Chapter 4
As she carelessly folded and stuffed her skirts into the drawer, Harriet let out a long sigh.
She had to write her novel at night, but with someone sharing her room, it was impossible to write without getting caught.
There was only so much she could do by pretending she was writing letters every night, filling a few sheets of paper at a time.
In the end, once Grace fell asleep, Harriet would sneak out with her pen and paper, wandering around until she found somewhere with enough light to write.
Fortunately, Grace seemed sensitive only to light. Harriet slipping out in the middle of the night escaped her notice entirely because she slept so soundly.
“If you’re short on clothes, just tell me. You can borrow mine anytime. Are those girls still bullying you?”
After telling Harriet to sit quietly, Grace had obediently settled onto the bed, twisting her hair around her finger as she asked.
Harriet shoved the rest of her clothes into the drawer, closed it, dusted off her hands, and stood up.
“No. I can manage.”
“So they are bullying you, then, if you’re saying you can ‘manage.’ Want me to have a word with them?”
It sounded like she was speaking for Harriet’s sake, but if she had truly cared, she would have suggested they use separate rooms from the beginning instead of greeting her with, We’re roommates now, so let’s get along.
Harriet deliberately smiled even more brightly.
There was a gap in status between them. Responding to hostility with hostility would only make life harder for herself.
In situations like this, regardless of what she actually felt inside, she preferred to smile sweetly.
“Oh, that’s really not necessary. It’s just because I’m lacking.”
“You really do know your place, Miss Brown.”
See? There it is. She’s already showing her true colors and smiling with satisfaction.
Harriet clicked her tongue inwardly.
She’d met plenty of people like this before. It didn’t take much for her to see through them.
She had spent three years at the Royal Academy and another three years working as a maid. How many nobles had she encountered during that time?
Especially the sixteen-year-old young lady of the second household she had served—she had been the very embodiment of a vicious noble miss. Thanks to her, Harriet had found endless inspiration while writing Ladies’ Night.
A lot really happened back then…
Harriet forcibly cut off the nostalgic trip down memory lane before it could continue.
“Well then, I’ll head over to Cynia Palace. I asked everyone to pull the weeds in the garden, but I should check whether they’ve done it properly.”
“Isn’t that the gardener’s job? Why are you worrying about something like that?”
It was a rather sharp question, but Harriet merely smiled instead of answering immediately.
The reply dancing on the tip of her tongue was that the gardener was so busy tending the other palaces that he neglected little Cynia Palace, tucked away in the farthest corner.
If the gardener hadn’t happened to be an acquaintance of Grace’s, she would have fired that answer back without hesitation.
But knowing the truth and saying it outright was asking for trouble later.
“I just like gardens.”
“Oh… I see. It does suit you.”
“Yes. Then I’ll be going.”
How can every single thing she says be so irritating?
Still, simply escaping Grace’s company was satisfying enough.
Without another word, Harriet picked up the book lying on her bed and quietly left the room.
It was true that she had ordered the weeds to be pulled.
She secretly slipped into Cynia Palace every night to write, and every time the overgrown weeds bothered her so much that she couldn’t simply ignore them.
Looking around the garden, she saw that there were definitely fewer weeds than before.
Harriet nodded proudly—
Then grabbed the back of her neck.
Why do I keep trying to become a maid down to my very bones?!
Managing weed removal wasn’t even a maid’s responsibility to begin with.
That was the caretaker’s job!
She flopped down onto a bench.
“Miss Brown.”
Was being a caretaker my true calling? Should I give up writing altogether?
She was seriously contemplating that ridiculous possibility when someone called her name.
It was a familiar voice.
Harriet immediately sprang to her feet.
It was the head maid.
“So you were in the garden again?”
“Now that the weeds are gone, it feels rather empty. I was thinking about what flowers would look nice here in the spring.”
“A maid’s duty is to serve her superiors. I’m concerned you’ll become so absorbed in the garden that you’ll neglect your real responsibilities.”
“There’s no master for me to serve at Cynia Palace. Until someone comes, I’d at least like to prepare the place.”
There had to be someone to serve before there was any serving to do.
Cynia Palace had no resident master.
Instead, all Harriet could see were things that needed fixing, and she simply couldn’t leave them alone.
The head maid’s stern expression softened.
It was obvious she approved of the answer.
“You’ve already been here for a month now, Miss Brown.”
“I’ve realized how much I still have to learn.”
“Indeed. You’re still lacking in many areas, but you understand your duties well. That’s admirable enough.”
The moment Harriet heard what was almost a compliment, every instinct she possessed began screaming in alarm.
Emergency! Emergency!
The head maid, who usually did nothing but criticize her—and scolded her whenever the mood struck—had actually come all the way here just to praise her?
Whenever a superior praised someone, troublesome work inevitably followed.
As Harriet struggled to keep the smile from cracking on her face, the head maid continued.
And this time, Harriet’s smile really did crack.
“I’ll be relying on you even more from now on. Starting today, your workload is going to increase considerably. Beginning next week, His Imperial Majesty, the Emperor of the Swan Empire, will be staying here at Cynia Palace.”
…
Why is the Emperor suddenly entering this story?
People always said the darkest place was beneath the lamp.
Harriet had believed she’d never cross paths with the Emperor. She had no reason to visit the Empire, and there was even less reason for the Emperor to visit this kingdom.
The worst-case scenario she had imagined was being dragged away by imperial guards.
Since her head was bowed, the head maid couldn’t see the cracks spreading across Harriet’s expression.
Inside her mind, however, absolute chaos reigned.
The pebble the Emperor had thrown had created a butterfly effect of enormous proportions.
Why is the Emperor coming to this tiny little country? Shouldn’t the ruler of a great empire stay in his own empire?!
And even if he is coming, why Cynia Palace? Why this tiny palace tucked away in the corner? If you’re the Emperor, shouldn’t His Majesty the King be offering you his own bedroom?!
Mistaking Harriet’s silence for simple bewilderment, the head maid spoke again.
It wasn’t an entirely incorrect interpretation.
“I hear His Imperial Majesty prefers quiet places. And the quietest palace in the royal palace is Cynia Palace.”
Since when does an Emperor prefer peace and quiet?! Shouldn’t he enjoy somewhere lively?!
“Wh-… Why is… His Imperial Majesty coming to our country?”
Harriet did everything she could not to stammer.
Don’t tell me… he’s actually coming to arrest me?!
She felt every trace of color drain from her face.
How little work could the man possibly have?
He read novels written by an author from a neighboring country, and because that author had provoked him a little, he was personally coming to capture her?
What kind of grudge does he have against me?!
The head maid mistook Harriet’s trembling voice for anxiety over her newly assigned responsibilities.
“Hm. This is confidential, but you should know. Don’t tell anyone else.”
Even in the middle of Harriet’s panic, the head maid’s words landed like the first drops of rain.
“A royal wedding will soon be held. His Majesty the King will be taking a queen. The future queen is a princess of the Swan Empire—the Emperor’s one and only younger sister.”
Those raindrops were merely the beginning of a torrential downpour.
Harriet stared blankly at the ground.
She had no idea what expression she was wearing, and she didn’t dare raise her head.
She imagined it must be the face of someone who had just realized the sky had fallen—and there wasn’t even a crack left to crawl through.
That was exactly how she felt.
Whether or not she noticed Harriet’s mind had completely shut down from panic, the head maid continued.
“To be honest, I wasn’t particularly impressed with you at first. I only decided to observe you because Count Pailen recommended you. But you’ve proven to understand your duties much better than expected, so I have no further concerns. Besides, Miss Brown, didn’t you minor in Imperial culture at the Royal Academy?”
You should’ve just kept disliking me! Why change your mind now?!
Now that Harriet was about to come face-to-face with the Emperor himself, none of the head maid’s praise felt welcome.
If anything, she resented being viewed so favorably.
At this rate, she was going to become thoroughly entangled with the Emperor.
Harriet hurriedly opened her mouth, desperately trying to find some excuse to avoid it.
The head maid spoke before she had the chance.
“Of course, you’re still a newcomer, so I’ll personally handle all matters involving official appearances. I’ll help you, so don’t worry and focus on your duties. Once His Imperial Majesty arrives, most matters will be handled by his personal attendant anyway. All you’ll need to do is occasionally relay his requests to me.”
