I Became a Tyrant’s Maid - Chapter 33

Crazy, why give me the eye just for watching that damn speech with a sour expression? It was absurd.

As expected, the male lead took first place in the birthday celebration.

However, perhaps due to his usual reputation, the audience’s reaction was rather muted.

Since it was a large national festival, after about three hours of long additional speeches, the male lead’s official schedule finally ended.

Of course, that’s just the official part being over; unofficially, there was still a long way to go.

After the event, there was an evening banquet, which the Emperor would also attend.

There were about 20 minutes left until the Emperor’s arrival, and the royal family and their core noble supporters were seated around a large table.

Opposite me sat the 1st Prince and the female protagonist’s brother, Lucas Tianel.

“It’s a face I haven’t seen before.”

The 1st Prince said to the male lead while moistening his throat with water beside him.

Seemingly displeased by the sudden conversation, the male lead frowned and stared at the 1st Prince.

“A woman.”

“It would be better to lose interest.”

At the male lead’s sharp words, I slightly lowered my gaze.

It felt like a cold wind was blowing through the hall.

The other princes and nobles deliberately averted their gaze from us, as if it wasn’t their business.

“Lady Rose Estanya?”

The 1st Prince called my name quite affectionately.

‘Why are you suddenly calling me? Just eat your food quietly.’

Though annoyed, I maintained a polite expression and responded with quite an elegant attitude.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“No need to be so formal. You’re attending as a Lady today, aren’t you?”

The 1st Prince said with a sly smile.

Lady, he says.

I’m here as the male lead’s lackey, you fool.

“I appreciate your consideration. However, Your Highness, I’m not here as a Lady, but to attend to the Crown Prince, so it would be better if you didn’t lower your speech.”

I smiled sweetly and bowed my head.

After all, I was the male lead’s person, so I had no intention of falling for the 1st Prince’s tricks and giggling along.

And because of a series of events, I was a bit resentful, so I deliberately made a distinction between the titles Royal Highness and Your Highness.”

Even though it wasn’t the 1st Prince but the Duke who ordered it, didn’t they try to kill me?

And they’re in cahoots.

In fact, I was a bit afraid of the consequences of openly humiliating him in front of all the royals, but whatever.

The male lead will become Emperor anyway.

“You’ve chosen a better hand than I expected, Your Highness.”

The 1st Prince looked at the male lead with a soft smile.

The corners of his mouth were smiling, but his eyes were not.

The male lead responded with a relaxed face, letting out a snicker.

“Thanks to someone who kindly sent a guest to me.”

“Whoever it is, they must be a very kind person.”

“Indeed.”

Their conversation sent chills down my spine.

‘This is terrifying!’

The tense battle of nerves made my throat dry.

I hastily reached for the water glass, and my eyes met with the man opposite me.

The female protagonist’s half-brother.

Lucas Tianel.

He looked similar to the female protagonist’s description in the novel.

A relatively gentle appearance.

But true to being the female lead’s half-brother, he had a nasty personality.

“By the way, the monsters were particularly fierce this year. Don’t you think your complexion is too good?”

Calix asked the 1st Prince with a calm face.

“Fortunately, Young Lord Tianel who accompanied me has excellent swordsmanship skills, so we were relatively safe.”

The 1st Prince replied with a smile, looking at Lucas Tianel.

At the same time, Lucas Tianel, whose eyes met mine, twisted his lips into a mocking smile.

And in an instant, his expression turned gentle as he flattered the 1st Prince.

“Your Highness, you’re being too modest.”

“Hahaha. Not at all, Young Lord. It’s the truth, isn’t it?”

I got a bit heated at their attitude of instantly excluding the male lead from the conversation and giggling among themselves.

But the male lead, as if used to it, nonchalantly sipped his pre-dinner wine and said in a low voice.

“Ah, of course, I’ve heard about it too. That the Young Lord is skilled in martial arts. Wasn’t there a rumor in the capital about his talent with the bow in his childhood?”

For a moment, Lucas Tianel’s expression hardened.

On the other hand, the 1st Prince quickly replied with a still smiling face.

“That’s right. But unfortunately, there was no opportunity to showcase the Young Lord’s skills at this birthday celebration.”

“Well, I think I’ve seen enough already.”

The sound of a wine glass being put down rang out.

The male lead’s red eyes turned towards Lucas Tianel.

His handsome eyes narrowed into crescents as his gaze continued.

Towards the 2nd Prince who hadn’t said a word until now.

“So there’s no need to feel disappointed.”

The 2nd Prince tried to smile nonchalantly at the male lead’s gaze, but it seemed he couldn’t hide his trembling hands.

“It’s time for His Majesty to arrive.”

The male lead said with a grin, straightening his appearance.

No sooner had the male lead’s words fallen than the grand golden doors opened.

“We greet His Majesty.”

It was the Emperor.

***

I felt like the food was going to come out of my nose.

In the suffocating silence, only the sound of cutlery echoed in the empty banquet hall.

The Emperor glanced over his sons with a seemingly annoyed face and sat down.

“I’m very pleased that you all returned safely.”

His face didn’t look pleased at all.

It was my first time seeing the Emperor’s appearance today.

The same hair color and eyes as his four children.

Despite being around the same age as Calix and me, he looked older and more frail than my dad.

‘Is he sick somewhere?’

I tried to remember if there was any description of the former Emperor in the original work.

Did he die a month before the male lead’s ascension?

Did the male lead kill him, or did he die of illness?

“We appreciate your concern, Your Majesty.”

As the Crown Prince expressed gratitude on behalf of everyone, the Emperor scanned the crowd with a displeased look.

Certainly, the factions of each prince were openly visible, and this birthday celebration was also an extension of politics.

Thanks to that, the nobles’ attention was focused on me.

‘The appearance of a new face.’

In fact, the male lead brought me because he had no reliable options other than Ruel. However, other people seemed to think differently.

The male lead was never easy to deal with.

Being that kind of person, everyone would think there must be a separate reason for bringing me here.

The Emperor thinks the same, apparently.

After all, wasn’t the Emperor’s gaze completely fixed on me?

‘Ah, please stop paying attention to me. Why are you staring, why!’

I felt like I wanted to hide in a mouse hole right away, but I cut my meat while trying to look as relaxed as possible.

It’s been a while since I’ve eaten meat, but really, is the talent for making people uncomfortable hereditary?

“It’s a face I haven’t seen before.”

Damn it. He finally spoke to me.

With no time to be flustered, I bowed my head politely and answered.

“It’s my first time meeting you. I’m Rose Estanya, serving the Crown Prince. It’s an honor to meet you, Your Majesty.”

“Estanya, huh. I’ve heard of it. I heard you lost your parents to an outdated epidemic in your domain.”

The Emperor snickered as if it was pathetic.

He must have looked into it beforehand to bring this up to me, right?

Rose’s parents were hopeless.

If I remember correctly, there was already a cure for the epidemic in the Estanya family’s domain.

If they had managed the domain properly, they could have contained it.

The Emperor was openly mocking the incompetence of the Estanya family.

If I were Rose Estanya, I would have certainly been disturbed by this situation, but alas, I was not her.

“It must be quite heartbreaking. It would be difficult for a low-ranking noblewoman with nothing to survive.”

I glanced briefly at the male lead before responding politely and neatly to the Emperor’s words.

“Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. But fortunately, thanks to the Crown Prince’s boundless grace, I’ve been able to serve His Highness in the palace. I’m always grateful to His Highness.”

At my words, the Emperor’s eyebrows raised slightly.

His expression seemed to say, ‘See?’

“It seems you’re working as a maid. Wasn’t it difficult during the birthday celebration? It must not have been easy for a woman to survive among the monsters.”

The Emperor asked, sipping his red wine.

He seemed to be trying to figure out the nature of my relationship with the male lead.

I wanted to bluntly say that there wasn’t such a grand reason for me following him here.

But if I said that, I might end up in trouble with the male lead, so I had to hold back.

“His Highness is so proficient in martial arts that we were able to return safely. However, I’m worried that I might have been a burden to His Highness because of this, Your Majesty.”

At my words, the male lead, who had been quietly listening, touched my sleeve and spoke up.

It seemed like he meant for me to be quiet.

“As Chris was unwell, I had no choice but to bring my maid.”

The male lead continued speaking while cutting his meat with his characteristic cynical expression.

“Your Majesty must already know. That for some reason, the demonic energy in the Hamel Mountains has thickened, giving the temple a headache.”

The male lead’s gaze fell on the princes.

As if to say, ‘Know your own sins.’

But the princes didn’t seem to feel guilty at all, continuing their meal nonchalantly.

“That’s right. Are you injured anywhere?”

“Fortunately, Lady Estanya is well-versed in herbal medicine,”

The male lead’s expression rippled with slight excitement.

“Despite having a serious injury, I was able to survive, Your Majesty.”

The Emperor’s gaze turned to the male lead’s shoulder.

His wrinkled face twisted grotesquely.

“Come to think of it, I heard you were hit by an arrow in the shoulder.”

“It must have been the work of the other races.”

At the male lead’s words, the Emperor started laughing loudly, “Hahaha!”

As the Emperor’s laughter grew louder, the princes’ expressions began to harden, and the male lead seemed to like this, showing a very faint smile.

“…It’s better to maintain a good relationship with the temple.”

As the laughter stopped, his gaze turned to the other princes.

“I should meet with the Pope tomorrow.”

The Emperor’s expression was set in a fierce look.