Chapter 118 - 83: Yuriel
"Good day, Your Highness," the maids greeted, bowing deeply as the princess passed by. Her presence was an embodiment of authority, every step radiating an air of regal command.
"Good day, Your Highness," echoed more voices as she continued down the bustling corridor. She didn’t respond, her expression impassive—she was long accustomed to such displays of reverence.
A faint hum escaped her lips as her sharp eyes landed on an anomaly amidst the sea of maids.
"Yuriel," she murmured, her gaze narrowing as she halted abruptly.
"Your Highness?" her personal maid inquired, noticing her sudden pause, but the princess dismissed her with a wave of her hand.
"Yuriel," she addressed the young man, whose pink hair made him stand out like a blot of ink on pristine parchment. "How many times have I told you not to bow like this when you see me?"
The boy, already anticipating her words, resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Biting back the curse hovering on his tongue, he straightened slightly before replying. "Thirty-five times, my lady."
"...And yet, you still fail to grasp such a simple instruction," she said, her voice cold but laced with an almost amused edge. A smile crept onto her face, but it wasn’t one of kindness. A suffocating weight suddenly bore down on him like an iron shackle.
"Do not resist, Yuriel," she commanded. His knees buckled, and he crumpled to the ground as though gravity itself had conspired against him.
"Good," she said, satisfaction dripping from her tone. "This is how it should be. Let this be the last time I must correct your posture, Yuriel." Without another glance, she turned and walked away, her personal maid following dutifully.
"I understand," Yuriel said through gritted teeth, inhaling deeply as the oppressive weight finally lifted.