It was the middle of the night. Ingrid was deep in her sleep, filled with unpleasant dreams. Her brows were contorting as though she were in immense pain. Sweat ran down the side of her face, her low whimpers echoing through her quiet chamber.
Within the darkness of her room, a man suddenly materialized from the shadows. His movements were so silent and subtle that it's like he was floating in the air rather than walking.
With an almost predatory grace, the man glided towards the bed. His eyes held an unfathomable emotion as they fixed upon the sleeping form of Ingrid, who remained trapped inside her disturbing nightmare.
The man reached for the necklace on Ingrid's neck. With a gentle touch, he removed the tear-shaped pendant, replacing it with an identical one. The exchange was so swift and seamless that it would have gone unnoticed by any casual observer.
Looking at the new pendant on her neck, only the most discerning eye could probably detect the subtle difference between the two—a barely noticeable shift in its glow.
As the man successfully replaced the pendant, a transformation began to unfold on Ingrid's face. The taut lines of anxiety across her forehead gradually eased, smoothing into a serene calm. Her whimpers trailed off into silence, as if the oppressive grip of her nightmare had finally been loosened.
After completing his task, the man retreated into the shadows, leaving no trace of his intrusion except for the newfound peace that now graced Ingrid's face.
As if guided by an unseen hand, Ingrid's eyes fluttered open, her lashes fluttering like delicate butterflies emerging from their cocoons. She sat up in bed, her gaze drawn to the chair in the corner of her room. A pang of disappointment tugged at her heart when she found it empty.
Ingrid reached for the pendant that rested against her skin on an unconscious impulse.
She never saw the crown prince again after the hunting festival. And she found herself in a field of uncertainty. What if he realized the immense risk of helping her, and so he decided to cast her aside?
Ingrid wished that he would magically materialize out of thin air, with the usual arrogant grin on his handsome face. But at the same time, she dreaded the possibility of ever seeing him again.
The memory of his actions haunted her even in her dreams. The way he brutally tore the bodies of his opponents as though he were shredding paper. She could still hear their terrified cries in her mind, their blood staining the ground crimson.
Yet, amid the fear that took hold of Ingrid, a small, stubborn flame of faith flickered within her heart. Against all logic and reason, she clung to the belief that the crown prince would never harm her. It was a belief as fragile as a glass, yet it offered her a glimmer of hope in the midst of her despair.
Perhaps it was the gnawing desperation that made her feel that way.
There was a secret buried deep within her, a fragment of her experience in that accursed kingdom that she had never dared to share. The very thought of revealing this secret sent shivers down her spine. She feared that the mere act of giving it voice would unleash a new wave of misfortune.
Ingrid was afraid of the ears that might hear, especially those that belonged to the greedy. She even dreaded the wind, lest it carry her secret on its wings and whisper it to the world. So she buried her secret in the depths of her heart and sealed her lips, swearing to never speak of it.
Ingrid approached the window, her gaze drawn to the moon above, its ethereal glow illuminating the night sky. If an observer had witnessed this scene, they would have been struck by an uncanny phenomenon. The moon, usually a beacon of celestial splendor, appeared to dim in the presence of the solitary figure standing by the window.
Ingrid remained rooted to the spot, her form as motionless as a statue. She stood there in silence until dawn broke. Her vigil was observed only by the stars and the moon, and her sorrow was mirrored in the fading moonlight.
////\
The atmosphere within the Duke's residence was rather heavy. All of the servants were being extra careful with their movements, afraid that a slight mistake would cost them their heads.
Seli's betrayal has spread throughout the entire residence, and now everyone is paying the price, especially those who were close to her. Only Lily, whom Ingrid sees as her own blood sister, was spared from the hellish interrogation.
A new maid also arrived to replace Seli's post. It came as a surprise to everyone. They thought that after what happened, Ingrid wouldn't recklessly let another person enter her palace anymore.
But to their surprise, she suddenly came back with a foreign woman following behind her after an afternoon walk. That maid was also raised to become her second lady-in-waiting, much to everyone's confusion and Lily's strong disapproval.
No one likes this new maid, mainly because her sudden appearance is fairly suspicious. Not to mention, Ingrid fought tooth and nail against the grand duke to keep her. That made the other servant jealous.
Furthermore, Iris doesn't seem suited to become a maid. She doesn't even know the basics of courtesy inside the palace and had to be taught by Lily.
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They feel like their mistress is making a huge mistake by accepting her.
However, they couldn't even approach their mistress nowadays to air their grievances. The new maid's hulking figure, with her masculine physique devoid of any feminine grace, intimidated them into begrudging silence.
When Iris came knocking at their door, she explained how she was a resident of the village of Agda, a territory at the border of the empire ruled by the duke of Clement. However, the entire family of the duke and all the citizens of his dukedom had all been wiped out after a barbarian attack seven years ago.
Ingrid remembered that time as her father, who did not care about her safety, brought her with him as they marched to save the people there. However, they were many days late, and they could only find a few survivor.
Iris said that she was one of the many young survivors saved by the grand duke at that time. After that, she vowed to grow strong and serve the grand duke.
While she was explaining those things, her hand expertly handed Ingrid a secret letter without anyone noticing.
Ingrid felt happy, then troubled, then disappointed when she saw the note written by the crown prince explaining about Iris. A surge of relief washed over her, seeing the confirmation that their bargain still held and that the lifeline she had so desperately grasped had not been severed. At the same time, she's wondering why the crown prince couldn't just explain it to her directly.
"Iris, how do you know so much about the house of Clement?" Ingrid asked after Lily left for an errand.
"Because I really am a survivor of that tragic place," she answered with a shrug.
While Ingrid was left looking at her with her mouth wide open.
"But I am not one of those rescued by the house of Lennox," she continued. "It turns out, my mother was a barbarian. One of the warriors who attacked the fief was my uncle. He recognized the necklace my brother and I were wearing that our deceased mother left us. He took us with him."
"From then on, we live with our uncle. He had no children and treated us as his own. Then one day, an army of the empire marched on the village and began killing everyone in retaliation for their previous offense."
"Our uncle made us escape through a hidden tunnel while he stayed to fend off the army. The tunnel led to a vast forest where we learned to survive all on our own. Until the crown prince found us and recruited us to his army. Now my brother and I served as his general.
Ingrid's lips formed a thin line. She never expected Iris' backstory to be that sad.
"My lady, I know I am not the right person for this job, but we didn't bring that many men on this journey, and Aradhya is too far away," Iris explained when she saw Ingrid's reaction. "It would take many days for a suitable person to arrive, even with the use of the fastest transportation, so I hope that my lady can forgive me for my inadequacy."
"No, no! It's okay," Ingrid quickly said while waving her hands. "I just thought, isn't it too conspicuous for a general like you to do this kind of job?"
"Fret not, my lady. With my brother and those other bastards running around like rabid dogs in the crown prince's army, I get easily forgotten."
////\
"So they are finally tired of playing sheep," said the duke as he read the report Elias handed over.
Nobles, both of low and high rank, are severing their business ties with the dukedom one by one. However, neither the grand duke nor Elias, his secretary, seemed worried by the dwindling number of their supporters.
"Then, does this prove that the emperor has a hand on..." Elias trailed.
The relationship between the grand duke and the emperor had turned for the worst. Emperor Cecil broke all pretenses and decided to show open hostility towards the grand duke.
During the morning courts, he would try to oppose whatever decisions and suggestions the grand duke made, regardless of whether they were a good plan or not. Emperor Cecil did not even care that the court was splitting into two thanks to his childish actions.
"No. I know my brother more than anyone. Though he is greedy, he's also a fool and coward at that; he'll never trifle on such a risky business," Grand Duke Rasmus answered as he slowly shred the paper in his hand into pieces. "But it proves that someone in the emperial family is—one who could easily manipulate the emperor to do his bidding. Who do you think it is?"
Elias looked at the grand duke, his eyes filled with reverie and respec. "The empress?"
The Grand Duke took a sheet of paper and began writing. "The empress was once jealous of my late wife's beauty," he said, his eyes filled with affection and longing at the mention of his beloved. "I still remembered how she held a grand banquet in the palace in celebration of my wife's death while the dukedom was in mourning." Grand Duke Rasmus' eyes darkened.
Elias remembered that day very clearly. He was still a teenage boy at the time, serving as his father's apprentice, who was then the grand duke's secretary. It was early in the morning. They were heading for the grand duke's office when they heard a commotion. They quickly went to investigate and found the servants outside of the grand dukes and duchess chamber, weeping.
When his father opened the door, they found the grand duke with unfocused eyes, tears streaming, and hands trembling in disbelief. There in his arms lay his beautiful wife, cold, pale, and devoid of life.
They said the duchess died in her sleep. But her death was so sudden that no one could believe it.
He himself couldn't believe it. He had just spoken to their mistress the night before that. She was still brimming with life, her face as beautiful as ever. She even complimented him for his talent, telling his father that he had brought up a good son. But now... It was like someone had played them a terrible joke.
"With my wife gone, the empress' beauty became uncontested in the empire. But it was short-lived. My daughter ended up growing to be as beautiful as her mother, and as the fame of her beauty grew, so did the empress' jealousy." The Grand Duke sighed.
"I always knew that she'd been secretly cooperating with the kingdom of Serus, but I was so busy warding off those disgusting men that were after my daughter that I forgot that an envious woman was as much a danger as those lustful men."
"Then why not dispose of her?"
"If I did, without any suitable reason, then she'll take my daughter down with her. She'll twist the truth with her lies and paint my daughter as the bad guy who used her beauty to charm the entire court into deposing a poor and helpless empress."
Elias fell silent. Indeed, the empress is capable of doing that. She's quite good at using her tears to gain the sympathy of the emperor. It was unnerving.
"Then, is there nothing we can do?"
"For now, there isn't," he answered. "I do commend her for being good at hiding her tracks. If only she had stayed silent for all her life after her first attempt." A dangerous glint appeared in the Grand Duke's eyes. "Go get me some things to break. Then have some people spread the news that the grand duke has been greatly angered and has been cursing the emperor's name."
"As you wish, my lord."
He isn't really worried that the grand duke might get summoned into court for desecrating the emperor's good name. Because even if he does, no one is brave enough to stand witness against his lord.