21. The Only Way to Reform a Tyrant?

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Hailey did her best to maintain a respectful attitude, but Kincaid’s fierce gaze didn’t soften in the slightest.

“This time, the Grand Duchess skillfully avoided the crisis, but we never know when something like this will happen again. So stay alert at all times.”

“Understood, Your Highness.”

“And in case of emergency, use that clever brain of yours to protect Her Grace.”

Hailey was dumbfounded by Kincaid’s command.

‘Wasn’t he the one who threatened me before not to use my clever little tricks?’

Bad-tempered and unpredictable… Now that was a terrifying combination.

“What’s with that expression?”

Noticing Hailey’s reluctant look, Kincaid furrowed his brows.

“Your Highness, whom I deeply respect… I’m terribly sorry, but may I ask a question?”

He nodded just slightly, as if to say “Do as you like.”

“Well then… if I do step in to help Her Grace the Grand Duchess and end up in trouble myself… Your Highness will come to my rescue, won’t you?”

Though asked timidly and with great caution, the question held only one true meaning:

‘If you have a shred of conscience, you’d better.’

The Empress Dowager, Princess Catherine, the Duchess of Siela…none of them were easy opponents, and each had the power to take the life of a maid with a mere finger.

‘Even if I’m going to use my wits, I need some backup.’

With that thought in mind, Hailey forced a smile and looked at the Crown Prince with hope in her eyes…

“Let’s see how you handle it first.”

“!”

“If you want to keep your head, shouldn’t you at least try that much?”

‘I knew he’d say that!’

Where could that tyrant-in-the-making personality possibly bloom into something decent?

“Burnett, is the new naval deployment map I ordered last time ready yet?”

“Oh come on, Your Highness. You only gave the order a couple of days ago. The earliest I can get it to you is next week.”

“You’re unbearably slow.”

Kincaid snapped irritably at his aide, then turned his sharp gaze back to Hailey, who was still standing stiffly in front of his desk.

“Do you have a complaint?”

The air around Kincaid was so sharp, it felt like he might behead anyone who dared to answer ‘yes.’

“Haha, of course not, Your Highness.”

At that, the Crown Prince gestured with his hand—a clear signal that she was dismissed. Hailey bowed deeply.

“Then, I shall take my leave.”

Even at her polite farewell, Kincaid didn’t move an inch.

Once Hailey exited, silence settled over the office. Only the occasional rustle of papers and the scratch of a pen broke the quiet. Then…

Kincaid set down his pen and picked up a single white rose stem from his desk.

“……”

Though the stem was poorly cut, the bloom itself remained vibrant and fresh. Kincaid stared at it in silence.

The Crown Prince, known across the empire for his ruthlessness and icy demeanor, secretly preferred flowers over swords. It was just that the life he’d lived had never truly allowed him the luxury of flowers.

‘He really is handsome, even if he’s got a nasty mouth.’

Burnett, hastily organizing paperwork after being scolded, glanced over. The Crown Prince’s beauty—clearly inherited from the Empress, once hailed the most beautiful woman in the empire—paired exquisitely with the blooming rose.

‘If the Crown Prince’s admirers saw this, they’d be overjoyed.’

But knowing full well that Kincaid loathed comments about his looks, Burnett spoke up with feigned cheer.

“Didn’t Your Highness say that bouquet should be thrown out immediately? Shall I dispose of it now?”

“What crime did the flower commit?”

Kincaid replied flatly, then set the rose down and issued a command.

“Tell the head maid to trim the flowers properly and put them in a vase.”

“Yes, of course.”

Burnett, replying gladly, stole a quick glance at his lord’s face.

“You do like Miss Brooke, don’t you?”

“……”

“You’ve always liked people with sharp instincts.”

“Haven’t you spouted enough nonsense for one day?”

Kincaid scoffed at his aide’s meddling, then leaned back lazily in his chair.

“There are plenty of sharp dogs in the palace. Whether one becomes a useful hunting dog depends entirely on its own abilities.”

Cold and indifferent words slipped from those handsome lips.

“Sigh…”

Knowing his lord’s cold-hearted nature all too well, Burnett simply shook his head and said nothing more.

***

“At this rate, I’ll lose my head before I even get a chance to save Her Grace the Grand Duchess.”

Hailey sighed as she carefully hung freshly washed linens on the line.  

Becoming Grand Duchess Eleonora’s closest aide was her goal, sure—but she hadn’t signed up to risk her life for it.

‘Protect the Grand Duchess from the story’s top villainesses? Isn’t that mission way too hard?’

Right now, Hailey was still just a lowly apprentice maid.

‘Besides, Her Grace has this way of becoming incredibly bold when it matters most.’

After cleverly fending off villains who were eyeing the home she shared with her daughter, the Grand Duchess had only then seemed to remember the bouquet still in the maid’s hands.

“Oh no… I forgot to give the roses to Princess Catherine.”

She spoke with her usual gentle voice and gave the still-stiff maid a calm instruction.

“Princess Catherine is especially fond of white roses, so gather those separately and deliver them to her. Hurry before they wilt, dear.”

“Seeing that, the Grand Duchess surprisingly has a strong mentality.”

Well, considering the chaos she’d endured over the past few years, this kind of trouble might seem trivial.

“I should really be more worried about my own neck, which could be on the chopping block at any moment.”

Seriously, what kind of upbringing leads a Crown Prince to threaten decapitation at the end of every sentence?

“Anyway, it’s his personality that’s the problem, his personality.”

Tap, tap.

As she shook the water from the freshly washed linens, Hailey muttered to herself.

If things continued like this, a full-blown massacre in the palace was practically inevitable.

“I really need to find a way to reform that tyrant somehow…”

Well, actually, there wasn’t even a need to search—because even in the original novel, there was only one way to fix Kincaid’s twisted personality.

“The heroine of the story—Lady Vernette, daughter of the Count.”

The mentally unshakable and kind-hearted heroine of the original novel was now the only hope remaining.  

According to the descriptions in the original story, Lady Vernette, daughter of the Count, was not like the Emperor’s concubines—frail, delicate beauties who looked like they’d be blown away by a breeze.

‘Rather than a sculpted beauty, she was described as a cute and lively noble lady.’

Her bright and cheerful personality had gently embraced the Crown Prince’s twisted nature and guided him in the right direction.  

But even that sunshine-like heroine, disheartened by Kincaid’s continued tyranny, eventually left his side. This was precisely why Kincaid went mad in the original story.

“Should I try to meet Lady Vernette and beg her not to abandon His Highness, the Crown Prince?”

Honestly, in this situation, that sounded way more reasonable than hoping that wretched prince would change his ways on his own. 

The only problem was…

“Where on earth am I supposed to meet Lady Vernette?”

Hailey had kept a close eye on the capital’s social scene, but there was no sign of a noble family called the House of Count Vernette.

‘Count Vernette… Hmm. I think I once heard of a noble family with that name from the Evas region…’

Linda, who was well-versed in noble society, had provided that clue, but the Evas region was at least three days away by carriage.

‘Should I apply for leave and go? I need to meet the original heroine somehow.’

Lost in thought, Hailey gave the last piece of laundry a good shake before hanging it up on the line. She made sure to clip it tightly with a clothespin in case it got caught in the wind.

‘Ugh, that day’s trauma is coming back to haunt me.’

If it hadn’t been windy that day, she might never have drawn the tyrant’s attention in the first place…

“Um, excuse me…”

Just as she was sighing over that memory, a voice suddenly spoke up behind her, and Hailey instinctively clutched the laundry close in surprise.

“Y-y-y-yes?!”

Startled, her voice cracked, and the other person responded with an awkward apology.

“I’m sorry if I startled you. I’m a little lost… haha.”

“Oh, no, it’s fine. I was just… a little lost in thought.”

Turning around to return the apology, Hailey finally got a good look at the speaker.

‘Whoa! A handsome stranger!’

Even Hailey, who was no stranger to good-looking people, was stunned—because the unexpected visitor was exceptionally handsome, even by her high standards.

‘His hair is like golden honey.’

His uniquely colored blond hair, rare even in the capital, was the first thing that caught the eye. His muted, pale green eyes sparkled like gemstones, and his fair, alabaster skin resembled carved marble.

‘And he’s tall… and well-built too.’

He was at least a head taller than Hailey, with thick golden hair, soft green eyes, and well-defined features. A tassel earring swayed gently between the strands of his loosely tied hair.

Though his appearance was bright and charming, he also carried an air of elegance—like one of the royals from the portraits hanging in the palace corridors.

“Are you an apprentice maid working at the palace? Haha, sorry again for startling you.”

And to top it off, this handsome stranger had a kind personality.

‘At least this guy doesn’t threaten to cut off my head every time he opens his mouth.’

Thinking about a certain someone who was probably frowning over papers in the Crown Prince’s palace right now, Hailey allowed herself a small smile.

“You said you were lost—can I help you find your way?”

The Imperial palace was so massive, with countless buildings, that it wasn’t uncommon for people to get lost.

“Haha… I was just in a bit of a bind! Then—could you perhaps tell me how to get to the Detached Palace?”

“Sorry?”

“I mean the Detached Palace where Grand Duchess Eleonora is staying. Could you point me in the right direction?”

The cheerful and overly friendly handsome man, with hair like golden honey, was standing smack in the middle of the garden of the very place he was asking directions to.

‘In all my life, I’ve never seen anyone this hopeless with directions!’