27. Since the maid has come to beg, we should show some grace.

No work, huh…

Hailey’s brow furrowed.

The Detached Palace was already running on limited resources and short on staff compared to the other palaces. Considering its size, the Detached Palace should have had at least double the current personnel.

‘Instead of adding more people, they even took away half the maids this time. That grumpy old man…’

Publicly, it was said that the Grand Duchess kept the Detached Palace frugal out of humility, but the reality was far more bleak.

‘If only the maids could sell the embroidery they made, it would help with the meager living.’

The problem was that Grand Duchess Eleonora had no desire for personal gain.

“Well, whatever. Just go back to the Detached Palace and wait.”

Patterson shoved the documents Hailey brought into a pile and grabbed another stack of paperwork.

“When can we expect the requested supplies?”

“Like I said, the Detached Palace isn’t the only one in this palace, is it? I’ll send in the requests one by one to the higher-ups, so go wait your turn.”

Despite the unenthusiastic response, Hailey gave a sweet smile.

‘Getting angry at idiots only backfires on me in the end.’

That was the mantra Hailey had lived by—always in the subordinate position.

“By the way, have the supplies from the last request arrived yet?”

“There.”

Patterson lazily pointed to a box on the table. Hailey stepped over and checked its contents.

‘Let’s see…’

Soap, spices, ink, stationery—most of what had been requested was there, but the most important item was missing.

“We definitely requested chocolate from the Dalanta region last time…”

“Oh yeah, that’s in the basket right there.”

Reflexively looking over at the basket, Hailey saw a tiny handful of chocolate—barely enough for anything.

‘And what am I supposed to do with that?’

Princess Lysa had recently enjoyed cookies made with this chocolate, which was why Hailey had specifically requested more.

‘This is just outrageous!’

Hailey’s lips twitched. Even she couldn’t hold back any longer at the meager amount that didn’t even fill a small basket. She finally asked Patterson,

“Is this really all?”

“You should be glad you got even that. Do you know how hard it is to get chocolate from the Dalanta region…?”

“I heard we received a whole box last year.”

“Ah, last year is last year, and this year is this year… How could the distribution amount be the same every year?”

With those words, Patterson turned his head sharply, clearly no longer interested in continuing the conversation.

Just as Hailey was about to accept the supplies and stand up, the office door opened, and a group of maids walked in.

“Oh my, welcome! You’re from Moran Palace, aren’t you?”

His tone and attitude were completely different from the way he’d just treated Hailey.

“We’re here to collect the supplies allotted to Moran Palace.”

At the senior maid’s confident request, Patterson bowed politely once again.

“I’ve got everything for Moran Palace already sorted out over there. There are plenty of good items this time too—I’m sure the Countess will be pleased.”

Countess Bellamier Levois.

The mistress of Moran Palace, Countess Bellamier, was a favored consort of the emperor and wielded significant influence within the imperial palace.

‘So all of that is going to Moran Palace…’

Hailey muttered to herself as she looked at the mountain of supply boxes stacked against one wall—an amount incomparably larger than what the Detached Palace had received.

“Did the fabric from the Salla region we requested last time come in as well?”

“Of course! I made sure to pack everything in the Countess’s favorite colors.”

“That’s very kind of you.”

The senior maid replied coolly and then turned to the apprentice maids waiting behind her.

“Well? What are you all just standing there for? Start carrying them!”

At her command, apprentice maids dressed just like Hailey swiftly picked up the boxes and carried them out. In no time, the wall that had been stacked with goods was completely cleared.

Then, Patterson glanced at Hailey and gestured toward a large basket.

“Oh, and take this too. It’s chocolate from the Dalanta region. I made sure to set aside plenty.”

The basket he pointed to was large enough to comfortably seat a child around six years old.

‘That huge basket is full of chocolate…’

Compared to the tiny handful she had, Hailey felt downright embarrassed. Even Patterson seemed a bit awkward, quietly averting his gaze.

“Chocolate, you say?”

The senior maid furrowed her brow ever so slightly.

“The Countess is not particularly fond of chocolate.”

“Oh my, I see… Still, since it’s a rare ingredient, perhaps she could try it once? And if the Countess doesn’t want it, the maids can share it among themselves.”

“Well then… I suppose I should take it and share it with the apprentice maids. We have plenty of chocolate in Moran Palace anyway, so there’s no need to include it in future deliveries.”

At the senior maid’s obviously annoyed comment, Patterson bowed deeply.

“Y-yes, I’ll keep that in mind.”

Even after the Moran Palace maids had all left, Patterson glanced at Hailey, who was still standing there.

“You’re still here? Do you have more business or something?”

Hailey looked from the small, shabby box of supplies in her hands to Patterson.

“It’s nothing. Then, I’ll be taking my leave now.”

Responding calmly, Hailey hugged the box tightly and left the room.

“This is seriously pathetic…”

Not all royals living in the imperial palace wield great power. Status within the palace depends heavily on the emperor’s favor and one’s origins—especially for concubines.

Countess Bellamier of Moran Palace was a concubine deeply favored by the emperor, which made all the palace officials eager to stay in her good graces.

“If the Countess liked chocolate, they’d probably plant cacao trees just to offer it to her.”

Conversely, when it came to Grand Duchess Eleonora and her daughter, even the supplies they were entitled to felt like too much to spare.

“Now that I think about it, something seems off…”

No matter how neglected the Detached Palace was, there was no way these were all the supplies they were supposed to receive.

Even if chocolate from the Dalanta region was rare, this request had been made specifically for the princess. It had even been specially requested in advance.

“Could it be…”

Furrowing her brows in suspicion, Hailey suddenly clenched her fists.

“If there’s one thing people shouldn’t mess around with, it’s food.”

Muttering ominously to herself, Hailey quickly turned her head and scanned her surroundings. Fortunately, she spotted the Moran Palace maids some distance down the corridor.

“Excuse me! Ma’am! I need to have a word with you!”

Hailey clutched the box tightly as she ran off.

***

Zenia, the head maid of the Moran Palace, looked down at the apprentice maid from the secondary palace with a troubled expression.

“So you’re saying… you want us to share the chocolate we received today?”

“Yes, Head Maid. I humbly ask for your help.”

“But surely the Detached Palace was given some chocolate too?”

“The harvest wasn’t good this year, so we only received a handful at best.”

“That can’t be. Even we received a full basket…”

Zenia trailed off, realizing she’d said too much.

‘The Grand Duchess’s circumstances must really be deteriorating.’

Every palace maid knew the story surrounding Grand Duchess Eleonora. Among them, some—like Head Maid Zenia—felt sympathy for her.

‘To think she’s not even getting the supplies she’s rightfully due… And she was once the Crown Prince’s consort. Tsk tsk.’

“Princess Lysa hasn’t had much of an appetite lately, and I’d really like to prepare her something special. The only thing she truly enjoys is chocolate from the Dalanta region, but it’s nearly impossible to find…”

“That’s true. Dalanta chocolate is a rare delicacy. But even so, we can’t just give away palace provisions. There are rules, you understand.”

Though she refused, Zenia looked at the deeply bowing apprentice maid from the Detached Palace with pity.

Just then—

“What is all this commotion about?”

The door opened, and in walked Countess Bellamier, mistress of the Moran Palace.

“Countess, a slight issue has come up,” the head maid said, quickly explaining Hailey’s situation.

“Hmmm… so that’s the story.”

The Countess looked down at the apprentice maid from the Detached Palace, who bowed deeply before her, with cool, haughty eyes.

“In that case, send the chocolate we received today to the Detached Palace.”

“You would grant her request, Countess?”

The head maid was visibly surprised at the unexpected response.

“I never liked chocolate anyway. It’s nothing but a vulgar treat for children.”

With a haughty tone, the Countess looked Hailey up and down. Hailey didn’t miss the faint smirk forming on her lips.

“Her Grace, the Grand Duchess, has always been kind to me. It’s only right that I return the favor in kind.”

“Thank you, Countess.”

“When I first entered the Imperial Palace, Her Grace was someone I couldn’t even dare to look up to… Ha, how unpredictable life is.”

Though she outwardly sounded like she was lamenting the Grand Duchess’s fall from grace, her words were laced with smug superiority.

Hailey, understanding the true meaning, allowed a subtle smile to form on her lips.

The Countess turned her head and instructed the head maid:

“Give this apprentice maid whatever she wants—chocolate or otherwise. The Detached Palace is so destitute, the maids have been forced to beg. It’s only proper we show a little charity, don’t you think?”