“Hazel, you must remember that you have the blood of the Conces in your veins. You are a member of the Conces family before you are a Land. Therefore, you must become a person that the family must need.”

Those were the words that Martina used to say. Hazel still has vivid memories of the day when the words were passed on to the king, he got very angry.

Ileos was not easily angered by his wife, but he finally exploded when he overheard the words his wife kept forcing Hazel to say from the mouth of a maidservant.

After that, the relationship between the king and his wife grew colder and colder. It was around that time that the king often left the palace to see his mistress.

Martina had a nervous breakdown around that time, and she couldn’t sleep without medicine. It was Hazel’s job to sit with her and read to her until she fell asleep.

She would read over and over until her hands would clench and her voice would become hoarse. When her mother, who had been ill all night, fell asleep at a certain moment, Hazel was finally able to leave her mother’s bedroom.

These were the people who would not hesitate to use even the daughter who had married the king for the glory of their family. They were the ones who put on the kindest faces and could do the most cruel things.

They were the ones who caused the queen to have a nervous breakdown and obsessive compulsive disorder.

“How did my mother die?”

After Hazel’s birth, Queen Martina had a series of miscarriages and stillbirths with each pregnancy.

Tormented by the obsession of having to give birth to more thrones, the queen grew weaker and weaker as she did so, and finally gave birth to the son she had waited so long to have, and died with the child.

Hazel, who had held her mother’s hand all the time by her side, watched as a white cloth was placed over her mother’s sharp eyes.

Hazel’s maternal grandfather, who later rushed to the palace after hearing the news of the queen’s death, said only a few words in the face of his dead daughter.

“Useless.”

“Princess, I’ve sorted out all the presents Lady Pais left for you. Ah!”

Mary screamed as she entered the room.

“Princess, what’s wrong with your hand?”

“Huh?”

Hazel dropped her gaze and looked at her hand. Her fingers were bleeding when she nibbled at the thin flesh around her fingernails.

“…I’m fine.”

“I’ll call the Court Doctor!”

Hazel barely suppressed the anger that was building up as Mary ran screaming.

“Don’t you dare!”

Ladu Pais hadn’t given birth to her child yet, and yet she was giving gifts to a political rival who had already taken her daughter’s place.

The Conces had been preparing to abandon her for quite some time now. They didn’t suddenly change one day. They had prepared for everything meticulously and slowly.

What Lady Pais wanted was a reassuring supportive force, and the Conces family was perfect for that.

The Conces family also needed an excuse to maintain a lasting blood relationship with the Land royal court.

The marriage of another daughter of the Conces to Lady Pais’s son, who had not yet been born, would have created a perfect alliance.

“That is, if I can’t help it.”

A faint smile emerged from Hazel’s lips.

“I can’t let it be the power of my enemy.”

Meow.

The cat came up to Hazel’s feet and laid down, feigning charm. The angry look in her eyes became a little calmer.

“Right, Titty?”

The clueless cat purred again and touched her dress with its front paws.

***

“It’s very strange.”

Count Burns said, nodding his head. Achilleon stood by the window, looking outside.

“I couldn’t find a servant anywhere with the clues you mentioned, Your Highness.”

“I suppose so.”

He replied sleepily, touching the window frame.

“Are there no maidservants among them that you like?”

Count Burns tapped on the window as he spotted a group of maidservants passing along the walk.

“They’re quite beautiful. There are so many beauties in our accommodation, who are you looking for?”

As soon as the conversation was over, the maids found Achilleon standing at the window, smiling at each other. When Achilleon unintentionally met their gaze, some of the maids shouted happily, “Yay!”

“….she’s not even among the maids of the palace where the princess resides.”

The cat named Titty was Princess Hazel’s cat, so he assumed that she must be one of the attendants at the palace where the princess was staying. However, none of them were the maid who had pushed Achilleon into the mousetrap.

“Maybe you’ve seen a vision. It’s like the after effects of war….”

“What?”

“Oh, no.”

Count Burns fell silent quickly, and there was a knock on the door just in time.

“I’ve brought some clothes.”

The door opened and the attendants with their gorgeous clothes and masks walked in.

“What kind of clothes are they?”

Achilleon frowned when he saw the colorful costumes and all kinds of gorgeous decorations filled the room.

“What? It’s costumes to wear to the masquerade ball. Pick one.”

“…”

“Hmm, I meant choose one.”

Seeing the still dissatisfied expression on Achilleon’s face, Count Burns immediately stepped over and started rummaging through the clothes.

“How about this?”

Count Burns said, applying the clothes to his body, which were exactly divided in half.

“They seem to have sent it with a great deal of care. This one. This one, too.”

He opened the box that the servants brought a little later, and found it filled with more fancy clothes.

“You can pick anything you want and….”

The Count, who had been making a happy noise, turned to face the bleak, shining blue eyes and just went silent. It was then that Achilleon parted his lips.

“I’m glad to hear that you’re attending the ball wearing a mask.”

“Huh?”

“I don’t need to be there.”

“What the… Your Highness is the representative of our empire!”

“I heard you’re going to cover your face. Who cares if I’m there or not?

“But…but…”

“I’m out. Take Sisef with you. I think it’s right up to his alley. The masks, that is.”

Achilleon spoke after a quick look through a box stacked with colorful clothes.

“I think that one will do.”

Achilleon pointed to a mask with jewels under the eyes, dotted with tears.

“That one? Are you sure?”

Count Burns said incredulously.

“Why? It’s perfect for him. He’s always been quick to cry, even as a child.”

“Do you know why this mask is crying?”

Count Burns said, lifting the mask.

“He was beheaded for the crime of coveting his brother’s wife.”

***

“It’s not easy to change hobbies.”

Hazel threw out her embroidery frame with a deep sigh.

“You haven’t finished it yet?”

“Yes.”

The cloth hanging on the embroidery frame had something embroidered on it, presumably a white cat.

“So why are you doing this all of a sudden? You never want to sit still and concentrate.”

Mary looked as if she had no idea what was going on.

“I know. Why am I doing this?”

When Hazel answered, she felt very miserable. She couldn’t stand it because she had to pretend to be sick in the room.

The whole palace was abuzz with the visit of the Demophos delegation, but she was alone on an isolated island, and that didn’t feel good. This was true even if it was isolation of her own choosing.

“Princess Lorette is here.”

The maid of honor said as she entered, and Hazel nodded with a frown on her face.

“Let her in.”

Lorette bowed as soon as she walked in.

“Good morning, Hazel… uh sister.”

“Welcome.”

Hazel put away the mirror she was holding and smiled at Lorette.

“I didn’t interrupt you, did I?”

“Of course not. I was just waiting for you.”

Lorette smiled, “The cookies you sent were a treat. This is my way of thanking you. I made them directly for you.”

Lorette held out a small pouch with an embroidered cat on it. The bag, complete with beautiful sewing, looked very thoughtful at first glance.

The white cat, which looked just like Titty, had a small golden bell around its neck, and the pouch was decorated with small beads.

“Oh, it’s so beautiful.”

Hazel’s gaze turned to the embroidered frame she’d tossed. She felt bad compared to Lorette’s embroidery.

“I’m so glad you like it.”

“You don’t have to bring me these things. You can just come and hang out.”

“No… I’m glad there was something I could give you.”

“…Is that right?”

Hazel looked carefully at Lorette’s face.

It was a little strange to see Lorette smiling at her after all the fuss she made with Lady Pais yesterday.

She wasn’t sure if Lorette didn’t care about Lady Pais or if she had received some other request from her mother.

Either way, Lady Pais treated her daughter like a rat, and in doing so, no matter how much of a mother she was, the odds were that Lorette would turn to others who were nicer to her than she was.

Just like Sisef did.

Unable to avoid Hazel’s gaze, Lorette finally broke the conversation hesitantly.

“Actually, I came here to ask a favor.”

“What kind of favor?”

“Promise me you’ll listen.”

“I’ll listen…….”

Hazel was curious. She said she would treat Lorette like a sister, and now she would come and ask for favors with confidence. She was pretty cute.

As if she felt hope in Hazel’s answer, Lorette said, her eyes sparkling like a squirrel looking at an acorn.

“I want you to go somewhere with me.”