This is the Imperial Palace where the imperial families live together.
So I thought I would run into the crown prince at least once.
âBut I never thought weâd meet like this.â
Rashid was looking at Siana with sparkling eyes.
As if expecting something huge.
âIâm just pouring tea. Whatâs wrong with you?â
Siana was uncomfortable with the look in Rashidâs eyes, but she couldnât say it honestly.
âIâm a maid, and thatâs the crown prince. I have to be quiet and do as Iâm told.â
Siana let out a small sigh and concentrated on pouring the tea.
Click, open the lid of the tea.
Rustle, scoop up the tea leaves.
Dribble, the hot water fills the teacup.
It was an ordinary appearance, but Rashid and Aris couldnât take their eyes off Siana.
It was really magical.
A magic that transforms an ordinary maid into an elegant lady.
After pouring tea into Rashid and Arisâ cups, Siana bowed her head with a cautious smile.
It means the tea is complete.
Aris, who had been staring blankly at Siana, reacted first.
âAmazing!â
Aris didnât know much about tea, but she had a chance to see it while attending a big banquet.
Even from Arisâ perspective, Sianaâs ability to pour tea was incredible.
More than the maids who served tea alongside His Majesty the Emperor.
âHow can a low-ranking maid pour tea so well? Arenât you actually a wonderful person? It turned out that she was a princess from a neighboring country!â
How could the words spoken so thoughtlessly touch only the truth?
Siana said with an awkward smile.
âYou praise me too much. The princess canât drink hot water well, so I cooled the water down a little. I added honey and milk to reduce the bitterness. You should try it.â
Aris, who hates tea, looked at the cup with a serious face and took a sip as if determined.
Arisâ eyes grew bigger.
âUwaa, itâs delicious!â
It was a very childlike reaction.
But Aris was a princess before she was a child.
It wouldnât matter if it was just the two of them, but Rashid was by her side now.
Rashid may scold his rude little sister.
Siana glanced at Rashid with a worried look on her face.
Contrary to concern, however, Rashid did not seem to care about Aris at all.
He was savoring his tea with an ecstatic expression on his face.
â⊠âŠâ
This was the second time Siana had seen Rashid.
The first was a bloody battlefield.
Clothed in armor and covered in blood, she was too terrified to appreciate the beauty.
But now itâs nothing like it was then.
A beautiful man sitting back in a chair comfortably under the warm sunlight and drinking tea with his eyes down, like a languid cat.
Itâs unrealistic.
To the extent that I was mesmerized without even realizing it.
Rashid, who took his mouth off the teacup, said with his eyes curved like a crescent moon.
âIt still tastes great.â
ââŠâŠ!â
Seeing his sparkling face, Siana felt her heart drop.
Siana, who had barely managed to adjust her expression, felt strange.
âStill? You sound like you know the taste of the tea I brew?â
Aris seemed to feel that way as well, and abruptly interrupted.
âWhat, the two of you. No way, do you know each other?â
Rashid nodded.
âDidnât Siana tell you?â
âNot at all.â
â⊠âŠâ
âSheâs never talked about my brother to the extent like ant poop.â
â⊠âŠâ
At that moment, Siana felt as if Rashidâs cheeks seemed slightly inflated. It must be an illusion.
TL/N: Cuteee!!
Rashid sipped the car and boasted.
âI was the one who accepted Siana as the maid of the palace.â
Arisâ eyes widened. Aris said with a look of absurdity.
âWhy did my brother do such a thing? Youâre not that kind of person.â
âBecause sheâs cute.â
âThatâs true.â
Looking at the siblings who nodded at the same time, Siana was stunned.
What the hell are you talking about?â
A number of trivial conversations ensued.
Sol, who had been a step away from Rashidâs back, approached and whispered.
âYour Highness, itâs time for the meeting. You have to go now.â
âI havenât had enough tea yet.â
âDidnât you drink four cups already. Your stomach is bulging.â
Rashid looked disappointed, but he didnât insist on staying longer.
Rashid rose to his feet.
Aris, who stood up together, held out her hand.
âYou have to give it to me and go.â
âYes, indeed.â
Rashid held out the piece of paper to Aris. It was a confirmation letter with the seal of the crown prince.
Aris looked up at Rashid and said.
âWhat should I pay for the confirmation letter?â
âIâve had a great cup of tea, so thatâs it.â
Arisâ face twisted.
It was the face that asked if this human was her older brother. Rashid continued with a chuckle.
âIf you think the price is not enough, invite me again next time.â
ââŠâŠIâll think about it.â
âPlease think positively.â
Rashid stroked the hair of Aris, who was much shorter than him. Aris hit Rashidâs hand with a nervous face.
âDonât do anything disgusting and go.â
âOkay.â
Siana, who was watching the scene, was confused.
It was because Rashid seemed to really care for Aris.
âItâs ridiculous. The Prince of Blood.â
Then, Rashidâs and my eyes met.
Rashid bent his eyes gently.
âThanks to you, I drank delicious tea. Thank you.â
So, itâs too friendly to say that itâs a greeting from the noble crown prince to a maid.
Siana lowered her head, hiding the feelings she couldnât adapt to at all.
âIt is an undeserved compliment.â
Aris, who was next to her, growled.
âDonât flirt with someone elseâs maid. Get out of here!â
TL/N: Aris knows whatâs up heheheheh
* * *
After Rashid left, Siana said.
âI didnât know that the princess had such a close relationship with the Crown Prince.â
Aris, who was sipping the rest of the tea, spat out with a spurt.
âThat canât be true. Donât say terrible things!â
âBut he came to see you willingly after receiving the princessâ letter. He also gave you a confirmation with the seal.â
It seemed like an obvious favor toward his sister. However, Aris strongly denied Sianaâs idea.
âI just made a deal.â
ââŠâŠ.â
âIn exchange for giving me this piece of paper, my brother put a debt on it. no. He said it was done with drinking tea, so thatâs it?â
Arisâ frowning face was not that of a younger sister who was helped by her older brother, but rather that of a debtor who borrowed money from a moneylender.
ââŠâŠ.â
Siana remembered the culture of the empire she had read about in the book.
The imperial family is polygamous.
An emperor with absolute power takes dozens of wives and has children.
And numerous children have equal rights to the throne, regardless of age or rank.
In other words, everyone is a competitor for the throne.
Until a new emperor takes the throne, the crown prince changes countless times.
It was because the brothers who were greedy for the throne died and killed each other.
This was also the case for Crown Prince Rashid, who held the overwhelming power, and Aris, the youngest princess.
The two have the same father, but they can never become close siblings.
Siana lowered her eyebrows.
âWell. If it were a relationship like that, he wouldnât have let Princess Aris live like this in the first place.â
Aris also didnât seem to have the slightest disappointment for her older brother who neglected her.
Nevertheless, the relationship between Rashid and Aris seemed a little special.
At least Rashid seemed to have goodwill toward Aris.
Aris said while munching on a snack Rashid brought.
âIâm easy*. Young, no mother, no supportive family.â
TL/N: Like sheâs not much of a threat.
It is said that she is the furthest from the throne.
So Rashid can be comfortable with Aris.
Whether it be sympathy or love.
Aris muttered.
âActually, I didnât want to receive anything like this. Itâs just debt.â
Siana looked at Aris with a complicated expression.
âHow can a child who is only 10 years old have such thoughts⊠âŠâ
Sianaâs life as a princess was not smooth either.
Of course, the situation was different with Aris.
Her birth mother died, but the maternal family remained. They hoped that Siana would gain at least some of the power as the princess of the kingdom.
So, at a young age, Siana had to know what she didnât have to know. I had to grow up too soon.
I wasnât in the least happy.
âI wish the princess wasnât that bigâŠâŠ.â
I wish I had grown up like an ordinary child who was worried about how to deal with bell peppers mixed in food or how to sleep late.
It was Sianaâs small greed.
* * *
The power of a piece of paper with the crown princeâs seal on it was enormous.
The moment Siana held it out, the supply depot went into an uproar. The attendant in charge said with a completely changed face.
âTake everything you want.â
âAll of them?â
As she had aimed for the first time, Siana grabbed a pen and paper. Then I glanced over.
The attendant had a face like, âIs that all you have?â
So, Siana boldly began sweeping things up.
There was a lot to take if you gave it. Because there were more things that were not present in the Ruby Palace than there were.
âThe more soap and candles, the better, so letâs take a lot. I should bring thick cloth and make some clothes for the princess. Oh my, thereâs a lot of tea. At this point, letâs change all the dishes. The bowls in the Ruby Palace are too old.â
The attendant asked with a bewildered face at the items piled up like a mountain.
âCan you take it all?â
âOf course!â
Fortunately, the attendant lent me a wooden cart.
Siana started pulling the cart full of luggage.
âUgh, itâs heavy.â
Even though she had gained quite a bit of muscle while living as a maid, she did not have strong power.
It couldnât have been easy to carry a load larger than my body. Meanwhile, Ruby Palace in the corner of the imperial palace was far away.
âMaid Guts!â*
TL/N: Siana cheering for herself
Siana, who had stepped forward with her teeth clenched, widened her eyes.
Suddenly the cart became lighter.
âIs someone pushing me from behind?â
I turned my head to check who it was, but I couldnât see who it was because of the pile of luggage.
It was also strange to suddenly stop the cart and check his face.
Above all, Siana was friendly to the goodwill of others.
You have to take favors when you can.
So Siana spoke loudly enough to be heard in the back.
âThank you for your help!â
The silent angel did not answer and silently pushed the cart.
He was so strong that Siana didnât struggle at all.
âI donât know who you are, but youâre the best, angel.â
Before she knew it, Siana arrived in front of Ruby Palace.
Siana let go of the handle of the cart and quickly ran to the back of the cart.
It was to properly thank the angel.
However, as soon as she saw the angel, Sianaâs face turned pale.
âHi.â
It was Rashid who smiled with a disheveled face.
Crown Prince of the Empire. In this imperial palace, an existence holding the power second only to the emperor.
You let someone like that push the cart?
Oh God.
Siana knelt on the floor at breakneck speed and lowered her head.
âForgive me, Your Highness. I made a mistake by not noticing the noble one.â
I put my forehead on the ground and thought about all sorts of things.
Why did this man help me?
Bored? Because I look tired? Because you want to use your overflowing energy?
Nothing could have been the reason why the Crown Prince pushed the cart that the maid was pulling.
No. There is one convincing reason.
âIf youâre trying to bully the maid in a unique way thatâs never been done before, itâs a success, Your Highness the Crown Prince.â
Thatâs how terrible this situation was for Siana.
Rashidâs voice was heard.
âRaise your head. You donât have to do that to me. I just did it because I wanted to.â
So why, would Your Highness want to push my cart!
Rashid spoke as if he could hear Sianaâs mind.
âYouâre too small and the cart is too big.â
â⊠âŠâ
âSo I helped you. Thatâs all.â
â⊠âŠâ
For some reason, the voice that sounded a little downcast was sincere.
There seemed to be no ploy, no malice to bully.
So Siana slowly raised her head.
Seeing Sianaâs face, Rashid smiled brightly.
Looking at the face of a man as harmless as a child, Siana thought.
âThis person may be more out of his mind than I thought.â
Otherwise, there is no way that a prince would keep smiling at a maid (who was a princess in the past) like that.
Itâs best to avoid crazy people.
Siana stood up and bowed her head.
âI beg your pardon, Your Highness. Princess Aris told me to return to the palace as soon as possible.â
Fortunately, Rashid did not scold her. He didnât even catch her.
He just made a really, really sad face. (Here, Siana was once again convinced that he was the crazy prince.)
ââŠâŠI see. Go ahead.â
Siana responded like lightning.
âYes.â
Fearing that he would push it again, Siana pulled the cart at breakneck speed with all her strength and entered the Ruby Palace.
Rashid looked silently in the direction in which Siana disappeared.
[Solâs POV]
At some point, escort knight Sol approached.
âWhy did you just let her go?â
âShe wonât like it if I catch it.â
Since when did you care so much about other peopleâs feelings?
Sol swallowed the words in his heart.
Rashidâs face was full of disappointment.
It was the face I saw when he failed while trying to seduce a squirrel who was very wary of people.
âYou seem to really like Miss Siana.â
After sending Siana to Princess Aris, Rashid stopped asking about her.
So I thought his interest had subsided.
But the moment he received the letter from Princess Aris yesterday, I realized that wasnât the case.
As soon as Rashid read the letter, he jumped up and headed for the Ruby Palace.
As if he was only looking for a chance to go to the Ruby Palace.
âDid you miss Siana that much?â
At Solâs words, Rashid nodded.
âYes. I wanted to see round eyes. I also wanted to drink the tea she brewed herself. Sheâs cute and sheâs still good at making tea.â
â⊠âŠâ
âShould I just bring her to my palace?â
Solâs eyes widened.
I can allow Rashid to cling to Siana.
It wasnât a serious feeling anyway, it was just a feeling of loving a stray cat that he liked.
But bringing her to Rashidâs palace was a different matter.
Only those whose abilities and credibility have been thoroughly verified were allowed to enter the palace of the crown prince, who had many enemies.
So, before shouting no, Rashid said.
âDonât worry. I wonât really bring Siana.â
Sol gave a look like how he could believe those words.
Rashid said, looking at the stupid and honest knight that showed all his emotions on his face.
âDid you feel anything when you saw Ruby Palace yesterday?â
Sol blinked at the sudden question and answered.
âThe palace has become very clean. Miss Siana seems to have a talent for cleaning.â
âAnd?â
âPrincess Aris is in better shape. I guess Miss Siana must have a talent for looking after children.â
At Solâs words, Rashid burst out laughing.
âAnyway, Solnite. Even if you are a knight who only needs one sword, you are too dull.â
Rashid lowered his eyes and thought of Aris.
The girl who growled like a fox in the wild looked surprisingly calm.
The eyes that used to be fierce were also shining brightly. She smiled brightly, revealing white teeth.
It was clear who led the change in Aris.
âAris opened her heart to Siana.â
â⊠âŠ!â
Sol opened his eyes widely.
âDid you send her to Princess Aris on purpose because you knew this would happen?â
Rashid did not answer. Silence was an affirmation.
Rashid realized something through the tea party held when Siana was an apprentice maid.
Siana willingly bowed her head to commoners and served them respectfully. At the same time, she said everything she had to say to the nobles.
In other words, Siana treats people regardless of status or power.
The same goes for the miserable princess who had a humble dancer as her biological mother and was abandoned by her father.
âOf course, that alone did not open Arisâ heart, butâŠâ
âThen?â
âMy little sister has the same taste as me. The animals that I adored are also cute to her.â
ââŠâŠ.â
The bottom line is that Siana is cute.
Sol made a tired face at the endless praise of Siana.
Either way, Rashid murmured with a sad face.
âI want to drink the tea that Siana made for me again.â
I want to see Siana again.
⊠⊠Hearing that, Sol completely blocked his ears.