At the same moment, Talia, disguised as a maid, was cleaning the corridors of the palace.

Due to the lack of staff, she had little time to investigate, but the fact that her assigned duty was cleaning proved to be fortunate.

It provided her with a good excuse to roam the palace without drawing attention.

‘Should I start exploring other areas?’

After roughly grasping the layout of Rose Palace, Talia gathered her cleaning tools and moved to another location.

‘This area is peculiarly deserted. It’d be advantageous for an escape route.’

Her mission wasn’t just limited to the elimination of Benian.

To reach Charlotte without revealing her identity to anyone, and to leave the palace without a trace, that was her standard of a perfect mission.

Talia slowly walked, planning the timing to eliminate her target and how to erase all evidence.

As she passed through a relatively quiet area and came out into a busy passage, she saw several maids and servants chattering.

“Did you hear? Lord Sione has released that young boy. He’s granted him permission to roam the palace freely.”

“Huh, that’s surprising. After the barrier was set up, I thought he was firmly decided.”

“He’s currently been called to Lord Sione’s lab. Lady Elga is there as well.”

“What are they researching? I’m so curious.”

“Seems like it. They even asked to have meals sent to the lab, so it appears they’ll be staying there.”

From their conversation, Talia was able to gather several facts.

The assassination target, a boy from the Benian tribe, was named Raven, and he was undoubtedly involved in whatever Elga and Sione were planning.

Unaware that Charlotte was being threatened by Gallio, Talia felt a burning obligation to stop whatever they were up to.

‘The target is now free to roam, that’s good news for me.’

After hearing from a roommate last night that Raven was confined, this was welcome news for her current plans.

‘Now I just have to wait for the right moment.’

A satisfied smile crossed her face internally.

According to the information Charlotte provided, there were three people to be cautious of in the Rose Palace.

Elga, Sione, and Princess Bella.

Although it was a bit surprising in the case of the princess, Charlotte had said that Bella could already use magic.

‘Last time, she said Bella might have personally subdued the assassin.’

If that was true, the princess could wield fairly high-level magic.

Even assuming the previous assassin was less skilled than her, his ability to get so close to the princess while invisible was not to be underestimated.

Thus, the power to subdue such an individual indicated that the princess was no ordinary mage.

‘If I’m careful with those three, eliminating one Benian would be a piece of cake.’

According to additional information gathered over the last few days, other than being stronger and faster than boys his age, there seemed to be nothing particularly dangerous about Raven.

It was no surprise, she was aware that the Benian tribe had superior physical abilities.

When would be the best time to carry out her plans?

With that thought, Talia turned away from where people were gathered.

And in that moment, she encountered someone she hadn’t expected at all.

“What are you doing here alone? You’ve even come all the way behind the barrels.”

The person who startled her was none other than the owner of Rose Palace, Princess Bella.
Talia, who hadn’t expected to encounter Bella at such a close distance, was taken aback and instinctively bowed her head.

“Apologies, Princess. Did I obstruct your path?”

“No, not like that.”

“Then do you wish to instruct me to do something…”

The Princess resolutely shook her head and stared intently at Talia.

Her gaze was so sharp and clear, it felt like facing a full-grown adult rather than a three-year-old child.

“Huh, you’re interesting. What’s your name?”

“My name is Lina. I’ve recently entered the palace as a maid.”

What did she mean by “interesting”?

Feeling a chill down her spine, Talia inwardly worried whether her painstakingly applied face disguise was intact, maintaining a calm expression.

Fortunately, Princess Bella, who had been scrutinizing her, broke into a slight smile.

“Nice name! Do you use magic, Lina?”

“Just a little. But I can’t use it now. Unless there’s a special reason, maids like me usually go through magic control before entering the palace.”

Seemingly hearing this for the first time, Bella opened her mouth wide in awe.

But it wasn’t a particularly unusual story for commoners. While some demon races hadn’t developed magical abilities, vampires mostly could.

Of course, the power varied from person to person, but the use of magic was nothing extraordinary.

‘Why is she asking this…? Is it because she’s never seen someone who has undergone magic control?’

The main criteria for being selected as a palace servant included the level of one’s magical abilities.

Both excessive and insufficient magic levels were problematic, largely due to palace security.

If conflicts broke out between palace residents, the risk of casualties was high.