'I hope that maid is ok. She tried to stop me from reaching the princess, but I am sure it was not her choice. But letting a maid disrespect an order given by the princess is also not something that can happen.'
Ultimately, a hopeless situation resulted in an undesirable outcome for all sides.
"Sui, what are you thinking about? Are you thinking about someone else while you are with me? This makes me feel jealous."
Sui stepped back as a hand reached out to grab her face. Sui realized the princess was reaching for her, but it was too late to stay still and let the princess touch her face.'
The princess had pulled her hand back, but she looked displeased.
"I apologize for being this distracted, Princess Yunjin. I promise that this will not happen again."
Sui quickly asked for forgiveness but remained tense in case the princess was in a foul mood again.
'I made a mistake. I should not have gotten distracted while I was with the princess. I must focus on her all this time and ensure she remains safe.'
Sui looked up at the princess with her earnest gaze.
Since Sui's only visible part was her eyes, they had to be her communication tool and convey her sincerity to the princess.
"I will forgive you this time, Sui. But please keep your focus on me today, okay?"
The princess asked, and her fair complexion showed a hint of pink on her cheeks.
'Ha! It is as if I can concentrate on anything but the princess when she is my line of vision. I need to ensure I don't offend her somehow.'
The princess looked equally pleased and annoyed by something, and Sui looked at her, but she could not understand why that was the case.
"Let's head out now. I will read the report provided by Victor in the imperial carriage. Do you know how to read and write?"
The princess asked Sui; the obvious answer would be to say 'no.'
Most maids who entered the imperial palace were given a few lessons to ensure they could read basic instructions and deliver messages.
However, Sui was not allowed to participate in those lessons.
An old lady had taught Sui how to read and write when she saw how much she wanted to join in on the lessons.
Surprisingly enough, Sui picked up these lessons quickly and surpassed her peers.
The old lady had only been able to teach Sui for about a week, but Sui had become proficient in that weak.
'Come to think of it, I never found that old granny again in the palace. I wonder if she is even alive right now. I never got to know her name either.'
Sui sighed before she felt something touching her arm.
She tensed up and got ready to attack the thing touching her arm when the princess quickly acted and pulled the paper into her hands.
"Are you trying to spread this paper, Sui? As amusing as it sounds, I cannot allow you to do that. These papers are important for our mission today."
The princess looked amused as she watched Sui try to tear the reports apart.
Sui tensed at the blunder she had just made in front of the princess, her face flushed with embarrassment.
'I cannot believe that I made such a mistake. I should be ashamed of myself. And I-'
Sui stopped thinking when she looked down at the piece of paper.
Minister Xiao's name attracted Sui's attention to the paper, and her eyes moved toward that name without her realizing it.
"Victor investigated Minister Xiao and found a lot of evidence related to him. If you are curious, you can read this report."
It was too late to pretend that she could not read.
Sui took the paper from the princess and waited for the big question that must be bugging the princess.
But a minute passed, and the princess did not look curious about it.
'Is she not going to ask me why I know how to read or write? Or is she not aware that slaves are not taught such things?'
Sui could not help but ask such questions in her mind.
Always in her mind and never out aloud.
"Would you want me to ask you useless questions? It doesn't matter to me how you learned to read and write, nor does your past as a slave matter to me. If those things do not take precedence over me, I do not care."
The princess spoke back, and Sui was startled. The princess managed to hammer the nail in the coffin of Sui's worries.
"E-Excuse me, princess, but I don't understand-"
"You were thinking about this, right? Why am I not asking you any questions? There is no specific reason behind it other than I don't want to."
The princess assured Sui and the younger did not know whether to relax or tense up.
'How did the princess know what I am-'
"How did I know what you were thinking about? It's because I can read your mind. It's one of the abilities of the imperial family. Haven't you heard about it before?"
The princess sounded playful, almost borderline teasing Sui when she spoke. But the implications of her words terrified Sui.
'Fuck! No wait! Stop cursing. I did hear about the royal family possessing this ability, but it was all rumors. Wait! Is the princess playing with me because she knows something? But what if her ability is true? Can this be an artifact? Or even-'
"Hahaha, you are so cute. Did you seriously believe my lie about being able to read your mind? I was joking around with you. The reason I was able to read you is because your eyes are so expressive."
The princess assured Sui but the younger still felt odd.
Sometimes, it did feel like the princess could read minds.
'Well, I don't know if the princess can read minds or not and there is even less, I can do about this. I should keep my head tucked close and keep my thoughts in check as well.'
That was what Sui decided, but she knew she would not be able to keep her promise for long.