At 10 PM, a message came from Mikael. Carrying the communication orb, Elisha entered the toilette room and activated it.
— Get ready and come to the hideout in District J.
“Alright.”
After replying, Elisha left the toilette room and prepared to meet the Consort.
She couldn’t wake the maids, so she dressed herself. After finishing her appearance using the items Mikael had given her, Elisha moved to the secret meeting place in District J through a teleportation circle.
When she arrived, Mikael and a maid were waiting for her.
“I am Emma, the head maid of the Ruby Palace, who serves Her Highness the Imperial Consort. I will escort you, my Lady.”
Elisha swallowed dryly and nodded.
She rode in a carriage with Mikael from the hideout.
When they arrived at an abandoned house on the outskirts, a mage was waiting for them.
Emma explained.
“We will teleport from here to the Ruby Palace through the mage. Are you ready?”
“Yes.”
“Then, please stand beside me, both of you.”
Mikael and Elisha stood next to Emma. When Emma gave a signal to the mage, the mage cast a teleportation spell.
In an instant, the three of them were enveloped in light and transported to a dark space.
Emma skillfully lit a candle.
“This is the basement of the Ruby Palace, where the fluctuations of mana are the weakest. To bypass the Palace barrier, we had no choice but to come here, so I ask for your understanding.”
A barrier had been set up around the Imperial Palace to prevent external intrusion. Because of that, the Palace was safe from any kind of magic.
If any external magical interference occurred, the Imperial Court’s Magic Corps would be the first to act.
The Imperial Magic Corps was a unit directly under the Emperor, and even Consort Isabella couldn’t deal with them carelessly.
To avoid their notice, she had searched for a place where the flow of mana was weakest. That place was the basement of the Ruby Palace.
Originally, this place didn’t belong to the Ruby Palace. Consort Isabella had requested it from the Emperor as a birthday gift under the pretext of building a greenhouse.
And while constructing the greenhouse, she secretly designed an underground space as well.
That was why this place was a very meticulously planned space.
Emma lit all the lights in the basement. There, on a sofa placed in the middle of the wide basement, Consort Isabella was sitting.
“Come, sit.”
When she gestured to the seat across from her, Mikael sat down first, and Elisha sat beside him.
Consort Isabella stared intently at Elisha.
With her silver hair and blue eyes, Elisha was among the most beautiful women of the Empire. It was understandable that Mikael would be drawn to her.
Elisha couldn’t bring herself to raise her head. Now that she was actually sitting before the Imperial Consort, fear had set in.
Gripping the hem of her skirt, Elisha barely endured Consort Isabella’s gaze.
“I can see why the Prince laid a hand on you.”
Consort Isabella gestured to Emma.
“Bring some tea.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
The Consort leisurely drank the tea Emma prepared while observing Elisha.
She had already investigated and learned everything about her.
Her father was Baron Lindel, a vassal of House Dayan, and her mother had died giving birth to her. It was said that Baron Lindel had raised her with great care.
And she had recently heard that Elisha had a major falling-out with Baron Lindel.
“Your father is Baron Lindel, vassal of House Dayan?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Does Baron Lindel know about this?”
Consort Isabella fixed Elisha with a sharp gaze.
If a gaze could cut a person, hers would be that kind.
“My father does not know.”
“He does not know…”
“Yes.”
“That is fortunate. He must continue not to know.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“For the time being, tell your father that you have become Mikael’s maid. I will take care of the rest.”
Instead of answering, Elisha nodded.
“Your existence will be kept secret until Mikael’s marriage. Until then, I will see to it that you are properly looked after. Princess Consort Liliana even came to me to make such a request for someone like you, calling you her friend.”
“Her Highness did?”
“Indeed. It seems you made a separate request to her, did you not?”
Elisha couldn’t answer.
“Clever little thing, using the soft heart of Princess Consort Liliana.”
Elisha clenched her teeth.
“This time, I am accepting you for the sake of Princess Consort Liliana. So you should be grateful for the mercy of both of us.”
“I will keep that in mind, Your Highness.”
Consort Isabella looked steadily at Elisha and gave her instructions.
“You must remain quiet until I say it is time. If you follow that well, I will reveal your existence after Mikael’s marriage. After that, if Mikael safely becomes Emperor and you give birth to a Prince, I will raise you to the position of Imperial Consort.”
In a sweet voice, Consort Isabella was whispering exactly what Elisha desired most.
“I am deeply grateful for Your Highness’s grace.”
“Now then, sign here.”
Consort Isabella held out a document.
It was a confidentiality agreement stating that Elisha’s existence would be kept secret until Mikael’s marriage.
Elisha hesitated, then steadied her resolve and signed.
There was no turning back now.
Still, it didn’t matter. It would be a better life than now.
She would no longer have to struggle over money. That alone was enough to satisfy Elisha.
***
Liliana learned from Jerdin that Elisha had made a secret agreement with Consort Isabella.
It stated that her existence would be kept hidden until Mikael’s marriage.
Elisha came to see Liliana and said that she would now be living in the Emerald Palace.
Liliana brought her to the reception room and listened to the details.
Officially, Elisha would be going there as a maid of the Emerald Palace.
“That’s good, Elisha.”
“Thank you, Your Highness. For personally going to Consort Isabella and even asking on my behalf.”
“It’s just the two of us here, speak comfortably.”
“Is that really okay?”
“Of course. It’s between you and me.”
“Thank you, Lily.”
“Of course. If anything ever troubles you, tell me anytime.”
“Okay, I will.”
She smiled falsely as she comforted Elisha. Elisha also forced a smile as she looked at Liliana.
Without realizing that Liliana was smiling falsely, Elisha thought she was foolish.
‘Foolish Liliana, how can you be this stupid.’
That was why Elisha thought she was easy to use.
In the future, when she became someone of higher status than Liliana, what kind of expression would Liliana have as she looked at her?
Just imagining it was thrilling.
‘For now, I’ll make full use of you.’
Elisha inwardly smiled in satisfaction and mocked Liliana.
But Liliana already had a good idea of what Elisha was feeling right now.
‘She must be dreaming of a dazzling future.’
Just becoming Prince Mikael’s concubine would make her feel as if she had gained the whole world.
It started as being a concubine, but she likely believed she could one day become an Imperial Consort or even Empress.
But she would have to abandon the idea that the path ahead was paved with flowers. Liliana intended to turn it into a road of thorns herself.
Unaware of Liliana’s true thoughts, Elisha was absorbed in her imagined future.
Liliana leisurely sipped her tea, quietly watching the excited Elisha.
‘Enjoy it as much as you like.’
Though who knew how long that joy would last.
Three days later, Elisha went to the Emerald Palace.
Perhaps because of Liliana’s request, she was treated fairly well.
She was given the third-largest room in the Emerald Palace, decorated with luxurious antique furniture.
Luxurious dresses, jewelry, and shoes—things she would never have even touched in her lifetime—were all provided.
Elisha was happy. She was delighted to be able to enjoy all of this.
“Do you like the room?”
Elisha’s head snapped back.
At some point, Mikael was already there, leaning against the wall and looking at her with an unpleasant expression.
“Your Highness, you have come.”
With a soft, smiling expression, Elisha approached Mikael.
“I really like the room, Your Highness. I did not expect you to go this far for me. I am touched.”
As Elisha tried to take his hand, Mikael shook her off.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
Elisha’s face stiffened in shock, as if she had never expected her hand to be brushed away.
“Your Highness…”
“Don’t forget, you are currently in the position of my maid. Conduct yourself so your existence is not exposed. Don’t even think about touching me carelessly.”
After saying that, Mikael gestured.
“Greet her. She will be the maid attending to you from now on. My mother personally sent her.”
The maid politely greeted Elisha.
“My name is Shuna. Her Highness the Imperial Consort has ordered me to attend to you, my Lady.”
“Alright, I look forward to your service.”
Elisha felt uneasy about Shuna’s sharp gaze for some reason.
‘She was sent to watch me.’
The fact that the Consort had personally sent a maid clearly meant she intended to keep an eye on her.
“Your Highness, I am not sure if you have heard from Her Highness the Imperial Consort, but Lily helped me a lot.”
“What?”
Watching Mikael’s expression gradually stiffen, Elisha continued speaking.
“I asked Lily for help. I told her I wanted to become Your Highness’s concubine.”
“Lady Liliana knows that you are my concubine?”
