A month had passed since the apprentice maid entered the Roha household.
Though she was still only tasked with simple chores due to her position, she was very satisfied with her current life. The wages from the Roha family weren’t much, but in exchange for reporting on the daily life of Lady Roha to the Prince, she was being paid a sum most maids couldn’t even dream of.
Watching over Vivian Roha was easier than eating cold soup while lying down. She didn’t go out, holed herself up in her room, and spent days crying endlessly—only to suddenly start lazing around and indulging herself as if she were a different person.
Either way, her days passed by tediously without change.
To be honest, the maid couldn’t understand what was so special about this girl. Compared to herself, Vivian wasn’t particularly outstanding—just a meek, foolish woman who’d been born with a silver spoon thanks to her well-off parents, raised in pretty dresses without hardship. She couldn’t grasp why the Prince was so obsessed with someone like that.
The maid often laughed inwardly at Vivian Roha’s obliviousness, watching her casually entrust letters without knowing she was a pawn of the Prince.
How stupid could she be? And as Vivian began calling for her more frequently, the apprentice maid’s pride inflated more and more. She began to dream—maybe, just maybe, if she managed to win over that foolish young lady, even a commoner like her could rise in status.
She was already envisioning a sweet future where she worked as the Crown Princess’s maid while still being secretly paid by the prince. The thought made her eager for things to progress.
The Prince, who would be appointed Crown Prince in just two days, had showered his chosen woman with extravagant gifts. Even the Roha family, known for its relative wealth, had never seen such luxury. And yet, Vivian Roha’s expression did not look pleased at all.
‘If I play this right, I might be able to sweet-talk her and get my hands on a few of those things.’
With that thought, the apprentice maid decided to approach Vivian Roha more actively in the remaining days. At first, she had kept her distance, worried Vivian might discover she was a spy for the Prince. But after a month had passed with no suspicion—if anything, Vivian seemed to be growing more fond of her—the time felt right.
Who knows? Maybe she could even take the place of that Michelle woman who followed Vivian around like a shadow.
As she was lost in her delusional daydream, someone suddenly shook her by the shoulders.
“Hey! Snap out of it, will you?”
“Huh? What…?”
“What were you daydreaming about?”
The apprentice maid couldn’t hide her startled expression when the very person she’d just been inwardly mocking appeared before her eyes.
Michelle looked down at her with arms crossed, clearly displeased. The apprentice maid ducked her head, pretending to be intimidated.
“I was just… lost in thought. I’m sorry.”
“The Young Lady is calling for you.”
“What? The Young Lady?”
“Yeah. She said she wants some blueberry juice. Bring it up to her.”
Michelle made no effort to hide her annoyance.
“It’s strange, honestly. Why would she ask you to bring her a drink? That’s always been my job.”
Michelle couldn’t conceal the irritation in her voice and added curtly,
“She said to bring it in a large cup. If it’s not full, she’ll probably scold you.”
Michelle shot the apprentice maid a glare before walking off. The apprentice maid, still bowing her head, glanced bitterly in the direction Michelle had gone.
“Hmph.”
Of course. Lady Roha—no, my Lady—must like her more, and that’s why she’s so irritated.
The apprentice maid dusted off her skirt and stood up.
* * *
When I told Michelle to have that apprentice maid bring blueberry juice, she looked at me strangely.
“But Miss, you don’t drink blueberry juice.”
Michelle knew my tastes like the back of her hand—I liked eating fresh blueberries, but I didn’t care much for them in juice form.
“It’s not because I want to drink it.”
“Does blueberry juice have a use other than drinking?”
Michelle stood up, clearly baffled by what I was planning.
“Well, it’s not like I’ve ever understood everything you do, Miss. Alright. I’ll tell her to bring the blueberry juice.”
“And don’t come into my room for a while.”
“What? Why not?”
“Just. I need it that way.”
“Miss, I really think there’s something suspicious about that girl. I don’t think you should be alone with her.”
“It’s fine.”
I gave Michelle a bright smile.
“After today, I doubt we’ll see her again anyway.”
Reluctantly, Michelle headed down to the kitchen.
Left alone in my room, I rummaged through the pile of gifts sent by the prince. I pulled out the dress and the corset made of whalebone—the ones Michelle had been horrified by.
“What a revolting man.”
I had once thought he wasn’t too bad. But a person’s true character is revealed not in poverty, but in prosperity. As soon as his weaknesses disappeared, he began acting like the world revolved around him—just like the Empress. No different at all.
Well, of course. Who else would he take after but his mother?
I looked down at the corset and the dress—clearly brand new. My belief was that objects held no guilt, but in this case, they’d have to serve as sacrificial tools.
Kill two birds with one stone. Have the pheasant and the egg. Dig a ditch and catch the crayfish.
A true slacker always seeks efficiency. I had every reason to go through with this—disposing of the spy while also dealing with my current dilemma.
I placed the corset right in front of the door, then laid the dress over it. It was positioned so that anyone who walked in without looking down would easily trip over it.
Knock knock.
A moment later, there was a knock at the door. The knock was light but firm.
“Miss, I brought the blueberry juice you requested.”
I purposely didn’t respond. After a short wait, the maid knocked again.
“Miss?”
“Who is it?”
“I’ve brought the blueberry juice you said you wanted.”
“Ah, right.”
And then I waited a little longer. Just enough for her to start feeling impatient—for the weight of the cup brimming with juice to make her arms tremble.
“Come in.”
At my signal, the apprentice maid pushed the door open eagerly.
Ever since I entrusted her with that letter, she had been living in a massive delusion. It was clear she wasn’t satisfied with the hush money she was receiving from the Prince. She wanted to stick by my side and squeeze out even more.
She was desperate to earn my favor now. And that’s exactly when people trip—caught on a vine they never saw coming, laid right at their feet.
“Miss? Ah!”
A corset made of whalebone is rigid and unyielding. The apprentice maid, stepping on it instead of a flat surface, lost her balance immediately. Her stumbling steps faltered, and in the blink of an eye, she fell.
With a crash, the large glass filled to the brim with freshly blended blueberry juice—just as I had instructed—shattered, spilling its contents across the floor. The area where the juice spilled the most just so happened to be exactly where I had laid out the golden dress.
“Oh my!”
I dashed toward the door, pretending to be startled by the sudden commotion. The apprentice maid’s face was pale, still unable to grasp what she had just done.
“What happened? Are you alright? Are you hurt?”
I hurried to her side—and as I did, I deliberately stepped hard on the corset she had tripped over. A crack sounded as the whalebone structure snapped beneath my shoe.
The glass had been made from high-grade material, breaking like tempered glass into square fragments, so she wasn’t likely to be seriously injured. Still, I made a show of fussing over her, inspecting her as if she might have suffered something severe.
“M-Miss! I didn’t do it on purpose, I swear… I tripped over something on the floor and—”
The maid, babbling in panic, looked at the spilled blueberry juice and the ruined golden dress, her expression twisting as if fainting would be preferable.
When she reached to try and salvage the mess, I grabbed her hand and wouldn’t let go. The longer I stalled her, the more the juice would soak into the fabric, leaving an irreparable stain no matter how hard they tried to wash it.
Other maids, alarmed by the ruckus, came rushing into the room. I immediately ordered them to call a doctor for the apprentice maid.
“M-Miss! I’m sorry! I really didn’t mean to… Please believe me!”
“It’s alright. It’s my fault for carelessly leaving one of the prince’s gifts out while I was unpacking.”
“If we wash it right away, maybe—” She tried to offer hope, but I kept gently clutching her hand, pretending to look around distractedly.
There was only a slight cut on her finger from the glass, just enough for a bit of blood to show. I pressed a handkerchief to it and tended to her with exaggerated concern.
A little later, when the maids who had gone to fetch the doctor returned to report, I let go of the apprentice maid’s hand and turned to them.
“I was careless and damaged one of His Highness’s gifts. Please try washing it for me.”
The maids’ expressions darkened. Clearly, they were appalled that such a magnificent dress—delivered just hours ago from the palace—had been ruined.
