Chapter 34
“Here it is.”
With a soft clink, a perfectly warm cup of tea was placed in front of Cardan.
Eslyn bowed and stepped back a few paces.
Cardan brought the cup to his lips without much thought.
“Ugh. What is this taste?!”
Coughing mid-sip, he grimaced and clutched his nose.
“Your Highness, is something wrong?”
“What’s the matter, brother?”
Servants and Erdan asked in turn.
Face flushed red, Cardan jabbed his finger at the teacup.
“This is the most bitter, astringent tea I’ve ever tasted!”
The servants were in a fuss. Erdan, watching silently, locked eyes with the maid behind Cardan—Eslyn—who subtly tilted her head.
‘Ah, I see.’
Erdan’s dull eyes suddenly gleamed.
“Oh, that? It’s medicinal tea. You know, bitter things are good for your health.”
“This isn’t medicinal—this is poison!”
Erdan sighed, looking pitiful with his damp, mournful gaze.
“I am a sick man, am I not?”
He even faked a cough.
‘Shameless.’
Eslyn, who brewed the bitter tea, was stunned at how naturally Erdan handled the situation.
“Ugh, fine! Just bring me something sweet. I don’t care, as long as it isn’t bitter!”
“Then… I’ll bring freshly squeezed fruit juice,” Eslyn offered.
“Right now!” Cardan snapped.
As she left for the kitchen, Erdan gave Eslyn a meaningful look. Their eyes met in silent agreement.
“Your juice, sir.”
Pfffft.
Cardan spat the bright yellow juice into the air, catching the attention of nearby nobles.
“What is this sugar sludge?!”
“You asked for something sweet…” Eslyn replied calmly.
Cardan stood, enraged.
“Brother, please, calm down,” Erdan tried to soothe him.
Eslyn quietly wiped the mess, suppressing laughter.
“Try drinking this! My tongue is going numb!”
He thrust the glass at Erdan, who took a sip.
“Delicious.”
Cardan was speechless. Eslyn almost burst out laughing again.
‘It must be unbearably sweet…’
Sure enough, Erdan’s hidden hand was tightly clenched from the shock of the taste.
“Sometimes you need something sweet to relieve stress.”
“You—Erdan!”
“Yes, you called?”
Cardan clutched the back of his neck in frustration.
“I’ll punish the maid for upsetting you,” Erdan said quickly, feigning sternness.
“You!” he yelled toward Eslyn.
Eslyn flinched intentionally.
“But first, I’ll make it up to you—go fetch the Bellein wine from the cellar.”
Cardan’s eyes sparkled. Bellein wine was rare and extravagant.
“Bellein wine…?”
“Yes! Brother, will that calm you down a bit?”
“Hmm… yes, I suppose it would.”
Simple and easy to please, Cardan nodded.
Eslyn and another maid went to retrieve the wine. Meanwhile, Sevis’s piano was reaching its climax.
“I’ve brought the wine,” Eslyn said.
Cardan was giddy with excitement. A glass was placed before him.
“Open it quickly.”
Erdan gave the signal, and Eslyn slowly began uncorking it with extreme care.
Just as Cardan’s patience ran thin—
Clink. The piano stopped.
Clap clap clap. Applause erupted.
“Ah, the performance is over,” Erdan said, smiling.
“So?” Cardan asked, confused.
Erdan stood.
“That concludes the party.”
“W-What?!”
Eslyn stared at the half-uncorked bottle she’d barely touched.
“What about the wine?”
“Well… I meant… it’s time for you to leave.”
Erdan pointed toward the garden gate.
“Farewell.”
His smile gleamed with mischief.
Cardan stormed off in fury. Erdan turned to Eslyn, who was calmly cleaning up.
“You’re pretty bold—for a maid.”
“I don’t understand what you mean.”
“Now you’re shameless too.”
Eslyn handed him a cup of water—along with a note she’d been holding all along.
Erdan, slumped like a rag, immediately straightened.
“If you don’t need anything else, may I take my leave?”
Erdan nodded silently. The note disappeared into his hand.
Eslyn exited the palace without being followed.
It was a moonlit night.
Eslyn quietly snuck out of her quarters.
She made her way through a little-known back gate into the rear garden of the Princess Palace. She had hoped to go deeper inside, but it was tightly sealed with chains.
Hiding behind a tree, she waited for Erdan.
Soon, she heard the soft crunch of footsteps brushing through the overgrown grass.
“Come out. I know you’re there.”
Eslyn stepped forward silently.
Erdan’s blue eyes glinted coldly under the moonlight.
He scanned her from head to toe several times.
“Who the hell are you?”
His voice was laced with hostility.
“And who do you think you are, sending me a note like that?”
With a flick, a crumpled piece of paper dropped at Eslyn’s feet.
On it was written:
“If you want to know about Eslyn Bertania, come alone to the Princess Palace tonight.”
‘He actually came just because of that? That’s… troubling in its own way.’
Eslyn sighed inwardly.
If he hadn’t come, it would’ve been dangerous.
But coming this carelessly was a different kind of problem.
“Erdan,” she called softly, taking a step forward.
Erdan’s brows instantly furrowed.
“It’s me. Eslyn.”
Erdan didn’t move.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Suddenly, the stiff figure surged toward her, closing the distance in an instant—his presence so threatening, it felt like he might strangle her on the spot.
But even then, he couldn’t bring himself to touch her.
What if… what if this maid really was connected to Eslyn somehow?
That mix of fear and hope held him back.
“You still don’t recognize me?” Eslyn added calmly.
“We used to tie strands of our hair into secret notes… remember? We did that all the time as kids.”
Her eyes flicked briefly to the ground, where a violet thread lay near the crumpled note.
She let out a soft chuckle at the old memory.
“We were together all day long… I don’t know why we even bothered with secret notes.”
Erdan’s breath quickened.
Eslyn watched him steadily.
He was visibly panicked.
“Who… are you, really?”
“Eslyn.”
Her reply was crisp and certain.
Erdan involuntarily stepped back, trembling hand covering his mouth.
“The hair and the eyes are similar, but…”
He struggled to process the chaos of the moment. His gaze wavered like a lone boat on a stormy sea.
Eslyn decided to help him.
“I’m possessing this maid’s body. My soul must’ve been drawn to her because of the matching hair and eye color.”
“This must be a dream…”
“It’s not. And it’s not an illusion from Diel, either.”
She anticipated his disbelief and cut it off.
Still, Erdan stood frozen like a statue, unable to speak.
Eslyn sighed briefly.
“Remember? The time we buried Cardan’s doll in your room?”
“T-That was…”
Of course he remembered.
A memory from their childhood, known only to the two of them.
“What else was there… oh, we switched out the deepest shelf in the library with blank books. And we raided our teacher’s cabinet to steal wine once.”
She began folding down her fingers as she recalled the mischiefs.
“We tried sneaking out in disguise and fell into the well—Sir Jeks had to rescue us. And we left marks in every hedge maze, got scolded by Mother… Oh! Shall we each name the spot where we tried digging an underground tunnel from your palace?”
It happened in an instant.
Erdan lunged forward.
