Chapter 10
Evelyn’s delicate hand pushed open the rough wooden door.
The shabby entrance, lacking even a common doorbell, creaked loudly as it swung inward, producing an almost eerie sound.
“Welcome!”
The clerk’s voice from inside was surprisingly bright.
The girl, who looked no older than her teens, froze when she saw Evelyn approaching.
“Uh… Is there something you’re looking for?”
She seemed unable to understand why someone who was obviously a high-ranking noble had come to a place like this.
The greeting she had likely delivered countless times faltered awkwardly, as if she had suddenly broken down.
“I’d like to order some clothes.”
“From… our shop?”
“That’s right.”
Embarrassed by Evelyn’s calm, matter-of-fact tone, the girl cleared her throat and hurriedly guided her inside.
“Please have a seat for a moment! I’ll go get Madame…”
Despite its run-down appearance, the tailor shop had a proper area reserved for guests.
The chair was only a simple wooden one compared to the luxurious sofas of high-end boutiques, but it still left an impression.
When Evelyn merely nodded in response, the girl hurried away.
“Your Highness, this is the last shop.”
Standing behind her chair, Mori spoke with visible exhaustion.
This was already the seventh shop.
She had no idea why the princess had suddenly decided to visit stores frequented by commoners, but at this point she no longer cared.
All she wanted was to return to the palace as quickly as possible.
Though not as high-ranking as a princess, Mori was still the daughter of an earl.
Even if she wasn’t particularly beloved by her father, family prestige mattered.
She had always visited refined and elegant dressmakers.
Yet thanks to the princess dragging her through ordinary—and often downright shabby—tailor shops all day, she had suffered far more than enough.
Her patience had long since reached its limit.
“Mori, if you’re tired, you can rest in the carriage.”
“N-No, it’s alright. I should be attending Your Highness!”
“There are knights outside. If anything happens, I can call for them. Go rest for a while. You look exhausted.”
Mori’s reddish-brown eyes wavered.
Truthfully, the moment she entered, she had nearly screamed after spotting a spider hanging from the ceiling devouring its prey.
Had she not spent the entire afternoon gradually building up resistance, she wouldn’t have been able to endure it simply by squeezing her eyes shut.
“Th-Then I’ll wait in the carriage. Please call me if you need anything.”
After bowing deeply at Evelyn’s gentle insistence, Mori finally left the shop.
Once she was alone, Evelyn released the breath she had been holding.
This shop had been her destination from the beginning.
She had deliberately wandered through countless others first.
Mori had always hated dirty places in her previous life as well.
Evelyn had assumed that after seeing enough unpleasant sights, Mori would eventually give up and leave.
I didn’t expect her to endure this long.
She had even begun worrying about what to do if Mori stubbornly remained at her side after arriving here.
Fortunately, things had worked out.
At that moment, a door at the back opened.
A woman stepped out.
“…Hello.”
“Are you the madam of this establishment?”
“Yes. My name is Lilia Grenzach.”
Despite the caution in her eyes, her manner was extremely polite.
Dark circles beneath her eyes revealed a tremendous amount of accumulated fatigue.
You’re still pushing yourself too hard.
Though the circumstances were different, the sight was achingly familiar.
Even as a puppet in her second life, Evelyn had served as head of the Imperial Treasury, directly under the Emperor.
Back then, Lilia had been one of her few close friends and a subordinate she genuinely trusted.
However, after about a year, it was revealed that Lilia was an illegitimate daughter of the Chester family—the very family that had supported the Second Empress.
Following the sudden revelation, she disappeared without a trace.
One week later, she resurfaced as a participant in the Emperor’s horrifying “feeding competition.”
To see her dear friend, stripped of reason and chasing food like a beast…
Even now, Evelyn remembered how powerless she had felt watching it happen.
She had hated herself for being unable to do anything.
Recalling Lilia’s final days, Evelyn slowly closed and opened her eyes.
“You look very tired.”
“Yes. Well.”
Her tone lacked even the slightest hint of sociability.
The skin around her eyes had become dull from endless work, and her complexion was rough.
Lilia was exactly as Evelyn remembered.
So she was always like this.
A faint smile kept tugging at Evelyn’s lips.
She was simply relieved that Lilia was still alive and unharmed.
Even during their days in the Treasury, Lilia had possessed many talents.
She was excellent with numbers, skilled with her hands, and exceptionally intelligent.
More importantly, she knew exactly which people would benefit her.
In that sense, the reason Evelyn had become close to her was simply because they had shared similarly unfortunate circumstances.
Which also meant Lilia had a soft spot for people in trouble.
A powerless princess wouldn’t be of much practical use to her.
“I’d like a dress made.”
“If you tell me the design and delivery address, I’ll have it completed and delivered within ten days.”
“You can choose the design yourself.”
Lilia nodded and reached for a pen.
“As for the delivery…”
Evelyn smiled faintly.
“I’d like you to bring it personally.”
“To the Imperial Palace?”
Lilia’s gaze rose from the notebook.
“What is it you want?”
Distrust filled her eyes.
The hand holding the pen tightened.
“I know who you are.”
“What are you?”
Lilia gripped the pen so tightly it looked as though she might stab Evelyn’s throat with it at any moment.
Evelyn frowned slightly.
“I wish you wouldn’t be so wary. I came because we’re in the same situation.”
“The same situation?”
“Yes.”
Pulling back her deep-purple robe, Evelyn revealed the hair she had concealed beneath it.
Brilliant platinum-blonde hair cascaded over her shoulders like liquid sunlight.
“My name is Evelyn Bonemouth Strovana.”
Lilia’s eyes widened.
“The daughter of Empress Blair… the woman your father supported.”
“Why would you…”
“I came to make a proposal.”
Evelyn met her gaze directly.
“I think we both want the same thing.”
Lilia’s eyes shook violently.
“Lilia Grenzach.”
Evelyn extended her hand.
“How would you like to work with me?”
In the Strovana Empire, even commoners valued bloodlines.
As a result, every citizen possessed a family name.
Grenzach was the surname given to orphans whose lineage was unknown.
Though Lilia carried Chester blood, she had never been acknowledged by the family.
Her mother had given birth without ever being officially married.
The reason was simple.
The prestigious Chester family had refused to recognize a woman who had grown up as an orphan of the temple.
Lilia’s father had fought fiercely for marriage.
The family had rejected them anyway.
Eventually, he chose to abandon the Chester name himself.
Thus, the three of them became the Grenzach family.
Even so, Lilia’s parents had loved her beyond measure.
She had grown up in a warm and happy home and never once regretted lacking noble status.
She loved working at the tailor shop she had started to help support the family.
Even staying up through the night became worthwhile when the business grew successful.
Anything that made her parents’ lives easier was enough.
Then, one month ago, everything shattered.
Imperial knights suddenly stormed into their home.
As her parents were dragged away mercilessly and the house filled with treasured memories burned to the ground, Lilia could do nothing.
“Don’t come! Don’t come here!”
Her mother’s desperate screams still echoed in her ears.
Lilia had wanted to run through the crowd immediately.
But she endured.
If I’m captured too, I won’t be able to save them.
I have to endure this.
I have to find a way.
That determination alone kept her going.
Then, two days later, she saw the notice posted on the wall.
“The Chester Family Completely Exterminated for Heresy.”
Heresy.
Her father had abandoned the Chester family decades ago.
Yet the Emperor had searched through generations of records and hunted down every last Chester descendant.
“Ah…”
“Ah…”
“AAAAAAH!”
On that day, happiness collapsed.
And Lilia lost the purpose of her life.
From that moment onward, she swore revenge against the Emperor she had never even seen.
The pen trembling in Lilia’s hand finally snapped.
Even the table shook beneath the force.
“How dare you…”
Yet Evelyn’s expression remained calm.
“How dare you come here.”
A bitter laugh escaped Lilia’s lips.
Has she gone mad?
Then again, anyone who knows all of that and still comes looking for me must already be insane.
Judging by the guards outside, she was protected.
But that didn’t matter.
No matter how skilled they were, they couldn’t stop Lilia from driving a pen into Evelyn’s throat right now.
Should I kill her?
If I kill that woman’s sister here…
Wouldn’t that at least be a small measure of revenge?
The desire for vengeance swirled wildly within her eyes.
Across from her, Evelyn’s sorrowful green gaze stared quietly into that storm.
