“Princess Stella!”

It had been Rudina’s voice. Stella sighed in relief as she stepped off the bed. The carpet felt so soft and plush beneath her feet that it always made her feel guilty, as if she were stepping on something meant to be worn.

“Come in.”

As soon as Stella finished speaking, Rudina entered the room and handed her a cup of warm milk.

Drinking warm milk first thing in the morning had been a long-standing habit of Stella’s. Although it was a task a maid could perform, Rudina, Stella’s lady-in-waiting, always volunteered for it.

“Thank you, Rudina.”

The milk, warmed to just the right temperature, tasted deliciously creamy. Even though Rudina knew Stella was not the queen’s daughter but rather the daughter of a mistress who had died from drinking, she remained devoted to Stella.

However, the room Stella now occupied was smaller, darker, and damper than her previous one.

It would have been better to let her live freely outside the castle. The king had brought Stella into the castle solely because she carried his blood, and he kept her hidden away in a corner where no one could see her.

While Stella drank her milk, Rudina drew back the curtains and opened the window wide. Seeing the blue sky for the first time in a while, Rudina’s face brightened.

“The weather has been gloomy, but today the sky is blue. Oh, my gosh!”

Admiring the sky, Rudina suddenly jumped back from the window, startled.

“What’s wrong? What happened?”

Stella asked, setting her cup down on the table.

“I felt something brush against the back of my hand. What was that?”

After inspecting the windowsill and the floor below it for a while, Rudina found nothing and looked up.

“Oh, I was so scared. I’m sorry. It felt like a bug came in, but I can’t find it anywhere.”

Rudina rubbed the back of her hand and scanned the floor again. That’s when it happened.

“What’s on the back of my hand?”

“What was that?”

Someone mimicked Rudina’s words.

Stella quickly turned her head toward the source of the sound but saw nothing.

“Why are you acting like that? Is there a bug over there?”

Rudina, who had been looking around as if she were ready to swat a bug, asked with a frown. Judging by her expression, it seemed she would get caught by a bug ten more times.

“Nothing’s there. I must have imagined it.”

Stella said dismissively, shaking her head, but she couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling.

Rudina sighed with relief and, as if she remembered something, quickly dashed off somewhere and returned with a small box for Stella.

“Princess, happy birthday!”

“What is… this?”

“It’s your birthday today! They say wearing this brings good luck.”

Seeing Stella staring blankly, the impatient Rudina opened the box to show her what was inside.

Inside the box was a bracelet made of blue beads. Though not made of expensive jewels, the bracelet sparkled brilliantly in the sunlight as if it contained all the light in the world.

“It’s really beautiful!”

Stella exclaimed sincerely.

“Do you like it?”

“Yes, very much! Thank you.”

As Stella reached to put on the bracelet, Rudina quickly took it and tied it around Stella’s wrist. The one who gave the gift seemed happier than the one who received it.

The cool touch of the beads lifted the corners of Stella’s mouth. The round beads were as blue as Rudina’s eyes.

“I wanted to be the first to give you a birthday present, Princess.”

Listening to Rudina’s excited words, Stella smiled bittersweetly.

After all, if it weren’t for you, no one would remember my birthday.

Stella swallowed the words that rose to her throat. It wasn’t hard to say them, but she could already see gentle-hearted Rudina crying all day if she did. To Stella, Rudina was more than just a servant.

When her mother fell ill, the king, her father, reluctantly sent a servant, who turned out to be the most precious and wonderful presence Stella had ever received.

Stella smiled even brighter for Rudina, who cared for her, and Rudina did the same for the lonely Stella.

The bracelet looked perfect on Stella’s slender wrist. Clearly pleased, Stella raised her wrist above her head, admiring it from different angles with a beaming smile.

“Rudina, it’s the same color as your eyes.”

“I’ll always be watching you, Princess. Hehehe.”

Rudina shrugged her shoulders up to her neck and chuckled like a villain. Her antics amused Stella so much that she laughed heartily, clutching her stomach.

Rudina had given Stella gifts from the market before. Although she was a noblewoman by birth, her family had fallen into ruin a few years ago, and its members had scattered.

While she knew the whereabouts of her other family members, she had no idea where her sister was. Whenever she saved enough money, she hired people to search for her sister, but all they ever found out was that she wasn’t in Amalrune.

Every spring, on her sister’s birthday, Rudina would wish she could at least know if her sister was alive, often tearing up. Stella sincerely hoped that one day Rudina would be able to deliver the gifts she bought each year to her sister.

Rudina had volunteered to be Stella’s personal servant when no one else did, and the two of them had quickly become close, as if they had been friends since birth. Stella had gained a true friend.

“I’ll cherish it.”

Stella replied with a gentle smile, just as a small shadow flitted across the table. Stella’s eyes narrowed slightly.

She closely examined the spot where the shadow had passed but still saw nothing.

Did I see it wrong?

Stella tilted her head in confusion when suddenly there was a knock at the door.

This time, both of them were startled and turned their heads toward the door.

“What is it?”

“Who could it be?”

Since Rudina had started working as Stella’s lady-in-waiting, it was the first time anyone other than her had knocked on the door.

Knock, knock!

The two of them stared at each other wide-eyed, and at the sound of the knock again, Rudina hurried to the door.

“Who… is it?”

Rudina opened the door just a crack and peered outside.

A large hand suddenly appeared and grabbed the open door firmly. Instinctively sensing danger, Rudina tried urgently to close it, but it wouldn’t budge.

Before she could react, the door swung open, causing Rudina, who had been holding it, to lose her balance and stagger.

“Ah!”

“Rudina, are you okay? Who’s out there?”

A startled Stella jumped to her feet and shouted.

Fortunately, Rudina only staggered and didn’t fall or hit anything. Though she was surprised, she smiled brightly, trying to reassure Stella, whose face was even paler than hers.

“Yes! I’m fine. Don’t worry.”

Only after hearing Rudina’s response did Stella see the face of the person who had aggressively opened the door. It was a man with a slightly long face, a prominent hooked nose, and a carefully groomed mustache. Stella recognized him.

“Sir Lepard.”

Just saying his name made her skin crawl.

Lepard was a relative of Queen Eliza and a knight in her service. She couldn’t understand why he was standing in front of her room instead of being by the queen’s side.

“The queen is looking for you.”

Though his words were respectful, his amber eyes were filled with contempt as he looked down at Stella. It was the gaze one would give a filthy beggar rather than a princess of the realm.

Since he had looked at her this way many times before, Stella wasn’t bothered. He wasn’t significant enough to hurt her feelings.

“Looking for me? Why?”

However, since the queen had never summoned her before, a sense of fear crept in despite her efforts to remain calm.

“I’m merely conveying the queen’s message.”

It meant she should follow him without asking questions. Stella gently patted Rudina’s trembling arm and smiled softly.

“Rudina, would you help me get ready?”

“…Yes, Princess.”

Rudina hesitated but answered, her face full of concern. Just as Rudina was about to enter the dressing room, a line of attendants carrying large gift boxes began to enter through the open door.

Before she could ask what was happening, they started piling their boxes on the floor and table.

“What?”

Rudina stood with her mouth agape, watching them, then turned to Stella.

“Princess.”

But Stella was just as confused as Rudina. She, too, was bewildered by the situation.

As Stella watched the people stacking gift boxes in the room, she turned to Lepard and asked.

“What is this?”

He was still standing outside the door. He looked at the attendants carrying gifts into the room with a disinterested expression and replied to Stella’s question with annoyance.

“These are birthday gifts. His Majesty sent them.”

“His Majesty… did?”

“Yes, and so did the queen and Princess Beatrice.”

Stella still couldn’t bring herself to call King Philip ‘father.’ He hadn’t allowed it.

To King Philip, who pursued perfection in all things, Stella was like an impurity.

He had fallen in love at first sight with Stella’s mother, who was a dancer, but didn’t want to father a bastard child. He had brought Stella to the castle to prevent his name being sullied.

Naturally, he showed no interest in her as she grew up.

He only checked once a year to see if she was still alive. She had expected today to be just another one of those days, but gifts?

Instead of feeling grateful for the sudden presents, Stella felt a growing sense of unease.