CH 2.1

As time passed by and night draped its darkness, the annual banquet commenced.

Marie approached an intermediate maid and ask to switch places with her.

“You want to work outside the banquet hall? That’s fine by me. But are you sure?”

Only a handful of intermediate maids preferred working outside the banquet hall. Not only because they would miss out on the performances during the event, but also because it was more demanding to carry out their duties while navigating through the open surroundings.

However, Marie nodded with eagerness. “Yes, Miss. I feel stuffy inside the banquet hall, it’s giving me a headache.”

“Ah, I see. Very well, I will take over inside.”

“Thank you!” Working outside the banquet hall was a preferable option for Marie, as it allowed her to escape the scrutiny of others.

‘Let’s proceed with extra caution. I absolutely don’t want any further attention.’

Although she had no intention of drawing attention to herself, circumstances always seemed to conspire against her, causing unpredictable mishaps, like accidentally falling flat on one’s face. The mere thought of a possible encounter with the Crown Prince filled her with dread.

The chances were slim, but if he were to discover that she was Princess Morina, it would be over for her.

‘I didn’t even dream today, so nothing will happen,’ with that thought in mind, she continued her work.

“The banquet hall is this way. Please be careful as you enter.” At first, she guided the guests to the banquet hall. Once most of them had arrived and the banquet had commenced, she walked around the outside of the banquet hall, running errands for those who were taking a break from all the festivities.

“Can you bring me some drinks here?”

“Yes, ma’am. Please wait a moment.”

“Put this away, please.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“It’s cold outside, could you fetch me my shawl?”

“Yes, please wait a moment.”

“Could you do this for me?”

Numerous guests came in and out the banquet hall, assigning various tasks on her. As she listened to their requests, time flew by quickly.

‘It’s definitely harder working outside than inside the banquet hall.’ There was much more to do as she walked around in all directions.

‘At least I’m not drawing attention.’ More precisely, it was enough that she wasn’t noticeable to the Crown Prince.

In the midst of her numerous tasks, Marie unexpectedly came face to face with someone. It happened when she arrived at the garden near the castle walls, carrying refreshments for a noblewoman.

‘Oh, is that…?’ Marie blinked her eyes in surprise at the person she least expected to see.

“Sir Kiel?” Silky silver hair and a face that resembled a chiseled sculpture. It was Kiel, the imperial guard she’d met in the Swan Garden before!

Kiel also noticed her and looked at her in surprise. “Miss Marie, is that you?”

“Oh, yes! It’s good to see you. How have you been?”

Marie greeted him with a bright smile. It felt good to see each other after a long time.

Kiel, the handsome man with silver hair, also softened his gaze. “Yes, I’ve been doing well. How are you, Miss Marie?”

There had been many significant events that happened to her, but she shook her head and replied, “Yes, I’ve been doing well too. But what brings you here?”

“I’m on duty,” he said.

“Oh…” She looked at him with renewed curiosity in her eyes.

The Imperial Guard, who protected the Imperial Palace, seemed to work without a break even during the festival. ‘No, with more people gathering at the palace during the festival, it would actually be a lot busier,’ she thought.

Considering this, she remarked, “It must be tough for you, not being able to rest even during the festival.”

Kiel smiled gratefully in response. “Thank you. But same goes for you, Miss Marie.”

“Well, I’m a maid, so it’s only natural. Are you assigned to this area?”

“Yes, it’s not my usual assignment, but there was an issue, so I have to do it for a moment.”

“Ah, I see.”

As Marie warmly conversed with him, she suddenly remembered the errand she had to do for the noblewoman. “Sir Kiel, I’m sorry. I’m in the middle of work. I’ll come back once I’m free.”

“It’s alright. Don’t push yourself if you’re busy.”

“No, I’ll definitely come back!” Marie quickly finished her task and attended to others. However, by a twist of fate, another errand came up, and it happened to be in the vicinity where Kiel was working.

‘Should I bring him something to eat? He must not have had a chance to eat while working.’ Since there was plenty of food at the banquet hall anyway, she gathered some snacks and brought them to Kiel.

Kiel looked surprised as he saw the food Marie had brought. “Miss Marie, what’s this?”

“I thought you might get hungry while working, so I brought these just in case.”

Kiel expressed his gratitude. “You gave me sweets last time and now this? I’m constantly indebted to you, Miss Marie. Thank you so much.”

He gestured towards a nearby bench. “Why don’t you join me for a moment and have some too?”

“Oh, I’m fine, really…”

“Miss Marie, weren’t you also too busy to eat?”

Marie considered it for a moment.

It wasn’t that she couldn’t eat at all, but throughout the day, she was summoned by Emperor Johannes, and then at night, she had various errands to attend to, which left her starving.

“Well then, just for a moment…” She accepted the offer, and they sat side by side on the bench, sharing the food.

“The weather is nice. It’s refreshing,” Kiel commented.

“Yes, it’s the perfect weather after the summer.”

“The breeze feels delightful, and the moon shines brightly.”

As they sat on the bench, enjoying their meal and engaging in light conversation, Marie felt comfortable. ‘How nice, it feels like I’m with a friend.’ Why didn’t this happen more often?

Even though they hadn’t known each other for a long time, they had a strangely good connection. Even with trivial conversations, she felt comfortable. The conversation she had with Kiel seemed to ease some of the stress she got from the scary Crown Prince and the menacing Emperor Johannes.

‘I don’t think I’d ever had a friend like this.’ Wondering if she would see him again in the future, she asked, “Do you plan to keep working here, Sir Kiel?”

“Oh, no. It’s not my original duty.”

“Then?”

“The person who was originally assigned in this area had some problems, and since everyone else was busy, I’m filling in as a temporary replacement.”

Marie cocked her head.

From what she knew, Kiel was a squire, and his demeanor seemed too casual for an official knight. It felt more like conversing with someone of lower rank.

’Could it be that Kiel is actually an official knight? But he doesn’t wear the imperial knight’s uniform though?’ she pondered, feeling perplexed.

Within the palace, it was a strict rule for the Imperial Guards Knights—excluding the squires—to wear the uniform. The only person who was exempted was the Commander of the Imperial Guards Knights.

Just as Marie was pondering about this, a young voice suddenly emerged.

“Kiel!”

“Ah.” Kiel’s eyes briefly showed a hint of alarm. “Seems like I’m in trouble.”

Marie turned her head with a puzzled expression, then her eyes widened. There was a little boy looking at them.

‘Wow, he’s so cute.’ The child appeared to be around seven years old. Although Marie heard a little boy’s voice, he was so cute that one would think he was a girl.

‘But why is there a little kid in the palace?’

Seeing at his exquisite clothes adorned with all kinds of precious gems, it was evident that the child belonged to a high-ranking noble family. However, even for nobles, it was extremely rare to bring a child into the palace.

‘Who could it be?’ Suddenly, a rumor popped into her mind. It was a description that perfectly matched the little boy’s appearance. ‘Could it be… this little boy?’

In that moment, Kiel bowed his head and said, “I greet His Highness, Prince Oscar.”

Marie’s eyes widened in shock.

Prince Oscar.

It was the name of the young prince who’d survived the civil war, the only person who did not meet the Crown Prince’s sword.

“I greet His Highness, the 10th Prince Oscar. My name is Marie.” Marie quickly showed her respect because even though he’s just a little boy, he was still a noble.

However, the Prince’s reaction was peculiar. Instead of acknowledging her greeting, he sharply asked, “Who are you?”

“Pardon?”

He glared daggers at her and yelled, “Why are you playing with Kiel? Kiel should only play with me!”

“Well… Kiel’s…”

“Kiel is mine! He should only play with me!”

“……”

Marie couldn’t formulate words to respond to the child’s hostile words, so she kept her mouth shut. ‘Prince Oscar seems to be very fond of Kiel.’

It seemed like a jealous reaction, seeing her interact with his dear friend. Well, Kiel’s incredibly handsome and exceptionally kind. He was likable even to a child. ‘But how does Kiel personally know His Highness Oscar?’ It seemed more than just an acquaintance; they appeared to be quite close. Oscar was clinging onto Kiel’s pants, resembling a child chasing after his mother.

Kiel spoke with a gentle tone, “Your Highness, Miss Marie has helped me a lot.”

“Is that so? So, are you saying that ugly maid is more important than me?” As he continued to hurl insults at her, Marie, who already had a low self-esteem, became crestfallen.

Kiel sent an apologetic glance at Marie’s way and said, “Of course not, Your Highness. You are my closest friend—the most precious person to me.”

“Is that so?” Oscar’s expression brightened. Kiel gently tousled his hair and said, “But Marie is also my friend.”

“Your friend?”

“Yes, so wouldn’t it be nice if Your Highness also got along well with Miss Marie?”

The little boy seemed to find Kiel’s words a bit puzzling. He cutely brought his finger to his lips in contemplation, and then screamed, “No! I only like Kiel the best!”

The child’s tantrums made Kiel sheepish. Seeing this, Marie inwardly frowned a little.

‘He may be cute, but… he seems to lack manners.’ He had an unruly behavior that one wouldn’t expect from a royalty. Was it because he was overly indulged and pampered? It’s hard to imagine him as the paternal half-brother of the formidable* Crown Prince.

*direct translation: the crown prince who’s unlikely to bleed even when stabbed with a sharp object.

Kiel, wearing an expression of helplessness, said to Marie, “I’m sorry. I think I should escort His Highness back to the palace.”

Marie shook her head at his apology.

“Ah, no worries. Please be careful on your way out.”

“See you next time then. Oh, thank you so much for the food today.”

As Kiel took a step forward, Oscar followed closely behind. Kiel reached out his hand to Oscar, the latter’s face instantly lighting up as he held it. Kiel briefly gazed affectionately at Oscar’s face before continuing on their way.

That night, Marie had another dream.

‘Why are my dreams getting so frequent?’ As soon as she became aware that she’d entered the world of another lucid dream, she felt like crying.

She wondered what’s going to happen this time.

‘I hope it’s not anything serious,’ she anticipated the contents of her dream, hoping desperately.

“Look at this.”

“What now?”

“It’s a new trick I came up with.”

In the dream, a man and a woman appeared.

“There’s nothing here.”

“So what?”

“Well look, ta-da!”

Something amazing happened as the man clenched and unclenched his fist: a coin suddenly appearing in his previously empty palm.

But the woman only snorted. “Really? That’s just the basics.” The woman confidently stood up from her seat. “Watch and learn, I’ll show you what real magic is.”

“….This time it’s a magician,” Marie muttered in a daze after waking up from the dream. As usual, she didn’t know why she’d dreamed of that particular dream.

“Don’t tell me I’ll perform a magic show in front of the banquet hall?”

t/n: not marie friendzoning kiel right off the bat ;-;

and i guess the pretty flower boy genes runs in their deadbeat father’s blood huh? poor oscar, he has a separation anxiety—not surprising given the toxic environment he grew up in :<

also hugs to marie who has yet to overcome her inferiority complex stemming from past abuse