CH 11

As she entered the palace under the guidance of the attendant, the brightly decorated interior caught her eyes. The scent of the wooden decorations on the white walls and the fresh flowers wafted through the whole room.

It was a beautiful palace. The sunlight, which poured out through the windows, reflected on the fancy chandelier and made it shine brightly. From the curtains and decorative tables to the flower vases, nothing was out of place. All of it showed off the owner’s dignity in a harmonious and sensible way.

"Uh…"

As Yulia stepped inside, the maids who were going back and forth in the hallway stopped in confusion. They looked puzzled as to whether they should greet her or not.

Originally, the maids were supposed to greet the Prince’s maid of honor when they encountered her, but they didn’t know how to greet her since they had the same status as Yulia.

Yulia decided to ease their concerns.

"Hello."

Don’t bow your head, but look gentle and humble.

Since the maid of honor of a royal family member represents the royal family, she should not lower herself more than necessary.

However, the maids fell into greater confusion.

"Should we greet her like we do with Miss Coco?"

"I don’t know, how would I know that?"

"Miss Coco is the daughter of a Count. Shouldn’t it be different? What if we greet her in the same way and it upsets Miss Coco?"

The maids, who had missed the right timing to greet her because they were busy whispering among themselves, looked at Yulia hesitatingly.

Coco appeared at that moment.

"Hold your skirts."

It was a high and confident voice. Her tone was cold without any affection, but her pronunciation was clear and the end of her words that fell softly sounded strangely elegant.

"Hold your skirt or bow your head to greet her. Don’t bend your knees or your waist like with His Highness. Greet her the same way you greet me. Really… Do I even have to teach you this?"

"Miss Coco!"

"I didn’t know that I was narrow-minded and nasty to the point of being offended by such a greeting. Now, I know what you think of me."

"It’s not like that."

The maids, who had been hesitant, quickly approached Coco.

It was an interesting sight. It was Coco who was scolding the maids, but the fact that they scurried to her side in this awkward situation meant that they trusted and depended on her.

Yulia, who was smiling secretly, greeted Coco first.

"Hello. Nice to meet you. I am Yulia Arte."

Coco looked at Yulia.

Her hair was cut in a bob under the ears and prettily rounded at the bottom. Her hair and eyes, of the same deep scarlet colour, reminded her of poppies.

Coco was wearing a cream-coloured dress which was similar to the one Yulia was wearing, but the sleeves and decorations were a bit fancier and her skirt was shorter, showing off her ankles.

"Cordelia Hinch. Everyone calls me Coco, so call me Coco too."

"Yes, …Coco."

When Coco waved at the maids to go away, they disappeared to the other side of the corridor with bright faces.

Yulia looked at their backs and asked Coco.  "When will His Highness be back?"  "Don't know."

Yulia walked behind Coco as she took the lead. The attendant carrying Yulia’s luggage followed them behind. 

"You must already know the fundamentals, right? You can ask me if you don’t know something, but don’t bother me too much."

"Yes."

"If you live near the palace, you can commute if you wish. The Prince doesn’t like to go around with a maid attached to him, so be here only when you’re really needed. The rest of the time, you can do what you want."

"When I’m really needed? When is that?"

When Yulia asked, Coco, who was walking ahead, quickly turned back. It was the first time that an emotion appeared on her doll-like and expressionless face.

"Are you asking because you don't know?”  "Yes, please tell me."  "You should drive away Vasily Marjoram, insult him and taunt him. You’re not here because you’re the owner of the Brewe medal. It’s because of your relationship with the Marquis of Marjoram."

A clear sneer appeared on Coco’s face. Yulia didn’t know whether she was laughing at her, at the Prince for bringing in a maid for such a childish reason, or at Vasily Marjoram.

Yulia was not offended. On the contrary, she even smiled faintly.

Coco squinted at Yulia as if she was curious about something, and turned her head again when she had lost interest.

"The room you’ll be using is on the second floor…."

As Yulia stepped on the stairs to follow Coco to the second floor, she sensed a commotion outside the palace.

It seemed that someone else was visiting the palace of the Second Prince. She heard the soldiers asking them what was their business here, and there was a small scuffle.

Soon after, the door opened and two officials and a maid came inside.

"We’re from the Department of the Royal Household. Who is the new maid?"

It was an unfriendly and disrespectful attitude. They didn’t disclose their names, let alone greet her. Anyone could tell that they didn’t come to the Second Prince’s palace in order to have tea and chat.

Yulia stoop upright and said to them.

"I am Yulia Arte, the one who became the maid of His Highness the Second Prince."

“Ah, it’s you."

The official closed his lips under his mustache and appraised Yulia from head to toe. Like a merchant who was picking out an item.

"Follow me. You have to go through a personal investigation in order to work at the royal palace."

They were trying to take Yulia to the Department of the Royal Household. Yulia felt that something was strange, and asked.

"A personal investigation? I have been appointed by His Highness the Prince himself…"

"What a chatterbox you are. In order for a commoner to become a maid of honor at the royal palace, it is necessary to carefully check her identity, her origins and whether she has shown indecent behaviour in the past. Do I really need to explain everything in detail?"

His words meant that since Yulia was a commoner and had a shameful past, they would investigate her in order to find out whether there was anything suspicious about her or not.

Should she follow him?

Yulia was troubled. They seemed to be that way because, in the history of Ortega’s royal palace, few commoner women had become maids of honor of the royal family. Usually, when that was the case, it was because the woman was either a mistress or a lover.

"You could be a spy who has infiltrated the royal palace on someone’s order. We have to find out all that. So, stop chattering and get a physical examination from the housekeeper, who’s in charge of the maids."

"A physical examination? Do you mean… that you’re going to examine my body?" 

Yulia asked calmly. As if he had sensed the subtle anger in her voice, the official lost his temper.

"Do you think we’re doing this because we have nothing else to do? We have to find out whether you have a disturbing heretic tattoo on your body, whether you’re sick or not, or whether you’re a man who came in posing as a woman. Yeah, why did a commoner b*tch like you decide to become a maid of honor…..!"

The official raised his voice and yelled at Yulia. At the same time, Coco, who was standing on the stairs and watching the scene, ran out of patience.

"As I listened to your words, it was so ridiculous that I couldn’t believe it."

Coco, who was standing a few steps above Yulia, turned completely their way and looked down.

Coco's scarlet eyes were redder than earlier and filled with irritation.

"I didn’t know that the officials of the Department of the Royal Household took the maids, investigated them as if they were criminals, took off their clothes and examined them? It's been almost ten years since I've come to the palace, and I've never heard of it."

"Miss Coco."

The officials let out a sigh. They didn’t know that Coco would intervene and tried to persuade her.

"Prince Lewicia is still unmarried. How can we not investigate when a commoner woman, who has various rumours attached to her, suddenly enters the palace as His Highness’s maid of honor?"

“Why are you the one deciding that?"

"If this isn’t under the jurisdiction of our department, then what is? Now that she has become a maid of honor, it’s under our authority."

"Aha."

Coco’s lips twisted. Her white face was full of ridicule and her elegant way of speaking had disappeared and turned completely sarcastic.  "You’re suspicious that the maid of honor appointed by His Highness Lewicia himself might be an indecent woman, so you want to take her and investigate her personally, is that right? At that, the woman who has received a medal directly from Brewe’s headmaster?"

"Miss Coco, what you’re saying is a bit…"

"On top of that, a physical examination that none of the maids here have ever been through? Did I hear correctly, right now?"

"Of, of course, it will be the housekeeper who…"

“Why don’t you tell me to take it off and inspect me while you’re at it?"

"Pardon?"

"You have to know whether I have a disturbing heretic tattoo, right? I could have an infectious disease, or I might be a hyena who is disguised as a maid in order to hurt the Prince, don’t you think? Isn’t that what you were saying?"

Coco’s voice grew louder and louder as she spoke. Her shouting was so loud that it resonated and roared throughout the palace. The maids, who were hiding far away and looking over here, were stomping their feet with pale faces.

Cordelia was the only daughter of the Count of Hinch. Besides, she was infamous enough to earn the nickname ‘Devil Maid’ inside the royal palace.

As the atmosphere became fierce, Yulia thought that she should stop Coco.

"Coco, I’m fine."

"What?"

"I just need to be investigated and come back…."

"Shut up, Yulia Arte. You’re the Prince Lewicia’s maid of honor. You have the duty to bear and protect his honor."

Coco's stern voice fell heavily on Yulia's shoulders.

"The first virtue of a maid of honor is loyalty, and the second one is dignity. You didn’t come in without knowing this much, did you? Since the maid shares the daily life of the royal family, she has to elevate herself and take responsibility!"

In appearance, Coco was teaching Yulia, but in reality, it was a reproach towards the officials.

The officials were frowning and exchanging glances among themselves. They knew that as long as Coco was holding out, they wouldn’t be able to take away Yulia by force.

At that moment, an elderly maid, who had been quietly watching the scene behind the officials all along, belatedly took a step forward and opened her mouth.