Anna introduced herself arrogantly, but Kali didn’t care. Now that the tension had lifted, she wanted to rest.

“Got it. I just call you Anna, right? Where am I staying? I want to get some proper rest.”

“…Yes. Follow me.”

Anna felt irritated that while they were both Viscount’s daughters, she was a maid and Kali—daughter of a fallen noble—was the Crown Prince’s Consort. They were even the same age!

‘I should’ve quit being a maid and entered the Consort Selection Competition myself. Who knew the successful candidate would be so shabby?’

They said even a “commoner” could become the Crown Prince’s Consort, but that was extremely rare. Usually daughters of high-ranking nobles entered, so she had no idea how a woman like this passed.

But Anna had eavesdropped on the entire evaluation by the Empress and Crown Prince from nearby. Kali had caught the Crown Prince’s fancy.

‘I’ll never understand His Highness’s taste. Violet is such a beauty.’

Come to think of it, Violet was also a commoner. At least Kali was a noble, even if fallen. Anna sighed.

Looking back, Kali’s large frame was following along just fine. Anna had deliberately walked quickly, so she was a bit surprised to see her right behind.

‘Well. His Highness probably just picked her for fun.’

After walking quite a while, Anna arrived at the palace where Kali would stay.

“This is where Lady Kali will reside.”

Kali looked around her lodgings.

The consort’s quarters she’d been assigned were in a quite remote location. The door was old, and inside, the bed was thick with dust. The floor was filthy beyond belief. Bugs and mice scurried about.

But Kali was used to places like this.

“…They called it a consort’s quarters, but it’s just like my house.”

Kali, the leader of the mercenary corps, lived in a place this shabby. She only used her house for sleeping anyway. When she was awake, she was either on the battlefield or at the training grounds.

Kali stepped forward without concern. Then she stomped on a mouse running across the floor.

“Urk.”

When the mouse burst under her heavy foot, Anna’s stomach churned. Though assigned as her attendant, Anna wanted to escape this place immediately.

‘I have such bad luck. How did I end up serving a Consort like this? My goodness, Your Majesty, even if you don’t like her, assigning her to a place like this…’

This was a place being used as a cold palace.

Spider webs tangled thickly across the ceiling. Kali fearlessly swept them all away with her hands. Anna started to stop her, then just let her be.

“It’s… it’s not too late. If you tell Her Majesty you won’t be a Consort…”

“Why would I?”

“Pardon?”

Kali picked up the dead mouse from the floor and thrust it in front of Anna’s face.

“What are you doing? Aren’t you going to take it? You’re my assigned maid, aren’t you?”

“Ah… What? But this is work for servants. I’m the daughter of a noble family…”

“Whatever. Clean it up. There are no servants right now, so you have to do it.”

With trembling hands, Anna grabbed the mouse’s tail. Seeing the mouse dead with its belly burst made her stomach churn again.

She quickly threw the mouse outside and came back in. Her mouth fell open seeing Kali holding a broom and dustpan.

“I… I’ll call for a servant!”

“No. You do it all. I’ll sweep the floor, so you wipe it with a rag.”

“…What?”

“Hurry!”

“Yes!”

Anna had no choice but to reluctantly do what she was told.

Kali scratched her head. Though she’d lived like a commoner, she was still a noble’s daughter. She knew a fair amount about a consort’s quarters.

‘Looks like the Empress really hates me. There’s no way she’ll assign me servants. For now, I’ll be stuck with that maid Anna.’

Cleaning was no problem at all. Kali was a mercenary.

If she’d been an ordinary noble’s daughter, she would’ve protested to the Empress and used that as an excuse to leave. But wasn’t Kali’s dream to be a good wife and mother?

No, being a good wife and mother was the ultimate goal. She’d just thought it would be nice to get married at all. And she’d just taken the first step.

‘The Empress wouldn’t have picked me, so Lord Cliff must have chosen me. The man I admire picked me himself, so I absolutely won’t leave.’

Kali swept the floor diligently. Anna also began wiping the floor with a rag, her face miserable.

No matter how much she protested that she was a noble, since Kali—a fellow noble and her superior—was cleaning, her complaints didn’t work at all.

Cliff had his attendants bring a large rock. Two strong attendants from the Crown Prince’s palace struggled to bring the rock together.

Cliff closed the door in case he’d be embarrassed if he couldn’t break the rock. Inside the room were Cliff’s guard knight “Billy” and head attendant “Kevin.”

Billy had another attendant summon a physician.

‘Suddenly trying to smash a rock with his fist. He’ll be lucky if he doesn’t get hurt.’

Billy hadn’t been at the Consort Selection Competition. So he didn’t know about that situation.

Kevin also couldn’t enter the competition because he was male, so he wondered why the Crown Prince was suddenly doing something like this.

Cliff let out a battle cry like Kali had.

“Hup!”

He concentrated all his strength in his fist.

‘If a woman can do it, there’s no way I can’t!’

Everyone swallowed nervously as they watched. With everyone tense, Cliff struck the rock with his fist.

Crack.

“Ugh… Ahhhhh!”

Cliff rolled on the floor clutching his broken hand.

The physician Billy had summoned happened to arrive outside the door just then. Hearing the Crown Prince’s scream, he rushed into the room and quickly treated Cliff.

Cliff’s right hand was swollen to twice its size. Tears welled up in Cliff’s eyes.

“D*mn it! Kali did this easily!”

“…Kali, as in the leader of the Kali Mercenary Corps?”

The guard knight Billy asked Cliff.

Cliff nodded while looking at his right hand wrapped tightly in bandages. He had the physician prepare medicine.

“Right. The woman who became my Consort this time.”

“…What?”

“Kali” of the Kali Mercenary Corps was famous for being a woman who became a corps leader. Billy’s mouth fell open in surprise.

How did such a woman—no, why did she become a Consort? It was puzzling.

Kevin was the Crown Prince’s attendant and had been beside him during the document screening. Back then, the Crown Prince had been seriously looking at a resume with “Kali” written on it.

‘Don’t tell me he took that mercenary as a Consort from back then? I really don’t understand His Highness’s heart.’

He loved a commoner-born Consort named Violet, yet picked other Consorts at the Consort Selection Competition.

Well, he’s a man, so the more women the better—that thinking was understandable, but why pick a female mercenary that ordinary men wouldn’t even look at twice?

“Kevin. What palace was Kali assigned?”

“…I’ll find out.”

Kevin immediately called a maid and learned which palace she’d been assigned. He reported to Cliff.

“It’s the Mustard Palace.”

“What? the Mustard Palace?”

That was an old building no longer maintained. It was mainly used as a cold palace where the Emperor’s discarded women resided.

Cliff thought of his mother. Since Mother would have assigned the palace, Kali would continue staying there.

“Mother, really… But things are going according to my plan.”

“…Pardon?”

Kevin asked again. The woman he personally picked was in a cold palace, and that was according to plan?

Cliff was looking out the window. His gaze was directed toward the palace where Violet resided.

“Mother is already keeping her in check. For now, Mother will be busy tormenting Kali and won’t even pay attention to Violet! Haha. Kali is perfect to use as a shield. She’s so sturdy and strong that she won’t budge at most attacks. And peace will come to my love Violet.”

“……”

Kevin and Billy were at a loss for words. This wasn’t a competition to select knights—it was for a “Consort,” so what use was having a sturdy, strong body?

Moreover, women’s fights didn’t involve fistfights. They mainly attempted psychological attacks.

Of course, given Kali’s size and strength, there would definitely be women who’d be intimidated, but would women of high rank and status really fear such things? They could just hire knights to fight for them.

A maid from Violet’s palace who’d been waiting approached Kevin and whispered. Though reluctant, Kevin told Cliff.

“Lady Violet wishes you would spend tonight at her palace.”

“Really? …But my hand is like this.”

Of course Cliff wanted to go to his beloved Violet. He pondered for a moment, then shook his head. He was curious what Kali, the mercenary corps leader, was doing.

“I won’t go today! Let’s go to the Mustard Palace.”

When Cliff stood up, Violet’s maid looked extremely troubled. This had never happened before.

“Um… Lady Violet…”

She was afraid of Violet. Because when she picked up her whip, her life was as good as over.

The maid trembled. Kevin, the Crown Prince’s attendant who knew Violet’s temperament well, told him.

“…the Mustard Palace is filthy. I heard bugs and mice are swarming there.”

“What? That serious?”

Cliff hated bugs and mice considerably. His face filled with disgust. Kevin continued.

“Unless maids clean for at least several days, Lord Cliff might faint upon entering.”

“I… I see. I should go to Violet tonight then.”

The maid expressed gratitude to Kevin with her eyes. Kevin frowned.

In truth, Kevin didn’t like Violet, the commoner Consort. While those above might not know, everyone below knew her temperament.

You’d think a commoner would be generous to those below, but she was worse than nobles—certainly no better. Rather, she caught maids and servants like catching mice, so they all trembled in fear of her.

Yet in front of Crown Prince Cliff, she pretended to be pitiful. She put on all kinds of airs—there was no fox like that fox.

‘I should send maids to the Mustard Palace. Since it’s a cold palace, there probably aren’t any maids. It would be a shame to let Cliff’s curiosity about Kali die.’

Though he’d go to Violet’s palace today, Cliff would show interest in Kali until his curiosity was satisfied.

Kevin quietly followed behind Cliff. Even he, an attendant, couldn’t enter the consort’s quarters. Kevin saw Cliff off.

At Violet’s Palace.

“Oh my. What happened to your hand?”

Violet, who had her beautiful purple hair up to show her snow-white nape, asked while looking at Cliff’s right hand.

It was swollen to twice its size and wrapped tightly in bandages. Cliff couldn’t bring himself to tell the truth.

“…I tumbled down the stairs.”

It was a poor excuse, but Violet quietly accepted it. No, she pretended to accept it.

If only his right hand had tumbled down stairs, he would have bruises elsewhere too, but Cliff didn’t seem to have other injuries.

“Lord Cliff… Since you’re in pain today, shall I give you a massage?”

“Mm?”

Violet wore a white robe over just her undergarments. Though it was a thick robe, her snow-white chest showed, making Cliff swallow.

She personally undressed Cliff, whose body was uncomfortable. Then she said to Cliff, now completely n*ked.

“Please lie down.”

Cliff obediently lay on the bed. Violet climbed on top of him and stroked his manhood. When he flinched, she smiled coyly.

“Your body seems tense. Relax… Oh my. Why is this so hard? I should loosen it. Seeing how hard it is, you must be very tense.”

“Mm!”

Violet licked his member with her hand, then caressed his balls. Then she began slowly licking the shaft with her tongue. Cliff’s lips gradually curved upward.

“Violet… Ngh.”

Violet licked his gl*ns. Thick prec*m came out and stuck to her lips, stretching long.

“Lord Cliff. Today it seems even thicker.”

“Just put it in your mouth already.”

“Hehe… You have no patience.”