CH 2.12

‘Oh, what should I do?’ Her heart raced. ‘Should I mess it up? No, that won’t do. If I play poorly when he already has some suspicions, I might fuel it more.’

Especially with the fact that the Crown Prince seemed to have a remarkable musical aptitude. There’s no way he wouldn’t know the difference between genuine incompetence and deliberate poor performance.

“Why are you so nervous? Just play any piece. I will determine your punishment based on that performance.”

It was hard to take it in. He’d determine the punishment based on her performance? Marie couldn’t fathom what the Crown Prince was thinking. Suddenly, she felt like a rabbit standing before a predatory beast, moments away from being devoured.

She couldn’t see any way to escape. ‘Oh, Lord. Please, please help me.’ With a heavy heart, Marie placed her fingers on the keys.

‘I musn’t mess up on purpose. I need to showcase my skills without revealing them too much. I should choose a piece that is relatively easy but different in style from the ones I’ve played before.’

She decided on a piece that could conceal her true identity as much as possible. Then, Marie’s fingers pressed the keys, and a soft melody began to reverberate across the room.

‘It’s a completely different from the Country Symphony and the grand banquet prelude,’ the Crown Prince thought as he listened to Marie’s piece. ‘There’s no complex technique involved either.’

The Country Symphony and the grand banquet prelude he’d heard before were smooth and gentle, yet they required intricate techniques during their climaxes. On the other hand, the piece that the maid was performing was the completely different. The mood was calm and tranquil, and the difficulty level was remarkably low. The musical structure was simple enough that even a beginner could play it.

‘Is she not the same musician?’ That thought crossed his mind. If someone who knew nothing about music were to listen, they would never have imagined that the same person who played the previous two masterpieces was that maid.

However, in that moment, the Crown Prince, beneath his iron mask, closed his eyes and remained still, fully immersing himself in the gentle melody that tickled his ears.

‘How soothing,’ the Crown Prince thought as he listened to the melody. ‘It’s a simple, yet beautiful piece. No, a beautiful performance rather?’ Note by note, tempo, articulation, phrasing, and countless elements that comprised the melody pleased his ears.

Analyzing the music, he shook his head. While it was important to confirm whether the maid was truly the enigmatic performer, for some reason, he couldn’t think of anything else at that moment but to purely enjoy the piece. Despite its simplicity, it was an incredibly pleasant melody.

Thus, the room was filled with its tranquil melody. It was soothing—reminiscent of a mother gently tucking her child into bed and reading them a fairy tale.

Like the ripples of a lake, it was serene and peaceful.

After time passed by, Marie concluded the piece with an Arpeggio.*

“……It’s done, Your Highness.”

She withdrew her hands away from the piano and looked at the Crown Prince.

He remained still, his eyes closed beneath the iron mask.

Marie’s heart raced with anxiety. ‘I tried to perform as differently as possible. With an easy difficulty level too.’

The piece she’d just played was unlike the previous ones, as it was a piece that anyone with an interest with music could easily follow. Marie hoped that the Crown Prince would finally let go of his suspicions once he listened to it. However, her expectations were completely dashed.

“……It was you,” said a firm voice. The Crown Prince opened his blue eyes and looked directly at her.

The moment he looked into her eyes, he immediately became certain. “You were indeed the performer.”

“……!”

Marie’s heart sank. “P-Pardon…?” she asked with a pale complexion.

When the Crown Prince wordlessly gazed at her, she realized that there was no use denying it any longer—she’d been already exposed.

In truth, Rael wasn’t initially certain due to the different performing style. But even with its simple melody, it had a similar soothing effect to the listener.

It became clear to him that the maid was undoubtedly the mysterious musician.

‘That maid was truly the performer,’ the Crown Prince looked at Marie in amazement. He’d suspected it, but still, he found it unbelievable. ‘How in the world…?’

How could this maid continue to astonish him? The more he learned about Marie, the more amazed he become—her culinary skills that rivaled the head chef, her magic tricks, her astounding deductive reasoning, and now her miraculous musical talent.

He was still unaware of her role in saving Emperor Johannes and her work as a sculptor, but even with what had been revealed, he was completely blown away.

“Why did you hide your identity?”

Marie quickly got off the piano chair and prostrated herself to the floor. “Forgive me, Your Highness!”

“No, I’m not condemning you. I’m just asking because I don’t understand. Why did you hide your identity?” Rael finally asked the question that had been on his mind for so long.

“W-well…” Marie had no words to answer. She’d tried to hide her identity out of fear that attracting unnecessary attention would uncover her true identity as Princess Morina.

She shook her head and bit her lip. ‘Pull yourself together, Marie. The Crown Prince doesn’t know that you’re Princess Morina.’

Her face blanched from nervousness and uncertainty, but she tried her best to remain calm. She’s in a precarious situation, so she couldn’t afford to make any mistakes. ‘Now that it has come to this, I must do my best not to arouse suspicion.’

The best course of action was to refrain from drawing attention to herself by not revealing her abilities, but it was already too late. She had to avoid suspicion as much as possible. ‘What should I say…’ She desperately thought of what to say.

“Answer me.”

In that moment, an idea flashed through her mind. “I don’t want to stand out.”

“You don’t?”

“Yes, I am a woman of low status. I wanted to avoid drawing undue attention with my exceptional abilities.” She carefully chose her words. “When a woman of low status like me faces scrutiny, it often leads to problematic situations.”

Although Marie was lying about the true reason why she’d hidden her identity, it wasn’t entirely untrue. To some extent, Marie’s abilities were unconventionally outstanding. If she were a noblewoman, she would have been hailed as a genius, but due to her low status—in the worst case scenario—she’d be persecuted for being an anomaly.

“…I see. Were you worried about being regarded as a witch?”

Marie remained silent. Crown Prince Rael stared at her for a moment without saying a word.

‘It sounds plausible.’ Indeed, the maid’s concerns were not entirely unfounded. They were valid concerns she could’ve had. However, how come he couldn’t simply accept it and move on?

‘I don’t know. I really don’t know.’ The Crown Prince shook his head. ‘Just who is she, exactly?’ On the surface, she appeared to be an ordinary maid. But the more he got to know her, the more he found himself stumped.

Rael felt his chest tighten once again. ‘Haa,’ he sighed inwardly. Every time he faced that maid, he couldn’t help but feel stuffy.

How frustrating.

He badly wanted to break through that suffocating hurdle.

‘What the hell…’

He bit his lip. What was it about that maid that confound and unsettled him like so?

‘Should I just keep her at an arm’s length?’ Rael thought for a moment. If he could no longer see her, perhaps his discomfiture would disappear as well.

He was the Crown Prince of Blood who had to rule his empire—he must eliminate any element that could distract him. However, the moment he entertained the thought of distancing himself from the maid…

“…!”

His heart sank.

An indescribable sense of emptiness washed over him. ‘No, I can’t do that,’ he thought, clenching his fist.

For some unknown reason, he didn’t want that to happen. ‘Rather… What if I keep her close by my side? Would this suffocating feeling disappear from my system?’

Rael suddenly felt an urge—the urge to keep the maid by his side.

He wanted to know everything about her and uncover every hidden layer beneath her.

With that thought in mind, Rael said, “……Marie.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Do you want to be in charge of the court orchestra? With your musical talent, you surpass even the renowned Conductor Vahan.”

Marie was caught off guard. Not just a member of the orchestra, but a conductor! It was a position that almost equaled nobility and higher than her position as a maid.

However, she shook her head. “It would be difficult for me to handle. Please reconsider, Your Highness.”

Of course, she wasn’t without ambition. But if she were to lead the orchestra, she would be exposed to the eyes of countless people through the performances. As someone who needed to hide her true identity, she had to avoid it.

“I’ll ask once again. Do you truly not want it?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Are you sure you won’t regret it?”

Marie’s put on a puzzled expression as Rael asked her repeatedly. What’s up with him?

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Rael nodded. “I see. Then I’ll move on to your punishment.”

Marie clenched her fist nervously. What kind of punishment would await her?

But suddenly, the Crown Prince said something unexpected. “Miss Marie, three years ago, you were brought from the Kingdom of Cloyan as a prisoner of war, making you the personal property of the current Emperor Thoren II.”

“…Your Highness?”

“Was I right?”

Marie nodded her head, her face filled with confusion. “Yes, I am indeed the personal property of Emperor Thoren II.”

As a prisoner of war, she was different from the other maids who were free individuals. Indeed, she’s owned by the imperial family, specifically Emperor Thoren II.

Currently, the Emperor’s in a state of coma, but her life rested in the latter’s hands nonetheless. That applied not only to her but to all the other prisoners of war as well. But why would he bring that up now?

“Very well. Then I will now state the punishment I’ll give you.”

The Crown Prince unsheathed the sword that hung from his waist. The sword—passed down through generations of the imperial family—symbolized the authority of the Emperor, which the Crown Prince held in the latter’s place.

“From now on, Miss Marie, I hereby declare that your ownership is transferred from His Majesty the Emperor to me—Crown Prince Rael.”

Marie was caught off guard by that unexpected announcement.

“Y-Your Highness?”

Rael continued in a low voice, “From now on, Miss Marie, you belong to me.”

Marie’s complexion turned deathly pale. What the hell…?

Rael gazed at her intently, and beneath his iron mask, an indiscernible emotion flickered in his blue eyes, but Marie didn’t notice it.

“That is my punishment for you.”

t/n: u sneaky little bitch…