Chapter 107
The return to the Imperial Palace was swift and seamless.
Unlike the descent, there were no disturbances from Gregory or the other soldiers—no friction, no annoyance. With the escort of the powerful Castrain family, it would have been stranger if something had gone wrong.
Flux had seen me off in tears, but as a high-ranking noble, he would no doubt come up to the capital occasionally. It wouldn’t be long before we met again. The same went for Nabi. As an executive of Hecate’s Tavern, she could easily move to the main branch in the capital if she wished—and the way she had smirked about it was undeniably cool.
Upon arriving at the palace, I saw the newly renovated Rose Palace for the first time—and couldn’t help but admire it.
“Wow.”
“His Imperial Majesty has instructed us to pay special attention to Your Highness.”
“Wow, really. Amazing!”
Yes, truly amazing.
That Natalie was still here.
And that she was calmly showing me my own palace as if nothing had happened…
I greeted her with a perfectly composed face, expressionless, while inwardly straining not to let my disgust twist my features as she explained the renovations.
“Huh? You were giving off such an ominous aura, I thought you might’ve been hiding something strange on your body. But nope! You’re completely clean. Not even a trace of a curse!” ⊙﹏⊙
‘Well… even Cleo the Empress wouldn’t be able to get anything done if she fired all her failed subordinates.’
Did she think that, even if Natalie had sided with the Empress, I wasn’t in a position to dismiss her openly? During the investigation into the Rose Palace’s “curse,” Natalie had testified as a witness for Cleo.
I’d thought that was a blunder on Cleo’s part—or perhaps she had simply underestimated Titania. Even if every maid in the Rose Palace secretly served another master, the head lady-in-waiting was still the one in charge—the face of the palace.
And that face had openly acted as someone else’s hand.
Before regaining the memories of my past life, Titania had admired Lady Natalie. Her upright posture and solemn demeanor had left the impression of a respectable elder. So when Natalie spoke, Titania followed her without question.
But that was then. And this is now.
Surely Cleo knew that I—who had already exposed her schemes—wouldn’t treat Natalie, her lackey, as I once did.
So why hadn’t she replaced her?
As I turned this over in my mind, a line of unfamiliar maids stood behind Natalie, bowing politely.
I looked around the newly built Rose Palace—its neat ivory-beige walls, its blooming seasonal gardens—and smiled faintly, half in genuine appreciation, half in wry amusement.
The new maids were as controlled and well-trained as Natalie herself—flawless, really. Though not everyone was perfect.
Like the two girls in the very back who were trying their hardest not to be seen, their heads bowed low.
I smiled.
“Oh my, Sarah! Mary! There you are!”
The two flinched, their shoulders trembling. Their stiff posture looked like they had been dragged here against their will. Cleo had purged most of the palace staff, but Natalie, Sarah, and Mary had been kept—for obvious reasons.
“You two! Disappearing without a word—honestly. The whole trip, my hairstyle was a disaster!”
From behind me, Debbie—who was pretending to be a quiet, unassuming maid per my orders—shot me a silent glare. Her look said, After all the time I spent perfecting Your Highness’s hair, you say that?
I ignored it and smiled brightly.
“And not just the hair! My makeup was terrible too! It was so hot I was sweating like crazy, my hair kept sticking to my face, and I had to redo my makeup over and over again! Ugh. You didn’t want to be dragged along, so you just hid, didn’t you? Hmm?”
Only after receiving sharp nudges from the maids beside them did Sarah and Mary hesitantly step forward.
Sarah spoke first. She looked haggard, her face gaunt from hardship, and spoke cautiously.
“N-no, Your Highness… of course not. During the reconstruction of the Rose Palace, we did not wish to trouble you, so we helped here and there within the palace…”
I only smiled, saying nothing. Seeing that as an opening, Mary quickly chimed in.
“Y-yes, that’s right! When Your Highness fell ill, we were too useless to help. And when the palace caught fire… we thought we’d only be a burden, so we kept to minor tasks. We never meant to avoid you!”
Neither of them had witnessed the incident where I’d brandished my sword. The rumors in the palace had been wild, but when word spreads of a monster attack, people’s first instinct is to run. They hadn’t seen my confrontation with Cleo, either.
So even if they’d heard whispers that “the princess had changed,” it probably didn’t feel real to them.
“Well, that’s a relief. I’ve had such bad luck lately! Nearly died, then the fire… goodness.”
So these two were the bait Cleo had planted for me. How blatant.
“Oh, and these must be the new maids? Among you, is anyone good with makeup, hairstyles, or dressing?”
I asked lazily, scanning the line of maids with feigned disinterest.
A timid hand rose. A girl with brown hair and soft brown eyes—so utterly ordinary that she would have blended in anywhere.
“I… I may be lacking, Your Highness, but before entering the palace, I assisted the lady of a noble household with her dressing and appearance.”
A maid skilled enough to serve a noble lady directly would never be assigned to the disgraced princess’s palace—unless she’d been sent there for a reason.
I smiled slightly, lowering my gaze.
“Oh really? Then you can help Sarah and Mary attend me. I hate doing anything with my own hands. Perfect! I’m bored of wearing the same dresses. Let’s start with a change of clothes—follow me to the dressing room!”
Natalie approached quietly.
“Do you wish for me to assign tasks to the rest, Your Highness? The layout of the Rose Palace has changed significantly, and we’ll need to redistribute staff.”
“Hmm…”
I pretended to think it over, smiling faintly.
When Cleo toyed with the original Titania, Natalie had played her part with impeccable efficiency. Her outward conduct had always been professional—fair, even.
Even when the palace’s budget was being siphoned off by corrupt stewards, leaving Titania branded as an extravagant fool, Natalie herself never wore so much as a gold pin. That was why Titania trusted her.
If Cleo was a mother figure, Natalie had been like a nursemaid—stern but reliable.
Even without a kind word, Titania had thought: She’s different. She doesn’t look down on me. She never praises me, but she never despises me either.
That quiet illusion had been her last pillar of comfort.
And in the end, when Titania had cried and begged anyone to stand by her, Natalie had simply stared at her—like she was already a corpse.
No one feels affection for their tools. Natalie was Cleo’s hound. She was bowing to me now only because her leash had been cut—and she wanted to tie it to a new hand.
“I don’t really know how to handle all that. You do it, Natalie. Just like you always have.”
Yes. She must remain exactly the same.
A toy should at least get the chance to bite back before being discarded.
The newly decorated dressing room and adjoining toilette were spotless—so pristine that I wondered if the Emperor had allocated more funds than expected.
I laughed and chatted brightly, giving orders about clothes, makeup, jewelry, and accessories—insisting that everything be perfect—and then dismissed everyone, keeping only Sarah behind.
That was when it happened.
“Please spare me!”
Sarah glanced around, realized that only Debbie and I were in the room, and dropped to her knees without a second thought.
I froze, taken aback.
Debbie, too, widened her eyes slightly.
