I did not know the parents who had given birth to me, nor the place where I was born. From the earliest point in my memory, I had been living here, and I had lived a life of begging in order to survive.

The boys my age in this place lived by stealing, and it was not as though I had never considered stealing myself. Since I was considerably smaller than those boys, I had no confidence I could run fast enough, and seeing the children who had been caught get beaten, I had no confidence I could endure it either.

On days when children of noble birth would come to show off their pity and sympathy, it was very easy. It was only a meager piece of bread, but it was still a proper meal after a long time.

“I’ll eat half today and save the other half for tomorrow.”

“Hey, beggar girl!”

The beggar girl from the frontier.

That was my name.

The boys who had already eaten all of their own bread had drawn up before me before I knew it.

“You get full with just a little bit, don’t you? So we’ll take this bread!”

Just as they were about to snatch the bread from my hand before I had even answered their question,

“That would be a problem.”

A voice I had never heard in this place. Unlike the people here, it was a leisurely and gentle tone. Turning around, I saw a man dressed in fabric more splendid and dazzling than anything I had seen on the noble children who had come by a few times, crouching down behind me to match my height.

“If you return that bread, I’ll let you go quietly. Otherwise, things will get loud. Instead, you can take that over there instead of the bread.”

At the man’s gentle warning, the boys headed in the direction he pointed.

“Hello.”

Since this was a place where help never came without a price, I did not take the bread the man offered back to me and simply gave a small greeting. Despite my dismissiveness, the man continued to follow me and speak to me.

“Is your name Beggar Girl?”

“……”

“Come with me. I know your father.”

Father.

A word I had never once heard, never once spoken. That word held my small legs in place.

“I am your uncle.”

“……”

“Hello, Resilla.”

That name made my dead heart beat fiercely once more. That voice made tears I did not know I had flow uncontrollably.

That was how I came to the imperial palace.

Because I had come from the frontier, because I did not know my mother’s origins, I was insulted and gossiped about for all manner of reasons, but it was all right.

Unlike the place where I had been, this place was warm. I could eat freshly cooked rice, and I could wash myself when the time came. Those petty insults were nothing I couldn’t simply pretend not to hear.

The first person who had smiled at me brightly without prejudice and offered a formal greeting first.

“Hello, Your Highness. I am Eloa Rumania, daughter of the Rumania Count family.”

“Re… I am Resilla Istria… No, I mean… that is what I am called.”

The one who had extended a warm hand without humiliating her, even when she made mistakes in etiquette.

That person was the Duchess of Hylus.

***

The small feet that had been running toward the knights became tangled with each other and fell hard.

Thud!

It was a loud sound even to hear.

‘I can’t cry, don’t cry, Resilla Istria.’

The unfamiliar name had grown familiar before she knew it, and she was now aware that it was her own.

‘If I cry here, it would be rude to the Duchess who saved me…’

Contrary to her resolve, tears began to flow helplessly from her eyes. She had thought she had finally grown accustomed to palace life.

‘Am I truly an unworthy Princess after all?’

“Your Highness, are you all right?”

Before she could even recognize the owner of the voice, a strong force pulled her to her feet. Without even a moment to compose the tears that had not yet subsided, she came face to face with the force that had lifted her.

It was not a palace servant, but the Prince of the Western Kingdom.

The moment she saw him, the first thought that came to her was not gratitude, but rather,

‘I must maintain my dignity as a Princess.’

…That was it.

“Th, thank you… Sir Enoch…”

She was not sure if calling him Sir Enoch was correct, but she recalled that the Duchess had addressed him that way at the banquet hall.

“Please feel free to simply call me Enoch.”

At Enoch’s gentleness, the tears that had seemed unstoppable had come to a halt before she knew it. Enoch, who had politely extended his hand to her, opened his mouth.

“Your Highness, you are fond of the Duchess, are you not?”

She nodded without hesitation at that question. The Duchess was the only person she had met in the imperial palace who had approached her first without prejudice.

“Then, would you not join me in protecting the Duchess?”

She nodded without hesitation at this question as well.

“Very well. From now on, Your Highness and I are on the same side.”

No sooner had Enoch finished speaking than he called out in a loud voice.

“Imperial Knights!”

The knights who heard Enoch’s loud shout came running urgently toward the source of the sound.

“I have rendered unconscious the handmaiden over there who intended to harm the Princess. Quickly inform the Emperor of this and protect the Princess.”

Resilla could not understand what Enoch was trying to do, but it seemed clear that he, too, was trying to help the Duchess.

Why did the Duchess leave in such a hurry…?

Before the fleeting thought could fully take shape, the imperial knights urgently knelt before her.

“We have no face to show you, Your Highness. Are you all right?”

Not knowing what to say to the knight herself, Enoch spoke on her behalf.

“I will raise my voice for a moment before Your Highness, the true master of this imperial palace.”

He truly was a man who carried himself with the dignity befitting a prince.

Enoch recounted everything that had happened. However, he spoke of every action the Duchess had taken as though it had been his own. Thanks to his skillful handling of the matter, it was resolved swiftly.

It took no time at all for news of the attack on the Princess to reach the Emperor’s ears. He had been ready to halt the banquet immediately and search for those behind it, but the Emperor’s responsibility of “diplomacy” kept him in check.

The banquet concluded as planned. Using rest as an excuse, he retired early, but spent the time not resting, but searching for the culprit. Interrogating the handmaiden who had already been caught was not difficult. If she would not speak, all that was needed was to give her pain that would leave her no choice but to speak.

The handmaiden had indeed been a servant who had originally worked in the imperial palace. The anti-bloodline faction had simply bought her with money.

Istria was a more compassionate Emperor than expected. But that was different from now, when the anti-bloodline faction was rampant in the black market, as Eden had said, and when someone had tried to kill his own niece.

The moment the handmaiden tried to speak the name of the true culprit, her lips began to burn, and she closed her eyes in agony as her throat was constricted.

“Brand the handmaiden’s lips with a branding iron bearing the imperial family’s crest, and hang her neck before the gallows.”

“Yes.”

“This one did not die from a curse. She died for the crime of raising her hand against the imperial family.”

An example was needed. This is what will become of those who do not properly serve your Sun and, blinded by momentary gain, choose to betray.

A brief quiet had settled over the imperial palace after the storm of blood, but it was all right. Thanks to that, the servants who had been disrespecting Resilla had all fallen silent.

For Resilla, too, was of imperial blood.

One matter had been dealt with, so it was time to deal with the remaining one. Finding the person who had laced Rumania’s tea with poison had been easy. They had come out begging to be spared on their own.

Had it already reached the ears of the servants? Well, given the commotion that had been made, perhaps it was only natural.

Eden’s appearance was the most uncomposed he had ever seen in the decades he had known him. That sight was pleasing. He had been so certain that man would live like a stone pillar for the rest of his life.

Rumania was an amusing young lady he wished to keep close and observe a little longer.