Rosana Felix looked at herself in the mirror.
The stiff, unadorned dress felt strange. Rosana needlessly tugged at the perfectly smooth collar, trying to straighten it further. The petticoat brushing against her legs felt itchy, a far cry from the trousers she usually wore.
So why was she wearing clothes she normally wouldn’t? Because her position had suddenly changed the night before.
The Emperor of the Esteia-Laurance Empire held many noble titles.
The oldest of those titles was the Marquisate of de Armela. Once a marquess’s daughter herself, the emperor had a particular fondness for the title that marked her roots. She left reminders of her origin scattered throughout the palace.
One such reminder was the Armela Order of Knights, which worked directly under the emperor, embedded throughout the palace grounds.
Rosana was part of that order, in charge of guarding the inner palace.
Last night, just as she was getting ready to rest after her shift, she received a summons from Countess Juliana de Vasquez, the emperor’s close lady-in-waiting.
Tired and worn, Rosana stood before the countess and was given unexpected orders: she would now serve and monitor a young lady staying in the capital.
“What kind of person will she be? I hope she’s not difficult to look after.”
Rosana stood in front of the guest room and knocked on the door.
There was no response from inside.
She grew slightly anxious. His Majesty had just expressed his desire to have breakfast with the guest, and there wasn’t much time to prepare. Rosana opened the door.
“Excuse me, my lady. I’ll be in charge of your care from today—Rosana…”
She didn’t even finish speaking before she saw the empty bed. The blanket was messy, and a pair of indoor slippers was left untouched on the floor.
But no one was in the room.
No one.
Rosana’s gaze naturally drifted to the open window. The pleasant April morning breeze filled the room, but it didn’t cool the cold sweat trickling down her back.
“Don’t tell me… she ran away?”
Just then, a rustling sound came from somewhere.
Rosana instinctively straightened up and scanned the area. Her trained senses as a knight had picked up on someone’s presence.
She narrowed her eyes and listened closely. The sound was coming from above.
Slowly, she looked up. The canopy above the bed sagged unnaturally. Beyond the drooping fabric, a rhythmic movement could be seen.
Rosana dragged a chair to the bed and climbed up.
There, curled up as if the canopy were a hammock, was the young lady she was supposed to serve—fast asleep.
“Sorry. I couldn’t sleep.”
No one knew how she’d managed to climb up there, but getting down was not so easy. Before even exchanging introductions, Rosana and the girl ended up tumbling onto the bed in a tangled heap.
As she smoothed out her crumpled skirt, the red-haired girl gave an awkward apology.
“I’m Rosana. We’ll be living together from now on. Feel free to speak comfortably, my lady.”
At the word “my lady,” a faint wrinkle appeared on the girl’s forehead. From her odd behavior and discomfort with formal titles, it was clear she wasn’t used to aristocratic life.
The girl suddenly held out her right hand to Rosana.
“Okay. Got it. I’m Astrid. Nice to meet you.”
Rosana was taken aback. Handshakes were typically a man’s form of greeting—not a manner encouraged among women.
But when she saw the outstretched hand, she felt an odd urge to shake it.
After a moment of hesitation, she gently took Astrid’s hand and moved it up and down. It felt like a small rebellion in the heart of the imperial palace—exhilarating.
This girl was strange, but she might just be fun.
Seeing her handshake accepted, Astrid beamed brightly.
“So, what do we do today?”
“Oh—there’s no time for that!”
Snapped back to reality by Astrid’s question, Rosana realized they were running out of time. She had to get this girl ready quickly.
She pulled a hairbrush from her basket and began to tame the wild red hair with vigorous strokes.
Thanks to Rosana’s full effort, Astrid barely made it to the inner palace dining hall on time.
There had been a brief struggle over dressing. Astrid insisted on dressing herself, but after facing the strange structure of the unfamiliar clothes, she quickly gave up.
Her hair, which had once looked like a bird’s nest, was now neat and reduced to about a third of its usual volume, as if by magic.
In front of the dining room doors, Astrid sniffed her elbow. Instead of the usual briny sweat, she smelled something nice. That made her feel better, though the attending servants gave her confused glances.
She was led to the end of the long table.
“So the emperor eats this early? Maybe he’s busy. I wonder if it upsets his stomach. What kind of food will there be?”
While she sat, lost in thought, there was a stir outside the door. It opened on both sides, and the emperor entered.
Standing beside him, Countess de Vasquez shot Astrid a sharp look. Startled, Astrid stood to greet the emperor.
He went to sit at the opposite end of the table and motioned for everyone to leave.
“Good morning, Sasha. You may sit.”
Apparently, standing upon the emperor’s entrance was the correct etiquette. Astrid bowed slightly and sat. The emperor smiled at her, just as he had the night before, like he was watching a child.
Once seated, servants began bringing in dishes one by one.
Astrid finally looked at the table.
There were multiple forks and knives. She paused for a moment, then picked the set she liked best and began eating.
“About twenty years ago—so before you were born,” the emperor began without preamble.
Astrid, who had been chewing on thin slices of meat, quickly swallowed.
“You’ve heard of the Battle of Aledo, right?”
She nodded. She didn’t know the details, but anyone in Esteia or the surrounding countries had heard of it at least once.
It was the decisive battle against Railton that led to victory twenty years ago—the turning point that transformed the United Kingdom of Esteia-Laurance into an empire.
“You won that battle and became emperor, right?”
The emperor nodded and continued.
“Yes. The Battle of Aledo. The one who won that battle was your father, Fausto. It was a tremendous victory. I granted him the title of count in recognition. That’s the House of del Ponto.”
He added briefly, “Though there was no land grant.”
He spoke like it was no big deal, but to Astrid, it was a series of shocks packed into a few words.
Dad was in the war? He got a noble title because of it?
And he never told me?
Seeing Astrid’s wide, round eyes, the emperor gave a wry smile. From that expression, it was clear his old friend had truly told his daughter nothing.
“That’s why you’re a del Ponto. Lady Astrid del Ponto.”
Astrid didn’t know how to respond. She just poked at the food on her plate. The emperor chuckled at the sight, but then added sternly,
“You have much to learn if you’re to live on my land.”
The emperor finished his meal first and left, patting Astrid’s head on the way out.
He added casually, “Being emperor means having far too much to do.”
Astrid, still stunned, finished the rest of the meal in a daze—barely noticing the food going in.
So much new information had been dumped into her brain in less than a day, it made her dizzy. It almost felt like motion sickness was creeping back in.
Outside the dining hall, Rosana was waiting.
“I want to clear my head with a short walk. Is it okay if I go outside?”
“Of course. I’ll take you to the inner palace gardens.”
The garden in the morning was far more beautiful than at night.
The sun was working hard to warm the cool air. The contrast of warm sunlight on her skin and the cool breeze brushing her clothes lifted Astrid’s spirits.
Well-trimmed shrubs formed low fences, marking out paths within the garden. White and yellow flower buds hung here and there, adding color.
“The roses should be in full bloom next week.”
“Really?”
Noticing Astrid’s gaze lingering on the flower buds, Rosana spoke up.
“So those are roses.”
Flowers were rare on the sea. But here, no matter where she looked, shy buds reached eagerly toward the sun, waiting to bloom.
It all felt unreal to Astrid.
The emperor had said she was practically his daughter. Does that mean I’ll live here from now on?
Astrid looked up from the buds and surveyed her surroundings.
The buildings were beautiful—but they blocked her view in every direction. It felt like she was surrounded by layers of walls.
Shrubs, then fences, then palace buildings, then the outer walls she’d seen from the carriage—and beyond that, double fortress walls.
Having lived almost her entire life at sea, even the vast palace felt closed in to Astrid.
“Am I really going to live here from now on?”
She asked the question to the air, not expecting an answer. But Rosana answered anyway.
“Didn’t His Majesty say so? Once preparations are complete, you’ll be moving to the del Ponto estate.”
