Chapter 17
Just as Seidin Heraith used to pray when she was young, Luan would one day host a grand banquet in the brilliant and spacious imperial hall—one far greater than the dark hall of the Heraith Kingdom.
And how wonderful would it be if such a gesture could pierce through to the tender heart of the princess?
Lost in thought again, Luan glanced at Hikel, who was babbling excitedly with a bright grin about the upcoming banquet. A faint smile crossed Luan’s lips.
Ah, he hoped it would indeed be a joyous occasion, just as Hikel said.
Maybe—just maybe—she would come to like this lavish imperial banquet more than the ones held in the Heraith palace. If it could bring even a sliver of happiness to his princess.
The Imperial Palace buzzed with excitement for the first time in a long while.
The Emperor—who hadn’t even held a proper coronation—announced that, after a long winter, he would host a banquet in celebration of spring’s approach. Palace maids and nobles alike eagerly anticipated the event. And the news eventually reached Seidin, who had been diligently harvesting herbs in the garden.
She had overheard it from the maids who had, before she realized it, taken to following her around and serving her.
“A banquet?” she asked.
“Yes, Princess!”
Before she knew it, Seidin found herself surrounded by three maids and furrowed her brow.
A banquet, huh. That’s a good thing, I guess. But what does that have to do with me?
She tilted her head, puzzled, and stared blankly at the three senior maids crouched beside her.
Since leaving Luan’s bedroom and settling into the quarters where the healers stayed, those same maids—who had been discreetly assisting her even before—had started appearing openly.
She’d come to recognize them during yesterday’s long hours spent in the herb garden.
They had suddenly popped out from the bushes, begged her to change her dress soaked in herb water, and pleaded with her to take a break.
As soon as she told them she was fine and they should leave early, Luan had appeared.
Thinking back on it, the timing of his arrival was almost uncanny.
Later that night, Seidin thought it over: Luan must have been informed the moment she was left alone.
Ugh…
She sighed inwardly. Somehow, even that quiet sigh was enough to make the maids jump in alarm.
“Princess! Are you feeling unwell?”
“It must be because the healers aren’t doing their jobs properly, right?”
“How could someone as precious as the Princess be boiling herbs with those delicate hands…”
The maids widened their eyes with concern. Just then, the nearby healers, overhearing this, shouted back indignantly.
“Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?!”
“You healers are the ones slacking off! That’s why the Princess is out here working under the blazing sun!”
“Blazing sun? I saw her resting in the shade just a minute ago!”
“Well, she never rests unless we beg her to! Don’t you know she spent all night boiling herbs yesterday? You’re the ones clocking out on time!”
“Don’t we deserve to have off hours too? This is unfair!”
Emila, the second daughter of Count Mackill and the maid sitting front and center, narrowed her eyes. These healers clearly didn’t realize who they were arguing with—a high-ranking noble lady.
In the Holy Empire, there were three classes of palace maids: senior maids who served the imperial family and their spouses, mid-level maids who assisted the seniors, and junior maids who handled the menial tasks. Apparently, these healers had no clue what rank they were speaking to.
With a sharp look, Emila decided there was no helping it. They’d have to reveal their status.
“We were personally appointed by His Majesty to serve the Princess,” she declared.
The maids beside her, Jaedin and Clane, nodded in agreement.
“We are senior maids.”
“Attending to the Emperor’s beloved is a serious responsibility. Especially considering that His Majesty, who had never even glanced at a woman before, brought her back with him from the battlefield…”
“As senior maids, it is a great honor to serve the future Empress.”
“Gasp! Y-You’re senior maids?!”
The healers froze. They had assumed the trio were just low-level maids. Flustered, they immediately bowed to the senior maids—those who served the living god most directly. Then, they began whispering to Seidin.
“So it’s true. Even if you deny it, you really are someone precious to His Majesty.”
“The way you humbly deny all the rumors swirling in the palace… It’s truly admirable.”
“Sniff, and it explains why you boss us around like workers!”
“Hold on! How did it come to that?!”
Seeing the conversation spiral into absurdity, Seidin raised her voice to cut it off. Then, sighing deeply, she warned,
“Maids, if you keep saying these ridiculous things—”
But the maids latched onto an entirely different issue.
“Oh my! Princess! You mustn’t use honorifics with us!”
“You shouldn’t be so formal with people like us.”
Jaedin looked startled. She glanced at her companions as if asking for backup.
“Whatever the reason may be that His Majesty hasn’t formally proposed to you yet, we are merely his servants. The one His Majesty told us to serve is you. Using honorifics with us is too much. We were shocked you speak formally even with the healers.”
Jaedin spoke solemnly, then shook her head while gesturing toward each healer.
“Of course, we know the healers make medicine for His Majesty. Thanks to them, he can at least sleep a little and manage his divine powers while working.”
“But divine power isn’t something that can be soothed with man-made medicine.”
Watching the way the maids eyed the healers, Seidin remembered something she had forgotten.
Right. This story’s genre is “angst.”
The kind where the male lead explodes and the entire world falls apart.
Healing arts, which originated among commoners, were considered a sub-field of study that merely supported divine power. Although nobles now studied it too, it was still seen as inherently inferior to divine magic.
Because of this, many royals were uneasy about being treated by healers. To prevent betrayal, healers were branded with a curse—a magical mark that would kill them instantly if they betrayed the royal family.
This mark also prevented them from poisoning their patients. Of course, these healers, who revered Luan, would never dream of doing such a thing…
Besides, even if they did try, it wouldn’t affect Luan. The only thing that could kill him is his own divine power.
Seidin thought grimly. Then, the maids, unaware of her dark thoughts, chirped energetically.
“But! Thanks to the Princess taking care of His Majesty’s health like this, he’ll surely recover soon.”
“All the former emperors did, eventually.”
“Anyway! Once His Majesty is healthy again and proposes to the Princess—happy ending!”
“Kyahh!”
Jaedin, Emila, and Clane clasped their cheeks in excitement. The healers, caught up in the mood, let out a collective “Ooh!” while Seidin, exhausted, could only think:
This might be a romance fantasy novel, but the sub-keywords are all wrong. You people…
Finally, with a deep inner sigh, Seidin spoke firmly.
“Why does everyone here assume it’s only natural that His Majesty would propose to me?”
It was her way of asking, Are your thought processes broken or what? But even if they sensed her tone, Jaedin just responded innocently.
“Oh, but everyone saw it! His Majesty, covered in blood, carrying the Princess as gently as a kitten!”
“……”
Too vivid. Far too vivid a memory. And such a ripe moment for misunderstandings.
A fallen princess, embraced by the emperor as he brought her back to the Empire…
Ugh.
No wonder the romance-obsessed maids were so intrigued.
Clinging to whatever hope she could, Seidin did her best to explain—she was just Luan’s childhood friend.
But the maids didn’t budge. They immediately fired back.
“You don’t let just a friend stay in your personal chambers, you know?”
“His Majesty values his personal space immensely. Ever since he began suffering from insomnia, he’s even reduced the number of attendants to keep things quiet.”
“And yet, he personally stayed by your side and nursed you while you were unconscious.”
Jaedin added dreamily,
“If you and His Majesty are just friends, then I suppose that means I don’t have any friends either.”
How did you get to that conclusion?~