It was apparent that she was sulky.
She took a deep breath as if to control her anger and took a graceful sip of the tea set in front of her before putting it back down.
“Are you talking about me? Do you even know who you’re talking about?”
“I never said you were not a lady, but……. I see you like to wander around.”
Lacking a suitable riposte, Gabriele could only turn bright red in the face. It looked like she was going to rip off Ternie’s hair any second.
Oh no, isn’t this looking dangerous?
I looked nervously at the Crown Prince and Diana, but both of them seemed indifferent, almost as if disinterested.
It seemed I was the only one worried about Ternie’s safety here.
Gabriele, who was glaring at Ternie as she huffed, crossed her arms.
“What you have just said is a direct insult towards me. And an insult to me means an insult to my father! You are prepared to face the wrath of our Nebel family, right?”
Despite her resolute tone, Ternie had no particular reaction. Instead, he just smiled and replied back.
“Haha. It was just a joke; you are taking things too seriously.”
“A joke? Hmm, then I shall let it slide just this time. Please be more careful in the future.”
“I will try.”
What are these two getting at……?
The showdown between the two ended without much trouble, rendering all my worries futile.
Gabriele again began to ask the crown prince various questions.
“Your Highness, why don’t you stop by Grace Palace these days? Every day, I come by to greet the Empress, but I don’t think I have ever seen you there. Her Majesty would like to see His Highness very much. We should visit her together sometime.”
“I’m busy.”
Perhaps annoyed, the crown prince frowned slightly and averted his gaze.
Gabriele’s anger was now directed at poor Ternie.
“I mean, how bad of a deputy are you, that there’s no time to greet Her Majesty the Empress? And you still think you’re qualified to be an aide? You’re not qualified! Do your job properly!”
This was when, in fact, it wasn’t Ternie’s fault in the slightest. The Crown Prince probably couldn’t be bothered to greet his mother, that’s all.
Ternie, who had suddenly been cursed out of nowhere, gave a cold smile. His face was definitely smiling, but it was a smile full of murderous intent.
He appeared to be gritting his teeth until he whispered something, which only I could hear.
“Ah, should I kill her…….”
No, please contain yourself…….
Though I had just met Gabriele briefly, I was able to get a very good idea of what type of person she was.
To make even Ternie, of all the people, angry – that was some feat.
Gabriele shrugged her shoulders as if things couldn’t be helped.
“Anyway, I’ll let it go just this once, so please be careful next time.”
Ternie grinned instead of answering. Something told me that his smile was subtly threatening.
Ternie, who had been smiling in silence, suddenly stood up.
“I’ve suddenly remembered I have something urgent to do.”
You’re already leaving? As I looked up at Ternie in confusion, Diano, who was sitting next to me, also jumped up.
“My sword is alone in the training hall.”
“……?”
“It’s probably crying alone.”
“…….”
And just like that, the two disappeared.
I wanted to go too, but the crown prince’s gaze on me was so intense that I had no choice but to sit still.
In fact, I still couldn’t understand why I had to be here.
Gabriele wouldn’t even look at me and only spoke to the crown prince.
“Her Majesty the Empress proposed that I have dinner with her. Looks like we’ll be having an amicable dinner together for the first time in a while. Of course, Your Majesty will be with us, right?”
“No.”
“Well, I guess it can’t be helped that you’re busy with work! Next time, let us enjoy a private dinner together, Your Highness.”
I don’t think he ever said he was busy with work…….
It seemed like Gabriele had a special ability to hear things that couldn’t be heard.
Maybe I was lucky she wasn’t paying attention to me? I just watched the situation unfold in silence.
“The tea’s gotten cold. Bring me some more.”
Gabriele, who had just sipped the cold tea, frowned, and gave an order. Before long the new tea was ready in front of us.
“This tea is distributed exclusively by the Nebel family. I prepared it especially for Your Highness, he-he.”
“Right.”
The crown prince crossed his arms as if unimpressed and paid no attention to the tea.
Gabriele wasn’t embarrassed at all by that indifference.
“Look at him be all embarrassed~.”
Even to the point of dismissing the indifference as embarrassment.
Grind. The sound of the crown prince grinding his teeth was heard. Perhaps it was good that at least he wasn’t fiddling with the handle of his sword?
Gabriele lifted the teacup with a proud face and took a sip of tea. Immediately, her bright face hardened.
Gabriele put down the teacup roughly.
“Who prepared this tea? Will you come out right this moment?!”
Why was she like this all of a sudden? I looked down at the tea in front of me. On the surface, there seemed to be no problem. It even smelled good.
A moment later, Gabriele’s maid slowly walked out with a petrified look on her face. Her face was contorted, as if she was about to cry.
“Did you prepare this?!”
“Yes, miss. I was the one who prepared…….”
“This is not the type of tea I was talking about! Can’t you get yourself together?!”
Swoosh-
I watched with silent astonishment at the hot tea splattering on the floor. Hot steam rose up from the surface.
Perhaps unable to move out of the way in time, the maid’s hands had turned red.
Good God.
How can she just throw tea around in the presence of the Crown Prince himself?
This, this is too much…….
I looked back at the crown prince in confusion, but he only showed signs of discomfort and took no action.
Meanwhile, Gabriele picked up a cup of water and poured it on her maid’s face.
“S-sorry…….sorry……. Please forgive me, my lady.”
The maid, unable to even wipe the water from her face, knelt down, rubbed her hands, and begged Gabriele.
Even then, Gabriele was frowning at her maid, as if her anger still hadn’t subsided.
“You should do better. If you don’t want your father and your entire family kicked out!”
“Yes, yes! Please forgive me, lady……. Sob.”
“It’s because of you that I’m……!”
I couldn’t take it anymore.
I knew it wasn’t my place, but I couldn’t stay still.
“Stop it.”
I felt the eyes of everyone in the place focused on me. But my eyes were only focused on Gabriele.
“What do you mean by that?”
Gabriele asked me with a grin. I was in no mood to smile after her.
“I think your way of treatment is a little too excessive. It was definitely a mistake to bring the wrong tea leaves, but you could be more generous.”
“Are you saying I’m not generous? To say I’m being excessive, that is not a matter for Miss Atienne to decide. This child is my personal maid. No matter what punishment I give, that’s solely my choice, right?”
My gaze shifted to her shaking maid. Her hand was becoming more and more swollen, as if burned.
No matter how hard I tried to think positively, I couldn’t.
Once I had stepped forward, I couldn’t back down like this.
I looked straight at Gabriele. And I let it out slowly but clearly.
“She is a person before she is a maid.”
* * *
Adrian’s hand, gripping the teacup, tightened. He couldn’t believe his own ears.
What did I just hear?
Gabriele also had a similar reaction to Adrian. She was frowning and looking at Atienne with a puzzled expression, as if she didn’t understand.
Atienne was the only one maintaining her composure in this situation.
Gabriele questioned her, her expression twisting.
“What did you just say?”
“I told you she was a person before she was a maid.”
Without showing any sign of backing down, Atienne opened her mouth.
The side of Atie’s face as she spoke sternly had a different look than usual. And I thought she was only dazed and stupid.
“It is good for my lady to reprimand the maid for her mistakes, but knowing when to be magnanimous is also becoming of a good master.”
“Are you coveting my maid, Miss Atienne? I don’t know why Miss Atienne is trying to cover for my maid’s mistakes.”
“If Miss Gabriele had scolded her maid without my knowledge, I wouldn’t have gotten involved. You seem to have forgotten, but His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is sitting here.”
Gabriele’s expression hardened for the first time.
“Don’t you think it’s rude to do this in front of His Highness?”
The corners of Adrian’s mouth rose noticeably at Atie’s verbal riposte.
She’s a smart one.
Adrian found it refreshing and enjoyable to see Atie risking herself with her statement on behaving properly in front of the imperial family.
Maybe it’s because I only see her frozen and shaking every time – but it was both unfamiliar and interesting.
Who knew you could speak so well? So this one even knows how to be angry. All the same, Atienne was shaking her hand, which was clenched unbeknownst even to her.
Gabriele, who had always been acting without shame, could not be dignified on this occasion.
Yes, even for that Gabriele.
She had been different from a young age. Not only did she slap her maids on the face, but she had also once forced a maid to stand while stripped of her clothes, and made them wear strange rags.
While Gabriele’s behavior in humiliating and insulting others had been wholly unpleasant, Adrian had never particularly intervened.
Because he was so used to it.
He just couldn’t understand why she would behave like that in front of him.
Looking at Gabriele biting her lip, Adrian slowly put down his teacup.
“That’s enough.”
Adrian stared at Gabriele.
“I think the evidence speaks for itself?”
“Your Highness!”
Adrian’s eyes turned to the maid. Her swollen hands looked bad even at a glance.
“You can head back. Largo.”
When Adrian called the chamberlain’s name, the chamberlain gestured at a maid from the imperial palace. The maid from the imperial palace took Gabriele’s maid outside her garden. Adrian stood up from his seat.
“Gabriele, you seem to be tired today, so I think it would be best if you go now. We will have dinner amongst ourselves.”
“Pardon? What do you mean by that, Your Highness?”
“I will talk to the Queen Mother myself.”
Largo bowed his head to Gabriele.
“I shall guide you outside the imperial palace, Lady Nebel.”
As Gabriele was escorted out of the garden by Largo, Atienne let out a deep breath.
Adrian scrutinised Atienne. Atienne, who was breathing while holding her small hands together on her chest, glanced back at Adrian.
“My apologies. I was far too presumptuous.”
“No, it’s alright.”
You did well, what was the apology for?
Adrian smiled slightly. For some reason, he was in a good mood.
“Keep it up. From here on out.”
“Sorry, sorry?!”
“Keep it up, I said.”
Once Gabriele was gone, Atienne returned to her stupid self.
After staring at her round blue eyes, Adrian frowned, apparently grumpy at something.
“I mean don’t hold back from anyone, except for me”
Atienne made her eyes round again.
