The Same Person, A New Stage
After Cayena’s return, the princess’s palace had remained as still as a predator lying in wait. Those who failed to grasp the meaning behind that silence simply said the princess had learned to behave herself.
But Vera was different. She matched the silence with her own, keeping her eyes and ears sharply alert. She watched for the moment a great storm would sweep through the palace. And when the chance finally came, she seized it without hesitation.
The same Cayena who had supposedly fainted after eating nut cookies rose from her bed in perfect health. Annie and Dona stood guard outside the door. They drew the curtains and lit candles, brightening the room.
“Vera.”
Cayena held out her hand. Vera hurried to the bedside, knelt on the floor, and clasped it.
“I know your family has staked everything on supporting Rezef.”
Even though Cayena already knew she served the prince, Vera showed no surprise. For some reason, she simply believed that of course Cayena would know.
“I intend to make Rezef emperor.”
“…….”
Vera swallowed dryly. What words could possibly carry more weight than those?
Yet Cayena continued as casually as if she were merely deciding what to serve for afternoon tea.
“It means that following me is not a betrayal of your family or Rezef.”
“……Your Highness.”
“Rezef is not a delicate child. No matter how hard you run yourself ragged for him, you will never rise even to the rank of baroness.”
The words cut deep. That single goal was all Vera had run toward until now.
She had always carried anxiety in her heart—the realistic fear that everything might be in vain. Whenever those thoughts surfaced, she told herself her resolve was simply too weak and turned away from them.
“Receiving a post in the imperial court and receiving a noble title are two entirely different matters.”
A title was not granted with a simple declaration. It required complex legal procedures.
Vera had been desperate enough for that title to cling to such a difficult path.
“I know your family intends to marry you to your cousin, and that is why you volunteered to become my maid—as if fleeing from them.”
“How could you possibly…!”
Vera stared at Cayena with wide, shocked eyes.
“And that the shameless man plans to take you as his wife while making your younger sisters his concubines.”
Not a flicker of emotion crossed Cayena’s face. The calm, almost indifferent way she recited the facts felt eerie. Vera wanted to bite her own tongue.
“You planned to earn a title yourself and take your sisters away, didn’t you?”
As if she understood everything, Cayena gently stroked Vera’s hair.
This capable and diligent maid carried far too heavy a sense of responsibility. To protect herself and her sisters from parents trapped in outdated thinking, she had walked straight into this ruthless imperial palace. She was only twenty-five. Still too young to bear such a burden.
Cayena remembered her own second life, when she had struggled to care for her ailing mother while barely keeping herself alive. Back then, even a grown woman had been too young to handle everything alone.
That was why Cayena willingly stepped forward as Vera’s protector.
“You no longer need to worry about anything.”
Vera squeezed her eyes shut. Tears rolled heavily down her cheeks. The emotion that filled her heart was pure relief.
“……My younger siblings are still so young.”
“I know.”
“My father sees his daughters only as property.”
Most nobles were the same.
With her tear-streaked face, Vera spoke through gritted teeth.
“Neither I nor my sisters are tools to maintain our family’s position.”
She was certain that Cayena, more than anyone, would understand her. After all, Cayena was the one who had been completely isolated within these palace walls, manipulated at will by either the emperor or the prince whenever it suited them.
Cayena smiled. The smile was so sorrowful that, for a moment, Vera thought Cayena looked more pitiful than herself.
With just one title, Vera could be free.
But what about Cayena?
After calmly gathering herself, Vera asked with dry eyes.
“What do you intend to do now, Your Highness?”
The question carried solemn resolve.
Cayena spoke of the plan she had already prepared.
“Do I have any particularly shabby dresses?”
The courtiers gazed down from the railing at the floor below. There knelt Cayena, wearing a plain dress that looked more like sleepwear or loungewear.
“Your Highness, you mustn’t do this here……”
The princess who had collapsed from an allergic reaction had done this the moment she opened her eyes.
Whether courtiers or knights, everyone was utterly perplexed. With the princess kneeling before the central palace, how could anyone simply walk past? They found themselves trapped inside the imperial grounds. It was a hostage play aimed at them all.
Cayena held her position with a tragic expression, looking like a fragile princess whose only support was her younger brother. Only her last remaining maid, Vera, stood by her side to support her.
“If you continue like this, something truly terrible will happen……!”
When it became clear the princess had no intention of yielding, the courtiers retreated in discomfort.
The people most delighted by this news were, naturally, the noble faction supporting Rezef. Because of Rezef’s indefinite house arrest, Zenon had called an emergency meeting. In the middle of it, this welcome report arrived. One noble exclaimed,
“My word, why is the princess suddenly doing us such a great favor?”
There had been occasions when Rezef directly manipulated Cayena and reaped the rewards. But this was the first time Cayena had willingly offered such substantial help.
While everyone celebrated their unexpected windfall, only Zenon’s eyes gleamed with sharp suspicion.
Is this truly an action taken for Prince Rezef?
Had it been the old Cayena, he could have read her true intentions without much thought.
But things were different now. In this single incident, every maid in the princess’s palace had been cast out. Rezef’s influence had been severely weakened. On top of that, Rezef had incurred the emperor’s full wrath and been placed under indefinite house arrest.
Cayena had lost nothing. Instead, she had gained the freedom to fill the princess’s palace with whichever maids she desired. The most logical conclusion was that they had fallen into one of Cayena’s schemes.
Was the nut cookie incident genuine?
He had even begun to doubt that much.
No, that’s overthinking it.
In any case, since she was currently petitioning on Rezef’s behalf, this was an opportunity.
“How is His Majesty?”
“They say he hasn’t moved an inch.”
They seriously debated whether they would have to wait until the emperor’s fury subsided.
Zenon stepped forward.
“If we fail to resolve this today, the momentum will shift toward Grand Prince Heinrich.”
“Exactly. We have no time to waste—everyone, proceed to the audience chamber at once!”
“Your Majesty, what do you intend to do?”
The question referred to Cayena kneeling outside in petition.
“How long has she been there?”
“Three hours, Your Majesty.”
Cayena had been kneeling for three full hours in her thin, shabby dress.
“The physician warns that if she continues to push herself like this, it may become life-threatening.”
At that moment, a servant entered the bedroom.
“Your Majesty, the nobles request an audience.”
A long list of names followed—Zenon Evans and the other nobles who supported Rezef.
“They’re biting the bait the moment they see it.”
This was clearly an opportunity Cayena had manufactured for them. The emperor gestured.
“Let them in.”
When the doors opened, roughly a dozen nobles rushed inside. They swept their cloaks back and knelt on one knee in unison.
“Your Majesty! We beg you to take pity on Her Highness the Princess!”
The emperor’s icy blue eyes swept over them.
“Do you truly have the right to ask me to pity the princess?”
“This is all a misunderstanding! It is undeniable that His Highness the Prince failed to control his maids’ insolence, but this punishment is excessive!”
“I was excessive?”
They no longer feared the setting sun as they once had. Some even believed a father who would imprison his own son deserved condemnation.
“Please reconsider, Your Majesty!”
They bowed their heads and shouted together. It was a display of power. Even an emperor could not completely ignore the collective voice of so many nobles gathered in one place.
Then a servant ran in urgently and whispered to the chief attendant. The attendant bowed low and spoke with apparent reluctance.
“Your Majesty, they say Her Highness the Princess has collapsed. The physician is attending her.”
The nobles seized the moment and cried out in feigned anguish.
“Your Majesty!”
The emperor watched their united, hypocritical performance for a moment before speaking.
“I have not yet pronounced the prince’s punishment.”
“Your……! Pardon?”
The nobles looked momentarily stunned.
The emperor continued.
“Rezef will be confined for ten days. I will issue the formal decree shortly. You may leave.”