“Tried to assassinate my lord.”

“…”

“How is he still alive?”

Sezlin remained silent. There couldn’t be two First Princes in this empire. The person Catherine mentioned must certainly be Ludwig.

And from Sezlin’s perspective, Ludwig wasn’t particularly kind-hearted. Perhaps Catherine’s statement was only natural.

“Hmm. How should I explain this…”

Catherine wore an unusually awkward expression. Well, they had brought an assassin to their side. She seemed completely at a loss for how to explain it. Just as Sezlin was about to speak first, a voice came from nearby.

“My lady.”

The hand holding the cup trembled slightly. The face reflected in the tea visibly stiffened. The man who had approached without a sound stood behind Sezlin like a shadow.

‘How annoying.’

Sezlin composed her expression that was about to falter.

“What is it?”

“Someone is coming.”

Sezlin slowly raised her head. She saw a face devoid of will. The man who had introduced himself as Vincent quietly said what he needed to say and disappeared. Sezlin glanced at him from the corner of her eye. The way he quietly approached, gently whispered, and left was strangely irritating.

After he withdrew, Joanna approached shortly after.

“…My lady.”

The voice that reached her trembled slightly. Sensing something unusual, Sezlin stared at her. The face that had remained calm even when Catherine was being ridiculous now looked anxious.

“A new maid has arrived.”

“Maid?”

Sezlin slowly rolled her eyes.

At first, she thought she had misheard. Weren’t the maids already assigned? Sezlin recalled Joanna who had introduced the maids yesterday.

“I remember the maids were already assigned.”

“Well, about that…”

“Hello, my lady.”

Joanna’s words were cut off. A clear, high-pitched voice wedged its way in. While Catherine’s tone was also high, it wasn’t as grating as the new maid’s.

Sezlin gently narrowed her eyes. Catherine, who was clinging to her, tightly closed her lips. The maid who had slightly nudged Joanna with her shoulder bowed her head.

“From today, I will be serving you in place of Asha.”

The brightly smiling maid said:

“Please call me Violet.”

* * *

The tea party was left in a cold silence after this unexpected appearance. However, the person in question maintained her bright smile as she stood before Sezlin.

‘Replacing Asha?’

What was this about? Sezlin’s head tilted. There was no way maid assignments would change after just one day. Even if they did change, Joanna, the head maid, should have informed her first.

‘Not just show up suddenly like this.’

The hand that had been holding the cup gradually moved to support her chin. Sezlin, tapping her cheek with her long fingers, asked:

“Why?”

“Pardon?”

“Where did Asha go?”

At Sezlin’s question, Violet’s face momentarily distorted. Although it was very brief, Sezlin didn’t miss the change.

“They urgently needed someone at the main palace.”

“Really?”

They needed someone at this particular time? Sezlin slowly rolled her eyes. After reconsidering Violet’s words, Sezlin gave a gentle smile.

If what this maid Violet said was true,

‘She removed my maid and inserted herself.’

The timing was impeccable, considering she had only been in the palace for a day.

Interest sparked in her gaze as she stared at the edge of the table.

Something smelled fishy.

“Yes, my lady. Since Asha was just the right person, I had to replace her…”

“Is the main palace short on people?”

“…Pardon?”

Sezlin straightened her posture. Her gaze remained fixed on her. After a moment of confusion, Violet calmly continued:

“Asha used to work there before. They said it was urgent this time, so she was drafted, my lady. This happens quite often.”

“Does it?”

The questioning tone was serene. Catherine, growing anxious, observed her. She already knew that this maid named Violet was looking down on Sezlin.

Although many palace maids came from noble families, Sezlin, as a lady, outranked them. She was even about to become royalty.

Given that, the maid’s manner of speaking to Sezlin was extremely impertinent.

“That’s a shame. She was a nice girl.”

The voice that accepted the reality was quite indifferent. Violet’s smile deepened. Confidence that things were going according to her plan settled on her face. Joanna looked at Sezlin with an anxious expression.

“I will do my best to serve you without any shortcomings, my lady.”

“Your best, huh.”

Sezlin singled out one word. Her full lips moved leisurely.

“Well, whatever.”

Sezlin grabbed Catherine’s arm. Catherine stuck out her tongue at the slight pressure applied. Mmm, she groaned, covering the hand that held her arm. Catherine looked alternately at the maid and Sezlin, smiling awkwardly.

‘What should I do?’

The maid was certainly impertinent. If the head maid had been present, she would have been disciplined. But attitude was one thing.

Would it have been better if she didn’t know Sezlin’s temperament?

‘Our lady likes tongues, you know.’

Catherine began to worry not about Sezlin, but about the maid standing before them.

* * *

After finishing tea time with Catherine, Sezlin immediately returned to her room. And while Violet went to receive a handover from Joanna, she summoned Joanna, the head maid of the First Prince’s palace.

The first thing she asked about was Asha’s whereabouts.

“Where did Asha go?”

“The laundry room, my lady.”

The laundry room.

Sezlin knew about that place too. It was where the hardest labor in the palace took place. It was one of the places maids hated going to the most. But separate from that, it was also the place where maids were most often sent when they were being driven away.

Because it was a manageable position.

“I see. Clothes are important. Without proper care, one can’t maintain dignity. If they’re not managed properly, skin diseases might occur.”

“…”

“Even removing a single stain requires skilled hands. Since Asha happens to be experienced, it makes sense she’d go if they needed help.”

The following words were filled with sharp edges.

Joanna felt her blood gradually draining. Marilyn beside her felt the same. Though accepting with a “I see,” each word Sezlin uttered was sharp.

Sure enough.

Sezlin asked next:

“What kind of person is she?”

Joanna recited the information she had gathered beforehand.

“Violet Hamilton. Daughter of Baron Hamilton. She’s been in the main palace for almost 7 years now.”

Baron Hamilton.

A familiar name.

‘Of course.’

The Hamiltons were vassals of Duke Brioden. They were also a family that fervently supported April. It was well-known that the baron’s daughter spread malicious rumors about Sezlin in social circles.

Ah, in the past, of course.

‘Did Father send her?’

Sezlin crossed her legs. She had expected this, but she hadn’t anticipated such immediate action. Ludwig’s sudden move to bring her to the palace must have been quite unwelcome.

As if he had been waiting, he attached a spy.

“Is the laundry room severely understaffed?”

“No, it is not.”

Joanna replied firmly. She too was confused by the sudden personnel change. Usually in such cases, they would receive notice a few days in advance. But this time, there was nothing of the sort.

Joanna also knew that this situation was not normal.

“I will request the head chamberlain of the main palace to correct this.”

“No. It’s fine.”

Sezlin waved her hand at Joanna’s words.

Joanna blinked with a bewildered expression. She seemed not to understand why Sezlin had made this decision. However, Sezlin’s decision didn’t end there.

“Leave her for now. As for Asha…”

Sezlin sighed briefly.

“How troublesome, really.” Muttering softly, she waved her hand.

“Move her from the laundry room to the mending section.”

At those words, Marilyn closed her mouth that was about to open. Apart from serving royalty, mending was the most comfortable job one could have in the palace. Since they mainly mended clothes for maids and servants.

Joanna also showed a slightly surprised expression at Sezlin’s words. Sensing the strange atmosphere in the room, Sezlin looked at the two.

Joanna hurriedly coughed.

“I will handle it as you said.”

“For the time being, Joanna and I will do our best to assist you, my lady…”

“Leave it to Violet.”

“Pardon?”

Marilyn, who had asked the question, belatedly realized her mistake. However, there was no subsequent rebuke. Instead of pointing out this behavior, Sezlin gave another order.

“If possible, make sure she can attend to me as much as possible.”

“You mean to keep her close, my lady?”

Sezlin quietly nodded.

Violet’s purpose was obvious without even looking. She intended to monitor Sezlin’s every move.

“People like her are typically easy to handle.”

Sending such an inexperienced girl. Perhaps they were just testing the waters. To see how she would react. Since rumors had spread that she fell in love at first sight, they might be trying to confirm if it was true.

‘And choosing a maid like Violet means…’

They could discard her anytime if she was discovered spying or outlived her usefulness. They had brought in someone with high ambitions but a gutter-level reality.

‘It’s unlikely they planted her in anticipation of the marriage.’

Given her time here, she was clearly a girl who had been in charge of gathering information in the palace.

‘If that’s the case, there’s no choice.’

“She said she would do her best to serve me.”

Her crossed legs uncrossed.

“I should give her one chance.”

In her beautifully folded eyes, clear hostility filled.