CH 2.7

He turned his back and moved away from the compartment. Then he went down the stairs and left the third floor. After he disappeared like that, Marie emerged from the locker, clutching her pounding heart.

“H-He’s gone?” She muttered, her face drained of color. This time, she almost got caught for real.

‘L-Let’s go down quickly. Before someone else comes up.” She hurriedly fixed her disheveled hair and clothing and descended the stairs. Fortunately, nobody came up this time, and she was able to return to the banquet hall safely.

“Marie, where did you go?!”

“I-I’m so sorry. I just had to take care of something for a moment…”

“Hurry to your assigned position and get back to work!”

Despite the senior maid’s anger, Marie was grateful that she could escape safely.

‘What a relief.’

When the Crown Prince reached out his hand towards the storage compartment, she thought it was the end for her. Truly, it was a miracle that she’d avoided getting caught.

However, there was something Marie wasn’t aware of: she hadn’t come down from the third floor without anyone noticing. As she hurried down the stairs, there was someone watching her.

It was none other than Crown Prince Rael, the Prince of Blood.

He was hiding behind the stairs, wondering if there would be anyone coming down after he left.

He witnessed Marie coming down. “What… that maid again?” the Crown Prince said in a confused voice.

Putting that nerve-racking incident behind her, the grand banquet had come to an end. After Marie finished her performance, the conductor Vahan passionately led the dance music. It wasn’t easy due to the limited number of available instruments, but since everyone in the banquet hall was still caught up in the afterglow of the opening prelude, they smoothly transitioned without major issues.

After such a long time had passed, the Orchestra, who’d brought the spare instruments stored elsewhere, arrived and was able to have a proper performance. From then on, the banquet proceeded without any issues.

However, people wondered with curiosity, “Who on earth performed the opening piece?”

“That’s right. The music of the Imperial Court Orchestra is not bad, but I would like to hear the first piano performance once more.”

Everyone was curious about the performer who played the opening prelude. Among the noblewomen who frequented the palace, there were those who exchanged such words.

“Could it be that rumored angel?”

“An angel?”

“Oh, haven’t you heard the rumor? There’s a rumor going around that an angel has come down from heaven to bless the palace.”

“Oh, come on. Don’t be silly.”

One noblewoman laughed as if it were absurd.

However, another noblewoman spoke with a serious expression. “It’s true. Have you seen the statue of the Empress in the Rose Garden?”

“Oh, yes. Of course, I have.”

The statue depicting the Empress, the birth mother of the Crown Prince, had become a famous attraction in the palace. Beyond its mere external beauty, it possessed an inner beauty that touched people’s hearts, and everyone who saw it couldn’t help but admire it.

“On a rainy day, when no one was around, it was said that the sculpture had been completed.”

“No way…”

“Yes, there’s a rumor spreading that an angel secretly came down from heaven, fixed the sculpture, and then left. But that’s not all. It’s also said that the Imperial Court Orchestra’s performance of the ‘Country Symphony’ was completed by the same angel…”

And so the noblewomen gossiped about the angel who bestowed blessings upon the palace.

“I’m going to pray today too. Do you think, by any chance, the angel will come to our manor as well?”

Then suddenly, a petite maid tentatively said, “Here are the drinks.”

“Ah, thank you. So, about that angel…”

Meanwhile, Marie, who brought the drinks, broke out in a cold sweat as she listened to their conversation. ‘An angel? Oh God.’ She couldn’t have imagined that such rumors would be circulating about herself.

‘What would I have done if I had been caught today?’ She inwardly groaned. The thought of the Crown Prince reaching out his hand in front of the storage compartment made her heart skip a beat.

‘But…’ Marie took a cursory glance. ‘Why does the Crown Prince keep looking at me?’

At first, she thought it was a coincidence that their eyes met. But it wasn’t. The Crown Prince was openly staring at her.

‘Um, please stop looking at me,’ Marie cried inwardly.

Little did she know that the awkward situation was far from over.

“Marie.”

“…!”

The Crown Prince had personally called her name. It happened when the banquet momentarily calmed down and no one was around him.

Marie bowed her head in surprise. “Did you call for me, Your Highness? Is there something you need?”

“I don’t need anything.”

“Then?”

“What is your schedule for tomorrow?”

Marie couldn’t grasp the meaning behind his question. “Pardon?”

“I’m asking if you have any obligations that you must attend to.”

Marie shook her head in bewilderment. Why was he asking such a thing? “Um, no, there aren’t any.”

“I see.”

The Crown Prince then uttered something ominous*. “In that case, come to the Lion Palace tomorrow.”

*direct translation: the crown prince then uttered something as if there were a sudden stroke of lightning in a bright blue sky. it is a phrase used when something happens suddenly; normally it’s used in a bad situation/unexpected disaster.

“…Yes?”

“I need to talk with you.”

As befitting the culmination of the Founding Anniversary Festival, the grand banquet ended very late at night. Almost at the break of dawn, when the rooster was about to crow, a weary Marie collapsed onto her bed. She felt utterly exhausted, as if she were about to die, but she couldn’t sleep at all.

It’s because of what she’d heard from the Crown Prince. “Why did he ask me to come to the Lion Palace? What does he want to tell me?” She muttered in confusion.

When she first heard it, she was struck with fear, her mind going blank. However, as time passed, she gradually calmed down and was able to think more clearly about it.

‘He doesn’t know my true identity. If he had known that I was Princess Morina, he wouldn’t have quietly summoned me to the Lion Palace. He would have dragged me to prison first.’ With that thought, she felt relieved for the time being. Her fear of the Crown Prince stemmed from the fear of being exposed and facing the guillotine.

‘Then why did he call for me?’ She pondered while lying in bed, but she couldn’t come up with any answers. After contemplating for a while, she dozed off and woke up, realizing something was amiss.

‘Why is Jane not here yet? Is she still not done with her work?’

Marie tilted her head in confusion. Jane was her roommate, sharing the same quarters for the past three years. ‘Weird. It didn’t seem like yesterday was her night shift. Where has she been working lately?’

Although they used the same maids’ quarters, their assigned duties were different. Especially since Marie had been promoted to an intermediate maid and started serving nobles at the banquet hall, her schedule had completely changed, leaving her clueless about where Jane was working.

‘She’ll come in soon, I guess.’ Thinking so, Marie got up and headed to the maids’ dining hall to have breakfast.

However, when she arrived at the dining hall, she heard something unexpected. “Jane… has been imprisoned?”

Marie’s former superior, Susan, nodded her head. “I guess you haven’t heard it yet, Marie.”

“How come?” Marie asked in shock. Surely, her roommate couldn’t have done something bad enough to warrant that.

“Did you hear that there was a fire yesterday at the facility where the orchestra’s instruments were stored?”

“Yes, I heard, but…” A fleeting thought crossed Marie’s mind. “No way?”

“Yes, that’s right. Jane was in charge of managing the lamps in that storage area. Jane’s now in prison because of that fire.”

“…..!”

Susan, the head maid, spoke as if it couldn’t be helped. “Even if it wasn’t intentional, causing a fire in the palace is a serious offense. Jane won’t be able to escape severe punishment.”

Marie hurriedly ran to the prison to meet Jane. “Marie?” “Jane!” Jane, who was imprisoned, burst into tears when she saw her friend entered the room.

“Huhu. Marie, what am I going to do? Huhu.” Jane cried interminably, suffering from tremendous anguish.

Huhu. Sniff What am I going to do? Sniff They say I’ll receive a severe punishment. I didn’t do anything wrong. I’m sure I checked everything before leaving.”

Jane rambled in fear, “W-Will I be okay? Y-Yes? What should I do if I receive a severe punishment?”

“Jane…” Marie had no words to offer her friend. Even if it was an accident, causing a fire in the palace was a serious offense. Moreover, in this case, there was also significant damage to the orchestra’s instruments and other properties, as Susan had mentioned. The likelihood of a severe punishment was high, and Jane seemed to be well aware of that fact as she cried in despair.

“Waaah, Mom, Dad. What should I do… Sniff I didn’t do anything wrong. I checked everything thoroughly before coming out. W-Why did a fire happen?! Waaah.”

Marie noticed something strange in Jane’s words. “Did you check everything properly to make sure there were no issues?”

“Sob Of course I did. I checked multiple times, so w-why is there a fire?”

Marie tilted her head and thought, ‘That’s a bit strange. What on earth caused the fire?’

Fires can happen at any time, but she’s been meticulous in managing everything. Why did a fire break out?

Suddenly, the words of the man from her dream came to her mind. ‘All the evidence is at the scene. And discovering the latter requires meticulous observation.’

“…!”

Marie bit her lip. ‘Could it be? Is it not just a simple fire?’ She considered the possibility of arson. ‘There is a high possibility of a simple fire, but something feels off. Why did the fire break out specifically in the place where the orchestra’s instruments were stored right before the grand banquet?’

Of course, it could be a coincidence, but it seemed too calculated.

Jane sniffled as she asked her friend, who became silent, “M-Marie?”

“Jane, I’ll be back in a moment.”

“Where to?”

“To the scene of the fire!”

“M-Marie? Marie bit her lip as she thought, ‘To find out if it’s not Jane’s fault, I need to uncover anything suspicious about the fire. And the answer will be at the scene of the fire!’”

Marie arrived at the scene of the fire. The place where the fire broke out was a storage room located beneath the Crystal Palace, where the orchestra’s rehearsal room was located.

‘Let’s go in quickly.’

However, Marie encountered an unexpected obstacle. “You can’t go in.” A knight with a stern face was on guard.

Marie looked at the knight in surprise. A golden sash on a white uniform. ‘The attire of the Imperial Guard! Why is an Imperial Guard knight here?’ She became puzzled.

Of course, the Imperial Guards have the authority to investigate incidents and crimes that occur within the palace. However, they’re not usually involved in simple fire accidents like this.

“Why are you here, Miss?”

“Ah! I used to keep my personal belongings here when I still worked at the Crystal Palace. I came to check if anything is still here.” Marie hastily made up an excuse. Since the storage area wasn’t only for musical instruments, the knight couldn’t find anything suspicious in her words.

“I see. Still, I can’t let you in.”

“Um… But, may I ask why a knight from the Imperial Guards is here? I heard that knights don’t usually come to the fire scene.”

The knight looked at her with an expression of annoyance. He seemed to be considering just dismissing her, but then he closed his mouth. Perhaps he had a change of heart upon seeing the uniform Marie was wearing. Unlike junior maids, intermediate maids often came from noble backgrounds.

“We’re investigating because there are signs of something out of the ordinary.”

Upon hearing those words, Marie was taken aback.