"Come in now, Princess."
The Empress smiled at Siervian, even as the child stumbled to a halt at the door. It was the benevolent grace that Siervian knew well.
"I gweet Your Majesty the Empwess."
It took a while before Siervian regained her senses, so she hurriedly greeted her stepmother. Still, it wasn't a pretty sight because she stumbled when she entered.
"It would be prudent to accelerate your etiquette lessons, Princess."
"I apwologize . . ."
The Empress sipped her tea elegantly, displaying textbook posture and manners.
Siervian's apologies flowed out of her lips automatically, just as before, and her five-year-old body followed suit naturally.
"Even so, you have nothing to worry about, Princess. I'll take care of everything so that you won't have to make any more blunders again."
"Yees."
"Come closer, over here."
The Empress, who always said that Siervian had nothing to fret, remained the same. Always trust her, she'd say, and everything would be fine.
But the persistent status window left Siervian confused.
'Negative favorability?'
As she approached where the Empress sat, the number didn't change no matter how long Siervian stared at it.
". . . You're very pretty today, too, Princess."
[ Cybelle Erveldotte ]
Thoughts: What an unpleasant resemblance. F*cking wench.
As Siervian walked closer, the Empress would croon softly to the princess as she scrutinized her from head to toe. Siervian was nervous because she kept thinking about all the macarons she ate yesterday.
Then, the Empress' gaze stopped on the blue ribbon.
[ Cybelle Erveldotte ]
Thoughts: Ha. Blue?
Was there something wrong with the ribbon?
"Come and sit here."
"Yes, Your Majwesty."
Siervian had to answer well no matter what. She was absolutely tense with nervousness. She didn't know what would happen because it's the first time she saw negative favorability.
She was definitely excited when she was on her way here, but now that she had arrived . . .
"I heard that something unfortunate happened at the Princess' Palace."
"Yes . . ."
Siervian felt sad every time she remembered what happened with Sarah that day.
The Empress seemed to think that Siervian's reaction was within her expectations, so she didn't question this.
Whenever Siervian came to this palace after something bad happened, the Empress would always ask Siervian.
What made you so sad?
What has made our Princess so heartbroken?
'How come it's like this . . .'
Siervian looked at the Empress' status window.
[ Cybelle Erveldotte ]
Thoughts: Such an eyesore. Annoying wench.
Even though she couldn't control her expressions, it was a relief for Siervian that what she was feeling matched what she should be showing.
"It's my fault, Empwess."
Even at the child's hasty apology, the Empress' expression stayed benevolent. It was uncanny.
"Sarah was a maid I trusted . . . Don't tell me. Has she been lazy?"
". . ."
As far as Siervian could remember, the Princess' Palace was entirely under the Empress' jurisdiction. But when she was young, Siervian didn't know this.
"But I am to blame for failing to notice it all. Will you forgive me?"
[ Cybelle Erveldotte ]
Thoughts: I thought Sarah would be enough for such a stupid girl, so I just let her be. Sarah, that fool. This is why vagrants will always be vagrants . . . Before that imbecile opens her mouth, I'll need to deal with her swiftly.
As Siervian continued reading the status window, she felt her throat tighten up at the blatant difference between the Empress' caring tone and her inner thoughts.
"Yees . . ."
On the way here, at the back of her mind, she thought that there might be a chance that the Empress and Sarah were the same case, that they only appeared benign.
She struggled to push her doubts away. Among everyone she knew, the Empress was someone she could wholeheartedly trust.
But now, Siervian didn't know what to think.
"How kind of you, Princess."
The Empress raised her hand to pat the Princess' head. As she did, one of her rings got caught in the ribbon. She pulled her hand away gently, but in the process, the ribbon that Ellie carefully chose was left crushed and dishevelled.
"By the way, Princess. Did you visit His Majesty yesterday, too? Where did you go?"
Siervian always looked forward to the Empress' caring touch, but why was it that her hand felt cold today?
"To His Majwesty's garden."
". . . His Majesty's private garden."
[ Cybelle Erveldotte ]
Favorability: -100
Thoughts: How dare you go to that place?!
"Yees."
The Empress' expression briefly stiffened at the mention of the private garden. The favorability, which was already negative, became even lower. It was something that happened in a quarter of a second, and Siervian only saw this because she'd been looking at the status window.
"It must have been very scary."
Schooling her features back to her usual benevolence, the Empress took Siervian's hand. She consoled the child, thinking that she was still afraid of her father.
"Yees."
The truth was that Siervian made a lot of good memories yesterday. Her father gave her a sugar fork that he personally crafted with magic. But when she felt the big rings on the Empress' hand scratching her little hand, she forced herself to lie.
Somehow, she felt that she needed to lie.
"You can always be candid with me, Princess. You know that, right?"
Sure enough, the Empress was wearing a pleased smile.
Siervian used to take comfort in hearing her say this . . . but she wasn't sure anymore.
"Thank you vewy much."
"His Majesty must have been undoubtedly scary for you, Princess. He is the pillar of the Empire, always straight-laced and strict. It's natural that you're frightened."
It was subtle, how the Empress teetered between praising and antagonizing the Emperor. Siervian could only nod, wanting to remove her hand from the Empress' grasp.
Fortunately, the Empress soon let go of her and lifted the teacup from the table.