/
“I know that.”
Ellie sighed with a brooding expression.
With that expression, Siervian felt nervous about this urgent matter.
But soon after, she comforted the ladies-in-waiting.
“It’s okay, everyone. Let’s goo!”
“Yes, Princess.”
[ Jane Millas ]
Favorability: +20
Thoughts: You must be excited since it’s your first time hearing about it.
As the Imperial daughter moved enthusiastically, the maids stopped frowning and prepared to go out in a hurry.
The time for Siervian to drink the Harmin tea was inevitably getting closer. But the fact that the time came rather suddenly made her want to just get it over with.
[ Ellie ]
Thoughts: I can’t do this. I need to contact His Majesty…
As Ellie left the palace worried, she secretly gave an order to the other maid beside her. Siervian, on the other hand, was worried about Adante, who left for a while.
What made Ellie worry so much was the suddenness of the call because it was against proper etiquette. So Siervian wondered if her father would do something on the day she would drink the Harmin tea.
‘But I heard that my father is especially busy these days.’
Siervian then realized that she was thinking like Ellie without noticing it.
She cutely shook her head quickly.
As she kept looking at people’s thoughts, she fell into bad habits thinking sometimes like the people she was looking into, which was a big problem for her.
‘I don’t think this is the time to drink Harmin tea.’
Harmin’s garden was a ceremonial space for young Imperial families to drink Harmin tea. Although it is an Imperial garden, only a small building structure was built there.
If one does not drink Harmin tea periodically, especially at an early age, they will die before entering adulthood. But there was another problem for Siervian.
‘I’m certain the allergies are still the same.’
Around the same period in her previous life, after drinking Harmin tea, Siervian completely collapsed and actually almost passed on due to shortness of breath.
It was also the day they found out that she was allergic to Harmin tea leaves.
‘If we go on like this again, I might…!’
Naturally, Siervian thought of various countermeasures, but an allergy like hers will only be revealed after drinking the tea.
In the end, only her anxiety deepened as she went without any excuses to cancel the ceremony.
‘I really don’t want this.’
After the day she managed to overcome the allergy, the Empress was very concerned about Siervian and even gave her a doctor from her own family.
Because management of cultivating the Harmin tea leaves was the role of the Empress.
Among the four meritorious families that established the Empire with the first Emperor, he was the only remaining duke.
’Umm, if it turns out you’re allergic again, I’ll have to seek help from them. But the transportation could be the only problem.’
They had devoted generations to this, regarding it as a ‘sacred duty’.
A specialist in Harmin tea leaves, the Empress’s doctor made Siervian a special pill; this was before she was imprisoned. They made it for Siervian; it had similar effects to the Harmin grass.
It was said that the medicine was handed down in the family and was very expensive because of the precious medicinal substance. If Siervian were a commoner, she would’ve died of the sparsity brought on by the allergy.
‘I believe that medicine was made just for me.’
The Empress even took special care of her swallowing the pill, because Siervian was worried about the medicine for a while.
‘Was she really worried about me though?’
She would have thought it was a fake medicine if it were something else.
However, Siervian was a little unsure of the Empress.
No matter how much she hated Siervian, it was hard to regard the act of defending her sacred duty as a lie.
‘But the thing is, caring for the Harmin tea leaves is the core of the Empress’s power. Using it because you hate someone is a bit…’
It was a unique authority that couldn’t violate the Imperial family.
It was said that it was the first Emperor’s consideration to also share it with the public, to the extent that it remains in the records of the Imperial family.
‘Come to think of it, it’s strange that only the Empress’s family manages something so important.’
Looking at the issue from a new perspective raised questions.
However, it is a matter of the lives of the Imperial people, so the Emperor also must have been taking care of it.
‘Perhaps my father has a record of it, so maybe he knows why?’
While deep in thought, Siervian didn’t realize that she had already arrived at the Harmin Garden.
And there was already some trouble in front of the garden.
“Wait, if you handle such a procedure that has not yet been cleared!”
“Oho, you are interfering with a sacred duty!”
A familiar voice reached Siervian; it was the voice of Ellie, who was confronting someone.
“But, there are laws and etiquette…!”
“You’re a commoner, what manners are you talking about!?”
After hearing those words, Siervian inadvertently made a face.
Unlike Jane, Ellie was a commoner. However, she was in charge as the chief lady-in-waiting at the Princess’ Palace, but originally it wasn’t supposed to be her.
In anger, Siervian squirmed toward the two and as she stepped forward she saw the familiar doctor who was yelling at Ellie.
‘That is the doctor who gave me the special pills, right?’
He only took a peek at the Imperial Princess and packed his bag needed for their ceremonial visit, and that’s when Jane shouted sternly.
“This is absurd! Be respectful to the Princess!”
He then bowed his head formally, right after he busily issued an order for something to the people in the garden.
The expressions of the ladies-in-waiting became bitter when the people in the garden completely ignored the Imperial Princess.
‘But why am I the only one here?’
When Siervian previously first drank Harmin tea, she had all her Imperial family gathered in the garden.
Since it is a matter related to the body of the Imperial Family, the presence of the family members is a must.
“Handmaidens of the Princess’s Palace, please step aside.”
Then a middle-aged woman appeared from behind the doctor menacingly, and the tone of her voice made Siervian freeze in place.
There was the chief lady-in-waiting of the Empress’ Palace.
In the Emperor’s Palace and in the Empress’s Palace there must be one chief lady-in-waiting and one grand chamberlain. But this time, the Emperor’s palace didn’t have a chief lady-in-waiting.
“This is nonsense! What about the proper etiquette of the Imperial Palace?!”
Blocking the front of the princess, Jane shouted at the Empress’s people.
But another familiar voice came to Siervian’s mind, she felt as if her nightmare came back.
Unfortunately, she was the one that receives the Empress’s rebukes every time something happens.
[ Annabelle Aium ]
Occupation: The Empress’s Chief Lady-in-waiting
Favorability: -2680
Thoughts: This one’s annoying. You’re merely a child of a lowly concubine. I’ll make you realize your place today.
At Annabelle’s gesture, her people flocked towards the princess and her maids.
“Let go!”
“Princess!”
“The Empress had just lost sight of the Princess for a little while, and yet now the parts of the Palace have become very vulgar.”
Looks of disgust fell on her. Siervian couldn’t stop getting goosebumps from what was happening.
Siervian didn’t expect that she would have these kinds of thoughts.
In the garden right now, Annabelle had the highest position in terms of the hierarchy of nobility.
Thanks to that, she also has the role of disciplining Siervian on behalf of the Empress.
‘Oh no, what do I do?’
She was also a maid that the Empress brought from her family’s household, and also the Crown Prince’s nanny.
Siervian had no choice but to keep an eye on Annabelle’s thoughts because she was the Empress’s closest aide, no matter what happened.
“Doctor, prepare the tea.”
“Yes, yes.”
After pulling Siervian out of her detained maids, they entered the garden.
Something had changed. In her previous life, she did not come to this garden at this time of the month.
If her family came to this ceremony, she would’ve definitely been given first aid, but no one came.
‘The future is changing.’
While being dragged, Siervian became terrified of what she was seeing.
[ Tivree ]
Occupation: Harmin Specialist (Lv.89)
Thoughts: Haa, I’m shaking. Putting it even just a little made me anxious. But since Her Majesty said she’d look after her…
‘What? What did you put in!?’
The round-eyed Siervian urgently looked around the place.
In that short amount of time of being dragged, all the maids of the Princess’s Palace were helplessly overpowered and detained outside the garden.
The only ones here in the garden were people of the Empress and Siervian.
“Princess! Let go of her!”
They were all obviously dressed up as servants, but the difference in the number of people seemed to be a lot more powerful on Annabelle’s side.
It seemed to be fortunate for them that all of this happened after Siervian’s escort was away for a while.
‘But when will the escort return?”
Even in her previous life, Annabelle occasionally visited the Princess’s Palace and ordered all the handmaidens there.
At that time, Sarah handed over the reins as chief lady-in-waiting as if it was natural. It’s like trying to pressure the young Siervian.
“Come on, Princess. This is Harmin tea, this one’s important for the body.”
In the middle of the garden, there was a lavish ceremonial table.
The doctor who stood there poured the Harmin undiluted solution into the lukewarm water.
Looking at the teacup, Siervian felt pure fear after a very long time.
“D-Don’t wanna.”
“Oho. It’s not bad, it’s medicine. You will need to drink this every month from now on.”
“No! Sebi doesn’t want to drink tea!”
There was even something added to the tea she was allergic to.
She had a gut feeling of not ever drinking that tea, so she struggled getting out of Annabelle’s hands.
Then Annabelle’s hand tightened to the hand Siervian was trying to let go of.
“Look at this. Her Majesty the Empress has barely educated her like an Imperial child. People will soon know that you are lacking.”
“Let go…Sebi…Sebi…”
The expressionless Annabelle pressed Siervian’s shoulder harder and took the teacup.
“Drink. Hurry.”
“Sebi doesn’t…”
As tears welled up in this sad situation, Siervian futilely begged and begged.
No matter how busy he was, she wanted him to come.
Just then, Siervian heard the familiar low voice as if her wish came true.
“Stop.”
“Y-Your Majesty.”
Her hand clasped off quickly
With Annabelle, who bowed her head gracefully, and behind her, Siervian turned her head to look at her father.
The Emperor looked around with his blue eyes and found a cute tearful face.
At that moment, a huge force of mana swept through the garden.
“Uurk.”
“Huk—”
“AAACK!”
As the strong mana shot out at such a fast speed from him without one gesture to summon it, Annabelle was caught with the attack first and was flung into the bushes.