My era of success began when I was entrusted with the treatment of Empress Velotta.
This statement does not exaggerate.
Whenever I pass by the Empress’s palace, the maids look at me longingly, the chefs keep bringing me delicious food, and the maids-in-waiting keep poking things into the pockets of my dress.
Impatient, I cautiously asked, “What is this?”
The maids winced as I clutched at the bulging pocket.
“It’s sunflower seeds, alas, and you can have some of this, too.”
“What’s this…”
“…It’s a cherry.”
“How cute are they?”
I awkwardly scratched the back of my head and accepted the sunflower seeds and cherry.
The cherry was fine, but what the hell was I supposed to do with the sunflower seeds?
But being the friendly person I am, I ducked my head and thanked them.
“I’ll put it to good use.”
There was a squeak behind me, and it made me feel a touch more overwhelmed. It was true that I had cured Empress Velotta’s illness, but I don’t think the maids needed to do that…
— ‘Thanks to you, I don’t feel uncomfortable at night.’
— ‘I’m glad, Your Majesty.’
— ‘Whether it’s all his curse or not… I’m grateful to you, my dear. I will give you a good gift soon.’
But as I recalled the Empress’s words, the maids’ attitude made some sense.
‘After curing the Empress of her long illness, they have every right to be overly grateful.’
Perhaps that’s why she was so generous with me. She didn’t share the results of her investigations with me, as she was still a bit wary as an Empress.
But given her use of the words ‘his curse’, it was clear that the Duke of Cornwall was a prime suspect.
‘And through Mimi, I spread the rumors in the back alleys that the Duke of Cornwall is suspicious.’
It all worked out. There was an excellent precursor. All I had to do was act similarly to the Duke of Cornwall’s past behavior in eradicating the House of Vietry.
Whistling, I turned to another corridor in the Empress’s palace and was about to pass the corner when I bumped shoulders with a man in black who strode briskly down the opposite corridor.
“Ah.”
“Ugh…”
It wasn’t an accidental bump, but I was knocked back nearly a full step. I managed to straighten myself up and bowed grimly to the man in front of me.
“Pardon me, Sir.”
The man in the corner of the wall, a noble-looking redhead in a jet-black uniform, watched me curiously.
“Farewell, then.”
Ignoring the stare, I turned to leave, but he blocked my path and smirked.
“Be careful, I’d hate to see your pretty face get hurt.”
He was smiling, but the tone of his voice made me feel quite uncomfortable. I averted my gaze from him and replied meekly.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
It was clear to me, having become quite accustomed to the favors of others these days, that he had an unusual interest in me.
‘What kind of man within the palace walls would be caught dead entering the Empress’s palace at this hour, and what kind of man would be the crown prince?’
As I paced out into the hallway, I ran through the database in my head.
‘I did some research, and he seems to have a tenuous connection to the Duke of Cornwall.’
He wasn’t a prominent character in the original, but I knew I had to investigate further.
In the novel 《Bloody Revenge》, he’s a beautiful Crown Prince, adored by all.
‘Though I’ve heard that he has a certain amount of superiority complex, doesn’t like beasts, and is said to have a strong preference for women, which puts him at odds with Cassian.’
Recalling this vague and inaccurate information, I vowed to find out more about the crown prince.
After exiting the Empress’s palace, I arrived at the café, utterly exhausted.
The café was almost empty by sunset, as people flocked to see me as the Empress’s benefactor.
As I stretched, hoping to retire for the night after an exhilarating day of work, I heard a commotion outside the door. The Rose Knights of the Imperial Palace had come to the café.
Among them, of course, was my brother, Lord Cassian Gray.
Although he appeared somewhat impatient, the flush on his cheeks suggested that he was pleased to see me.
“Hello, welcome to the café!”
Cassian elbowed the knight at his side, and the knight recited loudly and mechanically, like an answering machine.
“We never harbor selfish thoughts, rest assured!”
“Rest assured!”
I shook my head as I listened to their reassurances, but I couldn’t help but feel a sense of pity for them, as if they had become accustomed to violence.
“Yes, please have a seat!”
Smiling broadly, I held the menu out to them. It was cute to see the five distracted men butting heads over cake. Only Cassian stared at me, then looked around the café intently.
As I stood at the front of the table, took a simple order, and turned to leave, I heard the knights glancing at Cassian and muttering timidly.
“How dare you hit a man like that!”
“He’s violent…”
“What a monster…”
Apparently, they had met a violent monster. Feeling sorry for my brother, I went back to the kitchen and drizzled the syrup over the freshly made cake.
‘I’ll drizzle it with soothing syrup. To keep them from being sore.’
As she prepared the syrup and set the table, she heard the gravelly voices of the knights behind her.
“Oh, by the way, I heard that the Empress has been traveling with some knights lately, have you heard?”
“Well, I’d like to be selected as one of Her Majesty’s knights, too. I’m afraid she won’t choose me.”
My ears perked up at the familiar mention of the Empress.
“Lord Cassian, you have served her before, have you not?”
“Well, yes.”
I set the drizzled cake on the table and turned back to listen to their chatter.
“Enjoy!”
Shoving my hands into my apron pockets, I sprinted to the kitchen. Someone who had followed me to the front of the kitchen spoke softly from behind my back.
“I was wondering if I could place an extra order, some herbal tea.”
“Oh, yes!”
I spun around to look at the man with the pleasant voice, my brother Cassian. After a moment’s consideration, he deftly slipped a piece of paper into the pocket of my apron.
“Your order is complete.”
Nodding nonchalantly, I whispered in his ear, giving him the information he would have wanted to know.
“And… the baby is doing well.”
It was true. Back at the Duke’s manor, Rune was snuggled up with his newest servant, Mimi, growing up happily.
The corners of his mouth twitched at the news I relayed. I walked back into the kitchen, where one of the pastry chefs remained, and unfolded the note.
[1. The Empress is under surveillance regarding Cornwall, a prime suspect who believes her headaches are a curse rather than an illness.
Mummy fragments from Cornwall, once taken to the Empress’s palace. Empress’s growing suspicions deepened.
Secured a secret passage to Cornwall’s mansion. Possible cover when Cornwall’s forces are weakened.]
The paper must have been enchanted, because as soon as I finished reading every word, it burned.
‘A mummy fragment, that’s perfect.’
My brother had already guessed my intention to frame Cornwall after hearing my words.
Gradually, I felt like we were in sync. As I stepped outside, I turned to him, who was staring into the kitchen, and whispered under my breath.
‘Good job.’
And perhaps we should catch whoever’s working with him… but for now, the Duke of Cornwall was a mouse in a poisonous pot.
Around the same time, the Empress was alone with her son, the Crown Prince.
As she gazed upon him serenely, the pain of her headache long gone, she heard something unexpected.
“Just now, I saw a child named Astel, and she was quite cute.”
His expressionless face suddenly broke into a grin.
“What does that mean, Crown Prince.”
“It’s just what it sounds like.”
Despite his public reputation, the Crown Prince was brutal in his treatment of women.
‘But the child is my benefactor. She cured me of my illness, and she also informed me that this is a curse.’
Astel’s suspicions were quite reasonable. Several of the curse casters she’d secretly summoned testified that the ingredients she’d brought were excellent at breaking curses.
They also agreed that the Empress’s symptoms could be a curse.
“I do not wish to hear more of that matter, what brings you here?”
The Crown Prince smiled dryly at the Empress’s rigid demeanor and nodded.
“Yes, I will cut to the chase, I have come to ask your Majesty a favor. I’ve heard that you’ve been doing some digging on the Duke of Cornwall, so please stop.”
As he had said, the Empress was currently investigating the Duke of Cornwall. She acknowledged her investigation with a simple nod. Then the Crown Prince’s piercing blue eyes took on a sinister glint.
“The Duke of Cornwall is my hand and foot now, Your Majesty.”
My son’s expression hardened, as I had never seen it before.
But as the Empress, I showed no sign of backing down, holding before my son’s eyes the piece of mummified flesh in her clenched hand that had been found beside the palace.
“I believe he was involved in my illness. I’ve examined the mummy fragments found in the Empress’s palace, and they bear the marks of the Duke of Cornwall. Voodoo practitioners curse such things.”
“…”
The Crown Prince, who had seen the mummy fragment in the Empress’s hand, frowned.
“Maybe… it will do something bad to the Crown Prince as well, don’t you think?”
At those words, the Crown Prince’s lips curled into a mischievous grin, but his expression quickly turned stern.
“I see no reason to befriend anyone who dares to speak ill of the imperial family.”
At his words, the Empress’s eyes fell downward. Looking somewhat relieved, she returned to her doting motherly expression and asked.
“…Are you planning to sever ties with the Duke of Cornwall?”
“Well, I intend to let him figure out his affairs, for the time being, rather.”
The Crown Prince sneered, fixing his gaze over the Empress’s shoulder through the hazy walls.
“I’ve heard a funny story, Astel, my mother’s benefactor, and that beast-bastard up north.”
“A beast-bastard.”
The face that had shown outright hostility at the simple point had turned to its usual scowl. The Crown Prince continued, his voice smooth and languid.
“The beasts are all animals.”
Of course, the content of the statement was anything but gentle.
“…Anyway, that woman who claims she’s worthy of the Duke’s favor.”
The Empress, instinctively sensing foreboding, frowned slightly.
My era of success began when I was entrusted with the treatment of Empress Velotta.
This statement does not exaggerate.
Whenever I pass by the Empress’s palace, the maids look at me longingly, the chefs keep bringing me delicious food, and the maids-in-waiting keep poking things into the pockets of my dress.
Impatient, I cautiously asked, “What is this?”
The maids winced as I clutched at the bulging pocket.
“It’s sunflower seeds, alas, and you can have some of this, too.”
“What’s this…”
“…It’s a cherry.”
“How cute are they?”
I awkwardly scratched the back of my head and accepted the sunflower seeds and cherry.
The cherry was fine, but what the hell was I supposed to do with the sunflower seeds?
But being the friendly person I am, I ducked my head and thanked them.
“I’ll put it to good use.”
There was a squeak behind me, and it made me feel a touch more overwhelmed. It was true that I had cured Empress Velotta’s illness, but I don’t think the maids needed to do that…
— ‘Thanks to you, I don’t feel uncomfortable at night.’
— ‘I’m glad, Your Majesty.’
— ‘Whether it’s all his curse or not… I’m grateful to you, my dear. I will give you a good gift soon.’
But as I recalled the Empress’s words, the maids’ attitude made some sense.
‘After curing the Empress of her long illness, they have every right to be overly grateful.’
Perhaps that’s why she was so generous with me. She didn’t share the results of her investigations with me, as she was still a bit wary as an Empress.
But given her use of the words ‘his curse’, it was clear that the Duke of Cornwall was a prime suspect.
‘And through Mimi, I spread the rumors in the back alleys that the Duke of Cornwall is suspicious.’
It all worked out. There was an excellent precursor. All I had to do was act similarly to the Duke of Cornwall’s past behavior in eradicating the House of Vietry.
Whistling, I turned to another corridor in the Empress’s palace and was about to pass the corner when I bumped shoulders with a man in black who strode briskly down the opposite corridor.
“Ah.”
“Ugh…”
It wasn’t an accidental bump, but I was knocked back nearly a full step. I managed to straighten myself up and bowed grimly to the man in front of me.
“Pardon me, Sir.”
The man in the corner of the wall, a noble-looking redhead in a jet-black uniform, watched me curiously.
“Farewell, then.”
Ignoring the stare, I turned to leave, but he blocked my path and smirked.
“Be careful, I’d hate to see your pretty face get hurt.”
He was smiling, but the tone of his voice made me feel quite uncomfortable. I averted my gaze from him and replied meekly.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
It was clear to me, having become quite accustomed to the favors of others these days, that he had an unusual interest in me.
‘What kind of man within the palace walls would be caught dead entering the Empress’s palace at this hour, and what kind of man would be the crown prince?’
As I paced out into the hallway, I ran through the database in my head.
‘I did some research, and he seems to have a tenuous connection to the Duke of Cornwall.’
He wasn’t a prominent character in the original, but I knew I had to investigate further.
In the novel 《Bloody Revenge》, he’s a beautiful Crown Prince, adored by all.
‘Though I’ve heard that he has a certain amount of superiority complex, doesn’t like beasts, and is said to have a strong preference for women, which puts him at odds with Cassian.’
Recalling this vague and inaccurate information, I vowed to find out more about the crown prince.
After exiting the Empress’s palace, I arrived at the café, utterly exhausted.
The café was almost empty by sunset, as people flocked to see me as the Empress’s benefactor.
As I stretched, hoping to retire for the night after an exhilarating day of work, I heard a commotion outside the door. The Rose Knights of the Imperial Palace had come to the café.
Among them, of course, was my brother, Lord Cassian Gray.
Although he appeared somewhat impatient, the flush on his cheeks suggested that he was pleased to see me.
“Hello, welcome to the café!”
Cassian elbowed the knight at his side, and the knight recited loudly and mechanically, like an answering machine.
“We never harbor selfish thoughts, rest assured!”
“Rest assured!”
I shook my head as I listened to their reassurances, but I couldn’t help but feel a sense of pity for them, as if they had become accustomed to violence.
“Yes, please have a seat!”
Smiling broadly, I held the menu out to them. It was cute to see the five distracted men butting heads over cake. Only Cassian stared at me, then looked around the café intently.
As I stood at the front of the table, took a simple order, and turned to leave, I heard the knights glancing at Cassian and muttering timidly.
“How dare you hit a man like that!”
“He’s violent…”
“What a monster…”
Apparently, they had met a violent monster. Feeling sorry for my brother, I went back to the kitchen and drizzled the syrup over the freshly made cake.
‘I’ll drizzle it with soothing syrup. To keep them from being sore.’
As she prepared the syrup and set the table, she heard the gravelly voices of the knights behind her.
“Oh, by the way, I heard that the Empress has been traveling with some knights lately, have you heard?”
“Well, I’d like to be selected as one of Her Majesty’s knights, too. I’m afraid she won’t choose me.”
My ears perked up at the familiar mention of the Empress.
“Lord Cassian, you have served her before, have you not?”
“Well, yes.”
I set the drizzled cake on the table and turned back to listen to their chatter.
“Enjoy!”
Shoving my hands into my apron pockets, I sprinted to the kitchen. Someone who had followed me to the front of the kitchen spoke softly from behind my back.
“I was wondering if I could place an extra order, some herbal tea.”
“Oh, yes!”
I spun around to look at the man with the pleasant voice, my brother Cassian. After a moment’s consideration, he deftly slipped a piece of paper into the pocket of my apron.
“Your order is complete.”
Nodding nonchalantly, I whispered in his ear, giving him the information he would have wanted to know.
“And… the baby is doing well.”
It was true. Back at the Duke’s manor, Rune was snuggled up with his newest servant, Mimi, growing up happily.
The corners of his mouth twitched at the news I relayed. I walked back into the kitchen, where one of the pastry chefs remained, and unfolded the note.
[1. The Empress is under surveillance regarding Cornwall, a prime suspect who believes her headaches are a curse rather than an illness.
Mummy fragments from Cornwall, once taken to the Empress’s palace. Empress’s growing suspicions deepened.
Secured a secret passage to Cornwall’s mansion. Possible cover when Cornwall’s forces are weakened.]
The paper must have been enchanted, because as soon as I finished reading every word, it burned.
‘A mummy fragment, that’s perfect.’
My brother had already guessed my intention to frame Cornwall after hearing my words.
Gradually, I felt like we were in sync. As I stepped outside, I turned to him, who was staring into the kitchen, and whispered under my breath.
‘Good job.’
And perhaps we should catch whoever’s working with him… but for now, the Duke of Cornwall was a mouse in a poisonous pot.
Around the same time, the Empress was alone with her son, the Crown Prince.
As she gazed upon him serenely, the pain of her headache long gone, she heard something unexpected.
“Just now, I saw a child named Astel, and she was quite cute.”
His expressionless face suddenly broke into a grin.
“What does that mean, Crown Prince.”
“It’s just what it sounds like.”
Despite his public reputation, the Crown Prince was brutal in his treatment of women.
‘But the child is my benefactor. She cured me of my illness, and she also informed me that this is a curse.’
Astel’s suspicions were quite reasonable. Several of the curse casters she’d secretly summoned testified that the ingredients she’d brought were excellent at breaking curses.
They also agreed that the Empress’s symptoms could be a curse.
“I do not wish to hear more of that matter, what brings you here?”
The Crown Prince smiled dryly at the Empress’s rigid demeanor and nodded.
“Yes, I will cut to the chase, I have come to ask your Majesty a favor. I’ve heard that you’ve been doing some digging on the Duke of Cornwall, so please stop.”
As he had said, the Empress was currently investigating the Duke of Cornwall. She acknowledged her investigation with a simple nod. Then the Crown Prince’s piercing blue eyes took on a sinister glint.
“The Duke of Cornwall is my hand and foot now, Your Majesty.”
My son’s expression hardened, as I had never seen it before.
But as the Empress, I showed no sign of backing down, holding before my son’s eyes the piece of mummified flesh in her clenched hand that had been found beside the palace.
“I believe he was involved in my illness. I’ve examined the mummy fragments found in the Empress’s palace, and they bear the marks of the Duke of Cornwall. Voodoo practitioners curse such things.”
“…”
The Crown Prince, who had seen the mummy fragment in the Empress’s hand, frowned.
“Maybe… it will do something bad to the Crown Prince as well, don’t you think?”
At those words, the Crown Prince’s lips curled into a mischievous grin, but his expression quickly turned stern.
“I see no reason to befriend anyone who dares to speak ill of the imperial family.”
At his words, the Empress’s eyes fell downward. Looking somewhat relieved, she returned to her doting motherly expression and asked.
“…Are you planning to sever ties with the Duke of Cornwall?”
“Well, I intend to let him figure out his affairs, for the time being, rather.”
The Crown Prince sneered, fixing his gaze over the Empress’s shoulder through the hazy walls.
“I’ve heard a funny story, Astel, my mother’s benefactor, and that beast-bastard up north.”
“A beast-bastard.”
The face that had shown outright hostility at the simple point had turned to its usual scowl. The Crown Prince continued, his voice smooth and languid.
“The beasts are all animals.”
Of course, the content of the statement was anything but gentle.
“…Anyway, that woman who claims she’s worthy of the Duke’s favor.”
The Empress, instinctively sensing foreboding, frowned slightly.
