Chapter 13

Anxiety always reveals its true form in the end.

Camellia bit her fingertip.

That woman had finally come to Andres.

And with Countess Presto, her greatest patron, backing her.

Even the great Emperor himself lends an ear to Countess Presto’s words.

Countess Presto had originally been the first in line to inherit the throne.

But it had been her own choice to yield that position and go down to the countryside.

Because she was so exceptionally capable, the Emperor relies on Hazel whenever difficult matters arise.

If Hazel takes a liking to that woman, it is only a matter of time before she enters the imperial palace.

“You don’t even know your place…”

Camellia trembled with fury.

Camellia examined her reflection in the mirror.

Dressed splendidly, she was beautiful in anyone’s eyes.

She seemed to embody the very words “young lady of a ducal house.”

There was not a single thing lacking in her appearance.

Shouldn’t one at least be this much to become the mistress of the Adeloff ducal house?

Not some half-baked nobody like that.

The one who suits Maxim is not that woman but me, Camellia.

“If they don’t know their place, then I should teach them.”

Since she has come to Andres, she will inevitably enter the central social circles.

Especially since the countess has come along as well.

The social circles will take Camellia’s side.

She intended to gladly teach that woman her place.

* * *

Still, having come all the way to Andres, she could not very well skip the imperial palace.

Hazel entered the palace with a face shining white.

It was a clear face without a trace of worry or concern.

“…I envy you.”

“Hm?”

“Hazel’s composure and happiness.”

Empress Liena said with a faint smile.

“Why, is this place the same as ever?”

“How could the palace change? Swarming with greedy people.”

Since that incident, a dark cloud had always hung over Liena’s face.

Her heart was weighed down with worry for someone.

Hazel clicked her tongue briefly.

‘That boy Maxim.’

Of course, the one whose heart bore the deepest bruise was none other than Maxim.

He might seem prickly and irritable on the outside, but Hazel knew better than anyone that he was soft inside.

Thanks to the two princes born a year apart, the second prince had spent more days at Hazel’s private residence.

This was likely because people’s attention was focused on the first prince, who would become the heir to the empire.

Moreover, the first prince had been born frail and was always plagued by minor illnesses.

Fearing the second prince, Maxim, might catch his illness, Maxim ended up spending even longer days with Hazel.

She knew Maxim as well as Empress Liena, who had suffered labor pains to bear him.

“…Is he eating properly? His face seems to be getting worse. Did he take the tonic I sent a while ago?”

“It’s only this much thanks to you, Hazel.”

Liena smiled coolly.

“Anyway, was there any result? Madame Kali said there would surely be a connection in Rebunto this time, didn’t she? The best possible connection for Maxim. A woman who could make that deep bruise in his heart heal completely.”

Liena lowered her voice and asked.

She was not normally the type to believe in such superstitions, but when it came to Maxim, things were different.

Whenever she looked at that child, her heart ached so much she did not know what to do.

Liena let out a heavy sigh.

In truth, she did not really believe those words.

Hazel grinned.

“There was a result, indeed. Thanks to Your Majesty’s efforts in sending Maxim down there? That boy Maxim danced with a woman!”

Clatter.

“Good heavens!”

Empress Liena set down the teacup she had been holding.

The shadow that had been hovering over her face seemed to vanish in an instant.

Liena shot up from her seat.

“Is that true? It’s really Maxim? Not some other man who resembles Maxim?”

“How could it be? Could this Hazel fail to recognize Maxim? And Maxim even asked me to look after that child before he left!”

“A request? For what reason? Did Maxim—surely he didn’t declare he would marry that child?”

Empress Liena trembled with excitement.

A flush of color spread across her pale cheeks.

Seeing the empress’s face regain its color after so long, Hazel smiled warmly.

How lovely it was to see.

Maxim should appreciate this feeling too.

“Whatever the request was, it means he connected with a woman, Hazel! I simply cannot believe it…”

Since that day, Maxim had been reluctant even to come into contact with women.

In the early days, when his condition was poor, there were even times he vomited.

For Empress Liena, who had witnessed all of that, it was hard to believe.

“That child’s family circumstances are not very good. She is kind, proper, and has a gentle heart, but…”

“What does that matter! As long as our Maxim says he likes her, neither I nor Luciano will care at all!”

“Liena, calm down. You know Maxim’s temperament. If we push too hard, he will surely recoil.”

“Ah…”

Empress Liena took a deep breath and sat back down.

But the soft glow lingering on her face would not fade.

It was the face of someone whose chest had finally been relieved of a heavy blockage.

Once it seemed Liena had regained her composure, Hazel spoke again.

“That child asked me to find her a governess position. She has a sick younger sister, so it seems she is trying to find a way for the two of them to make a living.”

“…How admirable.”

“I intend to support that child wholeheartedly. She is of the Joseph family, so she has basic refinement, but it may be a bit lacking for governess work. So.”

Hazel smiled mischievously.

“I plan to give that child governesses. A piano teacher, a dance teacher, a teacher of basic refinement. As she studies such things, the time she spends at Maxim’s mansion will naturally grow longer, won’t it?”

“Good heavens, Hazel. I knew you were clever, but…”

“I think so too. And she needs to develop her eye as well. Because she has lived in poverty in Rebunto for so long. She needs new clothes, shoes, and jewels too. But…”

“But?”

It sounded like a perfect plan—was there a problem?

Empress Liena’s voice grew quieter as well.

Hazel spoke with a sorrowful expression.

“That boy Maxim declared he would not support her. And him with all that money.”

“Oh my.”

Empress Liena smiled slightly.

She seemed to understand why Hazel had rushed to the palace to pour out her troubles.

Because receiving support from the empress would be faster than raising funds in Rebunto.

In truth, if this matter went well, Empress Liena felt she would not mind giving Hazel her entire fortune.

“That boy is being petty.”

“That’s what it is. I brought Elena up here without saying a word to him. The child’s name is Elena.”

“Elena… What a pretty name.”

“You have no idea how pretty her face is too. That’s why her mother is desperate to sell Elena off as a second wife to a wealthy household.”

Empress Liena grasped the situation and clicked her tongue.

It seemed Hazel had found a beautiful pearl in the mud.

And fortunately, Maxim seemed to be showing interest in that pearl as well.

Empress Liena made her decision.

“I will support her, Hazel. I will select and send the teachers who will instruct Lady Elena myself.”

“Oh my, could you really do that for me?”

Not only funds, but a reliable ally as well.

Empress Liena nodded.

“Let us call it an investment in the future. After all, that child will need education if she is to properly act as the mistress of a ducal house.”

“That is exactly what I am saying.”

Hazel winked.

A sweet conspiracy began to stir in the empress’s salon.

It was a story in which the parties involved had no idea at all.

* * *

“My lady, this is my work to do!”

Elena shook her head with a pale face.

The trouble had begun the moment the maid tried to take the nightgown Elena was wearing and carry it away.

For the past five years, Elena had grown thoroughly accustomed to washing not only her own clothes but her family’s as well.

That habit would not change just because she had come here, and it would continue unless Elena were struck by a bolt of fortune.

Besides, she had come here to find work, not to be a burden.

She intended to repay all of this once she found a job.

Without fail!

“This is my work to do!”

“Let go, please! And this is my work to do!”

And so, a situation had unfolded over the laundry.

One side determined to defend the laundry, the other determined to snatch it away.

Unable to withstand the tussle of the two who were grunting and struggling, the pile of laundry flew up into the air.