Ebony Blair Vladin
“Wow! I can’t believe there’s a place this wonderful in the world!”
The girl carrying a bundle looked around, letting out exclamations of awe. Even from the outside the imperial palace had displayed overwhelming majesty, and its interior was every bit as splendid, radiating delicate, exquisite beauty.
“The Duchess has gone to her office to receive reports from the Archdukes. She left you in our care.”
Rose strode ahead at a brisk pace. Shuri patted the shoulder of the girl walking beside her.
“What was your name again?”
“Esi Lunda, my lady.”
On the day the Duchess visited Pleco Square, Esi had received an unexpected proposal from her.
“If you ever want to work in the imperial palace, come find me anytime.”
A position as a palace maid was among the most coveted jobs for commoner women. The pay was generous enough to support a family, and living in the palace meant one less mouth to feed at home.
That was why Esi had closed her pushcart stall and chosen to enter the imperial palace.
“So what’s your story?”
Rose spun around to face Esi.
“I mean, it’s odd that the Duchess would assign noble maids like us to give a brand-new servant a tour. Are you a fallen aristocrat or something?”
“No, I was a street vendor.”
“Ah, then perhaps you have some remarkable talent? Or a special trait?”
Esi hummed thoughtfully, then her eyes sparkled.
“I’m not sure about talent, but I do have a few notable traits.”
“Ooh, like what?”
Shuri urged her to speak up.
“Cuteness! Everyone in Pleco Square always said I was adorable whenever they saw me!”
“Rejected. Cuteness is already my territory.”
Rose shook her head with a resolute expression.
“Then… how about health? I’ve barely ever been sick since I was little.”
“Sorry, that one’s mine.”
“Ahahaha! You’re hilarious!”
At Shuri’s answer Rose clutched her stomach and burst into laughter.
These sisters are strange.
A slightly bewildered Esi offered an awkward smile.
“Then I’ll take cleverness. I have sharp eyes and quick calculations—I’ve never once lost money on a deal.”
“Hmm, that really is a talent we don’t have. Don’t you think, Rose?”
“I’ll allow it. From now on, cleverness is yours.”
The two maids laughed delightedly at their own decision.
Thanks to years spent on the streets, Esi was quick to read the room. She gladly joined their laughter for the sake of the frivolous noble maids.
“This is the Emperor’s Hall, where His Majesty resides. The Duchess may send you on errands, so memorize this place even if you forget everything else.”
“Wow… the Emperor’s Hall…!”
Standing before the massive golden doors, Esi muttered in a daze.
“Is His Majesty really inside?”
“Usually, yes. He’s probably there right now—it’s time for his medicine.”
“Oh my goodness, His Majesty is right beyond these doors…!”
Esi clutched her bundle tightly and swallowed hard. Her heart raced with excitement, yet the sheer pressure radiating from the Emperor’s Hall filled her with fear.
Creak—
Just then the golden doors began to open with a heavy groan.
“…!”
Esi flinched in surprise. Rose and Shuri were equally startled. They had hastily corrected their postures in case the Emperor himself emerged, but the person who stepped out was only a maid.
“Ah, geez. You scared me.”
Rose instantly relaxed and breathed a sigh of relief. Shuri patted her chest, trying to calm her startled heart.
“I really don’t like that maid. We got scolded by Archduke Hellion because of her.”
Rose whispered to Shuri while eyeing the maid’s silver hair.
“Well, it wasn’t exactly her fault.”
“Maybe not, but… I still don’t like her. I heard she’s been handling all the Emperor’s Hall duties lately. His Majesty doesn’t call for any of the other maids—not even Head Maid Sophima.”
“I heard the same. The others are all nervous, wondering if they’re about to be dismissed.”
“Tsk. Strutting around like that—she’s going to trip hard one of these days.”
Rose stood with her weight on one leg, shooting the maid a sour look. Shuri poked her repeatedly, signaling they should move on. Just as she turned to gesture at Esi—
“Karina?!”
Esi, who had stayed quiet until then, suddenly called out. The maid carrying a silver tray turned at the sound of her name.
“Esi?”
The silver-haired maid’s face lit up at once.
I met Esi again in the imperial palace reception room—a place filled with expensive tableware that required maids with particularly delicate hands.
“You will work here during the day and attend the academy in the afternoons to study. Master the basic subjects, and if you show talent in any field, I will sponsor you without limit.”
“Thank you so much, Duchess!”
Esi bowed repeatedly in my direction.
Though we had only met once, she was clever and quick-witted. With proper guidance at my side, she could become someone truly remarkable.
“Oh, Duchess. While I was touring the palace I ran into an unexpected person. Would you like to guess who?”
Esi, who had been sipping her tea, clapped her hands together.
“Let’s see… His Majesty? Or perhaps the Archdukes?”
“No! I saw Karina!”
Ah, of course. It made sense they might have crossed paths.
I blinked once and lifted my teacup. Esi began chattering happily.
“Karina is serving as the maid in charge of His Majesty’s tea! Was the reason you visited Pleco Square to recruit her?”
“You could interpret it that way.”
“Then you made an excellent choice. Karina is a skilled apothecary! Whenever poor villagers fell ill, she would help them with medicinal herbs.”
“I see.”
“She probably already has a decent education. Her older sister Esmeralda pushed her to study hard. But Karina has really made it—she always said she wanted to work right beside you, Duchess!”
What was this? I nearly choked on my tea. Karina had wanted to work by my side?
When I looked at her in confusion, Esi continued as though she had been waiting for the question.
“Karina used to count the days until you visited Pleco Square. She said watching you was wonderful, that if she were ever reborn she wanted to become someone like you!”
“What…?”
“She wanted to see you up close, so on charity days she would always line up with me to receive bread and grain. Do you remember her?”
How could I?
The crowds who came for charity were far too numerous to count. Even if I had seen her, it would have been only in passing; there was no way I would remember.
“She probably didn’t come often. Esmeralda hated accepting charity. She would scold Karina severely whenever she brought grain home, demanding to know why she had taken it.”
“……”
“Looking back, that sister was truly odd. We were all living in hardship—why was accepting a little charity such a terrible thing…?”
Esi shook her head, unable to understand.
Just how long has she been watching me?
Even as I drank the warm tea, a chill ran down my spine.
I might not remember her, but the thought that I had stood so close to someone who would later become a bitter enemy was utterly horrifying.
She had been meticulous—downright obsessive. She was far more calculated than I had imagined.
“Esi, there is something I must ask of you.”
“Yes, please speak.”
“The moment you are registered in the palace, you become one of its members. You must always carry yourself with dignity and never act carelessly. I will not interfere with whom you choose to associate with. However—”
“……”
“In the palace, you must watch your tongue at all times. Loose lips invite disaster. Do you understand what I mean?”
“Yes, Duchess. I will not speak unnecessary words to Karina or to anyone else I become close with!”
As expected, she was clever and refreshingly straightforward—a child who pleased me greatly. I offered her a faint smile and rose from my seat.
“I’m heading to the aviary in the garden. Come with me.”
I left the reception room with Esi following behind.
All the way down the corridor the girl could barely contain her excitement about the palace life that lay ahead of her.
We were walking toward the garden when, from the far end of the once-quiet hallway, came the loud scrape of dragging shoes.
Who could that be?
Someone appeared from around the distant corner.
The first thing I noticed was an enormous hat decorated with white feathers. The person wearing the flamboyant hat at a jaunty angle strolled down the corridor with a lazy, swaggering gait.
In one hand she peeled a vivid red apple with a dagger. Nobles prized their dignity. No matter how hungry, walking around openly slicing and eating fruit was bizarre.
Who is that?
The closer she came, the more something felt off.
At first I assumed the coat and trousers meant she was a man, but her figure was clearly female. Moreover, I had never seen her before.
Wondering if she was a noblewoman who visited the palace often, I searched my memory, yet no name surfaced.
While I puzzled over her, the distance between us shrank.
Jet-black hair tied back in a tight knot, purple eyes half-lidded with lazy indifference, and—
…!
A deep scar ran across her left eye and cheek. Though I knew it was rude, my gaze was drawn to it before I could stop myself.
When we were close enough to study each other clearly, she halted her dragging steps.
She slipped the slice of apple between her lips. Still holding the dagger, she chewed slowly, her jaw moving in a languid rhythm.
Tilting her head, she looked me up and down.
“They say that in the imperial palace there’s a beauty with golden hair and silver eyes…”
Her voice was high, thin, and utterly relaxed.
“That person is none other than Ishtel Regentra—the Duchess of Regentra who is to become crown princess…”
Her eyes looked playful, yet carried a shadow of something darker.
“…or so I’ve heard.”
With that, the woman popped the final piece of apple into her mouth. Then, in a surprisingly graceful motion, she bowed toward me.
“A pleasure to meet you. I am Ebony Blair Vladin.”