Episode 10
Every year, the imperial palace selects orphan children from certain orphanages to work as trainees.
It was a kind of welfare program.
They were only apprentice maids who did minor chores in the outermost parts of the palace.
Still, for children around Tii’s age, it was the only way to officially enter the imperial palace.
Before her regression, Tii had also entered the palace through a similar opportunity.
Through that, she had eventually risen all the way to become a close attendant of a royal.
Compared to ordinary orphanages like Pulos, the imperial orphanages sent more children.
But even getting chosen from there was not easy.
But I’ve already done all this before.
Tii had no trouble winning the favor of adults like the orphanage director and getting a letter of recommendation.
When she left for the palace, the adults even saw her off with tears in their eyes.
“We’re sending away such a kind and quick-witted child…”
“But experience working in the imperial palace will help her so much.”
“Take care. Don’t forget us.”
If a trainee proved her ability within five years in the palace, she could get the chance to become an official maid.
Even if she failed to become an official maid, if she simply endured for five years without being dismissed, she would receive a recommendation letter stamped with the imperial seal.
With that, she could enter the service of any noble house.
For an orphan, it was truly a path to success.
But success isn’t my real goal.
Just then, a few children in the same apprentice maid uniform bumped into Tii with their shoulders.
—Thump!
“Eek!”
She almost fell, but managed to stay on her feet.
At that moment, the supervising maid, Lea, looked toward Tii and scolded them.
“You there! Can’t you be quiet?”
“Yes, understood.”
The children around her giggled unpleasantly.
“Serves you right, cheating like that.”
“Just thinking about how Mei couldn’t come because of you makes me mad.”
These were children from the same imperial orphanage, and they disliked Tii.
Tii only shrugged.
They were too childish for her to take seriously.
Still, she muttered in a very small voice, just loud enough for those beside her to hear.
“How childish.”
“What did you say?!”
“You little—!”
Just as the children around Tii were starting to get angry, Supervisor Lea shouted at them again with a stern face.
“Didn’t you hear what I said? I told you not to make noise while ganging up on one small child. Did you not understand?”
At those words, the children surrounding Tii turned pale.
They had thought the warning was aimed at Tii, but it wasn’t.
“This is the last warning. Next time, you’ll be punished.”
The children slowly scattered.
Tii quietly lowered her head while keeping her shoulders and waist straight. It was the proper posture the supervisor had emphasized several times.
Idiots. Do they really think adults much taller than them wouldn’t notice what they were doing?
The other children had not realized it, but Tii had figured it out long ago.
That was why she ignored their provocations and acted calm and mature.
Most adults like “mature” children like that.
She had even gone a step further and quietly provoked the children in a way the supervisor could not hear.
Just as she had calculated, the children trying to bully her ended up making a bad impression on the supervisor.
The supervisor was now looking at Tii quite favorably.
Good. I made a decent first impression.
She was not especially interested in climbing the ranks, but it was never bad to leave a good impression on her superiors.
But…
“Oh my! You cleaned this whole hallway by yourself?”
“That’s impossible! She’s only ten!”
“She even wiped all the dust from behind the picture frames, and no one even told her to!”
“You all should learn from Tii.”
She had done her work too well.
Far too well.
During her second time living palace life, it was actually hard to pretend to be bad at things.
Besides… the amount and difficulty of work here can’t even compare to the Atherion mansion!
At the Atherion mansion, they did not feed her, did not let her sleep, soaked her in filthy water, and then made her do the work of five people by herself.
Compared to that suffering, this was nothing.
Since she had already stood out for being capable, she decided to do even better.
The supervisor, who had already been impressed by Tii’s calm attitude, was shocked once again by her skill.
“You said your name was Tina Haas? You really did all this yourself?”
“Yes. Please call me Tii, Supervisor.”
The supervisor seemed deeply impressed by both her young age and her work skills.
“You are ten years old, right?”
“Yes.”
For some reason, the supervisor’s eyes became slightly moist.
“Come to think of it, I heard that the legendary that person also entered the palace as an apprentice at the age of ten, just like you.”
“That person?”
“Yes. There was once a maid whom an emperor from several generations ago trusted and favored enough to discuss state affairs with.”
“Ah, you mean Head Maid Sylvia Rapid!”
“Oh my, you know about her?”
“Yes. I studied after entering the imperial palace.”
Actually, she had learned that before her regression, after entering the palace.
Sylvia Rapid was the maid of Emperor Arman from six generations ago, and among palace maids she was spoken of like a legend.
That was because she started as a commoner maid, rose to amazing heights, and eventually became the emperor’s head maid.
Her ability and knowledge had been so exceptional that she had earned the nickname the Shadow Chancellor.
The supervisor seemed truly delighted that a new trainee like Tii knew about Head Maid Sylvia.
For a while, without even being asked, she eagerly started listing all kinds of facts about her.
Ah, she’s a fan of the Shadow Chancellor.
Come to think of it, there were quite a lot of people like that among palace staff.
Some even collected her portraits and diaries.
“So… she is the idol of all of us. Even ministers and officials listened carefully to her words. Truly, she is a role model for every palace servant.”
Soon the supervisor came back to her senses.
The dreamy look on her face turned strict again.
She finished speaking.
“Ahem. All of you should strive to follow her example.”
“Yes, Supervisor.”
“And who knows? If you work hard enough, perhaps one of you trainees may rise all the way to become a maid.”
At those words, I became a little sentimental.
Before my regression, that had been me.
I had not become another Shadow Chancellor, of course, but I had risen from a commoner trainee to become the maid of a royal.
It had become quite the topic, since I was said to be the first common-born maid to reach that position since Head Maid Sylvia.
Maybe it was because I had entered the palace again.
For a moment, I remembered the royal I had served before my regression.
He used to smile gently and say:
“…You’re here, Tii. As expected, it just won’t do unless it’s the mante tea you brewed.”
Suddenly, my head started throbbing.
What was that?
The memory that had briefly surfaced vanished in an instant along with the headache.
***
I lived a double life.
By day, I was a diligent maid.
And at dawn, I was a thief roaming the imperial palace in search of the holy relic!
Today too, I secretly slipped out at dawn.
Then I activated Astreia.
—Flash!
The blue gem that had fed on blood began to glow with a strange pale sky-blue light.
That small light pointed in one direction.
As if it were indicating somewhere.
Good!
Following the faint glimmer, I started moving carefully.
After wandering for quite a while, I reached an abandoned tower at the outer edge of the imperial palace.
Come to think of it, didn’t the supervisor say we weren’t supposed to come near this place carelessly?
She had said there was a prisoner kept here.
A prisoner… but is it really a criminal? Could it be an innocent person, like I was when I was locked in the underground prison of the Atherion mansion?
It was just as I was thinking that—
I heard a strange sound.
—Splash!
Below the tower was a black lake.
Someone had fallen in and was struggling.
It reminded me of when I had fallen into a lake about a year ago.
Back then, no one had reached out a hand to help me.
Before I knew it, I was already jumping into the lake.
“Gasp!”
Only after a desperate struggle and dragging the person out did I finally see who had fallen into the lake.
And I was shocked.
What? Why is this kid here?
Because it was a face I recognized.
