"Oh!"
Judith's hand, which was moving the needle, suddenly stopped. When she pierced the delicate flesh under her fingernail, red blood dripped along with the throbbing pain.
“Oh my God, Princess!”
Mary Anne, who was cleaning an empty vase, was startled when she saw Judith biting her fingertips and ran up to her in a gasp.
“It’s okay, Mary Anne.”
“What does it mean to be okay!”
Judith laughed helplessly as she saw Mary Anne raising her voice in frustration. A sigh escaped Judith's mouth as she saw the clean cloth stained with drops of blood.
“I’ll have to throw this away too.”
“Does this make sense? How can you embroider dozens of handkerchiefs by yourself? You deserve a gift, why do you have to give it to them?”
Mary Anne stamped her feet as she looked in the direction where Queen Gilsis' palace as if just thinking about it made her feel feverish. Judith crumpled the dirty cloth and threw it into the basket at her feet, wiping the blood from her fingertips.
It was three days ago that Queen Gilsis summoned Judith. She had called her all the time before, so she wasn't sure exactly what was going on.
The Queen, who was looking at Judith with a disapproving look, was trying to keep her calm face, gave a nonsensical command with a sour expression on her face.
'If you want to become Rotair's Princess, you should make yourself known to Rotair's social circle.'
Are you planning to hold a banquet while skipping the wedding?
Judith, who was thinking thus, soon realized that she had been underestimating the Queen's malice. The Queen's words that followed were absurd. She was asked to personally embroider handkerchiefs to be presented to the noble ladies of the capital.
There were at least dozens of noble families in the Rotair capital. To individually create embroidery that can be presented as a gift to the mistresses of that family, she has to sit down and do embroidery for at least a month.
It was an absurd thing to ask a girl who was only seventeen years old and a Princess, but Judith did not say a word of objection and answered that she would follow the Queen's words.
It is obvious even without looking at the fact that Queen Gilsis, who expected her to tremble and kneel down in tears saying she couldn't do it, was twisted. She made Judith, who was unexpectedly calm, carry the chest containing the cloth for the handkerchief. While she was suffering such humiliation, not one of the Queen's maids or palace maids came forward to help Judith.
“Get some rest. If you keep doing this, your eyes will get worse. Would you like me to massage your shoulders? Or I will do it.”
“No, Mary Anne. This is what I have to do. I will do everything.”
“Really, why are you so stubborn! No one is watching anyway.”
“Do you think so?”
Mary Anne looked puzzled at Judith's words as if wondering what she meant.
“There is no one here, Judith. Who do you think is watching?”
“In Rotair’s palace, even the walls have eyes. Do you think it's just eyes? It also has ears. So, you have to be careful anytime and anywhere.”
She remembered all the failures in her past life. She suffered from the Queen's harassment, and when she cried or lamented alone, the news reached the Queen's ears like a ghost, wondering who had confessed to her.
Then, of course, more severe harassment than before awaited Judith. The small villa where the Princess stayed did not even have any official maids, but considering Queen Gilsis' temperament, she would never leave Mary Anne and Judith alone.
Therefore, even though Judith pricked her finger with the needle several times, she did not ask Mary Anne to help her embroider. Whether it took a month or two, she was determined to do it all on her own.
“But why does the Prince never come?”
Mary Anne, who was neatly unfolding and arranging the handkerchiefs that needed to be embroidered, spoke in a sharp voice. These days, she often expressed dissatisfaction with Franz not visiting Judith. He was still her husband, but he didn't care what hardships his wife was going through alone.
“He must be busy.”
Judith responded indifferently as she embroidered new cloth.
In fact, she was also curious about what Franz was doing. Even before her death, she rarely spent time alone with Franz, so there was no way to know how his daily life went. The Prince's palace where Franz was staying was not far from the villa where Judith was, but there was a deep chasm between the two that seemed to never be bridged.
If she wanted to go see Franz, she could. The Judith of the past would not have been able to muster that much courage, but the Judith here now was different. But she never went to see Franz first. She tried not to think about what he was doing.
“Princess, don’t you want to go first?”
“Is there really a need for that?”
“But you got married...”
“If I hang out with Franz often, it won’t be good for him either.”
"Yes? What do you mean by that?”
Judith recalled the poisoned eyes of Queen Gilsis. Although she had brought Judith as his wife, it was clear that she would not like Judith and Franz to be close to each other. If she were to have a child between the two, and if that child was a Prince, she would have one more problem to deal with the Queen.
So it was better not to get close to him right now. She must somehow get Franz out to the Reich. Before that, it was beneficial to spread rumors that the relationship between the Princess and her husband was not smooth, even if only to avoid unnecessary checks.
“By the way, Princess. Now that I think about it, it's what you said before. That... This is a letter I was told to deliver to a person named Marquis Ebelta.”
Judith, who had been diligently moving the needle, suddenly lifted her head. Mary Anne’s unusually round eyes were sparkling brightly.
“Did you deliver it?”
"Yes. Wow, so many nobles... I almost would have been confused, but fortunately, I conveyed it well.”
“Did you deliver it well without other people finding out?”
"Sure! Who am I? I secretly followed him and told him it was a letter from the Crown Princess. They said they would read it and respond within a few days, but it's a bit strange that there hasn't been any news yet. What on earth did you write in the letter?”
Mary Anne, who had been closely observing Judith's somewhat excited expression, tilted her head and asked. Judith's fingertips, which were tightly holding the needle, trembled slightly.
The Marquis of Ebelta was the only person who helped Judith after the Duke of Vergis. After Franz began to show signs of mania, he felt sorry for the Princess for being left alone, so he sent her precious only daughter to be Judith's maid. In her last life, Judith met Cheraan like that.
However, this time, Judith sent a letter to the Marquis of Ebelta first. It was her message asking him if she could see Cheraan. Considering his status as a Marquis, he would not be able to coldly ignore the letter, no matter how insignificant the Prince was.
There were at least dozens of noble families in the Rotair capital. To individually create embroidery that can be presented as a gift to the mistresses of that family, she has to sit down and do embroidery for at least a month.
It was an absurd thing to ask a girl who was only seventeen years old and a Princess, but Judith did not say a word of objection and answered that she would follow the Queen's words.
It is obvious even without looking at the fact that Queen Gilsis, who expected her to tremble and kneel down in tears saying she couldn't do it, was twisted. She made Judith, who was unexpectedly calm, carry the chest containing the cloth for the handkerchief. While she was suffering such humiliation, not one of the Queen's maids or palace maids came forward to help Judith.
“Get some rest. If you keep doing this, your eyes will get worse. Would you like me to massage your shoulders? Or I will do it.”
“No, Mary Anne. This is what I have to do. I will do everything.”
“Really, why are you so stubborn! No one is watching anyway.”
“Do you think so?”
Mary Anne looked puzzled at Judith's words as if wondering what she meant.
“There is no one here, Judith. Who do you think is watching?”
“In Rotair’s palace, even the walls have eyes. Do you think it's just eyes? It also has ears. So, you have to be careful anytime and anywhere.”
She remembered all the failures in her past life. She suffered from the Queen's harassment, and when she cried or lamented alone, the news reached the Queen's ears like a ghost, wondering who had confessed to her.
Then, of course, more severe harassment than before awaited Judith. The small villa where the Princess stayed did not even have any official maids, but considering Queen Gilsis' temperament, she would never leave Mary Anne and Judith alone.
Therefore, even though Judith pricked her finger with the needle several times, she did not ask Mary Anne to help her embroider. Whether it took a month or two, she was determined to do it all on her own.
“But why does the Prince never come?”
Mary Anne, who was neatly unfolding and arranging the handkerchiefs that needed to be embroidered, spoke in a sharp voice. These days, she often expressed dissatisfaction with Franz not visiting Judith. He was still her husband, but he didn't care what hardships his wife was going through alone.
“He must be busy.”
Judith responded indifferently as she embroidered new cloth.
In fact, she was also curious about what Franz was doing. Even before her death, she rarely spent time alone with Franz, so there was no way to know how his daily life went. The Prince's palace where Franz was staying was not far from the villa where Judith was, but there was a deep chasm between the two that seemed to never be bridged.
If she wanted to go see Franz, she could. The Judith of the past would not have been able to muster that much courage, but the Judith here now was different. But she never went to see Franz first. She tried not to think about what he was doing.
“Princess, don’t you want to go first?”
“Is there really a need for that?”
“But you got married...”
“If I hang out with Franz often, it won’t be good for him either.”
"Yes? What do you mean by that?”
Judith recalled the poisoned eyes of Queen Gilsis. Although she had brought Judith as his wife, it was clear that she would not like Judith and Franz to be close to each other. If she were to have a child between the two, and if that child was a Prince, she would have one more problem to deal with the Queen.
So it was better not to get close to him right now. She must somehow get Franz out to the Reich. Before that, it was beneficial to spread rumors that the relationship between the Princess and her husband was not smooth, even if only to avoid unnecessary checks.
“By the way, Princess. Now that I think about it, it's what you said before. That... This is a letter I was told to deliver to a person named Marquis Ebelta.”
Judith, who had been diligently moving the needle, suddenly lifted her head. Mary Anne’s unusually round eyes were sparkling brightly.
“Did you deliver it?”
"Yes. Wow, so many nobles... I almost would have been confused, but fortunately, I conveyed it well.”
“Did you deliver it well without other people finding out?”
"Sure! Who am I? I secretly followed him and told him it was a letter from the Crown Princess. They said they would read it and respond within a few days, but it's a bit strange that there hasn't been any news yet. What on earth did you write in the letter?”
Mary Anne, who had been closely observing Judith's somewhat excited expression, tilted her head and asked. Judith's fingertips, which were tightly holding the needle, trembled slightly.
The Marquis of Ebelta was the only person who helped Judith after the Duke of Vergis. After Franz began to show signs of mania, he felt sorry for the Princess for being left alone, so he sent her precious only daughter to be Judith's maid. In her last life, Judith met Cheraan like that.
However, this time, Judith sent a letter to the Marquis of Ebelta first. It was her message asking him if she could see Cheraan. Considering his status as a Marquis, he would not be able to coldly ignore the letter, no matter how insignificant the Prince was.
She will not lose Cheraan in this life. No one, not just Cheraan, could afford to lose like that again.
“I asked him to let me meet his daughter. That’s it.”
"Yes? Marquis Ebelta’s daughter? You don’t know her.”
Judith smiled bitterly.
“Yes, a stranger. But I heard a few things about Marquis Ebelta's daughter at the Queen's palace. I wanted to meet her sometimes."
Mary Anne tilted her head to one side and glanced at Judith.
"What's the matter?"
“Princess, you’re really someone else, right?”
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“In the past, you hated meeting strangers the most in the world. But the fact that you want to meet someone first is something I really can’t get used to.”
“From now on, you will have to gradually adapt.”
Judith said playfully. The moment Mary Anne grinned mischievously, there was suddenly a loud sound of something breaking somewhere outside.
“What is it?"”
“I’ll go and check it out.”
Mary Anne got up and went out. Judith suddenly suppressed her anxiously beating heart and put down everything she was holding in her hands.
It wasn't a sound that came from close by. At least it wasn't inside this villa, and that made her even more anxious. There was only one place where a sound of this magnitude could be transmitted.
This is Astel Palace, where Franz is located.
What happened? Was there an accident? Or was it Franz's doing?
“I asked him to let me meet his daughter. That’s it.”
"Yes? Marquis Ebelta’s daughter? You don’t know her.”
Judith smiled bitterly.
“Yes, a stranger. But I heard a few things about Marquis Ebelta's daughter at the Queen's palace. I wanted to meet her sometimes."
Mary Anne tilted her head to one side and glanced at Judith.
"What's the matter?"
“Princess, you’re really someone else, right?”
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“In the past, you hated meeting strangers the most in the world. But the fact that you want to meet someone first is something I really can’t get used to.”
“From now on, you will have to gradually adapt.”
Judith said playfully. The moment Mary Anne grinned mischievously, there was suddenly a loud sound of something breaking somewhere outside.
“What is it?"”
“I’ll go and check it out.”
Mary Anne got up and went out. Judith suddenly suppressed her anxiously beating heart and put down everything she was holding in her hands.
It wasn't a sound that came from close by. At least it wasn't inside this villa, and that made her even more anxious. There was only one place where a sound of this magnitude could be transmitted.
This is Astel Palace, where Franz is located.
What happened? Was there an accident? Or was it Franz's doing?
Whatever it was, he was able to reach the villa where Judith was, so it was clear that it wasn't all that bad. Unless a few windows break entirely...
Judith suddenly felt the fear she had tried to forget rise again. When he could not control his mania, Franz would occasionally have fits and throw and break palace windows, ceramics, and statues. He sometimes cried out that someone was staring at him from outside an empty window, and sometimes trembled in fear because he thought people's eyes were stuck in pottery or statues.
At that time, Judith was unable to soothe Franz's fears at all. Even when she heard Franz start running wild, her whole body started shaking and she couldn't move. Judith was hiding in the corner of the bedroom, holding her breath, afraid that someone would come to call her to stop Franz.
Now that she thinks about it, it was all the wrong choice. Judith, whose lips were trembling, stood up and clenched her hand on his knee.
“Princess!”
At that moment, Mary Anne, who had gone outside to check on the situation, came running in. Her hair, which had been cutely tied up on either side, was a little disheveled, and her cheeks were red, clearly showing her embarrassment.
“Did you know what happened?”
"Yes. Well, that's... His Highness the Prince...”
“What happened to Prince Franz?”
“Well, rather than saying something happened, I... I think His Highness the Prince threw something and broke the window. I don’t know why, but he seemed very angry.”
It was Franz, after all. Before Mary Anne could finish speaking, Judith quickly ran out, holding the hem of her dress.
“Princess, where are you going? I think you’d better not go now!”
Mary Anne's worried voice followed her and echoed through the corridor, but Judith did not even look back. She ran all the way to Astel Palace.
Judith suddenly felt the fear she had tried to forget rise again. When he could not control his mania, Franz would occasionally have fits and throw and break palace windows, ceramics, and statues. He sometimes cried out that someone was staring at him from outside an empty window, and sometimes trembled in fear because he thought people's eyes were stuck in pottery or statues.
At that time, Judith was unable to soothe Franz's fears at all. Even when she heard Franz start running wild, her whole body started shaking and she couldn't move. Judith was hiding in the corner of the bedroom, holding her breath, afraid that someone would come to call her to stop Franz.
Now that she thinks about it, it was all the wrong choice. Judith, whose lips were trembling, stood up and clenched her hand on his knee.
“Princess!”
At that moment, Mary Anne, who had gone outside to check on the situation, came running in. Her hair, which had been cutely tied up on either side, was a little disheveled, and her cheeks were red, clearly showing her embarrassment.
“Did you know what happened?”
"Yes. Well, that's... His Highness the Prince...”
“What happened to Prince Franz?”
“Well, rather than saying something happened, I... I think His Highness the Prince threw something and broke the window. I don’t know why, but he seemed very angry.”
It was Franz, after all. Before Mary Anne could finish speaking, Judith quickly ran out, holding the hem of her dress.
“Princess, where are you going? I think you’d better not go now!”
Mary Anne's worried voice followed her and echoed through the corridor, but Judith did not even look back. She ran all the way to Astel Palace.
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