4

I automatically hugged myself and I heard a groan, it's a man!

I gather all of my courage to look at the back, and there's a man with his armor that is laying at the back door. He looked injured and I recognize the crest on his chest, he is the war hero, and the news says that the war hero is missing after he defeat the monster in the northwest part of the Drivike Empire.

I went closer to him, and his body is hot, I mean he is having a fever and I saw a lot of wounds on his body, and if he is not wearing armor, he will be dead due to the marks that are from the sword.

Even though he looked heavy, I removed his armor first before I helped him to walk inside my castle, he is Sir Perseus William, and now he looked pale. I am at the moment where I got panicked easily, but I still manage to get some water and a towel to clean all the blood from his body, removing his shirt and his wound is fresh.

It's a good thing that I have some herbal here, that can help to stop bleeding and to disinfect the wound, it's a good thing that the wound is not so deep that I need to stitch it. Because I am afraid to, I got injured most of the time and I used to take care of my wounds.

After I am done cleaning his body and wound, I put the bandage and the medicine on his body, and distance his body from the fireplace, because it might bleed again if he is near the fire.

He is a young knight, who got the commander of the knight when he is 17 years old, he is the son of the late Count, and his brother is the new Count now when war broke out in the west, the bandits do something to summon a monster, William is being summoned there, to slay the bandits who are terrorizing the west, and when they after it, Sir William is gone, and the people of empire is assuming that Sir William is dead.

But he is alive, and this is the first time that I saw him near, and I can't deny that Sir William is well known as a good-looking commander of Drivike, a lot of Nobel women try to win his heart, even my brother's fiance likes Sir William, because he is strong and intelligent.

I am aware that my brother hates Sir William because he engaged with Lady Criselda, the daughter of Baron Thedor. My brother is kind of obsessed with Criselda, she is really beautiful and her attitude is a mystery, even though she has an attitude, a lot of men are head over heels for her, and my brother is not an exception, even though he is the crown prince.

I cleaned the armor and his sword and even though I have a few wounds due to his sword, I still manage to clean everything, he will be hungry when he will awake, need energy, and regains his strength.

What I am doing is kind of illegal, but if I said to authorities that Sir William is here, they will claim that he is cursed by me, and it will be bad for his image.

It's sad, that even if I tried to help, people will insist that I am a bad omen, and breathing in the same room with them is like a curse. I get used to it, but the pain is still living with me.

One day, when I have power and money, I won't hesitate to leave this living hell that I am been through.

I cooked food and make a herbal drink so he can disinfect his wound.

I am happily cooking in the kitchen, and loud footsteps caught me off guard when I look at my back, a strong hand is holding my hand, placed above my head, and it's too late, Sir William saw my eyes!

I am too reckless! I thought he will be awake an hour after I clean his wound, and he will be cursed by looking into my eyes!

"Sir William, I apologized!" I quickly close my eyes, and my other hand is looking for my silk eye cover, but he also caught my other hand and I can't move now.

"What did you do to me?" he asked me and I still close my eyes and my voice is shaking, on the verge of crying, the war hero is cursed!

What I have done?

"I repeat, what did you do to me, what I am doing here, open your eye!" I shook my head and took a deep breath, but it just make my tears fall.

It can't help, I am afraid.

"I just clean and disinfect your wounds sir," I answered and he step back, release my hand and I feel a sting pain on my wrist, due to the force and grip of his hand lately.

"You're the cursed princess?" he asked and I lose my balance, kneeling and bowing my head, what if he will become a stone, I don't know what kind of curse I have, or if his wounds will worsen.

"I already saw your eyes, why nothing happened to me?" I slowly opened my eyes and look at him, my vision is kind of blurry, and wiping the tears that is keep falling from my eyes.

"How, it's impossible, Sir." He looked at his body, and move slowly, stretching and he seems okay now. "Nothing happen to me," he said and sounds happy.

I took a deep breath, as a sign of relief, but how? Or maybe he is too powerful and can handle the curse of my eyes. Because I heard he has this magic, and the Pope blessed him before went to war.

I saw his teeth gritted and kneel in front of me. "Princess, stop kneeling in front of me," he said and he slowly guides me to stand up, the way he looks at me seemed he is surprised by what he is seeing.

"Stop looking at me, what if you got a deadly disease or something bad happened to you—"

"Something bad already happened to me, but I am alright, but why your eyes are red?" I looked away and hold the tea that I made. Giving it to him and he looks hesitant to accept the drink.

"It's not poisoned, that tea is for disinfecting your wounds," I explained he is about to drink it, but I drank it first, to show that I won't harm him, I am just helping him.

"Alright Princess, I am just making sure that you won't kill me, just what your brother did to me." I almost dropped the spoon and watched him drink the tea I prepare the food for him and he seat properly.

I still wear the silk eye cover while preparing the food that I made for Sir William. My brother did something to assassinate Sir William?

"Come on, just remove your silk eye cover, it's not helpful for you to move around." Sir William removes my eye cover and I step back quickly.

"I already told you, nothing happened to me, can't you see I am fine now and thanks to you." I tuck my hair to my ear and nod slowly, I don't dare to talk while my eye cover is not covering my eyes. It feels like I am melting when people are looking straight at my face.

"I am being careful, because the crown prince is trying to kill me in all possible ways he knows, and I trust you for helping me and not putting a curse on me, but I don't know if you will use me, to win his favor." I look at him and took a deep sigh, for the second time.

Why I would do that, nothing will change even if I do anything they want, because in the end, they will use me as a tool and I already accept the reality that my father will never see me as a part of his family.

"It's impossible, and I already know my purpose," I said and smile weakly, giving the food to him and eating too, he looked curious and look away when he noticed that I caught his gaze.

"But how I am not cursed, my father said that the curse is unknown but the sage said that it's deadly." He took a few spoons of the curry I made.

I am still surprised, and my hopes went high, again. What if the curse is just a hoax, I want to try it on other people, but I cannot do that, because I can't risk their life for my experiment.

I grew up with this, and I know it's so lovely to live in peaceful life, without seeing people despise you. But what is the sense of proving if they already hated me?

"Maybe because of the bless of the pope before you went to war, I won't assume something big, that the curse is maybe fake because the sage already said it already, it's impossible that the most powerful sage in the empire mistaken it." He shrugged his shoulder and keep on eating, he looked hungry and moving slowly even though his wounds is still fresh.

"Where did you learn to clean the wound?" He asked and put down the spoon and give him the water.

"No one cleans my wounds, when people hurt me," I almost whisper and smile weakly. I stood up and clean the dishes and Sir William still followed me, looking at my face.

"So that is true, you live here alone, I thought you have a servant, that your father paid?" He look discouraged when I said no one is there.

"The servants didn't work for me, I don't know where are they, and father never visits me here, that is why." I saw how his eyes show a wave of anger and disappointment.

"How servants will serve me if my father is humiliating me?" he is speechless and watch every move I make and I saw the blood on his bandage.

"Let's change and clean your wounds, don't move too much, you see that?" I pointed to the bandage and he relaxed his muscles and follow me to the living room.

"Isn't it lonely here?" He said while watching me get the herbals and new bandages.

"It's peaceful here, my castle is like a sacred place for me, when I am here, no one will harm me," I said while cleaning his wounds and I just ignore how he look at me now, I never feel comfortable when people look at me like they are piercing through my soul.

"Aren't you feel the urge to have revenge for everything they have done to you?" I stopped changing the bandages and think for a second.

It never came into my mind, even people never get tired of showing how they hate me, and I am thankful that Sir William is the first person who is treating me nicely, after many years.

Maybe he is just nice to me because I helped him.

"Even if I live in a place that is full of hatred of me, I never intend to hurt people around me, I don't deserve to get hurt, same as the people around me—"

"Even they are evil and abusing you?" I finished changing the bandages and got him a blanket that is large enough to cover his muscular body.

"Sorry, but even if you keep asking me or it seems that you want me to get mad at other people, I know how to get angry with people, but in the end, I will end up hating myself, for being a weak and allowing them to hurt me." I smile at him and pointed to his uniform that is hanging on the sofa.

"I cleaned it, take a rest and if you want to sleep, the door that is open, you can sleep there, I will have a rest now." I went upstairs and didn't look back at him.

The moment I close the door of my room, I removed my dress and start to clean my wounds.

I hope the hate and hurtful words that I heard are like a wound in my body, it will heal. But no, it stays in the deepest part of my mind.