Chapter 36
“Your Majesty, I see no harm in it.”
“Why is that?”
“Even if there are no enemies in that place, it would be wise to study the terrain of the mountain range in detail and record it.
Is it not Your Majesty’s land now?
Do you not agree?”
When Austin sought agreement, the men inside the banquet hall began nodding one by one.
“Planting Triphyna’s flag there and declaring it as Your Majesty’s domain would also be a fine gesture.”
Ariella thought Austin’s answer was remarkably clever.
It was not that the emperor found her words unreasonable or was unwilling to accept them.
A small delay in timing was not an issue of great importance.
The problem was that she was a woman, and worse, her son’s woman.
It wounded his pride.
“Very well, let it be done.”
At last, the emperor’s permission was granted, and Ariella exhaled deeply, like a fish barely dipping its gills into water.
“The reason I grant your request…”
Frederick lit another cigarette.
A plume of acrid smoke rose immediately, veiling his blue eyes in a hazy grey.
“…is because of your loyalty in surveying the terrain of the empire by following in my footsteps.
Last time, that loyalty saved your life.
Now we must see what more you can do.”
Ariella bent her knees deeply and offered her respect.
She buried the emperor’s chilling words about seeing what more you can do deep within her heart.
From that moment, the atmosphere turned urgent.
Outside, the banquet continued in full swing, but inside the chamber, the air was heavy with the scent of war.
In the end, the emperor did not return to the feast.
Instead, he led the men to a conference hall on the second floor.
“Will you be returning to the banquet hall?”
Even Austin’s gentle voice made Ariella flinch, her nerves fraying.
She forced herself to answer calmly, though she felt she might collapse at any moment.
“No, I plan to find my maid and return to the palace.”
Austin gave a slight nod.
Just then, someone entered the banquet hall.
“Her Majesty the Empress seeks the Crown Princess.”
Ariella’s shoulders slumped involuntarily, and Austin chuckled softly at the sight.
She told herself to gather her body and mind, but strength would not come.
Her legs trembled so much that it was difficult to stand.
“It seems I should escort you.”
Austin extended his arm.
This time, she did not refuse.
Soon, Ariella reached the platform where the empress awaited.
Austin escorted her only to the steps, then turned away toward the conference hall where the emperor was waiting.
Calming her pounding heart, Ariella lifted her gaze toward the dais.
Empress Johanna was, as always, regal and beautiful.
Her eyes and expression revealed nothing.
Though her dress was of Triphyna, it exuded a foreign charm.
Perhaps it was the exotic jewellery, harmonising perfectly with her gown.
Even under the weight of countless gazes, Ariella strove to maintain composure.
“I greet the Most High Empress.”
“It has been a while.”
Johanna was like a doe, wandering leisurely across a green meadow.
“I felt I had been too neglectful, so I asked to meet you separately.”
Ariella realised it was the first time she had truly heard the empress’s voice.
Until now, Johanna had spoken only short greetings or replies.
Her voice, deeper than expected for her youthful face, resonated through the hall.
The brilliant chandeliers hanging from the high ceiling poured their light straight upon her.
“I am honoured.”
“Honoured? That is far too grand.”
Ariella dipped into a small curtsey.
“I hear the crown princess has but one maid, and that one was brought from her homeland.
If I may excuse myself, the situation left me unable to intervene until now.
Surely the crown princess understands this better than anyone?”
It was a roundabout way of saying her coronation had been delayed because of Forenze.
Ariella gave an awkward smile.
“It is nothing. I have had no real inconvenience.”
“But is it not absurd for Triphyna’s crown princess to have only one maid?
Soon, I will select and send you suitable attendants.”
In the palace, maids meant power.
Especially in Triphyna’s imperial family, where the bond between mistress and maid was absolute.
They shared life and death, whether by choice or circumstance.
Once bound, the relationship lasted until the mistress was deposed or the maid died.
The stronger the mistress’s power, the more her maid’s family prospered.
It was not something to be decided lightly.
Ariella recalled what Gerald had once told her about Johanna.
That she was dignified, benevolent.
Once, the beloved princess of a nation, she caught Frederick’s eye and became empress of the great empire overnight.
A beautiful, mysterious woman.
To those loyal to her, she was endlessly kind.
To those who insulted her, merciless.
In the social circles of Triphyna, she had yet to wield true influence.
Her youth and status as a foreigner were the main reasons.
And Johanna herself seemed disinterested in society.
Her power rested solely on the emperor’s favour.
“In that case, may I make a request?”
Ordinarily, Ariella would have held her tongue.
Naming a household could easily appear as though she sought to build her own faction.
But this chance might never come again.
The right to appoint the crown princess’s maids lay solely with the empress.
“Speak freely.”
Johanna smiled like a gentle breeze, her reputation for benevolence not unfounded.
“I would like to choose one of the maids myself.”
The empress’s brow furrowed slightly at the request.
“Is there a particular family you have in mind?”
“I have only just arrived from Firenze.
How could I already favour a family?”
“Then what?”
Ariella wanted to bring in Sabrina.
A commoner could become a maid, but it was rare.
Some would say Ariella was being foolish.
“I only ask that I be allowed to choose someone who pleases me.”
She did not need a powerful house.
She needed someone who would truly stand by her.
“Do you already have someone in mind?”
“Yes, there is someone I have been watching.”
If given the chance, she would repay the debt of loyalty.
Sabrina worked desperately to earn money, supporting her entire family alone.
Even if Ariella were to return to her homeland, Sabrina would enjoy better treatment than she ever had as a servant.
Her younger brother could go to school.
Her mother could finally afford medicine too costly before.
After a pause, the empress gave a faint smile.
“Very well.”
Ariella’s face brightened.
She did not know what Johanna truly intended by granting permission.
The ease of her approval was unsettling.
Still, once Sabrina became her maid, it would be clear she had no intent to form a political faction.
She already knew where Sabrina had been assigned.
Soon she would find a reason to bring her to the crown princess’s residence.
Sabrina was one of the few Ariella could truly trust in this empire, alongside Gerald.
Even before being officially at her side, the thought of her brought strength.
After the audience with the empress, Ariella scanned the banquet hall in search of Reina.
She felt nearly faint from exhaustion, but the night had yielded some gain.
Her mind replayed the events of the feast, even as her eyes roamed ceaselessly for her friend.
Reina, ever sociable, was likely mingling somewhere in the crowd.
She had loved banquets since childhood.
She is trapped here because of me.
As the atmosphere grew livelier, hiding behind pillars became impossible.
Unable to move about freely, Ariella’s search grew inefficient.
The dazzling swirl of gowns and jewels before her eyes made her dizzy.
She decided she had better retreat to a lounge on the second floor for a brief rest.
But when she reached the staircase, no one came to guide her.
The attendants in the hall were too busy tending to noble demands.
Left with no choice, Ariella climbed alone.
A soldier stood guard at the passage to the second floor, but he did not stop her.
At the top, a long corridor stretched out on either side.
The scale of the castle inside matched its imposing exterior.
The great hall of Eldengrave opened only for the emperor’s birthday banquet.
Perhaps that was why the dark end of the right corridor seemed like a passage to another world.
She turned her head left instead.
Light from the balconies spilt at intervals, illuminating parts of the hallway.
Just as she began walking that way, a burst of high laughter from women reached her ears.
Ariella changed her mind, heading instead toward the quiet side.
Rest was what she needed most.
Halfway down the corridor, she felt she had entered another realm entirely.
The high ceilings muffled all sound.
In the silence and gloom, she hesitated.
The emperor’s words came back to her—he and his men had gone to a conference room on the second floor.
