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Chapter 09
A few days had passed since Astrid’s move to the Del Ponto estate and the chaotic chase with Florian.
The estate had quickly begun to look like a place where people actually lived.
New furniture found its proper places, and expensive antique pieces long buried under dusty linen covers were finally being used again. The dining room and corridors gained a subtle polish, and through the clean windows of the reception room, the gentle April sunlight filled the space.
Astrid had been busy trying to memorize everyone’s faces.
Butler, head maid, gardener, cook, tailor… their introductions all began with long histories of service in the imperial palace. Some of them even exchanged quiet greetings with Rosana, as if they already knew each other.
So many people, all working for just one person.
The one being served found the whole situation slightly overwhelming.
After negotiating with Rosana, Astrid had a hammock installed in her bedroom.
At first, she insisted that she didn’t need the large, perfectly rectangular bed and that it should be removed entirely. Rosana, however, insisted that there were kinds of exhaustion that only a “real” bed could fix.
On top of that, to prevent a repeat of their first meeting—tangled together on a bed—the canopy above the bed was removed.
As a result, Astrid’s room became a strange mix: a luxurious bed on one side, and a rough hammock by the window.
On the day the hammock was installed, Astrid lay sideways on her “new treasure” and, in return, sang Rosana a beautiful sea shanty in a deliberately rough, uneven melody.
It was a cool morning.
Astrid lay stretched out in her hammock, reading.
A knock came at the door. She dropped lightly to the floor and opened it.
Rosana stood there with several servants Astrid barely recognized. They carried baskets filled with brushes and perfumes, along with a few sets of clothing.
Astrid immediately sensed the smell of going out.
“He called for you,” Rosana said.
There was only one person in this land who would summon Astrid.
It wasn’t an especially exciting invitation.
Still, she hadn’t had a chance to leave the estate since arriving, so she sat obediently on a stool and let her hair down.
“Yes, the carriage and invitation have arrived.”
Rosana handed her a sealed envelope. Astrid opened it.
Inside was a short note:
“I have something I want to give you. There are things you should know. Come for a while.”
Just three sentences.
No explanation of what she would receive or what she needed to learn.
The emperor remained extremely consistent in one thing: controlling information.
At least when it came to Astrid.
Astrid imagined a middle-aged woman carefully writing such a short message, sealing it with wax, and chuckled to herself. The maid applying pink cream to her lips accidentally smeared it onto her chin.
“You’re imagining something strange again, aren’t you?”
“No I’m not!”
Rosana wiped her chin clean with a cloth.
Meanwhile, another servant braided Astrid’s bright red hair into a thick, elegant plait.
Rosana dismissed the others. Astrid disliked being surrounded while getting dressed.
“Hair and makeup really do look better when done by skilled people,” Rosana said.
“Maybe. But I liked it when you did it on the first day too,” Astrid replied casually.
She then peeled off her indoor clothes without hesitation, as if shedding a shell.
Rosana selected a green dress. Astrid chose it immediately.
Rosana helped her dress layer by layer.
The skirt brushing her ankles made Astrid scratch at it absentmindedly.
“Astrid!”
“Come on, it’s just uncomfortable. You hate skirts too, don’t you?”
“How do you even know that about me?”
“Just a feeling.”
Rosana smiled faintly as she adjusted a shawl over her shoulders.
She had spent most of her life in trousers, either as a knight or palace guard. But now, for the time being, she had to serve this girl while dressed like a lady.
“I should at least do my job properly,” Rosana said.
“Then I hope you get to wear comfortable clothes again soon,” Astrid replied warmly.
Rosana was briefly moved—until Astrid began idly shaking her skirt again, and she promptly smacked her hand.
The inner palace had not changed much since the last visit, except that the rosebuds in the garden had begun to open slightly.
Astrid was led into a different room. Rosana remained outside.
Inside, the emperor sat on a U-shaped sofa, drinking tea. She was dressed more formally than before and wore glasses, with documents stacked beside her.
“Hello,” Astrid said, bowing.
Lady Hulyana de Vasquez nearly jumped in shock.
“Don’t be so rigid,” the emperor said gently. “Isn’t she adorable?”
“But Your Majesty—!”
“No need to rush. We’ll teach her slowly from today.”
Astrid immediately sensed she had done something wrong.
The emperor removed her glasses and, as if signaling the end of the conversation, had Astrid escorted into an adjoining room.
Inside were more than a dozen dresses and several maids waiting.
“We don’t have time to commission everything immediately, so this is Her Majesty’s consideration,” Rosana explained.
“These were previously worn by Princess Adelita last year. You should consider it an honor.”
The maids swarmed Astrid and began changing her clothes before she could react.
Astrid immediately missed Rosana.
Her first dress was a deep purple gown. The emperor looked her up and down and then turned to Lady Vasquez.
“Well? Doesn’t she remind you of my younger self?”
“I would have to lie to agree, Your Majesty.”
They both stifled laughter.
Astrid looked into the mirror.
The dress swallowed her. The exaggerated silhouette clashed violently with her red hair.
She understood immediately why they were laughing.
Dress after dress followed.
The emperor watched each transformation with quiet amusement.
By the fifteenth dress, she finally spoke:
“None of them suit her.”
Then she gave orders for adjustments, new fabric, and new designs—funded personally.
Astrid simply stood there, changing like an object on display.
Finally, she spoke.
“May I go back now, Madam?”
Lady Vasquez stared at her.
As if her face said: “Where do you think you’re going?”
“In the afternoon, you have etiquette lessons. I will be teaching them.”
