A Sweet Misunderstanding
"U-Um, I... I can do this m-myself..."
"It is quite alright. It is no trouble at all. Please tell me if it hurts."
Shinia's face was a picture of overwhelming, reverent awe.
I dabbed some ointment onto a cotton ball and gently applied it to the wounds on Shinia's body. The angry red marks marring her pale skin were a pitiful sight. My decision to tend to her personally stemmed, in part, from a small sense of guilt.
"Ah..."
Was it stinging? Shinia flinched violently every time the cotton touched her skin. Fortunately, the wounds didn't look deep enough to leave permanent scars. After applying the ointment, I wrapped bandages around them to prevent any infection.
"T-Thank you so much, Princess..." Even after the treatment was finished, Shinia's face remained flushed a deep crimson. To be fair, it would have been stranger if she had remained perfectly calm under the circumstances.
"Please keep what happened today a secret if you can. Though, I suppose rumors will inevitably spread..." Even without Shinia speaking of it, there had been too many witnesses. It was impossible to identify and silence every single maid who had been present, let alone anyone nearby who might have overheard the commotion. Sooner or later, the entire palace would know.
"Y-Yes, of course... But, um, Princess..." Shinia hesitated, casting tentative glances at me. I thought I knew what she wanted to say. She likely wanted to ask to be reassigned, unable to bear serving as Carmel's personal maid any longer.
"Do not worry, Shinia. I will find a way to have you transferred to my personal service. I will make sure it is done in a way that even Mother cannot object to." I didn't have a concrete plan just yet. Defying the Queen's will to unilaterally reassign her personal maid was beyond my official authority. However, finding a way to coerce Carmel into compliance wouldn't be difficult. Though it felt like a waste to use her for this, I still held my ultimate trump card: Rika.
But Shinia shook her head. "N-No, that is not it, Princess... That is not what I wanted to say..."
Not that? Was there something else she could possibly care more about in her current predicament? Shinia parted her lips hesitantly.
"P-Princess Sera... You... you are in love with Queen Carmel, aren't you?"
"...Do you realize what you are saying, Shinia? Insulting the royal family is an offense that could cost you your head." Shinia shrank back, just as she had in front of Carmel. Her legs even trembled with fear. Yet, she showed no intention of taking back her words.
"I-I am so sorry...! If... if I am mistaken, I-I will pay for it with my life... B-But to me, it... it could not look like anything else..."
Had I been careless? No, there was no way she could have concrete proof of my feelings. Then what gave this timid maid the courage to speak such words? I couldn't help but ask.
"What makes you think that?"
"W-Well... on the day of the Queen's wedding, I... I saw you. After the Queen changed her attire, the t-two of you were... doing something secret... I-I did not mean to spy! I only went back in because I forgot something, and then..."
On the day of Carmel and Pehart's wedding, I had ordered Carmel not to wear any undergarments. And after Shinia had finished dressing her, I had personally checked from a low angle to confirm it. Furthermore, I was the one who had made that perverted demand in the first place. Shinia knew this. Perhaps my mistake was assuming that the meek Shinia would accept any excuse I gave without suspicion. But my greatest blunder of all was being so swept up in the excitement that I failed to notice someone was watching.
Was there any other way to explain that scene? A natural reason for a princess—and soon-to-be stepdaughter—to peer up her mother's skirt? Of course not. In that case, the only option was to confront it head-on.
"And?"
"Pardon?"
"What is your reason for bringing this up to me, Shinia? Needless to say, this is hardly blackmail material. In fact, uttering such words is nothing short of a suicidal act that will only hasten your demise."
That the flawless Princess Sera was actually in love with her new stepmother... It was certainly a juicy piece of gossip that storytellers would love, but as I had just warned her, it would undoubtedly be treated as a grave slander against the royal family. The Knight Order would deem such an absurd claim unworthy of even a cursory investigation. Shinia's head would roll before she could even blink. Unless she was a fool, she had to know this. The fact that she had brought it up anyway meant she must have another motive.
"I-I am terribly sorry if I have offended you... I-I would never dare to presume what lies between the two of you. But from what I have observed... I-I believe the Queen holds Princess Sera in a very special regard as well!"
"...What?"
Honestly, I had not expected that answer at all. Until a moment ago, I had assumed Shinia was harboring some insolent, hidden agenda.
"And... why do you think that? What exactly do you mean by 'special'?"
"W-Well... sometimes, the Queen stares blankly into space... and every time she does, her lips move. She whispers your name, 'Sera,' over and over..."
No, no. She was almost certainly nursing her grudges. It was highly unlikely to be the wistful, romantic state of mind Shinia was imagining.
"I see. Is that all?"
"Last time, she ordered me to gather all the records concerning you, Princess. She told me there was no need to hide it, but to bring them as quietly as possible... After that, she spent hours reading them at her desk, over and over again."
...She was probably looking for a weakness to exploit. Or perhaps searching for clues to decipher my thoughts... Yet, even if her actions were born of pure malice, imagining Carmel so utterly consumed by me sent a strange, thrilling shiver of pleasure down my spine. The coldness in my chest dissolved, replaced by a sudden, eager curiosity as I pressed Shinia for more.
"And? Is there anything else?"
"A-And whenever the Queen is in the same room as you... her eyes always drift in your direction. For some reason, she just keeps looking... I-I thought that perhaps, it meant..."
Well, that was only natural. Just as I watched Carmel, she watched me just as often. Perhaps I needed to exercise a bit more discretion on that front.
"I-I simply had to tell you. That the Queen thinks of you so very much...!"
It was highly likely Shinia's misunderstanding. Of course, Carmel was indeed thinking of me constantly, but it was hardly the romantic yearning Shinia imagined. Even so, listening to her words put me in an exceptionally splendid mood. I felt so light I could practically float.
"And you risked your life... just to tell me that?"
Depending on who heard it, this was indeed a matter that could cost someone their head. In fact, I had been seriously contemplating how to dispose of Shinia just moments ago. In a way, she possessed remarkable courage. This tiny, timid maid genuinely believed I was in love with Carmel, and she had risked her very life just to reassure me that my feelings were not in vain.
"Shinia..."
I gently placed my hand on her face, cradling the soft curve between her cheek and jaw. Her skin was incredibly smooth. Shinia's face flushed so intensely it looked as if steam might start pouring from her ears.
"Y-Yes?!"
"That was quite an entertaining delusion. But as I said, speaking of such things carelessly will only put you in danger. You must never speak of this to anyone else. Understood?"
"Y-Yes, Princess!"
She was so easy to read. Shinia might be sharp when it came to perceiving the feelings of others, but she was utterly hopeless at hiding her own. It seemed she harbored feelings for me that went far beyond mere duty to a princess. Whether it was simple admiration for a noble royal or something far more devoted, I couldn't say for sure. But in either case, a gesture like this would be the most effective. I gently turned her cheek toward me and pressed a soft kiss against it. Then, looking at the utterly shell-shocked maid, I spoke.
"Keep our secret. Alright?"
"Hwa... Hwaaaah... Y-Yes..."
Her face looked as though the impossible had just occurred. It was the exact expression of a devout believer witnessing a miracle.
"It seems you have fully recovered, Filgret."
"Yes. It is all thanks to your grace, Princess."
I had no idea what he meant by "thanks to me," but Filgret did indeed seem perfectly fine. As I entered the room, he stood up to greet me with a formal bow, showing no signs of discomfort. On his desk, a stack of documents piled high enough to obscure his face. Stepping closer to inspect them, I realized they were letters of recommendation.
"Are these all recommendations? Are you reviewing every single one of them?"
"Yes, Princess."
Those petty nobles... How childish. Was this their way of trying to obstruct us? It was an incredibly pathetic tactic.
"I do not think you need to go through all of them. After all, the final authority rests with you, does it not? You could simply claim you reviewed them thoroughly and appoint the person you had in mind from the beginning."
"That is true, but... there is always a chance a truly exceptional candidate might be hidden among them. However, if you command it, Princess, I shall do as you say."
...How diligent. Well, he wasn't wrong.
"No, you are correct, Sir Filgret. Is there anything I can do to assist you, then?"
"I am deeply grateful for the offer, Princess... but this is my duty."
Even if I couldn't help find the perfect candidate, I could at least help filter out the obviously unqualified ones. Just as I was about to say so, there was a knock at the door.
"Enter," Filgret called out.
The person who stepped inside was not a knight, but a palace servant responsible for general chores. Bowing deeply upon seeing me, he spoke.
"Ah, here you are, Princess. His Majesty the King requests your presence. He has commanded that you attend to him in his private chambers."
Pehart?