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Episode 1
1. The Emperor and the Maid
On the day the exiled Crown Prince Clayden returned, the imperial palace was filled with tension.
But the moment he appeared, everyone forgot that tension altogether.
What stepped down from the carriage was not a crown prince worn down by years of exile.
Shining blond hair and a strikingly handsome face instantly captured even the eyes of soldiers standing far away.
The red imperial cloak placed over his shoulders by a priest failed to hide his broad, powerful frame.
Just standing there alone, he carried the presence of a man who commanded an entire army.
Anyone who witnessed the scene could not doubt that Crown Prince Clayden would become a powerful ruler of the Locarso Empire.
After completing a simple abdication ceremony and returning to the main palace, all the palace staff came out to greet him.
The chief steward followed the newly crowned Emperor Clayden and began introducing the attendants and maids standing in the front row.
They were all children of influential families, raised with the education and refinement befitting those who would serve the emperor at his side.
At least, that was how it was supposed to be.
But when the chief steward saw the expressions on the young ladies assigned as maids, he squeezed his eyes shut.
They looked ready to devour the emperor with their eyes!
Young. Unmarried. Exceptionally handsome. Sword skills rivaling a Sword Master. And supreme power.
It would be strange not to fall for him.
The chief steward wanted to understand their instincts as women. But those slack-jawed faces, eyes burning with desire, crossed the line from rudeness into outright sacrilege.
One young lady, momentarily out of her senses, waved both fists and shouted before the emperor even spoke.
“Y-Your Majesty! It is an honor to serve you!”
That was all it took for the front line to collapse. The maids rushed toward the emperor, and the attendants pushed in as well, unwilling to lose the chance to make an impression. It was a scene more fitting for a party than a palace.
For better or worse…
Even faced with this horrifying chaos, the chief steward didn’t worry about being blamed for breaches of etiquette or discipline.
Instead, he felt a quiet sense of despair.
He had known Clayden since he was a child.
Sure enough, as if well used to such commotion, the emperor accepted the cheers with a faint smile and turned away.
His eyes clearly said it all.
Of course. This is right—your admiration.
The chief steward felt a headache slowly creeping in.
You have really returned, Crown Prince Clayden… no, Your Majesty.
Then suddenly, the emperor cast a glance toward the attendants still standing in neat lines at the back.
The chief steward hurried to explain.
“Those are individuals Your Majesty will not be meeting directly, so their greetings were omitted.”
With an indifferent expression, Emperor Clayden started walking again.
Then he stopped—and turned around.
His gaze landed on a maid standing in the third row.
The attendants on either side quickly stepped away, leaving her alone before him.
The maid’s wavy wheat-colored hair fell to her shoulders. Her face was calm, almost expressionless. Although small in stature, she made a noticeably strong impression.
The chief steward spoke up.
“She is Lady Emilia Valetta, daughter of the Margrave of Valetta in the North. Have you perhaps met before—”
“No.”
With that single word, Clayden turned and walked away.
But how many years had the chief steward survived in the imperial palace? Years soaked in blood, sweat, tears, and careful reading of others’ moods.
He turned to Emilia Valetta.
“From tomorrow on, you will attend His Majesty in the study.”
The young lady who had originally been assigned to the study let out a small scream, covering her mouth as tears welled up.
Hearing the sound, Emperor Clayden absentmindedly glanced back—
And saw Emilia Valetta’s expression as she looked at him.
A face full of shock, confusion, and quiet resentment.
The next morning, the chief steward was teaching Emilia her duties in the emperor’s empty study.
The emperor planned to rest and recover from his journey today and begin official duties tomorrow. That meant all training had to be finished today.
With a grave expression, the chief steward said,
“From now on, Lady Emilia, you will have no personal schedule. You never know when His Majesty will enter the study, so as long as he is awake, you must remain on standby.”
The old luxury items filling the study seemed to press heavily down on the vast space.
As Emilia looked around, her chest felt tight.
“If His Majesty orders someone to be called or something to be brought, relay it to the attendant waiting outside. If anything sensitive occurs, report to me immediately. Also”
The chief steward paused, and Emilia looked up at him.
He emphasized firmly,
“Everything you see or hear in this room is in absolute secrecy. It must never leave your lips until the day you die. You must not record it in writing or drawings either. This concerns your life and the safety of the Valetta family.”
“Yes, Chief Steward.”
Emilia replied simply.
Her answer was so calm and light that the chief steward looked at her with slight confusion.
He couldn’t help but interpret her attitude one way.
Won’t I be dead before then?
Who knew.
The place where Emperor Clayden had been exiled as crown prince lay just outside the borders of Valetta territory.
But there was no way the Margrave of Valetta would have offered even the smallest kindness to a crown prince cast out for such a grave crime.
Considering the fury that had swept through the empire at the time…
The fact that the same crown prince now sat on the imperial throne was nothing short of a miracle.
In any case, that was why the chief steward didn’t doubt the emperor when he said he had never met the margrave’s daughter.
The reason Emilia had come all the way from the North to become a maid was obvious.
When a new emperor ascends the throne, noble families present gifts so extravagant that their finances nearly collapse. It was a display of loyalty—and at the same time, an unspoken way to determine hierarchy among nobles.
Families that couldn’t manage that had no choice but to send their children to the palace to prove their loyalty.
The Margrave of Valetta, who had unintentionally acted as a watcher during the crown prince’s exile, would especially need to offer something to appease the emperor.
But Valetta territory, constantly damaged by monster outbreaks, had no such resources.
So in the end, they sent their daughter.
Tsk.
Positions serving directly before the emperor were fiercely contested by powerful families, each trying to plant their own people. If they failed to secure a satisfactory post, they withdrew immediately.
Yet Emilia had shown no complaint at all, even after being assigned to bedroom work that kept her shut away all day from the very start.
That alone erased any remaining doubt. She planned to endure a few years for her family and then return home.
And the reason Emperor Clayden had chosen Emilia Valetta specifically as a study maid—someone who would stay by his side all day…
Oh no.
The realization hit the chief steward so hard he pressed his lips shut.
Revenge.
This had to be revenge. What else could it be?
The emperor was clearly trying to take out his resentment toward the stubborn Margrave of Valetta—who had treated him coldly during his exile—on the daughter instead!
The chief steward began to panic.
If Emperor Clayden sought revenge one by one against those responsible for his exile, there wouldn’t be a single noble family left intact in the empire.
Overwhelmed by the horrifying scenes forming in his mind, the chief steward squeezed his eyes shut.
Watching him, Emilia tilted her head in confusion. She was worried he wasn’t focusing.
If he forgot to teach her something important, she would be the one in trouble in front of the emperor.
She couldn’t allow a mistake like that to drag her father’s and family’s name through gossip.
Sensing her gaze, the chief steward cleared his throat and composed himself.
“Ahem. A study maid must know the layout of the study, the furnishings, and the locations of tea and alcohol like the back of her hand. From now on, the locations.”
At that moment, the door burst open.
Emperor Clayden—who had said he would be resting today—was walking in.
