4. How Dare You Insult the Crown Prince?!

“What do they say?”

“They call us frogs. Gross little frogs.”

To be honest, Hailey didn’t like the color of the uniform either. And don’t even get her started on the potato sack-like apron. But everything has a reason behind it.

“Linda, we’re not even frogs, actually.”

“Huh?”

“Do you remember what the discipline maid said when we entered the palace?”

“How could I forget!”

Linda puffed out her cheeks and mimicked the maid’s voice in a high, nasally tone:

“Listen well. You are not frogs—you are tadpoles. Keep that in mind for the next two years.”

Seeing her friend mimic their instructor so perfectly made Hailey grin.

“Exactly. We’re not even frogs yet—we’re just tadpoles. That’s why we need to wear this uniform.”

“And why is that?”

“This uniform proves that we’re apprentice maids. So if we wear this, people will be more forgiving even if we make mistakes, don’t you think?”

Basically, it’s the same concept as a “New Driver” sticker.

‘This person wearing this uniform is still in training and may not be fully capable yet, so please be understanding.’

“Even the high-ranking nobles of the palace have reputations to uphold. They probably won’t scold little apprentice maids like us too harshly. After all, we’re just tadpoles.”

“So that’s what it meant!”

Linda clapped her hands together in realization.

“I always wondered why they made us wear such tacky outfits—but there was a reason behind it.”

Whether her friend was impressed or not, Hailey just picked up another piece of laundry and gave it a sharp shake.

“You’re not only good with your hands, but you’re super quick-witted too.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“But seriously, why’d you end up at the Grand Duchess’s palace? With your skills, you could’ve been placed in the main palace or the Empress Dowager’s palace.”

Linda’s question came from genuine curiosity.

There were many royal residences within the imperial palace, but the most prestigious were the main palace, where the Emperor resided, and the Empress Dowager’s quarters.

Because those places were home to the most powerful figures in the palace, they were naturally the most desirable assignments. And the maids who served there were known for their pride.

“I came to the Grand Duchess’s palace because…”

“Because…?”

Of course, the real reason was to survive.

…But she couldn’t exactly say that, so Hailey replied with a composed expression,

“It’s a good post. It’s less hectic than the main palace, so there’s less work. It’s the perfect place to work as a maid.”

‘And, while I’m at it, I’ll secure my survival too.’

It was such a textbook-perfect answer that Linda nodded in agreement.

“Well, yeah. The salary for official maids is pretty good. But I didn’t come to the palace for the pay—I have another reason.”

“?”

“I came to the palace to find my future husband!”

Linda’s round brown eyes sparkled as she announced it boldly.

“Husband…?”

“Think about it! The most capable, best-looking men in the empire are all here in the palace!”

‘Well… in the original story I read, the palace was actually full of people dying tragic deaths more than anything else…’

“Honestly, my family’s pretty well off, so I don’t really care about wealth. That’s why I want to marry someone handsome. Like that famously good-looking guy from the Marion Trading Company…”

Getting excited on her own, Linda reached into the laundry basket and ended up wobbling dangerously.

“Wah!”

She lost her balance and bumped into the laundry rack, sending the hanging laundry flying into the air.

“Oh no!”

Linda’s face turned pale as she watched the expensive linen fabrics—part of the Grand Duchess’s trousseau—go soaring into the sky.

To make matters worse, a sudden gust of wind blew in and sent the nearly dry laundry fluttering even farther.

“Linda! Hurry! We have to catch them!”

Hailey shouted, and Linda jumped into action, grabbing one of the flying sheets. The two of them scrambled around the garden, frantically gathering the wayward linens, but one of the pillowcases flew especially high… and landed right on the lush lawn of the Grand Duchess’s garden.

More precisely—

It landed squarely on top of the head of someone standing there.

Gasp.

Hailey swallowed hard.

That still-damp laundry had comically plopped itself onto someone’s jet-black hair.

A face with the kind of intimidating aura that looked ready to draw a sword at any moment… Crimson eyes gleaming with an unnatural brilliance…

“Linda…”

You’re wrong. In the imperial palace, you’re more likely to meet a tyrant than a good marriage prospect.

“Your Highness, are you alright?!”

The knight’s urgent voice echoed distantly in Hailey’s ears. The Lily Trampled Beneath the Tyrant’s Feet— this infamous melodramatic novel dedicated nearly half a chapter to describing the appearance of its protagonist and tyrant-in-the-making, Crown Prince Kincaid.

‘So basically, it went something like this…’

Jet-black hair, dark as midnight. A face so beautiful it could’ve been carved by a master sculptor. Eyes tinted crimson with madness. A towering height, broad shoulders, a lean waist, and a trained body.

The author had stuffed every possible romance-fantasy male lead trait into Kincaid—and even that wasn’t enough. He also had an overwhelming charisma and a dangerously seductive charm that stole the hearts of countless women.

‘So yeah… this guy’s totally a broken overpowered character…’

The real issue?

This crown prince was a ticking time bomb—a future tyrant destined to go completely off the rails.

‘I mean, rumor has it he’s already halfway there…’

All of that would be fine—if not for the fact that the wet laundry had just landed right on the crown prince’s meticulously styled head…

…and everyone in the garden saw it happen.

“Your Highness, are you alright?!”

A pale-faced attendant rushed forward to retrieve the laundry, but Kincaid shoved him aside violently. He slowly lifted the pillowcase off his head.

“This is a first.”

His voice was low and burning with fury—like molten lava bubbling in the depths of hell.

“You’re the first maid to throw laundry at my face…”

“…”

“And probably the last.”

With those words, Kincaid flung the pillowcase down with a vicious snap.

“Gulp.”

Linda hiccupped in terror. She had finally realized just what kind of mess she’d created. Her body trembled inside the frog-green uniform.

“Linda, get down!”

Without thinking, Hailey grabbed the back of her friend’s head and pushed her face-first to the ground. Then she dropped to her knees herself, slamming her forehead into the dirt.

‘I must never show my face.’

If Kincaid had already marked her, escaping the palace would be nearly impossible. It was quite possible that this capricious and cruel tyrant might just pick a single maid of the Grand Duchess and kill her without a second thought.

“How dare you insult His Highness the Crown Prince!”

A knight standing next to him drew his sword with an unpleasant look.

Chiiing.

At the ominous sound of the sword being drawn from its sheath, Hailey squeezed her eyes shut.

We are just tadpoles… struggling endlessly in a pond…

“Enough. Put your sword away.”

At the cold voice from above, Hailey breathed a sigh of relief. At least she had avoided being killed in one stroke…

Hailey took a breath and politely said,

“I have the honor of meeting Your Highness, the brilliant star of the Empire.”

Normally, she would have added titles like the Empire’s brilliant star, the unsetting sun, and the moonlight that brightens the night to her greeting, but this was not the time to be concerned with such things.

“I… I also have the honor of meeting Your Highness.”

Linda, sensing the situation, greeted him in a trembling voice.

“…Are you the maids in training from the palace?”

“Yes, that is correct.”

“Well then, if you’re going to greet, do it properly. Lift your heads.”

“……”

“I said lift your heads.”

As Linda, terrified, attempted to raise her head, Hailey quickly tightened her grip and pushed Linda’s head back down to the ground.

“Why are you doing this?”

Linda whispered in confusion, but Hailey did not loosen her grip.

“I apologize, Your Highness, but the brilliant radiance you possess is too dazzling for me to dare lift my head.”

With the excessive flattery flowing out as if her tongue had been greased, Kincaid momentarily wore a look of disbelief.

‘I will never show my face.’

If she revealed her face here, she would be marked as the insolent maid who threw laundry at the Crown Prince.

‘Just hold on a little longer. This is the garden of the palace… surely someone will come soon.’

No matter how much of a Crown Prince he was, he couldn’t dispose of the maids in training so recklessly.

The owner of this palace was Duchess Eleonora, and the management of all the maids was under her authority.

“The wind blew, and the laundry flew away. I never intended to be disrespectful to His Highness the Crown Prince.”

In an attempt to prove her innocence, Hailey intentionally spoke loudly enough for everyone around her to hear. She wanted to subtly suggest that if the Crown Prince punished her for something so trivial, it would only spread rumors of his pettiness and cruelty. But the Crown Prince remained unmoved.

“I don’t care about your excuses. I just want to see the face of the insolent one who threw laundry at my face.”

Please, just believe me when I say it wasn’t intentional…

“Hmmm.”

The Crown Prince coldly observed the position of the apprentice maids lying flat on the ground in front of him. As he looked at them, dressed in their plain green uniforms, his face twisted into a sneer.

“The sight of you lying flat on the ground looks just like a frog.”