~CHAPTER 13~
“Have you been well, Lady Ortensa?”
Sir Roisen, just back from his vacation, barely managed to finish his greeting before Dianu thrust a manâs cloak right under his nose.
He looked confused.
“A gift…?”
Dianu was speechless.
When she unfolded the cloak instead of answering, Sir Roisen narrowed his eyes.
“…This is His Majestyâs cloak.”
It wasnât strange that he recognized it right away.
That deep purple fabric and golden thread combination was used only for the Emperor and Empressâs garments.
Even making a handkerchief in that combination was considered disrespectfulâlet alone a cloak.
Just holding it made Dianuâs hands tremble.
Cora didnât even dare to touch it.
When the Emperor had draped the cloak over her, had he foreseen the trouble it would bring her?
Dianu couldnât tell.
“Please return this to the Imperial Palace. Youâre a Royal Guard Knight, so youâre allowed to handle His Majestyâs clothes, arenât you?”
“But Lady Ortensa is handling it right now.”
“Itâs not like I want to!”
Sir Roisenâs face was pure and innocent, free of any malice.
“Did His Majesty just take it off and leave it?”
Though his tone sounded mildly irreverent, he wasnât wrong.
Dianu quickly explained herself.
“He thought I was cold, so as a gentleman, he lent it to me.”
“Itâs summer, though.”
“It was in the middle of the night…”
A heavy silence fell.
Dianu felt truly wronged.
“Donât get any strange ideas!”
“I wasnât, not even a little.”
“Then please take it away right now.”
Even if Sir Roisen didnât misunderstand, others might.
Countess Ornin or one of the other maids could see it, and then who knew what kind of chaos would follow.
He still looked puzzled, but thankfully, Sir Roisen accepted the troublesome cloak.
“Then Iâll return it right away.”
“If you happen to meet His Majesty, please also thank him for me.”
“Why donât you go yourself?”
“Iâm… busy.”
“Busy… I see.”
Sir Roisen looked doubtful.
And who could blame him? Heâd watched her loiter around waiting for the Princess for weeks now.
But she couldnât tell him that after the subtle tension between her and the Emperor last night, she hadnât slept a wink and wasnât emotionally ready to face him again.
Fortunately, Sir Roisen was a man of manners.
Instead of pressing her further, he left for the Imperial Palace alone.
With the Emperorâs cloak finally gone from sight, Dianu felt a little more at ease.
She sat down on a long bench, trying to calm herself.
âI need to pull myself together.â
She wasnât even sure what exactly she needed to pull herself together *for.*
* * *
Time passed relentlessly.
Every morning, Dianu tied her hair with the ribbon gifted by the Emperor and headed to the library in the Oak Palace.
She spent an hour or two reading while waiting for the Princess.
Of course, the Princess never appeared.
She spent the rest of her time playing the pianoforte in the music room or writing letters to Grand Duchess Ellaris and Grand Duke Erin.
She also sent polite letters with vague updates to the family in the Erbinjel Duchy.
Her days were peacefulâso quiet it was almost painful.
That was, until she ran into Bertona Aldebaron again.
Dianu had come to somewhat regret how unpleasant their first meeting had been.
She realized sheâd let her temper get the better of her.
In hindsight, she could somewhat understand Bertonaâs position.
After all, a woman who was neither a maid nor a scholar had somehow taken the post of the Princessâs tutor and was being treated as an honored guest at the Oak Palace, barely doing her supposed job.
To someone like Bertona, who likely handled a heavy workload as a maid, Dianu must have looked insufferable.
There was usually only one reason a noble lady entered the Princessâs service: the connections and marriage prospects that came from being close to the Princess.
To âgraduateâ from that service usually meant marrying a fine husband.
But with the Princess refusing all public appearances, Bertonaâs original goal had long slipped out of reach.
Now she was just stuck doing chores under Countess Orninâs strict supervision, unable to voice her frustrations openly.
Still, there was no excuse for the way she chose to vent them.
“The Ortensa familyâwhere are they from, exactly? Never heard of them.”
“Oh my, so the Baronâs daughter works as a tutor now?”
“Sheâs not even the Baronâs daughter. Must be from some distant branch. Probably split off generations ago.”
“Then sheâs hardly a proper lady, isnât she?”
“Just look at her clothes. Anyone would think sheâs middle class.”
Their laughter pierced the air.
Dianu forced herself to keep a calm, blank expression just to hide her disbelief.
Sheâd come to the garden for her usual after-meal walk, wanting some quiet time to think.
Sheâd even told Sir Roisen to stay behind.
But two of the Princessâs maids were already there, and as soon as they noticed her, they raised their voices so she could hear every word.
Dianu clenched her fists and tried to hold back her anger.
âWhy canât women duel?â
If she were a man, she wouldâve marched straight up and thrown a glove in Bertonaâs face.
Plenty would have praised her for being gallant.
But a lady wasnât allowed to grab another by the hair.
Bertona Aldebaron glanced briefly at Dianu, then turned to her fellow maid with an exaggerated tone.
“I heard she graduated from a girlsâ school in the capital.”
“Oh? Why bother?”
“Maybe her family couldnât afford a proper education at home. When parents canât teach manners themselves, they send their daughters off toâ”
Before she could finish, the other maid, Luicilla, clamped a hand over her mouth.
Not because Dianuâs face had turned demonic with rage, though it nearly had.
“I canât stand hearing any more of this.”
The voice came from behind Bertona.
Someone was walking toward them through the garden, each step sharp and deliberate.
The familiar tone carried both contempt and irritation.
Dianuâs mouth fell open.
Parting the bushes came Princess Elpenlira herself.
“Y-Your Highness!”
Bertona and Luicilla hurriedly grabbed their skirts and bowed deeply.
The Princess looked down at them with eyes cold as frost.
She was dressed much like she had been at the hunting groundâwearing a loose shirt and riding breeches more suited to a man, a short sword at her waist.
With her golden hair tousled and a few leaves caught in it, she looked like sheâd just woken from a nap in the woods.
The Princess brushed off her shoulders and plucked a leaf from her hair.
“Bertona. Luicilla.”
The two maids reluctantly lifted their heads.
The Princess asked,
“What is a maidâs virtue?”
Neither Bertona nor Luicilla could answer.
Dianu almost pitied them.
Had she been in their place, she wouldnât have been able to speak either.
Only after the Princessâs face hardened with anger did the two manage to whisper a reply.
“Silence… Your Highness…”
“Correct. Silence. Then should I have to watch my maids gossip shamelessly within my palace?”
“…”
“Didnât Countess Ornin tell you I despise rumors and slander? Should I be scolding her for not teaching you properly instead?”
At the mention of Countess Orninâs name, both women went pale.
In unison, they lowered their heads, trembling as they begged for mercy.
“Weâre sorry, Your Highness. We spoke without virtue or restraint.”
“It will never happen again. Please show mercy and forgive us.”
The Princess didnât seem interested in granting mercy.
Her voice remained cold as she twisted the metaphorical knife.
“And who was it you were gossiping about so eagerly?”
The two glanced at each other but stayed silent.
The Princessâs tone sharpened.
“She was chosen by His Majesty himself. Didnât Countess Ornin tell you that as well?”
The maids began shaking like cornered rabbits.
The Princess delivered the final blow.
“Are you questioning His Majestyâs decision?”
The two nearly fell to their knees.
Even Dianu, just watching, felt chills run down her spine.
The Princess, having crushed her maids without even glancing at Dianu, turned away as if none of this concerned her.
“Do not appear before me until further notice. Iâll leave your final punishment to Countess Ornin.”
With that, she disappeared back through the bushes.
The maids burst into tears and fled from the garden.
When the storm passed, only Dianu remained.
âWhat… just happened?â
It wasnât as if the Princess had defended her.
The maidsâ offense wasnât âinsulting Dianu Ortensa.â
But something had undeniably changed.
The Princess had appeared before her of her own willâultimately to help her.
“She wouldnât have… changed her mind, would she?”
âIs it okay to hope, even just a little?â
With a slightly lighter step, Dianu left the garden.
She couldnât wait to tell Sir Roisen what had happened.
