28. Hands Should Be Diligent and the Mouth Lazy, But…

“Countess, begging, you say?!”

The head maid cried out in shock.

No matter how far her status had fallen, Grand Duchess Eleonora was once the Crown Princess and the mother of Princess Lysa. To use the word begging about someone of such noble lineage was an outrageous insult.

‘If that word were to reach the Detached Palace through the mouth of this apprentice maid, who knows what kind of trouble it could cause!’

The head maid quickly turned to observe Hailey’s expression. But Hailey, for her part, was lost in entirely different thoughts.

‘Is there some requirement that an Emperor’s concubine must have a terrible personality?’

Ever since entering the imperial palace, Hailey had met several of the emperor’s concubines—and without exception, all of them had unpleasant tempers.

From Duchess Siela, who openly acted like the empress, to the very Countess standing before her now, who shamelessly looked down on Grand Duchess Eleonora.

‘Or maybe His Majesty, the Emperor, just has a thing for villainesses.’

Frankly, either explanation made little sense to Hailey.

“Many ears are listening here, Countess,” the head maid warned cautiously.

Countess Bellamier scoffed in response.

“And why should I, of all people, mind my tongue in front of a mere apprentice maid from the Detached Palace?”

“That’s not what I meant…”

“Even if I did misspeak, I don’t see the need to worry that my words might spread to another palace.”

As she said this, the Countess’s gaze swept over Hailey’s face.

‘So basically, if I talk, she’ll have my head.’

Under the silent pressure, Hailey murmured inwardly.

Why were there so many people in this palace so eager to take her head? Suppressing her frustration, Hailey bowed respectfully to the Countess.

“I will not forget your generosity, Countess.”

“Humph. Of course, you shouldn’t.”

With a smug scoff, the Countess left the room, and only then did the head maid finally let out a sigh of relief.

“I’ll make sure the chocolate is properly packed. Be careful on your way back.”

“Thank you, Head Maid.”

Hailey bowed deeply to the head maid.

“The care you show for your mistress is truly admirable, especially for someone who’s still just an apprentice maid.”

Hailey glanced at the fabric neatly placed in one corner of the room, then carefully asked the head maid,

“Head Maid, if I may ask, what do you plan to use that fabric from the Salla region for?”

“The cloth is light and airy, so I was thinking of making curtains. The Countess doesn’t like heavy ones.”

“In that case, would you consider letting me sew? I’ve worked with fabric from Salla a few times before.”

“You want to sew?”

“You’ve given me such precious ingredients—so in return, I’d like to offer my sewing. If you allow me, I’ll stay up all night if I must to finish it.”

The head maid looked at the earnest apprentice maid with eyes full of fondness.

“Come to think of it, I did hear that there’s an apprentice maid in the Detached Palace with exceptional skill in sewing. That was you, wasn’t it?”

At her sudden recollection, Hailey politely responded,

“Yes. I may still be a half-fledged tadpole, but the other maids have said my sewing is quite usable.”

“I was going to have the curtains made at the workshop, but…”

The head maid trailed off in thought.

‘This might actually work out better.’

The mistress of the Detached Palace, Grand Duchess Eleonora, was known for her frugality and modesty. Sending her something as luxurious as this rare chocolate, she would likely refuse to accept it without hesitation.

‘It would look far better to say the apprentice maid earned it by sewing.’

“Alright then, let’s do it your way. And while you’re at it, show our palace’s apprentice maids that famous sewing skill of yours.”

“Thank you, Head Maid. I’ll do my absolute best.”

As Hailey offered her thanks, her eyes gleamed with subtle purpose—something no one in the room noticed.

***

“Oh my, such neat stitching!”

The senior maid was impressed as she watched Hailey carefully cut and sew the fabric from the Salla region.

“Even the artisans in the capital have trouble handling this cloth, and yet such a young girl manages it so well.”

To the senior maid’s praise, Hailey responded politely.

“I learned to sew from my grandmother since I was little. Still, I have a long way to go to match her skills.”

Her grandmother had run a hanbok shop at the entrance of the marketplace for over forty years. It was largely because of her that Hailey chose fashion design as her major at university.

“Lia, your hands must be diligent, and your mouth should be lazy. If you can do just that, you’ll be able to make a living anywhere, doing anything.”

She never imagined her grandmother’s philosophy would apply even in a romance fantasy world.

“I’m sorry, Grandma. Today, I think my mouth will be more diligent than my hands.”

Hailey silently apologized to her grandmother, who had always emphasized living upright and diligently, and then subtly lifted her head.

“There really are all sorts of fabrics here in Moran Palace. I’ve never seen this much lace from the Salla region before.”

“The Countess particularly favors lace from that region, so we always keep a large stock.”

In the Detached Palace, Salla lace was so rare that it was used only to decorate the Grand Duchess’s dresses. But here, it was stored in thick rolls.

“Fabrics that are luxurious must make sewing much more enjoyable.”

“Yes, they’re difficult to work with, but when the dress is finally completed, nothing is more rewarding.”

As the senior maid beamed with pride, Hailey quickly chimed in.

“The apprentice maids have all been saying that Countess Bellamier is the most fashionable lady in the entire imperial palace. I suppose it’s all thanks to the efforts of the Moran Palace maids.”

“Hoho, what a charming little flatterer you are.”

Despite the teasing, the senior maid didn’t seem displeased.

“In the Detached Palace, Grand Duchess Eleonora is so frugal that we hardly ever get to work with fine fabrics like these. At best, we use stiff cotton or low-quality wool.”

“That’s unfortunate. Her Grace is still young—she could certainly afford to dress up a bit more.”

“She could, but… things being what they are…”

Hailey let her sentence trail off on purpose. The senior maid seemed to pick up on the nuance and didn’t press further.

“By the way, does the Countess not like silk from the Severin region?”

“Oh, it’s not that she dislikes it. Among all the fabrics, Severin silk is her favorite. But it’s incredibly hard to come by.”

Silk from the Severin region, famed for being the source of the empire’s highest-quality silk, was praised for its color and texture. Any noblewoman would love to have a dress made from it. However, the annual production was so small that the supply never met demand.

“The Empress Dowager also loves Severin silk the most, so half of what’s presented to the Imperial Palace is sent to her palace. After that, it’s distributed to Duchess Siela’s Summer Palace…”

“Ahh…”

“And the remaining amount is divided fairly among the other palaces, so each palace only gets enough for one or two dresses at best.”

No matter how much favor a concubine received from the Emperor, this was something that couldn’t be helped. The amount of budget and supplies distributed varied according to the status of each concubine — it was a firmly established rule of the palace. Countess Bellamier was just barely restraining her greed because of this as well.

“That’s so strange… Could I have seen it wrong?”

When Hailey tilted her head in confusion, the senior maid of Moran Palace looked puzzled.

“What’s wrong?”

“Actually, earlier at the Ministry of Internal Affairs, I saw maids from Lily Palace carrying a huge amount of Severin silk. It was really a lot.”

“That can’t be… You must have been mistaken.”

“But I clearly heard Mr. Patterson, the manager from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, say it was Severin silk. He said they specially applied to make a gown for the ball next month.”

“……”

“And it was a lot. Like, if you spread your arms wide… about this much?”

Hailey exaggeratedly spread her arms to show the amount. Watching her, the senior maid’s gaze grew sharper and sharper.

“You must have been mistaken. The lady of Lily Palace, Baroness Priya, holds the lowest title among the concubines. She’s not someone who would be allocated that much Severin silk.”

“Ah… I see.”

But the senior maid already knew that Baroness Priya had recently begun to receive the Emperor’s favor.

“I’m sorry for speaking carelessly without understanding.”

“No, it’s understandable. You’re just an apprentice maid, after all — it’s natural you don’t know all the rules of the palace yet.”

Saying so, the senior maid put down the cloth and needle she had been holding.

“Your fingers must be tired. Let’s take a little break. I’ll go get some tea.”

“Thank you, Senior Maid.”

“By the way… just in case, what was the name of the manager who gave out the Severin silk?”

“It was Mr. Patterson. He was the one handling the supply distribution at the Ministry of Internal Affairs.”

“Alright, I see. Rest for now.”

After hurriedly leaving the room, the senior maid’s steps grew quicker. Meanwhile, Hailey smiled slyly.

***

Due to seasonal cleaning and various other chores, it took Hailey nearly ten days before she could return to the Crown Prince’s palace.

“Finally, you’re showing your expensive face.”

As Hailey entered the Crown Prince’s office, Kincaid greeted her with a cold voice.

Still, unflinching, Hailey politely asked,

“Have you been well, Your Highness, the Crown Prince?”

“How could anyone be well in the middle of this mess?”

Kincaid frowned and glared at Hailey, then spoke again in a sharp voice,

“Now, tell me. What kind of scheme did you use to pit Lily Palace and Moran Palace against each other?”