Libencia was fiddling with the boxes of jewelry piled on the table with a carefree expression. The toilet room attached to her room was bustling with maids coming and going. It was because of her orders to dust off the jewelry and clean it. The atmosphere in the room was also chaotic because not only the jewelry but also the boxes containing shoes, hats, gloves, etc. were all taken out.
Not receiving any attention from Krald, and not being able to call over familiar people like in the capital and hang out, she was becoming increasingly irritated day by day. Saragan was still attached to Krald and showed no signs of leaving, and to make matters worse, after the King of Tien came by, the atmosphere in the castle became uneasy and she couldn't relax.
Meanwhile, her father, Count de Montfort, sent her a letter telling her to keep an eye on Saragan and Krald, and not to return to the capital until he heard more.
It was the first time that the Count de Montfort, who had always raised his daughter with courtesy, had treated her with such a strict tone, even if it was through a letter. Surprised, Libencia sent her mother a letter asking if her father was crazy, but the reply she received was not much different from the one sent by Count de Montfort.
For Libencia, who had never had to restrain or plot against anyone in her life, every day was a constant headache. Thinking back to her life in the Serene Palace, where she didn't have to worry about what anyone thought, she felt resentful and even aggrieved.
'That maid who Anne Mill bribed took everything she could get, but I don't know if she even gave me proper information... Ah, I'm getting on my nerves! Why do I have to go through this!'
Libencia looked at the maid who was staggering while carrying several boxes stacked on top of each other, then banged on the table and got irritated.
“You! Can’t you do it properly? What if you drop it?”
“Oh... I’m sorry, Miss. I’ll be careful!”
“Where on earth did Anne Mille go?”
When something like this happened, it was usually Anne Mille's job to take charge of the maids. However, since she hadn't been seen since morning, Libencia couldn't wait any longer and came out herself.
Anne Mille, who had promised to give Saragan's maid money or jewels in exchange for receiving information about Saragan and Krald from her, had been disappearing from time to time recently. She thought it was probably to meet the maid in secret, but she couldn't help but feel annoyed whenever something inconvenient happened.
“Miss Libencia, is it okay if I leave these boxes here?”
“Yes, but be careful! Be especially careful with that green box. It’s the one that His Highness gave me for my birthday...”
The words of Libencia, who had been angry and even swearing, gradually died down. The poor maid was so careful not to scratch the box that she didn’t notice her expression sinking into the gloomy water.
One of the boxes the maid was holding contained all the jewelry Krald had given her in celebration of her eighteenth birthday. Not just a necklace and earrings, but also rings, bracelets, brooches, and tiaras made with the same gems. The merchant's face was still vivid as he raved about how such items would be hard to find even if you searched the entire capital.
The face of Krald, who was standing behind the merchant and smiling, also came to mind. Suddenly, Libencia saw the maid carefully opening the lid of the box with an expression on her face as if she had bitten a bug.
"This is probably a gift even the Queen Mother has never received. What do you think?"
As she recalled the moment when he had laughed and dragged his mother along, Libencia suddenly couldn't hold back her anger. What made her most angry was her own delusion at the time, thinking that he truly loved only her. When Saragan's mean face overlapped Krald's face, she couldn't hold it in any longer.
Libencia approached the maid who was sweeping away the nonexistent dust with her round feather and snatched the box away. The maid, who was pushed by her frost, was so surprised that she couldn't even groan.
“Something like this... !”
Libencia lifted the box high above her head and threw it out the open window for ventilation. The luxurious ornaments, lavishly decorated with expensive jewels, fell to the ground in the cold wind, making a loud noise.
“Miss Libencia! What are you doing!”
One of the maids who had been blankly watching this scene shouted in confusion. However, Libencia lifted a few more boxes and threw them down, then gasped and shouted.
“No need to dust it off or anything! Just put it all back in!”
The maids, who had been struck by a sudden bolt from the blue, stood there blankly, staring at each other's faces. Only when Libencia stomped her feet and shouted once more did they come to their senses and begin to hastily put the boxes away. One of them ran outside to pick up the things Libencia had thrown.
"Oh!"
The maid's body, which had been running blindly without looking ahead, fell backward. It wasn't just that she had bumped into someone's body, but her shoulder had been shoved hard. The maid, who had suddenly fallen on her buttocks, raised her head with a furrowed expression, then looked at Saragan's face looking down at her, and corrected her posture in shock.
“Sa.. I’m sorry, Miss Saragan, I was careless...”
Saragan, who had been looking at the maid with a cold expression, suddenly smiled brightly. As the maid hesitated, looking even more frightened, Saragan rolled up her long sleeves and held out her hand to her.
“Get up.”
The maid glanced around the room, then quickly got up, pretending to grab Saragan's outstretched hand. Saragan took her arm away, turned her head toward the still-busy interior, and spoke.
“What are you doing making such a fuss about?”
“Oh, uh... Lady Libencia told me to take out her jewelry and dust it off...”
“Really? Earlier, the soldiers outside were running around in confusion, saying that a jewel suddenly fell from the sky. So it looks like you dropped it while dusting off the dust?”
"Excuse me..."
“I also thought Miss Montfort was protesting to my lord, saying that he hasn’t been kind to her lately. That’s not right. Isn’t it? No matter how much she is dissatisfied, it’s rude to throw things around. Especially if they’re from the lord... isn’t that right?”
“Ah... That, that’s right… That’s right. What Miss Saragan said is right, right.”
The maid hurriedly muttered without even making eye contact with Saragan. She had to quickly retrieve what Libencia had thrown before someone picked it up and took it to Krald, but she was also worried that if Libencia caught her talking to Saragan in the hallway, she might find fault with her. In addition, Saragan, who was standing in front of her, was definitely not an easy opponent, so she couldn’t let her guard down.
Saragan stared at the cowering maid as if observing her, then shrugged her shoulders slightly.
“I have come to speak to Miss de Montfort, but I do not think this is the time for conversation. Do not tell anyone that I am here.”
“Yes...! Oh, I understand.”
“Go and see.”
The maid, bowing, ran out in a hurry. Saragan did not take her eyes off her back and then passed by Libencia’s residence with her maids. The inside was still busy, so no one saw her.
“Are you sure that the maid Anne Mille, who gave you the money, left the castle this morning?”
The maid who was following Saragan's words nodded.
“Yes, I definitely saw her leave.”
“Did you clean her up?”
“Yes, Miss. Many people around here will work for just a few silver coins.”
Saragan snickered at the maid's response.
“The only conclusions that can be reached by putting their heads together are just foolish stories. What are you going to do by bribing a maid?”
As soon as Saragan's maid received the money from Anne Mille, she ran to Saragan and told her about it. In return for the maid's honesty, Saragan filled a chest with the precious jewels she had received from Krald and gave her the following order:
"Pretend to keep giving that girl information. Take her money regularly and don't let her get suspicious. If you have the ability, it wouldn't be a bad idea to become friendly with her."
"And then what?"
"Then tell me that you think I've caught wind of it. Your life is in danger, so you're planning to run away. Before you do that, you'll give her one important piece of information, so tell her to come out of the castle in the morning without anyone knowing."
"Out of the castle..."
"A place with few people would be good. Find someone to clean up after her."
By now, Anne Mille would no longer be breathing. Saragan had paid the people who would do the work and had instructed them to leave no trace, so only heaven knew where she was. Saragan said.
“I was going to just leave her alone since I didn’t need to touch her, but if she's bothering me this much, I should get rid of her. I thought I’d have to kill her first when I became the Princess anyway... So what’s the big deal if it gets a little faster?”
Saragan muttered indifferently as if she didn't care whether the maids standing behind her heard her or not. The person she was trying to get rid of was none other than Libencia, but the maids all kept their mouths shut because their own lives would be in danger if they spoke carelessly.
“What happened to the letter you were asking me to send to my uncle?”
“I sent someone as you said. He should have arrived by now...”
“Rotair is a really funny country. No, the second Prince is funny. He has never been in a war, and yet he is acting all smug and wild... He is a pathetic guy who would kill himself in less than half a day if he were thrown into the desert. Seriously, I can’t wait to go back.”
The maids, though of Rotair origin, had little affection for the kingdom. They could not have truly respected Krald, who was nothing more than a scoundrel. They were rather attracted by the valuable items and promises Saragan gave them.
In any case, Saragan was a figure with much more control than Libencia. If she wanted to win someone over to her side, she would use various means, not just money, to gain their loyalty. This was something Libencia and Anne Mille could not even think about.
“Wait for the day when my uncle will get his hands on the Rotair. Then you who serve me will also be rewarded.”
“It is an honor, Miss Saragan.”
The maids all bowed their heads. Saragan looked up at the castle peak where the flags were fluttering and smiled coldly.
Not receiving any attention from Krald, and not being able to call over familiar people like in the capital and hang out, she was becoming increasingly irritated day by day. Saragan was still attached to Krald and showed no signs of leaving, and to make matters worse, after the King of Tien came by, the atmosphere in the castle became uneasy and she couldn't relax.
Meanwhile, her father, Count de Montfort, sent her a letter telling her to keep an eye on Saragan and Krald, and not to return to the capital until he heard more.
It was the first time that the Count de Montfort, who had always raised his daughter with courtesy, had treated her with such a strict tone, even if it was through a letter. Surprised, Libencia sent her mother a letter asking if her father was crazy, but the reply she received was not much different from the one sent by Count de Montfort.
For Libencia, who had never had to restrain or plot against anyone in her life, every day was a constant headache. Thinking back to her life in the Serene Palace, where she didn't have to worry about what anyone thought, she felt resentful and even aggrieved.
'That maid who Anne Mill bribed took everything she could get, but I don't know if she even gave me proper information... Ah, I'm getting on my nerves! Why do I have to go through this!'
Libencia looked at the maid who was staggering while carrying several boxes stacked on top of each other, then banged on the table and got irritated.
“You! Can’t you do it properly? What if you drop it?”
“Oh... I’m sorry, Miss. I’ll be careful!”
“Where on earth did Anne Mille go?”
When something like this happened, it was usually Anne Mille's job to take charge of the maids. However, since she hadn't been seen since morning, Libencia couldn't wait any longer and came out herself.
Anne Mille, who had promised to give Saragan's maid money or jewels in exchange for receiving information about Saragan and Krald from her, had been disappearing from time to time recently. She thought it was probably to meet the maid in secret, but she couldn't help but feel annoyed whenever something inconvenient happened.
“Miss Libencia, is it okay if I leave these boxes here?”
“Yes, but be careful! Be especially careful with that green box. It’s the one that His Highness gave me for my birthday...”
The words of Libencia, who had been angry and even swearing, gradually died down. The poor maid was so careful not to scratch the box that she didn’t notice her expression sinking into the gloomy water.
One of the boxes the maid was holding contained all the jewelry Krald had given her in celebration of her eighteenth birthday. Not just a necklace and earrings, but also rings, bracelets, brooches, and tiaras made with the same gems. The merchant's face was still vivid as he raved about how such items would be hard to find even if you searched the entire capital.
The face of Krald, who was standing behind the merchant and smiling, also came to mind. Suddenly, Libencia saw the maid carefully opening the lid of the box with an expression on her face as if she had bitten a bug.
"This is probably a gift even the Queen Mother has never received. What do you think?"
As she recalled the moment when he had laughed and dragged his mother along, Libencia suddenly couldn't hold back her anger. What made her most angry was her own delusion at the time, thinking that he truly loved only her. When Saragan's mean face overlapped Krald's face, she couldn't hold it in any longer.
Libencia approached the maid who was sweeping away the nonexistent dust with her round feather and snatched the box away. The maid, who was pushed by her frost, was so surprised that she couldn't even groan.
“Something like this... !”
Libencia lifted the box high above her head and threw it out the open window for ventilation. The luxurious ornaments, lavishly decorated with expensive jewels, fell to the ground in the cold wind, making a loud noise.
“Miss Libencia! What are you doing!”
One of the maids who had been blankly watching this scene shouted in confusion. However, Libencia lifted a few more boxes and threw them down, then gasped and shouted.
“No need to dust it off or anything! Just put it all back in!”
The maids, who had been struck by a sudden bolt from the blue, stood there blankly, staring at each other's faces. Only when Libencia stomped her feet and shouted once more did they come to their senses and begin to hastily put the boxes away. One of them ran outside to pick up the things Libencia had thrown.
"Oh!"
The maid's body, which had been running blindly without looking ahead, fell backward. It wasn't just that she had bumped into someone's body, but her shoulder had been shoved hard. The maid, who had suddenly fallen on her buttocks, raised her head with a furrowed expression, then looked at Saragan's face looking down at her, and corrected her posture in shock.
“Sa.. I’m sorry, Miss Saragan, I was careless...”
Saragan, who had been looking at the maid with a cold expression, suddenly smiled brightly. As the maid hesitated, looking even more frightened, Saragan rolled up her long sleeves and held out her hand to her.
“Get up.”
The maid glanced around the room, then quickly got up, pretending to grab Saragan's outstretched hand. Saragan took her arm away, turned her head toward the still-busy interior, and spoke.
“What are you doing making such a fuss about?”
“Oh, uh... Lady Libencia told me to take out her jewelry and dust it off...”
“Really? Earlier, the soldiers outside were running around in confusion, saying that a jewel suddenly fell from the sky. So it looks like you dropped it while dusting off the dust?”
"Excuse me..."
“I also thought Miss Montfort was protesting to my lord, saying that he hasn’t been kind to her lately. That’s not right. Isn’t it? No matter how much she is dissatisfied, it’s rude to throw things around. Especially if they’re from the lord... isn’t that right?”
“Ah... That, that’s right… That’s right. What Miss Saragan said is right, right.”
The maid hurriedly muttered without even making eye contact with Saragan. She had to quickly retrieve what Libencia had thrown before someone picked it up and took it to Krald, but she was also worried that if Libencia caught her talking to Saragan in the hallway, she might find fault with her. In addition, Saragan, who was standing in front of her, was definitely not an easy opponent, so she couldn’t let her guard down.
Saragan stared at the cowering maid as if observing her, then shrugged her shoulders slightly.
“I have come to speak to Miss de Montfort, but I do not think this is the time for conversation. Do not tell anyone that I am here.”
“Yes...! Oh, I understand.”
“Go and see.”
The maid, bowing, ran out in a hurry. Saragan did not take her eyes off her back and then passed by Libencia’s residence with her maids. The inside was still busy, so no one saw her.
“Are you sure that the maid Anne Mille, who gave you the money, left the castle this morning?”
The maid who was following Saragan's words nodded.
“Yes, I definitely saw her leave.”
“Did you clean her up?”
“Yes, Miss. Many people around here will work for just a few silver coins.”
Saragan snickered at the maid's response.
“The only conclusions that can be reached by putting their heads together are just foolish stories. What are you going to do by bribing a maid?”
As soon as Saragan's maid received the money from Anne Mille, she ran to Saragan and told her about it. In return for the maid's honesty, Saragan filled a chest with the precious jewels she had received from Krald and gave her the following order:
"Pretend to keep giving that girl information. Take her money regularly and don't let her get suspicious. If you have the ability, it wouldn't be a bad idea to become friendly with her."
"And then what?"
"Then tell me that you think I've caught wind of it. Your life is in danger, so you're planning to run away. Before you do that, you'll give her one important piece of information, so tell her to come out of the castle in the morning without anyone knowing."
"Out of the castle..."
"A place with few people would be good. Find someone to clean up after her."
By now, Anne Mille would no longer be breathing. Saragan had paid the people who would do the work and had instructed them to leave no trace, so only heaven knew where she was. Saragan said.
“I was going to just leave her alone since I didn’t need to touch her, but if she's bothering me this much, I should get rid of her. I thought I’d have to kill her first when I became the Princess anyway... So what’s the big deal if it gets a little faster?”
Saragan muttered indifferently as if she didn't care whether the maids standing behind her heard her or not. The person she was trying to get rid of was none other than Libencia, but the maids all kept their mouths shut because their own lives would be in danger if they spoke carelessly.
“What happened to the letter you were asking me to send to my uncle?”
“I sent someone as you said. He should have arrived by now...”
“Rotair is a really funny country. No, the second Prince is funny. He has never been in a war, and yet he is acting all smug and wild... He is a pathetic guy who would kill himself in less than half a day if he were thrown into the desert. Seriously, I can’t wait to go back.”
The maids, though of Rotair origin, had little affection for the kingdom. They could not have truly respected Krald, who was nothing more than a scoundrel. They were rather attracted by the valuable items and promises Saragan gave them.
In any case, Saragan was a figure with much more control than Libencia. If she wanted to win someone over to her side, she would use various means, not just money, to gain their loyalty. This was something Libencia and Anne Mille could not even think about.
“Wait for the day when my uncle will get his hands on the Rotair. Then you who serve me will also be rewarded.”
“It is an honor, Miss Saragan.”
The maids all bowed their heads. Saragan looked up at the castle peak where the flags were fluttering and smiled coldly.
Support Novellate!
Comments
Post a Comment