Chapter 8: Tell Them Who I Am
“Is it acceptable?”
“What?”
Adeline was eating the soup her maid had brought. It was a delicious cream soup with clam meat, prepared with such care that every time she scooped a little with her spoon and put it in her mouth, the corners of her lips lifted. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
It was delicious. The spices were of the highest quality, and the seasoning was just right.
“Princess, you know that’s the third soup the chef has made, right?”
“So?”
Of course, Adeline knew. She had thrown the first soup without even tasting it, and the second after just one bite. The maid had screamed in fright, but Adeline hadn’t cared.
She had sarcastically claimed she couldn’t eat it because it smelled like a beggar’s meal or that the taste was awful. The maid would have passed along Adeline’s complaints to the chef, a man who considered it an honor for his family to work in the crown prince’s palace. Now, this princess who had returned out of nowhere was giving him a harsh wake-up call.
“Why did you do that?” the maid asked in a reprimanding tone, watching Adeline hum as she ate the soup.
Adeline was quite pleased by the maid’s boldness, so she decided to answer honestly. “The first was porridge made with mashed potatoes and sheep’s milk, and the second was the same ingredients with only onions and salt added.”
“And why is that a problem?”
“Those are the staple foods of fourth-class slaves.”
The maid’s mouth fell open without her realizing it. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
Adeline Vita was a princess, but she didn’t have royal blood. She came from the Vita class, which used to be slaves. Although slavery had been abolished on the continent, Marma still maintained a rigid class system. Those in power found ways to keep the caste structure alive by using the term “Vita” instead of “slave.”
Naturally, riots broke out because of this. When the Vita uprisings became too severe to ignore, the King employed a shallow tactic.
[“As the father of the people, I will adopt a girl from the Vita clan as my daughter and raise her with love.”]
That girl was Adeline.
A doll that was hand-picked by the king to quell the riots.
It seemed the chef wanted to make her aware of that fact.
The maid asked cautiously. “So… are you going to do that?”
“If you are asking me if I’m going to throw a plate every time they serve me a dish I don’t like, then yes.”
Of course, she would do that. She deserved to be treated well. Next time something like that happened again, she would make the chef cook the same dish again and again even until he died. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
Adeline wondered how the maid in front of her would tell the crown prince what she had done. Was the maid going to say the princess had gone crazy after returning? Or say the princess was like her usual self, this was what the princess was supposed to be?
The maid’s worries were prolonged. She hesitated, looked at Adeline, then hesitated again, pursed her lips. It seemed like she was trying to figure out if what she said was something worth saying.
Adeline left the maid to worry to her heart’s content.
“That…. Princess?”
“Why?
“Would you like me to comb your hair?”
Adeline was a bit disappointed that the maid was not going to report just yet. She then nodded her head, half-laying on her bed.
The maid came and sat down by Adeline’s side while holding an ivory comb. Although the maid’s skill was not that good, seemed like due to her young age, she surprisingly had soft fingertips. She applied a scented oil to the ends of Adeline’s hair, rolled it, massaged it, and then combed it gently.
“Before I came to the royal palace, I heard that Princess’ hair was silver.”
“But?”
“Now after I look closely, it’s light gray like a cloud.”
“So, are you disappointed?”
“No. It’s beautiful.”
Adeline felt that this time, the maid truly meant it. The hands that touched her hair were full of sincerity.
The maid was unpredictable. It was clear that Cesare had sent her as a watchdog, but she neither hated nor despised Adeline. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
“Even your eyes… It’s the first time I’ve seen eyes like yours.”
“My eyes?”
“I heard people say your eyes were violet, so I was curious. But when I saw them, they were more bluish-purple. They’re like a butterfly, not a flower. Have you ever seen a swallowtail butterfly?”
Of course, Adeline had. A butterfly with mysterious bluish-purple wings on a black background.
“The lady’s maids who will serve you haven’t arrived yet. They said they’d come today, but I guess they’re running late.”
It was the queen’s lady-in-waiting who assigned royal maids to the royal family. That woman hated Adeline, so she must have had trouble selecting the worst ones.
Adeline closed her eyes and drifted into thought. She had expected her father, the king, to visit last night. But Cesare’s absence was unexpected. Of course, she knew it wasn’t because of work. It had to be personal, but what was it?
“Do you want me to bring you a newspaper?” the maid asked again.
Adeline wanted silence, but the maid kept talking, and it was starting to grate on her.
However, the maid was perceptive enough to quickly realize what Adeline wanted. She swiftly stopped talking and brought the newspaper.
“I got this from the maid’s dorm, so it’s all I could find.”
It was clearly a newspaper that the maids read. A third-rate weekly focused on gossip about nobles’ private lives—so-and-so had an affair, so-and-so broke up, or so-and-so committed a crime. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
“Princess…” the maid asked cautiously as Adeline read the newspaper with a serious expression. “Are you going to accept it? You know, that… that?”
“That what?”
“The Lion King…”
“If you don’t speak quickly, you won’t get an answer.”
“His marriage proposal!” the maid whispered, though no one else was around to hear. She had been nervously chewing on her lips since the subject came up, and now her true feelings spilled out. It was the first question she had dared to ask.
Adeline realized the maid had been with her that night. She recalled the moment. The maid must have missed the most important part while asleep and only remembered the Lion King’s proposal. She had likely been itching to ask but had held back until now.
Adeline closed the newspaper with a thud and looked at the maid. If she told this girl anything, it would surely reach Cesare’s ears. That fact had never left Adeline’s mind since she left Nova and returned to Marma.
“The Lion King is Marma’s benefactor.”
“Yes?”
“I’ve heard many rumors in Nova. They say the Lion King defeated the forces controlling the southern border. A warrior so powerful that some believe he’s a descendant of a god. Young and beautiful, too. So I wondered if he was one of those types—good with brute strength but lacking brains. But I don’t think that’s true, do you?”
“Princess? What are you trying to say?”
“Why do you think such an extraordinary man would propose to me?”
The maid fell silent, her anxious eyes fixed on Adeline. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
Adeline smiled calmly. “Because I’m beautiful, of course.”
The maid dropped the comb she was holding.
Adeline had no intention of answering whether she would accept the Lion King’s marriage proposal.
“What’s your name again?”
“Yes?”
“Your name. I think I’ve heard it, but I don’t remember.”
The maid stammered, “Collin… it’s Collin Dovey.”
Collin. A good name.
Adeline reopened the newspaper with a faint smile.
“Leave, Collin. The lady’s maids are here.”
There was a murmur outside. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
***
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