A Letter from the Crown
The woman’s face remained hidden beneath a hat draped with black netting.
When Olivia tensed with wariness, the woman reached into her handbag and carefully withdrew an envelope. In that brief moment, Olivia noted the lining of the bag. A faint emblem had been embroidered there—something resembling a family crest.
A crown? It looked like a crown atop something. There aren’t many houses that use that symbol.
The envelope itself bore no seal except for a dab of red wax. A letter sent in complete anonymity.
“My master asked me to deliver this.”
“……And why should I read something when I don’t even know who sent it?”
“My master also said that if Lady Grace responded that way, I was to relay these words.”
The veiled woman spoke.
Olivia pressed her lips tightly together.
She used informal speech toward me.
That alone told her the sender held a rank higher than her own.
Who could this “master” be? The words felt strangely intimate, as if the writer knew her well. An unmarked letter. The crowned emblem inside the handbag. The clues were all there.
It’s Princess Cayena.
Olivia accepted the letter with respectful hands.
“My master said that if it was you, you would be able to deduce her identity. It seems she was correct.”
A hired carriage soon arrived.
“There is no need to send a reply.”
With those words, the woman closed the carriage door.
Olivia’s own carriage had been delayed because of the other vehicle. She realized the woman had done it on purpose to keep her feet planted here a while longer.
Why would the princess send me a secret letter?
Olivia was utterly bewildered.
“My lady?”
The maid who had stepped down from the carriage called to her. Olivia concealed the letter and climbed inside. Since the maid sat beside the coachman, Olivia was alone within the compartment. She immediately tore open the envelope.
It would be better for your household to wait until the next request. Please remain inconspicuous and stay as quiet as possible. I look forward to the day we meet.
“Wait for the next request……?”
And she looked forward to the day they would meet.
It sounds like she’s telling me not to accept the prince’s request and to wait instead.
Yet there was mention of a “next request.” Moreover, the tone suggested their meeting was inevitable.
Is she planning to issue an imperial command?
That made even less sense. The emperor had no interest in such matters. It was common knowledge that his relationship with the princess was particularly strained.
Olivia stared at the letter, brows furrowed.
“What on earth is she thinking……?”
She had a gut feeling that she had been swept into a storm far beyond her control.
Vera approached Cayena, who was leisurely reading while a maid brushed her hair, and reported in a low voice.
“Your Highness. Lord Raphael has once again requested an audience today.”
Cayena remained silent for a moment before answering with cool indifference.
“……Tell him I am still unwell and to schedule another time.”
“As you wish.”
This was already the fifth refusal since the discussion of a potential marriage alliance. In the meantime, rumors of Raphael’s marriage prospects had spread throughout high society, and the imperial palace had been flooded with visitors.
“What is Lejep doing right now?”
“He is currently entertaining Count Dominin.”
“The one who owns the sapphire mines? It’s been quite some time since he lost his wife, hasn’t it?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Nobles eager to claim the position of imperial son-in-law had been flocking to the palace without pause, keeping Lejep extremely busy. Since the emperor was absent and Cayena was still officially recovering from illness, the visitors could not be divided between them. This was an opportunity Cayena had deliberately created for her brother.
As a result, Lejep had begun forging connections with the most influential landed aristocrats—those whose influence was as heavy as their backsides. When powerful figures conversed, political interests were inevitably exchanged. Cayena’s marriage prospects had, in effect, handed Lejep a golden chance.
Lejep, who had been seething with rage over Grand Duke Heinrich, was overjoyed by the momentum Cayena had generated. He had even begun openly declaring that his only true ally was his sister.
In appreciation, he had increased the budget for the princess’s palace. With those funds, Cayena had lavished the maids with luxury goods. It went without saying that their attitudes had grown even more arrogant.
“I should prepare a snack for Lejep.”
Vera interpreted the remark as an order to have one prepared and asked, “What would you like me to arrange?”
Cayena replied, “I will make it myself.”
“……You, Your Highness?”
Not a single maid in the palace had ever seen her enter a kitchen. They had heard that her wet nurse used to bake snacks with her when she was young, but that was ancient history.
Besides, it had only been childish play. The maids exchanged puzzled glances as they followed Cayena toward the kitchens.
“We greet Her Highness the Princess!”
The kitchen staff jumped in alarm at the unexpected visit. Why would the princess ever come here? They could only exchange nervous glances.
Vera addressed the kitchen servants.
“Her Highness wishes to prepare a snack for His Highness the Prince herself.”
The explanation only deepened their confusion.
Did we do something wrong……?
“Continue with your work, everyone,” Cayena said, rolling up her sleeves and inspecting the available ingredients.
“Please command me, Your Highness! I will bring whatever you need at once!”
“I’m quite all right.”
The kitchen servant was instantly embarrassed by the princess’s mature tone.
Cayena took out flour, butter, sugar, and cinnamon. She moved with such familiarity that she seemed accustomed to kitchen work, selecting ingredients without even asking for a recipe.
That can’t be.
The head chef rubbed his eyes. Next he watched as Cayena picked up a knife and began neatly slicing an apple, peeling the skin in one continuous strip.
“I will do that, Your Highness!”
“Very well.”
Cayena promptly handed the apple and knife to the chef.
The head chef paused while finishing the peeling. The princess was someone who should never have touched a blade before. Yet the apple peel had come off in a paper-thin spiral.
That could still be a coincidence.
As he continued peeling, he glanced at the prepared ingredients and asked cautiously, “Are you making an apple pie?”
Cayena praised him as though he had done something clever.
“To recognize it just from the ingredients—you truly are a chef.”
While the head chef simmered the apples, Cayena began preparing the pie crust.
The chef, assisting at her side, could not hide his admiration. It was not the skill of a professional, but it was remarkably proficient.
“I had no idea Your Highness possessed such exceptional talent.”
The maids had already found her movements strangely adept, but when even the head chef praised her, they grew even more suspicious.
“Your preparation of the ingredients is truly excellent. And so quick, too.”
At those words, Cayena’s expression turned slightly pouty. The combination of a haughty beauty making such a face only doubled her charm.
“There is no need to flatter me so shamelessly.”
Well, I did live alone for several years in my previous life.
Having grown up in a single-parent household and then lived entirely by herself after her mother’s death from illness, she had no choice but to become familiar with kitchen work. The fact that her mother had been a baker had only added to that experience.
“Your tongue is as smooth as if it were greased with oil.”
She scolded the head chef with a prim tone. He waved his hands in a fluster.
“N-no, Your Highness! I truly mean it!”
But to anyone listening, it sounded exactly like flattery, so the maids dismissed their doubts with a knowing as expected.
“Even if you didn’t flatter me so, I would still give you one.”
Cayena placed the two filled pies into the preheated oven and spoke in a teasing tone. The chef looked deeply moved. To be served food personally prepared by a member of the imperial family—it was something he could boast about for generations.
Seeing the chef’s ecstatic reaction, the maids became even more convinced. The man had clearly been bewitched by the princess’s beauty and was simply losing his composure.
There’s no need to appear overly talented.
Everything had to remain within the realm of what others could accept. Showing off too many skills would only raise suspicion.
“Since I baked two pies, everyone should be able to have a taste.”
They recalled the pies that had looked quite presentable and waited in anticipation.
“How do you plan to deliver them to His Highness the Prince?”
Lydia asked with clear ulterior motives, seeing it as a chance to catch a glimpse of Lejep’s face.
Cayena had originally intended to send Vera. But after hearing Lydia, she realized many of the maids wanted to be the one to deliver the snack.
If I send Vera in this situation, it will only hasten division…….
Using such malicious tactics while trying to win Vera’s loyalty would never earn true devotion. She decided it would be better to let the maids compete among themselves.
“Any of you may go.”
At Cayena’s words, the maids immediately began eyeing one another.
Once the pies were baked, Cayena transferred them to a different plate she had prepared in advance. They needed to cool sufficiently.
But the moment she moved the pies, a hand shot forward.
“I will take this to His Highness!”
Lydia snatched the plate Cayena had just set down.
“Ah, that one is—!”
Before the startled head chef could stop her, Lydia let out a scream.
“Kyaa! It’s hot!”
She reflexively hurled the plate. Naturally, the scalding pie flew straight toward Cayena, who stood directly in front of her.
“Your Highness!”
Cayena had rolled up her sleeves while cooking, leaving her bare arm completely exposed. The burning-hot pie landed directly on her skin.
The villainess is a marionette.