Chapter 11
“Kyaaa!”
A shrill scream pierced the air.
And then came a suffocating silence.
Haon, her face drained of color, turned to look at Prince Si with both hands clamped over her mouth.
Prince Si stared back at her with the same indifferent expression as always.
That emotionless face only made him seem more terrifying and cruel in Haon’s terrified eyes.
“W-what in the world…?!”
She couldn’t even finish her sentence. With trembling fingers, she barely managed to point at the corpse hanging behind him. She couldn’t bring herself to look back. A hanging corpse—just the thought was horrifying enough.
“Look properly.”
Prince Si gave a cruel command. He stared at the body with unwavering eyes.
“This is a reconstruction of how Prince V was found.”
“Oh…”
At his explanation, Haon finally regained her senses.
With courage, she turned to face the hanging figure—and realized it wasn’t a corpse at all.
It was a model. Just a mannequin made to look like a real body.
“Phew…”
Haon let out a sigh of relief.
“Right… There’s no way the real body would still be here…”
Prince V had died last year—five months ago, to be exact.
Haon felt embarrassed for screaming over a fake corpse. She cleared her throat awkwardly and stood up, brushing off her skirt.
Prince Si was staring at the model room with an unreadable expression.
Looking at him, Haon’s heart ached.
Prince V must have truly been someone Prince Si loved deeply.
She had never even considered this hidden piece of character background. But it wasn’t just a setting.
To Prince Si, it was reality. And sincerity.
Haon could feel it in his expression. The weight of this world—one she had once thought was just a novel—was starting to settle on her shoulders.
“Your Highness…”
“Over there.”
Just as Haon was about to offer some words of comfort, Prince Si pointed toward the room and spoke in a sharp tone.
“The wine. The suicide method. The note. None of it fits him.”
“What do you mean?”
“His Highness didn’t like wine. He preferred clean vodkas. Never fermented drinks.”
His finger, which had been pointing at the wine and glass on a small table, moved to the coarse linen rope suspending the mannequin.
“And he hated things around his neck—ties, chokers, anything like that. Would someone like that choose hanging as a method?”
Haon listened silently as he reasoned.
“And the note…”
He walked into the replica room and picked up a sheet of paper from the large mahogany desk.
After carefully scanning the contents, he flipped the paper over and placed it face down.
“It doesn’t make sense. It’s completely unnatural.”
“I’ll help you.”
Haon quickly changed her tone.
“Please let me help.”
She looked at him, eyes wide and pleading, willing him to see the sincerity in her gaze. After a pause, Prince Si finally spoke.
“You may…”
Haon held her breath, waiting for the rest of the sentence, clenching her eyes and lips with anticipation.
“…return now.”
“…What?”
“Go back to the separate palace.”
“But I—”
“Return.”
Prince Si turned his back to her.
And with that final word, he said no more. Haon had no choice but to leave the secret room.
Only after the sound of her footsteps faded and the soft crackling of the fireplace returned did Prince Si finally relax.
“I can’t grow weak.”
He clenched his fist.
“Whenever I look at her…”
His heart kept softening. He spoke too much. He revealed thoughts he had never shared with anyone. At this rate, every mask he wore might fall off.
“No. I can’t allow that.”
He murmured the words to steady himself, then closed his eyes and gave a short shake of his head.
When he opened them again, his blue eyes were colder and darker than ever.
*
**
“I’m back.”
Strange how quickly a place could feel like home. As soon as Haon returned to the separate palace, it felt like she had truly come back home.
But there was no time to rest—she was summoned almost immediately.
“The Princess is asking for you.”
Antenn was already walking away. Haon followed after her. As they walked down the corridor, Haon cautiously asked:
“Um… Lady Antenn, the other day, the Princess had a… an episode—”
“Silence.”
Antenn stopped abruptly and turned around. Haon bumped her face into Antenn’s chest.
Tall and thin, Antenn glared down at her with sharp eyes and whispered in a low voice.
“You saw nothing.”
“No, I mean, I—”
“The Princess is in perfect health.”
Antenn repeated the words forcefully, almost as if brainwashing her.
Haon had wanted to ask out of concern for Princess Phirione, but she clamped her mouth shut. Apparently, the Princess’s episodes were even more secretive than she had thought.
It made sense, though. As Prince Si had said, Princess Phirione was effectively a political hostage. If word got out that she had some sort of condition, it wouldn’t be good for her or for the Empire of Cechoran.
Poor princess.
Even when reading the web novel, Haon had felt sorry for Phirione, stranded in a foreign land. But seeing it firsthand made her heart ache even more.
Haon pressed her lips together and nodded firmly.
“The Princess is healthy.”
“Don’t let her momentary kindness make you think you’re anything more than a mere maid. You are nothing more than that.”
“Yes, ma’am. I’m sorry.”
Haon bit her lip hard.
Just a mere maid?
Fine. Then I’ll become more than that. Not just a maid—but the most beloved attendant! No—His Highness’s favorite companion!
Haon shot a burning glare at the back of Antenn’s head.
Princess Phirione sat peacefully in a lounge chair, bathed in sunlight. Her eyes were closed, and she spoke without looking.
“I thought you’d stay longer. You’re back quickly.”
Even though she wasn’t looking, Haon bowed respectfully.
“His Highness didn’t seem to enjoy my singing very much.”
“Prince Si and I must have different tastes.”
Her words made Haon smile. At least that meant Phirione liked her singing.
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
Haon bowed again. The Princess still had her eyes closed, basking in the warmth.
“You know why I’ve come to the Heosen Empire, don’t you?”
“…Yes.”
“I may have been sold for the Empire’s sake, but I still want to marry someone who suits me.”
“Sold…? Please don’t say that.”
Haon looked flustered.
She had been hearing this kind of talk far too often lately. She approached and knelt in front of the Princess, looking up at her.
“Your Highness is an extraordinary person. No prince in this empire could ever compare. Please don’t say things like that.”
Phirione gave a soft scoff, her eyes still closed.
“You really put me on a pedestal.”
She shrugged lightly.
“It’s a bit much… but not unpleasant to hear.”
“Hehe.”
Haon chuckled sheepishly.
“It was lonely.”
“…Pardon?”
“It was lonely without you.”
Her nose stung at those words. To know that the Princess had felt her absence—it was touching. Haon, ever simple at heart, immediately perked up.
“Shall I sing you a new song then?”
“Please do.”
Haon cleared her throat and began to sing.
All those solo karaoke sessions had finally paid off. Who would’ve thought those years of lonely practice would come in handy?
With pride, she performed one of the latest hits. As expected, Phirione enjoyed her song selection.
Singing for the Princess was always a joy. Phirione always listened with genuine pleasure.
It felt like a peaceful afternoon.
And yet, Haon didn’t notice the faint trace of worry flickering across the Princess’s face.
*
**
The separate palace was in an uproar. The maids scurried about more frantically than ever. Each of them held armfuls of dresses or accessories.
Since Haon had been assigned solely to entertain the Princess, she was freed from duties like cleaning. So she had no idea what was going on. She merely blinked curiously at the hustle and bustle and headed to see the Princess.
“Your Highness, it’s Haon.”
“Come in.”
Antenn’s voice came from within the room. As Haon entered, the scene inside was nothing like usual.
First, the room was packed with maids. Each held dresses, jewels, or accessories. Antenn was orchestrating them all.
Princess Phirione sat at her vanity, gazing into the mirror as two or three maids fussed over her appearance.
“Is there an event today?”
Haon blinked and asked. Antenn, busy inspecting a dress, froze and turned with a scowl.
“What do you even know?”
“How could I know? No one told me anything.”
Haon shot back confidently. Antenn groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose, but finally explained.
“This evening is the imperial ball hosted by His Majesty the Emperor. All the princes will be attending.”
“Oh!”
Now she remembered.
It was the first official ball since Princess Phirione’s arrival—a proper welcome where she would be formally introduced to all the princes.
The web novel had brushed past it quickly in the prologue, so she had forgotten.
But in real life, a ball wasn’t so easily dismissed. All the maids were working themselves to the bone to make the Princess look her most beautiful.
“This color is too flashy. Doesn’t suit the Princess’s complexion.”
“The shine is too much.”
“These embellishments are far too tacky.”
Antenn was especially tense. She scanned every dress and accessory with hawk-like precision.
Her standards were nearly impossible to meet. Most of the options were discarded and banished from the room.
Once finished with the dresses, Antenn approached the vanity. She smacked the back of a maid’s hand with her short pheasant whip.
“That’s too much.”
“I’ll fix it.”
The maid bowed and dusted off the excess powder.
“Natural—but not too faint. Striking, but not garish. The perfect balance.”
That “perfect balance” was always the hardest part.
Under Antenn’s scrutiny, the maids struggled to style the Princess. Hair went up, came down, was twisted, braided—an endless cycle of adjustments.
“Haon.”
Princess Phirione, bored from sitting still, called out.
Haon dashed to her side.
“Sing something for me.”
“H-here?”
“Yes. I’m bored.”
Haon glanced around nervously. She only ever sang when it was just the Princess or Antenn—maybe one other person. That was the only way she could sing confidently.
But now? There were way too many people.
Even Haon had her limits. Singing a cheerful, upbeat idol song—and dancing to it, no less—would be mortifying.
“Maybe I’ll go with a simple children’s song today? It’s a bit chaotic—”
“No. I’m going to be sitting here for a while. Sing one of the fun ones like before.”
No choice then. If she says jump, you jump.
And so, Haon’s next chapter of public humiliation began. She squeezed her eyes shut, belted out an idol song, and danced her heart out.
She was pretty sure she heard the maids stifling giggles behind their hands.
