/
“That’s right. Yes.”
Siervian played it innocently as she shyly hugged the doll, pretending, like the person in front of her.
Knowing nothing about Sievian’s past/life, the ladies-in-waiting just looked at the cute view.
In this current situation, Lara had no reason to be suspected.
‘I’m certain she was sent here by Count Mirccino.’
Count Mirccino was a representative of the Emperor’s faction.
In the previous life, that count was transferred to the aristocratic faction for the reason of Siervian.
It was none other than the playmate incident.
‘I never did it!’
The problem right now is that Lara did not appear in her life until her eighth year.
Being from the Emperor’s faction, Count Mirccino adopted a smart and clever child.
‘I’ve already had in mind that Lara is adopted, but why isn’t her last name attached in the status window?’
For generations, it’s quite common for young Imperialists to start their playmate session like this. It was to give lower aristocrats a chance to be given good care by the Imperial family.
So starting from the age of eight, Siervian was friends with Lara for two years.
‘We shared a lot of time together.’
Like the Empress, she was the one to rely on.
Even though she often said little, heartbreaking words.
‘That’s why the Princess keeps getting hated.’
Still, Siervian kept close to her, as they were precious peers of the Imperial family.
But in the middle of her tenth year, Lara put the blame on Siervian for abusing her, showing whip scars on her back.
It all of a sudden happened one day.
“You don’t have any hostility towards Lara?”
“Mhm, Sebi doesn’t.”
“The Princess is already comfortable with me. How fairy-like must our Princess be.”
Even now, Lara’s words still had a strange feeling. Using vulgar words such as ‘hostility’.
It was suffocating for Siervian to even think that she still needed to leave the Palace knowing that there would be a spy lying around.
‘Is the count already one of them? Or is it a ploy of the aristocrats to conciliate the Count?’
It was not yet known for certain, but the power of the Emperor’s faction was severely damaged by that incident.
And every work comes with a prize; The brutal nature of the Princess, who just turned ten years old at the time, was widely rumored in the social community.
With the food waste incident to top things up, her reputation plummeted.
‘It was even the time when the public sentiment was atrocious about the grain price fluctuations, so perhaps I was criticized more severely because of it.’
Anyhow, Lara came to the Imperial Palace a year earlier than expected.
‘Why did it change again?’
It was really a lot that had changed compared to then.
The biggest thing is that the Empress’s influence on the Princess’s Palace has significantly reduced.
Did the Empress get impatient and sent this clever spy?
“I hope we get along well, Princess.”
Lara smiled brightly, looking like a fairy like the one in front of her.
The beautiful hair that flows like the sea, and that seeming innocence could make anyone smile.
[ Lara ]
Thoughts: You look annoyed, little brat, drink some cold harmin tea.
“Yes, Sebi hopes we get along well, too.”
Said menacingly by Siervian as she remembered the dark age of the past.
The ladies-in-waiting of the Imperial Palace pondered as the animosity reached them.
* * *
“Let’s read a book together!”
“Okayy.”
When it comes to their playmate session, they first study the status of the Imperial family to some extent.
Princess, whose education has not yet begun, it was not a good choice in many ways to ask the Princess to read a book.
It can be seen as an act of ignoring the other person’s standard.
[ Lara ]
Thoughts: Are you going to get angry with this? We’re still both children who don’t know much about etiquette. Should I cut it a little loose for you to get mad?
Of course, it was okay if the Princess asked her to read the book.
Siervian then promised to herself not to do anything reprehensible while looking at Lara’s thoughts.
“Since the Princess doesn’t even understand these letters yet, I will read them.”
“…”
The expectations of her strange ways of speaking humility towards Siervian were awfully fulfilled
Lara is only one year older than Siervian, a normal child could have gone all mad at once.
It also happened that the ladies-in-waiting were away.
“Now, let’s sit here.”
Over the past few days, Lara has been patiently waiting and waiting.
For the maids to trust her alone with Siervian.
“Oh, are you reading a book?”
But of course, the maids wouldn’t fully leave her alone.
For a very brief time, such as going to the next room, Lara used this opportunity effectively.
“Yes, the Princess asked me to read it.”
Even before Siervian, Lara told a brazen lie.
Her innermost thoughts were evident in the status window.
If Siervian denies it, she wouldn’t cry but will only step back, and pretend to be a sad, dispirited child.
“…”
It was simple yet a fine plan, Siervian was unable to say anything this time.
If such a thing was repeated several times, the maids would find it strange.
Perhaps they could find Siervian a stubborn child.
“The Princess? I see.”
[ Jane Millas ]
Thoughts: That’s quite a surprise, the Princess rarely asks me to read. Perhaps she likes Lara?
Because Siervian actually didn’t have to ask her to read as she could read herself.
The ladies, who have no way of knowing it, tilted their heads while they happily watched the two little girls sit together.
‘How infuriating.’
She wanted to act more rapidly and get Lara out of the Imperial Palace immediately.
However, the mists of the dark memories surround Siervian once again.
Lara’s strange attitude, which differs from the previous life, stopped Siervian from saying strong words.
“Once upon a time, there was a beautiful empire.”
In the past, she was just being so thoughtful to Siervian. She didn’t make such a difference between her maids.
But there’s Sarah, another member of the Empress, so there was no need to address that.
“There lived a very wicked lady.”
Jane started knitting from a distance, it was to also give their time alone.
In a small voice that only Siervian could hear, Lara began to read the book softly.
“The Princess was such a bad person that everyone in the Empire hated her.”
Siervian felt deceived once more as she looked at the fairy tale book Lara was reading.
‘It’s completely different!’
Lara didn’t think Siervian could read the letters, so she continued and began to make outrageous noises.
The content gradually went too far off.
“People called her names. ‘I just wanted her to die like every witch.’”
[ Lara ]
Thoughts: Start crying now, dumb girl.
It has been like this for the past few days, Siervian never did what she wanted.
It appears on the outside that Lara has a very gentle personality, but the frequency of swearing inside her innermost thoughts has increased.
This very disturbing window of letters does not have the character of that smiling face, she was somehow similar to that of the Empress.
“The day she was executed, people threw stones at her. There were others throwing garbage.”
“…!”
Even though she should not be swayed, Siervian could not hide her surprised face even for a moment.
It may not have been something that Lara knew, but that quote was something straight out of her death day in the previous life.
[ Lara ]
Thoughts: That’s right, just a little more.
Holding the doll in her hands, Siervian kept her mouth shut.
She will not cry or do anything Lara had in mind.
Opposing Lara’s words, the book she was reading was a fairytale that also has information about a good Imperial family.
‘If I cry or get angry while listening to something like this, I’ll definitely look weird.’
Lara stopped the moment Siervian didn’t look strangely enough for the maids to show.
Her stare was momentarily bitter, it had gone by so quickly as if she hadn’t seen the frightening look.
[ Jane Millas ]
Thoughts: Come to think of it, She picked up a book that my good Princess would like. I suppose the playmate must be well educated.
From a distance, she could see Jane, who had lowered her vigilance, was humming and thinking.
She was filled with sadness, but she did not cry until the end.
‘I won’t be beaten again.’
There was a lot more Siervian could do this time.
* * *
“I am very glad to see you, Your Majesty, the sun of the Empire.”
A few days later, at breakfast time.
With a very elegant gesture, Lara greeted the Emperor.
Lara, who was only one year older, was comparable to Siervian in many ways.
Although this was not just Siervian’s claim.
[ Lara ]
Thoughts: I should win the favor of the Emperor. We are equally cute, however, if one can show a lot more politeness, they would definitely pay more attention to this side.
No matter what kind of equations were given, Lara was always good at calculating things like that.
“Hmm, Count Mirccino has transferred you here.”
“Yes, father always taught Lara to admire Your Majesty. So Lara has been wanting to meet Your Majesty!”
Lara then clasped her hands tightly, and shouted shyly, turning ever so slightly.
She looked more childlike and innocent compared to her polite appearance earlier.
“The Count has always been the sword of the Imperial family.”
“Lara is delighted.”
[ Lara ]
Thoughts: Trusting and not knowing what the Count was planning.
Siervian was appalled by this inwardly.
She sometimes wondered if the Count knew Lara was a spy of the Empress, but it turned out to be like this.
‘Count Mirccine was obviously a long-established person from the faction of the Emperor, but by accident!’
If he was criticized for losing a large branch of the Imperial faction because of her, he had no choice but to be familiar with this structure.
Particularly the time Count Mirccino turned his family to the aristocracy faction.
‘I have to tell this to my father, how should I do it?’
She looked hopeless, so the Emperor asked to fill his curiosity.
“What’s wrong, Siervy? Are you sick?”
“Uh-uh.”
It hurt her that she couldn’t express it.
But then, Lara intervened at the blunt voice of the Emperor.
“It seems that the Princess doesn’t like Lara’s presence at breakfast with His Majesty.”
“Hm?”
“It’s etiquette to greet first. I’m sorry…but it’s Lara’s fault. Please don’t blame Siervian, Your Majesty.”
The mood became strange in an instant.