“By the way, Hart, who assigned you here?”
“The Head Maid of the Imperial Palace, of course.”
“And why all of a sudden?”
“Word came down from above to take exceptional care of the young ladies visiting from other nations.”
“Why would they do that?”
Noticing the curiosity in Dalia’s eyes, Hart broke into a wide grin and lowered her voice as if divulging a grand secret.
“This is only my guess, but it seems they arranged it just in case one of these ladies catches His Majesty’s eye.”
“How remarkably forward-thinking of them! Has some princess or lady already caught his attention higher up?”
Dalia asked with eager eyes, her face alight with anticipation.
“Now, how could a mere maid like me possibly know that?”
Hart offered a sly, playful smile.
“I see.”
Dalia’s excitement died down in an instant.
“Are you smitten with His Majesty as well?”
A quick gleam flickered in Hart’s eyes.
“No, not in the least. Why does everyone keep getting the wrong idea?”
Dalia let out an exasperated sigh, airing her grievance.
“Everyone? Who do you mean?”
“Who else? His Majesty the Emperor.”
“Goodness! You met him in person? Is this how a grand romance begins?”
Hart clasped her hands together and squirmed in delight.
“No.”
Seeing the clear revulsion on Dalia’s face, Hart’s shoulders sagged in disappointment.
“Do you truly not care for His Majesty? He is breathlessly handsome, an peerless swordsman, possessing noble character, and—”
Hart faltered slightly at the mention of his character, but no one paid it any mind.
“It isn't a question of liking or disliking him. There simply cannot be anything between us.”
“Why? Everyone knows the Foundation Festival is just a pretext; the real reason all these ladies flocked to the empire is His Majesty.”
“Count me out of that.”
“And me as well.”
Annie, who had been listening from behind, chimed in with a slight raise of her hand.
Hart looked between the two of them with utter bewilderment.
“If His Majesty isn’t your goal, then why on earth did you come to the empire?”
“To sightsee.”
Annie answered flatly.
“Me too! And to learn more about the world!”
Dalia added with a bright, cheerful face.
Hart stared at them strangely, prompting a deep sigh from Annie in the background.
“You look exhausted, Lia. Why don’t you wash up and get some rest? Hart, could you prepare the bathwater?”
“Yes, right away!”
Hart bowed and hurried out of the room.
The moment Dalia started to speak, Annie pressed an index finger to her lips.
“Shh?”
Annie offered no answer, merely nodding as she pressed her ear firmly against the door for a long while.
Once the sound of footsteps faded into nothing, she stepped close to Dalia and whispered,
“It’s suspicious. A maid turning up out of nowhere like that.”
“Indeed, it’s quite odd. They showed no interest in us before.”
Dalia whispered back.
“Hart came in so abruptly that I haven’t had the chance to verify her story with my brother. Until we know for certain, I believe I will have to speak to you informally. Forgive me.”
“We agreed on that before we even arrived. Don’t fret over it. If anything, it makes us feel like closer friends, which I like.”
Dalia smiled warmly, and Annie returned the gesture with resigned fondness.
“Still, why is there a leaf in your hair? And your dress… anyone looking at you would think you went rolling on the ground.”
Dalia shook her head in mild dismay.
“I suppose I could deceive ghosts, but I could never fool Annie.”
Annie’s eyes widened in horror.
“Did you truly roll on the ground?!”
“I did. I tripped over a stone and executed a flawless breakfall. They even applauded me.”
“Just how clean was your fall for them to applaud! Do you even realize you are a… mm-mm? What kind of mm-mm goes tumbling around after coming of age?!”
Annie muffled the words with “mm-mm,” but to the ears, it carried the sheer weight of a shrieked “Princess!”
Faced with the barrage of scolding, Dalia tried to defend herself with a pitiful look.
“Annie, so next time should I just take the blow and go splat—thud?!”
“An ordinary lady simply falls down.”
Annie answered firmly, her gaze asking what on earth was to be done about their princess’s social sensibilities.
“My knees would be completely scraped raw, and my palms would be shredded too. Would you rather see me hurt like that?”
Annie seemed to weigh the princess’s dignity against the princess’s physical injuries.
“…You did well.”
In the end, Annie raised the white flag.
“Didn’t I?”
Dalia let out a soft laugh at once, celebrating her little victory.
“Only on one condition: if you must tumble next time, do it when no one is watching!”
“Understood! I’ll be careful.”
Neither of them even considered the possibility that she might fall again.
Just as they reached their agreement, a knock sounded at the door.
“Come in.”
Annie took a step back from Dalia, but unexpectedly, someone else stepped inside.
“Did you call for me? Th-the evening air is quite refreshing, Lia.”
“I did not call for you.”
“La—”
Annie lunged like a tempest and clamped her hand over his mouth, heedless of the nearly thirty-centimeter difference in their heights.
Cole’s eyes went wide with shock.
With a sharp kick, Annie slammed the door shut, shoved Cole against the wall, and planted her other hand flat beside his head.
Dalia watched in silent admiration at the picture-perfect kabedon Annie had just pulled off.
Annie furrowed her brows and whispered with fierce resolve,
“From this moment on, never call me by that title again. My name is ‘Annie.’ If you understand, nod.”
Subdued by the sheer force of her presence, Cole gave an obedient nod.
“A maid has been assigned to our quarters. You understand what that implies, don't you?”
The deep amber in Cole’s eyes darkened with seriousness.
Satisfied that he understood, Annie pulled her hand away from his mouth.
“I shall be much more careful from now on, Miss Annie. And you as well, Miss Lia.”
“To avoid drawing attention, we had Cole stay with the diplomats, but that no longer seems feasible. From now on, guard the entrance to our room and make certain that maid doesn't eavesdrop.”
“Understood.”
Though Cole, the ever-placid and easygoing guard knight, and Annie, the strict and meticulous maid, clashed often over various matters, there was one singular exception.
At the exact same instant, the two turned their gazes toward the person at the heart of that exception—the Princess.
‘Protect the Princess.’
Before that duty, they were always of one mind.
“You do know that you two look remarkably well-suited whenever you do that, don’t you?”
Dalia teased as she caught their eyes.
Unlike Cole, who merely offered a gentle, silent smile, Annie knit her brows in disbelief and stated flatly,
“We are not well-suited.”
Dalia noticed with a small smirk the faint flush creeping up Annie’s earlobe after that retort, but she pretended not to see.
The door to the waiting room, situated some distance from the imperial audience chamber, swung open.
As the assistant entered, he saw his powerfully built commander standing by the window, gazing outside.
“Commander Luand.”
Commander of the Holy Knights, Luand Oferian, turned around.
Brilliant sunlight poured through the window, catching his golden hair and casting a dazzling sheen across it.
His clear blue eyes, reminiscent of an open sky, were steady as steel, while his finely chiseled jawline and striking red lips gave him an imposing masculine presence.
“It is time for your audience with His Majesty the Emperor.”
Luand acknowledged him with a brief nod and followed behind his assistant.
Walking slowly across the white marble floor, Luand recalled the conversation he had shared with the Pope.
It had been in the prayer hall of the Holy Empire of Halin.
Within the sanctuary, bathed in sacred, multicolored light filtering through stained-glass windows, stood a three-meter-tall statue of a merciful goddess.
“Your Holiness.”
The elderly man kneeling in prayer before the statue raised his head.
The Pope turned his eyes toward him, filled with profound warmth.
“Luand.”
“Forgive me. I have failed to find the Saintess.”
“It is a search that has spanned many decades; do not rush yourself. The Goddess will surely show us the way.”
“Yes, Your Holiness.”
The Pope rose to his feet, moved to the table, and poured the tea.
After moistening his dry lips with the brew, he turned his gaze upon Luand.
“You must have received the report as well?”
Luand lifted his head slightly, meeting the Pope’s eyes.
“Along the border between the Halin Empire and the Lucifon Empire, an entity that is neither beast nor man has appeared, its body cloaked entirely in black. The holy scriptures left to us by the Goddess call it a ‘demonic beast.’”
