16. It can’t be helped that she’s already marked by the tyrant.

NOTE: I mistakenly translated Asha Claire as female when she’s actually a male character. To help clear up any confusion from the earlier chapters, Asha’s name has now been corrected to Ash Klair in the translation. Thank you for your understanding!

If you started reading the story with Ash’s pronoun as male, please disregard this note and continue enjoying the story. 

For the past few days, Hailey felt like she’d heard Kincaid threatening to cut off her head so many times it was ringing in her ears.

“Why are you making that face?”

Kincaid, who had been rummaging through documents, suddenly looked up and asked.

‘Is that even a question?’

Hailey felt a surge of emotion.

“I was just wondering how many times Your Highness would have to cut off my head to feel satisfied.”

“If I could, I would do it as many times as needed. If you act insolently, you must naturally pay the price.”

“Have I ever committed such a terrible crime that my head deserves to be cut off multiple times?”

“Think about that yourself.”

A stark reply came back immediately.

‘Well, even if he is a tyrant-in-the-making, this is too much…’

Hailey truly felt wronged. The only crime she had committed against this arrogant prince was throwing laundry.

‘And that wasn’t even my fault; the wind blew the laundry away.’

Or was it something else?

‘Was it when I barged into the underground hot spring? But that was only to save the Grand Duchess! I had no choice.’

On top of that, she was about to take on a bothersome and dangerous task in exchange for Kincaid’s support. Thinking about that, she felt like she was the one at a loss.

“Hehe. I actually know why His Highness is angry with Miss Brooke.”

Burnett, who had been peeking around inside the secret passage entrance, suddenly stuck his head out and cut in.

“Burnett, stop talking nonsense.”

Despite Kincaid’s warning, Burnett smiled with a friendly face.

“Well… wasn’t it because Miss Brooke said last time that His Highness, the Crown Prince, wasn’t her type? That’s probably the root of all this.”

Burnett, who was not only Kincaid’s aide but also his classmate from the academy, poked at the issue, causing Hailey to gape.

“Could it be that His Highness…”

As she subtly hinted, Kincaid’s sharp gaze turned toward Hailey.

“Is His Highness really mad because I said he wasn’t my type?”

Surely, someone as important as the imperial crown prince wouldn’t be that petty? Hailey questioned, but…

Crack!

The documents in Kincaid’s hand crumpled loudly.

“Of course not! I couldn’t care less about the preferences of some lowly frog!”

Surprised by his unexpectedly intense reaction, Hailey’s eyes widened. It wasn’t just her; even Ash, the knight known for his perpetual expressionlessness, was taken aback by Kincaid’s reaction.

‘If it’s not true, then why is he so mad…?’

Anyway, his personality… No wonder he’s a tyrant-in-the-making.

“You mustn’t act like this, Your Highness! If you keep this up, it will really be a problem!”

Burnett interjected once again from the hole. Kincaid placed his hand on his forehead, as if annoyed.

“What nonsense! If you say something foolish one more time, I’ll cut your head off next!”

The Crown Prince glared at Hailey, frowning in arrogance.

“You, frog.”

“Yes, Your Highness?”

“Since I’ve willingly listened to your worthless plea, now you must repay me with your life.”

At Kincaid’s threat, Hailey took a deep breath.

‘Okay… there’s still hope.’

It can’t be helped that she’s already marked by the tyrant. But if she understood his intentions clearly and played her cards right, she might still be able to keep things from getting worse.

After all, it’s darkest under the lamp. There’s no reason not to seek a way to survive even under a tyrant.

“Um, then… what exactly do you want me to do, Your Highness?”

“Bring me records of everything happening in the palace. Especially anything related to Duchess Siela and Prime Minister Schmidt—report every detail without fail.”

Duchess Siela and Prime Minister Schmidt.

They were the ones Hailey had cautiously mentioned the last time, hoping to win over Kincaid. Both wielded immense power in the Imperial Palace and were Kincaid’s greatest political rivals. They were the ones who had intentionally escalated the recent theft incident to put Grand Duchess Eleonora in a difficult position.

‘So, you want me to be a spy for the Crown Prince’s palace.’

A sigh escaped Hailey involuntarily. She had hoped to live quietly and comfortably under the Grand Duchess’s protection, so why had things turned out this way?

‘A spy… even in my past life as a level-max part-timer, I never pulled that one off.’

While Hailey was deep in thought, Kincaid was once again engrossed in reading documents.

“I have one request, Your Highness.”

“What is it?”

Kincaid asked disinterestedly, not even glancing her way.

“I will faithfully carry out your orders, but please exclude anything that would harm the Grand Duchess.”

“……”

“My master is the Grand Duchess. There is no maid in the world who would do anything to harm her.”

“You still have a sharp tongue. It seems you’re not afraid of dying?”

As soon as those words were out, Ash’s hand moved toward the sword at his waist, ready to draw it at a moment’s notice if his lord signaled.

Hailey squeezed her eyes shut and asked,

“Are you planning to behead me again?”

“No. This time, I’m thinking of hanging you on the gallows.”

What a cruel tyrant! What kind of man says that to a young apprentice maid!?

“But judging by how quickly that mind of yours is working, I guess I don’t need to worry about you ending up on the gallows.”

“…?”

“If you were the kind of person to abandon your mistress and cozy up to the Crown Prince’s palace without hesitation, then I’d have had you hanged.”

“!”

Hailey’s mouth dropped open in disbelief.

“Remember that your master is Grand Duchess Eleonora. Don’t forget that your actions are solely for her safety.”

What was she supposed to do—please both sides?
She had to obey the Crown Prince, but also never forget her loyalty to the Grand Duchess…

‘This is the hardest dilemma I’ve faced since that one time at my part-time job when someone ordered a hot iced Americano.’

And to make matters worse, if she let her guard down for even a second, she could lose her head—or end up hanging from the gallows!

“Your Highness, Miss Brooke is still a young apprentice maid. Shouldn’t you treat her a bit more kindly if you’re going to give her work?”

Burnett, unable to hold back, subtly intervened, but Kincaid responded with a scoff.

“Actually, it’s a secret, but His Highness can hold grudges.”

Burnett leaned closer and whispered softly into Hailey’s ear.

“I think so too, but…”

As Hailey replied in a similarly lowered voice, Kincaid turned his head and shot a sharp glare their way.

“Here, take this.”

Burnett handed Hailey a wooden pass.

“What is this?”

“It’s a pass that allows you to enter the Crown Prince’s palace. While it’s cool to enter through the secret passage, there’s no need for such a young lady to take a rough path.”

It was an unexpected consideration. Hailey was touched by the kind and thoughtful aide, so different from his superior.

“Thank you, Sir Burnett.”

“You’ll just need to come by every three or four days to report on the situation in the palace. If too much time passes, His Highness might get… moody again.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Oh, and since there are prying eyes, it’s best to come up with an excuse when you arrive here.”

“That won’t be a problem. Her Grace often sends things to the Crown Prince’s palace—I can just bring them myself from now on.”

“Oh, that works, haha.”

Burnett burst into cheerful laughter, while Hailey sighed inwardly.

‘How did my life end up like this…’

Thus, Hailey Brooke, the apprentice maid of the palace, unwittingly took on the role of a spy for the crown prince, tasked with reporting on the happenings of the palace.

Today’s task assigned to the apprentice maids was to manage the portraits of the royal family. While dusting off the countless portraits hanging in the hallway, Linda grumbled.

“Now that Annie is gone, I have even more work. Sigh… when is she going to finish her vacation and come back?”

“I don’t know… She went back to her hometown to rest, so it might take a few more days.”

Hailey replied casually while carefully wiping the frame of a portrait with a soft cloth.

“Surely she’s not planning to not come back at all?”

Linda muttered with a worried expression. The Grand Duchess Eleonora had given Annie a few days off to rest after she unexpectedly went through a tough ordeal.

“Your Grace, I’m truly sorry, and thank you very much.”

It had already been a week since Annie, who had cried tears of gratitude for the Grand Duchess’s kindness, went back to her hometown, but there was still no sign of her return.

‘It might be better if she doesn’t come back at all.’

Hailey thought that the palace life didn’t suit the timid and gentle Annie. It might be better for her to live a peaceful life back in her hometown.

“Those wicked girls from Olga’s group have disappeared somewhere again. I haven’t seen them working at all.”

As Linda grumbled, she suddenly turned her head to look at the portraits hanging on the wall.

“I feel creeped out every time I come here at night. Especially when I see this portrait, my heart races.”

“Well, they’re all people who are already dead and turned to dust, so what’s the big deal…”

At Hailey’s indifferent remark, Linda frowned.

“You don’t know, do you? Who is the owner of this portrait?”

“?”

“It’s the late Crown Prince Terrence.”

Then Linda lowered her voice and whispered.

“He’s the one who was deposed due to that madness… the husband of the Grand Duchess.”