🔊 TTS Settings
~CHAPTER 92~
Clark flinched a little before hesitantly speaking.
“She went, but… her face was terrible. She had bruises under her eyes and her lips were split.”
Just from that, it was obvious that Vivian hadn’t fallen on her own.
Someone had hit her.
He vaguely remembered hearing Amelia express her worries before, but since it was something among the maids, he hadn’t planned to interfere.
“It would be a problem if she can’t perform her duties.”
“……”
While Clark stayed silent, Vincent gave him a small nod.
“Lead the way.”
“Pardon? To where…?”
“Where else? To see Vivian.”
“Your Highness, for His Highness the Crown Prince to visit a mere maid…!”
Vincent asked back in a puzzled tone.
“Is there anywhere in this palace the Crown Prince cannot go?”
“N-no, that’s not what I meant…”
“Go on. We need to be back before Lady Wentworth wakes up, so hurry.”
Clark walked ahead in small, quick steps, while Vincent followed behind at an even pace.
The maids and servants stayed in a detached annex a few steps away from the Crown Prince’s Palace.
Since attendants and chambermaids were of semi-noble status, they were usually assigned to rooms closer to their masters.
They arrived at a place that wasn’t too small, yet modest compared to the main palace.
The maids walking about gasped when they saw Vincent.
“Y-Your Highness, here?”
“Alright, alright. Quiet down and get back to work.”
Clark waved his hand and opened the entrance that led to the maids’ quarters.
Startled, the maids bowed their heads all at once.
“We greet Your Highness the Crown Prince.”
Vincent walked past them indifferently, his gaze quietly sweeping through the interior.
The place wasn’t bad for palace staff quarters, but the signs of age were clear.
“I should order some repairs.”
With that thought, he stopped with Clark in front of the room that he assumed belonged to Vivian.
“This one?”
“Y-yes.”
Just as he was about to knock, a maid hurriedly blocked his way, looking flustered.
“Y-Your Highness! What brings you here?”
“Jessi, step aside. How dare you block me?”
“V-Vivian is very ill right now! You might catch something, Your Highness!”
Vincent looked at the maid for a moment and then turned to Clark.
“Jessi?”
“Y-yes, she’s a senior maid. She’s the highest-ranking among the Crown Prince’s maids.”
“I-I’m Jessi, Your Highness.”
“I see. Jessi. If you disapprove of what I’m doing, then report it to the Empress.”
“What?”
Jessi looked stunned, and Vincent replied calmly.
“Why so surprised? The Empress oversees you, doesn’t she?”
Vincent stepped past her and knocked on the door.
He heard a bit of commotion from inside before it swung open.
“Vivian, you can’t go out right now!”
“Lauren, let go. The Lady’s sick—oh…”
Both women froze when they saw Vincent standing there.
Vincent’s gaze immediately went to Vivian’s face.
Even though she’d tried to cover it with makeup, the dark bruise across her cheek couldn’t be hidden.
“How dare you stand before His Highness like that!”
At Clark’s sharp words, Vivian and Lauren finally came to their senses and bowed deeply.
“W-we greet Your Highness the Crown Prince.”
Vivian bit her lip anxiously, her head still bowed.
Vincent tilted his head slightly as he looked at her.
“It’s hard to overlook this after seeing it myself. Especially when you’ve neglected your duties beside the Lady.”
“Y-Your Highness! Vivian tripped and fell clumsily…!”
Jessi tried desperately to make an excuse, but Vincent’s calm gaze stayed fixed on Vivian.
“Is that true?”
“……”
Vivian’s silence said it all.
“You two, come with me. Clark.”
“Arrest everyone involved in this. If anyone tries to cover it up, take them all.”
“Y… yes, Your Highness.”
Though the Empress had authority over maid assignments, the maids serving the Crown Prince ultimately belonged to him.
He had every right to punish them.
And even if he didn’t, in the imperial palace, the word of a royal—especially the heir apparent—carried nearly as much weight as the Emperor or Empress.
Clark glanced at Jessi, who trembled with her head lowered.
Vincent walked until they reached a quiet corner, confirming that Vivian and Lauren were following him.
“Vivian, you’re one of my people.”
He’d known she would face difficulties among the maids placed by the Empress’s side.
Vivian knew it too, but she had been warned and accepted it before entering the palace.
Otherwise, a girl with no background or credentials like hers would never have made it this far.
Until now, she’d merely been treated with cold indifference.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“I plan to punish and expel every maid involved in this. Do you object?”
Once that purge happened, things would calm down for a while.
But the root of the problem wouldn’t change.
In fact, people might start pretending Vivian didn’t exist, just to avoid getting involved with her.
“Y-Your Highness, perhaps just a warning would be enough?”
Lauren, who understood what his words implied, carefully suggested it, but Vivian interrupted.
“It’s fine. I didn’t expect Your Highness to go this far for me. It’ll be hard for a while, but I can endure it.”
“You can endure it?”
Vincent’s eyes narrowed slightly as Vivian raised her head to meet his gaze.
“Once the Lady becomes Crown Princess, no maid will dare touch me. Isn’t that why she came here? To become Crown Princess?”
“That’s…”
Vincent didn’t answer immediately and instead changed the subject.
“Go see the Palace Physician later. Don’t let the Lady see your bruises—it’ll only worry her.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Vivian bowed as Vincent turned and left first.
After he’d gone some distance, Lauren nudged Vivian.
“Are you sure Lady Wentworth will really become Crown Princess? His Highness used to dislike her. And they say he doesn’t get along with Duke Wentworth either…”
“I’m sure. Didn’t you see just now? He’s willing to replace the entire staff because I was beaten. You think that’s out of concern for me? No, it’s because he’s worried about the Lady. He knows it’ll cause trouble with the Empress, but he’s still doing it.”
“Oh… is that so?”
Lauren tilted her head, and Vivian folded her arms, looking in the direction Vincent had gone.
“He likes her—a lot. Just wait, you’ll see. I’ve got the right connection.”
“But aren’t you technically His Highness’s person? And the connection you’ve got is Lady Wentworth?”
Even with her bruised face, Vivian smirked.
“Which means soon enough, that’ll be the same thing.”
Lauren still looked puzzled, watching her in silence.
***
Consciousness returned.
My mind was awake, but my eyelids felt too heavy to open.
I stayed still and tried to sense my surroundings.
“It’s quiet.”
There was no rustling sound of Vivian moving about, so it must still be night.
Or maybe it was day and she had already finished her chores and left.
My body felt heavy and faintly warm, which probably meant I was still sick.
But the faint scent of herbs in the air suggested that a physician had already been by.
“Another dream.”
Once again, I’d had the same dream as the last time I was ill.
Vincent had collapsed, and Amelia was crying bitterly beside him.
But this time, the dream had gone a little further.
It showed soldiers dragging Amelia away as she clung to Vincent, sobbing.
“Charged with assassinating a royal, no doubt.”
The Duke of Wentworth wouldn’t have protected her.
He would’ve drawn a line—even though it had been his own order.
“So in the end, Amelia outlived Vincent by only a few days.”
The thought left me feeling strangely sad.
“Anyway, I should get up now.”
But my throat was parched.
There was always a glass of water on the nightstand, so without opening my eyes, I half-sat up and reached for it.
“Why can’t I reach it? Did Vivian move it?”
Just as I was about to pull my hand back, a cold glass was suddenly pressed into my palm.
Startled, I opened my eyes.
