After having a light conversation with the Emperor after a long time, Alicia returned to the Princess’s Palace and locked the door again.

The worried expressions on Amy and the maids’ faces were visible at her actions, but unfortunately Alicia had more important things to do right now than observe the maids’ expressions.

‘Reilly Anderson. At that time, you clearly said that was all you could tell me.’

As she was leaving her seat, following the Emperor and Crown Prince’s wishes that she not hear any more, the man who had considerately walked with her down the hallway said this while speaking about the “mutants”:

At the time, thinking Reilly didn’t have much authority, she didn’t press further and ended the conversation there.

But if he had enough knowledge and authority to write a separate report to submit to the Emperor, the situation changes.

‘He’s better than Marquis Anderson, who I have no idea how to approach.’

Unlike in the past, Reilly was now showing goodwill towards Alicia.

Though she didn’t know the reason why, it was fortunate she could use him for now.

‘The problem is that I need to talk to him without anyone knowing…’

For now, it’s impossible inside the imperial palace.

The Emperor’s eyes and ears exist everywhere in the palace.

Though the Emperor respected his daughter and didn’t pry into her private spaces, the situation would be different if she called Reilly into that private space to talk.

Moreover, she was already unintentionally stirring up the empire with rumors about Killian, and now adding Reilly on top of that?

“That would literally be a disaster unfolding.”

Muttering to herself, Alicia shook her head and flopped face-down onto the bed, rubbing her cheek against the soft blanket.

The Emperor had already excluded her once from a meeting discussing mutants.

Though it was said to be the Crown Prince’s strong insistence, the Emperor also made that decision because he didn’t want Alicia to be interested in mutants.

She didn’t want to create any more strange rumors, but she wanted to hear about the beasts.

As Alicia was pondering what to do, her eyes fell on the small wardrobe to the right of the bedroom.

“Come to think of it, wasn’t there… Wait, is it still there? When was it that Father found out and blocked it?”

Though it was too long ago to be certain, the answer to solve this problem was hidden right there.

Alicia quickly got up from the bed and walked to the wardrobe, pausing to listen for sounds outside the bedroom before opening the wardrobe door.

She had sent all the maids out saying she needed time alone and closed the bedroom door, but Amy or Mina could open that door and enter at any time.

It was a privilege Alicia had recently granted to only those two.

After confirming there were no footsteps outside the door for a moment, Alicia carefully opened the wardrobe door.

Inside the wardrobe hung a few of her nightgowns and robes, and below were several pairs of slippers with different designs.

Gazing at them for a moment as she searched her memories, Alicia began to look for something by reaching her hand deep between the hanging clothes.

As she slowly moved her hand from right to left searching for something, Alicia’s fingertips caught on a shallow indentation on the inside.

‘It’s still here!’

Alicia smiled brightly as she found what she was looking for, pushing aside the clothes that were blocking her view.

‘A secret passage!’

What she had found was the entrance to a precisely made secret passage.

This passage, which young Alicia had discovered purely by chance while playing hide-and-seek, was what she used in the past to sneak out of the palace when she desperately wanted to see Killian’s face.

Because Killian didn’t stay in the capital for long, it wasn’t used frequently enough for anyone to notice, but it was eventually discovered by the Emperor and could no longer be used.

Thinking of potential emergencies, it seemed right to leave it, but thinking about it later, it was actually more dangerous to leave that path leading directly from outside the palace to the Princess’s bedroom unblocked.

‘I got caught because I forgot to close the wardrobe door, excited about being engaged to Killian, and snuck out of the palace.’

If her memory was correct, it was around this time.

But unlike in the past, the Emperor still doesn’t know about this path.

It was a path even the Emperor hadn’t grasped because the palace’s internal structure kept changing with repeated expansions and renovations.

If the Emperor had known in advance, he would have blocked this passage without Alicia knowing, for safety reasons.

Alicia’s mood brightened at the thought that even if she couldn’t hide it forever, she could use it freely for a while.

“Now what I need is a change of clothes and a way to avoid Amy’s eyes?”

After tidying the hanging clothes so others wouldn’t notice, Alicia closed the wardrobe door, leaned against it, and crouched down in thought.

First, a change of clothes.

There were a few sets of casual clothes prepared in the small house outside the palace connected to the passage.

But since the original reason for using this path was to see Killian’s face, even those casual clothes were quite fancy in style.

It was important to avoid the Emperor’s eyes, but she also wanted to look pretty to Killian, so the clothes were a compromise, but they didn’t match her current purpose.

‘To move without catching anyone’s eye, I need truly “ordinary” clothes. But where can I get such clothes?’

Amy is a noble lady and Mina is the daughter of a count’s family.

Alicia sighed as she recalled that the casual clothes of those two were also quite fancy, though not as much as hers.

Even if one of them had clothes that fit the current criteria, it was useless.

‘Besides, Amy has a different body type and Mina is short.’

Amy was a middle-aged noblewoman who had given birth to two children and had a voluptuous figure.

If she borrowed Amy’s clothes, the flowing fabric she couldn’t handle would draw attention from those around her.

And Mina…

‘Small and cute. A bit… squirrel-like cuteness…’

Alicia shook her head, recalling Mina’s crown that reached about her shoulder.

Not only was getting a change of clothes a problem, but avoiding Amy’s eyes to sneak out of the palace was also an issue.

This was because Alicia had given Amy and Mina the privilege to open the door and enter at any time.

Thanks to that, only Amy and Mina were able to attend to her during the past few days when Alicia had shut herself in her room and met no one.

She never thought that what she had allowed because she trusted those two more than anyone would become such a hindrance.

Alicia let out a long sigh as she belatedly realized that the reason she could freely use this passage before her regression was because no one could enter when she locked her door.

It was a talent, if you could call it that, to make such stupid choices every time.

It felt like finding another wall blocking the path after thinking she had opened up a blocked road.

She needed to get ordinary clothes that fit her body type and also avoid Amy and Mina’s eyes.

As Alicia was wondering if there was no way, she turned her eyes to the window.

Beyond the window, she saw tree branches sprouting new buds.

The moment the pale green of the tender buds just peeking out entered her sight, Alicia could recall the face of one person who could solve all the problems she was currently pondering at once.

One person with pale green eyes like those new buds.

‘Marisa.’

Though she seemed to have gained Amy’s approval, Marisa had not yet properly established her position.

So she would surely do whatever Alicia wanted, even if it meant deceiving Amy, in order to secure her position.

Even if it meant deceiving Amy, it wouldn’t matter.

Although Amy was the head maid, Alicia was Marisa’s mistress.

It was a thought Alicia could have because she knew well that some maids thought it wouldn’t be bad to be at odds with Amy if they could just gain favor with the Princess.

Having the same body type as Alicia and being in a desperate position to follow her – these were perfect conditions.

Moreover, Marisa was the eldest daughter of a poor noble family.

Though she received quite a good weekly wage working at the Princess’s Palace, she heard that most of it was used to pay off debts her father had incurred for medicine.

‘If she’s not ambitious for position, I can persuade her with money – that’s also a perfect condition.’

It didn’t matter which one she wanted.

Both were things Alicia could give to Marisa.

Was this the first time she had two cards her opponent wanted before a negotiation?

Somehow, it felt like confidence, something she had never had in the past, was welling up.

With a much brighter face, Alicia got up from her crouched position, opened the bedroom door, and looked around for Marisa with her eyes.

If Amy hadn’t given her another task, she would surely be standing near the entrance waiting for orders from Amy or Alicia…

‘Ah, there she is.’

Smiling at Marisa, who was bowing her head upon seeing her, apparently waiting with no other tasks, Alicia sat in a chair on the terrace and called Amy to her side.

“Amy.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“I want to eat Amy’s apple pie after a long time.”

“It’s been a while since you asked for apple pie.”

“Is it not possible?”

“How could it not be possible when Your Highness wants to eat it? Please wait a little.”

“Take Mina with you. It would be good to teach her how to make Amy’s apple pie properly this time.”

“Then who will attend to Your Highness in the meantime…”

“It’ll be fine with Marisa here. Didn’t you say she’s a capable girl?”

“That’s true, but…”

“I’ll be waiting quietly, so go ahead.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Amy nodded without much question at Alicia’s request for apple pie, exchanged a few words with Marisa standing by the door, and then left the room with Mina.

It was probably an instruction to take good care of Alicia while she was away.

After the two left the room, Alicia chased out the other maids as well, using the excuse that she wanted to be quiet, and then waved her hand towards Marisa.

“Do you need anything?”

Marisa cautiously opened her mouth as she approached Alicia.