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Only knowing a timid and withdrawn princess, they had never imagined her showing her thorns.

His smug attacks on Lucy were long gone. Duke Ruberos began to stutter and his hands began to shake.

“No! Please understand, Princess! I’m just worried about the prince–”

Belinda poked back coldly before he could finish his excuse.

“Then you’re saying I’m an idiot who can’t understand a conversation.”

“No, absolutely not–!”

The forced excuse was again cut off.

“If not, then I’m a brutal princess who’s using ridiculous arguments.”

The siblings gave up on trying to cover their mistakes and leaped up from their seats, bowing to Belinda.

“Please forgive us!”

They had to get themselves out of trouble somehow. As long as Belinda was the Emperor’s daughter, she was always right, even if she was just a princess with no power.

Either way, it was correct that they had tried to humiliate the princess’s maid.

“It’s my fault for creating a situation that Your Highness could misunderstand! Forgive me for my rudeness!”

A cold sweat ran down his back. He felt like he’d just glimpsed a new aspect of the princess.

They’d done it because they thought that the maid was too timid to defend herself, but what was going on here….

They’d heard that she was very close to a Shinsu. Could that have anything to do with it?

Belinda, turning a blind eye to the white-faced siblings, stood up.

“The duke’s children need to watch their language and behavior. I won’t stop at a verbal warning next time. Remember that.”

Holding the helpless Lucy’s hand, she turned around coldly without saying goodbye.

She left confidently and gracefully, leaving the siblings to look down with a relieved sigh. However, they soon stiffened up again as she came back.

Belinda grabbed the bird lying on the table and left, again with no goodbye.

The siblings sighed again as she walked away for the last time.

Belinda strode calmly, holding Lucy’s hand with one hand and Mazetto with the other as if she had never been angrier. While she left pretending to be angry, she’d almost forgotten about the napping Mazetto.

The bird, who had been still sleeping despite the commotion, opened his eyes and fluttered his feathers.

“Huh? What happened… What? Where is my tart…? Where are we going…?”

“You’re awake? I’ll give you a tart when we get to my room.”

Belinda replied to him gently, smiling.

“Okay, okay… I’ll go back to sleep.”

Mazetto fell back asleep in Belinda’s palm.

Only then did Lucy hesitantly speak.

“Princess, I… Because of me, you…”

She looked like she was about to cry.

Belinda’s anger at the mention of “innate nobility” was in defense of her. Lucy instinctively felt that. It was clear that she wasn’t angry because of a misunderstanding, but because she couldn’t bear to watch Lucy getting hurt.

She was upset and sorry that her precious princess had protected her at the cost of creating a disgraceful situation for herself.

“Princess, I… I…”

Lucy couldn’t speak properly, but Belinda understood her heart. I’m sorry. Thank you. That’s what she meant.

Even though defending her wasn’t a big deal to Belinda, it was Lucy – the one who had always stood by her lonely self – in question.

If it weren’t for Aymon and Lucy, she couldn’t have found enjoyment in her fierce and exhausting imperial life.

She playfully squeezed Lucy’s hand, whispering with a light voice.

“Keep your chin up, Lucy. There’s no reason for you to be intimidated by them.”

“…..”

“I’m right behind you. I, Belinda Ryn Athez, the daughter of His Majesty the Emperor, who has unlimited power.”

“Princess…”

“And behind me, I have Aymon. I even have a Shinsu. Lord, how much more dependable could I be?”

“……”

Belinda talked in a playful tone to lighten the mood.

“And you even have an airheaded prince behind you, don’t you?”

Lucy raised her bowed head and stared at Belinda, her eyes watery.

Tenderly squeezing her hand, Belinda smiled at her.

“Lucy Herb. Never mind what others say. You’re my person, so listen to me. You’re my lovely, pretty, precious Lucy.”

“Okay…”

Lucy pouted.

She wanted to thank and comfort Belinda but forced herself to swallow the words. She feared that if she opened her mouth, she wouldn’t be able to stop her tears.

Who would dare to mock Belinda’s origins? Belinda Ryn Athez was more of a princess than anyone else.

She didn’t just mean it because she was her maid – there was no one so sweet, generous, and loving elsewhere in the Empire.

Belinda was her light and the Empire’s light.

Lucy had no doubt that becoming the maid of the princess whom everyone else avoided had been the luckiest thing to happen to her.

While walking hand in hand with Belinda, even the cold of the Gerban Peninsula grazing her ears felt warm.

***

Adelai, who was standing in the snow-covered field, pulled the small bow’s string. Coldness radiated from her calm, widely open eyes.

“This is why I warned you to be careful.”

She let go of the string, and the arrow flashed over the white field. Inside the hunting area, it hit a black rabbit between the skeletal trees, which fell to the floor without a sound.

Duke Ruberos DeHill and Claire DeHill, the two DeHill siblings, showered her in praise.

“That was great, princess!”

The scarlet blood of the rabbit began to spill onto the frozen snow.

Adelai turned away from the trees scattered between the rocky cliffs of a rugged mountain and a steep hill.

“I told you not to disdain that weak thing, Belinda. I’m telling you that she’s extremely evil, but she’s pretending to be innocent.”

Adelai took off her gloves and threw them at Ruberos’s chest. She gestured towards a faraway carriage, which slowly began to approach.

“I don’t need an escort.”

She opened the door for herself and got into the carriage, followed by the DeHill siblings. The boundary between the harsh winter and the cozy carriage was evident after it closed. Adelai flushed with the warm air.

That morning, the siblings confessed everything that had happened with Belinda to Adelai – how they got a merciless talk from her after insulting Lucy.

Usually, Adelai would have been furiously grinding her teeth at Belinda’s actions. But this time, she had a more calm reaction.

She was confident in the hand she’d been dealt, letting her relax.

Barahan’s descendant had fallen into her hands. It would take some time for the magic stone planted in his stomach to work properly, but it would happen soon.

After finishing the “secret mission”, she could enjoy a life of wealth and honor.

It seemed foolish to be distracted by the jewels that were just something to show off.

Adelai pulled herself back from her thoughts, leaning into the carriage seat.

“You’re angry, Ruberos, aren’t you?”

“Maybe it’s because she has a Shinsu backing her up – she’s very confident. Princess Belinda is untouchable because of that beast.”

Adelai snorted and laid her arms on the windowsill, gesturing at Claire.

“Do you still like that idiot Lart?”

“Yes, Princess.”

She nodded serenely.

He had been with her since childhood. She had grown up convinced that she would become a crown princess and wasn’t ready to accept his rejection.

Adelai tutted disapprovingly. What good was there about that stupid kid?

“Without the Shinsu, Belinda means nothing. Trivial and insignificant.”

“That’s right.”

But while that Shinsu was as powerful as he was, getting to that “means nothing” would be a problem.

Adelai would always frown at that fact. However, she now talked about the Shinsu with a bright face as she tapped on the window.

“Don’t worry, DeHill. You will marry Prince Lart.”

“Huh? But he seems to want that maid so badly.”

The princess, and the Shinsu standing behind her, were too big of an obstacle for them to get rid of the maid. Claire couldn’t bring herself to say that and only bit her lips.

Knowing what she wanted to say, Adelai just laughed.

She touched her neck out of habit, though the key wasn’t there. Now that she didn’t need it, she wasn’t wearing it, but her hand still wandered, touching nothing but air.

“Hmmm.”

Adelai pleasantly cleared her throat as she fumbled around the empty seat. She smiled at the thought of Joseph, the descendant of Barahan that had been disguised as her servant.

Sooner or later, the day she’d been intently looking forward to would come. The day she became the crown princess after clearing out everything blocking her.

What do you want me to do? Even if you were Lart’s wife, you’ll never be the empress. The throne is reserved for me.

Staring at Claire with a sneer in her eyes, she looked out the window. A white field swept by with the sound of the horses’ hooves.

Adelai picked up a small pouch next to her and handed it to Ruberos.

“You said you were going to the river to paint a portrait tomorrow, right? When Belinda gets onto the sled…”

Malicious words came out of Adelai’s red lips.

Though everything was going her way, she couldn’t bear standing back and watching the conceited and cocky Belinda.

I’m sure a little prank will be all right.

She hadn’t managed to manipulate a Shinsu into their death yet, but she could do this much.

Adelai laughed, satisfied, as she imagined what would happen the next day.

Duke Ruberos sniffed Adelai’s pouch with a curious face.

***

“Raise your head a little more, princess.”

Belinda stiffly moved her head at the painter’s distant words, trying to swallow a sigh. She had already spent an hour sitting on the frozen river in a luxurious dog sled.

Prince Lart and Princess Adelai were also sitting on sleds, staring forward with haughty faces.

They were getting their portraits painted – Belinda didn’t understand why they had come all this way for it when they could have done it in the palace.

She was told that the portraits would be painted against the backdrop of a beautiful snowfield to highlight the ancient beauty of the royal family. What the hell did that even mean?

She glanced over at Lart, who, despite looking annoyed to death as well, was sitting up properly.

Belinda clasped the reins on the sled. Large white dogs were standing majestically in front of it.

I wish I could pet those dogs and play with them. And that I could finally go back inside.

Even though she was wearing gloves, she felt the cold wind between her fingers. The weather was getting colder, and the work was finishing up smoothly.

It was towards the end that the incident happened.