Chapter 98
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 98
As I stepped out of the carriage, the palace attendants and maids bowed politely.
Even though it was my first time here, I was struck by an intense sense of déjà vu. It was the same beautiful imperial palace I had seen thousands of times while playing The Milk Bread!
"It is an honor to serve such a distinguished guest. I will escort you."
An attendant stepped forward to lead the way.
"Her Majesty the Empress has specially granted the 'Guardian Palace' for Lady Tulia's use. You may wait here."
"Wait a moment. Attendant? I have a question."
"Yes, please speak, Lady Tulia Frezier."
True to his role as a palace servant, the attendant bowed his head immediately, his movements refined and his words sparse.
"How long will I be waiting?"
"You should only have to wait for about an hour."
"I see. You may go."
Everyone except for the two maids assigned to serve me withdrew in an instant.
I felt a flicker of doubt.
I wondered if this would happen.
Making a guest wait for a long time after inviting them was a classic bullying tactic favored by the nobility. How did I know? Because it was one of the thousands of methods Tulia used to torment Corico in The Milk Bread.
I had wondered if the Empress would make me wait for a day or two, but it didn't seem like that was the case.
I took a moment to look around the palace.
Hmm.
Since she had specifically ordered me to enter the palace alone, I thought she might treat me poorly, but...
She actually gave me a really nice palace.
It was a secluded palace with its own beautiful private garden. I felt like I could easily pass an hour here. To clear my head, I began to walk along the stone path in the garden.
Due to the architectural style of the Brillant Empire's imperial palace, the individual palaces weren't closed off. Instead, the gardens of all the palaces were interconnected. Thanks to this, if you walked long enough, you might run into a stranger, or if you were lucky, even get a chance to have an audience with high-ranking members of the imperial family.
You could call it an architectural style that emphasized chance encounters.
Of course, I don't want to meet any royals right now.
I decided not to leave this garden at all. I was slowly circling a pond that still had a thin layer of ice on it when—
Thwack!
I flinched. Did I hear that right?
...And then.
Thud, thwack!
It was unmistakably the sound of someone being beaten.
I turned around. The two maids serving me, being palace servants, showed little emotion, but even they looked quite startled.
What is that?
Was there someone else here besides us?
This palace the Empress had specially granted me was very secluded. Furthermore, I didn't have any friends in the Imperial Capital, and because the quest had me on edge, I had been walking through the garden in total silence.
Did they think this palace was empty?
I didn't even need to go over to check. Just by leaning my head out a little, I could see exactly who was hitting whom.
...They're just kids?
Boys around my age were pinning down another boy of the same age and beating him.
They're all wearing expensive clothes, though.
Even the boy being hit. But if there was one thing that set the victim apart from the others, it was how incredibly thin he looked. It was as if he wasn't being fed properly.
I furrowed my brow.
Are those brats bullying him and stealing his food too?
Child abuse in the imperial palace? I mean, there might be a hierarchy among the young servants, but it shouldn't be this vulgar.
Without taking my eyes off them, I gave a light hand signal behind me. Understanding my intent, one of the maids moved as quietly as possible. I was telling her to go get some people to stop this.
I wasn't stupid enough to jump in there and get hit myself. My body is precious. Still, if it got too out of hand, I’d have to use the palace maids to intervene.
Just then.
"How dare you hold your head so high when you have such a lowly mother?"
For a moment, I doubted my ears.
"Just like your mother, you live by flattering His Majesty. Do you think you can just go around smiling at the Empire's nobles too, you vulgar brat?"
I gasped.
Lowly mother. Flattery.
No, surely it can't be...
The moment the boy, who had been curled up and taking the hits, raised his head, I froze as if struck by lightning.
Shimmering blonde hair. Equally shimmering golden eyes. Blood was trickling from his split lip, but his beauty was still radiant.
Holy—!
It was the male lead!
Benjamin Fluers...!
Why was he here getting beaten like this?!
* * *
The youngest prince of the Sorsen Kingdom, Benjamin Fluers.
Today, once again, he was being beaten by his half-brothers. He had hoped they wouldn't dare strike him here, in the imperial palace of the Brillant Empire—the strongest nation on the continent.
But his half-brothers seemed to be at their wits' end with rage simply because a few ladies had shown interest in him.
"Go sell your body just like your mother did! You filthy bastard!"
"Brother, when you ascend the throne later, why don't you sell this fellow to a noble of the Brillant Empire for a high price?"
"Shall I? Hahaha!"
His stomach throbbed where he had been kicked. Gasping for breath, he lifted his head and saw her.
A young lady with pink hair, seemingly around his age, was glaring at him with a terrifying look in her eyes.
Back in their kingdom, it was an open secret that he was beaten by his half-brothers. But here in the Empire, no one was supposed to know.
He felt ashamed. Ashamed to have been caught in such a state. Anyone would feel that way—showing such a helpless, pathetic side of themselves.
Just as he curled his body again, bracing for another kick to the solar plexus—
"Wait."
* * *
"Young lords?"
The moment I spoke, the bastards who were having the time of their lives beating Benjamin Fluers spun around with a gasp. They looked incredibly shocked and flustered. They quickly scanned my appearance.
They seemed to realize immediately that I wasn't just some lowly maid. I could tell by the way they hesitated and then immediately stood up straight.
Honestly. Why are these types always the same?
They prey on the weak and grovel to the strong. I knew exactly how to handle people like this.
"Greetings, young lords. I am Tulia Frezier of the Grand Ducal House of Frezier."
You have to crush them with power and status right away.
"Grand Duke Asis Frezier is my biological grandfather."
The boys gasped again. They began to fidget, looking like they didn't know what to do with themselves.
The House of Frezier had always been more powerful than most kingdoms. Especially after the current Grand Duke—my grandfather—was ennobled, it was evaluated to have surpassed the level of a 'mere kingdom.' In reality, the balance of power reflected that.
That was likely why they were staring at me blankly, looking like they'd been hit over the head with a hammer.
I swallowed my annoyance and put on a smile.
"Aren't you going to greet me?"
They hurried to straighten their clothes and bowed awkwardly.
"A-Ah! My apologies...! I am Helsen Fluers, the First Prince of the Sorsen Kingdom...!"
"I-I am the Second Prince of the Sorsen Kingdom...!"
When I flashed them a smile, their faces turned red in an instant. That's how people are. Once their gaze is captured, their eyes naturally follow the other person's lead.
For instance, right now.
My gaze drifted toward Benjamin, who was still curled up on the ground like a grub. Following my lead, the princes' faces turned pale.
"Get up and get behind us, you idi—!"
He started to bark an order but caught himself, remembering I was there, and quickly shut his mouth.
Benjamin struggled to stand, but he couldn't quite manage it.
How much did they hit him? This is too much.
Benjamin finally managed to get up, only to collapse again.
"Get up this instant! In front of a lady, no less!"
"Ahem, I apologize for showing you such an embarrassing sight. Haha..."
While trying to stay in my good graces, they grabbed Benjamin by the shoulders and roughly shoved him behind them, almost as if they were kicking a piece of luggage. It didn't look like their first time doing this.
The problem was that they treated Benjamin even more savagely because they were conscious of me watching.
Crack.
"Ugh...!"
For a moment, it sounded like Benjamin stopped breathing.
Oh no.
Is he okay? His arm was twisted at a grotesque angle.
He's the male lead, right? Hello?
Regardless of my internal panic, the princes seemed satisfied that they had hidden Benjamin behind them like a piece of baggage. They turned back to me with goofy grins.
"Haha. It is an honor to meet a distinguished guest of the Frezier family."
"It was truly worth coming all the way to the Empire."
The boy is in that state, and you think greeting me is the priority?
Well, if they were the type to worry about that, they wouldn't have been beating Benjamin into the dust in the first place.
I thought fast. Right now, they were deeply embarrassed that I had caught them in the act. If I said even one word about it, they might pretend to reflect in front of me, but they’d only bully Benjamin worse later.
He might actually end up crippled, or maybe...
Will he die because of me?
[System] Benefit 'Master of Life': You can revive a dead male lead once (One-time use).
I'm not going to have to use this on him, am I? The male lead dies because of me? Then what happens to my A-Rank...?
Absolutely not.
From this moment on, any attack on Benjamin is an attack on me.