CH 3.1

The next day, Marie finally went to work at the Lion Palace, a place akin to the tiger’s den. Jane, her roommate, expressed with a hint of sadness, “Marie, we won’t have as many chances to see each other anymore. Would you come and visit me sometime?”

With her transfer to the Lion Palace, Marie now had a room of her own instead of sharing one with others.

“Actually, I’m quite envious. The Lion Palace, huh?” Jane said in a wistful tone. Working in the Lion Palace was the most esteemed position among the maids. For someone who was a junior maid, her promotion was like a bolt of lightning. Of course anyone would have been envious. However, all Marie could feel was unease.

To her, the Lion Palace was no different from a deathtrap. It’s where the Grim Reaper incarnate—the Crown Prince—resided. One slightest misstep could be fatal.

‘Enough. Let’s not tremble anymore. If I appear too nervous than necessary, I’ll look suspicious. I need to act as natural as possible,’ she thought with unwavering resolve. ‘The important thing is to remain undetected until I could make my escape from the Lion Palace.’

She had been devising an escape plan from the Lion Palace. ‘During the Crown Princess Selection, I will help one of the candidates.’ The plan she had in mind was called, ‘Love Cupid Operation.’

The gist of the childishly named plan was simple.

Recognizing the opportunity at hand, she planned to help one of the Crown Princess candidates in winning the Crown Prince’s affections. It’s like being a love cupid, so to speak. Surely, while staying in the Lion Palace, it would be easy to provide help.

‘In return, I’ll ask the candidate to help me escape the Lion Palace. Although I am the Crown Prince’s personal possession, I believe such favor can be granted.’

Of course, she didn’t believe that a mere maid like her would have a significant influence on the selection process. She could only offer small acts of assistance that might serve as a catalyst—which would be enough. The Crown Princess candidate that would receive her help would undoubtedly be indebted to her.

‘I must do well—no—I must do well without fail.’

Having no idea of what the Crown Prince thought of her, Marie made a firm resolution.

After bidding her goodbye to Jane, she headed to the Lion Palace. ‘First, I need to adapt to the Lion Palace. I’m sure that the atmosphere there will be intense.’

Working in the Lion Palace—where the Crown Prince resided—was the most prestigious position among the maids. And so, all the maids in the Lion Palace came from noble backgrounds.

Being a commoner herself—or rather, a war captive of lower status than a commoner—she had no idea what kind of discrimination she would face. ‘Still, I’m no stranger to getting bullied. I won’t be discouraged and will do whatever it takes to establish my position.’

With such determination, she stepped into the Lion Palace, unaware of the person awaiting her.

“Nice to meet you. Are you Marie, by any chance?”

Marie was taken aback as she looked at the middle-aged woman with wrinkles on her forehead. “Yes, that’s right! I’m Marie! It’s an honor to meet you, Lady Ashlyn!”

Lady Ashlyn, the Countess in charge of overseeing not only the maids in the Lion Palace but also all the palace maids in the empire.

Compared Marie, who was a mere junior maid, Lady Ashlyn held a significant higher position. Her authority as the head maid was comparable to that of Count Gilbert, the Palace Manager.

‘Why would the Countess come for me?’ Marie, who’d only expected to be welcomed by a senior maid at best, couldn’t help but feel astonished by the presence of such an influential person.

“So, you don’t have a surname?”

At the time, a lot of commoners did not have surnames. “Yes, you can just call me Marie.”

“I see.” Countess Ashlyn adjusted her spectacles and looked at Marie from head to toe. Then, with a hint of confusion, she cocked her head. “Hmm. Why, exactly, did His Highness…?”

Marie felt confused by her scrutiny. What was she on about? However, the Countess began discussing work without further explanation.

“I’ve heard that you excelled in all your previous assignments, and so I expect you to do well here too. There won’t be any particularly challenging tasks. However…” Countess Ashlyn cautioned in a grave tone, “The guests you will encounter in the Lion Palace are all high-ranking nobles, so you must be mindful of your manners and take extra care in serving them.”

“Yes, I understand.”

“Especially when it’s your turn to serve the Crown Prince, be sure to avoid any mistakes.”

Marie’s face grew tense. Serving the Crown Prince himself! It was the task she dreaded the most. ‘So I have to serve the Crown Prince after all.’

But suddenly, a strange thought occurred to her. She tentatively asked, “Um… does His Highness not have a personal maid?”

Nobles typically had personal maids and/or valets. It was rare to have maids take turns like that.

Countess Ashlyn shook her head. “His Highness the Crown Prince does not have a personal maid.”

Marie cocked her head in confusion. Even in the Cloyan Kingdom, the princes were accompanied by personal maids and valets. How could the Crown Prince, who held such immense power, not have a personal maid?

“I’ve suggested having a personal maid and valet several times already, but he refused, saying it was bothersome. Perhaps he hasn’t found someone to his liking yet.”

“Ah…”

At that moment, Countess Ashlyn looked at Marie with a meaningful gaze and remarked, “Well, who knows. Perhaps a personal maid will be appointed this time.”

Marie looked baffled at her vague statement. However, Countess Ashlyn showed no inclination to elaborate further.

“Anyway, I must go and prepare to meet the Crown Princess candidates. For further details, talk to Lesia over there.”

“Yes, understood.”

Soon, a girl named Lesia approached Marie. She appeared to be a year or two older than Marie, radiating an air of elegance that made it somewhat intimidating to approach her.

‘She’s so pretty. She must be a noble,’ Marie thought. It wasn’t just Lesia though. All the other maids nearby exuded remarkable grace and beauty. It was evident at first glance that they were the finest chosen ladies-in-waiting.

Somehow, Marie felt like she’s a duckling amongst a flock of swans.

“I’m Lesia von Venachel.”

Von. A surname indicating a noble heritage from Deutschland. Indeed, she was a noble.

“Ah, yes, Miss!* I’m Marie,” she replied stiffly.

*i genuinely don’t know how to translate sanbaenim indirectly. senior (like senpai) sounds strange, so if you know how, let me know.

‘I just know she won’t like me.’

She had anticipated that the ladies-in-waiting would act hostile towards her, considering that she’s a duckling who suddenly came out of nowhere.

Lesia said, “I see. I’ll call you Marie for convenience. Is that okay?”

“Ah, yes!”

“Since it’s your first day, you don’t have to work yet. Just follow my lead and slowly familiarize yourself with the Lion Palace. If there’s anything you don’t understand during my explanations, feel free to ask.”

Marie blinked at Lesia’s words. She was much kinder than she had expected. ‘How come? Is it because it’s my first day?’

However, that didn’t seem to be the case. As they walked through the Lion Palace, Lesia patiently explained her duties and various areas she’s responsible for. From start to finish, she maintained a consistently kind demeanor.

‘Is she truly a kind-hearted person?’

The other senior maids they encountered along the way also treated Marie warmly. “Are you the Marie who just arrived today? It can be challenging at first, so feel free rely on me.”

“Since it’s your first time, don’t hesitate to ask if you have any questions.”

Marie cocked her head in confusion at their unexpected kindness.

‘How odd. Even if they don’t act openly hostile to me, they should at least harbor some dislike towards me, yet they’re all so kind to me.’

There must be a reason behind it.

Eventually, Marie gathered the courage to ask, “Um, Miss, is there a reason why you’re all so kind to me?”

“Hmm, a reason?”

“Well, I’m not a noble… so I thought others might not like me, but everyone is treating me so well…”

At Marie’s words, Lesia burst into laughter. “Oh, that? It’s because you’re not a noble.”

“Come again?”

“Despite not being a noble, you were assigned to the Lion Palace. And not just by anyone, but the Crown Prince himself.”

“……!”

Marie’s face froze, grasping the insinuation behind Lesia’s words. “To bring a commoner like you to the Lion Palace… Just how highly does His Highness think of you to issue such a command?”

“It’s not like that…”

Lesia said in a meaningful tone, “We don’t exactly know what relationship you have with His Highness. But we do know that the Crown Prince considers you special. How dare we, insignificant beings, treat you lightly?”

She then lowered her head as if she were scared. “I don’t want to incur His Highness’ wrath for treating you badly.” She continued, “Because His Highness is really really really terrifying.”

Marie was caught off guard when she discovered the reason. It was all a huge misunderstanding.

‘To think that the Crown Prince considers me special. How ridiculous.’

Technically speaking, they weren’t entirely mistaken. While it was true that the Crown Prince regarded her as special, there was a difference between the kind of “special” they perceived and the actual reality.

‘He must’ve find me fascinating because of the various abilities I’ve shown him.’ She sighed. ‘Anyway, I’m glad that there’s no unwarranted hostility. My duties doesn’t seem too difficult either.’

After getting acquainted with her tasks, it didn’t seem particularly challenging—it mainly involved serving high-ranking nobles. Compared to the demanding environments she had worked in before, it felt like a paradise!

There was only one problem though: the Crown Prince.

‘Starting tomorrow, I will be serving the Crown Prince. If I appear too nervous, I might arouse suspicion, so let’s be careful and stay strong until the day we escape the Lion Palace!’

But, as usual, things didn’t go according to Marie’s plans. Lately, her life had been getting more and more complicated. On the night before she was to wait on the Crown Prince, she had another dream.

‘What, another dream? What’s going to happen this time?’

Marie peered into her dream with a tearful expression. Of all times, her lucid dream had to be the night before she serve the Crown Prince! Suddenly, it felt more like a bad omen rather than a miraculous dream that gave her abilities.

‘No, this can’t be happening. Maybe I should just wake up. If I wake up before finishing the dream, it won’t come true, right?’

Of course, it didn’t work that way. The contents of her dream unfolded vividly in her mind, as if she were looking at a painting.

“What a fine weather today, my love.”

“Indeed, Gege*.”

*literally written that way. a chinese word for brother but! in this context, it doesn’t literally mean that. it’s more of a term of endearment that people use to their significant other. kind of like oppa!

It was a dream set in the East.

Amidst the refreshing mountain breeze, there was a young man and woman inside a pavilion. They were gazing at each other tenderly, as if they were lovers.