie.

Yuna found herself a bit amused, 'It's like I'm a prisoner on death's row, doing the last things I want with my life before execution...' her eyes wandered, '... If I were to be shot or hanged tomorrow, what would I do right now?'

Looking around the room, Yuna noticed a red-tinted bed in the corner with semi-transparent curtains draping dramatically from the high ceiling. The tall window to the side offered a glow, which flowed through them. Golden accents on the walls and floors made for elegant decor. This room was far from dark, dreary, and more than the opposite.

It was unknown when the butler left the room.

Yuna walked up to the bed to trace her fingers along the pillow, then the sheets. As if no muscles were left in her body, she fell forwards, planting herself on top.

'So comfortable, but...too bright,' she thought before closing her eyes.

Light breaths made up the room.

...

Again, she woke from her sleep with a harsh shove.

Yuna's eyes snapped awake to feel her body land hard on the ground. With a dizzy head, she looked up to lock eyes with the blonde-haired butler.

He stared down at her, lacking no remorse in his gaze. Adjusting his monocle, he spoke elegantly, "Greetings, Your Royal Highness, sir Winston, my name is Brian Mcruscell, and I will be acting as your personal butler from this day onward," he continued, "I apologize for waking Your Royal Highness up in such an undignified manner, but His Majesty, the King, has ordered for you to not be allowed on any furniture in this room, else you might... contaminate anything with your sinful self. Bear with it, for we won't place you in any other room to avoid garnering suspicion of your original identity."

He stepped back while straightening his suit, "Use the floor if you wish to eat, sleep, or participate in any other activity. If you'd like to study for your classes, do so in the royal library."

'What?' Yuna looked confused, and it was hard to take in so much information after just waking up. She looked at the butler as if he was insane.

—and so, came a kick to her gut. Without the strength to support herself, Yuna fell to the floor with a loud thud.

The butler scowled and adjusted his white gloves. In realization, Yuna followed suit in fixing her emotions to be calm again.

He huffed at what she guessed was her idiocy, "It would seem I have to repeat the rule; Do not show any troublesome emotions."

Following the kick, the butler walked over and kneeled to mercilessly pinch the underside of Yuna's arm until she felt like her flesh was about to tear off.

She held in her tears for fear of being beaten again.

Only her red, puffy eyes revealed her feelings.

The butler let go, only to have Yuna experience a viciously stinging pain on the spot he pinched.

"Remember it," he scoffed.

He didn't let her rest before placing a plate of food before her.

She was so focused on the pain that her reaction was slow, but when she saw the boiled, purple asparagus-looking vegetable and stale bread on the plate, her eyes widened. The rules she had to go by restrained her actions, however.

Her stomach growled as if a monster had possessed it. She'd completely forgotten about the earlier pain.

It was the first form of food she'd seen in months, so the sight was like a godsend. Yuna hesitantly looked up at the butler for permission to eat.

He frowned for a while, which made Yuna a bit anxious, but she sighed in relief when he nodded.

Almost immediately, her hands picked up the plate.

Without utensils to assist her with eating, she resorted to using her hands. It showed how desperate she was. The amount of dirt and bacteria on Yuna's hands didn't concern her, for all she thought about was the taste of something edible on her tongue.

Though it may seem like a poor-quality dish to others, Yuna viewed it as something on the gourmet level. The taste made her feel like crying again, but she sucked it in and continued eating.

She did her best not to rush but ended up choking on the food anyways. The butler handed her a cup of water, which was slowly gulped down.

Seeing her lightly burp in satisfaction, the butler's eyebrow twitched. He neatly brought out a pen and notebook to write something in it. It looked like one the maid wrote in earlier. She stared at it with curiosity before he put it away.

The butler habitually adjusted his monocle, "From now on, you will receive one serving of food per day. If you do something outstanding in your studies, you might receive fruit on the side," he thought for a while before gritting his teeth and spitting, "And do not think we are feeding you so well because you are cared for. It's only so that others don't think the prince is being mistreated."

Yuna looked up expressionlessly and commented to herself, 'Don't worry, I know.'

"I expect you understand what to do. You'd better get used to this schedule... Don't do anything stupid," the butler glared, "Call my name if you need anything. I'll be outside the door."

He left the room with lazy steps...

and exited without a farewell or bow.

...