"Hey, are you alright? Can you stand? Do you want me to bring you some water?"
Sui asked the shaking maid, quickly standing up from the chair and kneeling before the other maid to help her.
However, despite Sui's best intentions to help the other maid out, her actions only enraged the maid even more.
"Don't touch me! Y-You lowly thing! You are stepping out of line here. A slave should know its place and not even come close to the nobility. If you understand, then get going and do something productive."
Sui suppressed her anger at the familiar reaction.
She was not even hurt at this point; she was just disappointed that she had to deal with it again.
"I understand. I shall take my leave now."
Sui bowed to the maid and quickly exited before she could explode in anger.
Her lack of luck decided to strike again when she collided with someone as soon as she opened the door.
Sui did not dare look up; she was too scared and humiliated to show her face to someone else.
"E-excuse me! I need to go."
With a half-hearted excuse to send the other person's way, Sui made her way out of the room.
A pair of bright blue eyes noticed Sui running away, and amusement filled them before an icy expression locked it away.
That day, the maid who had made Sui run away was punished for stealing from the princess.
The maid swore that she did not steal anything and that someone was framing her, but there was no one to listen to her cries or sympathize with her.
Everyone had abandoned the poor girl.
On the other hand, Sui managed to get out on time, so she was not affected by the rumors.
Sui quickly ran toward the kitchen to ask if there was any work for her to do.
But everyone knew her as 'the slave' by this point, and they did not dare allow Sui to touch any food or other items.
The same thing happened with the cleaning staff and the other areas.
Sui was not allowed to work anywhere.
And since Sui had not worked anywhere today, she was also not allowed access to food for the day.
'Another day, another meal gone. But wait! This won't be permanent, right? Usually, I change palaces to work at once this happens, but I cannot do that any longer. I cannot even complain about this to my superior. What should I do now?'
Sui was hungry by now, but it was not yet at a point where Sui had to steal food to keep living.
So, Sui decided to worry about everything tomorrow. She closed her eyes and fell asleep in seconds.
...
"Yunjin, you do not look happy to see your brother. You should take this opportunity to become closer to him, right?"
An Icy glare stabbed Victor when he suggested these words.
However, just as quickly as that glare formed, it fell apart.
Princess Yunjin knew that there was no point in trying to intimidate Victor at this point. The older man had not feared Yunjin even once during childhood, so why would he fear her now?
"Mind your own business. I spend more than enough time with my brother. It is enough to make me feel sick and tired at times. I am sure that elder brother agrees with me as well."
Yunjin kept her tone neutral, but annoyance bled into her voice anyway.
Her brother did not look offended by Yunjin's words and only chuckled at her words.
"I will never get sick of my adorable younger sister wanting to spend time with me, so come and play with me anytime. However, Yunjin, I heard a shocking rumor recently. Did you-"
"Tsk, if it's about Concubine Cherubini, brother should know better than me. I have nothing to say if it's about the tea party."
Princess Yunjin quickly spoke before her brother could finish speaking.
Unlike her, the emperor had a roundabout way of saying things, and his words often had hidden meanings.
Yunjin usually indulged her brother when he was in a playful mood, but she was not in the mood for this now.
After all, Yunjin had a bunny to play with once she was done here.
However, when Yunjin looked at her brother, an amused smile on his face sent signs of warning up her spine.
"Oh! So, all that happened as well? But I don't think I ever received a report regarding that! Were you trying to hide these incidents from me, dear sister? But what I wanted to talk about was not this. I heard that you recently took in a dear 'bunny.' Care to explain what this rumor is about? Can I meet your bunny?"
"No. And this is not up for debate. This applies to you as well, Victor. Also, I am done with breakfast. I will take my leave now."
The princess stood up, not caring whether the emperor had finished eating or not.
It was rude and most people would have faulted the princess for her improper conduct if they had seen this.
But the emperor and Victor just chuckled at Yunjin's actions.
"I can see that you are getting impatient now, so I will not hold you back for long. As for the incidents you mentioned…I will give you a proper punishment. How about a scouting mission? Do you think it will be enough to convince people that I…and she's gone."
The emperor had a gentle look on his face as he watched his sister exit, but his eyes were hard and cunning when he opened them.
Victor mirrored his look when he looked at his friend.
"You knew about all those incidents already, right? You just wanted to pressure your sister and get her out of the castle while you investigate Concubine Cherubini's case, right?"
Victor asked as he sipped his tea.
"Whatever do you mean? I am doing this because I want to correct Yunjin's reckless behavior."
The emperor teased back, but then his expression became serious.
"Victor, keep an eye on the new 'bunny' my sister picked up and make sure to do a thorough check. The imperial family is special and we do not develop interest in people easily. So, make sure you do not miss any detail."