Chapter 8

"It is an honour to meet you, Your Highness." I bowed.

'Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.' I swore under my breath. 'I'm dead.'

"What the hell." She spoke out.

I swallowed my breath as I refused to look up.

"You." She called.

I looked up.

The butler became defensive. He came in front of me to protect me.

'What the hell happened to the others before me to get the butler to have this reaction? Did they die or something?'

"Your Highness, please accept this child even if you dislike her."

"Move." She ordered.

"Bellua is a respectable family that-" He began.

"Didn't I tell to move?" She said irritatedly.

Then she walked over and grabbed my face aggressively.

"This one won't do." She said, looking bloodshot at my eyes.

And then the little bitch threw me.

"She stuffs herself with dumplings, so, it'll cost too much to feed her."

"Excuse me, but, what are you talking about, Your Highness?" The butler questioned.

"She's a dumpling thief, you know." She pointed.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Your Highness." I bowed. "I'm actually very allergic to them."

The butler looked at me curiously and the princess looked at me with a very baffled expression.

'I wish I could laugh.'

"I had an acute indigestion when I was young. Now, I can't even stand the smell of dumplings."

I looked at them with the most shameless expression ever.

"Dumpling allergy?" She questioned with a disgusted look.

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Are you saying I'm being delusional?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

"My face is common here and there. It's absolutely wrong to say that you don't have a discerning eye, Your Highness." I stated.

[Translation: You're blind and too dumb to recognize people.]

"She is saying she's not the one?" The butler said, confused.

"Get out." Rapherette waved to him.

The butler left, slamming the door.

Rapherette laid on the bed on her front with her face facing the pillow.

"So, you're from Bellua..." She heaved.

"Yes, Your Highness."

"The daughter of Count Bellua, the leader of the Southern aristocrats?" She questioned, looking at me.

I nodded.

"I know that Count Bellua has a daughter, but how will I know that you're really his daughter?"

"I gave the necessary requirements to verify my identity, Your Highness, such as my health certificate and an artifact that is only passed amongst Bellua's descendants. Even though my father is in the South, Viscount Hamel and Count Vincent are in the Capital. They can confirm my identity."

"Do you think I could call them just to verify a maid's identity?"

Rapherette's voice was mixed with a lot of irritation. Princess Nigelle could also vouch for me, but I decided not to mention it. Rapherette would never see me in a friendly light if I told her that I had a personal connection with the other princess.

So, I decided to just stick with Marian Vincent and Sasha Hamel instead. Also, when I told her the names of those nobles, she didn't pry anymore.

No fool would dare go to the Imperial Palace and try to falsify their identity. No matter how young the noble was, as long as they were a direct descendant of a Count, the Imperial family would receive a detailed portrait of them.

"But how can I believe," She began, burying her face in the pillow. "That you're from Bellua when you are a dumpling thief? How can someone like that steal a dumpling for a snack?"

'Look who's talking...'

I looked up at Rapherette, who was lying on his side, with a look of surprise.

"I'm sorry, but I don't understand what you mean."

Rapherette laughed as I continued to feign ignorance. She didn't really believe what I said, so he changed the subject.

"Was it the Count's will that you entered the Imperial Palace?"

"No, I chose to come here on my own."

"It was your will to come to the Imperial Palace… and to me, specifically?"

The small and thin Rapherette was buried in the huge bed, and only her voice could be heard. I held my breath and tried to listen to his voice, but the blanket muffled his words.

"Why?"

As expected, this is a question that would come up. Rapherette is the last person anyone would want to support in the Imperial Family. She can't obtain the throne because she's a princess. Her mother is the Empress, but she lacks support.

"I don't like staying in Bellua."

"What?" She looked at me.

"I don't like staying in Bellua." I repeated.

I cleared my throat and recited the answer I had prepared.

"My father told me good things about you that made me want to come and work for Your Highness."

"Count Bellua spoke about me?"

She lifted her head from his pillow and looked very surprised by what I said.

Her bright blonde hair shined through the wrinkles in the white sheets as the sun shined on it. She looked a little confused. I was surprised when she said something that sounded like what a child would say for the first time. For a second, she looked like Lehan, but a normal child wouldn't look at me with such anger that she wanted to kill me. I smiled.

"Yes, Your Highness. My father praised you greatly, saying that Your Highness was so beautiful and intelligent that it was almost a shame that you aren't a prince… you have all the best qualities."

Of course, my father never spoke fondly about Princess Lapertte, let alone utter such praise about her. But I couldn't back out now. I had to convince him that I wasn't lying. I had to convince him that my father favored him more than anyone else.

Rapherette was quiet for a moment, and then she went back under the covers. Her small voice could be heard through the piles of fabric.

"I don't remember ever meeting Count Bellua."

"Just because you don't know my father doesn't mean he doesn't know who you are."

"No, I know your father. But I didn't know he was that crazy."

"True," I muttered to myself.

"What did you say?" She looked at me.

"Nothing, Your Highness."

But Rapherette heard that word clearly.

"Hey."

"Yes, Your Highness?"

Rapherette called.

She was still buried under the thick duvet, so I answered while staring at the large white cloth.

"You helped Tori."

I tilted my head for a second.

When did I help her?

I thought about Marian Vincent, but I didn't think that insulting her helped Tori in any way. Rapherette's voice, though, was a little off when she said Tori's name, so I frowned.

"I don't think I helped much, but I have met Miss Tori Fassbender."

"Then it's fine."

"What do you mean?"

"I forgive you for being a dumpling thief."

'That's not what happened, you dumpling thief.'

I held in the rising desire to argue in my throat and just frowned and bowed my head. She seemed to care a lot for Tori.

It was surprising.

It was absolutely surprising that he knew how to care for others and treat them well.

"I'm not familiar with what you're talking about but thank you anyways."

Rapherette laughed momentarily at me as I feigned ignorance till the very end.

"You're only here temporarily, so it's fine with me."

We don't know yet if that would be the case.

I thought to myself and bowed my back in front of her, which I must have done a few times.

When I left her bedroom, the manager was waiting for me. He gave me a brief lesson on a few things I should be aware of, but in reality, it was all just simple warnings that I didn't even need. That's because the 'education' that many young noble girls receive included how to behave in the royal court.

Still, he thought it was excellent that I could speak the court language, which was usually difficult for someone my age, and for knowing manners and proper etiquette. He assured me that I wouldn't need additional lessons like this in the future.

"Perfect. You'll be a good attendant. You can work for Her Highness Princess Rapherette for half a year, and after that, if there's an opening, you may work for Her Highness Princess Nigelle.

He showed me to my room and explained that sometimes, noble girls would temporarily work for Rapherette until a position with Princess Nigelle or Prince Arnulf became available.

I looked around the old-fashioned and sat down on the bed. The olive wood walls made me think of the room where I had to atone for my disobedience when I was a child. I used to be afraid of that room and trembled when I was confined and scolded. The scariest thing now wasn't that old, dark attic, but being a maid in the Imperial Palace.

It's such an unexpected, considerable change that even though I was the one who made the decision, I'm still shocked about the progress of my situation. Getting a position and a room in the Imperial Palace is like being officially registered as a soldier, so even if my father wanted to make a fuss, he wouldn't be able to do anything about it. I reached for my baggage and thought about what I would do if my parents came to the Imperial Palace.

As I was putting away the few clothes I had brought, I noticed the Imperial Pass that had been thrown roughly next to the bundle. It was a form of identification that only high-ranking maids and attendants could receive to allow them to enter the Imperial Palace. It was engraved with a serpent, the symbol of the Imperial family.

Even though I've only been here for half a day, I was able to become Rapherette's attendant without having to go through a trial period. This quick promotion was not something light or easily obtainable, given the heavy burden of working under the Imperial Family's name. It was a big deal being the princess's attendant.