Episode 5
“Your Majesty. I… I swear I’ve never done such a thing. Her Majesty the Queen must be mistaken. The Queen often is. When the Duke of Meidern enters, the Queen says nothing at all. I can’t possibly act on orders Her Majesty never gave, can I?”
It seemed the head maid had decided to gamble.
After all, the only people who knew what had happened back then were her, me, and Rotron — and under these circumstances, Rotron had no reason to speak in my favor.
The head maid’s smile toward me probably hadn’t even been seen by Rotron.
If that was the case, then even the slightest remaining chance of proving anything had completely vanished.
The head maid glanced at me with a secretive look, as if she believed she had successfully covered herself.
She wore an expression that said I was firmly in the palm of her hand.
She must have expected me to kick and scream, pleading that I was being wronged — but I said nothing.
Whether the king believed me or the head maid didn’t matter to me.
If he thought I was lying, then he would feel disappointed and disgusted — and if that led him to distance himself from me, then even that would work to my benefit.
“If what you said is a lie, then you have insulted even me. Can you say with certainty that everything you claimed is true?”
The king’s voice was calm and low, his expression unchanging. Watching him, the head maid’s face gradually turned pale.
I watched with interest, wondering what decision she would make.
“Your Majesty… Of course, I don’t remember every detail. Some time has passed since the incident, after all…”
“I see. So you think even I can be taken lightly.”
The head maid stared at him in shock.
“Y-Your Majesty… Why would you say such a thing…”
“I will have you beheaded. To look me in the face and lie — such a crime is beyond forgiveness.”
Hearing those words, I was struck once more by the reality of this absolute monarchy and its rigid class system.
The king had the power to kill the head maid with just a word.
Yes, I had imprisoned Rotron with my words as well — but whether that would actually happen remained to be seen.
The king, however, was different.
Every word that came out of his mouth could immediately become reality.
“Your Majesty!”
The head maid, realizing that continuing to lie would lead to certain death, dropped to her knees and begged for her life.
But the king called the guards and ordered them to drag her away. He commanded that her execution be carried out in front of the entire palace staff.
Beheading wasn’t a commonly used method of execution anymore, but it seemed he wanted to maximize the warning effect by making an example of her.
After issuing the command, he remained in place, sipping his tea as if nothing had happened.
“Your Majesty… How did you know I was telling the truth?”
I asked, and he smiled.
“I didn’t.”
“…Pardon?”
“I didn’t know. But I don’t need to. What matters is whose words I choose to believe.”
The king was shameless.
I realized that fact all over again.
If he was like this, then it must have been easy for him to have Hestia killed.
He seemed to want me to be touched by the action he had just taken.
But I couldn’t smile. I couldn’t even look him in the eye and speak.
Everything felt too overwhelming — all I wanted was to rest alone.
“Your Majesty. May I be alone now? I really don’t feel well.”
“Queen. Are you very ill? I’ll call the physician.”
“No, I’ll be fine if I just rest.”
The king tried to insist a few more times, but when I frowned, he gave up and rose to his feet.
The fact that he stood up simply because I frowned — that, more than anything, felt strange.
Unconsciously frowning, I had thought I might have endangered myself — but he had simply told me to rest and hurried out of the room.
The more I thought about it, the less sense it made.
The only things I had done differently from the original story were cutting my hair and having Rotron imprisoned — could that really be what stirred the king’s curiosity so much?
Just as I was about to go to my bed to rest, Beatrice rushed in.
She looked completely flustered, as if she had urgent news.
“Your Majesty!”
Beatrice was visibly shaken by the news of the head maid’s execution.
“Yes, I’ve heard.”
“The head maid…”
It seemed she was still in shock that someone she had just spoken with earlier was about to be executed.
Looking at Beatrice, I thought — maybe she would be a good candidate for the new head maid.
I would be leaving the palace soon anyway, and it would likely be very difficult for her to endure the jealousy and harassment of the palace staff after I was gone.
In the original story, Beatrice soon caught the king’s eye and was revered by the other staff — but because of me, it seemed things had already begun to change.
“Beatrice.”
I called to her gently.
“Yes, Your Majesty?”
She responded with sparkling eyes, as if she would do absolutely anything I asked.
Thinking of her former status as a princess, it didn’t make sense for her to change this quickly — but seeing that reaction, I couldn’t help but wonder just how severely she must have been beaten by Rotron.
“What do you think about becoming the new head maid?”
At my words, her eyes widened and she looked at me, speechless.
“Wh-What do you mean? How could I possibly…”
“A head maid must be someone who understands me best, someone ready and willing to carry out my wishes. I don’t believe there’s anyone like that in this palace.”
“But… Your Majesty knows nothing about me. I only arrived today.”
“Exactly. Which means you haven’t gone against me or disappointed me either. Just don’t do so in the future. That’s all I ask.”
“To say that’s all you expect from a head maid, Your Majesty…”
To her, a head maid must have seemed like a figure of great authority. It was natural for her to be unsure and filled with doubt.
“Do you really think I can do it, Your Majesty?”
“I just thought it might be worth a try. I want you to feel even a little more comfortable here. If not for my father, you wouldn’t be going through any of this in the first place.”
“Your Majesty…”
She bowed her head and couldn’t speak for a while.
She opened her mouth a few times, as if trying to say something, but held back — probably because her voice was trembling and tears were on the verge of falling.
“I’m lucky. Lucky to have met someone like you, Your Majesty.”
“No. If you were really lucky, you wouldn’t have met me at all.”
“That’s not true, Your Majesty.”
“Then is that a yes? Will you become my head maid?”
“But I think someone more capable than me would be better suited…”
She must have thought she’d only be a burden to me.
“No. As you may have noticed, my position here is unstable. I’ve lived as my father’s puppet all this time. I can’t do anything for myself, and even the palace servants don’t listen to me. What I want… is someone I can trust, close by.”
“Your Majesty…”
I thought about telling her to serve me just while I was still here — but knowing how perceptive she was, I worried she might pick up on the hidden meaning.
I figured it was best not to tell anyone, including Beatrice, about my plans to leave — at least for now.
“If that’s the reason, then I’ll do it. I’ll do my best, Your Majesty. I don’t know exactly what the job entails, but I’ll ask and learn. I won’t let you regret choosing me. I’ll make you proud.”
“Yes, Beatrice. I believe you will.”
Her eyes sparkled with determination.
“Then I’ll head to the bedchamber now.”
“Wait…”
Beatrice opened her mouth but fell silent again.
Thinking she might have something to say, I told her to speak freely — and she blushed.
“It’s nothing, Your Majesty. But… you’ll be up before dinner, won’t you?”
“Probably. Why do you ask?”
“I’ve been trying to make you some tarts. You seemed to enjoy them.”
“You don’t have to do that yourself, Beatrice. You should be lazy once in a while. Here, if you don’t take breaks when you can, you’ll get overwhelmed.”
“I’ll manage it myself.”
Beatrice smiled brightly.
She looked much more cheerful than before.
Relieved, I finally headed to my room to lie down.
Even lying down, I couldn’t sleep.
The palace was in turmoil from preparations for the head maid’s execution and the spreading rumors.
The fact that I, who had caused all of this, was now calmly lying in bed as if nothing had happened weighed heavily on me.
Yes, the head maid had done wrong — but did that truly justify her execution?
She had defied me, yes, but the real reason for her death was lying to the king.
In this place, a person’s life could be taken or spared entirely based on the king’s mood. That bitter truth was hard to swallow.
I briefly considered trying to save her — but somehow, I felt like that possibility had already passed me by.
