And my worries were proven right.

The next day, a note arrived asking me to come to the 2nd Prince’s Palace, all because of what those crazy pigeon bastards had said somehow. The pigeons carrying the note looked smug.

I placed my hopes on Cahirun. However,

“If my younger sibling is calling, you should go.”

He gave permission with a bright smile, looking all too pleased. He even seemed somewhat happy about it.

Usually he wouldn’t let me out of his sight for a moment, but I guess the saying “Even dog poop is useful when needed as medicine” really applies here.

“Ah, damn it.”

In the end, standing in front of Floria’s door, I let out a low sigh. I was worried about how the already sensitive Floria would react.

I took a deep breath and nodded to the palace guard standing beside me.

“Your Highness, Reneola Violet, maid of the 1st Prince’s Palace, has arrived.”

“Show her in.”

Hm? Her voice sounds fine? No, it’s too early to feel relieved.

I carefully entered. Floria, seated at the tea table, smiled brightly as soon as she saw me.

“Welcome, elder sister.”

Her face looked no different than usual. I was puzzled, thinking the pigeons might have made up even more stories to further provoke her anger.

“Come, have a seat.”

I sat down across from Floria as she invited. There were no other maids in the room except for Shana.

Suddenly, an ominous feeling came over me. Those damned bird brats were perched on Shana’s shoulders like her right and left arms. If I wasn’t mistaken, they seemed to be snickering.

“Elder sister?”

“Ah, I apologize, Your Highness. I was worried yesterday when the pigeons flew away after their cage was opened, but I’m glad they’re here.”

“I told you these creatures have a strong homing instinct.”

Shana twisted her lips with a strange expression. At that moment, Floria grasped my hand.

“Actually, the reason I asked to see you today is because of what I saw in the outer palace a few days ago. You two seemed so close, it made me curious. When did you become so friendly?”

As expected. I anticipated this question.

“I suppose the 1st Prince has opened up to me a bit since I’ve been serving him closely.”

I quickly offered the excuse I had prepared in advance. It was flimsy, but no matter how much I thought about it, nothing else came to mind.

“It seemed much more intimate than just a maid serving closely. Almost like lovers, you know.”

“Pardon?”

I nearly dropped the teacup I was holding.

No matter how much they say tragedy up close becomes comedy from afar, how could anyone mistake the image of me imagining slapping a blanket in his face for that of lovers?

Of course, Cahirun did behave in a way that could lead to such misunderstandings, but still…

I put down the teacup and said, Your Highness, actually—

“The 1st Prince is a womanizer.”

“What?”

“His actions towards me are just meaningless flirtations, so you needn’t worry. I will never fall for him. Please believe me, Your Highness. I’m only by the 1st Prince’s side for your sake. I have no other thoughts or intentions whatsoever.”

I felt sorry for Cahirun, who suddenly became a womanizer, but this was partly his fault for causing trouble by going for a walk all the way to the inner palace.

Floria looked at me with innocent eyes, let out a “hmm,” and then smiled gently.

“I find it hard to believe that His Highness Cahirun is a playboy. Isn’t it more likely that you’re the lady he has his heart set on?”

“Surely not. That’s impossible.”

“Why are you so certain?”

Well, we were at odds even when he was Cal, and he knows everything about me being a spy trying to enter the 1st Prince’s Palace. How could a man who knows all that like me? I’ve badmouthed the 1st Prince so much in front of him, if he really likes me, he’d have to be gutless.

“I’m still looking into who it might be, but the 1st Prince definitely has someone else in mind.”

“I see.”

Floria picked up her teacup. Just as I was about to breathe a sigh of relief at her expression that seemed to indicate she wouldn’t press further, she asked casually,

“Then was this your first time meeting the 1st Prince?”

“Pardon?”

“I was wondering if you might have known each other previously. It’s surprising that His Highness Cahirun, who is known to be quite cold and doesn’t let people get close easily, opened up to you so quickly.”

I briefly considered telling the truth. But I soon shook my head internally.

If I said we knew each other from before, Floria, with her suspicious nature, would think I had ulterior motives.

She wouldn’t believe that I didn’t know he was the 1st Prince, and would find it suspicious that I pretended not to know anything in front of her.

Also, if I said that Cahirun knew all about my intentions and still kept me by his side, even giving me information about the mines, she would be even more suspicious.

It wouldn’t make sense unless he was planning to use me to get back at Floria somehow.

Without further deliberation, I shook my head.

“No. I met him for the first time when I became a maid.”

“I see.”

Floria smirked. That scornful half-laugh sent a chill down my spine.

She had never shown such a smile before. In an instant, Floria’s mask fell away as she glared at me, lifting only her eyes.

“Elder sister, you seem to keep forgetting that your life is in my hands.”

“…Pardon?”

“How else could you lie so shamelessly with such a straight face? Right?”

Sensing that something was wrong, I instinctively started to rise from my seat, but Shana firmly pressed her hand on my shoulder, pushing me back down. Floria, who had completely cast off her mask, leaned back in her chair and coldly stared at me.

“How long, and to what extent, did our dear elder sister intend to deceive us?”

“I… I don’t understand what you mean, Your Highness.”

I tried to deny it calmly, attempting to defuse the situation. But it was useless. Floria’s face contorted even more, as if finding it ridiculous.

“My, your expression is so detestable. Ah, even if you don’t know Cahirun, you know Cal, don’t you?”

“What?”

“Yes. You might not have known that the man you thought was a servant in the 2nd Prince’s Palace was actually the 1st Prince. But once you found out, you should have told me immediately. Pretending not to know until the end means you were planning to stab me in the back someday, doesn’t it?”

Damn it. Only then did I recall the words I had muttered out loud on my first day at the 1st Prince’s Palace, shocked to learn that Cal was actually Cahirun. The pigeons were in the room at that time.

‘Why did I forget about that?’

I was so mentally overwhelmed that day that I didn’t think that far ahead.

I had always been careful in front of the pigeons, so I wasn’t too worried about escaping, but it turned out to be an unexpected trap.

No matter how hard I racked my brain trying to figure out how to salvage this situation, I was too shocked to come up with anything.

Floria was angry enough to show her true colors, and it was clear she wouldn’t listen to anything I said.

“Shana. That.”

At Floria’s words, I looked up thinking, ‘Surely not,’ and was horrified to see Shana handing her a red gem.

‘Is she trying to kill me?’

Overwhelmed by fear, goosebumps rose on the back of my neck and arms. I quickly prostrated myself at Floria’s feet, pleading. My lips and chin trembled.

“Please forgive me, Your Highness! I never meant to deceive you intentionally. I couldn’t bring myself to tell you that I knew the 1st Prince because I was afraid you would be suspicious!”

“That could be.”

“Please forgive me. It will never happen again. I swear!”

Floria pretended to consider my plea for a moment, then tilted her head and smiled.

“You underestimated me, elder sister. I don’t want to be a laughingstock.”

Floria held up the red gem between her thumb and index finger for me to see, then began to press it firmly.

“Huk!”

The pressure and pain, as if my heart was being squeezed, made my hands tremble as I clung to Floria’s knees. As she applied more force, the excruciating pain intensified until I finally collapsed to the floor, clutching my chest.

“Huk, heuk, huk!”

The pain was so terrible that I couldn’t even beg for my life. My breath caught in my throat and my whole body stiffened as if paralyzed. Tears flowed from the resentment of thinking I was about to die like this.

Why do I have to suffer like this? What did I do wrong!

“Does it hurt, elder sister?”

Floria asked as if concerned. I rolled my eyes up to look at her.

Her gaze as she watched me writhing in pain, on the verge of passing out, was utterly indifferent.

It was a look as if she were observing an inanimate object. Seeing her expression clearly showing how much she was enjoying this, anger surged up, pushing past my resentment.

Then,

“Huk, haa haa…”

As Floria released the pressure from her fingertips, the horrible pain constricting my heart subsided.

As I gasped for breath roughly, Floria stood up from her chair. My eyes followed her movements.

“The weather has gotten quite chilly as the seasons change. That’s why we’ve been lighting the fireplace in the mornings and evenings.”

Floria smiled gently at me as she stood in front of the fireplace. I looked at her with disbelieving eyes.

“I wonder if there are any embers left from this morning’s fire.”

Floria raised her eyebrows as if regretful, then tossed the gem into the fireplace.