Episode 62. Don't bother even a dog when it's resting
The Empress's first invitation was to a charity event. It was an event hosted by the Empress to support an orphanage. Held in the palace garden, it was a gathering of noble ladies who donated embroidery and drank tea. The Empress sent a letter to Martha. Asking her to come along. As Martha read the letter, she thought to herself. Lucy, standing beside her, took out a notebook and said.
"Is it a charity event?"
"Yes."
"Do you have to go?"
Martha said as she put the letter down.
"I have to go. Her Majesty the Empress is calling me."
She muttered to herself. Oh my, you fool. The first charity event concluded well, albeit with good intentions.
The following week was a small music appreciation gathering within the palace. After that was a literary gathering for noble ladies. The Empress invited Martha to every occasion she attended.
A letter arrived. Martha went. Another letter arrived. Martha went again.
As Maxim entered the study, the frequency of handing over envelopes increased. The speed at which Martha looked through the envelopes also increased. One day, Maxim entered holding two envelopes.
"Two letters arrived today from Her Majesty the Empress's quarters."
Martha took the envelopes and said.
"Two? Oh, I'm suddenly getting a headache."
Maxim barely paid attention to Martha's slapstick joke and walked out. At the lukewarm reaction, Martha clicked her tongue and clutched the envelopes. She opened the first envelope. The Imperial Gardening Appreciation Party this Thursday. She opened the second envelope. The Imperial Embroidery Exhibition next Tuesday.
As she placed the two envelopes side by side on the table, Martha thought, "This crazy woman calls me at all hours. Her Majesty the Empress. I am a busy person. Why are you doing this to me?"
Lucy, standing beside her, took out a notebook and said.
"Two this time?"
"Yes."
"Do you have to go to both?"
Martha glanced at the envelopes for a moment.
"I have to go to both," she muttered to herself. Oh my, this woman is determined to make me her best friend.
Something changed with every event. At the first charity event, the noble ladies on the Empress's side looked at Martha cautiously. It was a look that said, "Since she is someone the Empress keeps by her side, she cannot be ignored, but we don't know what kind of person she is yet."
At the second music appreciation session, things were slightly different. When Martha took her seat, there were people who greeted her first. At the third literary gathering, there were people who tried to sit next to Martha first.
Watching this, Martha thought, "The Empress must really like me. She is really pushing me. Then I have no choice but to go along with it."
Countess Hartmann exemplified this change best. At first, her gaze was cautious when looking at Martha. However, as the gatherings continued, she changed. It became natural for her to take a seat next to Martha. She even started pouring tea for her.
Watching this, Martha thought, "So this is how someone who has endured for so long opens their heart. Let's not rush. This is someone who shouldn't be rushed."
It was the fifth. It was a sponsorship event for a noble family within the Imperial Palace. It was a gathering where Martha stood beside the Empress to greet the nobles. The Empress's way of introducing Martha to the guests had changed. First, 'the poop princess,' then 'this young lady.' And then, the daughter of the Duke of Valois. Now, she introduced her as 'our Serena.'
Every time Martha heard those words, she muttered to herself, "Our Serena. Oh, Your Majesty. Why do you say 'our'?"
Even though she thought this inside, outwardly, Martha smiled more happily and brightly than anyone else. The event ended, and the people began to disperse. Martha received greetings beside the Empress while glancing at her with one eye. The Empress scanned the surroundings once, then quietly rose from her seat. She whispered something to a lady-in-waiting. The lady-in-waiting nodded and went in a different direction.
Then, the Empress began to move alone in the opposite direction. Martha pretended to be distracted and watched the Empress's retreating figure. It was the first time the Empress had moved alone without an attendant. Two ladies-in-waiting had always accompanied her. But now, they were gone.
Martha naturally slipped away, using the restroom as an excuse. Then, she walked in the direction the Empress had gone. It was an inner corridor of the palace. There was no one around. It grew quieter as she moved further away from the venue. She heard the Empress's footsteps at the end of the corridor. Martha followed the sound, maintaining her distance. She couldn't be discovered.
At the end of the corridor, the Empress turned right. Martha followed her, turning as well. At the end of the short corridor stood a door. It was a door without any special markings. The Empress opened it and entered. Martha stopped in the middle of the corridor. The door closed immediately after the Empress went inside. Martha looked around. There was no one.
Martha slowly approached the door, trying to silence her footsteps. It was the instinct honed over sixty years of life as a lady-in-waiting. Her body knew how to silence footsteps on a marble floor. Standing before the door, she pressed her ear close to it.
A voice leaked through the gap. It was the Empress's voice. However, it was different from usual. It was not the voice she had heard at the venue, but a cold, low voice devoid of elegance. It was a voice that had stripped away a layer of its mask. And a man's voice was mixed in. The tone was heavy, and the way he answered was short.
Martha leaned in to listen. She heard the Empress's voice.
"His Majesty is nothing but a hindrance to us right now. We cannot keep dragging this on like this."
Martha froze. The man continued the Empress's words.
"Then what shall you do?"
The Empress spoke after a brief pause.
"We should start making preparations."
As she listened, Martha thought to herself She regards His Majesty the Emperor as an obstacle. What does it even mean to make preparations?
"And Pierre. The Crown Prince simply refuses to listen."
The man said.
"It seems His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has noticed something."
"Is it because he takes after his father? He was never a child who moved according to my will. "
If he just stayed quiet and listened to his mother, it's a smooth road ahead.
"Why did you have only one child to suffer like this...?"
Annoyance mixed in the voice. It was the voice of someone cold and full of irritation. As Martha listened, she thought, "So that is what he says to the Crown Prince. Because he takes after his father"
Those words weighed heavily. Martha leaned her ear closer and bumped her head against the door. Just then, footsteps came from inside. They were footsteps approaching the door. Martha froze. Her mind moved before her body could freeze. Where should she go? The hallway was short. There was nowhere to hide.
Just then, her arm was grabbed. Someone pulled Martha's arm. It was behind a large pillar in the hallway. The two of them pressed their bodies against the pillar. Martha looked up and saw it was Crown Prince Pierre. Pierre put his index finger to his lips and spoke with his eyes. Quiet.
The door opened. The Captain of the Guard came out into the hallway. He scanned the hallway from side to side. The Captain stood there for a moment, determined that no one was there, closed the door again, and went back inside. The footsteps faded away.
Martha exhaled. The Crown Prince gazed intently at Martha. She looked down. In the quiet hallway, the two were standing pressed tightly against a pillar. The Crown Prince spoke in a low voice.
"Princess."
Martha looked at the Crown Prince. He raised the corners of his mouth slightly and said.
"We always meet like this. First behind the curtain, and now behind a pillar."
Hearing those words, Martha thought to herself. He remembered.
"Your Highness, it seems safe now. Could you please roll off the arm wrapped around my shoulder?"
Pierre, acting as if he hadn't realized it, was startled only after hearing Martha's words and hurriedly removed the hand wrapped around her shoulder.
"Young Lady, would you come over here?"
Pierre led Martha to the inner garden of the palace. Perhaps because it was a bit of a distance from the event venue and used only by the royal family, there was no one around. As the sun set, long shadows were cast by the trees. There was a bench in the center.
The Crown Prince sat down first and offered a seat to Martha. Martha sat beside Pierre. The two looked out at the garden side by side. There was silence for a moment.
"Princess, I know what you are doing right now."
Martha looked at the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince spoke, looking straight ahead without meeting her gaze.
"The double blueprints of the hot spring site. The buildings in the alley south of the Imperial Palace. The evidence presented to His Majesty the Emperor. The worker witness named Mike."
Martha looked at the Crown Prince. A sense of bewilderment rose in her heart, wondering how he knew, but she pretended to be detached and looked at Pierre.
"How much do you know?"
"Almost everything. Although I am inside the Imperial Palace, I can see everything moving outside. Even if you try not to see, I can see."
As Martha listened to those words, she thought to herself. I have no idea what this man had been observing inside the Imperial Palace, or how.
"Do you know what Mother will do once it all explodes?"
Martha looked at the Crown Prince.
"What do you think she will do, Your Highness?"
"She won't even blink an eye."
The Crown Prince spoke while looking out at the garden. His voice was different. It was not the voice of the Crown Prince. It was simply the words of Isadora Kreuz's son.
"Instead, there will be repercussions afterward. Mother is someone who becomes more dangerous when cornered. What you have seen so far is just the preparation stage. The real thing comes next. Can you handle that fallout?"
Martha looked into those eyes. They were not calculating eyes. They were not the eyes she had thought were merely like a grandchild's antics. They were eyes asking with sincerity. They were eyes genuinely worried about what would become of this woman.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince "
"Yes."
"I heard it earlier. In the secret room. And what Her Majesty the Empress was talking about, Your Highness, too."
The Crown Prince froze for a moment. Martha looked at him with a stern expression.
"Aren't you in danger, Your Highness?"
The Crown Prince looked out at the garden. He remained silent for a while. Then he smiled. It was a short, heavy, bitter smile. It was not the gentle smile of the Crown Prince. It was the smile of someone who already knew everything.
"I know. It has been a long time."
Although his words were concise, Martha's heart grew heavy. Looking at the Crown Prince, Martha thought. He had known for a long time. As the Emperor's son, and as the Empress's son. He had endured and lived in the palace knowing all this.
The Crown Prince looked at Martha.
"Still, I take care of myself. You are the one who should be careful, Princess."
"Your Highness, if it is for the sake of your purpose..."
The Crown Prince paused, then continued.
"Be careful."
Martha returned the remark. She had thought it was like a grandchild's playful antics. She had thought it was because twenty-three was young. But this look in his eyes now was not the voice of innocent, tender feelings. It was a word of sincere concern. He was someone she hadn't even paid attention to just a few days ago, but Martha was beginning to feel unfamiliar with Pierre, who was treating her with such worry and anxiety.
"You too, Your Highness. You be careful as well."
The Crown Prince looked at Martha for a long time. Then he nodded.
It was in one corner of the garden. Behind the bench where the two were talking, Leon was there, hidden under a tree. Knowing that Serena had come to the palace event, he had arrived just as the event was ending. He had been looking for her because she was nowhere to be seen, and he approached after hearing a voice from the garden.
Then, just as he was about to approach Serena, he stopped in his tracks. He had stopped involuntarily upon hearing the voices of the Crown Prince and Serena. Leon had overheard the conversation from behind the tree. The Crown Prince spoke to Serena. He said he was worried. He asked if they could handle the fallout. He said that if Mother were driven into a corner, things would become even more dangerous. It was a voice of genuine concern. And Serena also told the Crown Prince to be careful.
Leon leaned against a tree as he listened to the conversation. The Crown Prince was worried about Serena. Serena is in danger. He remembered the day Serena went to the hot spring site alone. The time she almost got caught in front of the secret room door. The time she stood alone at every event hosted by the Empress. Leon knew all of it. Yet, there was nothing he could do in this place.
The Crown Prince was there. Serena was there. Leon was behind a tree.
Leon clenched his fist tightly. He wanted to do something for Serena. But he didn't know what to do. No, he knew, but he couldn't do it. What the Crown Prince said was not something Leon could say. Because that wasn't Leon's place...
That made him angry for the first time. Because it wasn't his place, Leon pulled his back away from the tree, walked quietly, and left the garden.
Martha and the Crown Prince were still sitting on the bench. Leon walked without looking in their direction.
[Lucy's Secret Shock Journal Episode 62]
The Empress Has Started Inviting the Princess to Every Event.
I can see the corners of the Princess's mouth drooping and her enthusiasm fading with every return. Just when she's about to rest, she's called; just when she's about to rest again, she's called.
They say you shouldn't bother a dog when it's resting; oh, I'm not saying the Princess is a dog.
I had the carriage waiting in front of the Imperial Palace for her when Prince Leon came out. I wanted to greet him with joy, but his expression was so grim that I couldn't bring myself to do so. It was pitiful to see him trudging along with his shoulders slumped. Had he been scolded at the palace for something?
Cheer up, Young Master, so that Lord Siegfried won't have to worry.
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