Chapitre 16: Is Evelyn More Than A Slave To Regan?
After leaving the shop, they traveled towards the side of the city where the farming was done.
Most of the people were in their fields at this time of the day. Regan walked towards one of the farmers and the farmer stopped working when he saw him.
He looked at Regan with questioning eyes.
"I am new here in this city."
Regan lied to the farmer calmly. Looking around the small field, he continued
"I just returned from the battlefield since the war ended. I am still in the process of choosing some sort of profession. Can you tell me if farming is profitable in this city?"
The farmer looked at Regan who didn't look like a farmer at all. Seeing the mask on Regan's face, he only thought that he might have some scar as he already said he was a soldier. However, seeing his ordinary clothes, he couldn't think that Regan was lying.
A heavy sigh escaped his lips as he thought about the question asked by him. With a bitter smile on his lips, he told Regan
"You better not choose farming then. The city is full of blood-sucking traders. I am stuck here young man because I don't know any other work. But you can do more.
The farmer patted Regan's shoulder and said
"Go and look for some other profession."
Regan looked at the hand on his shoulder but didn't push it away. He looked at the farmer again and asked further.
"Why? You said something about traders…is there something wrong?"
The farmer's shoulder suddenly dropped when he heard the question. The bitter smile on his lips was gone. He suddenly wiped his eyes with his hand. It took him a few moments to raise his head and speak but when he did his voice was slightly hoarse
"They are bloodsuckers. All of them are …"
His breathing turned heavy as he continued
"They buy our produce at such a low price. Five hundred marks…can you believe it? I received that amount for my all produce last season. It was not even enough to buy all the inputs let alone provide for my family."
He paused for a moment as he gulped. When he raised his head, his eyes were filled with sorrow as he continued
"I am in a huge debt. Almost all of them are."
He said as he looked towards the other farmers who were working in their fields.
"All this produce of this season would go for paying the debt. My children …"
He couldn't speak anymore and lowered his head. After a long time, he again patted Regan's shoulder and said
"Go, go and look for some other work. The fate of a farmer in Mazic is the most horrible."
The farmer turned around and busied himself with his work.
Regan stood there for a long time and looked at the farmers working endlessly under the hot sun.
The sun was about to set down when they reached the castle again.
Evelyn prepared the hot water for Regan's bath when they reached his chambers.
As Regan had a bath, she stood inside his chambers in deep thought. When he stepped out, she helped him with his clothes.
After some time, she asked him
"Your Highness, the dinner…"
"Don't bring it."
Regan said and walked towards the bed. He picked up the documents left on the bed again and sat down to read them.
Evelyn stood there and bit her lips. She hesitated and finally asked
"Is Your Highness upset?"
Evelyn finally realized it. However, she was not sure. Before this, Regan had never skipped any of the meals and today …he looked especially cold.
She wondered what made him upset. She didn't have much hope that he would tell her. But she was surprised when he hummed in response.
Though it was after a long time, Evelyn felt encouraged. But she didn't know if she could ask him about the reason. But she didn't need to.
Because the next moment, Regan himself spoke up.
His red eyes stared at nothing in particular as he said
"She had left Mazic to me thinking that…I will take care of her people."
Evelyn had to make a guess who was 'she' mentioned by Regan. She remembered Martha's words and concluded that the prince might be talking about his mother.
Her eyes flashed with surprise.
Did he think this because of the farmers' conditions in the city?
The realization made Evelyn look at Regan with newfound respect.
All her life, she had seen people who were selfish and cruel but Regan was so different from her previous masters.
Perhaps that's why she felt so free in front of him. Free enough to tell him her thoughts.
"Then Your Highness Mother must have trusted Your Highness's abilities very much."
She said softly making Regan look at her.
Regan didn't look away from her but smiled mockingly as he whispered
"And I proved her wrong."
Evelyn however didn't think so.
Her green eyes were clean and her face was calm as she continued
"No. Your Highness had the empathy that many people in power lack. I think that Your Highness' Mother's decision was very right. She must be proud of Your Highness.
Regan looked at the girl standing in front of him who said all this.
Because of his mask, she couldn't see his expression clearly but she didn't even know the effect her words had on him.
She didn't know that he needed to hear it.
Though a part of him didn't agree with Evelyn, it still felt good to hear these words. His mother..she might blame him because he couldn't avenge her death completely.
But perhaps she still loved him. She was after all his mother.
Regan came out of his trance when a certain someone walked inside his chambers without asking for permission.
"Regan!"
Rex called out his younger brother in an exasperated voice as soon as he entered the chambers and Regan looked at his brother.
However, before Rex could say anything, he looked at Evelyn and said
"Leave."
Evelyn turned around to leave but not before greeting Rex. He had saved her twice so she couldn't just ignore him.
Rex smiled at Evelyn which soon disappeared as soon as she left.
Looking at Regan with an incredulous look, he almost shouted
"You cut her hand off, Regan! Are you not aware that Raphael is looking for an opportunity like this? If I had not been there to explain to Father and other ministers what truly happened, then you would have been in big trouble. You could have been…"
"Disowned?"
Regan finished Rex's words who sighed in exasperation again.
"No! I was going to say punished."
Rex was actually talking about the head maid who had punished Evelyn. First without him even knowing Regan left the Royal Palace and then he came to know what actually his dear brother had done to head maid. Fortunately, he had been here to manage the matter otherwise Rafael would have surely taken the advantage of things.
Regan looked calm as he stood up and poured some water into a glass while speaking
"It would be better if he would disown me. That would lessen the burden for both of us."
Rex's anger was replaced by sudden helplessness when he heard this.
He didn't take the glass of water from Regan's hands but said
"Do you think that I like to watch his face? Though she didn't give birth to me…she was my mother as well."
Regan looked at his brother calmly. The grave atmosphere inside the chambers stayed for a few moments before Rex looked away from Regan's face and sighed heavily.
When he raised his head again, his eyes were narrowed as he said
"Do you still not dare to admit that you don't have anything for that girl?"
Regan gave a glance to his brother that clearly asked him to shut his mouth but Rex was long used to of such stares and grinned as he said
"You go around cutting hands of those who hit her and you think that I will believe your words that…"
"She is nothing but my slave."
Regan emphasized before Rex could finish.
"And I always protect my people."
L’AVIS DES CRÉATEURS 
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