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Chapter 11
Even though El hadn’t said a word, when her wish came true, she blinked in a daze, slightly stunned. The emperor smiled faintly and handed over a document stamped with the imperial seal.
“Soon, we’ll send knights and guards to protect the palace as well.”
“…Thank you?”
“Yes. My business here is done. Do you have anything to say?”
“No.”
“Next time, let’s have a meal together.”
“Yes.”
It felt absurd that she had gotten what she wanted so easily, but since it was ultimately good for her, she left the reception room without a word.
As the door opened, Lari and Sundubu were waiting.
Sundubu approached El as if to stay by her side and peeked at the emperor through the crack in the door.
The emperor’s cold gaze briefly met Sundubu’s, but the door soon closed. El and Lari did not see that fleeting exchange.
As always, Copari lived in luxury, treating the servants and maids sent to work for the Lily Palace as if they were his own subordinates. Some were silent out of fear, while others tried to stand out, hoping to gain favor. Copari liked those who flattered him and kept them close.
He had heard that the bastard had escaped from the basement.
He had even told a servant to keep a close watch, but apparently, he had been severely bitten and bled.
Copari watched the servant, who prostrated himself and begged for forgiveness, with an indifferent look, then locked him in the dungeon.
“But the crown princess seems quiet.”
He expected some counterattack after retrieving that bastard, but she was strangely silent.
What kind of scheme might she be planning? It was just the crown princess, severed from her strings, after all.
Copari was confident. No matter what the crown princess did, he, Copari, would always hold real power in this palace.
But that morning, a maid rushed in, reporting that the crown princess had left in a carriage with the emperor’s chief servant.
“Ugh!”
Why on earth would the emperor summon her now? Copari trembled in anxiety.
All kinds of worst-case scenarios ran through his mind.
What if someone discovered the ledger? Should he go to Count Esche?
Even if the crown prince was incompetent, there must have been nobles behind a servant wielding this kind of influence.
It was a damned class-based society.
He, a mere commoner, had become the chief servant because no one else wanted to serve in the cursed 2nd prince’s palace.
Initially, Copari had refused the post, but over time, he realized how great his fortune was.
He had planned to embezzle funds for a few more years, buy a fake identity and noble status, then leave the palace—but now he was furious.
Bang!
It was almost within reach!
He didn’t like the feeling. Maybe he should pack his money and flee now.
Nobles were untrustworthy, treating commoners as disposable pawns. He had cooperated with them so far, but if things went wrong, they would abandon him.
But Copari never intended to be abandoned.
He had a ledger detailing everything, kept as insurance. Bribes he had handed out were documented, including jewels, ceramics, ornaments, and even manipulated ledgers, stored separately. It was obsessive.
He began preparing his things and considering which nobles he could leverage. With this, he could threaten them effectively.
But he had overlooked one thing: he had underestimated El.
When he went to the central palace’s office to retrieve the ledger, he was shocked.
“Th-This can’t be!”
He had recorded the ledger in duplicate to keep others from noticing, using specially made thin paper, but all of them had been torn apart. Someone had inspected the ledger.
“No!”
Copari sat down in despair.
A few days before meeting the emperor, Raela—
Although the ledgers appeared sloppy to El, they were flawless if anyone else checked.
She knew this alone wouldn’t be enough to take down Copari. Unless the emperor personally came to verify, all the nobles were likely in collusion.
Even if not, a wealthy Copari might bribe and lie.
She needed something decisive. She suspected the real ledger might be hidden elsewhere and searched every possible spot with Lari.
Not a speck of dust appeared. Exhausted, El slumped in the office, blinking and thinking.
“Let’s think, El. Where could someone hide a ledger without worrying about being seen?”
She first searched the office, recalling the proverb about the darkest place being under the lamp—but found nothing.
Hiding it too far away would also be risky. The ledger must be somewhere she could always check.
“Maybe a secret spot?”
“Eh… could he really have gone that far?”
“Hmm…”
After all, he was just a servant. He couldn’t have dared to remodel the palace, being mindful of others’ attention.
“But if it were me, I’d never keep my lifeline far away.”
She wanted to always check her “lifeline,” hidden where no one would suspect but easily accessible to her.
“Oh?”
“What is it?”
El suddenly got up and opened the ledger. It looked ordinary, but the back glimmered oddly. Since pens weren’t available, they mostly used fountain pens. Ink tends to show faintly.
This time, the faint translucency revealed a hidden layer. She tore the paper carefully—it split into two thin layers.
“Of course… the lifeline is close.”
El smiled slyly.
Before leaving the palace, El asked Chief Servant Shudin:
“Where do I report corruption?”
“…Corruption, you say?”
“Yes. It might be a big case.”
Shudin hesitated at El’s casual tone.
If it were minor, it might not matter, but for a serious case, it was safer to seek the emperor’s approval.
“May I consult His Majesty and give you an answer?”
“Do as you wish.”
El left the palace with light steps.
Second Prince Shuert Renne of Schuert was once the emperor’s favored son before being cursed by a dark wizard.
He inherited his mother’s beauty and was exceptionally quick at learning.
His only flaws: being born to a concubine and being the second prince.
Yet the emperor’s favor was so strong that many believed he might become crown prince.
Though succession was hereditary, it wasn’t strictly by birth order—merit mattered.
The current emperor, Kardel Renne, had been born third, after all.
Without rigid firstborn succession, sibling rivalry was fierce, but it maintained the empire’s prestige.
Those who lost these struggles often died. Kardel’s siblings had all been purged.
Shuert’s curse originated from this. A wizard loyal to the first prince sought revenge using dark magic and infiltrated the palace. Originally targeting the emperor, Shuert’s exceptional achievements drew the emperor’s praise, inviting high-ranking nobles to a banquet.
Merely attending was a great honor—but disaster struck.
“Live your life as a lowly dog, emperor!”
“Ah!”
“What is this!”
The curse activated on Shuert, who was seated near the emperor.
“Seeing your child suffer will be amusing, ha ha!”
Shuert’s mother fainted at the sight of him becoming a dog, and the emperor executed the attending nobles.
The truth was hidden. Families received letters claiming deaths from an explosion caused by the wizard, along with compensation.
Shuert himself had to become a “monster” rather than a dog; for a royal, living as a lowly dog was a family disgrace.
The dark wizard cursed the royal family until his execution. Only Shuert, the emperor, and his mother knew the truth.
Shuert was moved to the Lily Palace, far from the main palace—dilapidated and rarely used.
His mother denied reality multiple times, then died within a few years.
The nanny who cared for him from childhood was also expelled after being framed.
Shuert despised his own appearance. Prideful as royalty, accepting his transformation was impossible.
Eventually, he resigned himself to solitude, hiding in the neglected garden and eating grass.
He thought of starving, but rage filled him each time. His family’s shame pleased the emperor immensely.
And what about the empress, who had always hated him?
Shuert waited silently, intending to reveal himself at the crown prince’s coronation.
He would show the world the disgrace of royalty, inflicting irreversible humiliation.
His life had been a living hell. Yet unexpectedly, a wedding was arranged. He was wary of the emperor’s motives.
And what kind of madwoman would marry a monster prince rumored throughout the court?
