For the sake of her Miss who must have been burning with regret at missing this magnificent sight, Julie meticulously described every detail—from the passing leaves to the fervor of the crowd—without omission. So detailed that years later, when memories faded, Violet might mistakenly believe she had seen it herself.

“So he was that splendid?”

“Yes, Miss.”

“And there were that many people following him?”

“Well, they need to manage that grand mansion. Considering that, I don’t think there were that many.”

“But still more than in this mansion, right?”

“Of course. Here we don’t even have twenty people including me.”

What was twenty people anyway—there weren’t even ten permanent employees in the mansion. Following Ayla Blanchet’s principle of cutting unnecessary expenses, the viscountal family kept only minimal staff.

Being one of them—the youngest Miss’s companion—was fortunate for Julie. Thanks to this, she could secure her share of food despite coming from a poor family with many children.

“Will the prince hold a party too?”

It was customary for wealthy families who owned and maintained mansions to host parties as a gesture of friendliness toward residents. In recent times, the purpose had shifted more toward matchmaking children of marriageable age rather than fostering community ties, but even that hadn’t happened in this town for a long time.

“Hmm…… I don’t know about others, but you should be able to attend, Miss. You’re the only noble lady in Paratan.”

Julie emphasized “lady” and answered honestly.

Though it was no longer an era where titles equaled power, some still held gatherings exclusively for those of “pure bloodlines.” Of course, if such people were gathered for a party in Paratan, it would essentially be a Blanchet family gathering.

“When will it be held?”

“Whenever it is, you can’t go right away.”

“Why? Why?”

“Your coming-of-age ceremony is soon. Whether you receive an invitation or not, you’ll have to wait until after that.”

Golden hair slipped through the spaces between her fingers. The imported perfume from a neighboring country had a sharp scent unfamiliar in Paratan.

“So I can’t even see his face until then?”

“You might happen to meet him while walking. If that noble prince deigns to visit the village on a day when you happen to be taking a stroll.”

“My coming-of-age ceremony is still two weeks away! How can I wait until then?”

“Then what do you plan to do?”

“I’ll go see him secretly!”

“When?”

“Now!”

Violet clapped her hands together and jumped up from her seat. Her flushed cheeks were as beautiful as blooming roses, but Julie, who had served her for 10 years, felt dizzy.

Yes, Violet Blanchet was beautiful and kind as the citizens of Paratan unanimously claimed, but she was also—

“You have to come with me. You know that, right?”

A terrible troublemaker.

Oh, dear Lord.

※※※

Sneaking out of the mansion at night wasn’t particularly difficult. Partly because there was no one energetic enough to wander around at midnight, but also because Julie and Violet had repeated this nighttime escapade dozens of times.

The two skillfully exited through the window. An old plum tree extended robustly outside Violet’s bedroom window, and Violet grabbed one of the sturdy branches and jumped down like a squirrel.

It was a sight that would horrify the Blanchet brothers, but the stubborn Miss climbed down the tree deftly, moving from one thick branch to another.

Julie only grabbed the branches after Violet had completely descended. Julie wasn’t as light as a bird, but she was as nimble as a lynx. Moreover, using the tree they had climbed up and down like a toy since childhood was easier than breathing.

“You know, Julie,”

“Shh. Be quiet until we’re out of sight of the mansion, Miss.”

The two crossed the damp walkway toward the backyard. There was a dog hole they had been using since childhood. What had once seemed like a huge entrance to a secret base now required them to hunch down and squeeze their bodies through.

After escaping the mansion, things became easier. The king’s villa was the largest in the city and located in the deepest part of the city. Moreover, the area around that serene grand mansion was glowing blue with fairy lights. The path sparkled like the Milky Way reflected on water’s surface. Violet followed that light, and Julie carefully followed her Miss’s bold footsteps.

※※※

“Wow, what is this?”

“Roses blessed by fairies. It’s unusual for fairies to come down to the village.”

The king’s villa was the brightest place in the darkness.

“Blessed by fairies?”

“It’s just a story passed down among people. You know how they say fairies breathe power into places they wish to bless for the future. Since I haven’t heard it directly from fairies, I don’t know the real circumstances.”

Nature-loving fairies typically inhabited mountains, forests, or streams, rarely venturing into human settlements. Until a hundred years ago, fairies could only be seen by a select few, but now it was rare to find someone who couldn’t see them.

Once they became visible to humans, fairies either mingled with human groups or retreated deeper into isolation.

“Hmm, but I heard there are no fairies in this village. So these must be pranks played by those living in the mountains.”

“Pranks?”

“Well, they’ve gilded these roses that were just sitting here, so it’s a prank of sorts.”

Violet kept touching the beautifully blooming roses between the bricks. Every time her white thumb and index finger rubbed together, glittering powder fell like jewels. Colors of apricot, violet, and marigold intermingled.

“Miss, we should go now. We’ll really get caught at this rate. Besides, how are we supposed to get into this high place? Are you going to knock on the front door and ask to be let in?”

“There is a way—”

“Absolutely not, Miss. I misspoke.”

Befitting a prince, there were two gatekeepers at the mansion’s entrance. So Violet’s plan was to climb over the wall, but the walls were far too high to find suitable footholds. Trying to climb up by gripping the vines risked being pricked by thorns or having the vines tear away.

“Let’s go now, please? And how would you climb this wall anyway? You’re not a trained knight……”

Violet’s athletic abilities weren’t good enough to easily leap over such walls. She was indifferent to systematic physical training and satisfied with just enough agility to secretly climb up to her second-floor bedroom.

“Why can’t we go? We can just climb the wall.”

“But how exactly?”

“Hmm…… By digging our fingernails into these grooves?”

“Please be reasonable.”

Julie shook her head and firmly reprimanded her. The gaps between the bricks were so minute that it was questionable whether even fingernails, let alone fingers, could fit.

Moreover,

“Hmph! Let me try it once?”

“Miss, please…… Ha……”

The expensive dress was getting dirtier by the minute. The hem of the dress made from costly imported fabric from a neighboring country was becoming as tattered as an acorn leaf.

Julie pressed her forehead in distress at the situation where the Miss, cherished and raised by the viscountal family, was attempting to break into someone else’s home—and not just anyone’s, but the grand mansion where the prince was staying. She had always been like a foal who, once fixated on something, would charge ahead without looking back, but Julie never expected it would be this serious—

“Hmm, I think I can do this?”

Actually, she did know.

Violet Blanchet had always been a troublemaker. And thanks to that, Julie was the one who suffered. Julie thought it fortunate that this wasn’t the era of monarchical rule. Even if they were caught, they wouldn’t be imprisoned or executed.

“In the entire world, you’re probably the only person who would suddenly try to climb over a mansion wall just to see a prince.”

Another fortunate thing was that despite boldly pressing her body against the wall, she wasn’t making much progress. Though she was climbing bit by bit, Violet’s body was still within Julie’s sight. Quite close, in fact.

“Look, Miss. If this is what you want, just send a formal letter and wait. If the prince isn’t some old-fashioned old man who obsesses over coming-of-age ceremonies, he’ll meet you.”

Julie offered a compromise that might satisfy Violet, but those small, determined hands showed no sign of letting go.

As time passed, Julie began to feel anger rising. While Violet might be energetic after lounging in bed and reading a few books, Julie had been awake since dawn until now.

Not to mention she had also wandered through crowds to see the prince. No matter how sturdy Julie was, days like this were exhausting. She was tired. She wanted to sleep.

But as a personal maid, she couldn’t leave her foal-like Miss behind, so Julie’s anger intensified in a direction no one could see.

That’s when it happened.

“Ju, Ju, Julie!”

“What is it? Have you finally decided to go back?”

“No, it’s not that—beside us!”