CH 10

[Aris’ POV]

But the abandoned princess had no such power.

The soldiers let out a hmph, ignored Aris, and dragged the maid out.

“Princess!”

The maid’s tearful voice rang out.

Aris squatted down and waited for the maid. Tears continued to flow without drying.

How long has it been?

The maid is back.

Blue bruises and bright red bloodstains remained on her pale face. It was a sign of corporal punishment.

Aris ran to the maid in tears.

“Are you okay?”

It turned out to be true that the maid stole items from Ruby Palace. But Aris didn’t hate her one bit.

There must have been some reason.

I’ll be good to you when you get back. I’ll give you everything I can.

However, as soon as she made eye contact with the maid, Aris felt her heart freeze cold.

The maid’s eyes were cold.

“Still, since you’re a princess, I thought it would be of some use if I stayed by your side … … A worthless year.”

Those were the maid’s last words.

The maid packed her bags and left the palace, never to return.

After that, numerous maids came.

All of them left Ruby Palace immediately.

Some said that Aris is useless, that they hate Aris, and that Aris is annoying.

Aris, who tried to look good to them at first, also changed.

Aris began to be mean to the maids.

They’re the ones who’ll leave no matter what. Then this is better.

It’s much better for them to leave because I’m a mean child than to be abandoned… … 

“I see. Then I’ll go too. I’ve had enough of serving a princess.”

The face of the maid at the end was Siana.

***

“… …!”

Aris opened her eyes wide.

Aris turned her head with a haggard face because she couldn’t sleep properly.

Bright sunlight was shining through the window.

These days, the morning came when Siana knocked on the door.

But no knock was heard.

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Aris muttered with a vacant look.

“I did something like that, there’s no way she’ll come up.”

Perhaps Siana would never enter this room again.

And when the opportunity comes, she’ll leave the Ruby Palace.

‘I’ll be alone again.’

Aris’ eyes grew hot.

The moment when the tears in my big eyes were about to pour out.. …

Tok tok.

A light knocking sound like the knocking of a sparrow.

“Princess, the morning has come when both the sun and the birds wake up. Get up.”

“… …”

It was Siana’s voice.

Aris did not answer. No, I couldn’t answer.

Siana didn’t mind and opened the door. Upon entering the room, Siana’s eyes opened wide when she saw Aris.

“You woke up early today.”

Siana put the breakfast tray next to the bed and approached Aris.

“Or did you not sleep properly? Your face color is not good.”

“…….”

Looking at Aris who didn’t answer, Siana put on a worried expression.

“Then, would you like to sleep a little longer and have a meal? If you’re too sleepy, you won’t have an appetite, and if you force yourself to eat, you won’t be able to digest well.”

Siana continued with a smile.

“Don’t worry. Because this is a special situation. I will not touch the princess’s meals in the slightest.”

Siana, who spoke detestable words with a gentle face, was the same as usual.

I couldn’t see any of the feelings I felt yesterday.

Aris burst into tears.

Aris held Siana’s hand with her trembling hands and said.

“Sor, I’m sorry.”

“… …!”

Aris continued with tears streaming down her face.

“I really didn’t mean to go that far yesterday. Really.”

“… …”

“So don’t hate me.”

Aris was a princess and Siana was a maid.

So she didn’t have to care at all about how Siana felt.

But now Aris was sincerely begging Siana for her mistake.

With tears dripping from her big eyes

“… … ”

[SIana’s POV]

Siana, who was staring at Aris, leaned down and wiped the little princess’s tears.

“I don’t hate you.”

“……Lie.”

“I mean it.”

“Then why did you do that yesterday!”

At Aris’s words, Siana remembered herself from yesterday.

‘Was it a little cold?’

But it was only the upset of losing the pin, not hatred for Aris.

“Yesterday, what the princess did was too much.  But I know that children often do nonsensical things.”

“… … ”

“So it’s okay. Even more so when you apologize for making such a mistake.”

Siana’s emerald eyes were warm. It seemed like she meant it.

Aris finally felt a little relieved. The weight that had been suppressing her heart disappeared a little.

So Aris decided to pluck up a little more courage.

“I know you don’t like Ruby Palace. You’re the only maid and there’s so much to do… With a royal family member that is useless.”

“… …”

I never said anything like that.

Siana furrowed her brows, wondering what the hell the young princess was talking about.

Aris, who stopped crying before she knew it, said with a serious face.

“I’ll help you from now on. I’ll clean and do the laundry together. I’ll listen to you too. I’ll share the food, too. I’ll be a good kid. Therefore… “

“… … ”

“Can’t you stay at Ruby Palace?”

Unexpected words struck Siana in the heart.

How can I express this feeling?

Until now, Siana had thoroughly treated Aris as a princess.

They had a good conversation with each other, but Aris was a princess of a country and she was just a maid.

I thought taking care of Aris was just doing what I was supposed to do as a maid.

But at this moment, that line was broken.

For the first time, Aris was seen as a child rather than a princess.

A child that is stubborn, can’t be frank, tearful, pitiful, and cute.

So Siana lowered her eyebrows and smiled.

“I will.”

Aris’ eyes widened at the answer that came so easily. Suspicion lingered in Aris’ eyes.

“You’re just roughly answering to get away with it.”

“It’s not like that. Originally, I was satisfied with working at Ruby Palace. I’m the only maid, so there’s no one bothering me, and there are a lot of places to fix here and there, so it’s fun. If there was only one thing that was difficult, it was the mean princess.….”

“…….”

“Since the princess said she would listen to me first, the problem was solved. Now, this is the best workplace for me.”

Siana made eye contact with Aris and held out her hand.

“So let’s get along well from now on, princess.”

Aris stared blankly at Siana before answering in a loud voice.

“Eung!”

Siana’s hands were a little rough but warm.

Aris’ cheeks turned red from the warmth she felt after a long time.

TL/N: Yessss Princess Aris is finally sucked over to Team Siana!

* * *

[SIana’s POV]

After that day, Aris changed completely.

Aris no longer played pranks on Siana.

Rather, she followed and helped Siana like a chick.

Aris was clever, quick-witted, and had a good sense.

Aris’ small hands were of great help to Siana, who was managing the palace alone.

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However, Siana had no intention to let Aris do such labor all day.

Siana looked at Aris watering the garden and said.

“Thank you, princess. That’s all for today.”

“What are you talking about? There’s still a lot to do. I have to hang out the laundry, I have to mop…….”

“I can do that alone.”

“But…!”

“The princess is a child.”

“… …”

“There are more important things for children than cleaning or doing the laundry.”

“What is it.”

Siana smiled brightly.

“Studying.”

Aris let out a euheg and made a face like she chewed on shit, but Siana said in a determined voice.

“You’re good at playing even if I don’t tell you, but it’s not studying. Princesses need to study.”

Originally, the royal family received a high-quality education from an early age.

But unlike Aris, who didn’t receive attention from anyone.

Even at the age of ten, Aris had never received a proper education.

‘It’s not that I expect her to have difficult cultural knowledge, but she at least needs to learn the letters properly.’

Aris’ level was poor because she learned roughly from the maids.

She read a few letters, but she could hardly write them.

Fortunately, Siana was also fluent in the Imperial language. It wasn’t difficult to teach Aris how to read.

The problem was elsewhere.

There is no paper and pen in Ruby Palace.

‘No matter how much you’re a princess, you can’t learn by writing on the dirt floor with branches.’

Siana went to the castle’s supply station.

The royal family could receive the necessary items here.

However, the servant in charge of the supply station said with a cold face.

“Paper and pens are luxury goods. I can’t give such things recklessly.”

It was an obvious disregard.

But Siana did not give up.

“I’ll never use it for anything. It’s for the Princess’s studies.”

“Hmph, how can I believe that? Do you think it’s only once or twice that the ladies of Ruby Palace took this and that saying the princess needed it?”

“…….”

“There are a lot of people who were punished and dismissed for giving away the supplies of the palace to the thieves. I don’t want to get involved in such a dirty thing. Get a confirmation from another member of the imperial family. Then I’ll give it to you.”

“… …”

A confirmation letter from another member of the royal family.

Who would write something like that for Princess Aris.

‘If she had someone to write me something like that, she wouldn’t have grown up like an abandoned child in the first place!’

Aris, who was looking at the distraught Siana, said after thinking about it.

“Should I talk to Brother Rashid?”

Siana’s eyes widened at the familiar name.

“Your Highness the Crown Prince?”

“Eung. My brother is the only person who can help me in the imperial palace.”

“… …”

Siana knew very little about the Crown Prince, but she knew one thing.

A cruel man who cuts people without raising an eyebrow with a beautiful face like the moon god.

Although he had saved herself, it must have been his passing whim.

‘Will such a person help his half-sister with only half the blood mixed in?”’

In addition, the crown prince is the second most noble being after the emperor in the vast palace.

It was not known whether a letter with Princess Aris’ name would arrive properly to such a person.

‘……But let’s give it a try. As the princess said, there’s nowhere to turn for help.’

Siana sent a letter to the Crown Prince’s palace without any expectations.

And that evening, a shocking thing happened.

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“Hello.”

“… …”

Siana looked at the man entering Ruby Palace with her eyes wide open.

Silver hair glistening in sunlight, vivid purple eyes, and a beautiful face with delicate lines.

It was Rashid, the crown prince.

Siana, who belatedly came to her senses, hurriedly bent her knees and bowed her head.

“Greetings to the noble Crown Prince.”

Rashid bent his eyes softly like a crescent moon.

“Long time no see. Have you been well?”

“… …”

Siana felt her heart drop.

‘Do you remember me?’

Siana really never imagined that he would remember her.

Saying hello like that in such a friendly voice.

I was wondering how to deal with Rashid’s unexpected appearance, but Aris appeared.

Instead of greeting her beautiful brother with a bright smile, Aris grimly distorted her face.

“What brings you here, brother?”

“I came here after receiving a letter saying that my precious sister needed help.”

Yuck.

Aris put on an expression of vomiting.

“All you had to do was send me a confirmation letter to give me paper and a pen.”

“Of course, I brought the confirmation letter.”

Rashid gently waved a piece of paper bearing the crown prince’s seal.

Aris darted and ran towards the paper with a flash in her eyes.

It was a nimble movement, like a cat rushing at a fish.

But Rashid spoke, gracefully avoiding Aris’ touch.

“You’re still in a hurry, little sister. When guests come, you should serve them tea before we take away what we want.”

The place where Rashid’s gaze was directed was Siana.

As soon as she made eye contact with his purple eyes, Siana shrank her shoulders involuntarily.

As if to appease Siana, Rashid bent his eyes beautifully and said.

“Will you make me a cup of tea?”

In principle, Siana had to obey only the orders of Aris, her master.

However, the man in front of me was a being with absolute power who could command all the maids in the imperial palace regardless of such things.

I couldn’t refuse the order.

But there was one problem.

Siana lowered her head and said.

“I apologize, Your Highness the Crown Prince. There are no tea leaves in the Ruby Palace to serve your Highness.”

They were barely getting a meal, so there was no way there were luxury items like tea leaves.

It was all the cheap tea leaves that the maids drank.

‘……No matter how, how can there be no proper tea leaves in the palace where the princess lives, it would be embarrassing.’

No, that’s a relief.

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He may be angry, saying, ‘What are you doing without quickly getting tea leaves?’

But Rashid smiled and beckoned as if he had expected it.

The escort knight Sol, who was standing behind him, strode forward on long legs and handed something to Rashid.

Rashid handed the goods he had received from Sol to Siana.

After checking the item, Siana’s eyes widened.

‘This is…’

It was Astisan’s Darjeeling.

The finest tea leaves are said to be more expensive than gold because they are so difficult to grow.

Rashid looked at Siana with a face that said, ‘I did well.’

“It’s okay now, right?”

“……Yes.”

“Then make me some tea now.”

He was like a child who begged her to hurry up and bake cookies.