“So don’t you think you need to take good care of your own first?”

Mrs. Pais’ face turned even paler as Hazel added calmly.

“Princess, are you threatening me? By telling me to keep my tongue safe?”

“How can you utter such a scary thing?”

“Then what…”

“Oh, of course, some of the old punishments in ancient days include pulling or cutting out the tongue of a person who had lied or cheated.”

“…..”

“But it’s true that most of the human’s sins come from the tongue. If you keep your tongue safe, it will increase your chance to live.”

“…I’m extremely grateful to receive the teaching from the Princess. I’ll make sure to keep that in mind.”

As if Mrs. Pais’ answer was satisfactory, Hazel showed a meaningful smile as if she was satisfied with Lady Pais’ answer.

“This palace needs both birds and cats, Lady Pais.”

Mrs. Pais’ mouth quivered when she saw Hazel’s smiling face.

“We have no choice but to live together. In order not to hurt neither birds nor cats, the owners have no choice but to keep a good eye on them.”

“I’ll take care of my cat, and you will take care of your birds, Lady Pais. Let’s not put false accusations on each other rashly.”

Lady Pais barely felt better at Hazel’s closing remark.

“And.”

Hazel called out to Lady Pais, who was about to turn away.

“I don’t think you can’t just clamp down on your birds.”

“What do you mean?”

Lady Pais’ face was contorted again as if she was uncomfortable with this.

“I’ve been checking the budget of the Imperial Palace that you have spent during your time in charge of the palace’s administration.”

Heisel pointed to the documents piled up on a table.

“Is that so?”

Mrs. Pais held her chin high in the air and retorted.

“You spend quite a lot. I was surprised. It was at least double the amount than when my mom was in charge …the expenditure for items also has nearly reached as much as five times.”

Hazel took out one of the documents and tapped it with the tip of her fingertips.

“The amount of items which were used up for the events such as ball, banquets, dinners, and other items have increased gradually.”

“Since the Princess grew up while being confined in the palace, that must be why you seem to not know much about the reality of the world.”

Lady Pais deliberately put a lot of accentuation in when she said, ‘the reality of the world’.

“…….”

Hazel glared back while raising one of her eyebrows as a response.

“As the number of people as well as the number of households increased, the cost has also increased on its own. Managing household affairs is always hard. We can’t always be unconditionally frugal. His Majesty is the king of this country, and he will lose reputation if you do that.”

Tsk, Mrs. Pais covered her face with a fan she was holding while clicking her tongue.

“Then how are you going to explain this?”

“What?”

“I also checked the expense details of each palace …but the numbers didn’t add up.”

“No way. I managed all of those things perfectly.”

“The one over here, and also here. Can you see this amount was stated too high? Candles, soap, and private supplies, even all of these. You intended to lie about the expenses on purpose, what do you think?”

“I don’t know about this matter. Why do you insist unreasonably, Princess?”

“Because your expenses for jewelry and clothing are five times more than mine. Even more than Lorette. Hair piece, perfumes, cosmetics, and everything else.”

“Are you educating me now, Princess?”

“I didn’t blame you. It must cost a lot of money to maintain your dignity as the king’s woman, so I can consider that. The Lady is currently leading the society.”

“…….”

Mrs. Pais’ face stiffened terrifyingly at Hazel’s words.

“But I must’ve told you beforehand that there are certain limitations to it. Moreover, the biggest thief is the one who holds the key.”

“Thief…?”

Heisel finished talking as Lady Pais’ face turned red in anger.

“I won’t tell my father about this. I don’t want a person who’s already suffering from political affairs to also worry over this matter.”

A gracious smile appeared on Hazel’s mouth.

“Let me know if you need money. I’ll always give you as much as you need anytime.”

Hazel smiled when she saw Lady Pais’ lips trembling slightly.

“Of course, I will tell my father about that as well.”

“I am really grateful and thank you for your consideration.”

“You don’t have to say that. You are Lorette’s biological mother. It’s only natural for the Princess’ mother to be treated well like this.”

“What a sentimental consideration.”

“Of course, it must be.”

Lady Pais took a deep breath as she saw Hazel’s cheeky smile as well as her response, the tip of the lace around her neck was shaking as she released a snort.

“Then I’ll get going now. Ah.”

Lady Pais suddenly beckoned to the maid she had brought in. The maid brought a small box and held it out in front of Hazel.

“What’s this?”

Mrs. Pais laughed at Hazel’s question.

“Can you please put it away? Princess. I don’t have the courage to face it again in my weak state. The maid who I brought here has to help me afterall.”

When the maid opened the box, the pitiful dead bird was already lying dead inside. It was the bird found in Achilleon’s window.

“If you wish for me to do so.”

Lady Pais glared at her sharply before leaving the room.

Thud.

With the sound of the closing door, Hazel then stretched her legs while leaning her back against the sofa.

“Phew…”

Hazel pulled the bell rope and called for the maid while looking at the dead bird that was left behind by Lady Pais.

“Bury it in a sunny place. Like a flower.”

“Pardon me? Ah, yes.”

“Prick out a handful of Tity’s fur and add it there as a sign of condolences.”

“What? Ah …yes.”

“Then it’ll be born as a cat in its next life. The enemy will have a chance to avenge Tity after it’s reborn.”

“Excuse me?”

Hazel shook her head when the maid looked surprised by Hazel’s reasoning in which she couldn’t understand.

“Hurry up and take it away.”

When Hazel gave a wave of her hand, the maid quickly picked up the dead bird’s body wrapped in a white cloth and left the room.

After the maid turned away, Hazel tossed her body to lie down on her back while pressing her aching head with her fingertips.

It was good that she could control Lady Pais’ attitude and press her down, but her promise toward Achilleson was lingering on her mind the entire time.

“I’m not really interested in receiving verbal gratitude.”

I remembered his relaxed face as if he was looking at an animal which had been caught in a trap.

“It’s up to the recipient to decide.”

For some reason, I felt like I crawled into the lion’s den when I was trying to avoid the fox, but it was an inevitable choice to immediately escape from danger.

“What is he going to ask from me?”

I couldn’t even make a single guess. However, I had a feeling that his demand would never be favorable for her side.

And her hunch was very accurate.

***

“Hazel, that d**m child.”

Lady Pais kicked and knocked it over as soon as she entered Lorette’s Palace right after returning from the Rose Palace.

“What happened?”

Lorette asked carefully, looking at her mother’s vicious complexion.

“Isn’t this all because of your close friendship with Hazel?”

“…….”

“You looked very happy after betraying your mother.”

“Did you really want to do that to me, mother?”

Lorette spoke in a prickling tone.

“What do you mean by ‘that’?”

Lady Pais said while frowning at what her daughter had said to her.

“What do you mean, Lorette?”

“…You know it.”

“Tell me so I can understand what you are talking about.”

Lady Pais’ expression when asking her daughter was even more vicious.

“The thing you had fed me before.”

“What?”

Lorette let out a deep sigh as she stared at the gaze that began to shake slightly now.

“The tea you had fed me. What was in it?”

“What… Hear me out. Are you telling me that I had given you something terrible?”

“Wouldn’t mother know it better?”

Lorette said as if she was getting tired of this. Lady Pais was taken aback at the expression and tone her daughter had never used to talk with her before.

“Lorette!”

Lady Pais screamed out loud, but Lorette said while adjusting her gaze to stare straight at her mother, rather than feeling dejected.

“Did you only add the tea leaf in it? Was there anything else other than that?”

“I don’t know what you are talking about. But if I gave you poison…”

“You wouldn’t have given something to me that I ate and died because of that. I know it.”

“Do you think it’s fine just to say anything you want?”

“I also drank tea that was given by mother before, at the time when I was with Prince Sisef.”

Loret exhaled deeply and continued.

“I suddenly had a fever that time, and the prince couldn’t fulfill his promise to sister because of that.”

“It’s a coincidence. That’s what the imperial doctor said. Your body was weak…”

“The imperial doctor is on mother’s side.”

Frustrated by Lorette’s snap, Lady Pais only able to open and close her mouth again as she was taken aback when Lorette retorted sharply.

“I’ve done everything mother has told me to do. But what was in your mind when you fed me with fever-inducing herbs? That is too much!”

Slap.

Lorette’s face suddenly turned away followed by a sibilant sound. She hit Lorette so hard that the girl lost her balance and fell on the floor.

“I’ve given birth and raised you as much as I could and even turned you into an Imperial Princess… How can you say that?”

Lady Pais sat on the floor facing her daughter who was slumped down on the floor as well while gently bit her trembling lips.

“I did all of that for your sake. What happened to you after you ate a little bit of such herb? No. The herb is said to produce just a mere fever. Do you know how hard it was for me to get it?”

“…Was it true?”

There was a huge shock on Lorette’s face.

“And the Prince couldn’t leave because he was worried about you. Hazel wouldn’t have been able to control you if you hadn’t gone to see her that day, and your father wouldn’t have come to see us. Foolish little thing, resentful even if I had created an opportunity for you.”

“M-mother.”

“Yeah, I’m your mom. I’m your mother even though I may not like it because you are not an heir of the Queen.”

Lorette looked at Lady Pais while wrapping her cheek that had begun to swell and turned red.

“So you just do what I tell you to do. Got it?”