CH 4.1

“She is an orphan from a family of knights, who tragically lost their lives to an epidemic. According to her, she worked at the Cloyan Kingdom Palace where Princess Morina was confined, in order to repay her family’s debts. When our imperial army captured the castle, she was taken as a prisoner. Unfortunately, during her time at the Cold Palace, she had no direct contact with Princess Morina, and therefore, she had no idea what she was like.”

It was a rather ordinary background description.

After conducting the investigation, Oren stopped paying attention to her.

However, following the events involving the Eastern Kingdom delegation, his perception began to shift.

“…A mere maid with such remarkable insight?”

An idea of importing sugarcane seeds to produce sugar.

It may sound simple, but coming up with this method actually required a deep understanding of the dynamics between the West and the East*, the fundamentals of trade, the climate and environment of the southwest region, and extensive knowledge about sugarcane.

*as in europe and asia, not to be confused with east and west empire

‘I heard that Lady Rachel managed to host the Eastern Kingdom delegation, all because of the advice she got from that maid.’

That took him by surprise as well.

To think that she also had such in-depth knowledge about the customs and traditions of the East, given that she’s not even a scholar, or anything—but just a mere maid.

“She claimed to have spent her time as a maid in the Kingdom of Cloyan with very little to do, so she occupied herself by reading books in the library. However… “

Of course, there was nothing incredulous about it.

Yet, despite this, he couldn’t shake off his suspicions. Wasn’t she skilled in more than just one or two things?

And so the Prime Minister conducted another background check on her, consequently stumbling upon something peculiar.

“Nobody knows her. No one at all.”

Although the name “Marie” was registered in the personnel records of the Kingdom of Cloyan—confirming her position as a maid at the Cold Palace—strangely enough, no one seemed to have any knowledge of her existence at all.

Prime Minister only knew one other person from the Cloyan Kingdom who was an enigma like her.

“…Nobody knows Princess Morina either,” Prime Minister Oren muttered under his breath. “I’ll have to investigate her one more time.”

Apart from Prime Minister Oren, there was another person who’s keeping a closer eye on Marie.

Surprisingly, he was a handsome man with dark hair and eyes, radiating an air of intelligence with his glasses.

It was none other than Emperor Johannes III of the Western Empire.

“Unfortunately, the plan involving the Eastern Kingdom has failed.”

The words that came out of his mouth were very surprising.

“I invested substantial bribes to the Sultan’s aides, persuading them to fire their arrows towards the Eastern Empire, but it appears that all my efforts were in vain,” he said, speaking of the incident involving the Eastern Kingdom as though it were a brilliant scheme of his own making.

The Prime Minister of the Western Empire, possessing a feminine beauty reminiscent of a woman, nodded in agreement. “Yes, Your Majesty. What a pity.”

“Well, it can’t be helped. In all fairness, they handled the situation far more cunning than I had expected. Not to mention, the sugarcane seeds…”

Johannes III clicked his tongue.

“Well, isn’t that like giving jewels to those Eastern bastards? Like a never-ending well of treasures?”

There were only a few locations in Europe suitable for cultivating sugar. Specifically, the western end of the Iberian Peninsula and certain Mediterranean islands.

Surprisingly, it had now been confirmed that the southwestern region of the Eastern Empire was also capable of cultivating sugar.

“Well, whether that endeavor succeeds or not, it doesn’t matter much. In the grand scheme of things, it’s not a bad thing for the Eastern Empire to produce sugar. Soon, the Eastern Empire and our Western Empire will merge into one empire,” said Emperor Johannes III, casually speaking of his ambitious plan.

In a seemingly nonchalant tone, he mused, “I wonder how Count Istvan is faring. His daughter is currently in the palace, competing to become the Crown Princess, isn’t she? Rachel, if I remember correctly?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“It would be advantageous if that goes well too. If Count Istvan’s daughter becomes the Crown Princess, our plan will proceed more smoothly.”

The conversation between Johannes III and his Prime Minister would undoubtedly shock the people of the Eastern Empire if they were to overhear it. It’s because Rachel—who’s one of the the crown princess candidates—and her father, Count Istvan, appeared to have some connection with the Western Empire.

Johannes and the Prime Minister then shifted their discussion to another topic.

“What about Princess Morina? I will soon travel back to the Eastern Empire, and until then, it would be ideal if someone could find her.”

Johannes III had been envisioning a grand plan, and for it to proceed smoothly, Princess Morina’s presence was crucial.

“I’m sorry. I haven’t yet. However, I believe there will be progress soon.”

Upon hearing those words, Johannes’ eyes lit up.

His Prime Minister does not make baseless claims. So if he believed that there would be progress soon, then progress would undoubtedly be made.

“Very well, I’ll be looking forward to it.”

“Ah, Your Majesty. I will now report on the matter you mentioned previously.”

“What are you referring to?”

“It’s about the maid named Marie.”

Emperor Johannes suddenly had an intrigued expression on his face.

She was the girl who had been constantly piquing his interest ever since he secretly visited the palace of the Eastern Empire last time.

‘I heard that she’s the one who thwarted my plan involving the Eastern Kingdom.’

Perhaps he should have kidnapped her and brought her back to his palace.

“What is it? Tell me.”

“I looked into the maid named Marie, but she is pretty much unknown.”

“What?”

“No one has any knowledge of her.”

Johannes furrowed his brow.

“Is that possible? Since Princess Morina was isolated in the Cold Palace, I suppose that’s possible… but… no matter how remote she worked… there should still be someone who knows her…”

“I thought the same.”

Upon hearing the Prime Minister’s words, Johannes suddenly had an epiphany.

‘……No way?’

“Prime Minister.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Dig a little deeper into Marie.” Johannes smiled and added, “Something smells fishy.”

And just like that, both Emperor Johannes III of the Western Empire and Prime Minister Oren of the Eastern Empire delved into their investigation of Marie with greater scrutiny.

Meanwhile, as Marie continued to acclimate herself to her new life, completely unaware of the events unfolding behind her back, she received an unexpected summons.

“…His Highness is going away and I am to accompany him?”

“Yes, if His Highness is away, who else would serve him if not you?” Count Gilbert, the Palace Steward, stated matter-of-factly.

Since Marie was the Crown Prince’s personal maid, it was only natural for her to accompany him on his excursions.

However, there was one problem.

“Are you saying that only His Highness and I will be going?”

It meant that they would be alone together with no other companions. Not to mention, it was a round trip from western to southern region that would take more than two weeks!

“Since His Highness is going on an inspection to assess the situation in the southwestern region, it was deemed unnecessary to have a large entourage. Of course, some of the Royal Guards will accompany both of you.”

Marie asked, “Won’t the other Crown Princess candidates be joining us?”

Usually, during the selection period, when long outings were involved, the candidates would often accompany the Crown Prince. It was meant to foster connections while traveling together for an extended period of time.

However, Count Gilbert shook his head.

“His Highness refused. He mentioned that he didn’t want to burden the southwestern region by unnecessarily increasing the party.”

Marie understood the Crown Prince’s reasoning. If the candidates were to join, the procession would indeed grow in size, putting undue strain on the southwestern region to accommodate them.

‘It’s a decision befitting a Crown Prince, but…’

The problem was that as a result, she had to travel alone with the Crown Prince! Over such a long distance, no less!

Then, as if in a pleading manner, Count Gilbert implored, “I hope you will serve His Highness wholeheartedly to ensure his comfort.”

“…Yes, noted.”

And just like that, Marie found herself unexpectedly embarking on a long-distance excursion with the Crown Prince.

Eventually, word soon spread that she would be traveling with the Crown Prince, making the palace maids looked at Marie with curious eyes.

They then whispered among themselves, “Traveling to the southwestern region is quite a distance. Could they possibly develop feelings for each other during that trip?”

“Well, who knows.”

“But Your Highness has always been fond of Hon. Hilderren. Anyway, they will travel such a long distance together, it’s hard to believe that nothing would happen.”

Everyone nodded in agreement, finding those words plausible.

When two individuals spend a significant amount of time together, a certain level of closeness naturally develops. And wasn’t their relationship somewhat curious from the beginning?

Although they might not have been consciously aware of it, the way the Crown Prince treated Marie was out of the ordinary.

“Hmm… But that doesn’t necessarily mean Hon. Hilderren will become the Crown Princess, right?” Someone tentatively voiced her thoughts, causing everyone to shake their heads in surprise.

“What are you talking about? He still has Lady Ariel and Lady Rachel.”

“But it seems like His Highness is equally uninterested in both of them.”

“Nonetheless, His Highness will eventually have to choose one of those two candidates.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

It was only logical that the Crown Princess would be either Lady Ariel or Lady Rachel, both of whom held noble status.

However, the maid who initially broached the subject cocked her head to the side. Her name was Lesia, a maid who had been observing the interactions between the Crown Prince and Marie more closely than the others.

‘Will it really be like that? I don’t think it’s entirely impossible.’

Amidst the maids’ speculations, the day to leave the palace was fast approaching.

And on the eve of their outing, Marie suddenly had another dream.

The dream took place in a splendid banquet hall adorned with magnificent chandeliers.

In it, a man dressed in elegant attire marveled at the food before him.

“As expected, it’s amazing.”

“You flatter me, Your Majesty.”

“No, your skills are truly worthy of the the title, ‘King of Patisseries.’ Your reputation precedes you, even surpassing mine.”

As Marie observed the contents of her dream, she blinked her eyes. The title used to address the pastry chef felt remarkably grandiose.

‘King of Patisseries…’

In her dream, the figure dressed in finery continued to lavish praises. “I heard that even the Romanov Tsar of Russia was highly satisfied with the dinner banquet. Having the opportunity to taste your creations is definitely the greatest privilege one can have in the world.”

“But indulging excessively is not advisable, Your Majesty.”

“How could you make such exquisite food and tell me not to eat it? How wicked of you to say that.”

The king in the dream chuckled. Then, looking at the cake on his plate, he asked a question.

The cream cake exuded a sophisticated and classic charm, more akin to a work of art than a mere pastry.

“You know, I’m curious. I’ve heard that you were born in the slums, so how did you manage to create such wonderful pastries?”

In response to that question, the chef modestly said, “I believe it was precisely that reason why I could create pastries like that.”

“What do you mean?”

Karem, the chef, replied, “Well…”

And then, abruptly, the dream had come to an end.

Marie’s eyes fluttered open in surprise.

“What was that…? A dream about a pastry chef?” She muttered absentmindedly.

Well, it could have been just a dream, but she couldn’t help but wonder why she would dream about a pastry chef on the night before their journey to the southwestern region. After all, she wouldn’t be baking there.

Shaking her head, she prepared to leave. There wasn’t enough time to dwell on it, as she was in a hurry for waking up a bit late.

After packing her belongings, she made her way to the meeting point.

At the meeting point, several carriages were present, including the one meant for the Crown Prince.

‘They must be the knights responsible for our security.’

Even for a simple excursion, it was expected to have escort knights.

‘Sir Almond and the other knights of the Royal Guards…’

As Marie surveyed the knights on escort duty, her eyes unexpectedly spotted someone.

‘Oh, is that…?’

Marie’s eyes widened in recognition.

A blond man with a beautiful face that seemed like it was drawn in a painting.

It was ‘Ran,’ the person who had saved her from the bandits during the previous street festival!

‘Turns out he’s a Royal Guard Knight. His swordsmanship must be as exceptional as I expected.’

With that in mind, Marie approached him.

“Sir Ran!”

“……!”

He looked startled as he locked eyes with her. Sensing a hint of embarrassment, Marie tilted her head to the side.

t/n: so annoyed with how busy i am lately (● ˃̶͈̀ロ˂̶͈́)੭ꠥ⁾⁾ marie just called the crown prince by his nickname (albeit with honorifics) so causally in front of his subordinates ijbol. she’ll never beat those mistress allegations i fear

anyway… sometimes when i change honorifics it’s deliberate & not bc i suddenly want to change them. for reference:

marie actually used nim earlier, which again, is used on someone higher in position than the speaker, as opposed to ssi (roughly translates to mister/miss) that is used on someone with the same level of social hierarchy with the speaker.