While Chloe was talking quietly with Vanessa inside the carriage, Callius's subordinate Andrew sat on the coachman's bench, keeping watch.
Callius's group had no common servants—no dedicated grooms or stable hands. The carriage was driven by his men in turns, and now it was Andrew's shift.
Andrew found it deeply suspicious that Chloe and Vanessa were conversing in hushed tones inside the closed carriage.
What nonsense is the Princess trying to pull now?
Just moments ago, the Princess had been standing outside the carriage, ordering her maids to complain about the shabby accommodations and the poor treatment they'd received.
She couldn't have looked innocent, whispering to the head maid in such secrecy.
Damn Arrental royalty.
Curious about what the Princess was saying, Andrew carefully opened the small window facing the driver's bench just a crack—and eavesdropped on their conversation.
Chloe's voice filtered through faintly.
"...Her Majesty the Empress's orders..."
The sound was muffled by the howling northern wind, but the word "Empress" rang clear.
Andrew held his breath and concentrated harder.
Chloe's words continued.
"...gain the Marquis's trust... uncover his secrets..."
"...if the mission... fails... report to Her Majesty the Empress..."
It was a veritable feast of suspicious phrases.
He wanted to report immediately to Brentian, the Vice-Commander, but Brentian was currently arguing with Chloe's maids outside the inn.
Andrew hurried over to his fellow knights instead, feeling a pang of sympathy for them.
"Hey, everyone! Listen up!"
The subordinates—who had been loitering miserably in the cold, unable to enter the quarters because of Chloe and her maids—turned to Andrew with weary, irritated expressions.
Among them was the red-haired knight, Alex.
"What is it?"
"I just overheard something very interesting."
"Spit it out, then."
"Come here. Gather closer."
Andrew's colleagues huddled in a circle around him, their breath fogging in the frigid air.
"I overheard the Princess talking to her head maid. It sounded like she was plotting something."
"Go on."
"From what I could tell, the Empress has instructed the Princess to uncover our lord's secrets. It seems she's trying to gain his trust specifically for that purpose."
Alex listened with a half-skeptical expression.
"Are you certain that's what you heard?"
"Yes. I heard it clearly."
Andrew insisted forcefully, his tone brooking no argument.
Alex remembered Chloe smiling brightly when she'd found his Platus bracelet and returned it to him.
Was she already acting from that moment? Trying to gain my lord's trust through me?
He shook his head immediately.
No. What use would courting me—a lowly knight—serve? It was clearly a genuine act of kindness.
If she truly wanted to win Callius's favor, targeting Brentian, the Knight Commander, or even the Vice-Commander would have been far more strategic.
Alex was the youngest knight in the order—the least influential by far.
This is so confusing.
Chloe had looked stiff and cold at her engagement party—distant, almost unapproachable.
But the Chloe who came searching for his bracelet had been warm and kind—like an entirely different person.
And now, according to Andrew, Chloe was whispering sinister plots in the carriage?
Which one is the real her?
Just then, Chloe emerged from the carriage.
Judging by Brentian's relieved expression, it seemed the accommodation issue had been resolved.
Chloe, wrapped in her cloak, looked like a small bundled log because of the heavy nyak leather clothing. Her gait on the slippery snow was awkward and uncertain.
Watching her, Alex found it even harder to imagine this woman whispering sinister conspiracies inside a carriage.
Andrew watched Chloe lead her maids into the inn, then immediately reported to the Knight Commander and Brentian what he'd overheard—just as he'd told his comrades.
Brentian's reaction was surprisingly indifferent.
"I expected as much."
Andrew bristled.
"Even though you suspected it, you still brought the Princess here?"
"It was the Marquis's decision. I have no idea what he's thinking."
Brentian admitted he didn't fully understand Callius's intentions either.
Feeling frustrated, Andrew muttered under his breath and lost his temper.
"That damned Marquis. We keep calling him Marquis, Marquis in front of the Princess just to be careful. Tsk."
Hawick, the Knight Commander standing beside Brentian, gave Andrew a firm warning.
"Don't act rashly, Andrew."
"Sorry, sir."
"Get out."
"Yes, sir."
Though he apologized, Andrew's expression as he turned away was still sulky.
Brentian glanced at Hawick.
"Isn't discipline among the knights getting a bit too lax?"
Hawick, his expression solemn, nodded.
"It's about time I tightened things up."
"Anyway, Andrew raised a valid point. I also think the Princess is suspicious, so it would be wise to keep a close eye on her."
Hawick nodded firmly at Brentian's words.
"Leave it to me."
"Thank you. I'll go find Callius now."
"Come to think of it, where did my lord go?"
Brentian sighed softly.
"To feed the cats."
Fortunately, Callius said he would be staying in a different room from me.
At least I won't have to spend my first night in a place like this with him.
I stood in my assigned room, utterly dumbfounded.
It was the first time I'd formally met all the maids Kavala had assigned to me.
There were four maids in total, including Vanessa and Lamia.
The maids kept their mouths shut and avoided looking at me directly, simply performing their duties under Vanessa's silent direction.
I'm seeing all these faces for the first time.
Of course, since I rarely visited the Empress's palace, I didn't know every maid by sight.
Still, I tended to remember the faces of the high-ranking maids who usually attended Kavala closely.
These don't seem to be Kavala's personal attendants.
If she'd truly intended to plant me as a spy, she wouldn't have chosen the maids carelessly.
There must have been some deliberate plan behind selecting each one of them.
For now, I decided to simply observe the maids without saying anything.
They unpacked only the bare minimum and quickly stowed away the rest of their belongings.
Hmm...
I had expected Lamia—who had snuck in among the maids—to slip up and reveal herself.
Since palace maids were trained extensively in etiquette beforehand, I'd assumed it would be difficult for Lamia, who had no such training, to hide her identity for long.
But contrary to my expectations, Lamia didn't stand out at all.
In fact, the other maids' actions were just as clumsy.
What's going on with all of them?
Though they seemed accustomed to tasks like organizing and cleaning, I didn't sense any formal training in palace etiquette in their movements.
Moreover, they were excessively concerned about Vanessa's reactions—constantly glancing at her for approval before doing anything.
Vanessa clearly held a grudge against me after what had happened in the carriage earlier.
She gave orders to the maids without even bothering to light the fireplace in the freezing room.
"Remove the Princess's outer garments."
The maids swarmed around me and began stripping off my clothing.
Even indoors, the cold air seeped through the walls. It was bitterly frigid.
I stood there shivering in my thin petticoat.
Vanessa pretended not to notice me trembling.
The maids kept glancing at me sympathetically, but no one stepped forward—only watching Vanessa anxiously.
Vanessa spoke coldly.
"Please wait. I will prepare water for you to wash."
Lamia stepped forward, unable to bear it any longer.
"Her Highness seems cold. Shall we light a fire in the fireplace first?"
Vanessa frowned and spoke stiffly.
"From now on, don't do anything until I give the order. There's always a proper sequence to everything."
"Sorry..."
Lamia kept her mouth shut.
But there was no sign of agreement in her defiant eyes.
Vanessa glared at Lamia and gave her next instruction.
"You. Go tell those Ronheimers to bring us heated water. The Princess wishes to bathe, so bring enough to fill a tub."
Vanessa wasn't just ignoring me—the Princess—she was also trying to treat Callius's knights like common servants.
At this point, I had no choice but to intervene.
Having roughly figured out the power dynamics among the maids, I spoke kindly to the three excluding Vanessa.
"Enough with the bath. Everyone's worked hard all day. Shall we have something to eat instead?"
The eyes of the exhausted maids brightened slightly at my words.
"Ask the innkeeper to prepare a meal. Everyone may leave except one person. Tomorrow will be even harder, so get some rest early."
"Your Highness, that's—!"
As Vanessa tried to protest, having lost her command, Lamia quickly stepped forward and answered brightly.
"Yes! Good! I'll go get the Princess something to eat right away!"
And then she simply left.
The other maids glanced nervously at Vanessa—then quietly followed Lamia out.
"I—I—!"
I looked at Vanessa, who stood there fuming.
"Are you the only one staying?"
Vanessa flinched and raised her head.
"I have... a lot of work to attend to, so I'll ask another girl to stay instead."
Then she fled as if afraid I might stop her.
I wrapped a blanket around myself, finally able to think clearly.
As I suspected—they weren't all trained palace maids. That's probably why Lamia was able to slip in so easily among them.
I need to learn more about these maids.
Shadows whispered suspicions.
Trust fractured into fragments.
But Chloe had already begun taking controlof her own fragile kingdom.
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