The second daughter’s temperament was well known to Count Diobe.

Selina’s beauty was quite renowned in the suburbs. When Count Diobe was still a viscount, there were quite a few marriage proposals, but he was not satisfied with this.

In the capital’s social circles, a beautiful appearance already fills more than half the requirements. Count Diobe made a firm resolution as he moved to the capital, pushing himself:

He would surely marry Selina off to a prestigious family in the capital!

Compared to the firstborn whose thoughts were impossible to fathom, she had plenty of visible greed and ambition. After becoming a ‘shadow’ and starting to receive the Emperor’s love, her beauty began to shine even more, reaching its peak.

However, when something displeased her, she would grate on others’ nerves with her shrill voice. She had a personality that was only satisfied when everything revolved around her. She would probably start shouting as soon as she heard this story.

“Father!”

Correct. Count Diobe approached Selina restlessly.

“Your Highness, the Empress. Please calm down first.”

“You should have strongly objected! It’s the Empress’s Palace, of all places! Don’t you understand that sending my sister there is tantamount to pushing her to become the Empress’s person!”

“Now, now, that’s exactly why. Let me explain slowly.”

Count Diobe lowered his voice and pulled Selina to sit in a chair. She struggled to suppress her rising irritation and followed her father’s lead.

“Think about it. If we send Alice to the Empress’s Palace, we can grasp every move made there. Even in the most meticulous Empress’s Palace, if we shake it thoroughly, won’t at least a speck of dust come out?”

“So… you’re planning to spy?”

“Yes. If nothing else, Alice is quite reliable and quick in these matters, isn’t she?”

Selina’s expression gradually brightened. It’s her sister, after all. Alice, who hadn’t given up on the tough bonds of family. So she must have taken on all those difficult outside tasks without a single complaint.

“If we can catch even one weakness of the Empress’s Palace and press on it, in the end, even dethronement might be discussed. Oh, there’s a rumor circulating among the nobles recently.”

“What is it now? That Her Majesty the Empress has taken a male lover?”

“…H-How did you know?”

Who would have thought that her casual assumption would hit the mark? The father and daughter’s bewildered gazes lingered in the air for a moment.

“Is it true? Her Majesty the Empress? Which family’s man is it?”

“Shh, shh. It’s just a rumor. Watch your words. If you get worked up trying to find out, you might fall out of His Majesty the Emperor’s favor.”

Curiosity filled her lime-green eyes. Selina started sorting through candidates in her mind. Just how impressive must one be to catch the eye of the wooden Empress?

“If Alice enters the Empress’s Palace, she’ll at least find out who comes and goes. If it’s a man, it will probably catch her eye even more.”

“If that’s true, His Majesty the Emperor will surely lose whatever affection he had left for Her Majesty the Empress.”

Who in the world would feel love for a spouse committing infidelity? Selina thought that if she could just confirm the facts, she would immediately run to Cledius and tattle.

Surely her sister could handle that much. What’s so difficult about it? She hummed a soft tune, feeling strangely elated.

Count Diobe let out a sigh of relief. Thank goodness for his simple-minded second daughter. If it had been Alice… The thought alone was suffocating.

The stubborn firstborn always had to add her own words to everything her father said, never letting things slide. How could they be so different? The Count shuddered as he looked at his beautiful second daughter in her prime. It was a sight that warmed his heart just to see.

**

Lynette couldn’t contain her excitement as she watched Alice’s handwriting flow across the paper. A short exclamation of admiration escaped Ilarid’s lips as well.

“Excellent. Did you practice calligraphy separately?”

“You flatter me. I used to do a lot of transcription when I was in school…”

Alice’s cheeks flushed red at Ilarid’s satisfied smile.

In the past, when she attended girls’ school, she often wrote love letters for her friends. Seeing Alice’s neat and tidy handwriting, her dormitory friends would push money and snacks her way, asking her to write on their behalf. Who knew that would come in handy.

After entering the Empress’s Palace as a maid, everything flowed naturally yet hectically. It was even more comfortable because Alice had already learned the basic greetings and etiquette.

“Your Majesty. We’ve gained a talented individual in our Empress’s Palace. I wouldn’t complain even if you cut my salary to give it to Miss Alice.”

Lynette brightened up, thinking her workload might decrease. She had always worried about Ilarid writing all those numerous invitations alone, but thanks to Alice’s excellent handwriting and beautiful sentences, she could now breathe a sigh of relief.

“I wonder what Count Diobe was doing with such an incredible daughter…”

Lynette’s unfiltered honesty tumbled out. A bitter smile settled on Alice’s lips. Yes, what indeed had her father been doing?

If she had left home earlier and gotten a job in some office, would her life have been even slightly different?

But Alice was well aware that the salary of a female office worker was meager. That kind of money was overwhelmingly inadequate to lead a proper life.

On top of that, the noble status was a double-edged sword. Due to the prejudice that ‘nobles shouldn’t work,’ one naturally had to lie about their status and create a fake name to find a job.

“I’m truly glad Miss Alice has come to the Empress’s Palace.”

Even if it was just words, it was good. The fact that she could have a voice with the name ‘Alice’ was a small but great happiness. She finished the last sentence and put down her pen. Then she began to voice the thoughts she had kept only in her heart.

“When I entered the Empress’s Palace… I decided to let go of the ‘Diobe’ family name.”

‘Diobe’ was like a tag. A family that sold out the country and barely clung to life, a family that became brazen after the second daughter became the Empress. And for Alice, a family that always left only wounds.

People who recognize your abilities, don’t hold back on praise, and can express gratitude are surprisingly rare. Where else would she meet people who say things she had never heard even from her closest family?

Alice handed the letter she had finished writing to Ilarid for the final signature. The lime-green she possessed was still an immature, young light, but she had a firm resolve different from Ilarid’s.

“So please rest assured. I will work for Her Majesty the Empress now and in the future.”

But as always, Alice’s family stood in her way like a stumbling block.

Just as she was about to take a walk during a short break, Count Diobe somehow found out and came looking for Alice.

Alice looked at her father with a nauseated expression and gave a formal greeting. After all, this was the imperial palace, and she was facing her father as a maid of the Empress’s Palace.

Count Diobe looked around to confirm that no one else was present, then grabbed Alice’s arm and headed for a corner. He pushed his firstborn in and lowered his voice subtly.

“How is the situation in the Empress’s Palace?”

“…Pardon?”

“Don’t pretend you don’t know. Have you forgotten why I put you in the Empress’s Palace? Your role is to grasp the movements of the Empress’s Palace and report them to me.”

His indifferent tone, as if he was claiming a deposited luggage when he should be asking for a favor, made Alice let out a disbelieving laugh.

Her father was always a person who exceeded Alice’s expectations. Just when she thought it couldn’t get any worse, he always managed to personally show her the worst.

“It seems you’re finally proving your worth for the food I’ve put in your mouth. This father’s heart is at ease. So…”

“Raised? Who did? You, Father? Or was it Selina?”

“Tsk, it’s Her Highness the Empress!”

It was both frustrating and disgusting. Even in this situation, he insisted on correcting the title.

If he had used a formal tone like ‘I’m grateful for your help so far. Please endure just one more time’, she might have been caught in some hesitation.

But Count Diobe commanded Alice as if it was the most natural thing. As he always had.

Alice’s hands clenched involuntarily. But the strength slowly left her bitten lips. Now it was time to voice the words she had kept buried in her heart.

“Have you ever once told me I’ve worked hard? You were always dissatisfied, weren’t you? That the money I earned was so little that you couldn’t even afford to have a ball gown made for Selina. That it was barely enough to buy a single piece of jewelry.”

The words she had wanted to say poured out like rapid-fire. But not a single word trembled.

Alice’s labor was closer to a struggle for survival. When the family’s finances were at their worst, she had to work so much that the hours she slept in a day could be counted on one hand. She would doze off and forget what she was even doing.

Did her father, and Selina, ever know of those efforts?

“W-What? After sending you to a girls’ school… Such ingratitude!”

“That girls’ school, I attended on my own money with a scholarship. Because I didn’t want to beg you for money, Father. You really didn’t care at all, did you?”

“You couldn’t have even enrolled without my permission. Look even now, if I hadn’t consented, how could you be a maid in the Empress’s Palace! You’re in a position where you can’t even go out properly. You seem lacking, unable to judge your own situation.”

When disappointment reaches its limit, even tears stop flowing. Alice let out a big sigh, then spoke to her father in a clear voice.

“Yes. I express my deepest gratitude for your final grace. This is the end. I am no longer your daughter.”

“How dare you speak of an end! C-cutting ties between parent and child!”

“It’s my life, so I’ll live it as I wish. I’ve already sworn loyalty to Her Majesty the Empress upon entering the Empress’s Palace as a maid. From now on, I won’t be bound by the family. Please excommunicate me.”

Count Diobe’s heart sank. He thought his firstborn was stubborn and harsh, but he never imagined she would come out this strongly.

“You’re the Empress’s sister! Of course you should help your sister, how can you just live as you please!”

“Before being Selina’s sister, I am ‘Alice’. I’ve sacrificed myself enough for Selina and you so far, so I’ll judge and act according to my own will from now on.”

“What’s so good about an Empress who belittles and torments your sister!”

“She’s a thousand, no, ten thousand times better than a father who has belittled and tormented me my entire life!”

The feelings of disappointment burst out in a loud cry. Even if the Empress had brought her into the palace to use her, it didn’t matter. That was better, in fact. Neither her father nor her sister had ever uttered a single kind word, even if it was just lip service.

If it was the Empress’s Palace that recognized her abilities and treated her warmly, even if it was just empty words, she would be happy to devote her life to working there. Besides, they paid a generous salary. There was no reason to refuse.

Startled by Alice’s loud voice, a hiccup escaped from between Count Diobe’s tightly closed lips, which he couldn’t hide.

Could the firstborn raise her voice like this? Was she a child who could say everything she wanted to say without crying?

While Count Diobe was stammering, Alice turned on her heel and walked away. It seemed like her father was shouting behind her about stabbing family in the back, but she never stopped.

Bright light poured down between her vigorous steps as she left the shadows.

“Wow, that feels so refreshing.”

Alice took a deep breath. Why had she hesitated when it felt this good? There had never been such an exhilarating moment since she was born.

And soon, she realized she faced one problem.

“…But where am I?”

She had walked aimlessly in anger without thinking about direction, and now she found herself in the most secluded part of the palace. It had only been half a day since she came to the palace, and this predicament had already occurred.

“This is crazy, I need to get back to the Empress’s Palace.”

It was a deserted area with no people passing by. A cold sweat ran down Alice’s spine. What if she got lost in this vast palace and became a lost child? She needed to go back the way she came first.

Suddenly, there was a presence near a nearby tree. Alice waved her hand towards the person behind the tree, trying to calm her startled heart.

“Ah, thank goodness. I’m lost, could you help me?”

But after facing the person who came out from behind the tree, Alice abruptly stopped waving. The facial muscles that had relaxed in relief instantly froze.

“Oh? You’re…”

Eddie, the man she had encountered twice at the Clover Tavern, approached.