IDGM 27

Chapter 27

While Chloe was talking with Vanessa, Kallius’ subordinate Andrew sat on the driver’s seat of the carriage.

There was no way a small group like Kallius’s would bring along a separate coachman.

Naturally, his subordinates took turns driving the carriage, and it was Andrew’s turn now.

Andrew found the murmuring conversation between Chloe and Vanessa inside the carriage suspicious.

‘What kind of nonsense is the princess trying to pull this time?’

She had already complained through her maids about the poor condition of the lodging and accused them of mistreatment, refusing to get out of the carriage.

Now, seeing her whispering something to her maid again didn’t give him any good impression.

‘Damn those Idelian royals.’

Curious about what the princess was saying, Andrew slightly cracked open the window near the driver’s seat to eavesdrop.

He could faintly hear Chloe’s voice.

“…by order of Her Majesty the Empress…”

Because of the fierce northern wind, the sounds inside were often cut off, but the word Empress came through clearly.

Andrew held his breath and focused.

Chloe’s voice continued for a while.

“…gain the Marquess’s trust… uncover the secret…”

“…if I fail the mission… Her Majesty the Empress…”

A string of suspicious words.

‘She’s trying to uncover our lord’s secrets? And she’s worried about disappointing the Empress if she fails?’

That was exactly what it sounded like.

‘I knew it.’

Scowling, Andrew thought to report this to Brentyan right away, but he was busy confronting Chloe’s maids.

Instead, Andrew urgently ran to his fellow knights.

“Hey, listen up!”

The subordinates, who hadn’t been able to enter the inn because of Chloe and her maids, looked at Andrew indifferently as they stood out in the cold.

Among them was the red-haired knight, Alex.

“What is it?”

“Guess what I just heard?”

“What?”

“Come closer.”

The group gathered around Andrew in a circle.

“I overheard the princess talking to her maid, and it sounded like she’s plotting something.”

“Give us the details.”

“From what I caught, it seems like the Empress ordered the princess to dig up some secret about our lord. And she’s trying to win his trust to do it.”

Alex looked skeptical.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I heard it clearly.”

Andrew insisted firmly.

Alex recalled the image of Chloe smiling brightly as she returned his Platus bracelet.

‘Was she acting even then, just to earn our lord’s trust?’

But then he shook his head.

‘Why would she bother charming a lowly knight like me? That had to be genuine kindness.’

If she truly wanted to gain Kallius’s favor, she’d target Brentyan, the commander, or the vice-commander instead.

Alex had the least influence in the order.

‘This is confusing.’

Chloe had seemed cold and rigid during the engagement ceremony.

But when she came to return the bracelet, she was gentle and kind, almost like a different person.

Now, hearing Andrew’s report, it felt like she was a completely different, scheming person.

‘What’s her real face?’

Just then, Chloe stepped down from the carriage.

Judging by Brentyan’s relieved expression, it seemed the lodging issue had been resolved.

Dressed in heavy clothing and a cloak, Chloe looked like a small log wrapped in cloth as she awkwardly stepped across the slippery snow.

Watching her, it became even harder for Alex to imagine her whispering dark schemes in the carriage.

‘Ugh, so confusing. This is just confusing.’

He decided to simplify his thoughts.

‘The higher-ups will handle it. There are smarter people than me for this stuff.’

Andrew, after seeing Chloe lead the maids into the lodging, went straight to the captain and Brentyan to report what he had overheard.

He repeated to them what he’d told the others.

Brentyan’s reaction was calm.

“I had a feeling something like this might be happening.”

Andrew snapped.

“You knew and still brought her here?”

“It was the Marquess’s decision. He must have his reasons.”

In other words, Brentyan didn’t know Kallius’s true intentions either.

Frustrated, Andrew muttered irritably.

“Always with the ‘Marquess this, Marquess that.’ You’re just walking on eggshells around the princess.”

Back in Ronheim, they called Kallius “Prince.” Some even addressed him as “King.”

His title of Marquess had been granted by the Arental Emperor, nothing more.

If the emperor found out people were still calling Kallius a prince or king, he might suspect rebellion.

The knight commander, Hawick, who stood beside Brentyan, sternly warned Andrew.

“Watch your mouth, Andrew.”

“Apologies.”

“Dismissed.”

“Yes, sir.”

Though he apologized, Andrew walked away with a sullen look on his face.

Brentyan glanced sideways at Hawick.

“Don’t you think the knights are getting a bit too unruly?”

With his stern expression, Hawick nodded.

“Hmm. Might be time to straighten them out.”

Kallius’s men were highly skilled and deeply loyal, but due to old blood ties and bonds passed down through generations, they were overly familiar with each other.

While trust among comrades was important, too much familiarity beyond ranks could harm the unit.

That’s why the commander regularly enforced discipline among the knights.

“In any case, with Andrew’s report and my own suspicions about the princess, we should keep a close watch on her.”

At Brentyan’s words, Hawick nodded reassuringly.

“Leave it to me.”

“Thanks. I’d better go find Kallius now.”

“Where did he go, anyway?”

Brentyan sighed lightly.

“To feed the cats.”

Thankfully, Kallius had his own room.

‘There’s no way we’d be spending the first night together in a place like this.’

I stood idly in the room assigned to me.

This was the first time I formally met the maids assigned to me by Kabala.

There were four maids in total, including Vanessa and Lamia.

The maids kept their lips tightly sealed, didn’t make eye contact, and simply carried out their duties under Vanessa’s orders.

‘I’ve never seen any of them before.’

Of course, I hadn’t spent much time in the Empress’s palace, so I didn’t know all the faces.

Still, I could recognize most of Kabala’s senior attendants.

‘These probably aren’t her close aides.’

If she really sent me as a spy, she wouldn’t have selected the maids carelessly.

‘She must have had a plan and picked each one for a reason.’

So I decided to silently observe them for now.

They unpacked only the bare essentials and quickly organized the room.

‘Hmm…’

I had expected Lamia to stand out among them.

Palace maids were trained in court etiquette, and Lamia, who hadn’t received such training, should’ve been easy to spot.

But to my surprise, she blended in perfectly. The others were also clumsy in their behavior.

‘What’s with these girls?’

They seemed used to cleaning and tidying, but none of it resembled trained court etiquette.

Worse, they were overly cautious of Vanessa.

Vanessa clearly held a grudge over what happened in the carriage earlier.

She didn’t even light the fireplace in the cold room and issued a command.

“Undress Her Highness.”

The maids approached and started removing my clothes.

Even indoors, the cold air seeped in through the walls, and I began to shiver in just my thin underdress.

Vanessa ignored my shivering completely.

The maids occasionally glanced at me but didn’t dare defy her.

She said coldly, “We’ll prepare bathwater. Please wait.”

Perhaps feeling sorry for me, Lamia cautiously asked Vanessa,

“Her Highness seems cold. Should I light the fireplace?”

Vanessa frowned and snapped,

“Don’t act unless I tell you to. There’s an order to everything.”

“My apologies.”

Lamia shut her mouth, but her eyes didn’t seem truly apologetic.

Vanessa shot her a sharp glare and gave another order.

“You, go ask those Ronheim men for hot water. Enough to fill a bath—Her Highness wants to bathe.”

Not only was she ignoring me, the princess, she was treating Kallius’s knights like servants.

At this point, I had to step in.

Having more or less figured out the dynamics, I smiled kindly at the three maids—excluding Vanessa.

“No need for a bath. You’ve all worked hard all day. Why don’t we eat something instead?”

At my words, the exhausted maids’ eyes lit up slightly.

“Ask the innkeeper to prepare a meal. One of you can stay. The rest may go rest early—we’ll have an even harder day tomorrow.”

“Your Highness, that’s—!”

Vanessa, losing her authority, tried to protest, but Lamia quickly jumped in.

“Okay! Great! I’ll go and fetch your food right away!”

And she dashed off.

The remaining maids, after stealing a glance at Vanessa, all hurried after Lamia.

“Wha—!”

I turned to Vanessa, whose mouth was flapping open.

“So you’re the one who’s staying?”

Vanessa flinched, then lifted her chin stiffly.

“I have many things to do, so I’ll leave another in charge.”

And with that, she fled the room in haste, worried I’d stop her.

I wrapped myself in a blanket and thought:

‘They’re definitely not palace-trained maids. That’s why Lamia could blend in so easily… I’ll need to look into these maids more closely.’