Chapter 18
On the way to the luncheon hall behind Vivian and the Grand Duke, Betty couldn’t shake the feeling that the entire Empress’s Palace was unusually chaotic.
“…Where on earth…”
“Did you check over there?”
The maids, who normally would have bowed politely in passing, didn’t even spare them a glance as they rushed about in haste.
Eventually, the Grand Duke, Dayban, who couldn’t bear to watch any longer, stopped a girl who looked like a maid from a noble household and was nearly running.
“What is going on? Is this related to your house?”
“Greetings, Your Grace. I serve the Marchioness Dowager of the Prowell family. The Dowager has gone missing, and everyone is out searching for her.”
“The Dowager?”
Betty recalled the name from the imperial noble family chart Vivian had once absentmindedly flipped through while explaining. Prowell was the Empress’s maiden family. If the current Marquess of Prowell was the Empress’s father, then the Marchioness Dowager must be the Empress’s grandmother.
“Yes. Before the young lady arrived, she had a brief chat with Her Majesty and was about to return to the Marquess’ residence. But when we returned from a short errand she had asked for, she was no longer in the carriage.”
The young maid explained with a tearful face, clearly distraught.
“The coachman said she insisted on taking a short walk and refused any escort, saying it would be bothersome. We’ve no idea where she went.”
“How long has she been missing?”
“For a while now. We waited for a bit, thinking she’d come back soon, but eventually, we had to ask for help from the Empress’s staff, and… we still haven’t found her.”
“Your Grace. My Lady.”
“Your Majesty.”
From afar, a clear and commanding voice called out. Everyone in the vicinity bowed their heads.
“There’s no need for such formality in my palace. Please, all of you, rise.”
Of course, Betty had never seen the Empress of the Empire in person before.
But regardless of what she had imagined, the woman now approaching them, dressed simply and exuding a calm aura, was far from what she expected.
The Empress, with light brown hair tied back and wearing a plain dark green dress without even a single embellishment, stood there with a troubled expression.
“I’m sorry for summoning you only to treat you like this, Sir Ian—ah, no, Duke. Old habits are hard to break.”
She rubbed her forehead as if she had a headache and sighed deeply, clearly exhausted.
“You don’t have to worry about what you call me.”
“Still, you are a Duke now. I can’t refer to you like I did when you were a knight.”
A faint smile appeared on the Empress’s previously solemn face.
As far as Betty knew, the Empress was only a few years older than the Duke.
But the way she looked at him was more like a proud older sister watching her younger brother grow up.
“Come inside for now. I can’t just turn away guests like this. Besides, it’s been far too long since I’ve seen you.”
“I’ll help look for the Dowager.”
“No need. You know her personality well. She didn’t get lost—she disappeared because something displeased her. Probably using her usual cranky way to dump all her worries on her granddaughter.”
The Empress sighed deeply and began walking slowly.
“She might have already returned to the Prowell estate. We’re checking the palace carriages in case she used one to leave.”
From her composed tone, the “disappearance” of the Prowell Marchioness Dowager seemed less like a disappearance and more like a deliberate vanishing act.
At that moment, Betty lifted her head. Something she had seen when entering the Empress’s Palace came back to her.
“My Lady.”
“What is it?”
“I think I might know where the Dowager is. May I step away for a bit to look for her?”
“You?”
“I’m not entirely sure, so it’s a bit hard to explain directly.”
Vivian checked to make sure the Empress and the Duke had walked ahead and disappeared from view, then pondered briefly before nodding.
“This is a good opportunity to get in the Empress’s good graces, which can only help me. Besides, you’d probably feel stifled sitting in there. Go ahead.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Betty slowed her steps on purpose, waiting until the group completely passed and disappeared from sight.
As the Empress had said, it was unlikely the Dowager had gone far.
It was more likely she was in a nearby location that no one expected.
“The Dowager of House Prowell… she’s like an old witch. Seems to hate loud noise. At the last tea party, when someone raised their voice during a squabble, she cut in with this icy tone telling them not to cause a scene. Honestly, even if the Empress were angry, it wouldn’t be as scary as that.”
What Vivian had once said stuck with Betty—especially the part about how the Dowager hated noise.
Given the frantic commotion everywhere, Betty had a feeling she knew what had displeased the old woman.
Her steps led her to the gallery hall with paintings.
It was the place the maid had pointed out when they first arrived at the palace.
Crossing the inner courtyard and down a narrow hallway, the area quickly became quiet and empty.
At first, it looked like no one was there, but turning the corner, Betty saw someone standing with a cane in front of a painting.
White-haired, with firmly shut lips—there was no mistaking that this was the Dowager of the Prowell family.
Since the place was tucked away deep inside the palace, it seemed the searchers hadn’t thought to come this far from the carriage.
“My Lady. I’ve come to fetch you. Her Majesty is worried and looking for you.”
Betty cautiously spoke, but as expected, there was no reply.
After a long silence, a sharp but clear voice finally rang out.
“How did you know I’d be here?”
“Seeing how many people came out to search for you, I thought you’d prefer the quietest spot.”
“You must be the Lady’s maid. The Duke wouldn’t bring a maid along. You’re more competent than the ones hired to serve me.”
The Dowager sighed and began to move toward the chair behind her, using her cane.
Betty instinctively stepped forward and held the hem of the Dowager’s dress to keep it from wrinkling.
“Well, the real problem is my son for hiring that chattering girl to keep me company. After all these years, he still doesn’t know his mother.”
So the root of the issue was that the Dowager disliked the overly chatty young maid from the Prowell household.
Betty wisely decided to keep quiet rather than urge the Dowager to return.
“Can you read?”
The Dowager suddenly pointed with her cane at the book Betty was holding.
“…Yes.”
It was the book she had been handed by the Grand Duke earlier and hadn’t had the chance to put down or give back yet.
For some reason, it was drawing a lot of attention today.
“Hmph. I see. If you can read something like that, you must be a fallen noble.”
Before Betty could explain the book wasn’t hers, the Dowager jumped to a conclusion.
“No, I’m a commoner.”
The Dowager shook her head in disbelief.
“That can’t be. Your face is familiar. There are few nobles in the capital I haven’t met or don’t remember. Was one of your parents a noble? You might be their daughter.”
“I… I’m not sure.”
The Dowager, who had suddenly begun interrogating her lineage, muttered to herself how strange it was, then fell silent, deep in thought.
