[“It’s okay without Mom and Dad.”]
How are you doing the same things as those kids?
But now I was not as afraid as before.
“Is it really that hard to ask you to check the water temperature?”
I tilted my head and urged the maid.
She was puzzled and looked at me.
Of course, I couldn’t dip my hands in steaming hot water.
I threw down the hot wash water as it was.
The maid narrowly avoided it and her expression hardened as she looked at the wet rug and shoes.
“This is an accident caused by the hot water you prepared, so don’t ask anyone else to clean it up and put it back yourself.”
“…”
“You can do it before I return, right? I can’t sleep without that rug, so dry it by the end of the day and bring it to my room.”
I gestured for her to leave, waving my hand as if dismissing her.
“What is your name?”
“I am Nora.”
“Nora, I will inform the emperor about today’s incident. You should explain in detail why you did this.”
Nora’s eyebrows twitched as I spoke rather brazenly.
‘What, tell the emperor? Now you’re not afraid of the Queen?’
Clearly, the expression on her face seemed to be asking such a question.
But I think it was worse to bully someone who they knew wouldn’t reach power.
‘From my father’s perspective, it would be heartbreaking to find out later that his daughter was being mistreated.’
I don’t know if my previous parents were the same, who left me in the hands of my cousins in my previous life and disappeared.
“I will also inform the queen that I have the power to observe her actions, Nora.”
I remembered her physical characteristics once again and waved my hand toward the door.
Nora took the dripping carpet and disappeared with a bewildered face.
After she left, a maid hurried in.
This time it was a face I knew.
It was Emma.
Fortunately, it seemed that Emma had not been replaced, but was only absent due to work.
Her Majesty’s maids talked to her along the way.
She was looking at me.
I shrugged my eyebrows with a relaxed face that was completely different from when I was dealing with Nora.
“It’s okay, I have an appointment with Her Majesty, so help me prepare.”
“Excuse me… What about the punishment for being late?”
“It’s too late for punishment now. You don’t have to worry about it.”
‘I’ll feel sorry if you look at me like that, Emma.’
‘I’ll have to be nice to Emma in the future and pay off my debt seriously.’
She was one of the few people who stayed by my side after my mother passed away.
Emma helped me prepare and then prepared the food.
I looked at her blankly and opened my mouth.
“What did Her Majesty’s maids call you for?”
“Ah, that’s–“
Emma, who had always kept her mouth shut, seemed delighted when I spoke to her first.
I thought you liked keeping your mouth shut, but I guess not.
It was almost the first time I had a long conversation with a maid while getting ready to go out.
Until now, I was suffering from the obsession that I might die at any time, so I kept away from people and was vigilant.
I deliberately distanced myself from people who were close to me, fearing that I might harm them.
‘But now I can afford to hang out with other people.’
The imperial bloodline was great.
According to my father, it was possible to save a person from being cursed or poisoned with my current divine power.
It meant that if Daniel Prause were to be targeted in an assassination, I could potentially save him.
‘Still, it would be useful if my divine power became a bit more powerful.’
In the first place, divine power was power.
What about strength? The stronger the better.
So, what I needed to do next had been decided.
‘I have to meet the Spirit of Knowledge.’
I remembered the game’s tutorial scene.
When I first ran the game and logged in, I was presented with a desperate situation where the world was in ruins.
Around that time…
[The Spirit of Knowledge will tell you what you need.]
An explanation appeared like a ray of light, and the Spirit of Knowledge (=in charge of explanation) appeared and explained various things.
‘I heard that spirits of knowledge exist in this world too. I think they told me to touch a certain book to summon the spirit.’
If you touch the book as required by the tutorial, you can get help from the spirit whenever you encountered obstacles.
I’ll be able to understand the condition of my body and how to increase my divine power.
Furthermore, establishing a bond with the spirit and sharing unique abilities would be of great help in the future.
Fortunately, I remembered what the book looked like and who owned it.
The problem was how to contact the holder of the book.
‘I don’t have any personal connections.’
As I was thinking of this or that method, Emma came over and said.
“Princess, I have narrowed it down to five different dresses.”
“huh. I’ll take the one that is the easiest to wear and the most comfortable to move around in.”
After all, Daniel wouldn’t be interested in whether I wore a jacket or a chemise.
* * *
“Greeting the Moon of the Empire.”
“You’re late, Frey. Looks like you overslept today, hm?”
The queen’ voice was gentle, but thorny. Her complexion was also pale.
It was because Frey gained divine power, causing her blood pressure to rise. She also lost sleep because the emperor actually used the right of absolute obedience.
Dark blue eyes, identical to Tahar’s, moved rapidly up and down.
‘The way she flaunts her beauty without even knowing it is vulgar like her mother.’
Striking red eyes and dazzling blonde hair that flowed down to her waist.
Frey Obelir was dazzlingly beautiful, as if crafted from the gold of a setting sun.
The appearance reminded her of the emperor, which further upset the queen.
Frey thought to herself with a meaningless smile.
‘This side is more troublesome than Tahar, who openly shows hostility.’
There was only one reason why the queen, who clearly hated her, had sent someone to invite her.
‘I think my image is terrible.’
As a member of the royal family and a former Zelonist, Frey knew the empress placed great importance on appearances.
What better way to showcase her power as a queen than by having the daughter of her husband’s mistress come to her?
‘She probably had the same pretentious smile when she heard the news of my mother’s passing.’
It felt suffocating to think that my reputation was being manipulated.
However, Frey had no choice but to comply with the queen’s will.
In any case, the opponent was the queen, the second highest being after the emperor.
The queen, who was well aware of this fact, pointed to the table with a slightly relaxed smile.
“Even with the right of absolute obedience… well, anyway, I have prepared something for Frey, something she has always desired as she approaches marriage. I hope it suits your taste.”
“…”
Frey frowned as she took in the aroma of the prepared tea.
The scent of chocolate suddenly turned bitter to the point of suffocation.
‘I can’t believe I’ll be seeing herbs I’ve only read about in a book.’
The tea contained a herb used by middle-aged couples for contraception, as even a small amount could cause reproductive issues for several years.
If it wasn’t for the unique scent, I would have drunk it without knowing.
“I heard that Grand Duke Prause already has two children. Three kids would be too many.”
The empress touched Daniel’s out-of-wedlock issue with a calm face.
‘No matter how you look at it, it’s openly trying to make me sterile.’
Frey laughed as she clenched her fist under the table.
“I haven’t discussed my plans for children with him yet. It seems too early to drink this tea.”
“Well, I wouldn’t have had a chance to speak with you privately. Grand Duke Prause must have been summoned without knowing the reason.”
The queen, having claimed the first victory, curled the corners of her mouth.
“The reason I summoned you today is to provide you with a maid to accompany you when you go north.”
“A maid?”
“Yes, when you go to the north, you’ll need someone trustworthy to assist you with socializing. You can’t go there alone, can you?”
Someone had been meddling with my maids behind the scenes.
Frey gritted her teeth.
However, that was not the end of the queen’s tricks.
“I have personally selected several candidates for maids, so choose from them.”
At the queen’s signal, the maids opened the door.
A group of young ladies, who appeared far from experienced in social affairs, hesitantly entered the greenhouse.
All of them came from southern families that seemed to have never set foot in the north, let alone have connections there.
‘I should have met these people in the library, not here…’
Frei, who was carefully looking through the family’s writings that the young children had, soon smiled with her eyes.
‘It was definitely that sentence.’
Frey traced the sentence of a young lady with her eyes.
An owl, a symbol of wisdom, spread its wings wide.
It was the coat of arms of Baron Holt, a minor southern noble family.
If Frey hadn’t been able to recall her previous life, she would never have an impression of this small noble family in the south.
However, as long as she knew the flow of this world, she would not forget Baron Holt’s sentence.
“I don’t know what to do with your care, Queen.”
Unlike usual, Frey’s voice now contained sincerity.
***
