Chapter 77 - Rose Tea (1/2)

Chapter 77 – Rose Tea

“You’ve arrived, Lady Maristella.”

I had been stewing in my thoughts when the carriage finally stopped at the Imperial Palace. When the carriage door opened and I stepped out, I was greeted by the bright sun pouring down on me. I checked my surroundings, then gave a slight frown.

‘Where’s Sir Dilton?’

I didn’t see a stitch of the butler, who usually waited for me and greeted me at my arrival. A sense of unease nagged at me. It was then I realized that I arrived at the palace much earlier than usual.

“Ah.”

“What’s wrong, My Lady?” Florinda inquired.

“I guess we’re too early.”

“Is Sir Dilton there?” she said as she clutched at the glass jar.

“Huh. It’s the first time I’ve come this early,” I noted. “I was nervous for no reason…”

“Oh no. Then what should we do?” Florinda asked, her face lined with worry, and I took a moment to think about my situation. I already knew the way from the gates to Thurman Palace anyway from my past few visits. My feet didn’t hurt when I walked the distance there, so I thought I could undertake the journey on my own. Perhaps I could make my arrival a surprise.

“Let’s go on our own for now. What do you think?” I asked Florinda.

“What if you miss each other on the way?”

“Don’t worry. There’s only one way from here to Thurman Palace. Our paths will align. There’s no way we’ll miss each other.”

“Really?” Florinda’s eyes widened, and I gave her a smile and a nod as reassurance. Only then was she determined to go. “Then let’s go by ourselves, My Lady. The sun’s a little strong today, so if you stay out too long like this, your face will tan.”

“Alright, then. Can I hold the jar for you?” I offered out of consideration, but Florinda jumped on the spot when she heard me.

“My word. If I’m here but you’re carrying this, then what would my purpose be? I would be talked about as a bad maid who makes my master carry things!” she said with a horrified expression.

I looked on in embarrassment. “Aah, that’s too much of a leap. Are you sure?”

“This is the Imperial Palace. We all have to be careful about our positions,” Florinda said seriously. “I’ll hold this, My Lady. It’s not that heavy.”

“Alright…” I trailed off.

Florinda’s mind seemed set, so I put aside the issue and began to walk. In truth, I was a little worried since this was my first time going to Thurman Palace without an escort. I wasn’t too bad with directions, but the palace compound was enormous.

“Can we get there fine?” Florinda asked from behind me. Unfortunately, I could give no confirmation, but being uncertain seemed a bit irresponsible. It was her first trip here, and she was only following me.

“Don’t worry about it,” I said confidently. “We’ll arrive without any problems.”

To be sure, I would arrive safely at Thurman Palace with Florinda.

Regrettably, however, our walk wasn’t incident-free.

***

“Sir Dilton,” Xavier said in a low voice, and the butler answered reverently.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“When are you going to meet Lady Maristella? Time is an issue here.”

Dillon nodded. “Ah. I was just about to go out. They usually arrive at this hour.”

“But you should leave early just in case. You can’t leave them waiting.”

“Of course. I’ll be going now, Your Highness.”

Then, for a time, only a quiet atmosphere remained in Xavier’s office. Twenty minutes later, there was a quick rap on the door.

Knock knock.

Xavier knitted his brows at the sound. “Who is it?” he asked.

“Your Highness,” Dilton’s voice said sharply from beyond the door, and Xavier was taken aback by the urgency butler’s tone. Did anything happen?

“What’s going on?” Xavier asked, and Dilton rushed in the room. Sweat beaded his forehead, and he was heaving deep breaths.

Xavier could not wait. “Dilton,” he said impatiently.

“Sh-she’s missing.”

“What?”

“Missing.”

“Speak clearly, Sir Dilton. Who is missing?” Xavier asked, but even as he spoke, he already knew the answer. Who else could Dilton be talking about? There was only one person it could be.

“Lady Maristella… I can’t find her.”

“What?”

“I can’t find her. The carriage has arrived, but the carriage driver says it was about thirty or forty minutes since she got off—”

“But she hasn’t arrived at Thurman Palace yet.” Xavier quickly took stock of the situation. “Does that mean no one knows where she is?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”