TSMT 101

Chapter 101

A Tender Reunion

“My lady… oh, my lady…”

Mirva wept as she stroked Diana’s face. Diana looked at the old woman’s face. When Diana had been twelve, the woman’s face had at least seemed somewhat fair. But time’s harsh winds had long since weathered it away.

Her hair was streaked with white, and wrinkles had deepened across her face. The once-sharp, gleaming eyes were now clouded, and she even walked with a limp.

“Is this someone Her Ladyship brought in?”

“Yes. I thought I could be of help to Her Majesty the Queen…”

“……”

“It is always best to have a maid who is like one’s own limbs. I hear you had a bond since the days of Panborough. What do you think?”

Diana stared at Mirva for a moment, then gave a cold smile. The whole situation was absurd.

“Yes… there was a bond.”

So, Lady Levian had finally found her weakness. Diana let out a hollow laugh. Lady Levian smiled kindly and said:

“They say you were Her Majesty’s wet nurse?”

“She was not my wet nurse, but my brother’s. My mother cared for me directly.”

Diana corrected her, then slowly closed and opened her eyes as she looked at the old nurse. She sank into thought. If she wanted to drive Mirva away now, she could. Hadn’t she once used every means at her disposal to cast Mirva out?

Mirva’s sins were too many, and even now they could be grounds for her expulsion.

“My lady… please.”

Mirva seemed to realize what she was thinking. Just then, Lady Levian spoke up.

“His Majesty also said she should be brought in.”

“Oh? His Majesty as well?”

Diana recalled the ever-growing closeness between Lady Levian and Giscarr. Her heart grew cold as ice.

“If it’s His Majesty’s will, then there’s nothing I can do.”

“……”

“I thank you for your kindness as well, Lady Levian.”

Diana smiled faintly, though her lips trembled. There was much to think about. Countless thoughts seemed to whirl around inside her.

“Everyone leave, except Mirva.”

Once the others had gone, only Diana and Mirva remained in the chamber.

“My lady…”

“……”

“My lady, thank you. Thank you for taking me back… sob…”

Tears streamed down Mirva’s face. Seeing them, Diana fell into thought.

Why would Giscarr allow Mirva here? For Diana’s sake? Absolutely not. In her past life, Diana had once told Giscarr directly that she wanted to drive Mirva out, and she had done so.

The same was true in this life. Giscarr had seen how much effort she put into expelling Mirva. If he now wished for Mirva to be admitted, it could only mean he wanted Diana troubled.

A sudden sense of isolation struck her. Her heart beat with anxiety. She realized that even in this very moment, she had been unconsciously relying on Giscarr. She had assumed—without knowing it—that at least he would be on her side.

Yet he was the very one who had created this situation. Was this his way of disciplining her for being less obedient of late? A warning that only people like this would be placed around her? Dark thoughts trailed one after another.

If so, then what should she do? Learned helplessness began to press down on Diana. Would she embrace Mirva again, walk once more down the same path toward that doomed future, toward death itself?

“My lady.”

“How could you come here, leaving Emil behind?”

Diana calmed herself and asked coolly. Mirva’s eyes widened.

“You should be caring for Emil. Why did you come to serve a stranger like me?”

“……”

“Emil isn’t dead, is he?”

Indeed, unlike her past life, Emil was still alive.

“It’s because… that child would not take me in…”

“……”

“No matter how I think on it, only you were ever kind to me. You were the only one in that household who treated me well, so…”

“……”

“For your sake, I chose to live…”

Mirva wept bitterly. Diana listened to her sobs with a cold face. If Mirva had truly cared for her, she would never have appeared before her again. How disgusting. Diana knew very well Mirva had not come with good intentions.

And so, Diana decided to feign innocence.

“Fine.”

“…Pardon?”

“Fine. Stay. Be by my side—closest of all.”

“…What?”

At that moment, Mirva stared hard at her long-lost mistress. Ten years had passed, and Diana Brienne had fully grown, her face unreadable. Looking at her mysterious, beautifully smiling expression, Mirva too began to smile.

Such is the terror of human malice—anyone would think they were witnessing a tender, heartfelt reunion.

***

Mabel and the other maids were startled by the sudden appearance of the new maid. This Mirva, said to be Diana’s former handmaiden, had by Lady Levian’s order become Diana’s closest attendant, always clinging to her side.

“Oh, my lady…!”

What bewildered the maids most was that Mirva was constantly weeping. Because of this, they began calling her “Panborough’s sorrowful flute.” She wailed every day, so the name stuck. Whenever she saw Diana, she would keen and say strange things.

“Our poor lady.”

“……”

“To lose your country and be forced into marriage here… My heart breaks to look upon you!”

Mirva often cried like this.

“Forced marriage.” Those words were taboo among the maids. But most of them knew Diana had not wanted this marriage.

Anyone with eyes could tell. Back then too, the bride Diana had never once smiled.

Mirva loudly bewailed that fact as pitiful. The palace staff feared rumors spreading and had to keep the gossip in check.

But that wasn’t all. Mirva treated the maids of Rodbrok Kingdom as if they were enemy soldiers who had trampled her homeland.

“I’ll check it myself!”

“There’s nothing inside.”

Mabel was constantly ignored. Mirva would inspect everything that went near Diana’s lips and complain that none of it was what her lady truly wanted.

Lady Levian, as chief handmaiden, supported Mirva. And Lady Kragel, unlike Levian, was not attentive to the maids’ plight, so the atmosphere grew increasingly strange.

***

“It’s only natural that a woman of Panborough should dress her mistress in the Panborough way.”

Wherever she had gotten it, Mirva brought out a Panborough dress and cheerfully dressed Diana in it. Diana offered no resistance. Looking at the dress, with its ornate lace and ribbons, she fell into thought.

Did she miss it? If asked, she would say no. Panborough was no longer the same country.

As Diana stared at herself in the mirror, lost in a melancholy daze, Lady Kragel spoke up.

“Your Majesty. Is this really proper?”

She frowned at the outfit. Disapproval was written all over her face.

“I don’t usually care about these things, but this is not acceptable. A Panborough dress in the Rodbrok royal palace? You know people are watching, don’t you?”

“……”

“That maid—she’s the one Lady Levian brought, isn’t she? To make you wear this… what’s her real intention?”

“Lady Kragel. Leave this matter to me.”

At Diana’s words, Lady Kragel sighed.

“Yes, of course. You always have your own designs.”

She pouted, and Diana placed a hand on her shoulder. Kragel looked surprised, then gave a small smile.

“You’re scheming something again, aren’t you?”

Even when she tried to do nothing, if given the stage, Diana would outplay her. Kragel shook her head with a wry grin.

***

Diana walked down the corridor in her Panborough gown. Lady Levian and the maids followed closely behind. People’s gazes darted toward her.

Her hair, always neatly bound, now flowed elegantly like in her girlhood. The vivid colors of the dress clashed strikingly against the stark, austere Rodbrok palace.

“Your Majesty, the weather is fine. Why not take a stroll through the palace grounds?”

As Diana made her way toward her office, she encountered a group coming her way—nobles fresh from a council meeting, and Giscarr among them. They all paused mid-conversation upon seeing Diana and her attendants.

Diana gave a faint smile. Ah. So the purpose was to show her off in Panborough attire. Hardly unexpected—this had often happened in her past life too.

The nobles behind Giscarr stiffened at the sight of the woman clad in unmistakable Panborough dress. Their faces showed discomfort. Diana imagined Lady Levian was inwardly laughing with delight.

“Greetings, Your Majesty.”

Diana deliberately smiled brightly and bent her waist in a graceful bow. A violet gaze shot toward her, piercing.

The Queen of Rodbrok, in Panborough clothes. She did not look awkward at all—if anything, proud and confident. The brilliance of a flower in full bloom matched perfectly with her pale golden hair.

Diana spoke.

“How do I look?”

She smiled as she looked directly at Giscarr. He stood frozen, staring at her face—her half-tied hair revealing small ears, the faint rosy tint of her skin, the slender line of her neck, the delicate collarbones and chest slightly revealed.

“This is a gift from His Majesty.”

All eyes turned to Giscarr. Diana’s smile deepened. The dress had been brought by Mirva. And since Mirva was a maid introduced by Giscarr, then wasn’t this, in effect, a gift from him?

At her calm remark, the corner of Giscarr’s lips lifted. Was he amused at her attempt to shift the matter onto him?

“I thought you might sometimes miss Panborough things, so I picked this up on the way. It seemed fitting for spring.”

“……”

“To see you wear my gift so openly—it pleases me greatly.”

With that, Giscarr took hold of her hair. Diana looked into his face.

Wait…

Why is he smiling? Was it truly his gift?