23. You…! You frog!

At some point, the two men locked eyes. 

Surprisingly, Kassian was just as tall as Kincaid, who was known in the imperial palace for his height. However, despite their similar eye levels, their demeanors were a stark contrast.

‘As always, it’s the sharp, cutting Crown Prince versus the smooth-talking, shameless merchant…’

Hailey watched the two with great interest. And it wasn’t just her—everyone in the parlor was silently observing the tension building between the two.

“The rear garden where the Detached Palace is located is not a place outsiders can wander into without permission. Even if you say you were merely sightseeing, it’s unreasonable to believe it would take that long.”

“Ah, well, that’s…”

“I only approved your company’s supply contract at the Grand Duchess’s request, but if you can’t even keep a basic appointment, perhaps it’s time to reconsider doing business with you.”

For the first time, Kassian’s easygoing expression faltered, giving way to a slightly troubled look at the prince’s cold words.

‘Tsk, tsk, people can get lost sometimes. Why make such a fuss about it?’

Hailey clucked her tongue silently.

“Your Highness, please don’t be angry. I’m sure Kassian meant no harm,” the Grand Duchess finally intervened, unable to watch in silence any longer.

But Kincaid’s rigid expression didn’t soften.

“Well, to be honest, it was less of a garden tour and more of… getting lost,” Kassian said with an awkward smile.

Then, suddenly, he turned his head to look at Hailey.

“Fortunately, I met a very kind maid who kept me company, and I had a lovely conversation with her on the way back.”

‘L-Lovely conversation? When did we ever—?’

Caught off guard, Hailey flinched as their eyes met. Kassian, full of playful mischief, looked right at her and gave a sly wink.

‘Help me out here, dear maid.’

His lips moved silently, but the message was clear.

Even the Grand Duchess, who had been nervously watching, now turned hopeful eyes to Hailey as if begging her for support.

‘Sigh… I guess I don’t have a choice.’

As Hailey stepped forward, Kincaid’s gaze sharpened once more.

“You again, frog?”

“Forgive me, Your Highness.”

“If a guest of the palace gets lost, you should bring them back immediately. Were you just idly chatting instead?”

‘Idly chatting…? Can’t you see this laundry basket in my hands?!’

Hailey sighed internally but opened her mouth to respond to Kincaid, who was glaring at her.

“The delay was because the merchant lord kindly offered to help me with my task, Your Highness.”

“?”

“Some laundry I had hung up got blown away by the wind…”

As soon as she said that, Linda, who was standing beside her, looked horrified.

‘Laundry… again?!’

Despite Linda’s silent scream, remembering how that same laundry nearly got Hailey executed, Hailey maintained a calm and shameless expression.

“So, did you throw laundry at the merchant’s face this time, too?” Kincaid asked in disbelief.

“Absolutely not. He only helped me pick up what the wind had blown away,” Hailey answered without missing a beat.

“…….”

“The wind was so strong, the laundry flew in all directions. If it hadn’t been for the merchant lord, the Grand Duchess’s precious handkerchiefs might have been lost forever.”

“Oh my, Hailey…” the Grand Duchess murmured, moved by the innocent-sounding explanation.

“This is unbelievable… truly…” Kincaid muttered, his expression darkening as he pointed a finger at Hailey’s face.

“From now on, stay away from anything involving laundry. Someone as clumsy as you is better off sweeping the garden.”

‘That works for me!’

Hailey cheered silently. She had been doing all the hand-washing of the linen by herself because Olga’s gang had been slacking off.

‘Sweeping the garden is way easier than scrubbing linen!’

Still, she didn’t let her glee show and instead bowed her head respectfully.

“I’ll keep Your Highness’s words in mind. I’ll make sure not to go near the laundry again.”

“…….”

“A clumsy trainee maid like me shouldn’t be touching the Grand Duchess’s precious linens anyway. I’ll stick to simpler tasks like sweeping or taking out the trash from now on.”

“You…! You frog!”

Finally catching on to the game, Kincaid furrowed his brow and stepped toward Hailey in frustration, but—

“Grand Duchess, I’ll go inform the head maid to prepare tea for the guests right away. And if you’ll excuse me, I’ll take my leave now.”

Still clutching the laundry basket tightly, Hailey made a quick escape. As Kincaid shot a murderous glare at her retreating back, the Grand Duchess stepped in.

“Now that I think of it, the Crown Prince has arrived, and we haven’t even offered him tea. How terribly rude of us. I sincerely apologize.”

“Tea isn’t necessary, Your Grace,” Kincaid replied stiffly.

“Nonsense. After the trouble caused by Kassian’s little incident, the least I can do is offer you a cup of tea. And I should also send some refreshments to the guards who worked hard searching.”

With a gentle smile, the Grand Duchess made a suggestion that even Kincaid couldn’t refuse.

Meanwhile, as Hailey was hurrying out of the drawing room, her eyes met Kassian’s once again. The merchant lord who had winked mischievously earlier with a silent ‘Please help me, maid’ was now looking at her with sincere warmth.

‘Thank you for your help, maid.’

His silent message was met with a smile from Hailey in return, though hers held an unspoken meaning.

‘There’s no such thing as a free favor in this world.’

She didn’t like being indebted to others. So if she considered today’s help as payment in exchange for information about the Countess Vernette, it made her feel much better.

‘Now I really have to find out something about the original heroine.’

With the information network of the Marion Trading Company—the most powerful in the empire—surely something would turn up.

With that thought, Hailey quickened her steps.

***

“Stop scheming and focus on your assigned duties. Otherwise, I’ll have your head chopped off immediately.”

“Ha… that went downhill fast.”

Hailey grumbled as she finished reading the personal letter secretly delivered by one of the prince’s attendants.

She’d thought about using the Crown Prince’s orders as an excuse to do some snooping on the side—but the little tyrant had caught on and sent a handwritten threat to shut her down personally.

“Also… wow, his handwriting is atrocious.”

Hailey stared in awe at the Crown Prince’s scrawled handwriting on the paper.

His penmanship was barely legible for someone who had supposedly received the finest education in the empire.

“The one who’ll inherit the Imperial throne acts so high and mighty, and yet… even schoolchildren can write better than this.”

She chuckled to herself as she glared at the letter.

So much for being perfect at everything, Crown Prince. Even your handwriting is a disaster.

“Hailey, are you in here?”

Suddenly, Linda’s voice rang out from outside the door, startling Hailey. She quickly shoved the Crown Prince’s letter deep into her pocket. Almost at the same time, Linda opened the door and stepped inside.

“Come on out, quick! Annie’s back!”

After the previous incident, Annie had been recuperating in her hometown and had finally returned to the Imperial Palace. Perhaps because she’d had a few weeks of rest, Annie looked much better, and Hailey felt quietly relieved.

“What took you so long?”

 “The room felt so empty without you.”

Their fellow apprentice maids were all happy to see Annie return—well, not all of them.

“That Annie girl really has no shame. What was she thinking, coming back to the palace?”

Judith’s blunt gossip carried all the way to the table where Annie was sitting.

“She went to trial for stealing, for heaven’s sake. Of course, she should’ve quit. Unbelievable.”

“She’s acting so high and mighty just because the Grand Duchess showed her mercy.”

Olga’s group clearly wasn’t happy about Annie’s return, and their stream of gossip kept coming.

“Those girls… Is there anything they don’t gossip about?”

Linda shook her head in disapproval and looked over at Annie with a sour expression.

“Don’t mind what they’re saying.”

“Yeah… thanks.”

But even with Linda’s reassurance, Annie’s face didn’t look entirely at ease.

‘I kind of wish she hadn’t come back…’

Hailey was worried about her soft-hearted fellow maid. Still, Olga’s group kept their comments going without pause.

“But isn’t it weird? That senior maid they claimed saw everything—after all that searching, they say no such person exists.”

“Exactly! The guards combed through everything like a fine-tooth comb, and still they didn’t find a prime suspect? Makes no sense.”

That part puzzled Hailey, too. That day, she clearly remembered being ordered by a senior maid with that exact appearance to deliver the flower vase. And now they claimed such a person couldn’t be found?

‘Maybe someone helped her disappear…?’

Hailey furrowed her brow, struck by the possibility.

“Well, of course it was all a lie. Olga, what do you think?”

Sara, her cheeks slightly flushed with excitement, turned to ask Olga, who was silently sipping her tea.

“There’s definitely some unclear truth behind all of this.”

Olga spoke in her usual haughty tone, casting a meaningful glance at Annie.

“They’re seriously hopeless,” Linda muttered sharply under her breath.

Annie kept her head down, lips tightly pressed together. Seeing her like that, Linda suddenly stood up.

“I can’t take this anymore. I’m going to the discipline maid and ask her to put those nasty girls in their place!”

“No. There’s no need for that.”

Annie abruptly stopped Linda, her voice firm.

“?”

Then, with a determined expression Hailey had never seen on her before, Annie stood up and faced Olga’s group.

“There’s something I need to say to you all.”