The entrance of Müiget Castle bustled with maids who had come along with the princesses attending their lessons. After the princesses entered one by one, the accompanying maids gathered separately, as was customary, to have their own time.

In the dining room located in the west wing of Müiget Castle, a separate refreshment table was set up for the maids.

Although it was not as grand as the regular tea parties held for the princesses after their lessons, the maids of Müiget Castle managed to create a presentable tea table for their gathering.

Just as there was subtle competition among the maids, a hierarchy also existed among the servants within the Plant district.

Everything that happened in Müiget Castle would be relayed to the servants through the maids’ gossip.

When fourteen maids sat down, the long rectangular table filled to capacity. It felt a bit cramped, but no maid complained about the seating.

The serious and solemn expressions they had worn while escorting the princesses into the castle relaxed somewhat in this enclosed space. The tablecloth, embroidered with bright and dainty flowers, further softened the atmosphere.

At the head of the table sat Sarah, the maid serving Princess Annette, who was putting on airs. It was only natural, as the princess’s position determined the maid’s status.

“Princess Annette has specially prepared this for us, so please enjoy it comfortably.”

On her finger, pointing at the table, sparkled a gold ring recently gifted by Princess Annette.

“It seems Princess Annette really cares for you, Sarah.”

The maids’ eyes, fixed on the well-prepared refreshments and Sarah’s finger, brimmed with envy.

Some looked at her with resentment, but given Princess Annette’s solid standing in the Plant district, no one openly grumbled.

Many even thought that if an empress were to emerge from this district, it would naturally be Princess Annette.

“When Princess Annette first arrived, I helped her a lot. There were other maids who came with her, but no one knew this place as well as I did.”

Sarah chuckled softly, covering her mouth with her hand. A small diamond sparkled on her ring finger.

“Did she give you that ring too? It’s really pretty.”

“Yes. I said it was fine, but she kept insisting on giving me things. It fits my finger perfectly, doesn’t it?”

Sarah spread her fingers wide, smiling happily. She moved the back of her hand in various directions so her colleagues could get a good look at the diamond set in the ring.

Small and large exclamations burst out simultaneously as the angle of her hand changed.

Sarah was confident that she would be the fastest to get promoted among the maids sitting there.

She had received excellent ratings and hefty wages for her outstanding performance in the weekly reports, and fortunately, Princess Annette had the most influence in this district. It was only natural for the other maids to look at Sarah with envy.

Sarah, who secretly enjoyed the envious and jealous gazes of others, fixed her eyes on Milla, who sat at the end of the table.

Today, too, Milla sat like a brick wall in her drab brown dress. Sarah found her expressionless face, neither envious nor jealous like the other girls, irritating every time she saw it.

What was she so proud of?

When Milla had been sent to the underground prison after the princess she served died of illness, Sarah had thought there would be no one left to surpass her.

She had hoped Milla would remain buried in that underground prison forever, but with the arrival of the princess from Amalrune, Milla had crawled back into the imperial palace like a bug.

And when she learned that the treasure Princess Stella had brought was just a set of golden teacups, Sarah felt intoxicated with a sense of superiority, as if she herself had become the winner.

Sarah wished Milla would continue to stay tucked away in the corner, barely noticeable, as she was now.

“Milla, what’s that brooch? It’s really beautiful!”

At that moment, Sarah’s face crumpled at someone’s exclamation of admiration. The gazes of all the gathered maids turned to Milla at once.

Sarah, too, glared, wondering what kind of brooch Milla had worn to cause such a commotion.

“Oh my! It’s a pearl brooch!”

“Look at the size of the pearl in the center. It’s really big!”

“Don’t tell me all those surrounding the pearl are diamonds?”

Sarah clutched the hand wearing her ring with her other hand. Dozens of diamonds, much larger than the one set in the ring she had been showing off, were densely packed in Milla’s brooch.

“Did Princess Stella give you that?”

“Yes.”

“Really? She gave you something so expensive? Princess Stella must really think highly of you, Milla.”

Instead of answering, Milla took a sip of her well-brewed tea with a faint smile. She could feel Sarah, seated at the head of the table, glaring at her as if she wanted to kill her. Milla had never cared how Sarah treated her before.

Sarah had never been an important figure to Milla, and Milla’s life wasn’t soft enough to care about Sarah. But today, for some reason, it felt good to see Sarah fuming because of her.

Milla put down her teacup and turned to face Sarah, knowing the brooch would be more visible from the front.

***

After finishing the lesson filled with praise for the Emperor, Stella couldn’t shake the feeling that, unlike last time, the princesses were subtly distancing themselves from her during the ensuing tea party.

Princess Annette acted as if Stella were invisible until she spoke to her first.

Even when Stella greeted her, Annette would look elsewhere and pretend to be distracted. Even when standing close by, she would chat and laugh with people further away than Stella.

This atmosphere was all too familiar to Stella. Compared to the moments of humiliation she had endured in Amalrune, this felt so trivial and insignificant that she could brush it off with a snort.

But that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt.

Just as Stella was thinking she should leave first and was about to exit the hall, Annette called out to her.

“Princess Stella. Are you leaving already?”

The noise in the hall came to an abrupt halt. At the same time, thirteen pairs of eyes turned toward Stella, a mix of pity and mockery in their gazes.

“Yes, I’m not feeling well.”

Stella replied with a weak smile, trying not to show her anxiety or fluster.

“Oh my, it seems you haven’t recovered from your travel fatigue yet. Oh, that’s right, I heard you came to the Credion Empire on a merchant ship. It must have been so uncomfortable traveling with those vulgar merchants. I heard they were all former pirates. Weren’t you scared?”

Stella felt as if she had been struck hard by Annette’s words, which were delivered under the guise of concern.

It was true that she had been loaded onto a merchant ship like cargo, so it wasn’t a lie or something to be angry about. But she had never mentioned that she traveled on a ship run by former pirates.

The princesses bit their lips to stifle their laughter, shrugging their shoulders and turning their heads away.

“Scary? It was so much fun.”

Stella, instead of jumping up and running away in embarrassment, calmly replied as if it were nothing. She continued speaking, maintaining her gaze on Annette.

“It would have been just as strange to travel on a luxurious ship, enjoying a vacation, while being sent as a hostage.”

The faces of the princesses turned red with anger at the shameful words that had escaped Stella’s lips. It was a truth everyone knew, but no one had dared to mention.

The blunt term Stella used, aimed at those who had been comforting themselves with thoughts of becoming empress, felt shockingly rude to the princesses, who were otherwise beautiful.

“Stella!”

Annette called out sharply.

“Well, enjoy your time.”

Stella greeted them and then turned around, walking out with her head held high.

Although she maintained a brave facade, her legs trembled beneath her. She fought to suppress the tears that threatened to spill; she didn’t want to shed even a single tear for them.

“Princess!”

Milla, who had been urgently informed by a servant, quickly approached Stella as she exited the hall. Seeing Milla, Stella’s vision blurred again, but she smiled brightly instead.

“Let’s go to our castle, Milla.”

Milla flinched at the unusual sparkle in Stella’s eyes, but she smiled back and replied just as Stella had.

“Yes, Princess.”

***

Harman was increasingly worried about the Emperor, who seemed to lack appetite even in front of a lavish feast.

It was a relief that Chef Leo hadn’t been dismissed, but if the Emperor continued to refuse food, they would need to find a solution.

Every time the Emperor left food uneaten, Leo’s heart burned with anxiety. Although the Emperor didn’t openly criticize him, it was clear that he was gradually growing tired of Leo’s cooking.

Otherwise, there was no way he would consistently leave food behind. The Emperor he knew wasn’t fussy about food.

He was a generous man who would eat coarse bread without hesitation when hungry and down cheap alcohol that commoners drank in one gulp.

But for some reason, lately, no matter how delicious the dishes he prepared with high-quality ingredients were, the response remained lukewarm.

“Lord Chamberlain, is it true that His Majesty doesn’t eat any other food at all?”

Leo grabbed Harman’s sleeve in disbelief when they met in the corridor.

“Sigh, I’m worried too. I wonder if his health might suffer if this continues.”

Even for a healthy emperor, poor eating habits would surely take a toll on his health.

Meanwhile, Kai was also perplexed by his own behavior.

Fortunately, after a few days, the intense craving for that carrot had faded. But he couldn’t help but think about it from time to time.

Kai set out for a walk with Ben, using the excuse of getting some fresh air. However, he had no intention of heading toward Verdura Castle. He simply found himself in front of it as he walked.

It was driving him crazy.

—
T/N: A little disclaimer here: It seems like the princess Sarah is serving is named Princess Anel. I checked the raws but her name is spelled as 아넷 (Annette) here, meanwhile Chapter 16 used 아넬 (Anel) to refer to the princess who was from Enclite, and was likely the top candidate for becoming Empress. Both seem to be referring to the same person though, judging by the interaction with Stella. However, I will go back and clarify this once I get to the later chapters. There is no confirmation yet that Sarah is indeed Princess Anel’s maid.

Edit: Just confirmed that Anel/Annette is the same person. I don’t know why the author suddenly decided to change it in the later chapters, but I edited Chapter 16 and 17 for consistency. I will be going with ‘Annette’ moving forward.