chapter 09
“Gasp.”
The words slipped out before I could stop them, and I quickly sucked in a breath.
This honesty of mine was a problem. It really should learn to consider the audience first.
Talking back to Duke Ambrose was one thing. At least I had the reassurance of being related by blood.
The Imperial Family was different.
Am I going to die again…?
Executed for insulting the Imperial Family or something.
Maybe drawn and quartered.
My eyes darted around anxiously.
The butler and maids merely smiled or looked shamelessly unconcerned, while the people from the Imperial Palace naturally appeared displeased.
How should I put it?
Very Ambrose-like!
That was the expression everyone seemed to be wearing.
Whether in a good way or a bad way.
Still, it didn’t seem to be as serious as I feared.
Perhaps they were overlooking it because I was still a child.
Not wanting to waste the opportunity, I quickly addressed the imperial attendant.
“Thank you. Please convey my gratitude to Her Majesty the Empress.”
“…I shall take my leave.”
The attendant frowned slightly, gave a brief bow, and turned away.
He looked dissatisfied.
And perhaps even more dissatisfied because there was nothing he could do about it.
Did I survive?
I let out a sigh and watched the backs of the intimidating Imperial Knights until they disappeared.
What if one of them suddenly snapped and charged at me?
Then it hit me.
Ah.
That was it.
I’d been wondering why something felt missing.
There was one thing every knight should have.
“They don’t have swords…?”
“Correct.”
Startled, I turned around.
At some point, Duke Ambrose had appeared behind me.
Was he heading to work now?
Yesterday he had left much earlier. Why was he still here?
Was he secretly watching the whole time?
If so, he could have helped.
If I offended the Imperial Family, it would be troublesome for him too.
The moment I thought that, Duke Ambrose seemed to read my mind and looked down at me arrogantly.
The meaning in his eyes was clear.
I am the calculator.
You are the price tag.
Figure out your own worth and squeeze as much money from me as you can.
I’ll let you.
What an infuriating old man.
I clenched my teeth.
Annoying as he was, I was still the weaker side in this war.
Calm down, Labine.
Reason over emotion.
Even if it means swallowing your pride, gather information whenever you can.
Prove your value faster.
Taking a deep breath, I asked grumpily instead of complaining.
“Why?”
“Even if they’re from the Imperial Family, who would allow armed knights into someone else’s home?”
“Well, that’s true… but is there actually a rule against it?”
Whenever guests visited the baron’s estate where I used to work, their escort knights always carried swords.
The baron’s family never minded.
In fact, everyone considered it part of a knight’s duty.
And these weren’t ordinary knights.
They were the Imperial Knights.
Their pride alone would make them reluctant to disarm.
“This is Ambrose.”
Duke Ambrose snorted as though no further explanation was necessary.
“At Ambrose, we follow Ambrose’s laws.”
Even the Imperial Family?
My eyes asked the question.
His identical red eyes answered.
Even the Imperial Family.
I nodded blankly.
The feeling was strange.
No matter how powerful Ambrose was, common sense said the Imperial Family stood above everyone in the nation.
I’d been terrified because of that.
Maybe I didn’t need to be.
A feeling washed over me that there was an entire world I knew nothing about.
The object in my hands was proof enough.
“Is this… expensive?”
I couldn’t help asking.
The pink ribbon.
No matter how many times I looked, the velvet box contained nothing but a neatly folded pink satin ribbon.
It looked luxurious.
But for a gift personally delivered by an imperial attendant accompanied by knights, it seemed absurdly plain.
Was it some hidden treasure like my father’s rusty ring?
“Perhaps.”
“What kind of answer is that?”
Tilting my head, I asked again.
“Do you mean it’s difficult to assign a value to it?”
“Probably.”
“…Then is there any benefit for me in receiving this gift?”
“Who knows?”
Was he trying to pick a fight?
I glared at Duke Ambrose and the pink ribbon in turn.
After piecing everything together, the conclusion was simple.
The value of this gift was abstract.
Not something that could be measured immediately.
At least not yet.
In other words, its value depended on what I did with it.
More importantly, it had to be something worthy of sending to an Ambrose heiress.
Wait.
Now that I thought about it, the attendant had specifically mentioned the sender.
Ah.
“I see. It’s an invitation to Her Majesty’s salon.”
“Exactly!”
The sudden shout startled me.
When I looked up, Duke Ambrose wore a perfectly serious expression as though nothing had happened.
I almost thought I’d imagined it.
Why was he so excited all of a sudden?
Anyway.
The Empress’s salon.
It was famous.
For being secretive.
Not just among commoners.
Even many nobles knew very little about it.
Who received invitations?
What standards were used?
How were invitations delivered?
Everything was shrouded in mystery.
So this was how.
I honestly didn’t want to know.
Never in my life had I imagined I would receive an invitation from the Empress herself.
I felt slightly dazed.
“So I have to go meet Her Majesty? When…?”
“When you need to.”
Was that right?
Was it really acceptable to leave an invitation from the Empress sitting around until I felt like responding?
I looked past Duke Ambrose toward the butler and maids.
They didn’t seem bothered either.
Apparently, respecting the Imperial Family wasn’t a rule at Ambrose.
My head was starting to hurt.
I snapped the velvet box shut and handed it to a maid.
“Take this to my room for now.”
“Yes, Miss.”
With his hands behind his back, Duke Ambrose casually asked,
“You don’t like it? Many people would spend their entire lives hoping for such an honor.”
Of course.
An opportunity to become acquainted with the Empress was a tremendous privilege.
I suddenly remembered the young lady from the baron’s family where I’d worked.
A typical minor noblewoman who idolized the Imperial Family.
If she’d received this ribbon, she probably would have fainted from happiness.
“Some people might.”
Pressing my fingers against my forehead, I continued flatly.
“But I like money more than honor.”
“Pfft— Cough!”
What was that?
A laugh or a cough?
For some reason, Duke Ambrose still hadn’t left for work and remained standing beside me.
It looked like he was waiting for something.
After a moment’s thought, I reluctantly said,
“…Have a good day?”
“Ahem. Good.”
The strangely cheerful Duke Ambrose finally strode out the door.
Something about his retreating figure seemed oddly pleased.
That annoyed me.
The huge smiles on the faces of the butler and maids annoyed me too.
Frowning, I glared at the back of Duke Ambrose’s head.
Then I noticed the woman waiting for him outside.
Ah. The woman who took my ring that day.
She gave me a graceful nod.
I returned it.
Still wearing a faint smile, she boarded the carriage with Duke Ambrose and left.
“Who is she?”
“Lady Naomi of the Surman County. She is the Master’s aide.”
The butler’s answer made my mouth fall open.
Duke Ambrose’s aide.
She had to be incredibly capable.
As curiosity filled me, the butler spoke warmly.
“And my name is Finn, Miss. You may speak more casually with me.”
“Oh. Then please call me Bebe. I look forward to working with you, Finn. As for my speech… this is more comfortable.”
I smiled awkwardly.
The maids had already asked me several times to stop speaking so formally.
But talking down to people felt unnatural.
In the end, we’d reached an unspoken compromise.
I wouldn’t humble myself, but I wouldn’t speak harshly either.
The butler smiled softly.
“You resemble the Young Master in that regard.”
Why?
Did my father speak politely too?
Come to think of it, Maya had given me a thoughtful look whenever I treated the maids respectfully.
But unlike me, my father had spent his entire life as a noble.
A great noble who respected and cared for those beneath him?
I had trouble imagining it.
Every noble I’d ever met in my previous life had been arrogant to the core.
“Hey! Why is nobody here?!”
Just like that.
The chief physician appeared at the top of the stairs and shouted loudly.
Apparently he had run out of maids to order around nearby and had come looking himself.
Interestingly, he only started acting this way after Duke Ambrose left.
Like a fox showing itself once the tiger was gone.
“Bring today’s herbs immediately! Honestly, all of you have forgotten your place! Wasting time chatting while I’m preparing the Duke’s daily medicine!”
The physician barked his orders and turned away.
Maybe it was my imagination.
But it felt like he’d glared at me rather than the maids.
Still, something else worried me more.
“…Is the Duke ill? Ill enough to take medicine every day?”
That wouldn’t be good.
At least until I cured my illness and secured my position here, I needed Duke Ambrose as my backing.
And besides…
Whether I liked it or not, he was still my grandfather.
Clenching my fist, I waited for an answer.
Finn replied casually.
“He’s only talking about nutritional supplements.”
Honestly, that physician sounds like the one who needs medicine.
