Chapter 37
I stare blankly at Valentina, who doesn’t hear a word I say. She even started humming with excitement, whether I realized it or not.
Marie, who had been watching silently from the sidelines, gently put her arm around my statuesque frame and led me to the couch. I glanced at Valentina, who was in a trance as she set up her dress and accessories, then back at Marie.
‘What is this, I feel a little cheap, or is it just me?’
I pursed my lips in disbelief, and Marie knelt down in front of me and locked eyes with me.
“… I’ve actually been very interested in the relationship between the Emperor and Princess lately.”
Marie hesitated, as if anticipating what I might ask, and then whispered.
“It started during the hunting festival, but now that word has gotten out that the Princess’s debutante partner is the Emperor, I’ve been approached a lot.”
“That’s already a rumor?”
He’s still the Emperor, and they’re spreading rumors without even noticing. I asked in disbelief.
“Yes. There’s a rumor going around that His Majesty is collecting gifts for Princess. It’s not a bad rumor, but there’s a lot of outsiders coming and going, and that’s usually enough to get your attention, but there’s no mandate from above.”
“Why on earth would…?”
“Princess, we’re ready for you, come this way.”
Marie’s mouth dropped open at the sudden interruption. She wanted to say something, but her stomach was churning and she couldn’t think of anything to say.
Dozens of dresses greeted me behind Valentina’s excited face as she walked toward me.
‘I wonder if… is going to find a new way to torment me?’
I pondered seriously.
***
Who’s the one who’s gotten sick in a dress? That’s me.
Valentina was busy trying on each of the dresses, making strict corrections as if there was no room for error. I thought I was going to choose just a few dresses from the ones I brought, but she seemed almost demonic as she kept asking me to change, excited that all these dresses were mine.
‘Maybe it’s all a conspiracy with Thierry to spite me.’
My conspiracy theory deepened. I was so exhausted that I skipped dinner and was lying in bed when there was a knock on the door.
“Princess, I’m sorry you’re resting.”
“It’s okay, what’s wrong?”
“Actually, there’s something I didn’t get to tell you earlier, and I was wondering if you could spare a moment.”
“Sure, let’s go to the table.”
“Uh, no, no, no, I can talk to you standing up.”
“It’s just that I’m uncomfortable, so can you get me a chair and we can sit here?”
I said, gesturing to the bed. Marie lowered the tip of her eyebrows slightly, glanced back and forth between me and the chair, and then curled her lips inward.
‘Are you impressed?’
I asked, stunned by her expression. I know it’s hard to live in a caste system, but I didn’t expect her to be so emotional.
‘I wonder how someone with such a kind heart could have survived under that mean woman…’
I felt a sense of sympathy for her, but also a sense of sadness, as I thought, “It’s a life that’s just like yours.”
Marie brought me a chair after some time had passed. She seemed to have calmed down and was in better shape than before.
“What is it you want to tell me?”
“I… actually been spying on her.”
Her eyes slowly closed and opened at the unexpected topic. Fidgeting with her hands on her legs, Marie continued cautiously.
“Oh, not every day, of course, just when I think of it, but yesterday I followed her when she left her quarters at night, and she met a man there.”
“You followed her at night? What if you were in danger?”
“Of course, I saw him from a distance! Seriously, I was so far away that I didn’t even see his face, I just realized he was an outsider because of his clothes… Anyway, there’s a deserted forest path on the way between my hostel and the main palace, and I thought it was very suspicious to see two people going in there together, so I wanted to tell you.”
If I didn’t know the original story, I would have question marks floating in my head, but knowing that the Duke of Joubert was behind it, I was intrigued.
‘Could the Duke have sent someone? There’s too much surveillance these days to send a letter…’
With the capture of the sergeant, the restrictions on access to the palace were lifted, but it was a time of caution. If the sergeant was willing to go out of his way to meet with me, it could only be the Duke.
Her suspicions grew into conviction. A married maid of honor would not be the kind of woman who would tarnish my honor in such a way, no matter how illicit.
“I’m waiting for them to try something, whether it’s to escape her or to kill her to keep her quiet.”
Thierry’s words flashed through my mind.
‘I wonder if he ordered me to deal with the danger that is Sera?’
Given that the Handmaiden and Sera are related, it’s possible that he’s ordering her to be destroyed personally, to test her loyalty once again.
The original Duke of Joubert, as I recall, was a man who viewed everyone as a means to an end, and since he had no trust in the first place, this would be a good way to quell any suspicions that this incident might have aroused, while also providing a fail-safe.
“It’s probably not a big deal, but just in case, haha, I should have seen your face, I’m sorry…”
I snapped out of my reverie.
“Huh? No, it’s not! I’m just grateful that you told me.”
“Oh, you’re welcome. It was no big deal, and I’ll be sure to bring something helpful next time!”
Marie pumped her fists in the air, fired up. I must admit, she looked a little overzealous, almost worried. I spoke cautiously, concerned.
“Marie, I understand your feelings, but next time, don’t do something so dangerous. I don’t want you to end up in trouble.”
“Princess…!”
Marie looked up at me with a pouty face.
Mmm… I don’t know, maybe she was a little too impressed. I smirked a little and patted her on the shoulder a couple times.
I wonder if the Duke of Joubert will be okay with this, by the way. Before, I didn’t care because he was none of my business, but now that I’m so directly involved, I’m a little worried.
‘Was the hunting festival his own idea? Or did the Duke have something to do with it?’
I’ve always thought it was the former, but in retrospect, I realize I was a nuisance to the Duke. It must have been annoying for him to have a Princess from another country sitting next to the Emperor when he was so eager to make her Empress.
‘But the hunting festival is one thing, the future is more troubling.’
I’m sure I must look like a culprit to the Duke of Joubert, since I brought the arrowheads and even imprisoned Sera for telling her about the poisonous herb. At this rate, it’s only a matter of time before the poisonous herb, Pochi, is discovered.
The Duke has a bad temper, so even if I put him aside, the Handmaiden is close enough to threaten me right now that I should push him away.
I lifted my gaze from where it had been downward in thought. My gaze locked with Marie, who stood still, waiting for me.
“… Marie.”
“Yes!”
“Do you mind if I tell someone else about what you just told me?”
“Hehe, of course you can. It’s very sweet of you to even ask me, Princess.”
… I feel like Marie’s beanstalk is getting thicker these days, is that okay, this.
***
In her solitary cell, the most dangerous of the prisons in the basement of the Western Palace, in the musty smell and damp air, Sera muttered like a madwoman.
“Why me, I didn’t do anything wrong, no, I did, it’s all because of her, it all went wrong when she showed up, I’ll tell you everything, why won’t you listen, why do you keep shutting me up, no, I’ll die if I tell you, but it’s better than dying like this, I’ll die one day, hehe… No. I don’t want to die…”
Her bloodshot eyes were almost unfocused due to the close proximity of the bones. Her scarlet hair, which twitched at the slightest disturbance, was a messy disheveled mess, and her fair flesh was riddled with scars.
She believed she was being framed and that anyone, her parents or aunts, would save her. But that faith was shattered with each merciless torture.
“… Shall be saved.”
I thought this voice was one of my countless imaginations. I forced myself to look straight ahead through the lump in my throat.
I barely managed to get the words out, my voice cracking. Sera moved her swollen eyelids several times, as if trying to process what she was seeing.
“Oh… Sera. I’m sorry. I’m sorry… I never thought it would come to this.”
Her face was half hidden by a black hood, but Handmaid Chloé’s lips curled up in a pitying smile, and Sera’s half-dead hopes rose again.
“You have come to rescue me? Please don’t kill me, I’ll do anything you ask!”
She slammed both hands on the bars, pressing her face between them. Her yellow eyes flickered with madness.
“You’re so weak, and your throat is so sore. Don’t force yourself to talk, but drink this water first.”
Chloé pulled out the wooden bottle she had hidden in her arms and handed it to Sera. With shaky hands, she took the bottle and uncapped it with trepidation, for in prison they barely gave her enough food to keep her from dying.
“I’ve been through so much.”
Chloé’s voice was tinged with pity, as if she felt sorry for her.
Sera stared at Chloe with tears streaming down her face, then began gulping down the water as if it were life-giving.
“… Khukk, khukk!”
“Drink slowly.”
“Kuck… Kuck!”
Coughing like she had a case, Sera’s eyes widened and she grabbed her throat with both hands. Her eyes were bloodshot, a line of blood formed at the nape of her neck, and soon a trickle of red blood began to trickle down the cracks of her bloodless lips.
“Just a little… is enough.”
