The Chief Maid's Fall
The traveling merchant Person felt that something was off. The central palace kitchen’s supply warehouse was unusually empty today.
He stepped deeper into the warehouse and called out for the assistant chef.
“Hey, Alec…!”
The person who appeared was not only the assistant chef. The head chef stood there with a deathly pale face, surrounded by a crowd of unfamiliar figures. Among them, one person in particular seized his gaze.
Good heavens.
In all his life, Person had never seen anyone so beautiful. Her coloring was so pale she almost seemed to radiate light. She walked out from the dark warehouse into the sunlight. The maid standing beside her spoke.
“Show proper respect to Her Highness the Princess.”
Only then did Person realize that the woman before him was the infamous Princess Cayena. Having been utterly captivated by her beauty, he hurriedly threw himself to the floor.
“This lowly one dares to greet Your esteemed Highness the Princess!”
A clear, resonant voice descended upon his flattened head.
“Rise.”
His body stiff with tension, he awkwardly climbed to his feet.
But why has Her Highness come here…?
“I never even knew the face of the person who prepares food for His Majesty and my siblings. How neglectful I have been. I came myself to see the hard work of those beneath me.”
He grew even more bewildered.
Is this real?
He couldn’t quite grasp the situation. Still, he quickly bowed his head deeply.
“Thank you, Your Highness!”
“Then shouldn’t we inspect the ingredients?”
At those words, Person lifted his head and inadvertently glanced at the head chef. The man’s face was twisted in distress.
…The receipt must not be discovered.
He had delivered the goods without producing any receipt. He merely checked the quality and quantity of the items while carefully watching their reactions. It seemed the matter would pass quietly.
“It appears you handle deliveries without receipts?”
At Cayena’s words, Person jumped as if burned.
“Pardon? Ah, th-this humble one forgot to bring the receipt today!”
At that moment, the head chef stepped forward.
“Such is the way of ignorant merchants, Your Highness. Still, we have traded with them for a long time, and the trust we have built is considerable. In such cases, we often substitute with a simple receipt.”
“Y-yes, that’s correct.”
Cayena burst into laughter. Her clear, refreshing laugh made everyone forget the grave atmosphere and stare in confusion.
Thanks to the life she had lived before, she had become considerably more composed. The meticulous nature of her previous existence had made her rational, and she had developed the habit of remaining silent until she acted.
However, Cayena was, by nature, a villainess.
“It seems I have been far too lenient until now.”
“…Pardon?”
They instinctively sensed that something was wrong.
“Seize the merchant and search the carriage.”
The head chef, his face drained of color, cried out in panic.
“Your Highness! You cannot oppress your subjects without any justification!”
She spoke in a cold voice.
“Force him to his knees.”
“Your Highness!”
The knights who had been waiting in the rear bound both the head chef and the merchant, then searched the cargo wagon.
“Your Highness, we have found the receipt!”
At a glance, the receipt listed countless items that had never actually been delivered. The faces of the merchant and the head chef turned deathly pale.
Cayena held out her hand to Vera. The maid quickly removed the ring and silk gloves for her. Cayena approached the kneeling head chef.
“Y-Your Highness! This is a misunderstanding. I am innocent…!”
Slap!
The head chef’s face snapped to the side.
“Your Highness! You cannot do this! His Highness the Prince personally appointed me, and yet you treat me like…!”
Realizing this was not going well, he invoked Rezef’s name.
Slap!
Cayena struck his cheek once more. Only then did he fall silent.
“Not only have you dared to touch the national treasury, but you have sold your own people and sent them to their deaths. How heartless. It chills me to the bone.”
The knights had initially been bewildered by Cayena’s actions, but after witnessing the shocking reality with their own eyes, they burned with fury.
“They have even deceived Your Highness the Princess! These wretches deserve to have their heads cut off immediately, Your Highness!”
Deceiving the imperial family was a crime more serious than any other.
“Right before my eyes, they threatened a servant named Rosh. I never imagined I would witness such a terrifying sight.”
Cayena shook her head slowly.
“If the central palace kitchen, which is supposed to be managed with the utmost strictness, is in this state, what must the other places be like?”
At those words, one of the servants hurriedly slipped away and ran off. Cayena made no effort to stop him. This inspection had been launched with the intention of shaking the entire imperial palace to its core.
“Throw these people into the dungeon and interrogate them.”
“We obey your command!”
The imperial palace has been thrown into chaos.
The imperial family’s residence was turned upside down. Everyone from the head chef of the central palace kitchen downward was dragged off to the dungeon under the knights’ escort. Many people witnessed the scene.
Amid the turmoil, only Cayena walked across the palace with lofty grace. Vera followed behind her, head bowed low.
“I am sorry, Your Highness.”
Cayena paused for a moment and looked at both Vera and Olivia. She let out a small sigh. Vera’s shoulders shrank even further. Olivia wore a slightly troubled expression.
“Vera, your eye for detail and insight are truly excellent… but today you were reckless.”
Vera immediately dropped to her knees.
“Even if I had ten mouths, I would have nothing to say. My foolishness has brought shame upon Your Highness and put Lady Olivia in danger as well.”
Olivia promptly knelt beside her.
“I joined the matter of my own will. I too deserve to be punished.”
Cayena looked back and forth between the two, then sighed again. She personally helped them to their feet.
“Confronting wicked people head-on can lead to disaster. I do not want any harm to come to either of you.”
Vera pressed her lips tightly together. Tears threatened to spill.
“Besides, weren’t you both ultimately right? They are criminals. They committed the grave offense of touching the imperial treasury. You did well.”
“I am sorry…”
Cayena gently patted Vera, whose eyes were brimming with tears.
Olivia asked cautiously.
“But do you truly intend to inspect the other places as well?”
Vera, who had barely calmed herself, also looked worried.
“Won’t the nobles become even more wary?”
It had only been three days since Rezef had been ordered into confinement. Yet with a single swing of her blade, she had destroyed the central palace kitchen. There was no way the noble factions supporting Rezef would remain silent.
“Once the sword has been drawn, putting it away halfway will only invite a backlash.”
Since things had come to this, it would be better to reorganize the Inner Palace Department and establish proper discipline.
To reassure them, Cayena spoke lightly.
“Managing the Inner Palace Department is ultimately just housekeeping. People will simply think I am practicing household management ahead of my marriage.”
“I see…”
It would be better to handle this properly and use it as leverage to gain an advantage.
If she could reorganize the leaking treasury and protect the imperial family’s assets, it would be an achievement worthy of a substantial reward. Cayena intended to secure compensation equal to the budget she would recover once this matter was concluded.
Just then, someone called out to Cayena as she headed toward the detached palace. It sounded almost like a scream.
“Your Highness the Princess!”
A group of court officials—who had clearly been conspiring somewhere—rushed toward her in a crowd. Every one of their faces looked terrible.
Cayena regarded them with indifference. Her icy blue eyes now held a stern dignity that had not been there before.
“You have come at just the right time.”
She smiled faintly.
“I was just about to summon you all. How convenient that you have arrived together like this.”
Mrs. Hillyer stepped forward with a cold, rigid expression, her back ramrod straight.
“Your Highness, conducting an inspection without any prior notice? I fear this may appear as though you distrust the loyal subjects who serve the imperial palace.”
Mrs. Hillyer bowed deeply.
“A reasonable point.”
Cayena acknowledged it lightly.
It is impressive that the princess has managed to stir things up this much.
Mrs. Hillyer inwardly scorned the princess. Although the central palace kitchen had been overturned unexpectedly, the head chef had also been a thorn in Mrs. Hillyer’s side. She knew the ruffians he associated with were violent thugs who did not hesitate to commit murder.
But this cannot continue.
As always, she held herself with the lofty dignity of a living exemplar of courtly conduct.
To Cayena, it looked utterly ridiculous. She already knew that the chief maid had not directly touched the treasury herself, but instead profited through her authority over personnel. The bribes she had received were considerable.
“As expected of the chief maid who serves as a model for all court officials, you point out aspects I had not considered.”
“I am grateful that you understand my meaning.”
“Your discernment is truly remarkable.”
“…What do you mean by that?”
Cayena turned to face Mrs. Hillyer directly. Her gaze fell upon one of the woman’s earrings.
“It seems the salary provided by the imperial palace is far more generous than I realized. To see a treasure from the fallen Madrenna royal family dangling from a mere chief maid’s ear.”
Mrs. Hillyer flinched and curled her hand inward. The unique, antique pearl earring she wore was one of the Madrenna royal family’s treasures.
Cayena then pointed at the ring.
“And that is the ruby ring used by the first head of the Pauline family at his wedding.”
All eyes turned to Mrs. Hillyer’s hand. A deep, blood-like ruby glittered there.
“…This is merely a trinket my husband gave me as a gift.”
What a fool.
Cayena looked at Mrs. Hillyer coldly as the woman invoked her husband without even knowing the origin of the bribes.
“It seems Count Hillyer frequents the black market quite often?”
“…Pardon?”
She thought she must have misheard.
“A chief maid as well-versed in imperial law as yourself could not possibly be unaware that black market dealings are illegal.”
Mrs. Hillyer felt the weight of everyone’s stares upon her. Her legs trembled, yet her expression remained composed, as befitting a seasoned noblewoman.
“Your Highness, this is a misunderstanding. These are items with proper certificates of authenticity. How could you call them black market goods?”
“Do you perhaps remember the seal stamped on the certificate?”
Mrs. Hillyer desperately tried to recall the certificate. What family’s crest had it been? She thought there had been a sword and lions.
“Was it not a crest with one sword and two lions? And laurels encircling them.”
“…That is correct.”
It was exact. That only made it more ominous. How could the princess know such a thing? It was a crest even Mrs. Hillyer had not recognized. She realized that something had gone terribly wrong.
The villainess is a marionette.