Chapter 4: This Is Interesting

It was too perfect a coincidence.

‘Could it really have been a coincidence that the Marquis lost his balance at exactly that moment?’

The Third Prince, Ozvalt Yulian.

The Saint of the Empire, who was kind and gentle to everyone.

And his appearance was so angelic that it seemed his reputation wasn’t exaggerated at all.

I lowered my head, hiding my trembling eyes.

Yulian asked me gently,

“What did you say your name was?”

His voice was truly gentle.

Low and kind, as if he knew nothing.

A warning rang in my head, telling me I shouldn’t give him my name—

“Vanillin… is my name.”

There was no way an ordinary maid like me could refuse!

I squeezed my eyes shut.

“Vanillin.”

He called my name as if rolling it around in his mouth.

Then he smiled with his eyes and nodded.

“I’ll remember it. I’ll make sure to give you a generous reward soon.”

Shiver.

‘What if the generous reward is death…?’

It couldn’t be something like that, right?

I lowered my head, trying not to shrink back.

“It would be an honor, Your Highness….”

“I didn’t know there was such a talented person in the Imperial Palace.”

His expression looked nothing like the person who had just stepped on the Marquis’s cloak.

Bright, gentle….

A completely flawless face.

That perfect innocence made my heart waver.

‘Ah, maybe not….’

Had I seen it wrong…?

Or perhaps it really had been an accident.

I bit my lip.

The cloak Marquis Desmond was wearing was a little longer and more elaborate than an ordinary formal robe, spreading widely across the floor.

Perhaps he hadn’t even realized he was stepping on it.

‘Well, if an accident happened while he was showing the Marquis around, even a prince would have a hard time avoiding responsibility.’

It was National Treasure No. 1, after all.

The responsibility for breaking such a precious treasure would surely be severe.

The prince wasn’t an idiot.

There was no reason for him to deliberately ruin his own reputation like that.

Thinking about it that way made me feel a little relieved.

‘…Yeah. I was just being too sensitive.’

I must have been too shocked at the time.

Right.

There was no way that beautiful Third Prince would do something like that.

I shook my head, getting rid of my doubts.

Then I smiled brightly at him.

“Thank you so much, Your Highness.”

“….”

The Third Prince stared down at me for a moment.

Then the corners of his eyes softened slightly, and he smiled back.

“All right.”

With an incredibly kind expression, he smiled brightly.

“Let’s meet again, Vanillin.”

He promised that there would be a next time between us.

After the Third Prince and Marquis Desmond left—

“Vanilliiiin…!”

“You lucky girl!”

The maids rushed toward me with tears in their eyes.

“How did you catch that pottery with those skinny arms?!”

“You look so innocent… You’re such a cutie!”

“I can’t breathe….”

Hug.

Countless arms wrapped around me.

They were so warm that I could hardly breathe.

As I squirmed while trapped among them, the Head Maid spoke with a satisfied expression.

“The Celestial Man’s Pottery was given to the Empire by the Celestial People to celebrate the founding of the Empire.”

“The Celestial People?”

I blinked and asked again.

“People who live in the sky…?”

“More precisely, people who have both angel and human blood.”

Half angel?

I tilted my head.

Why would an angel marry a human and even have children with one…?

It sounded like some ridiculous story.

The Head Maid shrugged.

“I don’t know the story very well either. Apparently, the Celestial People went up to the heavens a very long time ago.”

“So it’s just a legend?”

“You could say that.”

I see….

I nodded.

I didn’t completely understand it, but anyway, this strangely beautiful pottery was the most precious treasure in the Empire.

And just now….

It had almost…

Exploded into pieces…

In my hands…?

Shiver.

A chill ran down my neck, and my whole body trembled.

“T-that was incredibly dangerous, wasn’t it…?”

“Exactly.”

Gasp.

I felt as if my soul were leaving my body.

‘It really… really almost disappeared without anyone knowing…!’

In fact, everyone who had been here could have been killed.

The punishment for destroying a national treasure would surely be that severe.

‘This is why I said we shouldn’t take a job from the Imperial Palace!’

Dai, that man, had been blinded by money…!

Teary-eyed.

Tears filled my eyes.

When I sat down with red eyes, the Head Maid patted my shoulder heartily.

“That’s why I say you’re truly talented! Please work with us for a long, long time!”

“That’s right! Take good care of us, Vanillin!”

“We love you, Vanillin!”

“I have absolutely no intention of doing that….”

Why would I?!

Waaah.

I swallowed my tears inside.

‘I just want to run away right now.’

Should I pretend I needed to use the bathroom and go to Dai…?

If I told him the Sacred Contract was nothing but a useless rumor and urged him to leave quickly, maybe he would listen?

‘I’ll be lucky if he doesn’t beat me.’

I sniffed and wiped my nose.

If I went to him before our meeting time,

he would definitely beat me while shouting, “Are you trying to get caught? Do you even know where you are?”

So for now, I had no choice but to keep working here….

“Um… May I go to the bathroom for a moment?”

Still, I wanted to go to the bathroom….

As I cautiously started walking away, the Head Maid jokingly asked,

“Vanillin, you’re not running away, are you?”

“Of course not!”

I answered without even looking back.

But inside, I was shouting with both hands clasped together.

‘I’m sorry! I want to disappear right now…!’

Perhaps the heavens weren’t completely cruel to me, because nothing else happened after that.

I simply polished the various treasures,

polished,

and polished some more.

‘Ugh… My body feels so stiff.’

After all the treasures from the entrance of the palace to the banquet hall had been displayed,

I rubbed my aching back and looked out the window.

The moon had already risen.

It was evening, and the Founding Anniversary celebration was in full swing.

Which meant my meeting time was getting close.

‘It’s a shame….’

When would I be able to go outside again?

My feet didn’t want to move, but I forced myself to stand.

“I’ll go to the bathroom for a moment.”

Unlike before, I said it this time because I really intended to run away.

Creak—Click.

Without arousing anyone’s suspicion, I quietly slipped outside.

“Haa….”

The meeting place was… the abandoned garden of the Imperial Palace.

It was quite far away, so I quietly started walking.

The Imperial Palace at night had a completely different appearance from during the day.

Under the softly shining starlight, the tall and magnificent buildings seemed to melt into the darkness.

Golden light poured from every window, while beautiful music drifted out from the open balconies.

“Wow….”

A gasp escaped my mouth without me realizing it.

Should I take a look?

Just for a moment… a very short moment?

Drawn in by the sight, I approached a huge door that was half open.

A breathtaking scene came through the gap.

Dresses flowing like waves, laughter, sweet fragrances….

Everything was sparkling.

It felt as if a world inside a painting had come to life.

“So this is what a banquet is like.”

My heart tickled with excitement.

I never knew the world could be this beautiful.

I was staring inside without realizing it when—

“Oh….”

A familiar figure suddenly entered my sight.

I blinked.

“Dai.”

My master.

Come to think of it, he had said he was going to the banquet.

But something was strange.

His usual sly expression was nowhere to be seen.

His face was red, and he was walking somewhere with large, angry steps.

And Marquis Desmond was beside him.

‘What’s going on…?’

Something felt wrong.

Did the two of them know each other?

Since when?

Feeling that something serious was happening, I pressed myself against the gap in the door.

Looking closely, I saw that the Marquis’s face was red too, just like Dai’s.

The Marquis was angrily pointing his finger at someone while breathing heavily through his nose.

I couldn’t hear everything clearly, but the atmosphere was obvious.

‘Ahh, they’re totally fighting….’

Who were they fighting with?

I leaned forward a little more.

And then I saw familiar cream-colored hair.

W-wait.

“Th-Third…”

The Third Prince…?!

“Hic!”

I was so surprised that I hiccupped.

I quickly covered my mouth and hid behind the door.

It was definitely the Third Prince.

There was no way I could mistake that face.

‘What on earth are they doing over there…!’

Why wasn’t he coming to the meeting place and why was he doing that?!

It felt extremely, very, incredibly ominous.

I looked through the gap in the door again.

While I had looked away for just a moment, it seemed a real fight had already broken out.

“…What did you say?”

“…His Highness said that he had lost his mother!”

Oh, please.

Daiiiiii—!

Even if he was the Third Prince, Dai was definitely going to be punished for this.

Just as I squeezed my eyes shut—

The Third Prince smiled.

“This is interesting.”

He wore the exact same kind, gentle expression he had shown me earlier.