The attendant began to wipe the moisture off the desk with her apron. Meanwhile, Ishar stood up. Perhaps to calm his irritation and take a brief breath of fresh air.

He turned the rectangular desk and headed towards the door. At that moment, the woman, who had been diligently cleaning the desk, suddenly straightened up and blocked his way.

It was a quite bold action for her timid nature.

“Um… Your Excellency’s clothes…”

The woman pointed at Ishar’s jacket with her fingertips. It was particularly dark and crumpled due to the sticky syrup.

She looked apologetic and unsure of what to do, but she bravely continued speaking until the end.
“If you undress for me, I’ll quickly wash and iron it for you.”

The term “undress” either due to the implication it carried or the fact that a handsome man was gazing intently at her, made her cheeks flush with embarrassment.

Although Ishar made an uncomfortable expression, he soon unbuttoned his uniform and handed it to the maid. He couldn’t help it because he had to attend a meeting with the financial department managers half an hour later.

The maid embraced Ishar’s jacket against her chest as if it were a treasure.

“Thank you, Your Excellency. Thank you very much.”

With dark brown hair and tiny jade-green eyes, the girl bowed repeatedly, then, like a rabbit, hurriedly left the office.

Rather than feeling relieved at the girlish appearance, Ishar felt more uncomfortable.

“I should say something to the palace staff. They need to be more careful in selecting people.”

The maid entered the restroom with Ishar’s jacket.

Looking around and meticulously searching through clothes seemed excessively thorough, considering it was just to find one sticky syrup stain.

Finally, when she found a sparkling brooch attached to the chest of the uniform, she paused her diligent hands.

Crafted in the shape of a lily with a gold frame, it was an exquisite piece of jewelry filled with dozens of small round-cut diamonds.

The maid, after scrutinizing it with curiosity, scanned her surroundings again.

Then, unexpectedly, she reached into Ishar’s uniform, pulled something out, and quietly placed it next to the lily ornament.

Twin-like, identical in size and shape, two pieces of jewelry lay side by side, each adorned with dozens of diamonds shining brightly.

Satisfaction filled the woman’s eyes as she alternately examined the two.

“They are exactly the same.”

Her voice was leisurely and relaxed. It was a world of difference from the frightened and trembling moments before.

The maid swapped the positions of the two pieces. What came out of the chest ornament was placed on the chest of the uniform, and vice versa.

As she fastened the buttons and adjusted her appearance, the maid looked closely at her reflection in the mirror. Her mannerisms of turning her chin here and there were strangely peculiar.

It wasn’t her own appearance that she was inspecting but rather the appearance of a stranger.

Then, suddenly, as if spitting it out, she said, “Damn, I look like the empress.”

The tone of the maid boldly uttering disrespectful remarks about the royal family sounded very familiar and natural, as if she had always done so.

“I died and came back to life.”

The woman had wished for it once. Just once, she wanted to live with a different appearance, even if it was just for a moment.

She vividly remembered the timing. It was the day when she witnessed a woman on the Tenel Mountain, rapidly changing her facial features and hair color in front of her eyes.
Whatever that child intended to show me that day, René was sure it wouldn’t be more amazing than what I saw. She, too, wanted to become someone a bit different.

“It can be done.”

A few days ago, the child held out a small piece of a fragmented pill and said, “If you eat this.”

Until then, everything was fine.

Who could have imagined such an exciting event would suddenly come into my monotonous and dull life, like an endless plain? René accepted the pill without hesitation.

“But it will be a bit challenging.”

Riz’s words posed no obstacle to taking the medicine.

On the day of the planned operation, fully prepared, René swallowed the mysterious pill. And the pain that followed…

It was a pain akin to having the skin peeled off one’s body, blood gushing backward, or the sensation of meticulously stepping on the lower abdomen menstruating while wearing shoes with nails.

“This is insane… It’s not just a bit challenging…”

The moment of undergoing the metamorphosis, rolling around the entire room, seemed unforgettable for as long as one breathed. No, even after death…

“…!”

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps reached René, who quickly turned on the faucet.

Just as she was trying to wash away the sticky marks in the water, another trainee maid stood at the adjacent sink.

Perhaps making a similar mistake, she, too, held a stained jacket. Suddenly, René’s eyelid blinking speed slowed down.

“You.”

René locked the faucet and slowly approached the trainee maid.

“…Me?”

The turning expression of the trainee maid looked immature. René overlapped Ishar’s jacket on top of the one she was sucking.

“While you’re at it, wash this one and bring it to Duke Valdemion.”

Thinking naturally that she was a superior, the trainee maid obediently agreed.

“Yes, senior.”

“Iron it too and bring it as soon as possible.”

“Yes, senior.”

After bowing to the trainee maid, René left the washroom gracefully.

It was a wise choice.

Her irises were gradually turning into a bluish color.

Days passed since then.

After the Empress’s checkup, the physician, having finished prescribing walking for a smooth delivery as the final prescription, left.

Hersis also sat beside her this time, and he spoke with a relieved expression.

“Did you hear? You can give birth anytime now.”

“Yes, I heard.”

“Then how about taking a walk? The weather has warmed up a lot, and there are many spring flowers outside.”

“What about tulips?”

Riz asked.

“We’ll have to wait a bit longer for tulips. That’s what the gardener said.”

“Then I’ll go out when tulips are needed. I want to rest a bit today.”

Hersis stroked Riz’s cheek with a worried expression.

“Are you tired?”

“A little sleepy.”

Riz slowly moved her body and lay down.
Hersis pulled the blanket up to cover Riz’s shoulders as she turned to lie on her side. Riz, perhaps truly exhausted, quickly fell asleep.

Lately, she had been going to bed around early evening, presumably due to the significant energy expenditure during the last month.

Hersis, while gently stroking Riz’s hair, watched over her.

About half an hour passed like that.

“Your Highness, are you asleep?”

The voice of Prime Minister Clowin came from beyond the closed door.

Hersis carefully got up to avoid waking Riz and opened the door.

“The Empress is resting, so please lower your voice.”

“But, Your Highness, it’s a matter of great importance.”

Upon hearing this, Hersis walked into the corridor. Just before the door closed behind him, Clowin spoke urgently.

“Duke Valdemion is implicated in a murder case.”

Now the door was fully closed.

Simultaneously, in the darkness, Riz slowly raised her eyelids.