Elisha recalled Mikael’s request, the one who whispered sweet words to her and gave her love.
“Elisha, the Lady of the Ducal House has started entering the Palace. Go and ask her to let you enter the Palace as a maid. Since you are friends, she’ll do it for you. If you enter the Palace, I’ll help you meet my older brother naturally.”
She tightly clutched the blanket and shut her eyes firmly.
“It will work out. I will trust His Highness.”
Elisha comforted herself like that.
***
At noon, Elisha came saying they should have lunch together.
Liliana had a table set in the garden, and the two of them had lunch together.
As Elisha moved some salad onto Liliana’s plate, she casually asked,
“Lily, are the preparations for the engagement ceremony going well?”
“Mhm, smoothly. The renovation of the detached Palace is almost finished. The engagement dress is also in its final stage.”
She naturally asked the next question.
“Have you decided which maids will enter the Palace with you?”
“Not yet.”
Elisha looked at Liliana with a shy expression.
“Then… can I enter as your maid?”
Liliana looked at Elisha as if surprised.
“You?”
“Yes. I’m your friend. I want to help you as your maid.”
Liliana smiled faintly and carefully examined Elisha’s expression.
It was a gaze that desperately wished Liliana would grant the request. At the same time, there was also worry about what would happen if she were refused.
Anxiety and impatience could be felt in Elisha’s eyes.
Liliana readily accepted.
“For me, I would be grateful if you came. Will you really become my maid?”
Elisha’s expression brightened noticeably.
“Of course. There’s no one who knows you as well as I do. I’ll do well.”
“Thank you, Elisha. I’m very happy that you’ll come.”
Once she gave her permission, Elisha rejoiced inwardly.
Liliana looked sharply at the delighted Elisha.
She already knew what kind of scheme Elisha and Mikael were planning.
Her crow had told her everything and shown her everything.
Liliana clearly remembered the secret conversation the two had shared.
That shallow plan to seduce Estevan and break her engagement.
***
Elisha informed Mikael through a communication orb that she would enter the Palace as Liliana’s maid.
— Really, well done. Elisha. I’ll take care of the rest, so you prepare to enter the Palace.
“I will.”
When Elisha answered in a weak tone, Mikael asked with a worried expression.
— Why does your voice sound so weak?
“I am worried about whether I will be able to do well. If I fail, I am afraid Your Highness might hate me.”
— Why would you worry about that? I told you I’m always on your side. Even if you fail, I won’t hate you. And if you fail, you can keep trying until you succeed. You can do it, Elisha.
He never told her to stop until the end. Elisha felt a little disappointed about that, but she endured it.
“Alright. I will do my best.”
— Now that’s the Elisha I love. When you enter the Palace, let’s meet there.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
After ending the communication, Elisha let out a deep sigh.
‘I can do it! I have to succeed, at least for his sake.’
She didn’t want to put Mikael in a difficult position.
The next day, during breakfast, Elisha told Baron Lindel about entering the Palace.
“Father, I want to enter the Palace as Lily’s maid.”
Baron Lindel widened his eyes and looked at Elisha.
“You want to become a maid?”
“Yes.”
“Being a maid is not as easy as you think. Do you know how difficult it is to attend to someone?”
Elisha was the type to be attended to, not to attend to someone else. Since he himself had raised her that way, Baron Lindel was worried about her.
“That’s a place where mistakes aren’t tolerated. You could get hurt.”
“Father, I am an adult now. I am old enough to take responsibility for my own life.”
In the end, Baron Lindel let out a sigh.
“You won’t regret it?”
“Do not worry. I am Lily’s only friend. I am confident I can take better care of Lily than anyone.”
“Very well. You have reached the age where you must take responsibility for your own life. Do your best.”
“Of course.”
Elisha looked at Baron Lindel and smiled brightly.
***
Liliana received two maids sent by Black Cat in the reception room of the Duke’s mansion.
“My name is Daisy.”
“I am Jennifer.”
If Daisy gave a calm impression, Jennifer gave a lively impression.
“You two are friends?”
Jennifer answered confidently.
“You could say we are childhood friends who have shared life and death together. From now on, together with Daisy, I will serve my Lady with all my heart.”
“Very well. I look forward to it.”
“I also look forward to serving you, my Lady.”
When Daisy spoke politely, Liliana smiled faintly.
Both of them appeared to be very capable.
Daisy and Jennifer said they had worked as intelligence agents. In particular, they had learned a wide variety of skills while working as agents.
Since intelligence agents had to infiltrate many different places, they said they had to learn skills suited to each situation.
In other words, there was nothing they couldn’t do.
Liliana liked that.
Because they had to become her hands and feet, she couldn’t take mediocre people as maids.
And there was one more thing. She needed people she could trust enough to entrust with tasks. That was why she had given orders to Black Cat.
Black Cat belonged to Liliana, and aside from her family, it was the most trustworthy place in the world.
Even in the past, Black Cat had never betrayed her, whom they acknowledged as their master.
They had taken responsibility for paving every path she wished to walk and had helped her carry out her revenge.
For Liliana, it was a place with deeper ties than anywhere else.
“There is something I want to entrust to the two of you.”
It was something only the two former agents could do.
“Soon, my friend Elisha will arrive. She will also enter the Palace with me as my maid.”
“Yes.”
“I see.”
“Daisy, I would like you to keep watch on Elisha. If you notice anything strange about her, report it to me immediately.”
“Understood.”
“And Jennifer, keep watch over the Emerald Palace. In particular, pay close attention to the movements of Prince Mikael.”
“Leave it to me.”
Neither of them asked for the reason.
“You’re not going to ask why?”
Jennifer answered confidently.
“As long as we can be of help, that is enough for us.”
Then Daisy also replied in a calm tone.
“You do not need to tell us the reason. If we can be of help, that alone is enough for us.”
“Thank you. I’m glad the two of you came. I feel like I should really thank Jerdin.”
A moment later, Anna opened the door to the reception room and came in.
“My Lady, Lady Elisha has arrived.”
“Lily!”
Before Anna even finished speaking, Lily came in.
When Elisha called Liliana by her nickname, the expressions of Anna, Daisy, and Jennifer stiffened.
Liliana decided to give her a warning while she had the chance.
If Elisha made a mistake in the Imperial Palace, it would become Liliana’s responsibility.
“Elisha, today is the day you enter the Palace as my maid, so please refrain from using nicknames. Once we enter the Palace, I will become your master, and you must speak to me formally. Do you understand?”
“Ah, sorry. I will be careful.”
“Good. Then let’s go to the Palace.”
Today was the day to inspect the detached Palace, whose renovation had been completed, and the maids would receive training from the head maid.
The official move into the Palace would take place after the engagement ceremony. The maids would stay in the detached Palace beforehand and receive training from the head maid until the engagement ceremony.
Liliana left the estate with the maids and boarded the carriage.
Since they couldn’t all ride in one carriage, Liliana and Anna planned to ride in the same carriage, while Elisha, Daisy, and Jennifer would ride in another.
“I want to ride in this carriage too.”
As soon as Liliana and Anna got into the carriage, Elisha hurriedly climbed in and spoke politely.
“My Lady, if the seat is uncomfortable, I get motion sickness.”
“Sorry, Elisha. I don’t think you can ride with us. Unless you are the chief maid, an ordinary maid can’t ride in her master’s carriage.”
Elisha replied with an awkward expression.
“Ah, etiquette… I see.”
Anna gestured with her eyes for Elisha to understand and get down quickly.
Elisha had no choice but to step down from the carriage.
As soon as Elisha got down, Anna closed the carriage door. After confirming that Elisha boarded the carriage behind them, she had the carriage set off.
After arriving at the Imperial Palace by carriage, Liliana took the maids to the detached Palace.
When they arrived, they met Marianne, the head maid who had been appointed to oversee the detached Palace.
She was someone sent by the Emperor. Whether she was trustworthy would have to be seen through experience, but she seemed like a decent person.
Liliana introduced the maids she had brought to her.
Marianne looked over Anna, Elisha, Daisy, and Jennifer, who had come as maids, and nodded.
“Understood. I will add them to the register and submit a report to His Majesty.”
