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Chapter 10
“…All right.”
Alina pressed her lips into a thin line and began writing a short letter.
“I can’t come tomorrow. I caught a cold. I’ll definitely come the day after. I’m sorry.”
A dim shadow crossed Alina’s eyes as she finished the letter.
‘If I can’t go to the garden tomorrow… will Richard have to starve?’
Until now, even when she was sick, she always thought it was only her burden to bear.
But now that there was someone waiting for her, she felt she absolutely could not afford to fall ill.
‘I should stop by the medical ward early tomorrow morning.’
Alina folded the letter neatly and tied it to Till’s leg.
Till stayed still as she tied it, then chirped cheerfully.
Watching Till tidy the black-tipped feathers on his wings with his beak, Alina spoke earnestly,
“Make sure you tell him I’ll definitely go the day after tomorrow. Want to try repeating it? Rise, day after tomorrow. Can you say that?”
“Yummy tomorrow, Rise!”
“…Well, close enough.”
There was a letter anyway, so it should be fine.
Alina opened the window wide and let Till fly out.
A faint worry lingered on her face as she watched the small white bird flap away.
“So. You had a fever yesterday?”
“Yes, a little.”
“That’s not a ‘little sick’ kind of face.”
Greta frowned with concern after seeing how pale Alina looked after just one day.
“Did you get medicine?”
“Yes, I picked some up from the medical ward.”
“Take today off. Trudy will work your share.”
At Greta’s words, Trudy—who had been sorting carrots—scowled.
“Why me?”
“Who do you think covered your work when you took leave? Rise did. So who do you think she got sick because of?”
Trudy slumped her shoulders at Greta’s sharp remark.
“Yes yes, everything’s my fault. Fine, I’ll work more.”
“You heard her. Go home, Rise.”
“Thank you. But Greta, I have one request.”
Greta put her hands on her hips.
“What is it?”
“Can I prepare my meals separately for a while?”
“Why?”
Alina chose her words carefully. She needed Greta’s permission if she wanted to continue feeding Richard.
“I guess I haven’t fully adjusted to Malekhark food yet. You can deduct the cost from my pay. I’ll also report it to the Palace Steward.”
“The Steward will stop by the kitchen today because of the budget meeting, but there’s no need for all that.”
Greta jerked her chin toward the waste bins behind the storage room.
“You know how much food gets thrown out every day. One more person eating a little extra won’t break anything.”
“Thank you.”
“If you’re thankful, then stop getting sick.”
Greta said it bluntly and shoved the grumbling Trudy forward. Judging by their conversation, today’s menu was steamed fish.
‘They’ll probably just dunk the fish in plain water again.’
Even if they sourced fresh fish, it always ended with a bland, boiled, fishy-smelling torture dish. Just like last time.
Thinking about it made Alina’s head throb.
‘Let’s just do what I can.’
She stood up and tore open a bag of bread.
She’d sent a note with Till, but she was still uneasy. So as soon as the sun rose, she went to the medical ward to get medicine.
Richard probably hadn’t eaten anything, and she couldn’t just lie around.
Thankfully, the medicine worked well. With a full day of rest, she would likely be fine tomorrow.
But even if she rested, she still needed to prepare Richard’s meal.
Alina took bananas and peanut butter from the pantry and started toasting bread. It was lunch for Richard.
She planned to give it to him and return right away to rest.
The only people who fed that poor boy were his awful older brother and Alina.
She spread a thick layer of peanut butter onto the toast and laid thin slices of banana on top.
Worried it might taste too heavy, she sprinkled cinnamon evenly over it.
Even simple food became heavenly when made by Alina. This time was no exception.
‘All done.’
Satisfied, she wrapped the delicious banana sandwich neatly in paper.
She also placed two bottles of freshly delivered milk from the dairy into the basket.
Arriving at the garden, Alina looked around. But Richard was nowhere to be seen.
‘Looks like Till delivered the message properly.’
She was relieved—yet oddly disappointed.
Sitting on a chair beside the garden, nudging pebbles with her toe, Alina suddenly realized something.
She had no idea what to do if she wanted to find Richard.
Richard knew she worked in the kitchen. And since Till flew to her lodging last night, he probably knew where she stayed too.
But she didn’t know where he worked or slept at all.
‘Wait…’
At the end of her gaze stood a shabby ivory-colored building.
Richard had said he lived there.
A small building beside the First Prince’s Palace and the Princess’s Palace—right around the Imperial Palace grounds.
As if pulled by an invisible force, Alina began walking toward it, then halted.
She nervously looked back toward the kitchen. The ivory palace was quite far.
‘Isn’t it dangerous to go too far from the kitchen?’
She tightened her grip on the basket handle.
She had lived in the Imperial Palace before, but she only ever moved between the kitchen, her lodging, the garden, and the training grounds.
Even with a changed name and identity, she had to stay cautious while there was still a bounty on her.
‘But still…’
She looked down at the basket, biting her lip.
If she didn’t deliver this sandwich, Richard would definitely go hungry.
His gaunt face and large, sunken eyes floated into her mind.
‘Can I get tasty food again?’
Looking between the basket and the distant building, Alina hardened her expression.
‘If I’m careful, it’ll be fine.’
That building hardly had any foot traffic. Even Marika and Greta always acted like they didn’t see it.
Once, when Alina asked Greta about it, she vaguely said it was probably a storage building.
So even though it was far from the kitchen, it didn’t seem particularly dangerous.
‘Just in case, I’ll give him the sandwich and come straight back.’
Swallowing hard, Alina began walking toward the ivory building.
Her heart pounded faster the closer she got.
She kept her head lowered, her eyes darting around. If a shadow so much as passed nearby, she was ready to bolt.
‘What is this place?’
Lost in her racing heartbeat, she suddenly realized she had reached the ivory building.
She looked up with a puzzled expression.
The shabby building sat precisely between the grand Princess’s Palace and the First Prince’s Palace, forming a triangle.
Greta had said it was a storage building, but no mere storage shed would be located here.
Seeing it in person only strengthened her suspicion.
It was also strange how unnaturally empty the area was—no one walked by at all.
Alina straightened her posture and muttered,
“There’s no way there’s a storage building right in the middle of the Imperial Palace. It must have some other purpose.”
She looked up at the ivory building—there wasn’t even a nameplate.
Up close, it looked like it used to be white, only yellowed from neglect.
“What kind of work do they even do here?”
“That’s my question.”
As Alina brushed her fingertips across one of the pillars, a voice spoke sharply from behind.
“—!”
Sensing danger, Alina tried to run, but a hand grabbed her shoulder.
“Why are you running?”
The grip tightened painfully, and the woman glared fiercely at her.
Alina looked back with frightened eyes.
“I—I was just…”
“Right. And what exactly are you? What are you doing here?”
Hearing that question, Alina relaxed just a little. If they were asking who she was, then at least they weren’t here to capture the last princess of Xenotart.
‘Thank goodness…’
Seeing relief cross Alina’s face, the grip on her shoulder tightened even more.
“I told you to state your identity.”
“Ow!”
Wincing, Alina examined the woman’s outfit and blurted out,
“Palace Steward?”
“What?”
The tall woman—with sleek golden hair tied high—released her shoulder.
“The Palace Steward? Me?”
She wore a uniform jacket with shoulder epaulets and narrow trousers. Rubbing her throbbing shoulder, Alina blinked.
“Um… aren’t you? Sorry. I still don’t know the palace uniforms very well. They said the Steward would visit the kitchen today, so I wondered if it was you.”
“Is that so? You really don’t know anything, do you. Not even recognizing me.”
The woman’s retort made Alina instantly realize she had made a huge mistake.
Whoever she was, she was someone extremely powerful—her face alone served as her identification.
Alina quickly placed the basket on the ground and bowed deeply.
“I’m sorry! I’m Rise Kruger, from the palace kitchen—”
“What’s this?”
“…Sorry?”
“The Palace Steward is asking, Rise Kruger. What is this?”
“This is…”
The “Steward” looked at the basket covered with a red checkered handkerchief with keen interest.
“It’s nothing.”
When Alina hesitated, the woman’s cool eyes sharpened.
“Very suspicious. Rise Kruger, who doesn’t even recognize me—what exactly is this?”
Overwhelmed by her pressure, Alina instinctively lifted the basket.
“It’s food!”
“…What?”
“A sandwich. I brought it for a friend who lives here.”
“You’re friends with Richard?”
The woman tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and placed one hand on her hip.
Leaning casually against a pillar, the golden tassels on her deep purple belt hung down, making her long legs look even longer.
Alina didn’t know if Palace Steward uniforms were supposed to be this fancy, but it suited the woman perfectly—almost too perfectly. Compared to her striking appearance, the uniform looked modest.
“I didn’t know that brat had any friends.”
The woman stroked her sharp jawline thoughtfully, staring at the basket as if contemplating the resident of this ivory building.
Alina nodded meekly.
