News

Serina couldn’t leave the treatment room until the seven-day Health Festival ended. Even after the wounds healed, it took time for magical procedures to remove the scars. The palace servants enthusiastically welcomed Serina back, but Mullaba kept her mouth shut, crossed her arms, and stared at Serina, only uttering a word after a long while.

“You’ve suffered.”

The Head Court Lady tried to speak with a somewhat sharp tone, but the words that actually came out were simple and gentle.

“You flatter me, -nim.”

Serina replied shyly, but Mullaba’s gaze seemed to be directed behind the young maid in front of her. Serina felt a sense of bewilderment but couldn’t bring herself to ask. The old Head Court Lady seemed to be contemplating what to say in front of her.

“Head Court Lady-nim? Is there something you wanted to say to me?”

“Hmm, you and Mirabilis-nim… No, never mind. Go and pay your respects.”

Words trying to directly question the relationship between the two rose to her throat, but she forcibly swallowed them down, thinking it would be better to leave it as it was. It was such a sensitive issue that she was worried about unnecessarily stirring up trouble by touching it wrongly.

When Serina opened the door to the Main Chamber, the Princess was wearing a black dress, her golden hair flowing down, small earrings with blue jewels, and sparkling green eyes, fiddling with a small dagger in her hand.

It was a cheap knife made with only the necessary features, removing unnecessary decorations, used by hunters in the common world to dismantle captured beasts. The brown leather sheath was dark and stained with use, as if it had been used for a long time.

“Princess-nim, I have been discharged and have come to pay my respects.”

Mirabilis visited her every day while she was sick. So it was a little funny that Serina was now coming to pay her respects. But formalities were formalities, and she couldn’t just skip it. The Princess glanced at the returned maid and then stood up with a bright, welcoming smile.

She strode over and came close enough to make her uncomfortable, looking down at her intently. Serina followed Mirabilis’s gaze and tried to guess its end.

“Are you alright now? Are there no scars?”

Mirabilis’s eyes were directed at the left chest area where Serina had been stabbed. It was hidden by the maid’s uniform, but the Princess seemed very curious about whether there were any scars.

“Thanks to your concern, -nim, the scars have disappeared cleanly.”

“That’s a relief.”

Mirabilis nodded and then took Serina’s right hand with both of her hands and placed it on her own left chest. Serina was startled by the soft sensation of her breasts, but the Princess didn’t care and also raised her right hand to place it on the maid’s left chest. It was as if they were both touching each other’s hearts with their right hands.

“Mirabilis-nim…!”

“Be still.”

The Princess’s voice was low yet firm, so Serina couldn’t say anything. A quiet silence settled in the Main Chamber of the Rose Palace. Serina could feel Mirabilis’s heart throbbing through her fingertips. The Princess also seemed to be quietly pleased as she felt the sensation of the maid’s heart beating.

“You once presumptuously touched my body without permission, but I did not punish you. So don’t say anything and just be still.”

Mirabilis tried to give a stern warning, but there was a strange hint of joy at the end of her words. The Princess’s hand slowly moved up from Serina’s chest, lightly touching her shoulders and neck, stroking her neck, and then reaching her cheek.

“I have never waited for a maid I kept by my side like this to return, thinking about her. I really missed you. Don’t ever leave on your own again without asking my permission.”

“…Yes.”

Even as she spoke, the Princess stroked Serina’s thin neckline and the trajectory of her muscles as if drawing lines with her fingers. Her hands were slender, white, smooth, and warm. Serina didn’t want to let go of her hand, so she closed her eyes and accepted it willingly.

“You are my person, my maid. Don’t be promiscuous and unruly, and don’t get close to other palace maids on your own. If you disobey me, I will punish you severely.”

The language was still a concise command, and the content was a strong warning, but the tone was very quiet and warm. Serina didn’t dislike the emotions and desires that the Princess was showing her.

Mirabilis spread her arms and awkwardly hugged Serina. The ‘fake’ Princess-nim, who had never properly hugged or been hugged, embraced the maid with awkward movements, seeming very relieved to feel her body temperature.

Serina, who had already hugged the slender body many times when she was a ‘younger sibling,’ also awkwardly hugged her back as if it was her first time. The two leaned on each other in silence for a moment, relying on each other.

The two awkwardly released their arms and stepped away. Mirabilis, feeling embarrassed and shy, put her fist to her mouth and coughed a couple of times before moving the words to the tip of her tongue.

“Don’t tell others that I hugged you.”

Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she smiled brightly and picked up the old knife on the table. Her voice was full of mischievous playfulness, as if she was trying to tease Serina.

“What do you think of this knife?”

“Isn’t it a real knife with a blade? I don’t think it’s very appropriate for Mirabilis-nim to carry it around.”

But it seemed that Mirabilis didn’t want that answer at all. When she pulled out the knife from its sheath and showed the blade, Serina took a step back. It was a small knife, and the blade had lost its shine, but it was still sharp enough to hurt someone.

“Don’t you remember even now?”

“Could it be that knife… the one he held when he tried to attack the Princess-nim, and the one that I was cut with?”

Mirabilis finally laughed out loud as if she had heard the answer she wanted. The jewel earrings shook in time with her laughter.

“I went directly to the Ministry of Justice and begged the Minister to give me this knife if it was no longer needed in the investigation. The Minister of Justice seemed a little troubled, but he called his subordinate and asked, ‘Is there any further use for this knife? Is there any curse left on it?’ Then, on the condition that he would only lend it out temporarily when submitting this knife as evidence during the trial, he eventually handed it over. I’ll just wait until the trial is over and then ask a craftsman to engrave my emblem on it.”

Serina was very displeased, but Mirabilis still fiddled with the blade, enjoying the feel of the metal, not caring what Serina thought. Her slender fingers gently stroked the side of the blade. Serina felt a little uncomfortable because it felt like the sensation of the metal passing through her chest was coming back to life.

“Princess-nim, it’s an ominous object. Return it to the Ministry of Justice and forget about it. If the Princess-nim wishes, you can get as many knives as you want.”

But Mirabilis’s answer was firm.

“No.”

That knife was ugly and ominous. Serina couldn’t guess why the Princess wanted to have that knife. But she didn’t seem to be in a mood to reveal her true feelings, so it seemed that she would have to ask her ‘heart’ directly.

“Regina Lecta.”

As Mirabilis’s eyes lost focus and turned glassy, Serina sternly questioned her.

“Mirabilis, why are you playing with such an ominous knife in front of me?”

“Older Sister-nim… Do you not like it…?”

As if sensing the annoyance in her voice, Mirabilis held the handle of the knife with both hands and crouched down, holding it to her chest. Serina was dumbfounded by her attitude, as if a child didn’t want to have their toy taken away, and questioned her.

“Of course, I don’t like it. Why do you like that knife so much? You and I almost died because of it.”

“Because… it has Older Sister-nim’s… blood on it…”

“What?”

Serina involuntarily asked back at the content of her blank-faced reply. But even in a hypnotic state, Mirabilis’s will was firm.

“The knife that Older Sister-nim took with her body… the knife with Older Sister-nim’s blood on it… This knife has… a strong connection with Older Sister-nim… and with me too… Please… allow me…”

“What kind of…”

Although she wasn’t aware of it, Mirabilis was becoming increasingly obsessed with her, to the point where she even wanted to have the knife that had injured Serina in her possession. She could put in a suggestion to change her mind, but she didn’t particularly want to. It was a little ominous, but from Serina’s point of view, it could be said to be a good sign.

And, Serina didn’t want to get angry with Mirabilis, who had welcomed her so warmly just a moment ago. It was a disturbing blade for her, but she wanted to understand if her ‘younger sibling’ wanted it.

“Okay, I understand. If you want it, I’ll allow it. But don’t show it in front of me. Got it?”

“Yes…”

Mirabilis’s lips formed a smile. Even in this situation, she relaxed her crouched posture as if she was relieved to have received permission from Serina. Serina gave the suggestion that they had been talking until just now and snapped her fingers. The Princess regained her senses, but her attitude changed slightly. She didn’t remember what state she had been in until just now and only thought that she was still in the middle of a conversation.

“Well, it’s quite an interesting knife for me, but it must be an ominous object for you.”

Mirabilis reached out from her seat, opened a small cabinet, and put the knife inside. It was a place where she selected and put in things that she liked quite a bit. It was right then, just as she was closing the lid of the cabinet with a thud. An old man’s raspy voice cut through the air beyond the door of the Main Chamber.

“This is Mullaba. May I come in?”

“Come in.”

When Mirabilis gave permission, the door clicked open. If it was a minor matter, Mullaba wouldn’t bother coming in person and would instruct other maids or court ladies to deliver the message. If the old Head Court Lady was deliberately coming to deliver a message, it must be a very important matter.

His face was flushed and red as he walked towards the Princess. Mirabilis tilted her slender face, looking at the wrinkled face of the Head Court Lady who had taken care of her since she was young.

“Mullaba, what’s wrong? Judging by your expression, it doesn’t seem like a normal matter.”

An ordinary maid couldn’t interfere in a place where the palace’s owner and the Head Court Lady were having an important conversation as if she was butting in. Serina breathed a sigh of relief that she had released the hypnosis before he came in and stepped back a few steps. She blinked her eyes as a greeting and was about to quietly slip out when Mirabilis gestured for her not to leave.

“Princess-nim, Mirabilis-nim, finally, well, what happened was…”

Mullaba, unlike his usual self, was so excited that his words were scattered and incoherent. It was as if he wanted to pour out everything he wanted to say, but he only had one mouth, so he was struggling.

“Calm down and choose your words, wasn’t that what Mullaba taught me so much when I was young?”

Mullaba took a slightly deep breath to calm his breathing and then raised his eyes. His face was twitching, and not only his mouth but even his eyes seemed to be dancing. He tried hard to appear calm, but he couldn’t hide all the excited heat in his tone.

“There was a message that His Majesty the Emperor has issued a royal decree to ennoble the Princess-nim as a Princess. The Privy Council informed us that they will send someone shortly to formally convey His Majesty’s decree, so prepare to observe the proper etiquette. Hurry, hurry and prepare.”

Serina and Mirabilis were both so surprised by the sudden thunderbolt that they couldn’t close their mouths.