“I apologize, Your Majesty the Empress. The two of you have been delayed in your meal because of me……. Ah, really, who would have thought…….?”

Ivette looked at the stillunopened silverware and turned pale. She seemed as if she might either faint or break into loud sobs.

But the greater problem than Ivette being late for mealtime was her current appearance.

“What on earth happened?”

Rasilia asked with a stern face.

Ivette’s clothes were filthy here and there, with dirt smeared all over. The traces of her trying desperately to wipe off the dirt made it even more pitiful.

“Well, Your Majesty the Empress…….”

Ivette couldn’t speak readily. Instead, she moved her eyebrows energetically, her face showing that she couldn’t grasp how to put it into words.

“Lady Shraiden, sparing your words will do you no good. Bear in mind that I have other places to ask, and respond accordingly.”

It meant that she would ask someone else if Ivette didn’t answer properly.

Ivette quickly caught the meaning of these words and barely managed to nod her head.

“Ah……. Yes, so what happened is……,”

There was an accident on the way.

Above Ivette’s head on the staircase railing, suddenly, a bucket scraping the fireplace ash fell. In an instant, it covered her with ash, so she didn’t see who did it.

But it was clear. The maids had decided to put on a good show.

Such malice disguised as an accident would surely happen again. That was something she could be careful of in the future.

Ambitious Ivette knew very well that she was now the number one maid in the Empress’s palace. Although she couldn’t squabble with the nobleborn maids, at least she thought she could handle the palace people.

That was fine. But what was really not fine was something else.

“What troubles me more than anything else is how filthy my dress has become…… I cannot serve the meal with dirt on me…… It really upsets me……,”

Tears welled up in Ivette’s round eyes.

Rasilia sighed lightly.

“It’s my fault. Sending Madame Pashad out of the palace wasn’t enough.”

Ivette abruptly raised her head.

“No, what are you saying! How could this be Your Majesty’s fault! Please, take back such words. It’s all because of my inexperience and immaturity! I’ll do better in the future, Your Majesty!”

“No. Those who acted rudely towards you are also people of the Empress’s palace. It means I failed to handle the people around me. You can change your dress and come back; the incident with you today will be addressed later.”

“That…… I apologize, Your Majesty. I’m sorry.”

Ivette straightened her waist, her face on the verge of tears.

Serben looked slightly pitiful.

“Your meal has been much delayed……. Ahem, so perhaps it’s best to leave, ahem. Ahem.”

Persson subtly signaled Ivette to leave.

The faltering at the end of his words was due to Ivette’s pathetic appearance, which hardly resembled the head maid.

Whether it was her clothing, jewelry, or speech, she did not exude noble quality at all, and it was awkward for the Empress to refer to her as a lady, yet also inappropriate to downgrade her.

“Ah……. I really don’t know what to do with myself. I’ll go out right away. I apologize, I apologize.”

Ivette left the dining room.

Rasilia spoke to Rascal with a rather gloomy face.

“I must apologize for the disturbance in your meal due to the palace’s affairs. Please eat now.”

“It would have been fine if it were delayed further.”

It turned out that Rascal was still wiping Rasilia’s hands. Since they had dried long ago, he was merely caressing them with a napkin.

“You must be hungry.”

“Not at all.”

“……I’m hungry.”

“Ah,”

Rascal slowly let go of Rasilia’s hands.

Taking that as a cue, Persson elegantly began to open the silver plates one by one. The opened lids were handed over to another servant waiting outside the door in a large silver tray.

“I’ve been thinking since yesterday,”

Rascal said, pointing to one dish with his fork and knife.
Fersun quickly cut the deer thigh roast elegantly and placed it on Rascal’s plate. Rascal cut it in half and put it on Rasilia’s plate.

The sight was so natural that it could be believed that the emperor and empress had always sat next to each other and dined every day.

“You seem to be lying about losing your memory.”

…Startled.

The tip of Rasilia’s fork made a slight noise as it brushed the edge of the plate.

The sign did not show well, but the name of that noise was tension.

“…Why would you say that?”

“I don’t mean you are lying. Rather than losing memory… it means you seem like a completely different person.”

“….”

She almost dropped the fork.

“That’s why it’s good.”

“….”

“You said you’re hungry, so eat a lot.”

Rascal continued to send this dish and that dish to Rasilia’s plate. Watching what dishes Rasilia liked to eat, he seemed to not notice that his own plate of food was getting cold.

“…Thank you. Your Majesty, please eat as well.”

“If you wish.”

The meal continued, affectionate yet somewhat bewildering.

“Riyan.”