Chapter 11

“Neil. Take this and fix it as I said earlier.”

“Yes!”

It was an ordinary day at the Imperial Palace. Diana, sitting at her desk buried in paperwork as usual, handed the documents to Neil.

“You can do it, right? You’ve done it several times before.”

“Of course. I can do it. Leave it to me.”

“Good. Just handle that and—oh, right.”

“Yes?”

“Did you tell His Majesty? That I’m going to a social gathering?”

At Diana’s question, Neil’s whole body started to tremble.

“Why do you ask?”

“Well, His Majesty asked me. Asked if I was going to a social gathering.”

“So what did you say? What did you tell him?”

“I just said it was some gathering I was invited to, but I didn’t know the details. Why are you shaking so much?”

Neil hesitated, then shook his head.

“I’m sorry. To be honest, I’m more afraid of His Majesty than of you, My Lady. I’ll just keep that day’s events to myself.”

“That’s so honest it’s funny. Judging by your reaction, it looks like His Majesty told you to keep it secret. Then there’s no need to talk about it. It means he trusts you, doesn’t it? That’s good. You’ll make a fine aide.”

“No! Please! I really don’t think I can manage without you, My Lady!”

“There you go again. Why are you so afraid of His Majesty? Did he ever do anything to you?”

Come to think of it, he really does seem especially scared. Diana was curious about that.

“Well, I can’t exactly explain it. I pride myself on having strong survival instincts.”

“Why?”

“I’m the youngest in a big family. I guess I developed a sense for surviving among all my older brothers and sisters. Anyway, that’s how it is. His Majesty just has an aura—you can’t act carelessly around him, even when he’s just sitting there.”

“What?”

“It’s like… You know how no one messes with a lion just because it’s sitting still? That kind of feeling.”

Neil was completely confident in his explanation.

“You probably don’t notice it since you’ve been around His Majesty for so long, but according to my survival senses…”

“Try developing your work skills instead of survival instincts. There are still so many mistakes. Go fix the documents. I’ll be out for a bit.”

“You don’t believe me, do you? I’m serious!”

“Alright, alright. If you finish everything perfectly today, I’ll believe you.”

Diana brushed off Neil’s words and headed for the door.

“By the way, where is His Majesty now?”

“He said he was meeting a guest.”

“A guest?”

If it was a guest, it must be someone from outside the palace—and not on the official schedule. Diana, curious after hearing Neil’s words, headed toward the reception room. Just as Neil had said, a few servants were standing near the door.

“My Lady? Are you here to see His Majesty?”

The servants recognized Diana and bowed politely.

“His Majesty is currently meeting a guest, but if it’s urgent, I’ll let him know right away.”

“It’s not urgent. I was just curious. Who’s the guest His Majesty is meeting?”

“It’s the Marquis Christine’s daughter.”

“…Huh?”

Diana was so surprised she asked again.

“Marquis Christine’s daughter? You mean Sophia Christine?”

“Yes.”

“And she’s meeting His Majesty alone in the reception room?”

Diana knew better than anyone that those two would never meet for innocent reasons. Even if the world ended, those two wouldn’t be together. They hated even breathing the same air.

“Why? Why are they meeting?”

“We don’t know the details. His Majesty personally invited the Marquis’s daughter to the palace.”

The fact that Evan had called Sophia himself left Diana completely puzzled. Her mind spun.

*   *   *

“So, what’s the reason you called me here like this, Your Majesty?”

Diana’s guess was right. Sophia, sitting without touching any of the refreshments on the table as if she didn’t want to share even that, smiled and got straight to the point with Evan.

“I never imagined you would call me alone like this. I’m a little flustered. So, could you please get to the point quickly, , Your Majesty?”

“Sure. I feel the same way. I’ll ask right away.”

Evan also got straight to the point.

“This social gathering you’re holding—what exactly is it?”

“The social gathering?”

“My aide is attending, I hear.”

With Evan’s final words, Sophia immediately understood what he wanted.

“Oh, you mean the social gathering our family is hosting. Yes, Diana’s coming too. She wanted to go, so I invited her.”

“…….”

“But what can I do? I can’t share details about the gathering with anyone who hasn’t received an invitation. I can’t say what we’ll do, or which ladies or young lords might come.”

“Young lords?”

Seeing Evan react to her words, her eyes curved further.

“Are you curious about the social gathering, Your Majesty?”

“…….”

“Normally, it’s a secret for anyone not invited. But how could I hide anything from the Emperor of the Empire? If you just ask me with a desperate tone, I could make an exception and tell you.”

“I don’t like that.”

“Then there’s nothing I can do. Or are you planning to become the kind of cruel boss who steals your subordinate’s precious day off?”

Sophia, still smiling, stood up.

“If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave. I have a very important appointment. I need to water the weeds.”

When she opened the door, Diana and the servants were standing outside. Seeing them, Sophia reacted immediately.

“Oh my, Diana. Did you come to see me? Because you heard I was here?”

“Huh? No, I heard you were meeting His Majesty…”

“Then let’s go! We need to talk about our social gathering. I heard you even bought a new dress for it?”

Sophia’s words rang out even into the reception room. Diana, sensing Sophia’s excitement, glanced inside. Sure enough, Evan was sitting there with a sour expression. Clearly, they’d gotten on each other’s nerves again.

And today’s winner—Sophia—was all smiles.

*   *   *

“So His Majesty called Sophia to ask about the social gathering. He must be interested.”

Diana muttered to herself, looking through documents. It was truly unexpected.

“Or maybe, since he said he wants to live diligently now, he wants to actively participate in social gatherings too?”

That’s probably why he called Sophia, even though they usually acted like enemies. Evan must know Sophia is currently dominating the social scene. Diana was once again moved by his enthusiastic attitude, but as soon as she looked at the documents in her hand, she came back to her senses.

The papers listed the personal details of various people—all members of the anti-Emperor faction Diana led. She’d investigated them secretly, avoiding attention, and finally had the information on everyone. Diana’s eyes darted across the pages.

“…Most of them don’t have families.”

Orphans, people who’d lost their families, or those without a home. Most lived alone. So, telling them “quit the rebellion for your family’s sake” wouldn’t work.

“Some are struggling financially, some lost their jobs… I thought they all seemed tough, but they’ve got these stories too… No, wait. That doesn’t mean I can just let them rebel.”

She couldn’t just let them go on with the rebellion. Now that the investigation was done, she had to find a way forward. Diana frowned as she thought.

“My Lady! May I come in?”

“Huh? Wait a moment!”

Startled by Mary’s voice, Diana shoved all the documents into her private safe. Mary peeked in after Diana finished hiding the papers, and Diana forced a smile.

“What is it?”

“Why else? Today’s the day we start preparing for your social gathering, My Lady.”

“Huh… Is it that time already?”

“Of course, My Lady. Now, shall we begin?”

Behind Mary, who came in with beauty supplies in both hands, the other maids began entering one by one.

“Wait, wait… I don’t have to do all that, right?”

“Why are you saying that, My Lady? You did everything at your coming-of-age ceremony too.”

“…….”

“Alright, then. Let’s begin?”

At that moment, Diana was certain that, no matter how frightening anything else might be, nothing was scarier than the maids in front of her.