# 88
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“Your sister, she looks eerily similar to you, but she’s really cute.”
“If I hadn’t seen her with my own eyes, I would have made fun of her, but she was really cute, the standard of a younger sister.”
“While you're talking like that, how about pampering the other princesses in the palace? His Highness the Prince always seems to ignore the fact that he also has a younger sister.”
"Tch, what, I can't do anything without you commenting on it! Then what about the maid?"
Nicholas said with a smile, as if he suddenly remembered something.
“The strange thing is that I kept thinking about it, unlike her appearance, she is a bit tougher and kinder...”
Repeat!
Before Nicholas could finish speaking, Lucio snapped his fingers with a stiff expression on his face.
Then, Burt appeared out of nowhere, immediately overpowered Nicholas and began dragging him out the door.
shouted Nicholas, who was being chased away with a puzzled expression on his face, blood running down his neck.
“No! Is it possible to treat a prince like this? Argh! Well, your little sister is the most beautiful! She is more beautiful than all the maids and princesses combined!”
Of course, there was no answer again.
* * *
“Wow, you really came to the Imperial Palace.”
Although the Duke and I were dissuaded by concerns about her health, the Duchess was undeterred and insisted that she was fine.
It was a place I had no choice but to come to, but it was quite surprising when the carriage actually entered the Imperial Palace.
‘I thought that if my abilities were recognized by the master, I would only be able to join if I received a mission.’
As I walked through the corridors of the Empress Palace, I was in a daze.
“Wow princess?”
“Diana, you need to be calm.”
At that point, the Duchess put her finger to her mouth to silence Diana.
Diana quickly covered her mouth with her hand and nodded.
But she kept rolling her eyes as if she was curious.
It was understandable why Diana, who had been so calm as soon as she arrived at the Imperial Palace, was surprised.
I stopped for a moment when I saw pink-haired girls passing us with their heads down a while ago.
“They are ladies, not princesses.”
As Diana grabbed her sleeve and shook it, covering her mouth, the Duchess whispered softly as if she had no other choice.
I nodded, thinking: “As expected.”
'I thought he was usually confined in the palace and that truth couldn't get out.'
Since today is the Empress's birthday, it seems that everyone came out to say hello.
I knew this was true, but seeing over twenty girls' hair in different shades of pink, from near-pale pink to white to deep azalea, gave me goosebumps.
It was all just a joke, but in reality everyone knew about the Emperor's obsession with pink hair, and the girls before had all been victims of this strange obsession.
'He's crazy too.'
In the past, there was a strange rumor going around that the Emperor would first marry a pink-haired woman, and if she was a noble woman, he would later make her an Empress.
When I heard that, I felt a deep sense of relief because for the first time, others were able to see that my hair was brown.
'I was also afraid of what would happen if I was caught.'
Of course, for a moment I thought something was wrong.
It was a ridiculous idea that I might be a princess who was taken out of the palace for some reason.
But now, looking at the ladies who live like this without being able to breathe properly, I realize how stupid and scary I was thinking.
'. …This is disgusting.’
It may be harsh, but thinking about the Emperor honestly made me feel sick.
'No matter how much you call him a good man, I can't look at him positively, he seems crazy.'
The person who had purchased the pink magic stone for a huge sum at an auction held not long ago was actually the Emperor.
Although I was a little surprised by the guild leader's words, I thought I understood the story without having to listen to a detailed explanation and moved forward. However, when I came to the palace again, I realized that his obsession was immense.
'I heard that there is a story that the Emperor's first love was a pink-haired one.'
Well, I didn't want to know the details of this situation.
“Her Highness is resting for a while, so I will guide you through my care.”
Following the directions of the maid who came to meet us, we headed to the back garden of the Empress's Palace, where the other noble ladies were gathered.
Soon a sweet scent drifted on the wind.
When I went a little inside, I saw a long table covered with a white cloth and a round table a short distance away from it.
There were elaborate silverware lined up on the table, and the setting was decorated with beautiful fresh flowers, small fruits, lace, and petals.
With autumn approaching, the sky was clear and the wind was cool, and the flowers in full bloom everywhere were so beautiful that it seemed like the perfect place for an outdoor tea party.
“Oh my God, Duchess Elade is here!”
“Sit here, here.”
The first person who pretended to know the Duchess of Elade upon seeing her was Countess Pétaire, whom she also met in front of the Academy.
While she was making a fuss and taking the Duchess to the main table, I looked and saw that the Duchess of Peronde had not arrived yet.
“Your Highness, you can come from here.”
A maid also approached Diana and spoke.
Apparently, there were separate tables for noble ladies and separate tables for young ladies.
then.
“Her Highness the Empress enters.”
Before I could even sit down, I heard the maid's voice, and everyone who was sitting stood up.
I bowed quickly, remembering the Imperial Palace etiquette that I had studied so diligently, and after a while, the Empress and the legitimate Empress's daughter, Princess Serbin I, arrived.
“Thank you to everyone who came and congratulated us”
When I heard a voice telling me to raise my head, I couldn't help but be curious.
I was amazed and astonished.
With dark blue hair and pure white skin, the Empress was the quintessence of nobility.
Even just breathing quietly, the elegance trends came out.
“...Ah Noona, I’m scared.”
then.
Diana, who was holding my hand, whispered so low that only I could hear her.
It was thanks to me that I remembered that I could hear even the smallest sounds well when we played together.
I looked at her in surprise, but fortunately Diana did not hide behind me, perhaps because she knew it was the imperial palace.
But when I saw the fear in the child's eyes, I turned my head again.
“Her Highness the Princess?”
The person Diana was clearly afraid of was Princess Serpine, who was smiling proudly next to the Empress.
“It looks very scary.”
I tilted my head at Diana's words.
Her eyes were a bit sharp, and perhaps because she had been in a domineering position since birth, the princess seemed to have a certain arrogance.
Serbin, however, with her beautiful red hair braided to one side, was as beautiful and as dazzling as a bright rose.
Plus, she was seventeen now, so she looked younger than I remembered, which made her look even more mischievous.
But why...?
'Thinking about it, Diana often felt scared like this when she saw people.'
Representative examples include the orphanage director, the head maid, and more recently even Kenneth Petiter.
‘What do they have in common, in the name of the Creator of Heaven? …? ….’
“Oh, what should I do! She's trying to get close again.”
Just as her thoughts were about to continue, Diana blinked.
Serbin was approaching us with a genuine smile on his face.
“I am with you, do not be afraid.” She held Diana's hand tightly and the little girl nodded.
"Princess! We meet again. How have you been?"
I wondered if the Princess was being serious at the Last Supper because Diana was afraid, but that was not the case.
Serbin was rather friendly and kind and led Diana to the place where the ladies were gathered.
Although it was a round table, he sat at a table that was clearly visible and resembled the head of the table, making Diana sit right next to him.
Perhaps because she had made a firm promise not to call me “Nonna” when we went to the Imperial Palace and pretended not to notice even when I was standing behind her, Diana sat quietly in her seat even though she looked at me.
After a while, a small bell rang, and fresh lemon cream cake, strawberry mousse, and all kinds of cookies, pies, and desserts filled the table.
Standing with the maids from the other noble families, I looked happily at Diana, who was trembling as she tasted the dessert.
The princess and the other ladies were looking at Diana with reddened cheeks, as if they were dying from gravity.
At that time I saw crumbs on Diana's mouth and quickly approached her.
After gently wiping his mouth with a tissue, it's time to step back quietly again.
“You are the maid that the princess loves.”
I raised my head at the unexpected sound and made eye contact with Princess Serbin, who twisted one corner of her mouth.
She quickly extended the hand holding the knife towards me.
* * *
Repeat!
At that moment, a sound reminiscent of a blade echoed throughout the training hall.
Allen's wooden sword, which quickly poured out attacks, once again sharply dug into the empty space without stopping.
Jack hurriedly took a step back and barely managed to block the ferocious attacks.
The wooden swords that met each other quickly began to move away, and after a short distance, Allen's sword stopped near Jack's neck.
Silence passed between the two people who remained in this position.
After a while, Allen broke the silence by drawing his sword.
“I think I followed correctly this time, right?”
“...it seems so.”
Jack nodded slowly.
Jack and Allen, the two were currently reenacting the fight with Leia that happened not long ago.