CH 1.21

‘What did she say?! The Lion Palace?’ Marie was at a loss. She was so shocked that the unsettling dream from last night vanished from her mind.

‘No way! The Lion Palace is where the Crown Prince is!’ She pictured the Crown Prince’s cold, iron mask. Just the thought of it made her shudder, and now she had to stay in a place like that?

Worst case scenario, she might have to serve the Crown Prince himself.

‘Why on earth was this decision made?’ Even when she asked Susan the head maid, she just shook her head, saying she didn’t know either.

‘I cannot go to the Lion Palace. I have to change it, no matter what.’

She vowed resolutely. Even without going to the Lion Palace, it was already difficult enough for her to avoid catching the attention of the Crown Prince.

She couldn’t go to the Lion Palace. ‘I’ll look for a chance to request a transfer to another place. If I talk to the head maid, it should be possible. There are many maids who want to work at the Lion Palace besides me.’

Working at the Lion Palace, where the ruler of the empire, the Crown Prince, resided, was what the maids desired the most.

‘Anyway, a prisoner of war like me doesn’t fit in at the Lion Palace. So, I should be able to switch.’ Thinking so, her heart became somewhat settled. However, there was still an unresolved question.

“Who promoted and assigned me to the Lion Palace? Could it be…?” The image of the Crown Prince’s iron mask from their encounter in the kitchen flashed through her mind.

‘No way. Was it because of my cooking?’ She’d heard the story of how the banquet ended with great success thanks to her cooking. Did he reward her for that? She couldn’t think of anything else that could explain it.

Then she remembered what the Crown Prince had said to her back then. ‘I’ll reward you handsomely.’

‘That is not a reward at all!’

She looked like she was on the verge of crying. Of course, for an ordinary maid, working at the Lion Palace was a great honor, as it was the most prestigious position. However, just being near the Lion Palace made her feel uneasy. It wasn’t just a feeling; if something went wrong, she could really lose her life.

‘Let’s firmly refuse and say that there’s no work available at the Lion Palace. If that works, then it’s a relief,’ Marie promised to herself. Of course, whether things would go as she planned remained to be seen.

After organizing her thoughts, Marie changed into her uniform. The work of a junior and intermediate maid was so different that they wore different clothes. The clothes of a junior maid doing menial work felt like kitchen overalls, while the clothes of an intermediate maid who dealt directly with nobles felt more like a dress.

‘I can’t believe I’m wearing these kinds of clothes again.’ Marie made a face. The lace and frills on the skirt felt awkward. ‘Actually, I prefer the work of a junior maid that goes unnoticed by others, even if it’s physically demanding.’

Marie sighed. Who could she blame? It was her own fault for meddling a lot. ‘Should I have just turned a blind eye? Then I wouldn’t have to feel so anxious like this.’

But the problem was, it was difficult for her to do so because of her personality. After sighing again, Marie headed towards Gloria Hall.

Blanche, the head maid in charge of the maids in Gloria Hall, looked at Marie from top to bottom.

“Are you Marie?”

“Yes, I am Marie. Nice to meet you.”

“You used to work at the Lily Palace? And you’re from the Kingdom of Cloyan?”

Blanche gave Marie a skeptical look, as if she couldn’t understand why someone like her was promoted as an intermediate maid. Of course, Marie agreed with that sentiment. ‘True.’

She badly wanted to ask her to send her back to the Lily Palace right now.

“When the party starts, you just need to serve the guests. Even though you were a junior maid, you lived in the royal palace for three years, so you know all the rules, right?”

“Yes.”

Blanche nodded her head. “Alright. I heard from Susan that you’re very good at your job, so I’ll keep an eye on you.” And so, Marie’s work at Gloria Hall began.

Marie was so amazed by the magnificent sight of the banquet hall she’d never seen before. ‘So, this is what a banquet hall looks like.’

Ironically, even though she was a princess, she’d never been to a banquet hall before. She was born to a commoner mother and was kept away by her half-brothers who were born to the queen. She spent about two years in the palace, caged like a bird until the empire was invaded. Other than occasionally sneaking out of the palace in disguise to help people outside, she lived a secluded life behind bars.

However, thanks to that, she survived without revealing her true identity, and the irony of the situation was not lost on her.

“May I have a cocktail?”

“Yes, here you go.” With a graceful movement, Marie served the guests at the banquet. It was her first time doing it, but influenced by her previous dream, she was able to do it skillfully.

She looked around. ‘Nobles here, nobles there. All of them are nobles. There are even royals from other countries besides the imperial family.’

The guests at the banquet, who dressed up nicely and were enjoying themselves, were all high-ranking nobles. Even though she’d worked at the palace for a long time, she’d rarely had direct contact with the nobles, so it felt like she’d entered a different world.

But then, a sudden thought came to her. ‘Wait. If I came to the banquet, won’t something related to my dream happen here?’ Marie gulped. ‘N-no, it couldn’t be.’

She shook her head. ‘With so many nobles here, what could possibly happen?’ But she knew deep down that accidents didn’t discriminate between nobles and commoners.

Then suddenly, a booming voice echoed at the entrance of the banquet hall. “I present to you, His Highness, the Crown Prince!” Startled, Marie turned around to see the Crown Prince, draped in a cloak, entering the banquet hall. The iron mask reflected the chandelier’s light, making it shine brightly.

The Crown sat in the highest seat, reserved for the imperial family. “Enjoy yourselves, everyone.”

The banquet hall, which had been quiet for a moment, resumed its lively atmosphere with the music of the orchestra.

Meanwhile, Marie wore an awkward expression while working. ‘Why am I placed so close to him?’ The distance between where she was assigned to and the Crown Prince’s seat was uncomfortably close. If she turned her head, she could easily make eye contact with him.

“Let’s not worry about it. Let’s not worry about it,” Marie muttered to herself as she threw herself into her work, checking to see if anyone was uncomfortable, if they needed more food or drinks.

While Marie was fully engrossed in her work, she absentmindedly turned her head towards the Crown Prince.

“…….!”

Marie’s heart thrashed as soon as their eyes met. The blue eyes behind the iron mask were looking directly at her.

She hastily lowered her head. ‘S-Stop worrying. It’s just a coincidence that we made eye contact.’

It’s just a simple eye contact, but since he was such a frightening person, her heart was pounding. ‘Let’s just focus on work.’

Marie tried her best not to turn her body towards the Crown Prince as much as possible. However, it was when she unconsciously raised her head that he happened to look at her.

“…….!”

She met his gaze again! ‘Why does he keep looking this way? What’s so interesting here?’

She felt a sense of despair as her heart continued to pound uncontrollably.

She wished to live in a world without the Crown Prince.

‘Let’s move somewhere else.’ With that in mind, Marie moved to another spot as far away from the Crown Prince’s gaze as possible. However, at that moment, a cold voice loomed before her.

“Marie.”

“······?!”

She wondered if she heard it wrong. But she hadn’t. The cold voice was clearly talking to her. She swallowed hard and turned her head. ‘Why?’

The Crown Prince, next to Prime Minister Oren, was looking at her.

“I greet Your Highness.”

Her heart skipped a beat. ‘Why did he call me? Could it be?’ Marie thought nervously.

But the words that came out of the Crown Prince’s mouth were anticlimactic compared to her apprehension. “Can I have a drink?”

“……”

“Marie?”

“Oh! Yes, yes! What kind of drink would you like?”

“Strawberry juice would be nice.”

Marie was speechless. The anxiety she felt was all for nothing. And strawberry juice? It didn’t fit the Crown Prince of Blood at all. If he asked for a juice made out of virgin’s blood, it would’ve been more believable.

“…I see.”

She brought the drink to the Crown Prince.

“Here’s your drink.”

“Thank you.”

As she tried to escape, the Crown Prince looked at her. His deep blue eyes felt familiar, as if she’d seen them somewhere before.

Marie asked awkwardly, “Your Highness? Is there anything else you need?”

But the Crown Prince’s reaction was strange. He looked like he had something to say, but immediately closed his mouth without saying a word.

“…….?”

Marie tilted her head and stepped back. “If there’s anything else you need, please let me know.”

“……Sure.”

And so she withdrew.

After Marie left, Prime Minister Oren asked, “Your Highness, is there something wrong?”

“What?”

“It’s just that… you seem a little different than usual.”

Oren tilted his head. It was hard to put it into words, but something seemed off.

The Crown Prince paused for a moment before saying, “……No, it’s nothing.”

Oren turned his head and saw a maid with a tray of refreshments. For a moment, a single thought crossed Oren’s mind as he alternated between looking at Marie and the Crown Prince, who was drinking the strawberry juice in a strange manner.

‘No way?’

As time passed by, the first part of the banquet ended. The orchestra played a relaxing symphony, and people took a break before the second part began.

Marie rushed through the crowd, filling up empty plates and glasses. However, as she was carrying a drink towards the balcony, she accidentally collided with someone.

“Kyaa!” she let out a scream as her face blanched. The drink she was carrying spilled all over the person’s clothes.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. It was an accident…” she quickly bowed her head. Technically speaking, it was the person’s fault for suddenly appearing, but he’s a nobleman, so Marie had to apologize.

Fortunately, the nobleman seemed to have a good temperament. After shaking the juice off his soaked clothes, he said, “How bad did you fall? Are you okay?”

The man looking at her had an incredibly handsome face; he had black hair, dark and soft eyes, and glasses that gave off an intellectual air.

‘I keep crossing paths with handsome men these days,’ Marie unconsciously thought to herself. Although there were many beautiful men and women at the banquet due to the flock of nobles, they couldn’t compete with the appearance of the man in front of her.

The only person she could think of who could rival him was Kiel, a member of the royal guard whom she had seen in the Swan Garden, and the mysterious blond man.

The man’s excessively pale and sickly complexion was a flaw, though.

“I’m really sorry.”

“It’s my fault for coming out of nowhere. And as for the clothes, don’t worry, I can change them. I’m just glad you’re not hurt.” The man smiled warmly. His gentle smile made Marie’s heart flutter without even realizing it.

Since she’s still a girl, seeing such a charming smile made her feel flustered.

“Ah! C-Clothes! I’ll bring you new clothes.”

“Thank you. Can you also take this and wash it?”

“Yes, of course!”

“I’ll be waiting here.”

Marie took the soaked vest from the man and hurriedly went down the balcony to fetch a spare vest.

As he watched her go, the man smiled. “What a cute maid.”

t/n: rael is going all stalker-y vibes while marie’s just thinking: She wished to live in a world without the Crown Prince. and her snarky thoughts when handing out the strawberry juice? she’s so?

poor marie, she can’t take a break. and idk johannes seems much more perceptive so this cat & mouse chase should be fun