Siervian knew something was wrong the moment she opened her eyes. It was because nobody woke her up.
Sarah always woke her up at dawn, saying that she needed to learn Imperial etiquette.
'Where's everyone?'
Her body felt so heavy. It seemed like her excuse about being sick came true.
Still, Siervian rose from her bed, quelling the desire to go back to sleep. She was nervous because it was too quiet outside.
'Huh? My clothes?'
Her nightgown had been changed while she was asleep into a thinner, more comfortable nightgown.
She couldn't believe that she slept through all that, even with someone changing her clothes. As soon as she realized this, Siervian's face turned pale.
'It wouldn't be good if I keep getting sick.'
Siervian struggled to get on her feet, groaning as she reached out to pull the bedside rope. The five-year-old Siervian didn't have an official schedule yet, but she shouldn't be too lax. She didn't want to be called a lazy and incompetent princess.
After a while, Ellie carefully opened the door.
"You're awake now, Princess."
"I'm fwine. Where's Sarah?"
". . . His Majesty will be here shortly to say something."
At the mention of her father coming here again, Siervian felt her heart pounding out of her ribcage. Should she not have pretended to sleep last night?
But something strange happened again. A flock of maids with the same uniform as Ellie came one after another into her room, and some of their faces were familiar. They were court ladies in the Princess's Palace.
"Princess, I have committed a terrible sin!"
"Please forgive us, Your Highness!"
All the maids around Siervian shouted and bowed their heads in unison. Everyone had remorseful expressions.
Faced with an unprecedented situation, Siervian was somehow embarrassed. She held onto her blanket tightly.
What's going on here?
"Please speak well of us to His Majesty."
"We didn't do it on purpose. It was all because of Sarah . . ."
It was the first time in her life that the maids had spoken to Siervian in such a gentle tone. This was also the first time she came to know that there were this many maids in the palace.
Siervian kept quiet until now because she didn't know what to say to them.
It wasn't long until her body began to tremble, perhaps because of the dissonance between her body and soul. The many adults that towered over her was too overbearing for a five-year-old child.
'I can't breathe.'
What was scarier were their innermost thoughts.
[ Adele ]
Favorability: -100
Thoughts: This is so damn annoying. Is it my fault that she's sick?
[ Jessie ]
Favorability: -100
Thoughts: Why am I needlessly involved in this.
Siervian was afraid that these people, who never once gave her a smile, were suddenly acting like they cared for her. But what was worse was their inconsistent hearts.
The floating windows surrounded Siervian. These words pierced her exactly the same way as the words that condemned her in her previous life.
It was like an unavoidable fate.
'I tried not to be hated, but why all of a sudden . . . !'
She wanted to hide beneath her blanket, but she resisted the urge to do so. She realized that such behavior would only grant them even more of a chance to attack her.
That's what she thought, but her body wouldn't listen. Her young body was absolutely terrified. She didn't want to look weak, but she kept crying.
Then, Ellie approached her bed and broke the maids' formation.
"The Princess needs to take her medicine now. Please step aside."
[ Ellie ]
Mood: Sorrowful
Thoughts: Her fever needs to go down quickly. Just what are you all doing to the sick Princess, really!
Ellie was the only one who brought medicine to alleviate Siervian's fever. And she was the only one who truly cared about her.
". . . Ah."
Only then did those maids snap back to attention. As if they just remembered that the princess was sick.
Siervian should feel more at ease now because they finally backed off, but somehow, she wanted to cry even more. She bit her lips tightly. She tried to control herself, but it really wasn't easy. The synchronization still wasn't good.
By the time her tears fell, several heavy footsteps could be heard from outside the door.
"His Majesty the Emperor is entering."
The disoriented maids backed away to the walls and bowed their heads.
Ellie, who was in the middle of feeding strawberry-flavored medicine to Siervian, stepped away as well, her lips in a tight line as if she were expecting the worse. She didn't forget to give the rest of the medicine to Siervian.
'Just what the hell is going on?'
At that moment, the door burst open.
Siervian's father walked into the room and towards the bed without any hesitation in his gait, then looked directly at her.
From then on, silent steps continued to pour in after the door had been opened roughly. The guards who followed her father quieted their steps awkwardly and came in slowly.
"I put you under probation, but what exactly are you doing?"
At the mention of 'probation', Siervian eyes glistened with tears. Something definitely happened while she was sleeping. She really did something wrong, then.
"How dare you make a fuss when my daughter's sick?"
Huh?
Siervian, who was clasping her blanket with her tiny fists, barely raised her head.
Her father's status window soon entered her vision.
[ Alderuan Erveldotte ]
Mood: Enraged
Thoughts: That child is in so much pain that she started crying. Those snowy cheeks are filled with tears. How sad it must've been for her to have suffered all alone. I'm so angry that everything's tainted red.
"Capture all of them now!"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
His cold voice brought more tears to her eyes. She flinched reflexively, on the verge of hiding under her blanket.
Then, her father's thoughts suddenly appeared.
[Alderuan Erveldotte ]
Thoughts: You all weren't even thinking about taking this child's pain away, and now you surround her like vultures just to escape punishment. Disgraceful things. I'll make everyone here pay for their crimes.
By the way, Siervian's pallor isn't looking good. Should I change the Imperial doctor? Should I scour the entire Empire to bring every medicinal herb so that her suffering will end? There should also be a thorough research on her illness so that generations to come may study it.
The status window expressing his concerns was too long to read.
"P-please spare us, Your Majesty!"