Epilogue, Chapter 6
Five years later.
“Your Highness! Your Highness!”
“Still haven’t found the princess?”
“We apologize, Chief Lady Mari.”
The palace maids, who had been desperately searching every corner of the royal palace for Shasha under Mari’s scolding, lowered their heads in haste.
Sigh… Madam Miella is already here. Where on earth is the princess?
A sigh escaped Mari’s lips, the sigh of someone who was like the right hand of the Empress. The maids felt as if it was their fault that the princess had disappeared and bowed their heads even lower, unsure of what to do.
Hmph, did you really think I’d come out?
From her hiding place among the thick branches of a tree, Shasha snorted at the sight of Mari and the palace maids.
Wearing pretty clothes was fine, but being stuck as a doll in Madam Miella’s hands all day was unbearable.
Madam Miella, the chief designer of Luia’s fashion house and an unmatched figure in the fashion world, never compromised when it came to anything fashion-related. She demanded perfection not only in dresses but in shoes and accessories as well. Everything had to match her dresses flawlessly.
If Shasha got caught by Madam Miella, she would have to spend the entire day—or sometimes even several days—putting on and taking off countless dresses and accessories in front of her.
Just thinking about it was horrifying.
For lively Shasha, spending time with Madam Miella was inevitably torturous. Shasha hid from the maids’ eyes, hoping that Madam Miella would give up and leave quickly.
“The palace is noisy today.”
Startled by the sudden soft voice, Mari and the maids quickly looked to see who had spoken and bowed hastily.
“Viscount Louis!”
The man called Viscount Louis swept his ash-gray hair back with his fingers as he strode toward them.
Evan Lee Louis.
That was Evan’s current name, elevated to nobility with the title of Viscount.
Even after five years, he was still Bii’s guardian knight. Because the Empress’s guard had to be of noble blood, Sis had granted Evan a title. Unlike a lifetime title that ended with one person, this was a hereditary title that could be passed down to his children.
Granting a hereditary title to a commoner was not easy, even for the Emperor, but Sis avoided opposition from other nobles by not giving Evan any territory.
As Bii’s guardian knight, Evan spent most of his time inside the palace. Managing a territory would have been nothing but a nuisance. Territories could always be granted later if the need arose.
Sis still did not particularly like Evan, but regardless of her feelings, he was indispensable to Bii. Granting him noble status was the best favor Sis could do for him.
“Has something happened while I was away?”
Soon, the Empire would hold its founding festival.
Although the festival came once a year, this year was special—it marked the 1,000th year since the former tiny kingdom of Priston was declared an empire.
The empire was in a state of internal and external turmoil, but today, it was unusually chaotic.
Evan had gone out briefly in the morning and was returning. He frowned, worried that something significant might have happened while he was away.
“The princess… has disappeared.”
Mari’s face flushed with embarrassment as she spoke in response to Evan’s question.
Evan immediately understood what she meant and nodded slightly to acknowledge it.
The empire’s only princess often put the palace maids in difficult situations like this. Shasha did not intend to bother the maids, but her sudden behavior forced them to run around in panic.
Shasha already had a history of such extravagant acts, so Evan was not surprised by the news of her disappearance.
He relaxed the tense muscles in his body and spoke.
“You haven’t found her yet?”
“Yes.”
“Do you have any idea where she might be?”
“No… her range of movement has expanded recently…”
Mari trailed off.
The imperial palace, known as the largest in the continent, was now too small for Shasha, who had even ventured from the inner palace to the outer palace.
Unlike the inner palace, the outer palace saw frequent visits from outsiders, giving Shasha many places to hide. The maids now had even more areas to search. Thanks to Bii, who allowed Shasha freedom as long as she was not in danger, and Sis, who would unconditionally say “yes” to whatever Shasha wanted, it was only the maids who suffered from the princess’s antics.
“I hurried back because I wanted to see Shasha as soon as possible. But it seems it’s troublesome now.”
Evan glanced at the tree, his eyes following the faint movements. Despite saying “troublesome,” a calm smile played on his lips.
The maids, not sensitive to human energy, were completely oblivious, but Evan could clearly sense the small presence in the tree.
Moreover, Sis, who was overprotective of Shasha, would never leave her alone. The princess was always surrounded by hidden knights, guarding her. Just sensing the knights’ presence was enough for Evan to pinpoint Shasha’s location—like now.
“I’m disappointed the princess isn’t here. Since that’s the case, I’ll stay outside a little longer before returning.”
“No!”
“Your Highness!”
Hearing Evan’s intention to go back outside, Shasha shouted urgently from the tree. Mari’s face drained of color as she spotted Shasha above.
“How did you even get up there? It’s dangerous! Come down immediately—no, stay there!”
Mari panicked. The tree towered well above adult height. Falling from it would likely cost a broken arm or leg.
Mari broke into a cold sweat, imagining the worst.
“I’ll climb up and bring her down. You, fetch a ladder quickly.”
“Yes, Chief Lady Mari.”
Mari hurried the maids beside her, thinking about how to safely bring Shasha down. The maids rushed off to fetch a ladder.
“I’m right here. Don’t go! You mustn’t!”
Ignoring Mari’s worry, Shasha focused on Evan and spoke urgently.
“Do you understand? Okay?”
When Evan did not answer, Shasha looked at him anxiously, prompting a reply. A smile still lingered on Evan’s lips.
“I won’t go.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
Shasha’s face brightened like sunlight. Her hair cascaded down her waist, her green eyes were vivid as if capturing the freshness of the meadows, and her plump lips were perfectly formed—a miniature reflection of Bii in every way except for her striking platinum hair.
“I’m coming down!”
“Caw!”
Suddenly, Shasha leapt toward Evan.
Mari screamed, frozen in terror. Unlike Mari, Evan skillfully caught the falling child as if he had anticipated it.
“Heh!”
Shasha’s small body was safely in Evan’s arms. While his expression remained composed, Shasha giggled with delight.
“This behavior is dangerous.”
“It’s not dangerous at all!”
Shasha tilted her head, puzzled.
“What if you fell and got hurt?”
“But Evan would catch me.”
“If I hadn’t, you would have been seriously injured.”
“But it’s Evan!”
The child’s boundless trust made Evan’s face twitch awkwardly. Shasha was right; Evan could easily catch a falling child. When the child jumped, his body instinctively adjusted to catch her.
The chance of dropping her was slim, but not impossible.
“I do make mistakes sometimes.”
Her trust was appreciated, but her actions were dangerous. Evan, noticing the playful expression and the jump, wasn’t surprised but still warned firmly:
“Do not do this again.”
“I’m not hurt!”
“Shasha…”
“Your Highness, are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”
Shasha had absolute faith that as long as Evan was there, she wouldn’t get hurt. Evan sighed at her complete lack of concern for danger.
Before he could explain, Mari regained her senses and intervened.
“Why did you jump from the tree? Do you know how scared I was? I thought my heart would stop!”
“Mari, my ears hurt.”
“And that’s the problem now?”
Shasha poked her ears with her fingers, prompting Mari to shout in frustration.
Mari had entered the palace as Bii’s personal maid, and had been assigned to Shasha immediately after her birth, completely enamored with her resemblance to Bii.
Unlike calm and elegant Bii, Shasha had always been a wild child.
She ran noisily through the palace corridors that should have been quiet, soiled her dresses multiple times a day, and even turned the former concubine quarters into a playground.
Since Sis became Emperor, all princes, former concubines, and princesses had been moved out of the palace. Only Empress Bii and her daughter, Princess Shasha, remained. Sis had no intention of taking concubines, so the concubine quarters were a drain on the empire’s budget.
‘Maybe I should just get rid of them,’ Sis often said during budget meetings.
The maintenance cost of the palaces was substantial. Many had been built by former emperors who believed the number of concubines equaled power. Sis wanted to abolish them, but the nobles fiercely opposed this, arguing that imperial heritage could not be discarded.
When news came that Shasha had taken over the concubine quarters as her playground, Sis laughed heartily. Maintaining the princess’s playground was worth every penny.
This is all because of Emperor Sis!
Mari gritted her teeth in frustration. Because Sis indulged Shasha in everything, the princess’s behavior had become increasingly reckless. Mari could only curse Sis silently.
