Chapter 206
Chapter 206
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 206
Chapter Title: Secret Palace Summons
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Everyone knows this already, but being invited to the imperial palace carries tremendous significance.
There's no way high-ranking nobles would summon someone all the way to their private office or residence without it meaning something.
The only people who could be called without any implications are either someone like my father—a retainer His Majesty the Emperor holds dear—or those who've lost all their political bite for one reason or another.
But I'm neither.
Though it comes with the condition of being called in secret, that actually makes it even more dangerous.
Because who knows what rumors might spread if we're caught.
If rumors are going to fly anyway, it'd be far better to receive an open invitation and avoid any weird misunderstandings.
Besides, with most nobles already catching on that I'm someone special to the imperial family, calling me in secret would be odd.
Inviting me openly wouldn't attach any strange meanings to it.
It's right before Elizabeth's birthday, too, so everyone would just assume it's about favoring the man who's bound to grow very close in the future.
Yet they're calling me in secret?
It reeks of something fishy.
"You'll come, right?"
"Of course I will."
I nodded solemnly, swallowing hard.
No matter what happens, I need to steel my mind so I don't get rattled.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "You'll come, right?"
"Of course I will."
I'd gone out of my way to mention the gift, but he just sat there staring blankly into space for ages. When I pressed for a reply, all I got from William was this unnecessarily grave expression and a crisp nod.
And right after answering, William's eyes glazed over again as his mind drifted off somewhere else.
"Hmmm..."
A vague hum, furrowed brow, and protruding lower lip.
That was definitely the face he made when fretting over needless worries.
"Ugh..."
I pressed the bridge of my nose and squeezed my eyes shut.
What an idiot.
The palace must have made him think of Mother or Father again, scaring himself silly.
When in reality, the idea of inviting William to the palace had only just occurred to me.
Part of me wanted to smack him upside the head.
Violence wasn't befitting a proper lady, so I held back, but I couldn't help feeling irked by his reaction to a lady's earnest invitation.
I'd have to scold him properly someday, but our current "nothing" relationship was still holding me back.
Of course, I knew well that in just half a year, nothing would be holding me back anymore.
And if I patiently chipped away at William's walls, he'd eventually come into my arms.
If only that woman Emily Stewart weren't around.
I wasn't worried about him being stolen away.
If those two dared entertain such vile thoughts, I was confident I could tuck them away somewhere remote like precious treasures, storing them carefully out of sight.
Keep them three years without sunlight, and they'd surely come to their senses about their actions.
Emily and William both knew that full well.
No, the Hume border count and his wife wouldn't stand for it either, so the two wouldn't cross any lines.
But what grated on me was that they could still pull off all sorts of embarrassingly intimate acts without quite crossing into lovers' territory—more than mere master and servant.
Waking him personally in the mornings to ogle his sleeping face.
On days he seemed to sleep deeply, stroking his hair while nursing her creepy desires.
Freely wearing the maid outfit he loves most without a hint of hesitation.
And while I'm hard-pressed to even receive a single gift, Emily gets combs and hair ties.
She even got flowers with pretty meanings.
How could I not be jealous?
I want gifts too. I want to wake up facing him in the mornings, beaming at each other. I want to stroke that retriever-like hair of his.
But I can't be overt about it yet.
If I earned a reputation as a loose woman, it'd be a nuisance to the imperial family and to William.
If I were a commoner, I could ignore the gossip about being promiscuous, but royals always have to set an example. It infuriated me.
What a headache-inducing status.
If the atelier windows were smaller, I could've gotten the staff's understanding and snuck just a tiny bit over the line.
But they're big enough for two or three people to pass through, so no dice.
So I tried touching him a little anyway, ignoring prying eyes, and his reaction was that?
-Crack!
Anger surged, my grip tightened too much, and the pencil in my hand snapped clean in two.
If only this were William.
He's the kind of bad man who needs to get badly hurt by a woman once to snap out of it.
"Hiiik..."
"Ah."
My spiraling negative thoughts were pulled back by Elin's voice as she clutched her head, trembling.
"Elin, sorry. I made a mistake."
I flashed a gentle smile and patted her head softly.
"I-it's f-fine... It's not Lady Elizabeth's fault..."
Elin shook her head side to side, graciously forgiving me, but her pale face glanced awkwardly at the other side as she forced a smile.
"P-please don't k-kill anyone, and... don't ruin your hands so you can't work..."
"......"
Was Elin just that perceptive, or was William disastrously oblivious?
"Elin, nothing like that will happen."
At least, I hoped it was Elin's sharp instincts.
A noble on the cusp of adulthood with less social awareness than a fifteen-year-old commoner girl in puberty? Unthinkable.
"Not yet."
"Heek..."
That would be far too harsh on me.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Your Highness, you've seemed in low spirits all afternoon."
"Curious why?"
"Yes. As your maid, I can't just stand by twiddling my thumbs while my lady stays glum."
"Sera..."
Watching Sera smirk and shrug made my heart warm.
Sera was usually a cheeky maid who loved teasing me, but she was the kind I couldn't help liking because she was so reliable in tough times.
"It's William..."
"Oh, suddenly not curious anymore."
"......"
The warm, fuzzy atmosphere froze solid in an instant.
"Sera, you're joking, right?"
"If Your Highness is wearing that 'I wanna rip someone apart right now' face over that man, it's bound to be a frustrating story I don't wanna hear."
"Then you should listen for your employer's mood boost."
"Aaaah...! I don't wanna hear it...!"
-Grind!
My molars clenched, letting out a chilling grind from between my lips.
You wicked girl—melting my heart with sweet words, then stabbing the softened bits relentlessly.
"Just you wait."
"I'm right here. Why wait to see?"
"This year, I'm definitely hiring a new maid besides you."
"You've said that every year for five years now, Your Highness."
"......"
If she weren't so exceptionally capable, I'd have replaced her ages ago.
There just weren't any maids her age as outstanding as Sera.
Should I poach Emily from William?
That way, I'd keep the rival close, gain a competent maid, and kill two birds with one stone. But why did Emily have to be a commoner...?
"Haa..."
I shoved aside the pointless fantasy that'd never happen and decided to ask the head maid to drill some discipline into Sera later.
I might not scare her, but in front of the head maid, she'd turn into a mouse before a cat.
Someone like Marchioness Shannon, the epitome of ladylike grace, could instill proper respect for her employer and the dignity befitting a maid into that tomboy.
"Sera, keep dinner light. Just bring some snacks to my room."
"Adjusting your figure before your secret rendezvous with Baron Howard?"
"I'm tired."
"If you're adjusting your figure, you should eat a bit to plump up instead. They say women with full maternal figures are more alluring with a little extra softness."
"Sera, do you really wanna die?"
"I'll fetch those snacks right away."
I glared at the persistently needling Sera, shoulders quivering, and she promptly turned and headed to the kitchen.
"Should I kill her...?"
Watching Sera's retreating back, murderous intent bubbled up.
"No, it'd be a shame to kill her."
I couldn't lose a competent maid, so as compensation, I'd make sure Sera couldn't marry until she was well past marriageable age.
Interfere until her mid-twenties, and only forgive her when she knelt begging, 'Please let me marry!'
"Tsk tsk... Why is everyone around me like this...?"
I clicked my tongue and kneaded the bridge of my nose, wondering if I'd bruise it from pressing too hard.
My head throbbed and eyes ached—I should turn in early tonight.
"Phew..."
Massaging my eyes against the crashing fatigue, I entered my room.
"You're a bit late, Elizabeth."
"...?"
A refined voice pierced my ear the moment I stepped in.
Familiar yet strangely foreign—I yanked my hands from my eyes and whipped my head around. There, at the tea table in the corner of the room, sat a woman with striking golden hair, legs elegantly crossed.
A face I knew well.
But she had no business being here.
No one had laid eyes on her in ten years except Father and Mother.
"...Eldest Princess?"
"None of that stiff 'Eldest Princess' business. Call me Auntie instead."
Mother's younger sister—my aunt—gracefully lifted her teacup with a smile.