"Good day sir, I am Raymond. I am in your care now." Izrina made sure she bowed deeply enough to show her respect. She gave the man a charming smile.
The man made a grumbling sound. "I didn't ask for help."
Cora nodded, standing next to the princess. "The Court Steward asked that we send help here. Do you question orders?"
The man narrowed his eyes. He noticed the guard's uniform had the emblem that only the king's executioners had. And from his years working in the palace, the hounds of the king never had to do anything as petty as bringing in a woodchopper, but the man was also wise enough not to question.
Taking a step back, he gave Cora a small bow. "I'm sure Lord Edward has his reasons." He glanced at the tiny young boy, who looked almost like a girl. The man shrugged.
"I will train him to the best I can." The man mumbled the rest to himself. "He looks fragile and tiny for a boy."
Cora gave Izrina a small nod before turning to leave. He had walked a little distance when he noticed Spinola, who had been hiding in a corner. The woman had followed them just to make sure the princess was safe.
"Do you think she will be safe there?" Spinola asked, wetting her dry lips with her tongue.
Cora wasn't sure about that either. "I will always come to see how she is holding on."
Spinola sighed. She wished she could stay beside the princess all day, but that would bring unnecessary attention to them. As they turned to leave, Spinola thought about the words the woman had told her again. She needed to understand the palace in other to protect the princess.
Rubbing the tiny ruby, Spinola decided in that moment. This was the only way.
Back at the woodchopper's shed, Izrina noticed from the corner of her eyes Cora and Spinola had finally left the place. She hated to be a burden to those two.
"Well, whatever can you do?" The man asked with a tired sigh. "I usually work alone and have never had help." He turned his head to the side.
"Young lad, have you ever done anything strenuous in your life?"
Izrina nodded diligently, ready to prove herself. She trotted behind the man. "I have worked at the stable. I took care of King's horses." Though that ended worse than she had imagined but...Izrina said in her mind.
At the mention of the king, the man's countenance changed. "Why would they even send anyone here?" The man grabbed his axe going to the thickest wood. He tied a piece around his wrist. "Those evil...." he held his breath.
Izrina jumped back when the man pushed the axe into the wood like he had a deep-seated hate for either the wood or the axe. But it was neither of the two.
"They took my baby... she was just a child." He chopped the wood with the next strike. "That dirty mongrel.... he took my daughter when she was just twelve and made her a concubine!"
Izrina felt a chill run down her spine. The king she had met — was that heartless? She found it difficult to believe.
"Cut short her life and destroyed my family. All because he is king?" The man raised the axe again. This time he staggered. "My wife left... she said I couldn't protect our child.... she now lives as one of them. One of the so-called doves..."
Izrina was more worried about the man moving the axe in a way that could harm both of them.
"My beloved wife... she only plots to ruin the entire royal family, but I just wish for her to return home." The man chopped the wood, moving ahead to the next. He continued soliloquizing. His tone was bitter and filled with bridled rage.
Izrina didn't know what else to do. She dropped the small bag. She started packing up the chopped wood. The man sounded like he needed to vent his anger in other to do his work.
The longer she stayed in this palace, the more she found reasons to hate the king. He wasn't just a spasmodic king but also a heartless person not worth being human. If he had taken away a girl at twelve years old, that would only mean he had evil intentions for her too.
"That is why the heavens punished him the way they did... his two sons carry the curse."
Izrina arched her brows. "The King is married?" She already pitied the woman who lived as his wife.
The woodchopper nodded. "Poor boys.... Aldie who grew up loving horses but can never ride one, and Nero, who loves to paint but was too busy cleaning up his father's mess.... Going to war and ruling at such a young age can harden anyone's heart."
It was then Izrina understood who the man was talking about. It wasn't the reigning king but their father.
"Now, the heavens punish his sons instead of him." The man twitched his lips. He turned to look at his extra worker, who stared at him with inexperienced eyes wide with curiosity.
"How old are you?"
Izrina touched her chest, her fingers tracing the frantic rhythm of her heart. "Eighteen."
The man chuckled softly, kicking a piece of wood. "Young... but old enough to have a taste of woman soon. You see? The doves....once you get a taste of them....you lose your sanity. Trained by the best.... a woman who has the king in her palm."
Izrina's ears perked when she heard this. The stable boy had also mentioned a prostitute who seduced someone from a royal family.
"Feyrne is what my wife wishes to become, but..." the man shrugged. He dropped the axe he was holding. Crashing down onto the ground, he heaved a tired sigh.
Izrina bit her fingers without knowing. She wanted to know if the head courtesan had actually seduced that cold king. Was that the reason he did her bidding?
"The woman found out about the queen's affair and she used it, crawling her way into the palace. Now she owns almost every woman in the palace." The woodchopper chuckled.
"My wife used to hate her, a mere prostitute who served dirty foreigners, but now she works for her.... pretending to know everything about the palace."
The man stood up, stretching his body. He turned to look at Izrina. "You look beautiful for a boy."
Izrina blinked, shifting her gaze so the man wouldn't stare at her for too long.
"Don't be afraid to tell me anything." The man started picking up the chopped wood.
Izrina joined him in gathering the pieces. She felt closer to the man now that she had heard him confess so many things to her without even knowing her.
"I am not like my wife....all she does is deceive unsuspecting women, lure them into crimes that can get them killed and get herself promoted. Waiting for the day she would take Feyrne's position." The man grinned, showing the vegetables that got stuck on his yellow canine.
"You should be glad it's me you met and not her." The man's lips curled into a sharp grin.
Izrina gave him an awkward smile, rubbing her sweaty palms together.
"I promise you, boy. You won't regret this." The woodchopper remarked.