Chapter 55
It was all thanks to Aleyna.
Thanks to her, I was able to purchase the Tears of the Winter Queen without a hitch.
Up close, it was even more beautiful than I had imagined.
A sapphire of this quality… It’s like a piece of the ocean carved out…
The combination of deep blue sapphire and diamonds was absolutely enchanting.
I wanted to keep it for myself, but I quietly set that greed aside.
I wanted to give Aleyna a beautiful gift—and a beautiful memory.
As soon as we returned to the palace garden, I handed it to her.
“Actually, I bought this as a gift for you. Would you accept it?”
I thought she would gladly accept it.
To me, it was such a stunning gem.
But she shook her head.
“It doesn’t suit me.”
“What?!”
It was a gift I’d bought because I felt I hadn’t treated her well enough…
And even that was rejected.
She’s not tempted at all by such a beautiful jewel? Not even a little??
Then I must’ve been the only one who enjoyed our outing, while she probably found it dull.
I felt a pang of hurt.
“I’m sorry… I must’ve just been bothering you… I really wanted to make you happy…”
“I had a great time. It’s just… It doesn’t suit me. There’s someone it suits better.”
She rose from her seat and picked up the necklace from the set.
Then, reaching behind my neck, she fastened it herself.
“A-Aleyna?”
“There. All done.”
After securing the necklace, she stepped back and examined it carefully.
The blue gem resting on my neck, and my blue eyes.
“It suits you better. My friend.”
“F-Friend…? Did you just call me your friend?”
“Of course. We’re already friends.”
Just a minute ago, my heart was heavy with guilt and gloom.
But with one simple gesture, she made me feel so much better.
“Aleyna!”
I called her name and hugged her tightly. She returned the embrace.
Then gently patted my back.
Her stoic tone didn’t match the warmth of her comforting gesture.
After that hug, we became close very quickly.
Even though we had different nationalities, languages, and hobbies—it didn’t matter.
None of those things were a barrier to becoming friends.
We took turns enjoying each other’s favorite things.
One day we went hunting—her favorite.
Another day we had a tea party—mine.
Then we went to watch a jousting match, which she liked…
Day by day, we spent joyful moments together.
By the time I came to my senses, the day of her departure had already arrived.
As I came outside to see her off, I asked her softly,
“Did you enjoy the time we spent together?”
“It was the best. Truly.”
To make it to their next destination on time, they had to depart early in the morning.
The other members of the delegation were already bustling about, preparing to leave.
His Majesty and the Second Prince were exchanging their final farewells, their expressions darker than before.
They must’ve discussed the war with the Duchy.
Would they send reinforcements later?
I’d learn more when the time came.
But right now, I had to focus on saying goodbye to Aleyna.
I hugged her as tightly as I could.
“Take care. I’ll miss you.”
“You too, my friend.”
While we said our farewells, the Second Prince boarded the carriage.
Aleyna was about to mount her horse when she suddenly stopped.
“Ah, I have a gift.”
“A gift?”
That’s when I remembered—if you treated Aleyna well, she was supposed to give you a gift.
“Take this. Because we’re friends.”
She said she was giving me something, but her hands were empty.
His Majesty looked puzzled at Aleyna, who appeared to be offering nothing.
But I knew exactly what the gift was, and I reached out my hand without hesitation.
Finally, I get to experience it firsthand—her gift.
It wasn’t something you could see.
Aleyna grasped my hand like she was giving a firm handshake, and in that moment, a warm heat spread through my palm.
“This is magic. Extend your hand like this when you need it.”
When I looked at my palm, a glowing symbol had appeared.
A complex design, encircling strange letters within a glowing ring.
The pattern soon faded and melted into my skin.
It was a fascinating sight.
“This is… magic…”
Seeing the awe in my eyes, Aleyna tried to explain more about the spell.
But it seemed too complex for her to explain in her broken Imperial.
She turned to her brother, the Second Prince, and asked him to interpret.
He leaned out of the carriage window and explained.
“She received it as a reward after subjugating monsters on behalf of the Gray Mage Tower.”
“I see…”
“She felt it would be more useful to the Crown Princess than herself, so she transferred it to you. She hopes you’ll use it well.”
“Thank you for translating.”
After thanking him, I hugged Aleyna one last time.
“I’ll treasure it and use it when the time is right. Thank you, Aleyna.”
She said we’d see each other again someday and slowly rode away from me.
We’ll meet again someday, won’t we?
Clutching the magic she had entrusted me with, I waved and waved…
Until I could no longer see her.
“You’re really paying for everything today, right?”
Sella asked Mari again.
She couldn’t believe Mari’s generous offer.
Mari forced a bright smile for her.
“Yep! Order everything you want. Don’t worry about the money.”
Ember gasped at Mari’s bold declaration.
“Wow, you really are the Crown Princess’s personal maid. I guess your salary’s on a whole other level, huh?”
“Well… haha.”
“Anyway, thanks. Then I won’t hold back, okay?”
“Go ahead.”
As soon as Mari gave the go-ahead, the two maids began ordering dessert with abandon.
In the middle of their frenzied ordering, Mari let out a silent sigh.
Sigh… Keeping them in good spirits is exhausting. But I have no choice—for Her Highness.
Not long ago, Mari had received a special mission from Claudia.
To find out the whereabouts of the maid who had burned Nayla’s back.
And to do that, she first needed to win the trust of that maid’s close friends.
That’s why she’d brought Ember and Sella to an expensive dessert shop.
Sweet treats soften hearts. Once they’re full, I’ll ask them what I need to know.
While Mari congratulated herself for her clever plan, the desserts arrived.
“These cakes are so pretty!”
“They’re so gorgeous I feel bad eating them…”
Their awe was understandable.
This was a fairly upscale shop frequented even by nobles.
Each bite-sized cake was elaborately decorated.
Naturally, the price reflected the craftsmanship.
But is it really okay to be spending Her Highness’s money like this? Should be fine, right?
Mari knew it was silly for a maid to worry about Claudia’s wallet.
If Claudia wanted, she could probably buy out the whole shop right now.
Still, seeing the table covered in expensive desserts made her stomach churn a bit.
“You can order as much as you want, but… just don’t leave any behind…”
She felt like she’d lie awake all night tossing and turning if even a crumb went to waste.
Thankfully, they polished everything off so thoroughly that there wasn’t even a plate to clean.
Mari’s earlier warning seemed pointless in hindsight.
As they sipped their tea to wash down the sweetness, Mari casually brought up the topic.
“Sitting around like this makes me nostalgic. Remember all the chaos back in the day? There was that one time a maid made a huge mistake and ended up burning Lady Nayla… That caused a big uproar, didn’t it?”
As soon as she brought it up, a chilly silence fell over the table.
Ember and Sella clammed up as if they’d made a pact.
Mari bit her lip, realizing the mood had shifted.
Did I bring it up too suddenly?
Just as her anxiety peaked in the heavy silence, the two suddenly burst into laughter.
“Pfft!!”
“A mistake? Haha—cough—haha!!”
Mari blinked, baffled by their laughter.
They didn’t explain, just kept laughing.
Wiping a tear from the corner of her eye, Ember finally spoke.
“You’re so naïve. Did you really think that incident was just a ‘mistake’?”
“What do you mean? It wasn’t?”
As if she’d been waiting for the chance to spill it, Ember opened her mouth again—
“Ember! That’s enough!”
Sella cut her off before she could say more.
Her playful expression was gone, replaced by a stern warning.
“Any more and it gets dangerous.”
Ember, hearing the warning, fell silent.
Sella turned to Mari with a serious expression.
“If you were just another maid, we’d tell you. But you’re too close to the Crown Princess. We can’t trust you.”
Mari quickly shook her head.
“No! I get what you’re worried about, but I swear I won’t say anything. No matter what you tell me, I’ll keep it secret from Her Highness.”
“Hmph. And how do we believe that? Everyone knows how loyal you are to her.”
Mari bit her lip at Ember’s words.
It was clear they knew something.
I have to act like I’m not that close to Her Highness. That’s the only way they’ll open up.
Thinking desperately, Mari came up with an idea.
A bold one.
She covered her eyes with both hands.
Then, mustering all her strength, she began to cry.
“Sniff, hic… sniff…”
The two maids looked startled.
“She’s crying…?”
“What’s going on?”
Mari kept her head down to hide her performance.
She made small sobbing noises between shaking shoulders.
“The truth is… Her Highness doesn’t care about me anymore…”
“What…?”
“Seriously?”
Mari replied in a small, weak voice.
“She’s been using Lucy instead of me… And she didn’t even take me to the palace… What else could it mean…?”
She added another sniffle for effect.
“I once misspoke in front of her… She’s hated me ever since… I might never see her again…”
Her desperate act worked.
Ember and Sella began to console her.
“Ah… So that’s why you didn’t go to the palace?”
“That’s awful… Sorry, we didn’t know…”
It was working. Just a little more and they’d start talking.
Mari squeezed a few more tears from her dry eyes for Claudia’s sake.
“So don’t worry… I’d never tell her your secret…”
Finally, Mari looked up.
Two carefully manufactured teardrops rolled down her cheeks.
Seeing her so pitiful, Ember and Sella exchanged glances.
They sighed at the same time.
“Sigh… Fine. We’ll trust you and tell you the truth about that day.”
What Mari heard next struck her like a hammer.
