CHAPTER 01
At twenty-one, Dianu Ortensa was a young lady with many virtues.
She was beautiful enough to attract glances on the street even without a parasol.
Though she didn’t believe in God, she could recite the entire scripture by heart.
In her school days, she had earned pocket money by ghostwriting love letters, thanks to her elegant handwriting.
She couldn’t boast about it openly, but she had a fine figure as well.
She had no title and never would, but as the daughter of a minor noble family, she was fortunate enough not to risk being sold off as some old man’s third wife.
Dianu Ortensa thought herself lucky—until a letter arrived from the imperial palace.
***
“Welcome to the Oak Palace, Miss Ortensa. This is our first time meeting in person.”
The lady-in-waiting to the princess, Countess Ornin Ivelina, was in her early thirties and the author of the letter that Dianu had neatly tucked into her only outing handbag.
She looked exactly like her refined and graceful handwriting.
Her tightly coiled black hair didn’t let a single strand slip from its net, and her dark-blue dress, free from any unnecessary decoration, was so neat it nearly felt suffocating.
It was a servant from the Oak Palace who had delivered the Countess’s letter to Dianu.
Everyone at the Grand Duke’s residence assumed that a letter from the imperial palace must be addressed to Erin Erbinjel, the Grand Duchess.
So when the servant asked for a mere governess instead of a noble, they couldn’t hide their confusion.
Of course, no one was as puzzled as Dianu herself.
> To Miss Ortensa,
I hope this letter reaches you safely.
I am Countess Ornin Ivelina, lady-in-waiting to Her Highness Princess Elpenlira Catalos e Catalos, the sister of His Majesty Rision Catalos e Catalos, Emperor of the Catalos Empire.
I have an urgent matter to discuss with you. Please visit the Oak Palace in the imperial grounds three days from now in the afternoon.
I have already obtained permission from Grand Duchess Erin Erbinjel, so you need not worry.
– Countess Ornin Ivelina
The servant who should have received her reply had already returned to the palace.
There was no option to refuse, nor could she even ask why she had been summoned.
To make matters worse, Grand Duchess Erin Erbinjel, who might have had the answer, had just left for her eastern estate.
In the end, Dianu chose her finest outfit and boarded the carriage sent from the palace.
The Oak Palace, home to generations of imperial daughters and unmarried sisters, lay deep within the palace grounds.
Dianu had to walk quite a distance after following the servant, since only members of the royal family were allowed to ride inside.
At the entrance, Countess Ornin Ivelina greeted her and led her along a polished lakeside path.
Two ladies-in-waiting and four maids followed behind them.
They weren’t introduced, but Dianu assumed the attendants were also of noble birth.
It felt strange to be trailed like that, as if she herself were the one of importance.
Throughout the walk, the Countess maintained a polite yet distant manner.
“Was the journey unpleasant?”
“No. The carriage you sent was very comfortable. Thank you.”
“It was only right since I was the one who invited you. I worried I might have caused you trouble by summoning you so suddenly.”
“Not at all. Grand Duchess Erin Erbinjel granted permission.”
“Ah, yes. You’ve been staying at the Grand Duke’s estate for over a year, haven’t you?”
“Yes.”
Dianu kept her answers brief.
A governess in a great noble household occupied an ambiguous position—not quite family, not merely a servant.
Though her stipend wasn’t officially called a salary, she received generous support and was expected to show a certain degree of loyalty.
The Erbinjel Duchy was related to the imperial family and one of Emperor Rision’s strongest allies.
It was unlikely that the lady-in-waiting to the Emperor’s sister had come to pry into such a house—but still, she couldn’t be sure.
Yet Countess Ornin Ivelina seemed indifferent to the Grand Duke’s household and focused entirely on Dianu herself.
“Miss Dianu, how did you come to work as a governess? Was it your dream?”
Of course not.
Even a minor noblewoman rarely chose employment of her own accord.
Though women could now inherit titles, their true virtue still lay in making a suitable marriage—and that required a proper dowry.
Dianu had no dowry.
Whatever small inheritance she had was spent on her education.
And without a dowry, a noblewoman could not make a respectable marriage.
Becoming a governess in a prestigious household was the only way to live with dignity.
The Countess surely knew that, so her question must have had another meaning—though Dianu couldn’t guess what it was.
“My personal circumstances wouldn’t interest you, my lady.”
“I’m not asking just out of curiosity.”
“Then… may I ask why you want to know about me?”
The Countess stopped before a great tree with a clear view of the lake, where a tea table had already been set.
The maids served tea and stepped back.
Dianu mimed sipping politely while sunlight shimmered over the lake.
Then Countess Ornin Ivelina spoke.
“In truth, I wasn’t the one who called you here.”
“…Pardon?”
“It was His Majesty, Emperor Rision, who chose you, Miss Ortensa.”
Dianu carefully set her cup down.
The Countess’s expression remained calm and pleasant.
Dianu tried to match her smile, though she wasn’t sure how convincing it was.
“Miss Ortensa, how much do you know about Princess Elpenlira?”
About the princess?
Only what every subject of the empire knew.
Elpenlira Catalos e Catalos, the only woman permitted to bear the Empire’s full name.
At just twenty, her brother Rision Catalos e Catalos had reigned for six years, and she was his beloved younger sister.
She had made her social debut two years ago—so she was now eighteen.
If her portraits were true, she was a beautiful young lady with golden hair and a radiant smile.
In other words, Dianu knew nothing beyond public rumor.
“I wouldn’t dare claim to know anything of Her Highness.”
“Her Highness is currently being discussed as a potential bride for the Crown Prince of the Arasas Empire.”
Though she hid it, Dianu was genuinely shocked.
The Catalos Empire and Arasas Empire were hardly on friendly terms.
Long ago, as neighboring kingdoms, they had waged countless wars before settling into their current uneasy peace.
“When the late emperor passed, the Arasas Empire sent their crown prince as a representative…”
People had gossiped that even the old emperor of Arasas, who used to ignore Catalos completely, must have had a change of heart.
But for that change to reach the point of proposing a royal marriage—unbelievable.
Countess Ornin Ivelina took a sip of tea and added evenly,
“Of course, this must not leave this place. I trust you understand.”
Dianu smiled innocently.
“I wouldn’t dream of it.”
“Good. You seem like a clever young lady. Then you must already have some idea why you were called here.”
Of course.
Even a fool could piece it together.
A historic marriage in the making.
A princess.
Her lady-in-waiting.
A governess from a loyal imperial household.
There could only be one reason.
“Until the marriage is concluded, you are to serve as Her Highness Princess Elpenlira’s tutor. By order of His Majesty Emperor Rision Catalos e Catalos.”
And that was how Dianu Ortensa, at the age of twenty-one, became the princess’s governess.
