Chapter 11
“Y-You’re saying that’s true? His Majesty personally offered y-you the position of bedroom maid?”
At the mention of the Emperor, the head maid finally lost her composure and stumbled over her words.
“I had the honor of escorting His Majesty to Cynia Palace after he lost his way the previous day. Graciously, he looked favorably upon someone as insignificant as me and offered me the position.”
Harriet lowered her head as if bashful, but her face instantly stiffened.
Offered? More like forced me.
Her expression changed so flawlessly that even Asura would have admired it.
Harriet believed her anger was entirely justified. After all, aside from herself, who would dare be angry with the Emperor?
There were countless maids who intentionally dropped handkerchiefs, slipped him love letters, or even pretended to faint just to catch his attention.
Harriet was not one of them.
She was the strange maid who wanted, above all else, to stay out of the Emperor’s sight.
No—she hadn’t even wanted to become a royal maid in the first place!
The head maid’s expression grew increasingly peculiar. The disbelief in her eyes as she stared at Harriet only made Harriet’s feelings more complicated.
It was satisfying to have stunned her, yet at the same time it hurt.
Just what kind of person has she thought I was all this time?
This is all the Emperor’s fault anyway!
If the Emperor hadn’t read her novel, she would have already collected a fortune in royalties, returned to her hometown, and happily tossed copies of her book into the faces of her relatives.
Her resentment burned fiercely—
Then quickly fizzled out.
What was the point? No matter how angry she got, she was the one who would suffer. It wasn’t as though she could simply draw a sword against the Emperor.
The best I can do is turn him into a pathetic villain in my novel as petty revenge.
Even that revenge was only possible because no one knew that Elliott Dark was actually Harriet Brown.
After a long silence, the head maid finally regained her composure.
“I understand. You must be busy, so… ah… you may go now.”
The woman, who was normally calm under any circumstance, stammered once again before finishing. The shock had clearly been immense.
Harriet offered only half-hearted prayers that the head maid would recover soon before quietly slipping out of the room.
The moment she opened the door, the crowd gathered in the hallway fell silent and turned toward her.
Ignoring the eyes that swept over her from head to toe, Harriet hurried through them.
“Why her?”
“Impossible.”
The whispers tickled her ears without end.
Only one night had passed, yet the rumor had already spread throughout the palace.
It’s not what you all think.
If even one of them had seen the Emperor’s expression and the look in his eyes when he asked her to tidy his bedroom, they’d know she hadn’t become a bedroom maid because she’d caught his romantic interest.
He had been looking toward Cynia Palace.
Yet his eyes had wandered somewhere impossibly far away.
…He looked a little lonely.
Like a solitary ghost longing for the world of the living.
Her slowing footsteps finally came to a stop.
Standing in the middle of the corridor, Harriet gazed at the distant silhouette of Cynia Palace.
Honestly. Lonely?
If he wanted to, he could surround himself with people. What reason could the Emperor possibly have to be lonely?
And even if he was, wasn’t it simply punishment for treating other people’s lives like toys?
Yesterday alone he’d thrown her life into chaos simply because of his position.
The fatigue, the headaches… they were all excuses.
…
Though… he did apologize.
Grumbling insults about the Emperor on purpose, Harriet opened her notebook and quickly jotted down the ideas that had come to mind.
She wasn’t planning to use them in a novel.
They were simply ideas.
I’m seriously not going to write them! The Emperor is still going to be a pathetic, ugly villain!
She scribbled furiously until she suddenly came to her senses.
She’d even started writing excuses to someone she wasn’t sure existed.
With a deep sigh, Harriet tore the page out of the notebook.
Then ripped it into tiny pieces and threw them into the trash.
It seemed dealing with that insane Emperor had driven her a little insane as well.
Even after allowing Harriet into the imperial bedchamber, Elvin still didn’t seem entirely convinced.
He watched her every move.
Quite literally.
“I’m sure you’re already aware,” he began.
Harriet focused on the metallic edge in his voice.
“His Majesty granted Miss Brown permission to enter solely out of pure intentions. I hope you won’t misunderstand his actions or attach any other meaning to them.”
“That will never happen.”
Absolutely never.
She had no desire to misunderstand anything.
The Emperor disliked Elliott Dark—the author who was practically Harriet’s alter ego.
There was every possibility that he didn’t care much for Harriet Brown herself either.
Perhaps he had whimsically bestowed this honor today.
Who knew when he’d take it away?
“You won’t have any reason to encounter His Majesty. Whether by accident or otherwise, I suggest you don’t drop any of your belongings. The moment His Majesty finds them, he’ll throw you out.”
That warning immediately caught her attention.
Harriet absentmindedly rubbed the ribbon tucked away in her pocket.
True, dropping it carried the risk of being expelled not only from the Emperor’s chambers but from the royal palace itself—and an enraged Count Pailen might very well bury her alive.
Still…
The promise that she wouldn’t have to see the Emperor was undeniably tempting.
Unfortunately, the opportunity to “accidentally” drop the ribbon never came.
Because Harriet was diligent.
Far too diligent.
Once she immersed herself in cleaning, she forgot both the time and her original purpose.
She searched every corner of the room to gather the scattered papers and notes.
She collected every pen lying around and neatly arranged them on a tray.
Then she froze in horror at the stains she’d found here and there.
I cleaned Cynia Palace so thoroughly, and there are still stains left?!
Determined to eliminate them, Harriet fetched a rag herself and scrubbed the floor like a housemaid until it gleamed.
Only after wiping the sweat from her forehead did she finally remember why she’d come.
Ah… the ribbon.
As for Elvin…
Watching Harriet throw herself into cleaning with reckless enthusiasm, he completely forgot his suspicions.
Instead, he applauded.
“Incredible! Such dedication!”
She worked with such passion that, within only three days, Elvin’s heart had completely opened to her.
There was no excitement at entering the Emperor’s bedroom.
No furtive glances as though she intended to steal something.
No nervous anticipation at the possibility of meeting His Majesty.
She cared about nothing except her work.
How could any attendant not admire such professionalism?
His Majesty truly has remarkable judgment, Elvin thought.
Who knew she was such an exceptional talent?
Clap, clap.
Embarrassed by the applause, Harriet laughed awkwardly.
“Y-You’re too kind. Haha… ha… ha…”
Inside, however, she was crying tears of blood.
I should’ve held back a little!
But what could she do?
Whenever she saw work that needed doing, she simply couldn’t leave it alone.
That was just her nature.
When she’d first entered, she’d felt a small flutter of excitement at stepping into the Emperor’s bedroom.
It hadn’t lasted.
She knew Cynia Palace so well she was sick of it.
Who had supervised its cleaning, maintenance, and decoration every single day?
She had.
Harriet was confident that no one in the imperial palace knew Cynia Palace better than she did.
Everything’s exactly where I remember.
So what if the Emperor kept his room messy?
Once she cleaned it, it became the room she knew.
She’d personally chosen that sofa.
She’d argued endlessly over the fabric for those curtains before they were installed.
She was more familiar with Cynia Palace than with her own room in the servants’ dormitory.
Still… I wish he’d keep it a little cleaner.
She wasn’t exaggerating.
The Emperor genuinely had a talent for making a mess.
I wonder how badly he’s trashed the bedroom today.
How many documents are scattered all over the floor this time?
Almost looking forward to it now, Harriet stepped into the bedchamber.
After entering almost every day over the past several days, no one bothered stopping her anymore.
Even so…
Today felt strangely different.
Because Elvin wasn’t there.
He’d gone off on an errand.
Harriet briefly considered coming back later, but one of the Emperor’s guards stepped aside and let her through before she could decide.
And so, before she knew it, she was standing inside the bedchamber.
Well… it shouldn’t matter if I’m alone.
Whether Elvin was present or not, she was only here to tidy the room.
Besides, she wasn’t really alone.
Invisible eyes were surely watching her every move.
That hardly counted as solitude.
She had no intention of doing anything suspicious anyway.
But the instant she stepped inside…
Harriet nearly spun around and fled.
Inwardly, she desperately called for the absent Elvin.
Because—
Why is the Emperor here?!
