n

n

n

nIn the midst of this, Naen was faithfully doing what Astelle had asked for.

nAstelle looked at Naen like that and fell into her thoughts.

nWill this girl do what Florin tells her this time too?

nFlorin must be trying to use this girl again.

nAfter watching her by her side all this time, Astelle knew Naen wasn’t an idiot.

nShe was a little timid and obtuse, but she did exactly what she was told.

nShe didn’t seem stupid enough not to know that Florin used her.

n‘Still, she is her family.’

nA powerless noble girl cannot escape the shadow of her family.

nThis is because if her family falls, her own destiny will also fall into the abyss.

nIn the past, Astelle herself was like that.

n‘Florin will make this girl do another dangerous job.’

nIf things go wrong, she’ll cover her sins over and over again.

nWhen she heard about the note, Astelle had thought of finding out Florin’s plans in advance and setting up a trap for both sisters.

nHowever, seeing Naen, who was not yet an adult, bothered her a little.

n“Miss Naen.”

nNaen, who was holding a pen and writing hard, raised her head.

n“Yes Your Majesty?”

n“Do you want to go back to the mansion?”

n“I beg your pardon?”

nNaen blinked her big eyes in embarrassment.

n“Wh-what do you mean……”

n“I’m asking because I think you will miss your family in the mansion. In your mansion, there must now be Lady Florin and your father, the marquis.”

nNaen hesitated for a while at Astelle’s direct question, and then managed to answer.

n“I, I miss the mansion, but I like living here.”

n“Is that so? Isn’t it difficult to work?”

n“N-no.”

nAstelle looked straight at Naen and spoke in a calm voice.

n“Miss Naen. I brought Miss Naen here for a formal punishment at first.”

nNaen looked at her with a startled look.

nAfter the empress brought her here, she kept calling her to work, but this was the first time she had brought up the topic of punishment so directly.

n“I’m sure you know, but even if it was a mistake, it was something that could not be overlooked.”

n“Yes……”

n“But since Miss Naen is not an adult yet, and I thought you sacrificed yourself out of concern for your family, I decided to end it here.”

nNaen’s face grew pale when the words, ‘She sacrificed herself out of concern for her family’ came out.

nIt was like the empress was openly pinching her because she had been caught doing her sister’s orders and lying.

n“I’m glad you like living here though. Miss Naen is very sincere and diligent, so I like you too. If it’s okay with you, I hope you will help me here in the future as well,” Astelle continued, reassuring her.

nWhen Astelle finished her words, Naen’s innocent face turned paler than before.

nApparently, she had no idea the empress would say something like this.

nNaen lowered her gaze and hesitated.

nBut Astelle did not miss the guilt that flashed through her eyes for a fleeting moment.

n“Th-thank you, Your Majesty, the Empress……”

nNaen bowed her head belatedly.

n“I, I also have the honor to serve Your Majesty here. And….., thank you again for showing your mercy.”

nIt was a low voice, but there was sincerity in her last words.

nAstelle nodded quietly.

n“Your Majesty.”

nThen Hannah came inside.

n“Oh, yes, Hannah.”

nHannah gave Astelle a meaningful glance. Did she find the answer to the code?

nAstelle put down the report and smiled at Naen.

n“Miss Naen, you did a great job. Will you go to the library one last time, organize the books there, and find me the harvest records?”

n“The harvest records?”

n“Yes. It’s been a while, so I want to find a book of etiquette in advance and prepare for it.”

nOf course, there was no need for such a book of etiquette.

nShe was just trying to stall before Naen went back to her room.

nThe naive Naen meekly headed for the library without much doubt.

nAs soon as Naen closed the door and left, Astelle asked Hannah.

n“Did you find it?”

n“Yes, it was a book, as expected.”

nHannah put down a note that she decrypted with a note she found in the garden.

n“I have been interpreting the content.”

nAstelle opened the note.

nA few words were written on a small piece of paper.

nPrince. Pet dog. Next time. Poison. I will give it to you. Feed it.

n“She’s planning to poison the dog?”

nThis was unexpected.

nAstelle deliberately told Naen about Florin’s marriage.

nFlorin was angry and trying to make a new plot.

n“But she was planning to kill Blynn.”

nThis was a really unexpected plan.

nHannah asked with a heavy look, “Probably….., it will be difficult to approach the empress and prince, could it be that she wants to cause chaos by killing Blynn?”

n“It certainly seems that way.”

nAstelle had the maids thoroughly examine everything Theor ate and wore.

nFlorin wouldn’t even think about hurting Theor.

nBecause that’s too risky.

nAll Florin wants is to keep Astelle from retaliating against her.

nShe didn’t have to make up for such a huge thing.

n“Certainly, if Blynn eats poison, the empress’ palace will be in chaos.”

nFlorin tries to make Astelle forget that she is trying to retaliate against her as she panics and tries to find the culprit.

nBut it doesn’t become a huge event because it’s just an animal.

nIt’s not like the prince ate it, nor is it enough for a man to lose his life.

nFlorin seemed to have come up with a plan like this, as she thought Astelle would only investigate quietly within the empress’ palace.

n‘I don’t think you ever thought about coming and apologizing in person.’

nHannah asked worriedly, “What should we do?”

n“Of course, Blynn must not be in danger.”

nThe original plan was to get things going according to Florin’s plan and then grab the evidence at the decisive moment.

nBut Blynn must not be in danger.

nAstelle made up her mind after a brief deliberation.

n“First, take the note to its original place and let Naen find it. And double the watch over Naen.”

n“Yes, Your Majesty.”

n***

nNaen headed to the library to find the book Astelle ordered.

nThe empress’ palace was spacious and splendid, and the structure was also complex.

nAt first, it took her a while to memorize the location.

nNow that she’s used to it, she knows exactly where to go and what to look for.

nThe hospitality here was good.

nAll the maids were friendly and kind.

nEven though Her Majesty the Empress seemed strict, if she did as she asked, she would treat her well.

n‘How long will it take to get back to the mansion?’

nAstelle’s words came to mind, saying that if it’s okay with her, she can continue to work here.

nWas she serious?

nIn fact, it was unbelievable.

nNaen’s mother went into exile for trying to harm the empress, and her eldest sister also tried to frame the empress, and she was expelled.

nHer Majesty said she knew that Naen had sacrificed herself for her family.

nThat’s why she showed mercy to her and was nice to her.

n‘…..I don’t think it’s bad to stay here.’

nWhen she returned to the mansion, she had nothing to do, and no one to welcome her.

nAs she thought about it, she was walking down the hallway when a round ball rolled from the other side.

nAs she picked up the ball that touched her feet, she saw a child in front of her.

n“Prince?”

n“That’s mine.”

nA little boy with black hair came running.

nNext to him was a golden hound, and a few steps behind him was a young servant.

nNaen bent her knees and bowed.

n“I greet you, Prince of the Empire.”

nThe Prince, Theor, caught the ball rolling at Naen’s feet with both hands.

nThen he observed Naen with a curious gaze.

nNaen was a little nervous.

nShe’s been living in the empress’ palace for quite some time.

nBut it was the first time she had seen the prince so close.

nThe young prince looked closely at Naen, then he smiled and spoke to her.

n“Hello, Lady.”

n“Sorry?”

nThe servant who followed spoke in a gentle tone.

n“The Prince is the son of His Majesty the Emperor, so you don’t need to use honorifics.”

n“Prince, it’s okay to just talk to me comfortably.”

nNaen smiled and bent her knees again.

n“Just call me Naen.”

nAlthough she never met him closely, Naen had heard many stories about the young prince from the maids here.

nMost of them were praising the prince for how cute, kind, and well-spoken he was.

n“Naen.”

nThe prince smiled again as if he liked her name.

nHis dimples could be seen on his cheeks which still haven’t lost the baby fat.

n‘You’re really cute.’

nHis unusual red eyes were also fascinating and beautiful.

nHis Majesty the Emperor’s red eyes were so terrifying, but the young prince’s red eyes were as pretty as jewels.

nwoof woof.

nThe golden hound next to Theor barked and wags its tail as if asking for attention.

nTheor stroked the golden hairs with his little hand.

n“This is Blynn.”

n“It’s soft and gold, so it’s Blynn? How cute.”

nBlynn was the eastern term for pancakes.

nT

/N: It refers to the Blini pancakes. The pronunciation of Blynn and Blini is the same for Koreans.

n“Where are you going?”

n“I am on my way to the library by order of Her Majesty.”

n“Why in the library?”

nTheor seemed curious about Naen and wanted to talk more, but a quick-witted servant intervened.

n“Prince, you must now return to the marquis. The marquis must be waiting for you.”

n“Hm?”

nTheor turned and walked with the servant to the other side.

nThen he turned around again and waved his hand to Naen.

n“Goodbye, Naen. See you later.”

n“Goodbye, Prince.”

nNaen stood still in the hallway as she watched the little prince walk away.

nShe felt bitterness as she watched the servant try to separate the prince from herself.

nEveryone was so kind that she forgot that she was only being punished here.

nAs expected, it was a waste of time to stay here.

nNaen found the book and returned to Astelle’s place.

nAstelld was absent for a while due to other work.

nNaen put the book on the desk and went outside.

nIt was already evening, and everyone seemed to be busy preparing dinner.

nNaen went out to the garden and walked down the road leading to the imperial palace.

nFlorin hid notes in this garden to communicate with Naen.

nEach time, there was a note in a designated place under a designated tree.

nShe couldn’t check it often. If she came here every day, it would look suspicious.

nShe came back from time to time to check if there were any new notes.

nToday, the note was hidden in the promised place.

nAfter Naen checked the surroundings, she picked up a small note and hurriedly left.

n