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Chapter 24
Something felt like it was about to come to mind—yet it wouldn’t.
“Is something troubling you?”
Count Raymond, who had just entered, asked as he studied Kaiserten’s pensive expression.
A vassal of Kaiserten and also his friend since childhood, Raymond was a man with warm-looking chestnut-brown hair.
Even after hearing the quiet question, Kaiserten continued to stare blankly into the air for a moment, as if lost in thought. Then, at last, he spoke.
“If an unbelievably beautiful woman—one who seems like she might be a noble—were to enter the palace from the very start in order to seduce the Emperor… which palace would she have entered, and how?”
Since Kaiserten was not the type to indulge in idle fantasies, Count Raymond froze for a moment in sheer surprise. He quickly collected himself and replied.
“If she were a noble whose goal was to become Your Majesty’s woman… she would wait for the decree to select imperial consorts and enter through the official selection process. Although Your Majesty has never issued such a decree, that is the proper procedure.”
“…Yes. That’s right.”
Kaiserten had learned about such procedures when he was still a prince, but since he had never experienced them personally, he had long forgotten. Even after becoming Emperor, he had never had any intention of initiating them.
“If not that, then she may have entered as a maid assigned to the Emperor’s Palace or the Main Palace. Since there are no other imperial family members for the palace to serve, those two palaces are the only ones with any significant number of maids.”
That was true. However—
“Those two palaces are places I pass through every day, and the personnel have hardly changed over the past several years. I know most of their faces and names.”
“That is true as well.”
Kaiserten sank deeper into thought. Nothing quite fit; everything felt slightly out of alignment.
Then was she not a noble after all? But her habitual gestures, her way of speaking—and especially her hands—clearly showed she wasn’t a commoner. She was also well educated, knowledgeable in many fields…
Still, just in case, he decided to keep every possibility open.
After all, Hena herself had claimed she was a commoner.
“Then… if she were a commoner?”
Though he wondered why he was being asked something like this, Count Raymond still answered sincerely.
“Well… even if a commoner were to aim for social advancement through nobility—not even the Emperor, but a royal or noble—it would be laughed off as absurd. While a noble might have a child with a commoner, marriage is practically unheard of. Given that reality, how could a commoner even dream of targeting His Majesty the Emperor?”
Despite the earnest reply, Kaiserten seemed only half-listening as he asked again,
“…Realistically, yes. But what if there were such a woman? Just hypothetically. And let me repeat—what if she were a peerless beauty that anyone would be struck dumb by?”
What in the world happened? Did His Majesty fall for a commoner?!
Raymond desperately wanted to ask—but he swallowed all those questions and answered calmly. Kaiserten was not only his employer, but also the absolute authority of the Empire.
“You are referring to your first question, correct? About which palace she would have entered.”
“Yes.”
Recalling the palace’s departmental structure, Count Raymond replied,
“Let’s see… The maids who serve Your Majesty closely are children of noble families, but for menial labor—even in the Emperor’s Palace or the Main Palace—commoners are typically employed. Since you asked about a commoner, those two palaces are theoretically possible.
However, unlike nobles, commoners do not ‘enter a palace’ directly. They are assigned as palace staff under a specific department. Usually, individuals who have worked diligently in their department for many years are recommended by their department head and then transferred to the Emperor’s Palace or the Main Palace. Even outside those two palaces, only staff whose abilities have long been proven are placed near Your Majesty. In other words, it is almost impossible for someone newly entering the palace to be assigned to a position where they would catch Your Majesty’s eye.”
“And so?”
Kaiserten raised one eyebrow. Having grown sharp from years of serving a difficult master, Count Raymond hurried on.
“S-so if she were a commoner entering the palace for the first time, she would have been assigned to a department where she would never draw Your Majesty’s attention. Especially if she were beautiful, workplace jealousy would ensure she was kept busy with duties that never overlapped with Your Majesty’s movements.”
Hoping inwardly that this might offer a clue to meeting Hena again, Kaiserten instead felt deflated and let out a quiet sigh. Watching his expression, Count Raymond cautiously asked,
“Then… who would dare spread such outrageous rumors? Shall we place them on the wanted list and punish them for recklessly speaking of Your Majesty?”
At that, Kaiserten’s brow furrowed sharply.
“That woman is the one I ordered you to search for over the past few days. We sealed the capital and issued a manhunt, yet failed to find her. That’s why I wondered if she might already be inside the Imperial Palace.”
Seeing the Emperor’s displeasure, Count Raymond tensed.
So a commoner dared to speak nonsense and truly angered His Majesty!
Misreading Kaiserten’s intentions, he hastily chose his words to appease him.
“I will investigate all women who have entered the palace recently. Once found, shall we deal with her quietly? Or execute her and display her head in the marketplace as a warning to the people?”
“What—”
So absurd that he momentarily choked on his words, Kaiserten blurted out incoherently.
“No. Absolutely not. Just investigate and submit the list. I’ll handle the rest myself. Do not do anything to that woman.”
Flustered, he emphasized his instructions repeatedly. But Count Raymond misunderstood yet again.
Ah… does His Majesty intend to interrogate her personally? Whoever she is, that’s unfortunate.
Though mistaken, he felt he understood well enough and bowed deeply.
“Yes, Your Majesty. As you wish. I will report with the list tomorrow.”
After bowing, Count Raymond quickly departed.
The next day, he returned with a list of maids and female palace staff who had entered the palace within the past month.
“Your Majesty, here is the list of recent entrants. It is organized by palace or department, and by date of entry.”
Kaiserten skimmed the list quickly and asked,
“Is there anyone named Hena?”
“No, none of the recent entrants bear that name.”
“Then what about a beauty with platinum-blond hair and violet eyes?”
“I investigated that as well. Among them, there was one woman with platinum-blond hair, but none with violet eyes.”
“Hm…”
Unable to grasp even the faintest trace of her, Kaiserten frowned deeply.
Hena, why are you so impossible to find? Where did you go?
He wanted to grasp even the smallest clue about her.
“Tell me about the woman you mentioned with platinum-blond hair.”
Thorough as ever, Count Raymond had already looked into it.
“Yes. I personally went to see her at the garden of the West Palace annex where she works. Her eyes are brown, and her build is large—she looks strong and capable of heavy labor. By common standards, it would be difficult to call her a beauty.”
Kaiserten barely managed to suppress a disappointed sigh.
“Setting subjective impressions aside, the eye color alone rules her out.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Then Hena hasn’t entered the palace. Where in the world am I supposed to look for her?
Kaiserten felt at a loss. Sensing his mood, Count Raymond spoke cautiously.
“Um… Your Majesty. I will instruct them to continue watching for such a person among any maids or palace staff who enter in the future.”
“Yes. She may not have entered yet.”
Though he answered calmly, Kaiserten’s heart was restless.
***
Roabellin was assigned to laundry collection and delivery duty. It was physically demanding work, usually given to men—but in a place rife with hazing, newcomers had no choice but to accept whatever task they were given.
For someone like her, who had never relied on physical strength, it was naturally overwhelming. Still, Roabellin steeled herself.
It’s okay. This is actually a good way to learn the palace’s layout and structure. I’ll just do my best.
Paired with another new palace worker, Lily, Roabellin was relieved to find that they quickly became friendly.
“So you’re the new ones in the laundry department. Here—take this basket.”
As Roabellin and Lily returned with the laundry from the Emperor’s Palace, she noticed clothes in the basket that looked like they belonged to the Emperor himself.
“Wow… These must be His Majesty’s clothes.”
She touched the fabric in wonder. The luxurious texture sent a strange feeling through her—an Emperor who had once felt impossibly distant now seemed close enough to touch.
“Yeah. There’s no one else in the Emperor’s Palace who wears clothes this fine.”
Lily replied casually. Thinking of the Emperor reminded Roabellin of a question she hadn’t gotten an answer to before. Lowering her voice, she asked,
“Um… you know that rumor about His Majesty being a eunuch. Is that actually true?”
Trying not to laugh, Lily lowered her voice as well.
“Huh? You’ve barely been here—where did you even hear something like that?”
“Well, it’s just—”
Before Roabellin could finish, a clear, low-pitched voice stopped them from directly behind.
“Hey. You two. Turn around.”
Startled, they spun around. Starting from the chest of a casually worn shirt and moving upward, she met the gaze of a handsome man with black hair and golden eyes, looking down at them—no, at Roabellin.
Recognizing the familiar face, Roabellin’s eyes widened.
Kai?! Why are you here?!
