#4. A New Beginning (4)
2023.08.04.
The moment she heard the Second Prince’s words, shy as a timid confession, Amy’s face crumpled.
“Ah, that’s a bit…”
Memories of what had happened when the Crown Prince had fancied her in the past flashed through her mind, sending a chill down her spine. If there was one thing she had learned from the terrible starvation in her previous life, it was that she must never become personally entangled with the lord she served.
“Huh?”
The Second Prince doubted his own ears. Amy quickly changed her expression and spoke kindly.
“Then I shall take care of it until someone more precious than I comes along for Your Highness.”
“Uh… uh?”
The Second Prince blinked blankly, his eyes widening.
“No, Amy, that’s not what I…”
“Oh my, look at the time already? Your Highness, please hurry. We must leave the palace soon.”
“Huh? Ah, I understand. But Amy…”
“We are pressed for time now, so if you have something to say, please say it later.”
Amy pushed the Second Prince out of the kitchen as if shooing a dog. The Second Prince stammered and was chased out just like that.
With a thud, the door closed. Amy leaned her back against it and let out a silent sigh. Behind her, she heard the Second Prince hesitating before the sound of his footsteps returning to his chambers faded away.
Amy muttered to herself.
“I can’t go back to that mess again.”
It was a tone as if she were making a vow to herself. She was grateful and sorry to the Second Prince, but that didn’t mean she could take responsibility for his feelings. It was better this way. She had to cut it off completely now. As if she would ever recreate the tragedy of the Crown Prince’s time.
‘Though the Second Prince isn’t as ungrateful as the Crown Prince.’
She had felt it before, and spending time with him recently had only confirmed it. The Second Prince was someone she could trust. Amy was determined to repay the favor to the one who had allowed her to regress. But her desire to carefully build the second life she was lucky enough to obtain was no less significant.
‘It’s best to keep public and private matters separate.’
She would not make the same mistake again.
Once she had organized her thoughts, Amy limped over to the kitchen counter, gathered the remaining food onto a plate, and set it on the table. Then, as if possessed, she swept the food into her mouth and chewed and swallowed frantically.
***
The sun had tilted slightly westward. It was time to leave. Amy stood at the palace entrance with the Second Prince, looking outside anxiously. It was long past the time they were supposed to arrive, and her heart felt uneasy.
“Amy? When are we departing?”
“Ah, just a moment.”
Amy stretched her neck and stared toward the Main Palace. Her chest was filled with frustration. Don’t tell me it failed…
Just then, a cloud of dust rose in the distance. Several horses were approaching. Amy’s eyes widened as she watched, and as the horses drew closer, she quickly straightened the Second Prince. Then she herself assumed a rigid posture.
Whinny. Before long, palace guards arrived clad in splendid silver armor and reined in their horses. They dismounted lightly onto the dirt ground and strode forward briskly.
The Second Prince seemed nervous upon seeing the guard with the massive build, tensing his body.
“Stand up straight.”
Amy spoke while standing properly herself, moving only her lips. The Second Prince flinched before puffing out his chest and standing proudly.
‘When we get to the Grand Duchy, I’ll have to educate him thoroughly.’
Amy fixed her gaze on the Second Prince, her eyes intense. Now that she had set her heart on this path, she absolutely could not stand by and watch the Second Prince be looked down upon by others.
‘The Crown Prince is already gnashing his teeth, after all.’
The moment she realized she had died and regressed in her previous life, Amy hadn’t wasted a single moment. She went straight to the Empress to express her intention to resign (the Empress welcomed it with open arms), and the moment she became a free woman, she volunteered to become the head maid of the Second Prince’s palace. The Imperial Household Department, which had been suffering from chronic manpower shortages, enthusiastically welcomed the arrival of high-level personnel.
Everything had taken place while the Crown Prince was away on a tour. Who knew how furious he was upon returning to the palace and learning of it? Surprisingly, it hadn’t been her who turned him away when he stormed into the Second Prince’s palace to take her back.
‘Is the one who sits upon the supreme seat threatening a mere woman?’
At the Second Prince’s words, the Crown Prince made an exasperated expression before becoming even more enraged. A scolding from a younger brother he had looked down upon and despised his whole life could hardly have been pleasant.
‘Step aside, child.’
‘That would be difficult. Amy now belongs to me.’
Coming from someone who had been cowering flatly as if dead all this time, the words were quite sharp. Whether it was because he wasn’t the only one to notice this, the Crown Prince’s face hardened stiffly.
‘How dare you…’
‘I beg your forgiveness. I spoke out of concern that if people learned of this, it would tarnish Your Highness’s reputation and Amy’s honor.’
‘……’
The Crown Prince, who had rushed over blindly with rage clouding his eyes, faltered. He had finally realized this was a situation ripe for scandal. Amy calmed the two, who stood glaring at each other in silence.
‘I have received Her Majesty the Empress’s approval, so if you have any complaints, please direct them to the Empress’s Palace.’
Of course, she had said this knowing he couldn’t. The Crown Prince, his face paling instantly, glared at Amy with resentful eyes before turning away in a huff. Then he left the Second Prince’s palace without looking back once.
‘For him to act like the betrayed one, when his shallow feelings were such that he pretended not to see me dying in prison.’
The Crown Prince’s behavior was exasperating no matter how many times she thought about it, but she quickly calmed her heart.
‘Now is not the time to worry about such trivial things.’
Finally, with the sound of hooves clattering, the guards halted before them. Amy took a short breath before gracefully lifting the hem of her skirt and bending her knees.
“I am Amelia, chief handmaiden of the Second Prince’s Palace.”
The guard looked down at her with arrogant eyes and spoke indifferently.
“I have brought His Majesty the Emperor’s decree.”
Amy smiled brightly, her lips tightly sealed. See this? He doesn’t even introduce himself?
“……”
When Amy only smiled without answering, the guard narrowed his brow. After standing silently as if giving him time, Amy finally opened her mouth.
“His Highness the Second Prince stands here.”
“…I am aware.”
The guards’ eyes moved to the boy standing beside Amy before returning to her. A vein stood out on Amy’s forehead.
‘He knows and still acts like this?’
Hiding her inner thoughts, Amy spoke softly.
“A descendant of the Empire’s Sun awaits Captain Martin of the Imperial Guard’s greeting.”
At Amy’s lethal glare, as if asking whether he really had to be spoon-fed this, the guard captain finally seemed to realize his mistake.
“Ah, no, I mean… Your Highness the Second Prince.”
Seeing that he had never even considered offering a greeting, Amy’s stomach twisted. Moreover, the Second Prince was even more flustered than the guard captain, which made her feel worse.
“Amy.”
With a troubled expression, the Second Prince tugged slightly at Amy’s sleeve. Amy glanced coldly at his hand before silently asking ‘What is it?’ with her eyes.
“I’m fine, really…”
After glancing at the burly guard captain and guards, he murmured in a shrinking voice. Amy blew out a huff of angry breath, flipping her bangs. Then she spoke with a kind expression once more.
“Of course you are. His Highness the Second Prince is most magnanimous, after all.”
“……”
The Second Prince wisely closed his mouth. He had quickly realized that while Amy was being kind, she was not truly being kind. Amy smiled brightly.
“But a subordinate cannot do the same. That is the etiquette of the Imperial Palace, and the respect owed to a member of the Imperial Family. Is that not so, Captain Martin of the Imperial Guard?”
Amy turned to him with a gaze that dared him to find a single fault in her words. The guard captain was rendered speechless. Because there truly wasn’t a single part that was wrong.
“…I offer my greetings, Your Highness the Second Prince. I am Martin, captain of the Imperial Guard responsible for the palace’s defense.”
In the end, he bowed his head to the Second Prince.
“Ah, um, yes… It is good to meet you.”
The Second Prince received the greeting with forced dignity while watching Amy’s reaction. Though it wasn’t entirely satisfactory, Amy decided this was enough and got to the main point.
“Please hand over His Majesty’s decree to His Highness.”
“Yes.”
The guard captain, looking as if he wanted to go home quickly, hastily handed over the rolled-up scroll to Amy. Amy took it with both hands and respectfully presented it to the Second Prince. The Second Prince swallowed dryly and slowly unfurled the scroll.
“…Amy, is this right?”
After roughly scanning the contents, the Second Prince tilted his head slightly toward Amy and whispered. Amy discreetly pressed close to the Prince’s side and quickly scanned the decree’s contents with her eyes.
‘Let’s see, the territory consists of three northern fiefs combined… recognized as an independent principality… Excellent! And they’re asking for tribute equivalent to thirty bags of gold coins annually to the Empire. This much is nothing.’
Though inwardly cheering, Amy straightened her back with an expressionless face. Then she nodded gracefully.
“Please offer your words of gratitude to His Majesty the Emperor, Your Highness.”
“Yes.”
As they had practiced the day before, the Second Prince turned to face the direction of the Main Palace where the Emperor resided, placed his hand over his chest, and bent at the waist. Then he declared in a clear voice.
“Boundless thanks for the grace of the Empire’s Sun. May the glory of the Empire ever be with His Majesty the Emperor.”
“……”
At the unexpectedly proper etiquette, the expressions of the guard captain and guards, who had dismissed the Second Prince the entire time, subtly changed. Regardless, Amy dismissed them.
“His Highness must now depart for the Grand Duchy, so…”
“Ah, yes.”
The guard captain seemed to sense something amiss, looking back repeatedly even as he mounted his horse and rode away. Amy waited patiently until they were completely out of sight. And once their figures finally disappeared, she let out a sigh of relief and approached the carriage.
“Aren’t we leaving now?”
When Amy checked once more that their luggage had all been loaded onto the carriage, the Second Prince asked, tilting his head. Wasn’t all palace business finished once they received the Emperor’s decree?
At those words, Amy hesitated with an ambiguous expression, but finally, the sound she had been waiting for reached her ears.