CHAPTER 126
Vera returned to the maid’s quarters, holding Rosa's hand, and led her to the head maid’s private room. Dina and Milly quickly followed them inside.
The gazes of about a dozen maids who were preparing to change shifts followed them closely.
Clack.
The door to the head maid’s room immediately shut firmly.
As soon as Vera entered the room, she seated Rosa in a chair.
Vera, Dina, and even the usually quiet Milly couldn’t hold back and bombarded her with questions.
“A secret bodyguard for Her Majesty the Empress…? What’s going on?”
“How could you not say a word to us? When did you start training?”
“Did Her Majesty already know?”
“Are you carrying weapons under your dress right now?”
“But you were always with us. When did you even train?”
Rosa rubbed her nose with the back of her hand, a habit of hers when she was feeling embarrassed. She took a deep breath in and slowly exhaled.
Looking around at her colleagues who were surrounding her, she began to speak.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you in advance, Head Maid. And sorry to you, Dina, and Milly.”
She felt bad for keeping a secret even from her closest friend, Dina.
Stealing a glance at Dina, Rosa began to explain.
“The training started… right after Her Majesty the Empress returned from the capital with His Majesty the Emperor.”
“Huh? That was before the competition even started.”
Vera and the maids couldn’t hide their surprise.
The “outing” Rosa mentioned referred to the day Arabelle went to the capital with the Emperor to assess the fake gemstones.
The next day, when the Emperor returned, he had awarded Vera and the maids a generous bonus for having packed even what could barely be called nightwear.
“When Deputy Kyle called me separately, I thought the moment had come. I had committed such a great crime, after all.”
Rosa lowered her head.
At her words, Vera, Dina, and Milly fell silent for a moment.
They remembered when Rosa, having fallen for Princess Lilibet of Sebils' tricks, had damaged Arabelle’s dancing shoes.
“I was sure I’d be dismissed. That’s why I think I was able to remain so calm as I followed Deputy Kyle.”
Rosa swallowed and then recounted what had happened that day.
“I naturally thought I was being taken to Head Maid Bridget. I thought the procedure would be completed and I’d be sent out of the palace…”
***
Deputy Kyle took Rosa to the training ground of the Imperial Guards.
But it wasn’t just any training ground.
It was a place cut off from the outside world, accessible only with a special permit.
‘I’m going to die here without anyone knowing.’
That was her first thought as she stepped inside the training ground.
Her vision blurred as sweat poured down like rain.
She didn’t know when a sword might swing at her neck.
She couldn’t even lift her head in fear, trembling where she stood…
“With such a weak mind, you committed such a grave crime?”
A cold yet weighty voice pierced through from above her head.
In her lowered field of vision, she saw black leather boots.
Rosa quickly knelt down and begged.
“I’ve committed a mortal sin, Your Majesty. Sob, sob. I’ve committed a sin so great I dare not ask for forgiveness. Sob, sob.”
She was afraid to die, but what saddened her even more was the thought of being separated from the lady, Head Maid Vera, and Dina.
Despite the fact that her betrayal had caused the lady’s shoes to be damaged at the ball, and she was almost accused of stealing the Red Chaos Egg…
Lady Arabelle had not only forgiven her but had also covered up Princess Lilibet’s misdeeds to save her.
She had finally found someone she truly wanted to serve for the rest of her life…
But now, she had to leave before she could repay that kindness. The regret made her want to tear her heart out.
She had lived her life confidently, never doing anything against her conscience.
Her homeland, the Kingdom of Utekre, was in the midst of civil war, and the suffering of the people had reached its peak. It had been a long time since she had lost contact with her mother and young siblings back home.
‘If you help me become Empress, I’ll make sure you can bring your mother and siblings here.’
She had succumbed to the devil’s temptation only once.
She was afraid of falling out of favor with Princess Lilibet, who at the time was the most likely candidate for Empress.
If she didn’t listen to her and Lilibet became Empress…
She might be expelled from the empire immediately as a Utekrian.
She had seen many Utekrians expelled from the empire, not even receiving their wages properly after falling out of favor with the nobility.
No, no. Those were all poor excuses.
Rosa sobbed, too ashamed to lift her head.
“I heard you defeated six or seven maids in the storeroom back then?”
At the Emperor’s sudden question, Rosa looked up.
She quickly lowered her head again when she met his sharp, red eyes and answered.
“Yes. They were trying to switch out the bedding assigned to the lady… I’m sorry, Your Majesty.”
At that time, the disrespect toward Arabelle had reached its peak.
Not only the Empress candidates but also their maids openly looked down on Arabelle and treated her poorly.
That day, she had caught some maids tampering with the silk bedding provided for Arabelle, and a scuffle had broken out.
Arabelle, who had been ostracized and had to endure the bitterness of being an outsider since she first came to the empire, reminded Rosa of herself.
So, even though she hadn’t been serving her for long, she had been eager to stand up for Arabelle.
“They say you threw those maids to the ground.”
Rosa was startled by the Emperor's words.
The Emperor's ears were said to reach every corner of the palace, and Rosa realized it was true.
"I… I’m a bit strong… I’m sorry, Your Majesty."
She was naturally strong, capable of doing the work of one or two men. At Count Laurel’s estate, she was often called upon to substitute when there weren’t enough male servants.
"This wasn’t the first time something like this happened, was it?"
"I… I have a fiery temper, and I just… I’m sorry, Your Majesty."
Unsure of the Emperor’s intentions, Rosa could only repeat, "I’m sorry."
"Have you ever received any martial arts or combat training?"
Rosa was startled by the Emperor’s question.
‘He must think I’m a spy from another country.’
Thinking this, Rosa shook her head vigorously.
"No, Your Majesty. My homeland, Utekre, has been plagued by constant civil wars. When I was young, my father taught me self-defense. That’s all."
Her father was the captain of a civilian militia that protected their hometown.
Rosa was his child, inheriting both his large frame and strength. He taught Rosa, his eldest daughter, how to fight so she could protect herself and her younger siblings.
Rosa lowered her head even further.
"I’m sorry, Your Majesty…"
"What exactly are you sorry for?"
Rosa didn’t know how to respond and stood there, silent.
"Allowing your lady to be disadvantaged is the same as failing in your duty."
Rosa was about to nod, but then she remembered what she had done, and her face flushed red.
"I had no intention of forgiving you for betraying Lady Arabelle."
In her line of sight, she saw the Emperor’s sword at his waist. Today, it gleamed even more fiercely.
The thought that the cold blade might fall at any moment made her neck shrink.
"But Lady Arabelle thought differently. She asked me to keep you by her side."
"Sob, sob… I’m truly sorry… I’m so sorry."
Her sincere apology wasn’t directed at the Emperor but at Arabelle.
Her suppressed tears burst forth once again.
Her hands, which had constantly suffered from the sores and itching caused by the Keronis oil used on Count Laurel’s wife and daughters, had been cured by Arabelle.
Arabelle had refused the Keronis oil, meant for a mere maid like Rosa, and instead received medicine to give to her. When Rosa later found out, she had cried so much.
If she were given another chance, she would dedicate everything to serving her.
The thought that such a moment might never come filled her with even more regret.
"I’ve decided to grant Lady Arabelle’s request."
Even after hearing the Emperor’s words, Rosa couldn’t believe it.
In her daze, she lifted her head, her mouth hanging open in disbelief.
***
"Did you train late at night after we were all asleep?"
Dina, who had been listening intently to Rosa’s story, asked.
Knowing that Rosa had trained every day after a long, exhausting day of work, her previous feelings of resentment towards her friend vanished.
"I didn’t know, so sometimes when I woke up and didn’t see you, I thought you were just going to the bathroom a lot."
"I thought you were secretly dating someone," Milly said.
Rosa smiled sheepishly at Dina and Milly’s comments.
"You must have been very tired, but you endured it well."
At Vera’s words, Rosa wiped her nose with the back of her hand and shook her head.
"No. I was so happy during the training. Just thinking that I could protect my lady, no, Her Majesty the Empress, made the time fly by."
Rosa added with a bright smile.
"And I think fighting suits me better than household chores. All the different weapons felt so natural in my hands. Even the commander of the Guard praised me a lot. Hehe."
The three maids laughed along with Rosa.
"So His Majesty the Emperor prepared the secret guards even before the competition ended?"
"Yes. His Majesty said, ‘It doesn’t matter whether Lady Arabelle wins the competition or not. No matter the outcome, the one who will become Empress is Lady Arabelle.’"
The thought of the Emperor casually saying those words made the three maids and Milly burst into laughter.
"But isn’t the Empress’s protection the responsibility of the Imperial Guard? Why did he create separate secret guards?"
Milly tilted her head, puzzled, as she asked.
"I just found out about this too, but the protection of Her Majesty the Empress is divided into two groups. One is the Imperial Guard, which is dedicated to Her Majesty. The other is an all-female guard unit. However, the female guard unit receives training from the Guard but is under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Household Department."
Understanding dawned on Vera, who clapped her hands.
"The Imperial Household Department is heavily influenced by Dowager Empress Natalia and Grand Duchess Lesang. The Empress’s seat has been vacant for a long time."
"Exactly. His Majesty said, ‘Entrusting the safety of Lady Arabelle, who will become Empress, to guards under the Household Department is like leaving cheese in the care of a rat.’"
Even at a time when no one expected Arabelle to become Empress, the Emperor had been planning for when she would take the throne.
They were awed by the Emperor’s meticulous and flawless planning.
Meanwhile, his brilliant mind was still at work in the Empress’s bath.
He was contemplating how to get his shy wife to join him in the bathtub.
Without a single thread of clothing, of course.
As he watched Arabelle diligently disinfect the wound on his shoulder, the Emperor’s lips twitched.
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