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~Chapter 34~
In the deep garden, hidden under the moonlight.
Grey stood quietly, gazing toward the distant princess’s palace.
Suddenly, he sensed someone behind him.
“Greetings to His Majesty the Emperor.”
He turned around. The maid Diane bowed deeply. With her delicate features, she always left a faint impression—she was the agent assigned to Princess Viviana’s palace.
“Your reports about the princess have been late lately.”
“There hasn’t been anything unusual to report, Your Majesty.”
“That’s not for you to decide.”
“I’m sorry.”
At his quiet warning, Diane’s shoulders trembled as she bowed even lower.
“Why did the princess go to the lake alone?”
“These days, Her Highness spends a lot of time with a young maid. She planned a swimming contest with her, so she went to practice by herself.”
“And why didn’t you follow her?”
“Lady Sylvia gave me other tasks, Your Majesty. Lately, Sylvia seems suspicious of me, so I couldn’t be near the princess.”
“Sylvia?”
Sylvia, who had been the late empress’s closest maid, became Viviana’s nanny after her mother died.
He’d always known Sylvia cared for Viviana—but now she was keeping everyone at a distance? Why?
“Give me more detailed reports on Sylvia from now on.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
As Grey turned away with a cold look, Diane suddenly coughed up blood she’d been holding back.
She calmly wiped her mouth with a handkerchief and returned to her post, as if nothing had happened.
“She’s not here again.”
“I know. We can’t exactly go to the princess’s palace and check.”
Dahlia and Annie walked back to the Crystal Palace from the lakeside, talking quietly.
They had arranged to meet the princess there at a certain time, but for two days, the child hadn’t shown up.
They didn’t know the princess well, but she didn’t seem like someone who would cancel their meeting without saying anything. It was starting to worry them.
“Annie, don’t you feel people are staring at us more lately?”
Dahlia sharply turned toward the prickling stares.
Noble ladies in their dresses quickly turned away.
“It’s probably because we’re staying in the Crystal Palace,” Annie whispered.
“Why?”
“The Crystal Palace was the late empress’s favorite place. No one used it after she passed away.”
“Are we really supposed to be living there, then?”
“It was His Majesty’s order. What else can we do?”
Annie shrugged and looked at the princess’s pink hair with a troubled gaze.
Actually, there was another rumor going around.
The emperor was seen carrying a mysterious pink-haired lady into the main palace.
And not long after, a noblewoman with pink hair moved into the empress’s cherished Crystal Palace.
No wonder people were paying attention.
Annie hadn’t told Dahlia, but she suspected it was the emperor who had rescued her.
Annie sighed, worrying about the future.
Just then—
“Greetings, Lady Ria.”
A large shadow fell across them. Both looked up.
“Captain?”
Dahlia recognized him right away.
“…Captain?”
Annie narrowed her eyes and echoed Dahlia.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Roand Opherion.”
Roand gave Annie a small bow.
“Roand Opherion, God’s knight…” Annie murmured, her voice trembling a little.
But she quickly returned to her usual calm and introduced herself.
“It’s nice to meet you. I am Annie Hurdarn.”
When their eyes met, Roand gave a gentle smile, then turned back to Dahlia.
“Lady Ria, I was just on my way to see you. Is something wrong?”
“Huh? No, nothing’s wrong.”
“Then why did you suddenly move your lodging?”
“Oh, the room we were staying in had a problem. Did that news reach you too, Captain? Rumors spread fast in a palace this big.”
Dahlia gave the excuse she’d planned before.
“Please just call me Roand. After all, I call you by name too.”
His clear blue eyes searched her face carefully as he made his gentle request.
“Alright, Roand. That’s not hard.”
“Thank you,” he said with a sincere smile.
No wonder people called him “God’s knight”—it wasn’t just his skills, but his looks too.
“Roand, can I ask you a favor?”
“Anything you wish.”
“I have a friend, a knight, who really admires you. Would you spar with him, just once?”
Dahlia asked carefully, and Roand agreed right away.
“If it’s your request, Lady Ria, I’ll always say yes.”
Annie quietly watched the two of them.
She was sure she’d seen Roand somewhere before, even though this was supposed to be their first meeting.
“Thank you. Cole will be so happy.”
But when Dahlia mentioned Cole’s name, Roand’s face changed slightly.
“Will Cole be my sparring partner?”
“Yes.”
“…I see. I can’t do it right now, but I’ll come find you later.”
Roand checked the time and bowed his head.
“Alright. I’ll let Cole know.”
“Then, if you’ll excuse me…”
Roand bowed politely and walked away.
Annie watched his back, unable to shake an odd feeling. She kept looking after him.
But then she shook her head and organized her thoughts.
Whoever he was, he belonged to the Holy Halen Empire now. For now, she just needed to keep her guard up.
Late at night, after everyone had gone to sleep, Viviana peeked out into the hallway.
Once she was sure nobody was there, she grabbed a candle and slipped quietly out of her room.
She had waited patiently for two days, but Sylvia hadn’t let Monet come back. She already knew where the punishment room was, so she decided to go herself.
She wanted to act brave—like her big brother.
She made herself keep walking, even when she wanted to stop. Silently, like a cat, she climbed the stairs to the attic at the very top of the palace.
But when she got there, her face fell. There was a huge lock on the door.
The nanny must have the key…
She looked down sadly, but then saw a small square opening at the bottom of the door.
Setting her candle on the floor, Viviana pushed her face up to the opening.
In the dim moonlight, she saw a small figure lying on the floor.
“Monet…!”
“…Your Highness?”
Monet’s voice sounded hoarse, like metal scraping.
“Yes, it’s me. Monet, are you alright?”
Monet slowly raised her upper body and dragged one leg as she came closer to the door.
Just then, the moon came out from behind the clouds, lighting up the attic.
Monet’s eyes and cheeks were swollen purple from crying. Blood had stained her maid uniform.
“…”
Viviana’s eyes widened in shock. She felt her throat close up—she couldn’t speak. How could anyone beat such a little child so badly?
“I’m supposed to help Your Highness get ready for bed. I’m sorry…”
Monet tried to hide her hurt leg, but when their eyes met, she gave a forced smile, as if to say she was fine.
Viviana couldn’t hold back any longer. Seeing Monet smile for her sake made her burst into tears.
