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Special Chapter 1
[Siana’s POV]
The apprentice maid’s day began even before sunrise.
The first thing Siana did after waking up in the dark was to groom herself.
The Imperial Palace is a place where ‘elegance’ is more important than anything else. It was the same for apprentice maids who had to do all kinds of dirty work.
Siana had her long wheat-colored hair neatly braided and wore a gray uniform.
‘But still, I like this dress quite a bit.’
The maid’s uniform was a simple dress without any decorations, but it had many pockets, so it was perfect for work.
But unlike the uniform, which was quite attentive to the dignity of the royal palace, the breakfast was shabby.
Usually, the bread and soup left over from yesterday were usually served.
After a simple meal, I headed to work.
Today, Siana was assigned to the laundry room.
‘Wow, that’s a lot.’
Looking at the piles of laundry piled up like mountains, Siana gulped down her saliva.
There wasn’t much time to look around blankly.
“What are you doing? Come on in and get to work. You have to wash every stain.”
“Yes!”
With a strong reply, the laundry hell began.
I heard a whisper as I crouched down and hit the wet cloth with a bat.
“I heard His Majesty is not going to enter the palace this month either.”
While working here and there, servants and maids often talked about trivial news of the imperial palace, just like now.
Whenever this happened, Siana listened, pretending to be engrossed in her work.
This is because information was power in her life at the imperial palace.
“Seeing that he doesn’t come back to the castle this time, isn’t he in a bad condition?”
“No way. Don’t say ominous things.”
Even Siana, who had just joined as an apprentice maid, knew this.
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The emperor was currently absent.
This is because a few months ago, he went to the warm South to recuperate, saying he was not feeling well.
He didn’t go alone.
It was with the empress.
“Her Majesty the Empress is taking care of him. So he’ll get well soon.”
“I hope so.”
“By the way, isn’t Her Majesty the Empress really amazing? No matter how good the relationship between the two of them is, it would not have been easy to leave the palace as an empress, but she left for the road together without hesitation.”
“She’s famous for her benevolent personality.”
“She’s beautiful too.”
One of them, who had been talking about the empress in a voice full of respect said,
“That must be why God gave a gift to Her Majesty the Empress. The perfect existence of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince Rashid.”
At that moment, Siana’s hands unknowingly stopped squeezing the laundry.
Siana furrowed her brows.
‘Here we go again.’
There was a big distinct characteristic in the chatter of the maids.
No matter what the content was, it always moved on to the stories about the crown prince.
Unlike before, the voices of the maids were full of excitement.
“Mary, you said that you happened to see the Crown Prince on your way to move the laundry a few days ago. Tell me the details.”
Under the gaze of the maids, a maid took a deep breath for a moment and opened her mouth.
“First of all, his hair is silver, but it’s different from the dull gray we know. It sparkles as if it were made of fine silver thread.”
“And, and?”
“The face is even more amazing. Eyes, nose, mouth, and ears are all perfect, but the most distracting part is the eyes. If you look at the purple eyes shining under the long eyelashes, it’s really…….”
The maid shook her head with a distressed face as if she could not speak anymore.
“No, I’ll stop. Such a poor description cannot explain the appearance of the Crown Prince. See it with your own eyes.”
The maids cried out.
“I want to too!”
“How can I see His Highness the Crown Prince when I’m stuck in a place like this doing laundry day in and day out!”
“Urgh! It’s okay to just pick weeds all day, so please assign me to the Crown Prince’s palace!”
Siana was dumbfounded.
‘Are you all serious?’
Crown Prince Rashid was famous not only for his beautiful appearance.
More famous than that was his cruelty.
He has been on the battlefield since he was only 13.
Even considering that the imperial family grow up early due to the fierce battle for succession to the throne, it was too early.
What is surprising is that even at that age, he began to make tremendous achievements on the battlefield.
The young boy didn’t forgive those who stood in front of him.
Cut it again and again.
Bodies piled up like a mountain where he passed.
After a while, he was nicknamed ‘The Prince of Blood’. It was a name that clearly showed people’s fear of him.
So the day Siana made eye contact with Rashid, she was so surprised.
Because of his breathtakingly beautiful face.
‘… … And because of his eyes that are so clear.’
Rashid killed a man just before he made eye contact with Siana.
Anyone who had just killed someone was bound to have a sign in one way or another.
Either your eyes sparkle to live, or your eyes are dead because of guilt.
But nothing was felt in Rashid’s brilliant purple eyes.
It was just calm, as if nothing had happened.
Siana had goosebumps all over her body.
‘This person, he’s out of his mind.’
So Siana didn’t want to run into Rashid in any way.
That thought hadn’t changed even now, when she was having a hard day as an apprentice maid.
‘I’d rather be here banging on a laundry bat than working next to a madman who might kill me at any moment, aum*.’
TL/N: Sound of agreement
It was a small wish from the apprentice maid, Siana.
Special Chapter 1 fin
2. Abandoned Princess
[Siana’s POV]
The next day, Siana took off the gray uniform worn by apprentice maids and put on a brown one.
It was the clothes of a low-ranking maid that many apprentice maids wanted to wear so much.
On top of her neatly combed hair, she put a hairpin gifted to her by Chuchu.
Siana grinned at her reflection in the mirror.
“All right. I’m ready.”
Siana headed to the Ruby Palace where Princess Aris was.
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Ruby Palace
In fact, it was actually a palace in name only, but it was a small building with a modest garden and three rooms.
As soon as Siana arrived, a maid came out as if she had been waiting.
“Welcome, Siana. I’ve been waiting.”
The maid was wearing the same brown uniform as Siana. It meant that she was a maid of the same low ranking.
So, Siana was puzzled.
This is because usually, the maid with the highest rank greets the newcomer.
The maid said as if she understood Siana’s thoughts.
“I am the highest-ranking maid here.”
“What?”
“All the other maids have run away.”
The maid, who uttered shocking words, muttered words with a gloomy face.
“If I had the chance, I would have run away long ago.”
“…….”
Come to think of it, the maid’s face was speechless.
The dark circles were down to the tip of her chin, and her pale complexion looked haggard as if she would faint at any moment.
It was a face that clearly felt how hard it was to endure here.
Siana pondered over what to say before speaking.
“You must have had a hard time alone.”
At Siana’s words, the maid nodded with a face as if she was about to cry.
“Yes, it was really hard. Especially, serving the princess was the most.”
Siana swallowed her saliva.
Due to her sudden promotion, Siana knew nothing about Princess Aris, the owner of the palace.
“The princess must be very picky.”
“It’s not to the point of being picky. The princess…”
The maid spoke in a trembling voice.
“She’s the most vicious demon in the imperial palace.”
* * *
Princess Aris.
Although she was the emperor’s youngest daughter, her life was far from being that of a beloved princess.
This is because her biological mother was a dancer of humble status.
A half-princess with lowly blood.
To make matters worse, her biological mother died the day Princess Aris was born.
The heartbroken emperor never visited the Ruby Palace again.
In this way, Princess Aris became an abandoned being in the imperial family.
The maid spoke in a trembling voice.
“Maybe that’s why the princess grew up terrifyingly. To the point where all the maids who served the princess ran away.”
It was a shocking story, but Siana was calm.
I thought so.
Her real mother is dead, and the person called the father is completely indifferent.
‘It’s even stranger to grow up brave and beautiful in such a situation. It must have been so twisted that she couldn’t even imagine as a child.’
Because I experienced that too.
Not knowing what Siana was thinking, the maid spoke as if she were reading aloud.
“So no matter what the princess does, don’t be too surprised.”
Siana nodded.
Siana followed the maid to the princess’s room.
It was to greet the princess.
Siana walked down the corridors and inspected the building.
‘Even though it’s small, it’s not a place built haphazardly.’
Each ornament hanging on the wall was luxurious, and the marble on the floor was also shining.
‘If you look closely at the garden, there are many pretty flowers planted there.’
I couldn’t see it properly because the weeds were overgrown, but the flowers that bloomed here and there were all gorgeous and precious.
At least when the Ruby Palace was just built, it must have been a very nice place.
‘They didn’t manage it properly, so it doesn’t look good right now.’
The place where Siana’s gaze landed was the ceiling covered with spider webs.
After a while, the maid and Siana stopped walking.
The maid took a couple of deep breaths with a tense face and carefully knocked on the door.
“Princess Aris, the new maid has come to greet you.”
No sound could be heard in the room.
“Princess.”
After a while, a young voice came from inside the room.
“Come on in.”
The maid gulped and grabbed the doorknob.
She looked nervous as if she were entering the room of the vicious devil, not the room of a princess.
However, as soon as she entered the room, the maid screamed and fell on her butt.
“Kyaaaaaa!”
This is because a disgusting spider with eight legs fluttered in front of the maid’s nose.
Moreover, it was so huge that it was larger than the fist of an adult.
Aris, who was shaking the spider by tying it to a long string, burst into laughter.
“To be so surprised like this, it’s worth the hard work to catch it.”
The appearance of the princess was shocking.
Reddish hair that is scattered because it is not cut properly. Loose nightgown with one shoulder exposed and bare feet with nothing on.
‘Oh my gosh. She looks like a beggar, not a princess.’
That was Siana’s first impression of Princess Aris.
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Aris furrowed her eyebrows as she saw Siana standing next to the maid.
“What. Why aren’t you responding?”
“Ah, I’m sorry. I was distracted by something even bigger. I’ll show you the response you’ve been looking forward to now.”
“Kyaaaa!”
The moment Aris furrowed her eyebrows, Siana covered her face with both hands and screamed.
“Scream!”
It was a perfect soprano to listen to.
TL/N: LMAO One of Siana’s many talents
Siana looked at Aris while covering her face and said.
“Do you prefer crying over this?”
“What, what?
Aris looked at her without answering the bizarre words.
When Aris didn’t answer, Siana lowered her hands.
“Then, may I say my greetings now?”
Siana, who interpreted the silence as positive, took a step closer.
Standing in front of Aris, Siana knelt down and put her hands together over her chest.
It was a greeting to the royal family.
“It is an honor to serve the noble princess. Greetings from the maid, Siana.”
“… …”
It was an ordinary greeting.
However, Aris felt a feeling from Siana that she had never felt from other maids.
It was a strange feeling of pressure.
‘It’s ridiculous. She’s just a maid to me.’
Aris didn’t want to admit this.
So, Aris glared at Siana with all her might and shouted.
“If you said your greetings, get out now. I hate maids like you.”
“Yes.”
Siana, who answered quickly, dragged the maid who was still sitting on the floor shivering, and went out.
Thud.
Until the moment the door closed, Aris couldn’t take her eyes off Siana.
It was the first freak she had ever seen.
***
The maid, who belatedly came to her senses, shouted with a distorted face.
“Aaah, how can a princess do such a terrible thing? No matter how much she grew up not being loved, that’s a bit harsh! There’s nothing she can do about the vulgar bloodline anyway.”
After saying that, the maid began to pack.
Siana was taken aback by the maid’s sudden action.
“Maid, I know you’re surprised to see a fist-sized spider fluttering in front of you, but if you run away like this… …”
“I’m not running away.”
“What?”
“Ah, I didn’t tell you. I’m leaving this palace as of today. I moved to the laundry room.”
“… …”
“I wanted to leave this terrible place long ago, but I couldn’t because there were no attendants coming. Maid Siana has arrived, so I’m free now.”
She looked at Siana and lowered her eyebrows.
“As you can see, it’s a terrible place. However, if another maid is assigned, you will have a chance to escape somehow, so hang in there until then.”
“Now, hold on a second.”
Siana grabbed the maid.
“Still, you have to explain how this place works… …”
“Nothing much. You just have to take care of the princess.”
“Anything else?”
The maid’s job was not only to serve her master.
I also had to do laundry, cleaning, and gardening.
“Do as you please. You and that little devil are the only ones in this annex anyway.”
It was said to be easy because there was no one watching.
Just like that, the maid disappeared.
Only Siana was left alone in the small palace.
‘What on earth is this situation?’
It was absurd to go from an apprentice maid to a formal maid serving the princess, but this situation was even more absurd.
‘To take care of the princess by myself?’
Siana let out a small sigh.
‘If I had to do it, I should do it.’
Then what should I do first?
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Siana looked around the castle.
The palace was so dirty that it would be embarrassing to say that it was the place where the princess lived.
The stained and darkened floor, the dusty window frames, and the stained curtains.
The overgrown garden was like a jungle.
Siana let out a sigh.
‘I can see how carelessly the maids in charge of this place worked so far. I can’t see that anymore since I’m here.’
“Let’s clean up first.”
Siana put her hands on her waist and declared war on the dust.
***
Siana swept the floor with a broom. There was a lot of dust on the floor.
“Cough, cough.”
After that, I removed the stubborn dirt with a brush.
As I rubbed the floor with a brush, the gray floor turned white.
The original color during the past that was hidden has been revealed.
‘How much they haven’t cleaned up.’
Thanks to that, it was rewarding.
It’s because it changed every time I touched it.
The floor was washed, the windows were cleaned, and the ornaments placed everywhere were also cleaned.
It was a moment when I looked at the castle that was gradually getting cleaner with a happy face.
“You’re doing something useless.”
“… …”
Little feet without shoes.
A sharp voice.
I could tell who it was without asking.
Siana raised her head.
It was Princess Aris.
In an instant, Siana straightened her back and put her hands together.
“Princess, is there anything you want me to do?”
“……!”
Aris’ face distorted.
[Princess Aris’ POV]
‘Again.’
It was too polite.
It was the first time a maid had treated her like this.
Aris bit her lip.
‘She’s probably doing that because he doesn’t know anything. That’s why you’re cleaning so hard.’
Her attitude will surely change when he learns that Aris is a princess abandoned by the emperor.
Sympathy.
Or ignoring it.
‘And then you’ll leave me. I know everything.’
Aris glared at Siana and said.
“Don’t pretend to be nice. Anyway, like the other maids, you’ll run away when the opportunity arises!”
Siana opened her eyes wide and covered her mouth.
“Oh my gosh. It was a secret. How did you know?”
Aris’ eyes widened at Siana’s unexpected reaction.
Siana smiled and said as if there was no need to hide what had happened.
“Anyway, I’m a salaried worker. It’s natural to move when a better place comes along.”
“What?”
Siana said to Aris, who frowned in bewilderment.
“But I’ll do my best to serve the princess as long as I’m here. I’m the princess’ maid.”
“……!”
Aris’ big purple eyes widened as if she was hearing such words for the first time in her life.
Aris, who was staring blankly at Siana, ran to the other side of the garden and brought two hands full of leaves.
Then she threw the leaves vigorously over the floor.
“Still?”
“Yes.”
Aris ran to the window this time and pressed the glass with her palm.
Small hand-shaped stains were smeared on the transparent glass window.
“Still?”
“Yes.”
“……!”
[Siana’s POV]
After that, Aris’ misdeeds continued.
She dropped all the blankets from the clothesline on the floor and kicked the collected garbage with her feet.
But Siana never lost her temper.
It was because she respected Aris as her master.
‘Besides, this level of meanness is at the level of being cute.’
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Siana thought of her new queen.
If she didn’t like her maid, she threw food at her or harassed her until she felt better.
Compared to that, the princess’ actions were within the scope of understanding.
-I thought so.
Until the truth is known.