I Became A Wretched Extra In A Healing Story - Chapter 16

Reibella’s days were truly busy without a moment to spare.

She woke up at dawn, got ready before the sleepiness had fully dissipated, and as soon as she went out, she tasted the water the princess would use to wash. This was because of the Emperor’s order to check everything that would touch the princess’s body.

After checking even a single glass of water going to the princess, there was a brief gap, during which she had to go to the princess’s palace kitchen and carefully inspect if there were any problems.

It was because of the chef’s request to check if any wrong ingredients had been brought in by mistake.

‘Since you know plants in detail, help me.’

Thanks to that, Reibella had to do that work even though it wasn’t her job.

When it was time for the morning tasting, the full-fledged daily routine began.

Tasting breakfast, cleaning whenever there was time, doing odd jobs, running like a puppy when the princess called, memorizing the eating habits of the tea party participants as instructed by the head maid, tasting the princess’s snacks, tasting again. Sweeping, wiping, answering questions. Eating again, eating more. Doing what the maids ordered. Doing it again.

When she came to her senses, it was night, and her body collapsed on the bed.

She would sleep, exhausted, and when she woke up, the same routine would repeat.

Honestly, although she had volunteered to help with the maids’ work, it was really too much. They gave her work without even a moment to rest.

But it wasn’t incomprehensible. The princess’s first tea party was approaching, and the workforce that had been emptied during the poison incident was still not filled. They were severely short-staffed. So much that they needed to borrow even ant hands.

One would think that with such busyness, they would ask for more staff, but the princess’s palace maids thought differently.

‘We’re still investigating who put poison in Her Highness’s food. We can’t just let anyone in.’

‘That’s right. We can’t endanger Her Highness by carelessly bringing in people.’

‘We just need to work a little harder.’

Due to their excessive loyalty, everyone was committed to living buried in work, and so Reibella too had to work without being able to breathe easily even once.

And so, just as she was about to die, limp from overwork, that day arrived.

The princess’s tea party.

A gathering of promising young nobles from within the empire.

‘Wouldn’t it be better if I didn’t attend?’

The day before the tea party, Reibella carefully expressed her opinion to the head maid. It was something she normally wouldn’t have dared to say to such a person, but…

‘I’m worried that because of me, the atmosphere of the tea party that Her Highness the princess worked so hard to prepare might be dampened.’

She was able to say it because she added words for the princess’s sake.

Fortunately, the head maid agreed with that opinion.

‘True. There will be quite a few nobles curious about you.’

The fall of the Felicity family not only gave the nobles a wake-up call but also provided great entertainment.

It was an opportunity to look down and mock those who had once stood proudly above them.

If Reibella, a fallen noble, appeared, she would become a spectacle like an animal in a zoo, and if that happened, the atmosphere that should be focused on the princess might be disrupted.

Tasting could be done in hiding as before, and the head maid could personally bring food to the princess. So that was the plan, but.

‘No. Reibella should come too.’

The princess insisted. Saying she wanted to introduce her to her close friends.

The head maid, who was weak against the princess, didn’t object to her opinion. She just smiled contentedly, saying Your Highness the princess will do well.

So on the day of the event, Reibella ended up appearing in front of everyone. The atmosphere, of course, flowed as expected.

“Is that child the one? From the Felicity…”

“I wondered what kind of child it was, for such a high-and-mighty family to keep her so hidden… but she’s nothing special.”

“That family was extremely secretive, right? They didn’t even show the child in official places until she turned 10, when the young head of the family would be decided. They were excessive.”

“By the way, she looks better than I thought. Maybe it’s because she’s young and doesn’t understand.”

“Still, she must be devastated inside. To end up like this overnight… If it were me, I’d just want to die.”

The interest directed at Reibella was as intense as the attention on the princess. If one could measure the temperature of voices, it would easily exceed 100 degrees.

But that was only for a moment. Because the princess began to speak.

“I want to thank everyone who responded to my invitation. I hope this will be a joyful day for all those I hold dear.”

She smiled brightly as she looked around at everyone. Everyone was so focused on the princess’s words that it was quiet enough to hear even an ant crawling. The princess smiled again and added.

“Then, let’s begin.”

The tea party officially started.

* * *

“Ugh, it’s so noisy.”

One of the children attending the tea party frowned, covering their ears. In the place the child was glaring at, seven toddlers around three years old were gathered without guardians.

Originally, the tea party was for noble children around the princess’s age, but there were some families who brought younger siblings instead of children who couldn’t attend due to circumstances.

The ladies of each family had given warnings many times before leaving the children alone and going elsewhere, but they were still young children after all. Less than an hour after the tea party started, they were crying, shouting, and fighting. It had become a mess.

Nannies were taking care of them nearby, but perhaps because of the unfamiliar environment, the children just couldn’t calm down.

“Can’t we change seats?”

The child who had been covering their ears the whole time asked Reibella, who came to replenish the tea foods.

“I came to see Her Highness the Princess, but what is this.”

“I’m happy just being here, but… I wish I could hear Her Highness the Princess’s voice.”

“That’s right. I want to hear Her Highness’s story. I’m so curious about the voice of God that Her Highness the Princess said she heard.”

Children around ten years old sighed with gentle voices, looking at the princess far away. Their eyes were full of desperate longing.

‘It’s as the princess thought.’

It was expected that children who couldn’t even have proper conversations would come to the tea party. The problem was how to handle them.

They couldn’t keep uncontrollable young children near the princess. So they decided to place them as far away as possible, and seat docile children who wouldn’t complain near them.

Of course, they weren’t just abandoned.

‘I’ll compensate their parents later.’

Reibella had suggested to the princess, who sighed saying it couldn’t be helped.

‘How about giving them a little time to talk with Your Highness before they leave?’

‘With me?’

‘I think those children would want to meet Your Highness more than any gift.’

Because it’s a world where everyone loves Princess Erina.

‘Great! Let’s do that.’

However, since this fact wasn’t told to the children in advance, their mood remained poor throughout. They showed quite a rough reaction even to Reibella, who was ordered by the princess to serve tea foods.

“Why is a slave serving us food?”

“Are you looking down on us right now?”

Reibella, who was assigned to the table, had a headache as they continued to vent their stress while grumbling.

‘Maybe I should have just stayed by the princess’s side when she told me to.’

At first, the princess had insisted that Reibella stick close to her side, but Reibella had politely declined. She said that wasn’t her place, and confidently stated that she would manage the relatively docile children.

But what she actually faced weren’t docile children, but little wolves in sheep’s clothing.

‘I need to do something about those little ones.’

The princess was busy talking with her friends, and the maids were so focused on the princess that they neglected the children from relatively less powerful families.

The only ones suffering were the crying and tantrum-throwing little ones and the children seated at nearby tables.

After a moment of contemplation, Reibella approached the little ones.

And not long after, the children who had been on edge started to laugh.