Chapter 4
The King had been spending a lazy afternoon with his mistress when his second daughter suddenly burst in.
He was quite surprised by Ioreth’s visit, as she had never sought him out before, but that surprise quickly turned to speechless shock when he saw his daughter drenched in tears. The sight of her, mouth firmly shut while crystal-like teardrops fell her white cheeks, was truly pitiful.
And then she spoke—Earl Castlein was in critical condition? Lishi panted wildly.
“It wasn’t me who harmed the Earl! It must be Princess Ioreth’s doing! Seize the Princess and question her immediately, Your Majesty!”
The King frowned deeply.
“But didn’t Earl Castlein himself point to you, the maid?”
“T-that is!”
Lishi’s face turned deathly pale. As soon as Ioreth had reported the situation to the main palace, the royal knights rushed to the tower. The Earl, right before losing consciousness, had given his statement:
“The Princess’s maid… acting flippantly, struck my head with a food tray. She fell while doing so… I thought her behavior was insolent before, but—cough!”
Ioreth let out a sigh, looking deeply regretful.
“I was waiting for Lishi by the window, Father. I wanted to go in with the Earl’s gift. But Lishi, who went into the dining room first, screamed. It seems she made a mistake then.”
“No, it’s not true! How dare you tell such lies in this presence!”
Lishi was jumping with rage. However, the King’s gaze was not kind. At this rate, she wouldn’t be able to escape severe punishment. Looking around frantically, Lishi spotted Catherine and crawled toward her.
“C-Crown Princess. I really didn’t do anything! You know well how sincerely I have carried out Your Highness’s orders until now…!”
“I understand, so wait.”
This idiot, how dare she drag me into this?
Catherine gritted her teeth and cut the maid off. Since only two people had entered the dining room, if one wasn’t the culprit, the other had to be. Catherine looked back at Ioreth with half-doubt.
Is it really that girl?
Her sister’s blue eyes, which hid her inner thoughts, were staring straight at Catherine. For a moment, a chill ran down her spine. It was a moment of dread that Catherine had never felt before. Ioreth opened her lovely lips.
“If Lishi isn’t the culprit, then there must be someone with a rebellious purpose inside the royal castle.”
“What?”
“Foundation Day is right around the corner, yet such an impure event has occurred. Please search the royal castle and find the culprit immediately, Father.”
“Are you saying there is an intruder in the castle?”
The King’s expression changed instantly. With Foundation Day approaching, congratulatory delegations from neighboring kingdoms were arriving one after another. It was a time to focus all efforts on royal defense. The King’s cold gaze turned toward Catherine.
“What is the meaning of this, Crown Princess? Why is the castle security in such a state?”
Catherine was the one in charge of the preparations for Foundation Day. The same went for directing the royal guard. Catherine’s face turned the color of ash.
“Bring the guard assigned to Ioreth’s residence. I want to know what the hell the knight was doing while the maid was acting so insolent.”
“Your Majesty, I truly…!”
“Silence! I have not permitted a maid to open her mouth. Must I cut out your tongue for you to be quiet?”
At the thunderous shout, Lishi shut her mouth instantly. The back of the flattened maid trembled violently.
“Crown Princess, why are you silent? Where is Ioreth’s personal guard? I will hold him responsible.”
Catherine secretly bit her lip. There was no way Ioreth had a personal guard. She had gotten rid of them all. The only servants in Ioreth’s tower were a maid and a chief chamberlain. Since she never left the tower anyway, a guard wasn’t necessary.
However, if Ioreth told the King the truth as it was, the arrow might point back at her. This was a variable she hadn’t calculated. Her hesitation was brief. Catherine put on a picture-perfect smile.
“There are no gaps in the castle’s security, Father. Please do not worry.”
Catherine stood before the kneeling Lishi.
“Lishi Keith. Think carefully again. Was it really not your doing?”
Lishi’s eyes shook wildly. She had served Catherine for a long time. She was a loyal maid who could grasp intentions and carry them out with just a glance from her master. Her master’s gaze was now urging her to give a false confession—promising to save her here if she did. There was no other choice.
“I-I… apologize. It was… all my doing.”
Lishi’s voice trembled.
“As I thought. Then why did you lie?”
“I was… afraid of being punished. I was wrong. I was wrong, Your Highness. Please, have mercy…!”
The King ordered irritably:
“What an insolent maid. Cut off both her arms and send her to Earl Castlein. That should suffice as punishment.”
“Pardon? Wait, Father.”
“While you are at it, cut out that flippant tongue as well. How dare she tell lies in my presence?”
Catherine only then realized her mistake. She tried to object because it was too harsh, but Ioreth, who was wiping her wet cheeks, cut in.
“To let it pass with just that, Father, you are truly merciful as always.”
This girl?
Catherine glared at Ioreth. Her sister’s expression was still pure and innocent.
“Hands that have committed deeds they should not have must naturally be removed. Don’t you think so, Sister?”
Did she say that knowing something? No matter how one heard it, it was a meaningful statement.
“N-No! Your Highness, Crown Princess—!!”
Lishi was dragged out by the royal knights, screaming. The maid, with her arms and tongue removed, would be kicked out of the castle. No one would treat a maid who had incurred the King’s wrath, so she would wander the streets and die miserably. The King gestured as if exhausted.
“Leave, Crown Princess. And ensure such a disgraceful event never happens again. Do you think I gave you command over the capital’s defense for this? Must I step back into general affairs at my age?”
“…I apologize.”
“Postpone Princess Ioreth’s marriage for a while. Until Earl Castlein recovers.”
“Yes, Father.”
Catherine answered reluctantly. Until she passed by with long strides, Ioreth wore a fool-like smile. It was the same stupid face her sister had shown for years. Even so, Catherine couldn’t help but feel a foul sensation, as if she had been unexpectedly struck in the back of the head.
As Catherine turned and walked out coldly, only the King and Ioreth remained in the audience chamber. The King, who was gesturing for his mistress to return, gave Ioreth a fleeting glance.
“Do you have more to say, Princess?”
“Please assign a guard to me, Father.”
Ioreth answered as if she had been waiting. The King, who had wrapped his arm around his beautiful mistress’s waist to pull her onto his lap, furrowed his brow.
“If you dare to smash the head of the noble who is to be your husband, there should be no need for you to drag a line of guards around, shouldn’t there?”
His tone was testing her.
