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“I…”
“I… am…”
It was all hazy, filled with nothing but inaudible sounds. Marie’s lucid dream, once extremely vivid, had come to an end.
Marie’s eyes fluttered open, waking from her dream. “What was I dreaming?” She mused, her voice laced with astonishment.
It wasn’t because the content of the dream was confusing—no, nothing was confusing about it. “…I can’t remember. Nothing comes to mind at all!”
Flustered, she wracked her brains. “I’m sure I had a lucid dream, but why can’t I remember anything?”
You know that feeling when you have a dream, but you only have a vague idea of it? That’s exactly what Marie’s experiencing right now. She felt the sensation of experiencing the mysterious lucid dream that granted her abilities, but she couldn’t remember any details about it.
‘What was it?’ Marie pondered with a serious expression. In the past, she would have brushed it off without much thought, but the circumstances were different now.
‘Please lend your abilities to me.’
Marie had already made a bargain with Lady Rachel to provide her assistance. She bit her lip, thinking, ‘I had a lucid dream, so something related to the dream will definitely happen. But I can’t recall anything at all.’
What in the world could possibly happen? ‘And out of all days, where the welcoming banquet for the candidates is about to take place. Could there be an incident at the banquet? Think, Marie!’
Desperately searching her mind—like a theater with its curtains down—she couldn’t see anything. But thanks to her efforts, she managed to recall a single phrase.
‘My goal is to help you become the best version of yourself.’
She frowned. It was something the person in her hazy dream had said. Apart from that, nothing else came to mind.
‘What does that mean?’ Its words carried weight, but she couldn’t fathom what they meant and/or the context in which they were spoken.
Suddenly, someone knocked on Marie’s door. “Marie, it’s time for you to go. Get ready.”
“Ah, yes!” Helplessly, Marie hurriedly prepared herself to go out.
Lately, Marie’s duties revolved around attending to Rachel’s needs. Today, Rachel had a scheduled breakfast with the Crown Prince in the morning, followed by the welcoming banquet in the evening. Before they headed to have breakfast, Marie styled Rachel’s hair.
“Is this to your liking, Milady?”
“Yeah, it’s perfect. Keep doing it like that.”
Once their deal had been struck, Rachel adopted a more casual speech with Marie. Given their difference in social status, it was only natural to speak to Marie that way.
Rachel, who sat in front of the mirror with her eyes closed, opened them as soon as Marie was finished styling her hair.
“Marie, you’ve done a splendid job with my hair,” Rachel remarked, gently running her fingers through her silky locks.
“No, Milady already has naturally beautiful hair; I merely enhanced what was already there.”
Marie’s words were not empty flattery. Rachel, who was as beautiful as a flower, had soft silky hair. As a result, Marie couldn’t help but feel envious. ‘I wish I were as beautiful… No, even half as beautiful as her.’
Unconsciously, Marie gazed at Rachel and found herself thinking that although she was content with her appearance, being in the presence of someone so stunning, she couldn’t help but feel a twinge of envy.
‘Enough. I shouldn’t wish for something impossible. Instead of entertaining such futile thoughts, I should stay focused.’
As the fragments of the ambiguous dream clung to Marie, she vowed not to let her guard down and remain as focused as possible throughout the day.
“Let’s go, Marie.”
“Yes.”
Adorned in an elegant ensemble, Rachel led Marie and the other maids towards the terrace of the Lion Palace, where the scheduled breakfast awaited. However, due to the Crown Prince’s urgent meeting, the breakfast had to be canceled.
“I’m sorry, Milady.”
A flicker of disappointment passed through Rachel’s eyes, but she immediately concealed it, gracefully bowing her head in response.
“I understand that the affairs of state take precedence over breakfast with me. We can always have breakfast together at another time, so please tell His Highness that I don’t mind at all.”
“Of course, Milady.”
With that, Rachel left the Lion Palace. Turning towards Marie, she said, “Come to think of it, it’s the perfect time, isn’t it?”
“……?”
“Shall we take a walk together, just the two of us, Marie?”
Marie found it strange that Rachel would opt for a solitary walk between the two of them, instead of staying with the maids who had accompanied her from the south. And what did she mean by ‘the perfect time’?
Nonetheless, Marie nodded her head. “Yes, Milady. I will walk with you.”
“I heard that the central garden is pretty, so let’s go there.”
Marie led the way, guiding Rachel to the central garden of the palace. As Rachel marveled at the expansive garden, she exclaimed, “Wow, the gardens in the south pale in comparison to this.”
With the morning sun casting its gentle rays upon the garden, the sky stretched out in a pristine azure, and the nearby lake glistened brightly.
As Rachel smiled softly as she looked at the lake, her genuine admiration for the garden was apparent. At that moment, Marie finally felt like she and Rachel were the same age.
‘Not like peers, but actual peers, since she’s only a year older than me.’
Rachel usually exuded elegance and poise, appearing more mature than her age.
Suddenly, an unexpected voice loomed before them. “Oh, who do we have here? Lady Rachel, what a pleasant surprise.”
“……!”
Rachel and Marie turned around in surprise. Lady Ariel, radiating a beauty like a rose, stood before them, accompanied by a retinue of maids.
“Greetings, Lady Ariel.”
Rachel calmly responded, “Yes, it’s a pleasure to see you. It feels like it’s been a while since we last met. Have you been well?”
“Yes, I’m fine, thank you.”
They engaged in an “amiable” conversation, each carefully concealing their genuine thoughts. On the surface, their exchange appeared friendly and familiar. However, Ariel subtly showed her claws. “The garden is beautiful, isn’t it?”
“Indeed, Lady Ariel.”
“It’s a rare garden to see, especially in the south. It would be wise to enjoy it while you still have the chance.”
Rachel’s face stiffened for a moment.
With just a few words, Ariel belittled Rachel’s origins and implied that she would not become the Empress.
But Rachel quickly regained her composure and politely replied, “Yes, your concern is greatly appreciated, Lady Ariel.”
Ariel frowned slightly when Rachel didn’t fought back. She didn’t appreciate Rachel’s contrived politeness.
Suddenly, Ariel’s eyes fell upon Marie, who had been standing quietly in the background. “And who’s that girl?”
“My name is Marie, a maid from the Lion Palace.”
“I’m aware.”
Ariel furrowed her beautiful face as if she had caught a glimpse of something dirty. “Isn’t she a prisoner of war from a fallen kingdom? No less than a slave?”
Upon hearing those words, Marie’s face hardened in indignation. No matter how kind and patient Marie may be, it wasn’t okay with her about being openly insulted like that.
However, at that moment, Rachel, as if waiting for the right moment to speak up, said, “I appreciate your concern once again, Lady Ariel. However, it is important to note that Marie has been personally assigned to the Lion Palace by His Highness himself,” Rachel said in a grave and measured tone.
“Wouldn’t calling her a slave insult the Crown Prince? I am a little worried for you.”
“……!”
Ariel froze at Rachel’s words, realizing Rachel was right. Calling someone chosen by the Crown Prince as ‘no less than a slave’ could be interpreted as insulting the Crown Prince himself.
In an instant, Ariel found herself trapped in a predicament where she unintentionally made a derogatory remark towards the Crown Prince. “I-I didn’t mean it that way…”
“It might not be too late to apologize to the maid now. It doesn’t concern me, but if the Crown Prince were to hear about this…” Rachel fretted as if genuinely concerned for Ariel.
Ariel’s face crumpled in frustration. Apologize to that lowly maid? The idea repulsed her, but she couldn’t simply disregard the gravity of the situation.
Gritting her teeth, Ariel reluctantly said, “I apologize. I-I misspoke.”
“No, it’s alright.” Startled, Marie dropped to her knees and bowed her head.
‘Lady Rachel is no ordinary person either.’
Marie swallowed a lump in her throat. The way Rachel orchestrated the whole situation was nothing short of amazing. With just a few well-chosen words, Ariel found herself in a humiliating position, forced to apologize to a mere maid.
Ariel glared at Rachel, ignoring Marie who remained in her subservient position. Ariel was not a complete fool; she recognized that the situation unfolded exactly as Rachel had planned. Without a doubt, that incident would become the talk of the high society for quite some time.
‘This despicable thing…!’
Fuming with anger, Ariel blurted out something she hadn’t intended to reveal. “I’m looking forward to tonight’s welcoming banquet.”
“……?”
“I can’t wait to see how beautiful you’ll look like, Lady Rachel. You’re the prettiest woman in the empire, so I have no doubts that you will look absolutely stunning tonight.”
Rachel’s brows furrowed in confusion. Why was Ariel suddenly bringing that up?
Ariel smiled brightly like a thorny rose and said, “I have prepared a small gift for you, so you’ll soon hear about it. I hope it brings you joy, Lady Rachel. I’ll be looking forward to it.”
With that, Ariel disappeared with her entourage of maids. Once alone, Rachel tilted her head. ‘What does that mean?’
By itself, the words didn’t seem significant. But why did she say that out of the blue?
“And she prepared a gift for me?” It was even more baffling. Why would Ariel give her a present?
“Let’s return to the annex, Marie.”
When she turned her head towards Marie, she was completely taken by surprise. She noticed that Marie had a serious expression on her face.
“Marie?”
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
“……?”
Marie shook her head at Rachel but her expression remained dark. After hearing what Ariel had said earlier, Marie instinctively thought of one thing. ‘Will something happen today?’
She clenched her fist. ‘It’s obvious that Lady Ariel is plotting something for the upcoming banquet. There must be a connection between what I’d dreamed last night and Lady Ariel’s schemes.’
With only half a day remaining until the banquet begins, Marie resolved to uncover Lady Ariel’s plans within that timeframe.