“Yuna, we meet again.”

Yuna sighed at the familiar voice. However, she had no intention of being dragged around anymore. With Celine’s words in mind, she felt the time had come to resolve this herself.

“I’d appreciate it if you’d stop now.”

“……What?”

“I don’t understand why you keep grabbing me like this. I’m getting along well with Lady Rosana. I may not like it, but Lady Rosana seems to enjoy talking with you. You don’t have to obsess over the personal maid position.”

At Yuna’s gaze meeting hers boldly and directly, Veronica’s expression crumpled.

“Yuna. You’re truly foolish. You think I’m doing this just because of that? Of course it’s annoying that you’re in the personal maid position, but there’s a bigger problem.”

“Why on earth……”

“I hate seeing you so full of yourself.”

“What?”

“Honestly, is that position even suitable for you? You lack both awareness and dignity as a maid, yet you’re Her Majesty the Empress’s personal maid. Don’t you realize your mistakes become our mistakes? If you knew your place, you should have cleverly refused and given the position to someone suitable. So someone properly educated from a noble house could serve!”

Yuna’s face turned deathly pale. She’d thought they were friends. Yet Veronica was declaring from the start that they were nothing to each other.

“Honestly, are we even on the same level?”

The maids around Veronica wore expressions suggesting they’d heard something obvious. They were similar people to Veronica.

“If it weren’t for you, I would have become the personal maid. And if things went well, wouldn’t His Majesty have noticed me too?”

Veronica subtly revealed her true intentions.

“You…… don’t tell me…… you were aiming for the Empress position?”

“Aiming sounds so unpleasant. I’m just saying it could have been possible. Isn’t it ridiculous that only one person is by His Majesty’s side?”

“What nonsense! Don’t you know how devoted His Majesty is to Lady Rosana?”

“So what?”

Yuna was dumbfounded by Veronica’s nonchalant words and pushed her aside, telling her to move. She wanted to inform Rosana of this immediately.

“Is it okay to tell?”

“It doesn’t matter. You won’t have the courage to tell anyway. What if you do? We’ll just coordinate our stories and deny it.”

Yuna ignored the voice from behind. Yet she couldn’t deny their words. Veronica was known as a kind person to others. Yuna had thought so too. Her steps gradually slowed.

“Lady Rosana seemed to like Veronica quite a bit……”

Yuna bit her nails nervously. Then should she inform the head maid? Yuna clutched her head.

She couldn’t say Veronica was the only maid with sinister thoughts. It was a well-known fact that Rosana and Jade’s relationship hadn’t been good initially, and quite a few maids harbored vain dreams. Eventually, Yuna, who’d been clutching her head, decided to remain silent.

“His Majesty is devoted only to Lady Rosana anyway! Veronica…… let me think about this a bit.”

However, rendering Yuna’s worries meaningless, an incident occurred.

Suddenly summoned, Yuna found herself facing Rosana, who looked at her coldly without knowing why. In her hand was an accessory Yuna had seen before. 

Behind her stood a sneering group. Rosana demanded an explanation with a calm expression.

“Yuna. This was found in your room. Is that true?”

* * *

Rosana recalled the moment this accessory came into her hands. She’d been reading a book in front of the warm fireplace like any other day. Celine was keeping watch beside her, and she’d asked Yuna for a new book.

Then she heard a knock on the door. The door opened and Veronica appeared. Other maids were behind her too. At the maids who appeared hesitantly, Celine spoke sharply.

“Do you have something to report?”

She found it disagreeable that they’d swarmed over without being called. The person occupying the front was Veronica. Celine checked on Rosana. 

She just blinked slowly, curious why they’d come. Then she quietly gestured with her hand. A gesture saying to speak if they had something to say.

The maids murmured. What should we do, are we really going to say it? They made worried voices while extremely tense.

“If you have nothing to say, withdraw. Whose presence are you dawdling in front of?”

Celine noticed they hadn’t come with good news. Though she’d told them to restrain themselves. Celine clicked her tongue briefly inwardly. It seemed Yuna hadn’t handled it well.

Currently they hadn’t crossed the line drawn, but from now on, the words coming from their mouths couldn’t be taken back. She had that premonition. 

Eventually she swallowed a deep sigh at Veronica’s appearance about to open her mouth. What followed was enough to make Rosana’s eyes widen.

“Lady Rosana, did you perhaps gift Yuna an accessory?”

“……”

Rosana was looking straight at Veronica.

“Why do you ask?”

“Actually……”

Veronica pulled out an item from her skirt. Then she began talking about how she came to find it.

“I had borrowed something from Yuna, so I briefly stopped by her room, and deep in a drawer this was…… Wasn’t this one of the gifts His Majesty bestowed? We were all shocked when we saw it and came rushing over.”

She said they couldn’t pretend not to see it. When Rosana held out her hand, Veronica carefully placed the accessory on it. Rosana handled the accessory in her hand.

“Since Yuna is no different from your close associate, Lady Rosana, it wouldn’t be strange for her to receive it. I’m worried I made too big a deal out of this because I was so surprised.”

Veronica bowed her head apologetically. The surrounding maids chimed in agreement. After a long pause, Rosana’s mouth opened.

“Did all of you see the accessory come out of Yuna’s drawer?”

Then they all nodded in unison. Rosana continued meaningfully.

“I see, several people visited one person’s room……”

“What?”

“I never gave it.”

“Gasp! Really?! Then that means Yuna stole it……”

Rosana carefully examined Veronica, who was stamping her feet. Her face was extremely flustered, saying it was unexpected. Celine, who’d been watching silently, asked.

“Is there anyone who saw her stealing?”

“Ah, not that. We just discovered the accessory in the drawer……”

“Lady Rosana. Actually……”

Celine, who’d let out a low sigh, tried to advise Rosana. However, Rosana, who’d been quietly tapping the table, stopped her.

“Celine, I know, so first bring Yuna here.”

Celine raised her gaze to look at Rosana. Her expression was calm.

“……Understood.”

While Celine went to call Yuna, Veronica subtly spoke from the side.

“She must have needed money. Still, how could she think of stealing…… I didn’t see her that way……”

There were quite a few stories of maids being kicked out for stealing valuables. Thinking they wouldn’t know, or because they urgently needed money. The reasons varied but……

Rosana looked at the accessory in her hand. Without a focal gemstone, it wasn’t an accessory that caught the eye. 

However, looking closely revealed its true value. Beautiful patterns were engraved on the necklace chain. Extremely intricate, like someone had poured their soul into it.

“Since it’s an accessory that doesn’t attract attention, she must have expected it wouldn’t be noticed if it was stolen.”

It was an item that could fetch a high price at a jeweler’s. If it was true that it came from Yuna’s room, she couldn’t escape accountability.

Then Yuna entered. Rosana looked at Yuna and held up the necklace Veronica’s group had delivered.

“Yuna. This maid says she found my necklace in your drawer. Is that true?”

Yuna naturally denied it.

“Yuna, why on earth did you do it? If you told me……”

Yuna’s mouth fell open in disbelief. Suddenly called over, she found this mess. Veronica shamelessly sneered while pushing her into a pit. Yuna trembled with anger.

What’s sentiment worth, she hadn’t even told Lady Rosana because of past memories of laughing and chatting together……!

Contrary to thinking things would improve with time, Veronica treated her increasingly worse. However, she had to find a way to escape the trap she’d already fallen into.

“Lady Rosana, I didn’t steal it!”

“But Yuna. This necklace came from your drawer. Was it your plan to hide it away? It was well stored inside the drawer. The other girls saw it too. Just…… admit it.”

Rosana watched the conversation while taking a step back. The maids echoed Veronica’s words. Celine’s brow was deeply furrowed, displeased that the situation was flowing according to their intentions.

But the decision was Rosana’s to make.

“Lady Rosana, what will you do? Shall I call the head maid?”

“No. There’s no need to call Jane. I’ve already heard the answer.”

At Rosana’s firm voice, Celine raised her head. Yuna’s answer alone was enough for Rosana.

She just felt somewhat bitter. She’d always received cold stares. Been despised. The rejection hiding deep in her heart wasn’t something easily erased. She thought she’d become skilled at catching such gazes.

To protect herself, to avoid being embroiled in controversy, she had to notice first. Even with smiling faces, she couldn’t miss the deep-seated mockery within. 

People acknowledged her and treated her kindly, so she must have gotten a bit cocky. She thought they liked her because they smiled and treated her kindly.

By Rosana’s standards, Veronica was on the kind side. She’d never looked at Rosana with displeasure for being extravagant, nor showed signs of considering her brutal for dismissing maids.

She had no ill feelings toward Veronica. Conversely, she had no good feelings either. This wasn’t Rosana’s matter—it was Yuna’s. 

She couldn’t leave alone someone who insulted her person. Yuna had already become someone important to Rosana.

At Rosana’s cold voice, Yuna’s complexion turned deathly pale. With everyone saying in unison that the accessory came from her drawer, there was no reason for Rosana to believe her. Yuna squeezed her eyes shut.

“If you say you didn’t, then you didn’t.”

“……What?”

The words she heard were the complete opposite of what Yuna expected. Veronica retorted incredulously, and Yuna raised her head. Rosana even placed the accessory in Yuna’s hand.

“Thinking about it, I haven’t given you anything. You do this and that for me. Take it if you need it.”

To Yuna, Rosana’s words sounded not like forgiveness, but like telling her to take it and leave. 

She knew from the smile hanging on Veronica’s lips. Of course. Veronica sneered. But just as Veronica was about to speak, Rosana said.

“I’m sorry. Because the gaze wasn’t directed at me, I was slow to notice.”

“Lady Rosana?”

She’d always thought she was the one receiving hatred, so she’d never considered that those around her could be hated. Just like not everyone liked her, Yuna could be hated by someone too.

“Words are strange things. When many people say something, it becomes truth. Whether false or true. People seem to place more meaning in facts believed by many than facts believed by one person.”

Rosana turned to face Veronica.

“But I’ve decided not to do that.”

Veronica stopped breathing. The maids who’d supported her also tensed up. This wasn’t right…… The visible evidence was clear. They’d coordinated their stories. They’d subtly let slip that Yuna was struggling with money. Veronica asked, repeating that it couldn’t be.

“Wh-what do you mean? Are you planning to forgive Yuna’s crime?”

At the nuance of incomprehension, Rosana tilted her head instead.

“Wouldn’t it be good if she’s forgiven?”

“What?”