?"Mama..." A toddler staggeringly called his mother. His blonde hair and blood-red eyes bear an uncanny resemblance to his father. His feet move as he tries to reach his mother.
The maids were all on standby mode, waiting at every corner of the room in case the boy needed their help.
In the same room, a twenty-three-year-old young mother with brown hair was resting on the rocking chair. Her eyes kept sticking to the window, staring blankly at the bustling scenery outside with a solemn expression.
Though her body was there, her mind was fleeting somewhere else. It doesn't happen once, but many times. Nobody knows what she was thinking all this time. Not even her personal attendant, Matilda.
The topic of her inner thought has long been a discussion among the maids. One group deduce that their princess missed her hometown whilst another group suggested that she was saddened about her marriage.
And so, the meaningless debate between the two factions starts. The news eventually reached her ears but she ignored them. She doesn't need to take sides because both are true.
"Mama..." A young boy his mother for a second time after his first call went unanswered.
This time, his mother turned around and smiled warmly at him. Her sad expression disappears as if it never existed in the first place.
"What is it, Ben?" She asks.
"Look..." Benjamin shows the crudely drawn drawing to his mother. He smiles brightly, revealing his row of teeth. Just like any other normal mother, Reina praised her son for a magnificent drawing of him, his father and her. The reality was far from the happy family of three depicted in the drawing.
Reina's eyes caught an unusual facial expression of Matilda. This personal attendant of hers always sticks close for the past four years. Both of them looked close, but they weren't really.
It is a pretence they tacitly agreed on.
Truthfully, they're constantly observing each other's moves.
Reina wasn't stupid. She is aware of Baldwin's intention.
He wouldn't assign the younger sister of his closest confidant simply to a mere personal attendant. Matilda doesn't really have time to babysit her as she's going through her training to be the next head maid.
His overt act sent her a clear message.
He is watching every one of her moves.
"What's wrong, Matilda? You're a bit unusual today. Is there some bad news reported in the newspaper?" Reina raised her question.
Matilda quickly dispels the princess's curiosity, "Nothing serious, Your Highness. Lately, newspapers often write about the upcoming Cerdeauxia Elecxia."
"I see...I wonder who's going to win the election. Apparently, CRP is pulling an odd move by selecting a young man as their candidate."
Matilda's body jolted in shock. It only happens in a fraction of a second, too fast for anybody to notice it. She is surprised to know that the princess is keeping a tab on the current news so well.
It was pretty much her job to filter any news before letting them reach the princess.
So, she wasn't sure how deep Reina's knowledge was on the topic.
The personal attendant quickly calmed herself down. Princess Reina probably learned it in the newspaper. After all, the operation in Cerdeauxia is confidential, only known by a handful of people.
Speaking of news, Barlia obtained the printing press technology through an unofficial channel.
They began mimicking Ryntum by introducing newspapers to control their nobles.
In a way, they succeeded.
But, the newspaper is more potent than they originally thought. Copies were secretly spread and shared among the servants working there before making their way to the common people. The peasants in Barlia become curious and seek more but the copies of newspapers circulate only among the nobles.
Before Barlia knew it, tens of illegal newspapers emerged in the market.
The government was caught off guard.
They don't know who supplies them with the technology or information.
Weirdly enough, another storm swept on the principality.
Numerous private schools suddenly popped up out of nowhere after that and began to spread rapidly across the principality. They offer multiple educational courses for a set amount of price. People who aren't noble but have a deep pocket are naturally the first ones to act by sending their children.
However, these schools caused a massive headache for the government.
Smelling this as some kind of conspiracy, Barlia begins to crack down on schools to find anything to force them close.
Essentially, they fear someone is spying on Barlia or spreading influences and ideologies through these schools.
After a rigorous investigation, they found nothing in common among the owners of the school, the subject taught or the source of income. Not even a speck of dirt on them.
Everything about the operation of the school was transparent and justified, including well-recorded and safely kept finance.
They had to stop the investigation since the government indirectly tarnished their own reputation by doing a sudden raid on schools.
Returning back to Reina, she had meant to ask a question to her personal attendant.
"Matilda, I heard that you have been bullying this one particular maid. Is that true?"
"Bullying? Matilda furrowed her brows. She denied it with all her heart. "No, absolutely not." At the same time, her mind instantly recalls the list of possible suspects that try to ruin her reputation by spreading a malicious rumour.
"Is that so? But, the witnesses said you purposely give her more tasks and reprimand her over a little mistake."
The claims were quickly refuted by Matilda. "Your Highness, I simply disciplined her. As the next head maid, I can't allow small mistakes to become a habit. Did you know that she..."
She then began to retell the first time she met Dorothy in the kitchen.
"Hahaha!!" For the first time in a while, Reina laughed sincerely without any pretence, "She sounds like a fun girl to be acquainted with. What's her name? Why don't you call her here?"
"I'm planning to but she ran off to the market with the food procurement team today, Your Highness."
"Then, called her when she returned. I want to meet this funny girl. Perhaps, she can reduce my boredom."
....
Noon,
Dorothy and the procurement team safely returned to the palace with tons of food they brought.
This pile of food would only last them for a week or so.
Thanks to the hundreds of people living here, the consumption rate in the palace is not a joke.
Because Dorothy is too lazy to continue doing her job, she sneakily withdraws herself from the team and disappears from their sight. She doesn't forget to take the fruits she gets from her superior.
Right now, all she wishes for is to lie down in her bed. But, wishes rarely come true.
A maid walks in her direction and stops her.
"Dorothy, Lady Matilda is looking for you this morning. She ordered you to go to the nursery to meet her."
"Tsk, what a troublesome."
Despite her discontentment, she helplessly moves her feet. It didn't take her too long to find the place since she memorized the palace layout.
*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*
"Lady Matilda, I heard that you're looking for me."
"Come in, Dorothy," Matilda answered from the other side of the door.
She opened it slowly and saw two figures waiting for her. One is Matilda and the other is Lady Reina.
'What kind of luck is this?'
"You're Dorothy?" Reina asked.
"Ah! Yes, Your Highness." Dorothy swiftly bows down. Her sudden movement caused the apple she brought together to fall out of the ball and rolled on the floor.
Reina picked it up, "This...Where do you buy this apple?"
"A store called Dunn's Fruit," Dorothy reply honestly.
"Ohh!! I know that store, it was very expensive."
Dorothy couldn't agree more. She began to vilify her superior as a typical subordinate always does. "Yes, it's definitely expensive. The price was outrageous. I wouldn't hesitate to agree if someone told me that the fruit seller had a mental illness."
The princess didn't respond but gave a meaningful smile.
It doesn't make sense for the team to buy fruits there. The stall itself is located far from other fruit sellers so the team won't pass by it.
It wasn't an attractive choice either.
Reina believes this maid is telling a half-truth.
The source of this c𝐨ntent is fre𝒆w(e)bn(o)vel