Chapter 12 (1/2)

Chapter 12

“I’m fine. I turned down the offer of Her Highness, and I’m actually grateful for being alive.”

“May I know what the offer was about?”

If she answered him, it would lead to a family dispute. However, even if she tried to console him, there would be no reason to keep him quiet since this family was already in a state of trouble.

“She asked me to become her servant in return for my…..freedom.”

The red eyes of his narrowed.

“So?”

“I told her it would be difficult for me.”

“Why?”

“Uh…that…”

She hesitated. She couldn’t just say that she liked treating the Emperor nor could she say that the Empress was trying to find his weaknesses.

His eyes narrowed more sharply.

“Is it a habit of yours to not answer my questions?”

“Is there anything else I didn’t answer?”

Then, there was a knock on the door. It was polite, but she could feel a sense of urgency.

He rose to his feet without any delay.

“I know you’re smart, so think about yourself. Come to my room at night later.”

“Is it hurting again, Your Majesty?”

“I have something to say today and it’s going to be quite long.”

“Okay, Your Majesty.”

He opened the door himself, and outside the door stood the Minister of the Palace, nervously staring at the Emperor.

She bowed and raised her head only after he disappeared from her sight. Suddenly, she realized that it was the first time that she was called not for his treatment, but to talk about something else.

She felt refreshed. Suddenly, her energy seems to have surged up.

‘Now, let’s cheer up and get back to work.’

She washed her face, took off her wine-stained clothes, and put on clean clothes. It was fortunate that it was nothing else other than two slaps on her cheek.

As she went back to the banquet hall, the other maids greeted her with a surprised look, as if they thought she would never return for the day.

The hall was still filled with soft music and beautiful lights, with the perfect supervision of the head of the town.

The maid beside her informed her that the atmosphere of the hall dropped down to temperature zero when the Emperor and the Empress Dowager were engaged in a war of words. But after His Highness’ sudden disappearance, the mood had eased to a certain extent, and now, it’s all good.

‘Haha….so, His Majesty….left the banquet hall to ask me if I was fine? Why didn’t he attend to other businesses?’

The more she thought about it, the more it tickled her stomach.

Some people would notice her. They might think that her job was not important, but she wanted to give her best because she thought she was good at it. As she pushed the cart with a smile on her face again, the eyes that followed her soon dispersed. The maids seemed to have found some composure.

By the time it was night, her cart passed by the Empress Dowager. She smiled at Her Highness so sweetly that it seemed ridiculous to her.

‘Ha! I’m not going to run away like a coward with a tail between my legs.’

The Emperor’s brother looked busy, but as he was passing by her, their eyes met again. She thought she’d be in trouble again. But as he passed by busily, she offered him a drink without saying a word.

Every maid she met was worried about her. But she was never depressed for she was already preoccupied with other thoughts.

‘Did I not answer any of His Majesty’s questions before?’

She rolled up her left sleeve after organizing the cart. She caught a glimpse of a new pair of pitted magical engraving on her forearm.

The banquet was not in a mood to end until night fell. It wasn’t until midnight that the maids went to rest in their respective rooms for her to be able to make her way to His Majesty’s room.

She was tired. Worried that she might be late again, she changed her clothes quickly and went to the Emperor’s room.

As she reached his room, she saw him talking to someone. It was the first time that she was called when he had a guest. She was surprised.

The Emperor said to his guest, glancing at her.

“Now get out of here.”

She was startled at those harsh words that even she had never heard of, but the guest smiled and stood up as if he was used to this.

“Anyway, there can be a variety of ways to raise one’s status. So, I’ll talk to you again. You can trust me as your cupid.”

The Emperor gnarled, glaring at him.

“When would you stop talking nonsense?”

“All right, I’ll be off then.”

‘What kind of conversation is this?’

The man winked at her as he passed by her.

She didn’t miss giving a look at his badge, which indicated his identity. He was the Duke of Thiaheb. Apparently, in her session with Luana, she was told that he was a friend of the Emperor.

If he was with his friend, he should have told her not to disturb them. Then, she would have waited outside the room for a little longer. She felt uncomfortable as his friend was driven out like this in front of a mere servant.

The Emperor sat down on a chair, his eyes resting on her. Celestia just stood beside the table confused because she had always met him in his bedroom.