# 90
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“I don't think it's right to hurt this child like this, I can't even say it now, but how upset should I be? Yes?”
Instead of answering, I lowered my head.
My heart was pounding and feeling more excited than ever.
'Am I crooked?'
I felt more insulted by every word this girl said than by the sarcastic words of the women who had pushed me a moment ago.
Her worrying words didn't seem sincere.
No matter how great it may seem on the outside, I can say that because I have been exposed to hostility all my life and lived under pressure.
That girl who was looking at me with pity as if she knew everything was frustrating me sarcastically more than anyone else in the room.
'Originally, all the really bad guys cleverly wear a good mask.'
“I am sick, alone, and in a harsh situation that I cannot escape no matter how hard I struggle... It is normal for me to get twisted easily.”
From what I heard next, I realized that my judgment was not wrong.
“But today is Her Highness’s birthday, it is an auspicious day, so why not be generous?”
“Great, but there's no next time, so be careful!”
Before I knew it, the entire situation had become my fault, and the situation seemed to have ended with the angelic girl's generous forgiveness.
“As expected, Miss Amber is very kind even if she is cute.”
I took a step back and suppressed my anger, but suddenly a girl's name caught my attention.
'Miss Amber? Could that be Marquis Diabelle? …?’
“By the way, Princess. It's too late to say hello. My name is Clara, Count Amber's daughter. I heard that you went to the Academy Festival not long ago. Did you meet my brother too?”
" my brother?"
“Yes, Ascart, Archduke Belus Junior, is my brother.”
Even though I had already guessed the girl's identity, when the name Ascart came out of Clara's mouth, I felt frustrated for some reason, as if my heart was blocked.
“I remember him! That handsome brother!”
The ladies, whose eyes lit up when he mentioned Askart's name, burst out laughing at Diana's words.
“But this older brother was brilliant, but why didn’t my sister shine because she is my brother?”
But I couldn't help but laugh awkwardly at the next words.
Diana blinked with such an innocent expression, “...Yes?” Clara stopped and smiled again.
“Askart is my cousin, my mother is the younger sister of Her Highness the Archduchess.”
"Show."
Diana nodded gruffly, as if her interest had waned, and she began to focus on the dessert again.
As the atmosphere became awkward, the people at the table began to change the subject by asking about her maternal grandfather, the Marquis Diabelle, and asking how beautiful the Principality of Pylos was, which she visited every year.
The conversation quickly turned to a more youthful topic.
The young lady, who was blushing because she had recently gotten engaged, asked Serbin.
“Her Highness the Princess will be of age soon, but she does not have a fiancé yet. Is there someone else you have in mind?”
Serbin smiled strangely and raised the teacup.
Then the one who was attacking me looked at me and quickly opened her mouth.
“Princess! Your older brother Lucio will graduate from the academy this year, right? He hasn’t missed first class honors every year, and even graduated early, which is hard! You should be very proud, now that he is in charge of the succession and family affairs classes, he will be even busier, so wouldn’t it be better if he had a companion? What do you think?”
“…Huh?”
It seemed that he was overly excited in the princess's eyes.
He spoke words that Diana, who was still young, had difficulty understanding.
As expected, Diana narrowed her eyes and tilted her head.
The princess smiled slightly when she saw this and asked subtly.
“The princess is like your sister, so what kind of person do you want to end up with as your brother?”
“Ah, new sister....?”
Just when I thought I wasn't sure if I had understood correctly this time, Diana shouted without hesitation.
“I love someone like Nona!”
"Oh, my God !"
The ladies were surprised by Diana's answer.
“Princess, you must not invite Her Highness Noona.”
“Leave him alone, isn’t the princess still young?”
Serpent the ladies and smile beautifully like a flower. Then he looked at Diana with a happy smile.
“I didn't know the princess was so friendly with me.”
“Huh? I, no I don’t mean...”
Diana, who had been listening in confusion to the conversation between the two mademoiles and Serpine, tilted her head and opened her mouth.
My heart was beating like crazy when I looked at this.
It was not clear whether Diana really understood Serbin's question.
It didn't matter yet.
“The big sister Diana spoke about is definitely….”
This time I felt I had to intervene even if it meant breaking etiquette and being insulted.
I felt like something really scary would happen if I corrected this misunderstanding.
then.
“Your Highness, I apologize for the delay, I ended up being a little late because Aiden kept procrastinating.”
It was the appearance of the Duchess of Peronde.
* * *
“Ma’am, let me wash your hands.”
As I attended to Diana, who had just washed her hands in the ladies' room, I let out a tired breath.
I was already nervous because it was my first time coming to the Imperial Palace, but things were happening nonstop and my head was pounding.
However, it was fortunate that the Duchess of Peronde appeared before Diana finally opened her mouth.
〈Oh my God, Leah is here.〉
Of course, I was embarrassed when the Duchess of Peronde came up to me with a smile on her face.
〈Cute and smart Leah! There will be a gift waiting for you when you return to the palace today.〉
〈gift?〉
〈Hah! It is a dessert from the Dampa Kingdom that Aiden woke up early in the morning to prepare, in the empire, it can only be tasted in the Duchy of Beronte.〉
If you want to eat again, you can come to our ducal house. Duchess Peronde whispered softly, “No!” Diana rushed towards me.
Duchess Peronte burst into laughter as if she had expected this reaction.
Not only noble ladies, but even the Empress, showed interest in her actions.
〈Did you frequent Elad's house and become friends with the maid?〉
〈That's true, Your Highness, but Leia is no ordinary maid!〉
Duchess Peronde began to praise me before the bewildered Empress.
Most people think I'm smart, cool, and kind. …
It was a f-review full of fish thoughts, but everyone paid attention to one thing, which was “Splicia”.
〈Now that I think about it, I've heard of it, isn't it a legendary herb that is said to cure absolutely any disease?〉
〈Oh my God, is there such a panacea in the world?〉
Of course, Spliceia was not a magic cure but an herb with excellent detoxifying effects, but I didn't have time to explain in detail.
Moreover, everyone seemed to be more concerned with how much wealth they could make if Duke Elad started distributing herbs and remedies exclusively in the future, rather than the effectiveness of the herbs.
Especially after they heard that I, who they thought was just a maid, owned a stake in the herbal medicine business, their eyes changed.
Among the women who attacked me fiercely, there were some who felt extremely embarrassed and whose faces turned red.
'Even the nobles are not all rich.'
If I truly succeed in cultivating medicinal herbs and distributing the cure, and if the investments I made previously succeed as well, I will make more money than most noble families.
“But that's not important now.”
As I walked through the corridors of the Imperial Palace with Diana back to the Royal Palace, my eyes narrowed.
Why in heaven's name was Serbin so wary of me?
That was very doubtful.
Knowing that I already exist...
“Miss, did you talk to me the last time you came to the palace?”
“Huh?”
Diana, startled by my question, shook her head.
“I didn’t do that! Because I don’t want to talk about Nona to scary people! But...”
"my brother . … ".
“Mr. Allen?”
When she asked again, Diana shook her fingers as if she had done something wrong.
“I complimented you that you are smart and read a lot of difficult books, so, my big brother also gave you the key to the library and asked you to study hard.”
"Yes . … ".
Only then did I realize what had happened.
Serbin wants Lucio.
Of course, Elad was not the target.
She, who was the direct descendant of the Emperor and Empress, wanted to become an empress with very strong imperial power, and she also wanted her husband, who was a state official, to have enough power to empower her.
‘Of course, I don’t know if this is just ambition or there is a hidden love….’
However, it seemed like Serbin was upset by every word Allen said.
'She's more obsessed than I thought.'
If you think about it a little, you'll realize that Lucio just took care of me because I was his sister's favorite maid.
In retrospect, I had a reasonable suspicion that the reason Lucio did not have a fiancé until he was twenty-six was due to Serpin's influence.
When I was just entering the building, it was weird and noisy.
Everyone was standing with embarrassed faces, and the maids were running around hurriedly.
“What's going on here...”
The moment she approached Diana, a woman took a step back and a gap appeared.
I gasped in surprise.
The Duchess was lying on the floor.