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“Enough with that nonsense!”

The woman immediately shut down Vera’s words as if they were worth nothing.

“The ladies-in-waiting for the princess’s palace must be carefully selected. How can such uneducated ladies serve Her Highness?”

There was nothing wrong with Mrs. Sovenin’s words. But they weren’t right, either; the women’s purpose was clearly to spy on Cayena.

“Furthermore, your attitude is problematic. Do you not know how much damage you are doing to the management by overstepping in the central kitchen?”

Vera’s eyebrows wrinkled, discomfited. Her expression gradually lost its courtesy and cooled off.

“What do you mean by overstepping?”

“Are you not interfering with the unique authority of the kitchen staff? The central kitchen has complained to the head maid many times!”

Her annoyance soared.

Overstepping?

Vera only checked the food to see if there was anything the princess couldn’t eat and whether ingredients that she did not normally enjoy were used.

Those were things she naturally had to do as her lady-in-waiting. The other court ladies who had been assigned to the princess’s palace had slacked off before, but there was no problem with Vera’s behavior.

’I don’t think she’s simply trying to pick a fight under this pretext… The head maid’s handling of this is suspicious.’

Vera’s eyes scanned over Mrs. Sovenin and the other courtiers.

She had expected the head maid to be displeased by Cayena’s authority over internal affairs. But Vera didn’t know that she would try to pressure Cayena so quickly.

Vera concealed her anger and responded as calmly as possible.

“Her Highness was recently very ill because of her allergy to nuts. For the time being, I have to check the foods delivered to Her Highness.

Then, Mrs. Sovenin grabbed onto the end of her words and twisted it.

“Do you think the head chef prepares the food without knowing that? How dare you doubt his ability and attack him like that!”

Vera bit her lips, then answered.

“…That wasn’t what I meant.”

She had lost this round.

She was disheartened, but she had to bow her head passively. Mrs. Sovenin smiled triumphantly.

“These women will serve Her Highness’s meal, so turn back around.”

Vera clenched her fists.

It seemed that Prince Rezef’s probation had bothered them.

‘She’s just barely received some authority…’

The princess only temporarily had the authority over internal affairs, but the prince’s forces were rushing at her.

If such petty things could defeat her, then it was no different from when Cayena was looked down on as a paper princess.

Vera felt angry and resentful. She could not immediately return to the princess’s bedroom.

’How does Her Highness remain calm every time?’

Even this sort of oppression made Vera upset and miserable.

How could that small, seemingly fragile person be so strong?

Mrs. Sovenin pressured her, and Vera was helplessly beaten.

Her position and family were weak compared to the others, so there was no way she could have won.

What could someone like her do to help Cayena?

Vera never thought herself incompetent. But that was her mistake.

As soon as Rezef’s authority was restored, Vera would be nothing more than a powerless, ordinary senior lady-in-waiting.

’If I don’t act smarter and more confidently, I’ll continue to be looked down on by them.’

She had to become useful.

It was the obsession that Vera had had ever since she started working in the castle.

For Vera, Cayena was her only hope for salvation. If more useful and competent people joined Cayena’s side, Vera might be abandoned because of her humble family.

She had to be more useful.

Vera paused in the break room used by the court ladies, then suddenly raised her head.

“The central kitchen…”

She recalled how the head chef was too wary of outsiders.

There was something there.

If she investigated, something would definitely come out.

“I have to find someone to help me.”

Vera was biting her nails when there was a sound.

Click.

At that moment, the door to the break room opened, and someone came in.

“Oh my, I didn’t think there would be anyone here.”

“…Miss Olivia?”

It was none other than Olivia Grace.

“Miss Olivia. I’m sorry to start off by asking you for this favor.”

Vera urgently asked for help.

It wasn’t a challenging request.

“There is something suspicious in the central kitchen, and I’m trying to figure out what it is. Could you draw attention to the kitchen by pretending you are getting some hands-on training?”

“That doesn’t sound hard.”

Seeing Vera dressed like a handmaid, Olivia asked anxiously, “Will this be all right?”

“Handmaids always wear masks, so it will be fine. And, fortunately, my eyes and hair color are common.”

Olivia let out a low sigh. She didn’t think she would have to examine the cross-section of the machinations of the imperial palace on her very first day.

“There’s always somebody watching the storage area for the central kitchen.”

The storage area was connected to the outside, and all materials imported to the palace were stored there.

As Vera looked around the kitchen, she saw guards strictly guarding the door to the storehouse.

In the past, she thought that it made sense to watch it since there were so many expensive ingredients. But now, she felt something was strange. Didn’t this level of surveillance imply that something shady was happening?

Vera, who had been in the imperial palace for a long time, was able to roughly predict the kind of corruption that was going on there.

The head chef must be embezzling funds. Vera’s eyes shone sharply.

“Let’s go.”

***

At that time, Cayena was looking at the travel books.

’Milhen from the southwest seems good. It’s moderately poor and isolated.’

She was about to decide where to live after marrying her imaginary husband.

’Though it is a bit close to the Kedrey dukedom.’

But its proximity to the Kedrey dukedom could be an advantage as Rezef and the other forces would not easily bother her.

Then, she heard a knock on the door.

“Come in.”

It was Annie who opened the door and came in. But her expression was somewhat strange.

“Your Highness, your meal is ready. But…”

Cayena put down her book. Puzzled, she asked, “What’s wrong?”

“It was my first time seeing the court ladies who prepared Your Highness’s meal. What should I do?”

“Where’s Vera?”

“I haven’t seen her around.”

Court ladies other than Vera?

Vera wouldn’t have sent someone else without a word.

Cayena’s eyes turned sharp for an instant, then returned to her usual face.

“Let them in.”

Soon, unfamiliar senior court ladies came in.

“We respectfully greet Her Majesty, the Princess.”

The ones who entered had exceptionally high positions even among the senior court ladies. Cayena ordered them to set the table.

“You aren’t people that I usually see around my palace. How did you come to bring my meal?”

“The number of senior court ladies in your palace is remarkably small, so we were assigned here. In the future, we will be in charge of taking care of Your Highness.”

“Oh. Is that so?”

Cayena immediately recognized their transparent intentions.

’Shall I just leave them alone?’

She just set up a system to keep her palace from being touched, but people were already trying to keep her in check. Furthermore, it was ridiculous that she would be ignored and be assigned senior ladies-in-waiting without her permission. It was proof that they believed in the power of their backer, Rezef—no, the Evans family.

’If I’m antagonistic for no reason, it’ll be quarrelsome. If I let it go, it will be no different than before…’

The court ladies that she chose herself still have not all arrived.

When Susan and Julia arrived at the princess’s palace tomorrow, they may be able to push the others out naturally with their families’ power.

’In terms of family background, they’re superior.’

“A shipment of fresh fish came into the central kitchen today, so the fish were grilled for your meal.”

Though Alquiem, the capital city where Cayena lived, was located in the inner region of the empire, it wasn’t difficult to get fish because of the port city nearby. However, fish wasn’t usually a part of Cayena’s meals because she did not like the fishy taste.

’…I’m sure Vera didn’t check this meal.’

Vera wasn’t someone who would disappear, leaving her work undone, so Cayena became more concerned.

She picked up the knife and addressed the court ladies who stood in a line, watching her.

“Why haven’t you left yet?”

“We were ordered to help Your Highness…”

Crash!

The knife hit the plate and made a piercing noise. The court ladies trembled.

Cayena, still smiling, said to them, “Didn’t I just tell you to leave?”

There was a rumor that Cayena was calmer these days. However, the cruelness that she had demonstrated so far remained clear in the court ladies’ minds. They feared she would throw the knife that she was holding right now if they couldn’t appease her. They stepped back with a shudder.

“…Please call us when you need us, Your Highness.”

The court ladies left, and Cayena immediately called for Annie.

“Go and find Vera.”

~~~

[TN] Updates for this novel will soon be increasing to 3 chapters a week! Please comment below what day of the week you all prefer—currently, updates are Thursdays and Sundays.