CHAPTER 18
An Unpleasant Surprise
“Which palace did His Highness promise you?”
The attendants understood his words to mean that the Crown Prince had already promised a palace to the woman he had taken a liking to.
They acted excessively kind in an attempt to win favor with the woman who had caught their master’s eye, subtly asking her to give an answer.
If one were to ignore the fact that she had died and come back to life, she already had a palace.
But that was the Crown Princess’s palace, the residence of a woman believed to be dead.
Evelyn had no intention of walking back into that place and inviting controversy.
“I only need a place to lie down. I don’t need a palace.”
“That would not be appropriate. His Highness has ordered that a palace be given to our honored guest.”
The inflexible attendants refused to back down.
Evelyn briefly considered the mansions in the outer palace district that were meant for true ‘guests,’ then held her tongue.
Those were not palaces.
And the servants of the imperial palace were people who interpreted orders in the most conservative way possible.
“…A seasonal palace.”
Even as she said it, Evelyn wondered if that was the right choice.
The six palaces spread like wings to the left and right of the Empress’s Palace were reserved only for the Emperor’s or Crown Prince’s women.
The names of the seasonal palaces were newly bestowed based on the Empress’s Palace.
If spring, summer, and autumn were determined by the Empress’s Palace, then the Crown Princess’s palace would take the next season as its name.
The Emperor’s women received palace names based on flowers that bloomed in the Empress’s season, while the Crown Prince’s women received names based on flowers from the Crown Princess’s season.
Being granted a seasonal palace was essentially a public declaration of favor and a tremendous honor.
However, the attendants who remembered how the Crown Prince, who was rumored to dislike women, had treated the woman before them did not doubt that she had been granted such a palace.
“Shall we guide you to a suitable place? Or did His Highness mention a specific one?”
Rexfail had said it was already decided, so he likely had the Autumn Palace in mind.
But Evelyn had no intention of playing along that far, so she told them to assign her an appropriate place.
“We will guide you.”
As she followed their lead, several attendants ran ahead to inspect the palace’s condition.
“Autumn is a beautiful season, isn’t it?”
“It is.”
“Is there a flower you particularly like?”
Though it was proper etiquette for the palace name to be bestowed, it was usually chosen to reflect the preference of the woman staying there.
That was likely why they asked, but while Evelyn knew plenty about herbs and medicinal plants, she knew little about flowers.
“…Whatever name is given.”
So she avoided answering.
She found it troublesome that the people of the imperial palace, who loved attaching meaning to things, would chatter endlessly about the effects or symbolism of whatever flower she chose.
“His Highness will surely gift you a beautiful flower.”
Even as he said that, the attendant did not truly believe the Crown Prince would personally deliberate over the name.
He assumed it would most likely be chosen by his aide Vane or the head attendant.
Evelyn thought the same.
***
Contrary to everyone’s expectations, the Crown Prince decided the palace’s name himself.
Upon hearing that the woman he had brought was waiting to receive a name for one of the seasonal palaces, Rexfail burst into laughter and bestowed the name ‘Winter.’
“Your Highness!”
Vane turned pale and sent the palace official outside before attempting to persuade the Crown Prince.
“Only the Crown Princess or a future Empress can have a season as the name of their palace!”
“Then I chose correctly.”
That response nearly drove Vane mad.
“Your Highness, you don’t truly think that woman is her, do you?”
“Well, what do you think?”
When his question was answered with another question, the aide nearly burst into flames but failed to change his master’s mind.
“I-I will report this for now.”
The palace official, having received an unprecedented order, turned pale and rushed to find his superior.
The entire palace administration was thrown into chaos.
“How are we supposed to set the budget for the Winter Palace?”
Rumors spread that the Crown Prince, said to have gone mad over the dead Crown Princess, had suddenly brought in a mysterious woman.
Many opinions were exchanged regarding how much should be allocated to her living expenses.
Some argued that considering the symbolism of ‘winter,’ the Crown Prince likely held little affection for her, so the budget should be small.
Others insisted that since it carried the symbolism of a ‘season,’ his attachment must be great, and she should receive a budget comparable to the Crown Princess.
It was complete chaos.
However, no one dared ask the notoriously unstable Crown Prince what amount would satisfy him.
So quietly, the Winter Palace’s budget was set somewhere between that of seasonal and flower-named palaces.
“He’s making this unnecessarily big.”
Upon hearing the news late, Evelyn swallowed a sigh and accepted the palace name with gratitude.
“This is going to be troublesome.”
And just as she expected, something bothersome happened immediately.
***
“It is an honor to meet you. I am Camilla of the Berzac family.”
“I am Ivy, the legitimate daughter of Count Ibiton.”
“It is an honor to meet you. I am Silayan of the Le Troll family.”
Before a full day had passed, three maids were assigned to her.
Evelyn sat on an ornate chair and received their greetings.
Silayan bowed excessively deep, Camilla maintained proper etiquette, and Ivy merely tilted her head slightly.
Their attitudes were so different that Evelyn couldn’t help but smile faintly.
She could easily guess what Ivy was thinking as she stared directly at her.
‘At best, just a lover, and a commoner without even a surname!’
Seeing the disdain in her attitude, Evelyn thought Ivy’s palace life would not be easy.
‘A young lady indeed.’
Thinking she had grown up pampered and remained arrogant, Evelyn shifted her gaze to Camilla.
Camilla wisely kept her eyes lowered, seeming to understand her position as Evelyn’s maid.
‘The Berzac family didn’t have a daughter… an illegitimate child perhaps.’
Evelyn assumed that after her death, they might have brought in an illegitimate child to fill the vacant position of Crown Princess.
‘Then Ivy emphasizing that she is the legitimate daughter must have been to provoke Camilla.’
After reaching a nearly accurate conclusion, Evelyn turned to Silayan.
Since she had never heard of that family, Evelyn asked for an explanation.
The girl, bowing so deeply it seemed pitiful, trembled as she spoke in a thin voice.
“Our family is, well…”
Seeing her struggle to describe her family, it didn’t seem like one with notable achievements or commercial power.
Just as Evelyn thought she should stop tormenting the young girl, Silayan spoke in a near-dying voice.
“M-my maternal uncle is Viscount Balman…”
“Ah.”
Only then did Evelyn understand.
‘Viscount Balman… one of Father’s people. He participated in the Yahiti subjugation and gained Graveyard.’
Evelyn organized the information step by step.
‘After turning wasteland into profitable land, his next target is the imperial palace. Unfortunately, he must not have a daughter, hence sending his niece.’
She would have to slowly verify whether any information had changed from her memory.
Evelyn assigned them appropriate duties and began gathering information about the period she had been absent.
At the same time, more than anything, she focused on figuring out why Rexfail had pushed her into the center of high society.
It was the same that day.
While organizing the flood of invitations and letters, Evelyn pondered what role he expected from her.
“Something terrible has happened!”
“Knock before entering and wait for permission.”
“It’s urgent.”
Ivy brushed off the obvious remark and seemed strangely excited.
She looked as if something very good was about to happen.
Sensing it wasn’t just her imagination, Evelyn stopped what she was doing and focused on her.
“What is it?”
“Well…”
Ivy looked like she was holding back laughter.
At the same time, she seemed eager to speak yet trying not to.
Sensing an unpleasant surprise, Evelyn lowered her voice.
Startled by her cold gaze, Ivy stiffened and blurted out the news.
“There’s a request for an audience!”
“From whom?”
The answer came from elsewhere.
“Pardon the intrusion.”
Her heart seemed to stop, then began pounding wildly.
Her widened eyes trembled uncontrollably.
“I am Maxwell Dame Membro. You will spare me some time, won’t you?”
It was her father.
