Grace’s detached quarters.

Slap.

“How dare you disrespect me?”

“I-I’m sorry, young lady. Please forgive me.”

“Get out! Disappear from my sight!”

Grace shouted, slapping the maid hard on the cheek who had accidentally pulled out a few strands of hair while removing the hair ornament.

She seemed to have lost her reason, screaming and throwing whatever objects she could grab at the maid who was the same age as her. Still not satisfied, she pulled at her own black hair with both hands and stamped her feet.

She couldn’t hear any talk about herself, the winner of this competition, anywhere.

The praise for Arabel, who won the first competition, was audible even with ears covered. Yet, the second competition that ended less than two days ago seemed to have been completely forgotten from people’s memories, as if it had never happened.

Even more infuriating were the whispers of the nobles she heard when returning to the detached palace.

[This winning piece doesn’t seem particularly special compared to the works of other candidates.] [You’re right, I can’t remember anything about it since the moment I left the gallery.] [I expected everyone’s skills to be similar, but it’s a bit disappointing. Even though it’s the winning piece.]

It was natural that her work, displayed alongside the “masterpiece” proudly touted by the Empire’s top master, Professor Belpoui, looked relatively poor in comparison.

Even to her own eyes, her work, which had undoubtedly been the best in the competition, now looked shabby and crude.

Grace seethed with uncontrollable anger, gnawing on her nails with her teeth in an unsightly manner.

What was even more unbearable… was the fact that no one ignored or criticized Arabel’s work.

People who viewed the exhibition today seemed to not even remember the nonsensical still life she had painted. Far from evaluating it, they were too distracted by the Emperor’s full-body portrait to pay any attention. There were only one or two comments about Arabel’s work.

[How was the work of the young lady who won the last competition? I strangely can’t remember. I’m sure I saw it though.] [Well, it must have been similar to the level of other candidates. Being a talented person who knows the difficult Agruthian language, even if she didn’t win, she must have ranked high among the works of the candidates, right?]

Grace, standing in front of the mirror, glared at her reflection. Gone was her intellectual and haughty appearance, replaced by the image of a woman who couldn’t control her temper and was throwing a fit, just like Lilibet whom she despised the most.

I’m different from those pathetic women in the detached palace. Unlike those who only know how to cry and throw tantrums when they lose, unable to trample the weeds at their feet so they can never raise their heads again.

‘You know well that the competition doesn’t just take place in the competition hall.’

Grace remembered the words of her aunt, Duchess Caroline, as she raised her chin haughtily.

She closed her lips, which had just spat out her fingers, into a straight line, and tidied her disheveled hair with both hands. As she tied the ribbon of her dress collar that had come undone, she ordered the maid waiting outside the door in a calm voice.

“Bring Milly here.”

[This is the timeline separator]

“So you’re saying you can’t do it…?”

Grace’s eyes narrowed as she looked at the tall Milly standing before her.

Milly lowered her gaze, avoiding the dark red eyes, and slowly answered.

“I thought I only had to observe Lady Arabel’s movements and report them. That’s what the head maid clearly told me.”

Grace, who had been silent for a moment as if lost in thought, turned her head and asked Bridget, the head maid standing beside her.

“It seems Milly doesn’t know what situation her sister is in? My, it looks like the head maid didn’t tell her.”

Both the head maid and Milly raised their heads and looked at Grace simultaneously.

Grace’s lips curved into a sinister smile as she let out a chilling voice.

“There’s a young woman who cries out miserably in Baron’s bedroom every night…”

Milly’s face began to contort and tremble as if having a seizure.

A cruel light passed over the dark red eyes as Grace finished her sentence with a grin.

“I hear her name is Adele.”

When the pale, bloodless face turned towards Bridget, the head maid, she avoided Milly’s gaze.

“Well, I can understand. Being in the imperial palace, you probably got tired of your sisters outside. Honestly, not seeing it with your own eyes probably makes the suffering less.”

“That’s not true!”

Milly cried out in response to Grace’s sarcasm.

During the competition period, maids were prohibited from contacting anyone outside the imperial palace for the fairness of the competition and the safety of the candidates.

Milly had no way of knowing that her sister Adele had become free with Arabel’s help and was living safely with her youngest sister.

Arabel also didn’t know that Adele was Milly’s sister, so naturally, she couldn’t have told Milly. Grace, who didn’t care about what happened to Baron, simply blurted out whatever came to mind.

Knowing that the reason Milly was helping the head maid was to rescue her sister from Baron, Grace didn’t hesitate to reveal Milly’s weakness, “Adele”.

“If you want to bring back your sister who’s living as a plaything and might be sold to a brothel or as a slave in the continental kingdom…”

Grace glared fiercely and spat out.

“Stop talking and hide this deep between that wench’s mattress.”

Thud, a round silk pouch fell in front of Milly’s feet as she stood with her fists clenched tightly. In Milly’s shaking vision, she saw the hardened face of the head maid nodding silently.

“Two days later, my maids will cause a commotion, saying they saw a man leaving the eleventh candidate’s quarters in the middle of the night. You and three other disgusting maids will be interrogated, and then you just need to confess after taking a few hits. Say that your young lady had an inappropriate relationship with a soldier.”

Grace continued, sending a glance to the maids standing behind Milly.

“When the bedroom search begins, the soldier’s underwear that you hid will be found inside the bed. Even if she receives the Emperor’s favor, what can she do? Seeds of doubt will already be sown everywhere. Scandalous rumors will spread inside and outside the palace, and regardless of the truth, Arabel’s reputation will plummet.”

Bringing her flashing eyes to Milly, she burst into laughter and said,

“People are more excited about juicy gossip than the truth. Petitions questioning that wench’s qualifications will pour in. My aunt and the Empress Dowager have already made arrangements. Even if His Majesty the Emperor tries to resolve it, he’ll be mocked for being manipulated by a woman.”

Grace leaned back on the sofa and concluded with a confident voice.

“Before the third competition begins in four days, that wench will be driven out of the palace.”

The incident of the candidate who was driven out after her honor was tarnished last time was just a taste. Back then, both the knight and the candidate were caught off guard, but this time, the handsome soldier who will be at the center of the rumors has sworn to cooperate.

Because of the medicine costs for his sick mother. There’s nothing more certain than money when it comes to tightening the noose around the necks of the have-nots.

Grace winked at the head maid beside her and smiled as if finally feeling relieved.

Milly slowly bent down to pick up the heavy silk pouch.

She had been disgusted with nobles… but Lady Arabel was different. She was warm and kind.

Her kindness didn’t demand anything from Milly, and her clear eyes comforted and embraced the wounded Milly. She faces me as an equal human being.

Milly thought it would be nice to be able to stay with the noisy and good-natured trio of maids by the young lady’s side for a long time. Forgetting what kind of contract I had made with the devil.

Milly, with the silk pouch tucked in her bosom, bit the inside of her cheek until it tore to keep from crying.

[This is the timeline separator]

Lady Arabel’s detached quarters.

“Huh-uck, huup…”

“Oh my, oh my goodness…”

“Oh wow, how could it be so…”

Incessant moans kept escaping from between the lips of the trio of maids gathered in the young lady’s bedroom.

It was very similar to the sounds of women’s groans that had flowed out of the western gallery of the imperial palace a few hours ago.

Their eyes and mouths, looking at the piece being hung in the center of the wall opposite the young lady’s bed by the palace people, grew as large as they could possibly be.

The half-naked full-body portrait of Emperor Maxwell, as large as a door, vividly depicted even each blue vein on his outstretched neck, making it seem as if the Emperor was alive and breathing inside it.

As they scanned the clearly defined six-pack abs on either side with reverent eyes, as if they could do the laundry on them… their bodies tilted to the left.

With the vain hope of being able to see something under the leopard skin covering the Emperor’s lower body.

“Milly, come here quickly.”

Rosa, spotting Milly standing outside the door, waved her hand and called her inside. Milly, who entered hesitantly, also blushed the moment she saw the Emperor’s full-body portrait hanging on the wall.

“We’re running out of scented soap, I’ll go to the supply room.”

As Milly hurriedly lowered her head and was about to go out the door again, Vera’s voice was heard.

“Milly, come back quickly, we’re going for a walk with the young lady.”

Milly nodded with her usual sullen expression and then left the bedroom.

“That one, I’ve never seen her smile. What could such a young thing have so many worries about?”

“We had so many hardships at her age too. Parents’ debts, siblings to take care of… We’re just now barely able to breathe a little easier.”

“Since she rarely shows her true feelings, we can’t even help her.”

“But now she sometimes mingles with us without fail. Especially when the young lady asks her to join, she follows along despite grumbling. She has a surprisingly cute side, I tell you.”

The trio of maids chatted while still unable to take their eyes off the portrait.

“Those kinds of kids have infinitely tender and kind hearts inside.”

Vera added, glancing briefly at the spot where Milly had left.

[This is the timeline separator]

Two days later, just past midnight in the detached palace.

“Help! A man jumped out and ran away from the eleventh young lady’s quarters!”

A woman’s scream echoed through the detached palace garden,

“Catch him!”

“He ran towards the east!”

“He’s trying to climb over the wall!”

The soldiers guarding inside and outside the detached palace rushed towards the east, quickly surrounding him.

The soldiers drew their long spears and swords, pointing them at the hooded young man trying to climb over the wall, and shouted,

“Who are you?”