Chapter 108
Sarah, who was kneeling and bowing on the floor, began speaking without hesitation, as if she had prepared her confession in advance.
“Y-Yes! It’s true that I took money from Her Highness Empress Cleo to secretly torment Her Highness the Princess! It’s true that I stole money, fine cloth, jewels—so many things! I also reported every one of Her Highness’s movements, and spread malicious rumors about her relationship with Lord Raymond! I deserve to die for my crimes!”
“……”
At this point, the fact that the servants of the Rose Palace had mocked and tormented their mistress hardly felt unfair anymore.
No matter what, if you’re working in the imperial palace and act so foolishly without considering the consequences, a disaster is bound to happen. Especially in the case of Sarah and Mary—it had always been obvious they were acting under Empress Cleo’s influence. I had assumed that their survival and sudden return to me meant Cleo was plotting something again, sending them to spy on me. But this?
As I stared, bewildered, Sarah continued, as if she had made up her mind. Her eyes trembled.
“B-Before Miriam died, I spoke with her.”
Miriam? Who’s that? I tilted my head, and Debbie whispered in my ear.
“She’s the maid who went into the Rose Palace to steal Your Highness’s sword, and later spread rumors that she’d been possessed by a ghost.”
“Ah…”
—Yes! That insolent wretch who dared to touch me without permission and then spread slander that I was a cursed demon sword! To think she tried to steal me from my noble contractor! へ[ ᴼ ▃ ᴼ ]_/¯!! Unforgivable!!
‘No, no, calm down. She already lost her life — that’s punishment enough.’
Honestly, that maid wasn’t truly evil. Well, sneaking into a royal’s chamber to steal something is a capital crime, but screaming and running away in terror after accidentally touching the talking sword wasn’t really her fault. Who wouldn’t have panicked?
I remembered how she’d tried to insult both me and the Empress, only to fail miserably—and how Cleo, enraged, pinned all the blame on her and had her brutally punished.
Yes. She must have died. There was no way to save her. Even though I had miraculously awakened with the sacred sword’s power, it would have made no sense for me to rescue someone who’d dared call my sword a demon blade.
Sarah, trembling, raised her head.
“S-She said… the sword really talked to her. And that it even called itself a ‘thief.’ She said… maybe the power Your Highness showed in the palace wasn’t fake after all…”
“Is that so? But I doubt Empress Cleo would ever have allowed such a sinner to meet anyone. How did you two manage to speak?”
Were they from the same hometown or something? Sarah hadn’t exactly been in a good position back then. Maybe she had risked it all to visit Miriam out of pity?
“I-I bribed one of the guards to sneak in and see her. Back when I used to smuggle bits of lace and fabric out of the Rose Palace, Miriam would sell them for me outside…”
So, not pity—a business partner. A partner in petty theft and smuggling. Judging from how she kept glancing around guiltily, she hadn’t visited out of friendship at all. More likely, she was terrified that Miriam’s arrest for theft would lead the trail back to her, so she went to check the situation. Well, at least she was honest—that made her more believable.
“I-I know Miriam committed a terrible crime! And I know I also deserve to die for what I’ve done to Your Highness! B-But… to slaughter not just Miriam, but her whole family, even her village—saying they plotted to summon demons into the palace and assassinate His Majesty the Emperor… That’s too cruel!”
“…That happened?”
All expression drained from my face. Tears began streaming down Sarah’s cheeks.
“W-When I went to see her, Her Highness Empress Cleo suddenly appeared. I hid, but… she whipped Miriam over and over, shouting that if it hadn’t been for her, she never would’ve had to resort to such schemes. That it was Miriam’s fault things had gone wrong. She yelled that the sick mother and the youngest brother Miriam had been sending her stolen money to—she’d see to it that they were stoned to death in public for treason. Said everyone in their filthy little village would share her punishment…”
“……”
The room fell silent, except for Sarah’s shaky sobs.
“After the Empress left, Miriam, covered in blood, called out to me. She begged me—begged me to save her little brother. She said she’d give me all the money she’d hidden away if I could just save him. He’s only ten this year… He’s smart, and his dream was to study properly here in the capital… But what could I have done?”
True.
Anyone who tried to help those accused of treason would be executed too. And considering how serious the recent incident in the palace had been, and how vengeful Cleo had become…
A mere commoner like Sarah could never have done anything. Miriam must have known that, but begged anyway. And Sarah, helpless, had lived ever since under a weight of guilt.
“T-Then, one day, the Empress summoned me. She said she’d send me back to the Rose Palace if I stayed close to Her Highness Princess Titania and reported everything I saw. I-I was terrified, but I asked about Miriam. The Empress laughed and said that as long as I obeyed her, I wouldn’t end up like Miriam. The next day… Miriam was gone.”
Sarah’s entire body shook as if she would collapse any moment.
“I-I spent what little money I had to find out what happened. Her whole village… was executed for treason. Miriam’s family—what they did to them was… unspeakable. I-I don’t want to die like that! If I must die, I want to be the only one who does. I can’t drag my family down with me!”
“……”
Sarah crawled forward on her knees and grabbed my skirt.
“I-I’ve done wrong, Your Highness! Truly! Please, just once—please forgive me and help me!”
She clutched my hem as if it were her lifeline.
“I-I have a younger sister, Your Highness. Our family’s poor, and she was sold as a servant to a noble bastard’s household… Her master’s cruel—she’s beaten for no reason! I wanted to buy her freedom, open a small beauty salon, and make an honest living. That’s why I took the money!”
My voice came out quiet and steady.
“And only now do you realize… that the Empress would never let you leave the palace alive with her money in your hands.”
“……”
Sarah choked back a sob.
“You should’ve chosen your master more wisely before taking her gold. Even if there’s nowhere in this palace completely beyond Her Majesty’s reach… If you’d focused on your work instead of scheming to earn extra coin, you might never have been sent here in the first place.”
“I-In truth, I wanted to serve the Empress directly, but… I wasn’t skilled enough.”
“At least you’re honest.”
Whether Sarah and Mary lived or died—I hadn’t planned to care. They were adults, fully aware of how things worked in the palace. They had taken Cleo’s bribes and chosen to torment a princess; whatever fate awaited them was of their own making.
So I had assumed she’d come again to deceive me, driven by fear and greed. But no—perhaps tragedy had opened her eyes at last.
Mary and Sarah were living proof that Empress Cleo had been scheming all along to control Princess Titania. And now that things had soured between us, she would never let such witnesses walk out alive.
“Y-Your Highness has changed so much,” Sarah said through tears. “Please, please show me mercy!”
Her gaze met mine—green eyes, cold and unreadable.
“When I was unconscious,” I asked softly, “what did you and Mary whisper to each other?”
“……”
“You said that I looked like a pretty doll, that I was worth the most when my mouth was shut and my eyes closed. You laughed that if I died, there’d be no one left to squeeze money from. And when I wore that shabby dress to visit my fiancé, nearly dying in the process, you giggled that maybe the pretty fool had finally rotted her brains. You thought I didn’t hear, whispering like that behind my back. But I did. I just pretended not to. Because I knew—any servant who can’t keep her tongue or her hands in check won’t live long in this palace.”
“Y-Your Highness…”
Sarah’s whole body trembled violently.
