CH 19

"My God, Coco."

Lewicia pointed his fork at Coco with a stern face.

"Can’t I even praise my maid of honor?"

"Yes, don’t."

"Why?"

"You're doing it to make fun of her."

Lewicia, who had been hit precisely, put down his fork, saying that he had lost his appetite. Coco gave him a pitiful look.

Yulia quietly observed the two of them.

"It is thanks to the Marquis of Marjoram that I am good at writing."

"What do you mean by that?"

"While attending the academy, I did ghostwriting in exchange for the sponsoring money. When you are a marquis, you have to answer even the most insignificant correspondence. I mainly wrote the Marchioness and Kristin Marjoram's invitations to social events, and greetings letters to the elders."

Coco and Lewicia opened their mouths at the same time, then cursed at the same time. Yulia smiled slightly, and spoke again.

"Later, they made me write the obligatory letters of regards to the royal family."

"What? So, are you saying that all the New Year's cards sent by the Marquis have been written by you?”

"Possibly."

"...I should have read them."

At Lewicia's muttered words, Yulia lightly burst into laughter.

"Did you not read them?"

"What do you think? He probably ripped them apart before burning them. If there was Marjoram's name on it, he would have washed his hands and sprinkled salt, saying it was bad luck."

When Coco made a sarcastic remark, Lewicia wanted to say that it wasn't to that extent, but swallowed up the excuse instead. Then, after drinking wine as if it were water, he opened his eyes wide and suddenly stood up.

"Coco!"

"What?"

"Where did you get that?"

What is he talking about? Yulia and Coco looked at Lewicia at the same time.

He was pointing his finger at something. Upon close inspection, it was the pearl-decorated tiara that was shining on Coco's head, and boasting an expensive appearance.

"That's what I gave Yulia yesterday, where did you get it? Did you steal it? Although it is an unwritten rule in the royal palace for a senior maid of honor to discipline a junior maid... How can you be so territorial in my palace? Cordelia Hinch, I didn't think you were this kind of person."

"Seriously, what are you talking about?"

Coco snapped in a fit of nerves.

"I didn't take it. Yulia gave it to me to express her gratitude."

"So, you didn't steal it?"

"You've been with me for so long and you still don't know me? Am I the kind of person who can't afford this kind of head ornament? Also, if I planned to harass her, I would have kicked her out on the first day. Do I look like someone who can’t even do that?"

It was on the verge of escalating into an argument. Coco's voice was getting increasingly louder. Yulia began to wonder whether she should stop the two of them.

However, Lewicia said with a satisfied smile.

"As expected, it's quite fun to tease you, Coco."

"What..."

Lewicia was smiling happily with both his mouth and eyes, but Coco's face hardened coldly.

Thinking that she might actually get angry for real, Lewicia hurriedly got up from his seat and said to Yulia.

"Didn't you say we had guests today? The two people I met at the contest, right?"

"Yes, Your Highness. It will be an occasion to spend a casual time, eating tea. We will be waiting nearby."

"Okay, I'll call you if necessary."

Lewicia wiped his mouth with a napkin, and turned around. To the back of his head, Coco said in an annoyed voice.

"You can’t dress too fancy. Dress appropriately. You need to look comfortable, so take off your jacket and scarf, and wear a vest. Tie up that long hair too. If they offer you a cigarette, tell them that you quit because your maids of honor nagged you, and serve them some fine wine."

"Okay, mum."

"Your Highness!"

Lewicia laughed out loud, and left the dining room.

Yulia silently watched as Coco put a hand on her forehead, and cursed.

"You seem to be getting along well."

"Are you crazy?"

Coco looked genuinely offended.

Yulia wondered whether it was that upsetting to hear that a maid of honor had a good relationship with the royal member she served, but knowing that Coco was treating Prince Lewicia like a disobedient younger brother, she just kept her mouth shut.

*****

Ten days passed since the first event of the contest. The King of Ortega sent the New Year's address written by Kristin and submitted by the first Prince to the Empire along with several tributes.

Yulia quickly got used to life in the second Prince's palace. The maids were no longer embarrassed when they ran into Yulia in the hallway, and even smiled at her humble attitude.

A New Year's banquet was to be held soon. Hosted by the Queen every spring, it was a very large banquet attended by the most prominent nobles of the Kingdom of Ortega.

Lewicia and Coco were thinking about who to bring as partners to the banquet.

Since Yulia was a commoner, she wouldn't be invited anyway, so she leisurely watched the two of them.

'Everything has an order.'

She had a lot of thoughts. In order to achieve her goals inside the palace, she should not act too hastily. Right now, it was important to lead the main actors to immerse themselves in their respective roles from a distance.

She still needed some time. Although waiting is boring, she could endure it because she knew it wouldn't take long.

It was late in the evening.

The large carriage of a shop appeared in front of the Prince's palace. It was the carriage that had brought the dress box some time ago. An attendant who was particularly kind to Yulia quickly ran to her, and informed her of the news.

"Lady Yulia! They say the item you have ordered has arrived."

Yulia walked out with a subtly stiff face. She was happy, but also suspicious.

"Good evening, Lady Yulia. This is the item you have ordered. The box is very heavy, should I bring it inside for you?"

The person who got out of the carriage treated Yulia in a respectful manner. The box was indeed very heavy, so the attendant looked at Yulia asking if she agreed.

"Yes, I'd love to. Please."

"Then, please show me the way."

It took no less than four workers to lift one box. The attendant guided them to Yulia's room.

"You just have to sign here."

The man who first got off the carriage approached Yulia, and handed her the order form. She skimmed through the paper in a calm manner, and spoke to the attendant standing in front of the door.

"You may leave now. Thank you for informing me."

"Yes, my Lady. Call me if you need anything."

The attendant withdrew without further questions, and all the workers who had brought the box went out of the room and returned to the carriage.

Inside, only Yulia and the man who had handed her the order form remained.

"Are you Maxwell?", Yulia asked.

It was difficult to make up his features due to his eyes being covered by the messy hair. Although he looked like a very ordinary man, he somehow emitted a dangerous atmosphere.

"How did you know?"

As Maxwell shrugged, Yulia held up the piece of paper that was supposed to be the order form. Nothing was written on it.

"I didn't expect you to come in person. Can I ask what brings you here?"

"Well... First, the box."

Maxwell grinned, and opened the lid of the box which had been placed in a corner of the room.

"....Ah."

Yulia involuntarily let out a small exclamation. Surprise and amazement flashed through her eyes.

The box was full of glittering gold coins.

"It is from your sponsor. He said that cash was necessary for your plan. Ah, of course, it's not free. In return, he has a question he wants to ask you."

"What is it?"

"Where does he have to go to find conclusive evidence?"

Yulia's eyes, which had widened slightly, settled again. She fell into deep thought as she looked at the box full of gold coins.

Carus is looking for evidence.

'He has confirmed the facts.'

It wasn't difficult to tell Carus the truth. The real evidence he was looking for was in the ledger owned by the Marquis of Marjoram.

The navy and the pirates didn't leave dangerous evidence such as money laundering ledgers. However, the Marquis of Marjoram, who was an aristocrat, did not know when, where, or by whom he would be betrayed, so he kept meticulous records and hid them in a place where no one could find them.

While Yulia was lost in thought, Maxwell observed her with a persistent gaze. It was an attitude that would not miss even the sound of breathing, the movement of the eyebrows, or a change in facial expression.

When she was done thinking, she said.

"You can't find the ledger."

"Huh?"

"Unless a war breaks out, it will be difficult right now. So, tell him to choose the second best option."

"What is it?"

"Tell him to secure the commander's new recruits first, and to confiscate the slush funds he has accumulated. He would have hidden the money at his lover's house."

Yulia told Maxwell who the lover of the commander of the southern fleet was, and where she lived.

Maxwell's eyes gleamed under his disheveled hair.

"Will that act as conclusive evidence? It seems you don't know yet... But your sponsor and the person he serves are indescribably thorough."

Yulia knew very well what kind of person the Emperor of Baikan was.

"Tell him that will be enough. He will find out once he gets the results."

What Carus wanted was physical evidence that could tie the navy, pirates, and even Ortega's aristocrats who have been involved in money laundering together.

But what the Emperor really wanted was something else. Yulia hoped that Carus would quickly come to realize that.