Oh, what did I just say? Human charm? Ugh.
I sat up straight, ignoring him. However, I liked Prince Kydel’s arrogant posture, leaning back and crossing his legs, more than the upright posture that the Countess had taught me.
So I tried sitting arrogantly like him. Then he showed a slightly displeased expression. A faint smile crossed his lips.
I frowned and racked my brain.
“His Highness the First Prince doesn’t want to seem like his choice was wrong. He would rather protect the Count, who is His Majesty’s confidant, than the Princess’s feelings. He would rather blame the Princess for not being able to control me.”
I sat up straight, ignoring him. However, I liked Prince Kydel’s arrogant posture, leaning back and crossing his legs, more than the upright posture that the Countess had taught me.
So I tried sitting arrogantly like him. Then he showed a slightly displeased expression. A faint smile crossed his lips.
I frowned and racked my brain.
“His Highness the First Prince doesn’t want to seem like his choice was wrong. He would rather protect the Count, who is His Majesty’s confidant, than the Princess’s feelings. He would rather blame the Princess for not being able to control me.”
“Hmm. You’ve already figured out everything you need to know.”
“But if you want to restore order in the palace, shouldn’t you leave a maid like me alone?”
Order. Aren’t the nobles living and dying by it?
Enough to make someone’s poor mother a street prostitute. Enough to throw many people’s lives into the gutter.
“What happened?”
“I was determined to eat all the macarons that fell on the floor... Anyway, I caused a ruckus at the tea party.”
“...”
I saw Prince Kydel’s mouth tremble when I said ‘ruckus.’
I was more annoyed that I had let my guard down in front of him than that he was holding back laughter.
I said gloomily.
“I didn’t know Her Highness’s position was that narrow. Hmm... Well, my presence here is proof of that.”
Prince Kydel now smiled faintly. His expression looked so handsome that anyone would mistake him for being very handsome.
“Are you worried about Her Highness right now?”
“She's pitiful. She's so high in status, but the only thing she can do as she pleases is break things in her room.”
“...”
I meant what I said. Her Highness hated me so much. It must be terrible not to be able to keep someone like that away from you.
Prince Kydel’s face twisted subtly at my words. He probably thought I was pathetic. Of course.
I spread my arms in the air and said,
“Your Excellency’s plan has failed. I wasn’t that scared, and I didn’t write that letter! So please go back.”
“You won’t give me tea. How rude.”
“The tea I make is medicinal. So...”
He must have known about my tea time with Lord Rond. But how?
The Countess’s words that the palace was a snake den flashed through my mind. At that time, I wondered what she was saying when she was a snake herself, but now I see that it was true. There was no sympathy or secrets here.
I stood up.
“I’m a bit rude. I don’t want to talk about that letter either. Please go back, Prince Kydel.”
Then he stood up and slowly approached me.
“You haven’t told me yet why you ruined Her Highness’s tea party. As you pointed out, I’m a bit obsessed. I need to know what I want to know.”
Why was his voice so low?
I suddenly realized. My letter to the two-faced man was an excuse, and what he really wanted to know was why I ruined Her Highness’ tea party.
I couldn’t understand why he was so curious about that, why this man had so many questions about me. It wasn’t pleasant, but I had no choice but to send him away. I’m only now finding out that he’s this obsessive.
I approached him and whispered,
“I’ve dealt with a lot of rude kids.”
Then he laughed. The sound of him laughing from his heart couldn’t have been more sinister.
“More. That’s not enough.”
I quickly whispered, gritting my teeth.
“This is where the most important people in the empire live, but it’s actually the animal kingdom. I have to show them that I’m an animal too, so they’ll look at me!”
He laughed and followed my words.
“An animal...”
“I know, it’s insulting the royal family again! But if I act unlucky first, those ladies will bring up the issue that will hurt me the most, and that’s because I’m an unfit maid. But that’s assuming that I’m the maid of Her Highness... Oh my, how can I say something like that!”
“You’ve made it a fait accompli that you’re the maid of Her Highness through the mouths of those who exclude you. Even at the risk of insulting the royal family.”
His eyes, looking at me, sparkled strangely. It was as if he had discovered a creature he had never seen before.
I sighed as I washed my face dry.
“Would you please go back now?”
He said as he went over the window.
“It was worth climbing up the three floors. It was fun. Then I’ll tell you what happened next. Then.”
Next? What have you been doing?
But he had already disappeared.
Oh my, that bastard.
As Prince Kydel had said, nothing happened that night. It seemed like the accident I had caused would be buried.
Instead, the Princess closed the bedroom door and didn’t come out.
From the next day, I went to Her Highness Milliora’s reception room every morning. Then Eria sent me away.
I ran into the tea party members who had come to see Her Highness in the hallway a few times, and they glared at me with a sharp gaze.
Even though the soft-skinned ladies glared at me, I didn’t really care.
Being rejected by Her Highness at the door was becoming my daily routine.
Her Highness’s anger wouldn’t subside easily, so all I could do now was wait.
So I decided to spend time with someone else who, like me, had failed to meet Her Highness.
Sir Ronde no longer showed any sign of discomfort when I took the seat next to him in the backroom. He never seemed to be comfortable with me, he just seemed to have given up on me.
How should I put it, it was like a rock momentarily ignoring a bug that had stuck to it.
When I poured him the tea I had prepared, he drank it without saying thank you or commenting on its taste.
It was always a strange sight to see the cup I had brought him look like a play cup in his large hands.
He stared into the distance and asked,
“What did you put in this tea?”
“Oh my, Sir Ronde! If someone heard, they would think I was trying to poison you.”
“If you put medicine in it, you would put poison in it too. Isn’t it the same thing?”
“Hmm... I thought there were no cynical people among the knights.”
“Even if there were, no one would notice. They’re all busy dying.”
I wanted to make a serious expression, but I couldn’t help but find his tone funny.
When I twisted my face to hold back laughter, he elbowed my arm and laughed through his nose.
I burst out laughing.
“I’m sorry, sir. I shouldn’t laugh.”
“I find Miss Loire funny. A woman who laughs at my jokes is not normal.”
“A cynical person who is good at jokes. That’s not normal either.”
“Hmm. Let’s call it a draw.”
I glanced at his profile, and the corners of his mouth were long. I thought it was a good idea to burst into laughter.
“Is it working?”
“I’m sleeping well for the first time since I came to the capital. My back pain is gradually decreasing. Is this some kind of strange medicine?”
I waved my hands wildly.
“I heard that military chaplains mix drugs indiscriminately. If that’s what you’re worried about, don’t worry at all.”
“Really?”
“It’s a commonly prescribed herb for nerve recovery, but we just changed the processing method. It’s been verified by the best experts, so don’t worry.”
The new method of extracting the ingredients of the herb in high concentration was the idea of Chief Pharmacist Whined Royman.
While helping the director with his experiments, I picked herbs that could help with Sir Rond’s symptoms. Of course, I got permission and brought the results.
“I’m a useless person even if you bribe me.”
“That’s not it.”
He glanced at me as I got angry. It was better to explain this part properly.
“I’m from the Tunbar Mountain Village. It’s almost on the opposite side of the Amata tribe’s stronghold, but I know how much the Tunbar Mountains hate people.”
He let out a long sigh as if he was being hit by a lot of memories.
“...That’s what they say. Tunbar hates people.”
“Herbs are like a hobby from my childhood, so don’t misunderstand.”
“If that’s all you do as a hobby, how about becoming a doctor?”
“I already have a job. I’m a maid...”
I let out a sigh as if I was going to lose my mind, and Sir Rond snickered.
I asked absentmindedly.
“Her Highness has not come out of her bedroom for several days. Is there any way to fix this? You have known her longer than I have.”
“Her Highness must get what she wants. There is no other way, Miss Loire.”
“I want Her Highness to come out of her room so that I can work as her maid. If I step down as her maid and make Her Highness come out of his room, it will be useless, Lord Rond.”
He furrowed his brow at my absent-minded words, then took another sip of tea.
“On the battlefield, that is called a stalemate. In such cases, waiting is an option.”
“I am doing that now.”
I answered like that and drank my tea.
As he said, if I did something rash again now, my neck would be in danger. I had to wait until Her Highness the Princess called me and cursed me, or gave up and accepted me.
The back garden was truly peaceful. The birds chirped beautifully, and the breeze blew.
The palace looked perfectly organized from the outside, like a part of heaven.
However, it seemed difficult to feel comfortable inside.
I thought it was deja vu when I saw Eria approaching us from a distance.
“But if you want to restore order in the palace, shouldn’t you leave a maid like me alone?”
Order. Aren’t the nobles living and dying by it?
Enough to make someone’s poor mother a street prostitute. Enough to throw many people’s lives into the gutter.
“What happened?”
“I was determined to eat all the macarons that fell on the floor... Anyway, I caused a ruckus at the tea party.”
“...”
I saw Prince Kydel’s mouth tremble when I said ‘ruckus.’
I was more annoyed that I had let my guard down in front of him than that he was holding back laughter.
I said gloomily.
“I didn’t know Her Highness’s position was that narrow. Hmm... Well, my presence here is proof of that.”
Prince Kydel now smiled faintly. His expression looked so handsome that anyone would mistake him for being very handsome.
“Are you worried about Her Highness right now?”
“She's pitiful. She's so high in status, but the only thing she can do as she pleases is break things in her room.”
“...”
I meant what I said. Her Highness hated me so much. It must be terrible not to be able to keep someone like that away from you.
Prince Kydel’s face twisted subtly at my words. He probably thought I was pathetic. Of course.
I spread my arms in the air and said,
“Your Excellency’s plan has failed. I wasn’t that scared, and I didn’t write that letter! So please go back.”
“You won’t give me tea. How rude.”
“The tea I make is medicinal. So...”
He must have known about my tea time with Lord Rond. But how?
The Countess’s words that the palace was a snake den flashed through my mind. At that time, I wondered what she was saying when she was a snake herself, but now I see that it was true. There was no sympathy or secrets here.
I stood up.
“I’m a bit rude. I don’t want to talk about that letter either. Please go back, Prince Kydel.”
Then he stood up and slowly approached me.
“You haven’t told me yet why you ruined Her Highness’s tea party. As you pointed out, I’m a bit obsessed. I need to know what I want to know.”
Why was his voice so low?
I suddenly realized. My letter to the two-faced man was an excuse, and what he really wanted to know was why I ruined Her Highness’ tea party.
I couldn’t understand why he was so curious about that, why this man had so many questions about me. It wasn’t pleasant, but I had no choice but to send him away. I’m only now finding out that he’s this obsessive.
I approached him and whispered,
“I’ve dealt with a lot of rude kids.”
Then he laughed. The sound of him laughing from his heart couldn’t have been more sinister.
“More. That’s not enough.”
I quickly whispered, gritting my teeth.
“This is where the most important people in the empire live, but it’s actually the animal kingdom. I have to show them that I’m an animal too, so they’ll look at me!”
He laughed and followed my words.
“An animal...”
“I know, it’s insulting the royal family again! But if I act unlucky first, those ladies will bring up the issue that will hurt me the most, and that’s because I’m an unfit maid. But that’s assuming that I’m the maid of Her Highness... Oh my, how can I say something like that!”
“You’ve made it a fait accompli that you’re the maid of Her Highness through the mouths of those who exclude you. Even at the risk of insulting the royal family.”
His eyes, looking at me, sparkled strangely. It was as if he had discovered a creature he had never seen before.
I sighed as I washed my face dry.
“Would you please go back now?”
He said as he went over the window.
“It was worth climbing up the three floors. It was fun. Then I’ll tell you what happened next. Then.”
Next? What have you been doing?
But he had already disappeared.
Oh my, that bastard.
***
As Prince Kydel had said, nothing happened that night. It seemed like the accident I had caused would be buried.
Instead, the Princess closed the bedroom door and didn’t come out.
From the next day, I went to Her Highness Milliora’s reception room every morning. Then Eria sent me away.
I ran into the tea party members who had come to see Her Highness in the hallway a few times, and they glared at me with a sharp gaze.
Even though the soft-skinned ladies glared at me, I didn’t really care.
Being rejected by Her Highness at the door was becoming my daily routine.
Her Highness’s anger wouldn’t subside easily, so all I could do now was wait.
So I decided to spend time with someone else who, like me, had failed to meet Her Highness.
Sir Ronde no longer showed any sign of discomfort when I took the seat next to him in the backroom. He never seemed to be comfortable with me, he just seemed to have given up on me.
How should I put it, it was like a rock momentarily ignoring a bug that had stuck to it.
When I poured him the tea I had prepared, he drank it without saying thank you or commenting on its taste.
It was always a strange sight to see the cup I had brought him look like a play cup in his large hands.
He stared into the distance and asked,
“What did you put in this tea?”
“Oh my, Sir Ronde! If someone heard, they would think I was trying to poison you.”
“If you put medicine in it, you would put poison in it too. Isn’t it the same thing?”
“Hmm... I thought there were no cynical people among the knights.”
“Even if there were, no one would notice. They’re all busy dying.”
I wanted to make a serious expression, but I couldn’t help but find his tone funny.
When I twisted my face to hold back laughter, he elbowed my arm and laughed through his nose.
I burst out laughing.
“I’m sorry, sir. I shouldn’t laugh.”
“I find Miss Loire funny. A woman who laughs at my jokes is not normal.”
“A cynical person who is good at jokes. That’s not normal either.”
“Hmm. Let’s call it a draw.”
I glanced at his profile, and the corners of his mouth were long. I thought it was a good idea to burst into laughter.
“Is it working?”
“I’m sleeping well for the first time since I came to the capital. My back pain is gradually decreasing. Is this some kind of strange medicine?”
I waved my hands wildly.
“I heard that military chaplains mix drugs indiscriminately. If that’s what you’re worried about, don’t worry at all.”
“Really?”
“It’s a commonly prescribed herb for nerve recovery, but we just changed the processing method. It’s been verified by the best experts, so don’t worry.”
The new method of extracting the ingredients of the herb in high concentration was the idea of Chief Pharmacist Whined Royman.
While helping the director with his experiments, I picked herbs that could help with Sir Rond’s symptoms. Of course, I got permission and brought the results.
“I’m a useless person even if you bribe me.”
“That’s not it.”
He glanced at me as I got angry. It was better to explain this part properly.
“I’m from the Tunbar Mountain Village. It’s almost on the opposite side of the Amata tribe’s stronghold, but I know how much the Tunbar Mountains hate people.”
He let out a long sigh as if he was being hit by a lot of memories.
“...That’s what they say. Tunbar hates people.”
“Herbs are like a hobby from my childhood, so don’t misunderstand.”
“If that’s all you do as a hobby, how about becoming a doctor?”
“I already have a job. I’m a maid...”
I let out a sigh as if I was going to lose my mind, and Sir Rond snickered.
I asked absentmindedly.
“Her Highness has not come out of her bedroom for several days. Is there any way to fix this? You have known her longer than I have.”
“Her Highness must get what she wants. There is no other way, Miss Loire.”
“I want Her Highness to come out of her room so that I can work as her maid. If I step down as her maid and make Her Highness come out of his room, it will be useless, Lord Rond.”
He furrowed his brow at my absent-minded words, then took another sip of tea.
“On the battlefield, that is called a stalemate. In such cases, waiting is an option.”
“I am doing that now.”
I answered like that and drank my tea.
As he said, if I did something rash again now, my neck would be in danger. I had to wait until Her Highness the Princess called me and cursed me, or gave up and accepted me.
The back garden was truly peaceful. The birds chirped beautifully, and the breeze blew.
The palace looked perfectly organized from the outside, like a part of heaven.
However, it seemed difficult to feel comfortable inside.
I thought it was deja vu when I saw Eria approaching us from a distance.
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