“I’m really sorry… I just wanted to make a good impression on you, Lady Evelyn, but I messed up right from the start…”
“It’s okay, really.”
I patted Vivian’s shoulder as she anxiously shifted from foot to foot.
“Well, I have things to do, so I’ll be off now. I look forward to working with you.”
“Ah! Yes! Me too! I look forward to it, Lady Evelyn!”
Vivian beamed so brightly that it almost felt excessive as she bowed deeply. As expected, there was no sign of malice on her face.
‘She’s probably just a little clueless, that’s all.’
And even if she had been intentionally mocking me, I couldn’t be bothered to call her out on it. This level of passive aggression was nothing.
‘Still… maybe I should ask Katana to look into it?’
With that thought, I quickened my pace toward Katana’s room. It was always better to be cautious, even when crossing a seemingly sturdy bridge.
****
I arrived at Caesar’s bedroom in advance and waited for him. It was almost time for his swordsmanship training to end.
Before long, Caesar returned to his room and, upon seeing me, shook his head.
“Still the same.”
“Haah…”
I let out a sigh. “Still the same” obviously meant that his powers still hadn’t fully manifested.
‘Does he really not trust me?’
I had already asked Katana to investigate the legend of the red-haired woman further, as well as look into any other possible cases, but there were no results.
In the end, I still had no clue why Caesar hadn’t fully awakened.
“Don’t worry too much. I feel like I’m improving little by little.”
Caesar, now seated across from me at the tea table, spoke in a relaxed tone.
Several months had passed since he became an adult. He kept saying he was making progress, but from what I could see, he wasn’t.
‘Worrying won’t change anything, but how can he be this carefree?’
I pouted without realizing it.
“Ah, Duke Bryden will be arriving soon.”
“Huh? The Duke? Why?”
“Just the usual routine check-in.”
Duke Bryden met with Caesar privately once a week. He played a crucial role in gathering opinions from the pro-imperial faction and monitoring any suspicious activity among the nobles.
“Wasn’t that originally scheduled for tomorrow evening?”
“Yeah. The Duke suddenly asked to reschedule. Apparently, something urgent came up at home.”
“Hmm…”
Something urgent at home?
Duke Bryden was a conservative man. He wasn’t the type to change an appointment unless it was absolutely necessary—especially not a meeting with the Emperor.
‘It must be something serious.’
I wondered about it for a moment but quickly lost interest. If it was truly important, Caesar would tell me about it tomorrow anyway.
“Then, I’ll leave before the Duke arrives.”
“You can stay.”
“The Duke might be uncomfortable with that. Besides, I have things to do too. Being the deputy head maid of the imperial palace is busier than you think.”
I said playfully and was about to stand up when Caesar grabbed my wrist.
“By the way, Evelyn.”
“Yes?”
“Is there anything you want for your birthday?”
“A birthday present? Hmm…”
Had that much time passed already?
Just as I had given Caesar a bouquet for his birthday, he always prepared a gift for mine.
Three years ago, still bitter about losing to Floria, he had given me a variety of hair ribbons. Two years ago, he had sent different types of accessories. Last year, when his authority had stabilized, he had gifted me intricately crafted, undeniably expensive jewels.
The sheer amount of gifts was overwhelming, making them far from just simple birthday presents. At first, I had refused, only to be rejected myself. Eventually, I gave up and started saving them in case I ever needed an emergency fund.
“I don’t really want anything. Just please, this time, give me only one. You always give me so much that I don’t know what to do with it all.”
“Just one? Hmm… Alright, I’ll keep that in mind.”
Surprisingly, Caesar nodded without argument.
****
As I left Caesar’s room, I walked through the emperor’s palace corridors, repeating the orders from the head maid in my mind.
The head maid of the emperor’s palace was a seasoned veteran who had served multiple emperors. Despite her old age, she was remarkably capable.
Thanks to her systematic and efficient way of distributing tasks, I had a decent amount of free time after finishing my duties.
That didn’t mean I had lied to Caesar earlier—far from it. With the emperor’s attendance at the upcoming debutante ball, a rare event in imperial history, the workload in the palace had naturally increased.
‘I need to adjust the budget to make the reception room more lavish since we’ll be having a lot of external guests. Also, the palace’s outer walls need a thorough cleaning within the week.’
Before long, I arrived at a large room at the end of the corridor. It was mainly used as a break room or meeting space for the palace staff.
I had come looking for Hannah to discuss the budget adjustments. However, she was nowhere to be found. I scanned the room once before turning to leave, but a familiar voice stopped me.
“Lady Evelyn!”
Vivian came scurrying toward me, smiling brightly.
“Ah, Lady Vivian.”
Since she first introduced herself as a new maid in the emperor’s palace, Vivian had frequently appeared before me. Even when there was no real reason to speak, she would find an excuse to approach me.
It had been months now, and at this point, I was used to it.
“What brings you here? Are you looking for someone?”
“I was looking for Lady Hannah.”
I answered honestly, and Vivian’s round eyes widened in surprise.
“Oh! Lady Hannah is probably at the main palace. She goes there often, so all the palace maids know about it—except for you, I guess!”
Vivian giggled. Her tone made it sound as if I was incompetent for not knowing where Hannah was.
She always spoke like this—her words had an irritating undertone, but they were just subtle enough to make it difficult to call her out on it.
I could reprimand her if I wanted, but I didn’t feel like wasting my time on something so petty.
Even when I had asked Katana to look into her, nothing particularly suspicious had come up.
‘She’s just a bit clueless, I suppose.’
Apparently, Vivian was eighteen—the same age as Caesar and only two years younger than me.
Yet, whether it was due to her small stature or the excessive sweetness in her voice, I couldn’t help but see her as a child.
“Thanks. I’ll head to the main palace then.”
As usual, I ignored her and tried to move past, but Vivian suddenly grabbed my arm.
“Wait a moment, Lady Evelyn! Can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“Well… do you know who His Majesty’s debutante ball partner will be?”
“…What?”
I had expected her to ask something about work, so her question caught me off guard.
“Why are you asking me that?”
“Oh, because everyone says you and His Majesty are very close!”
Vivian blinked at me with an innocent expression. She didn’t even try to lower her voice.
I could feel the gazes of some palace staff resting on us, intrigued by the conversation.
I didn’t answer, simply staring at her in silence. Then, in a voice only I could hear, she continued.
“And thanks to that, your family has become much more… useful than before.”
‘…What? Useful?’
Thinking I might have misheard, I looked at her again, but Vivian just smiled and batted her eyelashes.
That supposedly innocent face couldn’t fully hide the malice in her eyes.
‘Oh… so that’s how it is.’
This was no longer something I could dismiss as childish ignorance.
A new question arose in my mind—if she was deliberately provoking me, what was her motive? What reason did she have to hold a grudge against me?
“And also…!”
Vivian suddenly raised her voice again, as if she hadn’t noticed the chill in the air. She looked shy, yet oddly pleased.
“There was a rumor that you were going to be His Majesty’s partner! But that couldn’t be true, right? It’s not, is it?”
Her bright eyes gleamed with curiosity.
She was referring to the rumor Hannah had mentioned earlier.
I had been so busy that I hadn’t given Caesar a clear answer about being his partner yet. I hadn’t declined, but I hadn’t accepted either.
Technically speaking, I wasn’t his partner.
But I didn’t want to answer Vivian honestly.
“Do I have to answer that?”
I asked flatly. Vivian flinched and waved her hands.
“Of course not! I was just curious. Actually, I’m attending the debutante ball too, but I don’t have a partner yet. I heard that people without partners can find one by requesting a dance at the banquet, right?”
‘Ah…’
I finally understood what she was after.
Vivian wanted to be Caesar’s partner.
I looked at her clear-eyed, hopeful expression with exasperation. Then, lowering her voice again, she whispered,
“As you know… the Baron Chester is getting a lot of attention these days. Are you sure you can handle even more?”
Her tone had turned outright condescending.
I barely suppressed a scoff.
Vivian was warning me.
She was saying that if I became Caesar’s partner, my family would draw even more attention in high society. That would make us a bigger target for other nobles, and with neither strong wealth nor influence, our barony wouldn’t be able to withstand the pressure.
In short—she was telling me not to even dream of being Caesar’s partner.
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