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“Did you make these cookies by yourself?”
“Yes!”
Ray asked, surprised by the almond cookies Po brought to tea time.
“It’s amazing. I’ve never baked cookies before.”
“Do you want me to teach you?”
“Will you?”
Ray laughed softly, and Po nodded his head and promised to do so.
“po…! How can you teach His Highness the Crown Prince”
“Oh, my god!”
Joy glanced at him and Po looked at Dorothea in a bewildered way.
Surprised by himself for committing blasphemy, his round eyes beg for help.
Ray laughed at Po cutely.
“It’s okay. Baking cookies is interesting, so I wanted to try it. It’s magical to see flour change like this.”
Po was proud to speak with the Crown Prince and was also delighted by Rey’s tender kindness.
“His Majesty the Crown Prince, he is very handsome.”
Joy couldn’t hide her excitement when Ray left.
“What…?”
‘That idiot?’
In Dorothea’s eyes, he was just a bright older brother, but in the eyes of others, he wasn’t just that.
‘Wasn’t he pretty popular in Episteme too? Do people like him more because he is the Crown Prince?’
“I think he’s the second most handsome man I’ve ever seen.”
“Second?”
“After that, the young master of the duke family.”
‘Ah, Ethan…’
Ray after Ethan. It was too much praise for Ray.
But It was clear that Ray had a filter of power than Ethan.
“Is he going to become emperor later?”
“Yes.”
“Wow, the person who will become emperor ate my cookies.”
Po admired purely.
The one who will become the Emperor, the Crown Prince.
In fact, Dorothea really admired the position, much less the two of them.
“I am sure he will become a wonderful emperor.”
At Joy and Po’s words, Dorothea picked up a cup and stopped.
“Yes, that’s right.”
Dorothea nodded and brought the teacup to her lips again.
Dorothea shrugged off her concerns about what would happen if those two children increasingly liked Ray more than she did.
‘Why are you worried? When Joy and Po get close to Ray…That’s good.’
Ray was stronger than Dorothea.
‘If Joy and Po have a problem, Ray can be more helpful than me.’
Carnan doesn’t listen to Dorothea, but he listens to Ray.
“Joy, Po.”
“yes?”
“If you want to be with Ray, let me know….”
“Yes?”
“I may be able to, I’ll find out when there’s a place for you.”
The place where Ray is served is so popular that it is not easy to find a vacancy, but if Dorothea did, she could have helped Joy and Po by gathering strength without her.
Then those two will have a stronger background.
But Joy and Po looked at her blankly, as if they didn’t understand Dorothea’s words.
“Why do we want to be with the Crown Prince? We will be with the princess.”
“Ah, did you hate us?”
said Joy, and Po asked dazedly.
Dorothea shook her head in surprise at their reaction.
“No, it’s not like that.”
“So why are you sending us to the Crown Prince?”
Po’s voice was cautious, as if frightened.
“I mean, you can do it if you want.”
“Do you want us to go, Princess?”
Po’s lips trembled, and Joy grabbed Po’s hand.
‘Do I want them to go to Ray?’
“No…”
‘I also want someone to be by my side.’
But Dorothea was always afraid that she would become a burden holding someone’s ankles.
Then Joy and Po grabbed Dorothea’s arm.
“Then don’t leave us.”
The two of them whispered. Dorothea stared at the two of them. Joy and Po grabbed her hem and supported her, who was easily shaken by the smallest things.
“How can I leave you?”
‘I’m afraid you’ll leave me.’
At Dorothea’s words, the two smiled in relief.
* * *
One day, as time passed, Dorothea grew taller to the height of Stefan’s chest, and her eyes became more mature and deep.
“Madam, I have something to tell you.”
A maid came in and found Clara, not Dorothea.
Clara looked at Dorothea and at the maid’s dark expression.
Clara, who had been happily chatting with Dorothea until recently, stiffened as if she had sensed misfortune.
‘Is there a problem I don’t know?’
“Go ahead.”
With Dorothea’s permission, Clara left the room.
And Clara did not return for a long time.
Is there some serious problem with the palace? The maids have a manpower problem, or something is seriously broken.
‘It won’t be a big deal…’
Clara is a seasoned maid, so there’s no need to worry. With that in mind, Dorothea didn’t really care.
However, Dorothea couldn’t help but be surprised to see Clara who soon returned with her eyes swollen and red.
“Clara…!”
‘I’ve been with Clara for a long time, but it’s the first time I’ve seen such a miserable expression on her face.’
“Princess, I… I’m really sorry, but can I take a few days off?”
“What’s wrong, Clara?”
“That’s because my father passed away…”
There was no energy in Clara’s voice, which was always strong and bright. Clara said that her father, who had been ill for a long time, passed away this morning.
Dorothea felt sorry that she had known nothing about Clara’s family even though she had been with Clara for so long.
“I’m sorry, Clara. If I knew your father was ill, I would have given you an earlier vacation…”
“No. I didn’t expect he would die so suddenly. Even if the princess had given me a vacation, I would have come out.”
Clara laughed weakly.
“Go ahead, Clara. Don’t worry about anything on this side, and take care of yourself.”
“I’m sorry you see me like this, princess.”
Clara bowed her head.
“What are you sorry for? Don’t mind me and go, Clara.”
“Thank you, Princess.”
Clara bowed deeply and left the room.
Although Clara’s father doesn’t know her face, Dorothea’s mood has also changed.
‘Father… A normal father would be like that.’
It is unimaginable for Dorothea, who has no ties with Carnan. It was she who led the army during Carnan’s funeral.
Dorothea called a maid other than Clara.
“Send someone to Clara’s side to help with the funeral.”
No matter how simple a funeral is, there were a lot of things to be concerned about because it was a matter of receiving mourners and performing ceremonies.
Dorothea ordered the maid to help Clara not have to worry about matters such as money or hospitality.
“And send her a wreath in my name.”
“In the name of the princess?”
Sending wreaths bearing the names of the imperial family was only done to famous nobles and high-ranking ministers.
However, it would not be appropriate to send a wreath bearing Dorothea’s name to the funeral of a maid, a mere commoner.
“send it. If not this time, when will I send the wreath?”
How many people in Dorothea’s life are more important than Clara? Perhaps it was Clara who devoted herself most fervently to Dorothea in this life.
“And I’m going to the funeral in person tomorrow.”
“Is the princess herself? But Clara Maid’s house is on a street where commoners live.”
Since Clara is in the position of serving the royal family, she would be one of the most prosperous among the common people, but it was a little too much for Dorothea to walk.
But Dorothea did not easily give up on her will once she had made up her mind.
“I’m going, so get ready. Prepare a generous amount of condolence money.”
* * *
Clara was completely absent from her father’s sudden death.
There was no mother, and the brother, she was not in a situation to prepare for the funeral.
Clara has to work hard to find people to help with the funeral, a shroud and coffin for her deceased father, a tomb, flowers for the funeral, a priest to pray for, obituaries to friends, and a meal and a place to entertain the guests who come to the funeral.
‘Fortunately, my father cut off his relationship with his family a long time ago, and he didn’t have many acquaintances.’
‘I have so many things to finish by tomorrow.’
Clara thought that perhaps the reason for the complexity of the funeral process was so that there was no time to mourn over the dead.
As soon as Clara got up to organize what she had to do, holding her complicated heart, someone knocked on Clara’s door.
“Who’s that…?”
‘Has the obituary already reached the neighbor?’
Clara opened the door with a heavy heart.
However, in front of her stood the court officials who were in charge of the ceremonies in the imperial family. They knew more about funeral ceremonies than anyone else.
“Princess Dorothea sent it.”
“The Princess…?”
“You must be very sad, so please leave the funeral process and content to us.”
They said Clara doesn’t have to worry about the follow-up process if she tells them how to do the funeral she wants.
Clara thought at first that they might be crooks. But soon after seeing the round badge given out by the imperial family, he cast doubts.
‘It felt as if all of a sudden, the anxiety that had piled up like a mountain was falling away.’
They inquired about Clara’s desired funeral and proceeded with it skillfully.
He sent Clara’s obituary letter for her, arranged the house for the funeral, and helped with the burial of his father’s body.
It progressed so quickly and skillfully that Clara only had to quietly follow them around.
And the order for choosing the coffin for her father.
“Oh, this coffin is so expensive that I…”
Clara shook her head in surprise at the coffin that was recommended in front of her.
Those who came out of the imperial family did not even pay attention to the cheap ones and tried to choose the highest-quality coffins that the commoners could use.
A juniper coffin finely Made without using nails or metal was too expensive for her, who was preparing for the funeral alone. These coffins can only be used by wealthy merchants among ordinary people.
‘Of course, I wanted to prepare my father’s final resting place as the best one, but practical problems hampered me.’
“Don’t worry. The price will be paid by the princess. The princess told me to serve you most sincerely.”