Chapter 50
In reality, the statue standing tall at the center of the fountain was in the likeness of a nobleman, while the dark shadow cast beneath it symbolized the life of a commoner.
Being in the imperial palace all the time meant I saw nobles everywhere, and frankly, I was sick of it. Every single one of them walked around with their chins raised as if looking down on the rest of us. After being snubbed by the museum director last time, I’d developed a deep aversion to people like that.
‘I’m not usually such a bitter person…’
I really needed a change of mood. I desperately wanted to get away from the palace for a bit.
“Lady Shanael.”
“Nancy?”
It was Sunday, so I thought Nancy had gone home already. Seeing her still in the annex, I looked at her curiously.
“You didn’t go home?”
“No, there’s no one at home this week. My whole family went to a relative’s wedding.”
“Then shouldn’t you have gone too?”
“The wedding’s in another city, so it would take several days. I wouldn’t make it back before the weekend’s over.”
“Oh… that’s a shame.”
“Not really. Even if I went, I’d just have to listen to endless nagging — ‘When are you getting married? Do you have a boyfriend? How can you still be single at your age? You work at the palace, so snag a nobleman and get married already’ — all that nonsense. So I chose not to go.”
“Ugh, just imagining it is exhausting.”
Nancy and I were the same age, and I’d once suggested we drop formal speech and talk casually, but she’d refused, saying it was against maid protocol to speak informally to a guest of the annex. So I decided to stick with formal speech too.
“Nancy, when I eventually leave the palace, let’s be real friends then. We’ll call each other by name, talk casually, and everything.”
“Sure. But… did something happen? You look upset.”
“Mm… it’s just that I saw something unpleasant.”
“What do you mean?”
I pointed past the fountain, and Nancy followed my gaze.
There was a group of noblemen laughing unpleasantly. For some reason, they had wandered into the annex garden and were throwing gold coins into the fountain, ordering a servant to retrieve them. The poor servant’s pants were soaked — he’d clearly been made to fetch coins multiple times already.
The nobles laughed, tossing coins one after another, clapping whenever one landed in the angel’s cup. And then they told the servant to go get it again.
“…That’s awful,” Nancy muttered.
Just then, one of the noblemen pushed the servant from behind, complaining about how slow he was. The man toppled forward into the fountain with a splash.
Splash!
He must have hit his head on the statue base, because blood trickled from his forehead. Even from afar, I could tell the wound was serious — but the nobles’ harassment didn’t stop.
Rage surged to the top of my head.
“Those bastards!!”
I jumped up from the bench, but Nancy grabbed my arm quickly.
“P-please, calm down, Lady Shanael.”
Right. What good would it do for me to step in? Nobles treating their servants like garbage was far too common. Still, I couldn’t just stand by while someone bled. I pulled out a handkerchief.
“I’ll go help him.”
Nancy took the handkerchief from me and walked toward the fountain. She crouched beside the servant and began tending his wound herself.
But the orange-haired noble standing nearby, despite seeing her helping, shoved the injured servant again, ordering him to get back in the fountain.
Nancy, unable to just watch anymore, moved to shield the servant.
That was it for me. I stood up and marched toward them. As I got closer, I could hear the noble sneering at her.
“What? Too harsh? Then why don’t you get in there instead?”
And he pushed Nancy toward the fountain. That was the last straw.
“Don’t you dare touch her!”
Before I knew it, I was sprinting full-speed, grabbed my skirt, and rammed my shoulder into the noble’s back, sending him flying into the fountain.
Splash—!
“Argh! What the hell!?”
He flailed like a wet rat, and I glared down at him coldly.
“How’s it feel to get treated the same way you treat others?”
“Y-you little—!”
At first, they probably thought I was a noble from my clothes, but one of them must’ve recognized me from the papers.
“Ah, she’s that commoner who got the royal pardon!”
“Ha! So you think that pardon lets you attack nobles now? You’re just a lowborn girl— know your place!”
Two of them surrounded me, lecturing me about something I’d momentarily forgotten.
‘Oh, right. I have a royal pardon! That means even if they’re nobles, I won’t be punished!’
The fear vanished instantly. I straightened my back and lifted my chin proudly, just like they did. Two could play that game.
Part of me was even curious how effective that pardon really was.
The orange-haired noble stormed toward me, dripping wet, raising his hand to slap me. I stood my ground.
“You insolent brat!”
“What’s wrong? Go on, hit me. Are you scared? Or are you worried you’ll be punished because I’m not just some commoner— I’m the Crown Prince’s personal secretary?”
“You—!!”
If I were an ordinary commoner, I’d have been hit already. And in any scuffle, it was always the commoner who got punished worse. That unfairness made me want to provoke them even more.
“Go on, I dare you.”
The moment the words ‘Crown Prince’ left my mouth, the men beside him quickly grabbed his arms, stopping him. Clearly, they feared the royal family.
Unable to hit me, he turned instead to Nancy, who was trying to calm me down— and slapped her hard across the face.
Smack—!
“How do you let your guest act like this?!”
Shock and fury erupted inside me. Nancy covered her cheek, blinking back tears, tugging at my sleeve to leave. But I couldn’t just walk away.
Nancy wasn’t just any maid. She was the one who had helped me by asking Magnum for aid when I was imprisoned. My lifesaver.
I lost it completely. My fist flew before I knew it.
Thwack—!
“Argh! You dare strike me?!”
“Why did you hit her?! Why, you arrogant, despicable jerk! Do you think we’re your toys?!”
He raised his hand to hit me back, but his friends restrained him again.
“Calm down! She’s the Crown Prince’s aide!”
“Yeah, if this gets out, we’re screwed!”
“Calm down!? I got punched by a commoner girl!”
But I wasn’t done. I hit him again, this time square on the nose.
Thud—!
“Ugh!!”
He staggered back, blood pouring from his nose. My knuckles stung, but it was worth it.
“Let go of me! I’ll kill her!”
He struggled violently, finally breaking free from one friend’s grip, swinging his arm toward me—
“Lady Shanael! What’s going on here?!”
Nancy had run to the annex entrance and returned with palace guards.
Violence and disturbance were strictly forbidden within the palace, so the moment the guards arrived, the nobles fell silent.
They looked around, confused — the servant was bleeding from his head, the noble’s nose was bleeding, and Nancy’s cheek was red.
The guards exchanged looks, unsure who was at fault.
So I quickly spoke up.
“That man pushed the servant and made him bleed! And he hit Nancy too!”
“And the one with the nosebleed?”
I clamped my mouth shut, since I had done that. The noble pointed at me indignantly.
“She threw me into the fountain and punched me— twice!”
It was such a tangled mess that the guards didn’t know who to accuse. Finally, one approached me.
“Shall we report this incident to Advisor Hassel and the Security Bureau?”
At that, the nobles paled. They waved their hands frantically. The one with the nosebleed wiped his face and stammered,
“N-no, that won’t be necessary. I… I struck the maid, so we’re even, right? Let’s just leave it at that.”
“Do you agree, Lady Shanael?”
I looked at Nancy. She nodded silently.
“…All right.”
The guards stayed until the nobles had left, then returned to their posts.
Afterward, I examined Nancy’s cheek.
“Nancy, are you okay? I’m so sorry— it’s my fault you got hit.”
“No, I actually feel better now. Watching you punch him like that was incredibly satisfying. You’re good with your fists, by the way.”
“There were lots of annoying boys in my neighborhood growing up.”
“When you pushed him into the fountain— oh, that was the best part!”
“I know, right? So refreshing!”
We both laughed quietly together for a while, until Nancy spoke again.
“Would you like to go out today? Maybe a trip to Logner Village for a change of pace?”
“That’s outside the city, isn’t it?”
“It’s only an hour by carriage. And they hold a street festival every Sunday now.”
“That sounds great! Let’s change into our outing clothes and go.”
“Yes, my lady.”
Once I was back in my room and Nancy left to fetch clothes, I stood before the mirror.
‘Good job, Shanael. No reason to cower before nobles.’
I crossed my arms into an X and patted my own shoulders in self-praise. When Nancy returned, I quickly dropped them.
“Would this outfit do?”
“Yes, thank you.”
We changed together, and I packed the outing pass and some money that the Crown Prince had given me. I’d been wanting a change of pace anyway — and now that I was finally going out, I was already feeling excited.
