After going out of the Princess' Palace with Ellie, Siervian walked forward as she recalled the food waste incident.
In her past life, a luxurious carriage passed through the slums threw out some things. It was obviously garbage, but the kids in the slums were attracted by the smell. And when they saw what was inside, it was all gourmet food that was barely touched.
'I've never seen such a healthy meal…!
At first, the children who found out about this considered themselves lucky if they came across the carriage. It was like some fortune was being bestowed upon them by the nobles.
But soon, things took a turn.
'This is all from the palace?'
'Not even just once or twice!'
'I saw everything! I'm sure they threw away all this food last time, too!'
People had spread rumors that the carriage came from the Princess' Palace. All kinds of malicious rumors swarmed throughout the slums.
It was quick for the starving underprivileged to get angry.
'I'm sure she's been doing this many times, wasting food everyday.'
Rumors then spread throughout the capital, to the point that even the nobles had it on their lips.
The Emperor was a man that the entire continent was afraid of, yet he had no weaknesses in state affairs. Public sentiment was also an important part of state affairs, so it was natural that he came to her to check if these allegations were true.
'Siervian.'
Siervian didn't remember much about this time in the past. She had been too young, but… she could clearly remember her father's cold gaze as he looked down at her.
Her father asked her something, and even as she was terribly intimidated, she replied 'The snacks… aren't… yummy…'
Siervian remembered for sure that this was what she said.
After hearing her answer, her father turned around wordlessly. She still couldn't forget the look he gave her—one that was full of disappointment.
'But now I think I know why I said that.'
She had already been eating the food that Sarah was giving to her. Even when she was younger, she had been forced to eat hard bread and pepper soup every day.
Of course she had no other choice but to answer like that.
"I only wealized now what happened."
The food waste incident had a very bad effect on Siervian's image. She now had to be careful about everything so that she wouldn't be seen as extravagant. In the first place, she couldn't even imagine eating something and complaining about the food.
"Princess? Did you say something?"
Ellie approached her because she saw that Siervian's little cheeks had moved slightly.
"It's nothin'."
"Do your legs hurt?"
"Nooo."
Siervian had been wondering for a long time about the rumors that followed her back in the past. However, there was no doubt that she answered in that way.
'It's my fault, so I have to take responsibility—that's what I thought back then.'
But now, she could see it from a different angle. Even before the food waste incident, she'd been eating small portions of meals that didn't even taste good, so how could she have possibly wasted anything? And the Princess' Palace was having budget problems right now.
It was strange in many ways.
"Tell me anytime if you're having a hard time, Your Highness."
"Okay!"
The wind, which was warmed up by mana, fluttered around her cheeks. Feeling the pleasant wind across her face, Siervian nodded with the gracefulness of a princess.
When Ellie saw the child very awkwardly attempting to move elegantly, she gasped and stopped breathing.
[ Ellie ]
Favorability: +10
Thoughts: H-How cute…!
When Siervian saw the status window, she was proud of herself, thinking that her behavior seemed very dignified.
'But how did they know that it came from the Princess' Palace?'
It was the biggest question she had regarding the incident.
How did the people of the slums come to the conclusion that the food waste came from the Princess' Palace? It's not like the carriage driver would have kindly told everyone where he came from.
"Oh my, we've already come to the other side of the garden, Your Highness."
"Ohhh, I wanna go to the kitchen!"
After they went on a tour of the garden, they had already crossed over to the other side.
Siervian was happy to be outside, but the garden of the Princess' Palace actually wasn't very beautiful. It looked like no one was maintaining it, and everywhere, there were weeds growing.
Things were fine around the small area where she could take a walk though.
"Is Your Highness hungry? I'll get you some snacks immediately."
"No, it's not that."
She was momentarily tempted by the mention of snacks, but as she almost nodded, she denied it solemnly. There was something more urgent now.
If her father had come here to check the rumor back then, then there definitely would have been solid evidence against her. In the Imperial family, when you throw away trash, there would be a certificate saying which palace it came from.
"…The kitchen wouldn't look good right now, Your Highness. Would that be alright?"
"Yeah, it's fwine."
[ Ellie ]
Thoughts: You'll definitely be upset when you see it.
Siervian wondered why Ellie thought this way. What's wrong with the kitchen?
Come to think of it, she had seen only a few other maids besides Ellie over the past few days.
"There are other people?"
"The other maids have finished their work this morning. Please don't worry too much."
[ Ellie ]
Thoughts: What should I do so that the Princess can live in a better environment?
Whether her father knew about the new maids or not, people came in and out of the palace frequently in the morning as Ellie said. But they were very quiet and they focused on their work, so Siervian didn't even know their names yet.
She also couldn't see their status windows because they wouldn't make eye contact with her.
Ellie might have encountered some problems when she became the new head maid. Maybe it was the budget issue.
Siervian decided to wait more patiently, as she was a generous boss.
"Okay then, let's go let's go!"
"When we arrive, would you like some snacks?"
[ Ellie ]
Favorability: +10
Siervian rushed Ellie because she wanted to know more about the food waste incident right away, but Ellie thought differently.
Siervian pretended she didn't hear and just went on her way.
As Ellie mentioned, the kitchen of the Princess' Palace wasn't in a good state. Even though everything was neatly arranged, the amount of food stored in the pantry was very small.
Usually, there were dedicated chefs in the kitchen, however, this kitchen was entirely empty. Did the staff leave after doing work in the morning just like the other maids?
But it wasn't even dinner time yet.