Chapter 100

It was impossible to fall back asleep again after she had already been awakened. She made a thoughtful expression for a moment, and soon got up from the bed, putting on only one shawl over the pearl-colored silk dress she was wearing. Patrizia spoke to Mirya, who was staring at her actions with surprise.

“It is already too late to go back to sleep, so I think it would be better if I go find out. I wonder who in the world can make such a sound in the Imperial Palace at night?”

“Will you be alright? If there are any problems regarding Your Majesty’s safety…”

“It should be fine because there are escort guards. Could you bring me some lanterns?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Please wait for a moment.”

Mirya soon brought the lamp, and she accepted the lamp with a sunken expression, then left the room with only Mirya and Rafaella in tow. Who dared to make a commotion in the Imperial Palace at night? She started walking down the hallway with a neat gait.

“…”

To focus on the sound, the three of them did not say a word while walking. Obviously, the sound was heard within the Empress Palace. So did one of the maids make that sound? Patrizia continued to walk with an expression that did not know.

The Empress Palace was not a small place, so it was a very time-consuming task to walk around it. However, Patrizia walked towards the sound, and fortunately, it didn’t take much time.

At some point, the sound began to grow louder. It sounded like someone was crying. Who in the world? It was not known whether it was a man or a woman crying, but whoever it was, surely cried so sadly.

“Your Empress Majesty.”

Someone called out to her then. Patrizia turned around and found the owner of the voice calling to her. A woman who seemed a little tired was running hurriedly toward her. One of Patrizia’s eyebrows, which recognized her, rose slightly.

“…A maid from the Central Palace?”

She remembered her as a woman who worked as a maid in the Central Palace. When Patrizia looked at her with a puzzled look, the woman gasped for breath and asked her.

“Where… Where are you going?”

“I do not need to report to you where I am going.”

She replied to the maid in a suspicious voice, and the reply resulted in the maid trembling. Patrizia felt slightly bad for this and spoke again.

“While I was trying to sleep, I heard a strange sound. Is there a reason you are asking?”

“That is…”

The maid bit her lips silently and then replied.

“You don’t have to…”

“What do you mean?”

“That, that… You can ask the maids to do that.”

“Of course. But that is definitely my choice. I do not think that is something you should dare to intervene with.”

“For-forgive…”

The woman couldn’t finish her words and closed her eyes. Patrizia moved one eyebrow as if it were strange. The woman’s behavior is strange. As if to…to block her, she could feel it. Patrizia asked her in a questionable voice.

“Rather, why is the maid of the Central Palace here in the first place? Did His Majesty send you?”

“That… that is…”

“Why can you not answer? Who on earth if not His Majesty…?”

At that time, Patrizia stopped talking. The sound was louder than before. Patrizia glanced at the maid shivering in front of her and spoke again.

“You have something more to say to me?”

“Your Majesty, but you should not go over there…”

“If it is not important, you can tell me later. I am a little busy right now.”

After that, she continued to move on. From the back, she could sense that the maid was restless, and she intuitively knew that the maid had called out to stop her.

But why? Was there something in the Empress Palace that was so dangerous that the maid of the Central Palace would stop her? Or was there something in her palace that she couldn’t look at?

Either way, it was questionable to the point of being dangerous. Patrizia hastened her footsteps. Eventually, the sound began to grow louder, and Patrizia’s face, guessing the identity of the sound, began to harden along with her feet. Surely… this…

“… Mirya, Rafaella.”

She called out to two people in a hardened voice. Then the two replied to her.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Please speak.”

“…Wait here.”

The two of them looked startled as if they thought it was unexpected.

“Your Majesty, but…!”

“Are you going alone? Your Majesty, it is dangerous.”

No, it was not dangerous if her thoughts were correct. Rather the dangerous thing was… maybe her side was the one that was dangerous. Patrizia once again spoke in a quivering voice.

“It is an order. Wait here. I… nothing will happen, so do not worry.”

“…”

Both of them showed that they did not want to follow the order, but they had no choice. Patrizia didn’t use the word ‘order’ very often. Even though she didn’t have to use those words, the two of them had followed her instructions well. So if she spoke like that… it was really inevitable. The two stopped on the spot.

“Probably… I will not make you wait long.”

Patrizia said this, and hurriedly moved on. Rafaella and Mirya stared at her retreating back with frustrated eyes.

What in the world was she thinking about, to act like that?