Chapter 5

Keanna woke at the sound of shuffling feet in the room. When she opened her eyes, she came face-to-face with an elderly woman carrying a basin.

“Are you awake?”

As the woman approached her, Keanna caught the scent of roses which came from the basin. She tried sitting up but groaned as her body was sore.

“My lady, the King has asked that you rest today. Shall I prepare you a bath?”

“Hmm, who are you?” Keanna groaned out.

She placed the basin on the nightstand and bowed before Keanna.

“This is our first meeting, my lady. My name is Silvia and from today onwards, I will serve you. Please call upon me if you need anything.”

She couldn’t believe her ears and bolted upright despite the pain.

“Ah… that can’t be right. I’m not someone to look after.”

Silvia smiled gently at the young concubine.

“Madame is most definitely someone to look after. My lady is the only concubine who spent the entire night with His Majesty.”

Keanna flinched at the term. She was no high born, so being called ‘madame’ felt uncomfortable.

“I will prepare the bath.”

“Oh…ok.”

She couldn’t help but feel sad as she pondered on Silvia’s words. Neil was King, of course, he would have his own harem. This place will soon be crowded with women just like before, and someone like her would be forgotten.

Her mood worsened, and she began fidgeting with her fingers, becoming even more anxious about being forgotten. She didn’t want to be forgotten. So deep in her thoughts, she hadn’t realized the other people in the room.

“Keanna.”

Her head whipped to the side, and she saw Neil, the royal ministers, and a handful of maids.

“I see you’re awake,” he said, walking towards the bed and knelt before her and with a warm smile, outstretched his hand to her.

“Is your body feeling better?”

Upon seeing this sight, the ministers present became angry and agitated.

“Your Majesty!!”

She became frightened and sat up.

“Ugh..!”

Glancing to her right, she was met with the icy gazes of the ministers and the look of displeasure on their faces had her trembling, so much so, she crawled off the bed, onto the floor, kneeling before Neil.

“Your Majesty, please kill me.”

Neil placed his palm on her cheek, raising her head so he could see her face.

“Why should I? Why must you keep degrading yourself?”

With her heart beating wildly against her ribcage as fear gripped her, she averted her eyes.

“My King, I am a mere concubine of the harem, not even your concubine but the previous King’s. So please don’t do this to me.”

Neil became saddened at her words and, in the next second, he was rising in anger.

“My father never called for you. Isn’t that right?”

The ministers became frightened at the sudden change in the King’s voice and facial expression. If only that girl saw the look on his face, such words wouldn’t have been uttered from her lips.

The 9th Prince was initially famous for his disinterest in the throne. So naturally, everyone believed that the most favored 1st Prince would be the next King.

The 9th Prince, whose mother was the daughter of a powerful noble who had the largest desert tribe. He lost his mother because of a postpartum fever but was supported by many due to his strong maternal family.

Only Neil could compete against the 1st Prince. He was considered unlucky to be born after consuming his mother, so his maternal family took him. When he turned fifteen, he returned to the palace, the people couldn’t help admiring him, the prince who inherited most of the imperial blood.

Studies and martial arts he wasn’t lacking in anything, however, he showed no interest in the throne. When his silverware got discolored and the assassin’s blood was scattered in every step he took, he didn’t bat an eyelash. While everyone wondered if Neil really had no interest in the throne, ‘that day’ happened.

His only sister by his mother grew up in the palace from birth. She didn’t know Neil, thus felt nothing for him. She’d seen him for the first time upon his arrival at the palace.

The only problem was, her fiance swore allegiance to the 1st Prince.

At twenty, the princess appealed to Neil through their brother-sister relationship and invited him to her birthday party, to secretly support the 1st Prince. And so he was betrayed by his sister.

With a dagger hidden in her clothes, she stabbed him in the abdomen. It was just another assassination attempt. Neil killed his sister along with the other pursuers on the spot and disappeared to return to his aides three days later.

Five years later, the 9th Prince completely takes the throne. A bloodless and tearless King. Three days after ascending the throne, he kills the twenty other princes and held eleven princesses in custody.

After the purge, his close aide asked him why he killed the princes and he answered saying, 'My position as King is solidified. Who in their right minds would try to stop me now?’

Thus, he proceeded to kill all his brothers and became the only heir. The imperial family now had no other bloodline. And in that place, he found the existence of an unknown woman in the harem.

Keanna.