Dinner was the emperor’s favorite time of the day.

In the original story, those who disturbed that time ended up dead.

‘Is he paying more attention to me than I thought?’

Honestly, she hadn’t thought of them as a real family. It was a contract that would end in two years, and there was no ‘Adelia’ in the original story. Besides, weren’t they people who didn’t care about others?

Yet, she wanted to remain as either a business partner or a trusted official. That way, she could continue watching the original story unfold.

However, being allowed to share ‘family’ time even for a moment warmed her heart.

‘But let’s not get our hopes up.’

It was common knowledge there was dinner. Probably just to avoid gossip.

With that thought, she comforted herself.

Adelia forced a bright smile. To shift away from the slight darkness in her heart, she brought up another topic.

“Come to think of it. His Majesty said he would send a maid, but there hasn’t been any news yet.”

“Ah, I brought her with me. Before that, here, His Majesty asked me to deliver this.”

Joen handed over a thick stack of documents.

Adelia, tilting her head in confusion, accepted it somewhat bewilderedly.

As she slowly flipped through, it was densely filled with people’s information.

“What is this?”

“When I submitted a list of maids to His Majesty, he sent back information about the maids. It seems he cares a lot about you, Lady Adelia.”

“Ha ha….”

Adelia covered her mouth with an awkward smile.

Her earlobes turned a faint pink.

Ahem. Clearing her throat, she quickly spoke up.

“There are three.”

“Did I choose too few?”

“No, it’s enough.”

Lily, Berry, Ann.

She quickly scanned the documents for the three names.

There’s usually at least one person to be suspicious of at times like these.

‘It’s a bit… worrisome.’

Adelia tapped the paper lightly.

The third daughter of the Count of Volt family.

The others were the eldest daughter of a knight’s family and the second daughter of a baronet’s family.

Most of the palace maids were daughters of baronets or lower.

Especially in times like now, when there were no women frequenting the social circles of the imperial court, it was rare to find anyone of higher status.

Having a high noble as a maid carries political significance.

‘They’re likely aiming for the position of crown princess or the prince’s wife.’

Especially if they were aiming for the crown princess position, the likelihood of them harboring ill intentions was high.

Even more so since both were daughters of count families, making their statuses comparable.

“There’s also Lady Volt.”

“Do not worry too much. Since you will soon become the crown princess, having maids of such status is quite common.”

Adelia nodded at her words.

It was all speculation.

There was no need to worry about things that hadn’t happened yet when there were already plenty of concerns.

Joen came in smiling, bringing the maids with her.

“Here are Lily, Berry, and Ann.”

“Hello.”

“Nice to meet you.”

Adelia greeted them with a calm face while sipping her tea, but her eyes were scrutinizing the maids.

Ann, a cute girl with freckles and carrot-like orange hair.

Berry with purple hair and a serene face.

Lily with light green hair, staring intently at her.

‘They seem like they’re up to something.’

She couldn’t miss the hostility in their gaze.

Bad premonitions were never wrong.

* * *

“Thank you for inviting me to dinner.”

Adelia bowed lightly and made a formal gesture of thanks.

Then Ariana, sitting at the table, waved her arms excitedly in welcome.

“Sister!”

Next to her, the prince gave a small nod as a greeting with his round eyes.

The corners of Adelia’s mouth lifted involuntarily at their cute appearance.

The emperor frowned, seemingly displeased by the harmonious scene.

“Sit down.”

“It’s an honor.”

Despite the emperor’s curt words, Adelia responded brightly.

Her seat was next to the crown prince. He nodded briefly as a greeting.

At the emperor’s signal, dishes began to be served one by one.

Soft soup and savory bread. Roasted vegetables served alongside duck meat roasted golden brown in a hearth. Sausages sprinkled with cheese and sauce and salad.

For this time only, all courses were prepared on one table. It was by the emperor’s order to minimize interruptions during the meal.

‘Delicious…’

Adelia’s expression softened as she dabbed her mouth lightly.

The food was much more to her taste than she expected.

She glanced around as she ate.

‘Could this be heaven?’

Her eyes were happier than her full stomach could ever be, brimming with interest in the delicious food.

Adelia wanted to remember this moment for a long time, sending long glances here and there.

Her gaze lingered on the princess.

Her fluffy pink hair was like cotton candy. She chewed on the meat, which was full in her mouth.

Because of those trying to feed the princess even more, her cheeks never had a chance to go hollow.

The three dark-haired men bickering over the princess looked remarkably similar. Dark hair, red eyes, sharp gazes. The very image of fierce beasts.

‘Their good looks must largely be thanks to the emperor.’

It was hard to believe the emperor was the father of three children; he boasted such handsome features. Though he was well over forty, he looked like he could be in his thirties.

Tying his long hair up high gave him a dignified air.

‘The imperial blessing must be physical enhancement… Does it slow aging too?’

That’s somewhat enviable.

Adelia’s gaze then moved to the prince sitting next to the princess.

Though young and showing signs of immaturity, he did not look like he was only twelve years old compared to Adelia.

If Ariana had a lovely appearance, the prince had more of a mischievous vibe.

A little devil full of pranks.

‘He definitely has a different aura.’

The Emperor and the Crown Prince are both cold and calm. The feeling of being frozen when seeing their deep red eyes is also due to their cold disposition.

The prince, fitting his reputation as a little devil, had a cheerful disposition contrary to his cold-looking face.

He wore his slightly curly hair in a comfortable style, naturally parted in the middle and swept to the side.

It can be said that his appearance was influenced by the Emperor, while his personality was influenced by the Empress, who was kind and lively.

‘But still… my taste leans towards this side?’

At last, she glanced at Lucian, who was beside her.

Thick black hair was covering half his forehead. A handsome man with thick eyebrows. Except for his not-so-kind personality, he was exactly Adelia’s type.

Especially the sharp gaze and the occasional smile that broke through his stern face—he was truly beautiful.

‘Yes, just that face.’

Just then, his red eyes, looking at the princess, curved into a beautiful crescent.

It was a smile reserved only for family.

‘Today, I have a good appetite. My stomach doesn’t feel bloated either.’

Perhaps a happy eye is good for the stomach.

Adelia focused back on her food, shrugging her shoulders alone.

“Ariana. Try this.”

“Ah— let me try.”

“Here. This tastes good today.”

The men of the imperial family astonishingly paid no attention to Adelia.

All their attention was directed at the princess, and they seemed to have no intention of looking away.

Adelia, too, except for occasionally looking at the princess, did not take her eyes off the food.

Her face was serene with a smile as she enjoyed her meal with elegant manners.

The servants, who had no choice but to come in to replenish the food, were startled by her sight.

“It’s nerve-wracking enough to serve food, but to see her dining so leisurely.”

“It’s like she doesn’t even care, as if there’s a wall around the dining table.”

The kitchen was already buzzing with stories about Adelia.

First, by her appearance.

Second, by her leisurely dining posture.

Third, by her slight smile.

The servants, who trembled at the sight of the imperial family, admired her courage.

Soon, the meal ended, and light desserts were served.

The princess had sweet and warm cocoa, while the others had fragrant tea and cookies.

Everyone’s attention was not on the desserts but on the princess.

Thanks to that, the sweet cookies were all Adelia’s.

‘Tasty… It seems like there’s less sugar than in our bakery, but is the butter of a higher quality?’

Even as she chewed on the cookies, she did not stop thinking.

When the princess’s cup filled with cocoa was about to show its bottom, the child began to nod off.

The prince prevented her from hitting her face against the backrest.

“I’m sleepy…”

“It’s already that time.”

Ariana, who had been running around here and there today, rubbed her eyes, unable to overcome sleepiness.

The Emperor called a maid to take her away.

He did not forget to say goodnight before she left.

‘So kind.’

Adelia sneakily glanced at them.

A goodnight greeting and a kind gaze. The perfect image of a family made her heart ache a bit.

Having had no luck with families both in Korea and here, she secretly envied them.

Ariana walked out of the dining room with small steps, holding the maid’s hand.

Even though the princess, who was the main focus of the imperial family, had left, the dinner did not disperse.

For the first time since dinner began, the Emperor turned his gaze to Adelia.

“You’re hiding that you’re a white magician?”

“I have no plans to reveal it right now. There are various problems anyway. Since I’m already known as a merchant lord, no one will suspect me.”

“What? A merchant lord!”

As Adelia calmly explained her plan, the prince stood up abruptly with a surprised look and slammed his hand on the table.