| Chapter 11: Love and Fear

“Is it better to be loved than feared, or the opposite? For a ruler, it is much safer to be feared than loved.”

Alexei leaned against the crumbling fence in his secret, solitary space where no one else came, reading the passage aloud multiple times.

“Hmm…”

The wrinkles on his forehead deepened, much like the multiple underlines in the book.

Love.

He gently caressed the circled word with a tender expression. Alexei didn’t overlook even the smallest notes or the marks of folded and unfolded pages. He had read the book so many times that he could recall exactly which parts were underlined without even opening his eyes.

The Prince.

That was the title of the book Alexei had managed to protect with his life, even as he was beaten into a bloody pulp under Sergei’s feet.

* * *

“What’s going on? Why are you throwing away so many books?”

“The young lady ordered it…”

One day, as Alexei was passing by the incinerator behind the training grounds, he stopped when he overheard the voices. Once the servants left, he cautiously approached the pile of discarded books and picked the one most worn by use.

At the time, he hadn’t known what the title meant. He had simply been captivated by the elegant cursive handwriting scattered across its pages.

Though he was a wretched wanderer of the Knulu tribe without parents, his efforts to secretly learn to read during his years on a farm had paid off. He had watched the farmer’s children study, imitating their lessons from a distance.

Reading cursive was still challenging, and he had to reread passages several times to grasp their meaning. But even the process of interpreting the handwriting, which flowed like a graceful rhythm, filled him with excitement. He was so engrossed that he didn’t notice someone approaching.

Unfortunately, that person was Sergei.

Sergei instantly recognized whose book Alexei was holding and began interrogating him, accusing him of stealing it from Natasha.

“No, I… I found it by chance…”

“You found Natasha’s book by chance? She treasures her books more than anything. And now this filthy, lowly slave resorts to stealing too?”

Sergei’s eyes burned with rage as he began kicking Alexei mercilessly.

Left with a bruised and bloodied body, a stinging red handprint on his cheek, and contemptuous blue eyes seared into his memory, Alexei had nothing to show for the ordeal except the battered book.

Though calling it his possession might have been an overstatement. No one had ever given him permission to keep it.

Like his disregarded existence, the book had simply been abandoned.

To Alexei, however, it was more precious than any treasure. He gently stroked the bloodstained spine of the book as he returned to his quarters, only to halt suddenly. He quickly threw the book into the thick underbrush.

“What is… going on?”

After ensuring the book was hidden, Alexei turned to face the knights who were tearing apart his quarters.

“Arrest him!”

“What? Why?”

Alexei demanded answers as the knights grabbed him, but none were given.

Bang.

The worn, ragged door of his quarters was kicked open.

Thud.

The last fragile hinge gave way, and the door fell to the ground. Alexei watched it tumble with uneasy eyes.

“Alexei Petrov. You are under arrest for stealing the young lady’s belongings.”

In the hand of the knight captain stood a gleaming sapphire earring.

* * *

“Explain, Natasha. Why is your earring in that slave’s quarters?”

“What…?”

Natasha hesitated, having been abruptly summoned to Sergei’s study. Her gaze shifted between the sapphire earring in Sergei’s hand and Alexei, kneeling at his feet with his hands tied.

“This can’t be…”

Natasha’s face turned pale.

One of her earrings had recently gone missing, and she had given up on finding it. It had disappeared on that chaotic day when she had been tending to someone’s life-or-death wounds.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I’ll apologize on my brother’s behalf. Just hold on a little longer.”

That day, amidst blood and tears, she had focused on saving a life. A missing earring had seemed trivial, and she had dismissed it entirely.

She never imagined it would end up in Alexei’s quarters.

“If I had known, I would’ve tried harder to find it…”

Natasha tightly closed her eyes in regret.

“I didn’t steal it!”

Alexei bit his lip as he turned to Natasha, desperation evident in his voice.
“I know. I already know. Better than anyone else, I know. You didn’t steal my earring.”
Natasha stared at Alexei with trembling eyes.
In that moment, a memory surfaced—the day he had approached her while she was strolling in the garden, just days after she had treated him.
At first, she had been glad to see him up and walking again.
But then, fear took over.
If Sergei found out Alexei had come to see her, he might harm him again.
“Do you know this person?”

“No, I don’t.”
Feigning indifference, she had turned away coldly. But later, she couldn’t help but wonder why he had sought her out.
Alexei had been unconscious throughout her care. He wouldn’t even know she was the one who had saved him. Or at least, she had hoped he wouldn’t. It would be better if he never knew, she thought. After all, she should never cross paths with him again.
But if Alexei had found the earring she had lost that day… what would he have done?
The Alexei she knew wouldn’t have dared to steal or sell it.
He would have… returned it to her.
Natasha felt dizzy at the realization.
So that was it. That day, he must have come to return the earring. If only she hadn’t turned him away so coldly. If only she had asked what was going on and taken the earring back.
At least then, he wouldn’t be accused of theft now.
“Brother, actually… this is my fault…”
For once, she decided to stand up for him. All she had to say was that she had carelessly dropped it during a walk. That should be enough. Natasha made up her mind.
But—
“If he didn’t steal it, then why was your earring in his bed? Are you secretly involved with him? Tell me, Natasha.”
Bang.
Sergei slammed his chair back and stormed toward her. Natasha’s breath caught as she watched him approach.
“Why are you… saying such absurd things…”
Sergei’s eyes glinted sharply, his expression twisted. Natasha felt a sense of foreboding.
Not long ago, Sergei had proposed that she become his wife.
Though they weren’t blood-related and had never grown up together, she had rejected him. Sergei had been adopted into the Ivanov family to secure succession rights, but to Natasha, he was her brother. She could never become his wife.
“Fine, I’ll marry another woman as you wish. But you’ll become my secret mistress instead. No one else has to know.”

“You’re being ridiculous.”

“Ridiculous? Whether it’s a joke or not, you’ll find out soon enough.”
The way his eyes had lingered on her that day sent a shiver through her body now as the memory replayed in her mind.
“Ah… Brother…”
Before she realized it, Sergei was standing right in front of her, gripping her chin tightly. He leaned in, whispering softly but menacingly into her ear.
“If you’ve been involved with that slave and are taking his side, I have no use for a filthy woman like you as my mistress. I’ll let Sonya take your place.”

“That… that’s…”
Natasha’s wide eyes trembled uncontrollably as Sergei smirked, his voice laced with malice.
“One last time, Natasha. Are you absolutely sure he didn’t steal your earring?”