Rumors of Discord Between the Crown Prince and Princess?

The rebellion that had brought about great sacrifices had finally been quelled, and, if only for a short while, peace settled over the Empire. The wars with neighboring nations—fueled by the Emperor’s obstinacy—were in a lull, and repairs to the palace, damaged during the rebellion, were proceeding smoothly. For the first time in decades, peace had come, and smiles spread across the faces of people everywhere.

But perfect peace does not exist. Especially not in the Imperial Palace, where intrigue and scheming were part of daily life. And now, a scandalous rumor wholly unfit for these peaceful days was spreading:

The newlywed Crown Prince and Crown Princess were supposedly having marital troubles.

“Is that for real?”

It was already shocking enough that the Crown Prince—the heir to the Imperial throne—had fallen in love with a lady’s maid of common birth, and even gone so far as to raise her to the position of Crown Princess. The two were the protagonists of an unprecedented love story in Imperial history, so news of their sudden discord sent ripples not only through the palace but throughout the capital city.

Naturally, the rumor was an especially hot topic among the maid who served the Imperial family most closely.

“It’s been over two weeks since the two of them last shared a meal.”

“Gasp—so they’re not even dining together anymore?”

“That’s not all. This month, they’ve been using separate bedrooms. The word from a maid in the Crown Prince’s household is that His Highness is extremely angry about something.”

One maid shook her head in disbelief at her colleague’s statement.

“What could have possibly happened between those two, when they were so affectionate before?”

“Well… I’ve heard a little something.”

When her colleague whispered in her ear, the maid’s eyes went round in shock.

“What? They fought… over Prince Lysa?”

There’s no such thing as a perfect secret. What began as quiet murmurs from the Crown Prince’s closest attendants eventually spread through the entire palace. That the couple’s quarrel was supposedly over Prince Lysa—the Crown Prince’s only nephew—was enough to set the palace abuzz.

Prince Lysa, son of the traitorous Grand Duchess Eleonora, had barely escaped execution thanks to not having participated in the rebellion. Even so, his position in the palace was as delicate as could be. Had the Crown Princess—once his personal maid—not shown mercy, he could easily have ended up imprisoned for life or executed.

Although there had been occasional rumors that the Crown Prince and Princess disagreed over how to handle Lysa’s situation, this was the first time signs of such a rift had been so obvious.

“So that’s how it is, hmm?”

Upon confirming the gossip from the chief maid to the Crown Prince’s household, Baroness Priya’s lips curled.

“They called it such a grand, passionate love… and yet it couldn’t even last ten years.”

On her face—this imperial concubine’s face—was an unmistakable satisfaction. She wasn’t alone. Many who resented the Crown Princess for her lowly origins felt the same.

‘You made such a fuss about your romance, and now you’re falling apart too.’

The rumor had barely had time to circulate, and already some were predicting that the Crown Prince would divorce his wife and install a new Crown Princess.

“In times like this, one must act carefully.”

Baroness Priya murmured darkly. The Crown Princess, a former maid and commoner, had no powerful allies to back her now. Though she had been granted a countess’s title by the Emperor, everyone in the palace knew it was a hollow honor with no real influence. Sensing an opportunity, Baroness Priya’s eyes gleamed with cunning.

***

Adolescents tend to grow like bamboo shoots after the rain during the monsoon season…

“Goodness… the clothes I brought you last time are already too small!”

Hailey let out a surprised exclamation upon seeing that Prince Lysa’s trousers now exposed his ankles. At this, Lysa, who had been quietly turning the pages of a book, modestly drew his legs in.

“I’m sorry to trouble you, Your Highness the Crown Princess.”

Though his tone was shy, his words were perfectly in keeping with court etiquette.

Once, they had been maid and princess. After many twists of fate, they now faced each other as Crown Princess and Prince. Seeing Lysa behave with such respectful decorum filled Hailey with emotion.

‘The stubborn boy who used to whine for chocolate cookies has grown up this much.’

Having endured great hardships at a young age, Lysa had matured far beyond his years in both manners and learning—enough to rival any child in the palace. And it wasn’t just his personality that had changed.

Once a girl so beautiful that she had managed to hide her gender from the entire palace, he was now unmistakably growing into a healthy young man. This was thanks to abandoning the restrictive eating habits that had harmed his body, and to the care Hailey had taken to ensure he wanted for nothing. A child who lives in comfort—body and mind—will naturally thrive.

‘And in this family, the men are tall to begin with.’

Hailey looked at the youth before her, now no longer a pretty little girl but a fine young man, with satisfaction.

“You’re growing so quickly now. It feels like just yesterday your head barely reached my shoulder—no, even my head.”

At that, Lysa’s lips jutted out in a sulky pout. That expression was so reminiscent of his younger self that Hailey couldn’t help but laugh inwardly.

“I’ll have the Crown Prince’s tailor come and make you some new clothes. We also need to get your formal attire ready for the Emperor’s upcoming birthday banquet—this works out perfectly.”

“That won’t be necessary, Your Highness. There’s a tailor here already. You needn’t trouble yourself over me.”

To her surprise, Lysa flatly refused her offer. It had been some time since Hailey had seen him this stubborn, and she tilted her head in puzzlement.

“Your Highness… don’t tell me you’ve taken an interest in fashion?”

The palace tailors were known for producing only old-fashioned garments far removed from the trends of the capital. It was common for some of the Emperor’s concubines’ children to deliberately order their clothes from the capital’s dressmakers instead. Of course, Hailey knew Lysa wasn’t suggesting such a thing—but she asked in an exaggerated tone anyway.

“If you wish to have your clothes made in one of the capital’s ateliers, I can recommend some of the fashionable ones these days…”

“As if I would ever do something like that.”

When Lysa once again stuck out his lips in a sulky pout, Hailey smiled faintly.

“Or perhaps some loose-tongued person has been filling your ears with nonsense.”

“…”

At that, Lysa clamped his mouth shut, as though she had hit the mark.

“I’ll tell you right now—there’s no discord between His Highness the Crown Prince and me. You needn’t worry.”

“But it’s true the two of you quarreled because of me.”

“Well, even married couples have little spats now and then. It’s only natural.”

“But the maid said…”

“They said?”

When Hailey quickly pressed him for details, Lysa closed his mouth again. It seemed he had overheard the maids gossiping and was worrying needlessly.

‘I’d better put a lid on the maids’ chatter.’

She had chosen Lysa’s attendants with care, but it seemed one or two loose tongues had slipped in after all. Hailey spoke to Lysa firmly.

“Idle rumors in the palace are nothing new, are they? My relationship with His Highness the Crown Prince is rock-solid—you have no reason to fret.”

“I know that. But…”

A shadow of worry passed over Lysa’s beautiful violet eyes.

“I’m no longer the helpless child who could do nothing without the Crown Princess’s care. Please… I ask that you withdraw your attention from me and think more of His Highness the Crown Prince and the people.”

It was a request made with firm resolve, the very picture of the stubbornness passed down in the Brillouen imperial line. Hailey regarded him for a moment, then broke into a smile.

“You’ve grown well, Your Highness.”

“…” 

“This makes me feel my hard work in raising you was worth it. It really was exhausting at the time.”

“Wh–When did you ever raise me…?”

“Oh my, you don’t remember? When you were little, I baked you cookies, kept you company, and always went on walks with you!”

Faced with Hailey’s indignant protest, Lysa’s lips moved as if to argue, but he ended up falling silent.

“And there’s absolutely nothing for you to worry about. You know, don’t you? That I’m stronger than the Crown Prince.”