Chapter 87

North Wing of Laurencia Royal Palace, Room of Irises.

This was also the living space of the First Princess, and the servants who normally served her were clearly at a loss.

The reason was Estelle, the mistress of the room.

“Please don’t do this, Your Highness.”

“Why not? I’m just doing what I want with what’s mine.”

“Even so, this is a bit too much…”

As the servants stood in a row, unsure of what to do, Estelle strolled before them with a smile on her face.

To anyone watching, it looked like she was enjoying their discomfort.

But contrary to appearances, Estelle wasn’t scolding them or making their lives difficult.

In fact, it was the opposite.

She was trying to give them gifts.

Nothing extravagant. Just trinkets, cosmetics, or accessories she had collected over time.

“Here, take this. I think it’d really suit you.”

“My lady, I can’t accept something like this.”

“Why not? Because it’s secondhand and dirty? I actually took good care of it, you know.”

“Oh no, I’d never think something so disrespectful. It’s just… if we, lowly servants, were caught with such luxurious items, we’d only end up under suspicion.”

“It’s a gift from royalty! Who would dare question you for that?”

Estelle placed her hands on her hips and raised her voice.

“And these things aren’t even luxuries to me.”

If there was any luxury in this, it was simply expressing her gratitude to the people who had stayed by her side until now.

This will probably be my last indulgence.

Estelle swallowed the thought before it could escape her lips.

Just nine servants.

They were essentially odd-job workers handling the least glamorous tasks in the palace, such as cooking, sewing, and laundry.

Yet these were among the very few people Estelle could truly call “her own”.

Sadly, though, a princess placing her trust in the lowest of servants wasn’t seen as a touching tale.

Rather, it was a somber indicator of her standing within the court.

After her half-sibling and the heir to the throne was born,

After her mother died of illness,

And after her father’s attention drifted elsewhere…

Estelle, throughout her childhood, had endured one misfortune after another.

Under the systematic ostracization led by the Second Queen who had given birth to the heir, Estelle had become nothing more than a thorn in the side of the court. Someone to be avoided.

The only ones who ever approached her first were spies sent to watch her or people hiding ulterior motives behind pleasant faces.

In such a world, these servants standing before her now were the only ones who, for over ten years, had proven their sincerity through nothing but humble diligence and silent loyalty.

Though they may have felt intimidated by the difference in their social standing, Estelle saw them as her closest companions.

“Phoebe, whenever I was suffocating from boredom, you would sneak outside the palace and bring me something interesting. You even got caught and beaten for it once. But still, you always tried to make me smile and I’m grateful for that.”

“It was nothing, my lady.”

“I heard you’re getting married next month. Wear this necklace at the ceremony. It’ll really bring out your beautiful skin.”

“My lady…”

“And Nona, you always snuck food from the kitchen for me when I was sick. Thank you for that.”

“Well, that’s because when you were feeling sensitive, you wouldn’t eat anything unless we brought it ourselves.”

“Your father is still bedridden, right? Sell this ring and use the money for his care. You said the court’s salary wasn’t enough to afford proper medicine.”

“You remembered that…?”

After that, Estelle continued handing out the trinkets and jewelry she had, one by one, to her attendants.

Only once she had finished did she look truly at ease.

“If it weren’t for you all, I couldn’t have endured this lonely palace. These things are nothing compared to how grateful I am. So please…take them.”

But rather than feeling happy, the attendants looked more worried than anything else.

“Why are you saying things like this today? Like someone who isn’t coming back.”

“Is… is that rumor true, my lady?”

Estelle said nothing in reply.

She simply smiled.

It was a faint smile. One that looked just a little sad.

Just then, someone pushed through the attendants and casually picked up a pair of earrings from Estelle’s jewelry box.

“Wow, what is all this? Looks like a street market stall. Are you handing these out for free? In that case, I’ll take these. I remember thinking they looked pretty on you last time.”

The attendants furrowed their brows at the uninvited guest’s rude behavior, but quickly composed themselves.

Then, as if frightened, they stepped aside.

Estelle let out a sigh at the sight, then lifted the corners of her mouth into a smile as she called the uninvited guest by name.

“Miss Carina.”

Carina Valpenera.

A rising star from House Valpenera. She was already holding a key position in the royal court despite her young age.

Technically, she was also a distant relative of Estelle’s by blood… and Estelle’s childhood friend, born in the same year.

“What brings you here?”

Carina grinned as she answered.

“I heard you’ve already started packing, so I came by to check it out.”

“Well, word sure travels fast.”

“Gotta keep plenty of eyes and ears open around the palace.”

Carina glanced around at the attendants standing as if trying to shield Estelle from her and gave a slight smirk.

“Mind taking a walk with me? Just the two of us?”

***

House Valpenera was a collateral branch of the royal family.

When she was a child, Carina once admired Estelle.

After all, unlike herself, Estelle was a real princess.

Even her first impression had been like that—

A delicate, innocent princess straight out of a fairy tale, like a little bird trapped in a gilded cage.

From that moment on, Carina began to dislike fairy tales.

Because in those stories, she was always on the side of the evil stepmother or the jealous half-sister.

The Valpenera family had long been a major power within the palace, having controlled Laurencia’s intelligence network even before they split from the royal bloodline.

Their influence continued to this day, and Carina was set to inherit that legacy as the family’s successor.

It was the higher-ups in her family who had chosen Carina to be Estelle’s childhood playmate.

They instructed her to watch Estelle carefully and report everything she saw.

There were even plans to win the princess’s trust or exploit her weaknesses to eventually use her as a political pawn.

Carina learned the truth in her early teens.

That was when she made the decision to disappear from Estelle’s life—

And she followed through without saying a word.

She erased a friendship that had lasted for nearly half her life.

And then, seven years later, just last year…

Whether by fate or more likely by human manipulation…Carina came face-to-face with Estelle once again.

It happened right after Carina was appointed Director of the third Intelligence Division in the Public Security Bureau.

The First Intelligence Division handles domestic security issues, while the Second Intelligence Division is responsible for gathering intelligence abroad and supporting covert operations.

The Third Division hadn’t originally existed—

It was a position the elders of the Valpenera family created out of thin air, insisting Carina “grow up a little” and take on some real responsibility.

Its duties were inherited from the First Division, namely monitoring high-risk individuals within the country and tracking down suspected traitors.

Estelle was one of those individuals.

A walking path in the season when summer was approaching.

As they passed under an arch of lush or perhaps carelessly overgrown greenery, it was Carina who finally broke the long silence.

“You said you’re going to Libron?”

“Yes, as a diplomat. I’ll be working at Laurencia’s embassy in Libron’s capital.”

“Do you even know what a diplomat actually does?”

“I’ll learn once I get there. I tend to pick things up quickly.”

“Talk about nepotism.”

That’s what she said, but Carina already knew Estelle had been studying diplomacy with a private tutor.

Of course, she’d found out through surveillance.

Seeing Estelle laugh quietly, Carina felt slightly relieved.

“I was pretty surprised when you suddenly brought it up.”

The princess’s abrupt declaration that she was heading to Libron had been one of the most shocking events at court in recent memory.

Because Estelle wasn’t just talking about traveling abroad as a guest of honor—

She had declared her intent to become a diplomat and build her career from the bottom up.

Normally, such a belated declaration of ambition would have been dismissed outright.

That was because Queen Brigitte, who was mother to Estelle’s half-siblings, had always done everything in her power to sabotage anything Estelle tried to pursue.

The queen was infamous for her hatred of Estelle, and as expected, she tried to block Estelle’s move abroad this time as well.

But then something unexpected happened.

Senior officials at court began to support Estelle’s decision.

They had long harbored resentment toward the way Queen Brigitte had treated the princess.

Specifically, her relentless interference in Estelle’s marriage prospects.

Over the years, the number of marriage proposals Estelle had received was well into the double digits. From both foreign dignitaries and through internal political arrangements.

Yet not a single one had come to fruition.

Brigitte, afraid that the young and charming Estelle might one day gain the sympathy and power of her new in-laws and use it to seek revenge, had blocked every attempt with all her might.

To the court’s more principled officials, the queen’s actions were driven by personal feelings, not national interest.

By supporting Estelle’s departure and newfound independence, they intended to send a warning to Queen Brigitte.

And perhaps, deep down, they also believed Estelle deserved some reward—

For the years of silence and restraint she had endured.

At least, that’s what Carina liked to think.

Anyway.

It had only been three days since Estelle’s trip to Libron, something even she probably never truly believed would happen, was miraculously approved.

Now, she was gradually clearing away traces of herself from the royal palace, and Carina could sense a kind of energy in her that hadn’t been there before.

It was the first time since their reunion that Estelle had looked genuinely excited.

“You look like you’re in a good mood. Well, if I were you, I’d probably want to stand on my head and clap with my feet just to celebrate escaping this godforsaken country.”

At Carina’s teasing remark, Estelle let out a soft laugh.

“It’s not quite like that. I’ve met a lot of good people here… It’s a little sad to say goodbye to them.”

“You mean those servants from earlier?”

“Them, too.”

When Estelle gazed into Carina’s eyes with gentle sincerity, Carina who couldn’t stand anything remotely sentimental grimaced.

“What. Why. What?”

“You’d miss me, too… wouldn’t you, Carina?”

“Why would I? I’ll be relieved. One less thing to deal with.”

“You mean watching me?”

“Exactly.”

“Well, I was happy. Getting to see you again last year.”

“I wasn’t. I’d lived my life assuming I’d never have to see you again.”

“I see. Well, once I leave for Libron, that really will be the case. So I suppose that works out nicely for you.”

“…Well, no. I didn’t really mean it.”

Mumbling, Carina quickly changed the subject with a sulky tone.

“But why Libron, of all places? Did someone put the idea in your head? Someone egging you on to go there?”

“No, not exactly. But there was someone who gave me courage.”

“Who was that?”

“Baron Winslet.”

The moment that name left Estelle’s lips, a glint flashed in Carina’s eyes.

Winter Winslet. He was someone the Third Intelligence Division had recently started keeping a close watch on.

He was suspected of either having dealings with an Imperial informant or maintaining some sort of cooperative relationship…

Times like this really remind me I’m a true Valpenera.

Estelle didn’t seem to notice the shift in Carina’s demeanor at all.

Carina kept her expression carefully neutral as she asked in a subtle tone, trying to draw out information.

“Come to think of it, you said you were a fan of his, didn’t you? Baron Winslet. What about him?”