Side Story 8 – Two Years
Side Story 8
Two Years
It was spring.
This happened one afternoon, a year after Robelia had called out “Daddy”—or rather, a year after Hadel had insisted she did.
“Oh my, could it be… En?”
Ashaella was enjoying a rare moment of solitude in a corner of the garden after leaving Robelia with Yulia.
Though not a garden exclusively reserved for the imperial family—meaning anyone could enter—it was secluded enough that people rarely ventured there.
But that wasn’t what surprised Ashaella.
“Goodness! Serienne! It really is you!”
The voice of the figure approaching her, calling her by her former maid name with familiarity, sounded quite familiar.
“My word, to see you in a place like this! I was so sorry about how we parted back then, but I’m delighted to see you!”
Amy, fussing excitedly while grabbing Ashaella’s hands and shaking them up and down, truly seemed delighted.
Anyone who didn’t know her well would have certainly thought so.
But Ashaella knew Amy all too well.
Of course, they were acquainted enough that Amy might genuinely be happy to reunite after their abrupt parting, but more likely…
“But what brings you to the Imperial Palace? As for me, I can come here because the person I serve is a noble of high standing.”
Lifting her chin, elegantly tossing her hair back—pretending to be a fine lady—Amy’s behavior made Ashaella want to laugh.
The delight of finding someone to boast to. Amy’s eyes revealed nothing more, nothing less.
As expected, Amy was showing off. Implying that she was the servant of someone so esteemed they could enter the Imperial Palace.
Ashaella subtly extracted her hand from Amy’s grip and said:
“It’s been a while. I thought you’d gone back to your hometown, but you found work elsewhere.”
“Well, of course. Who am I, after all? When the Tremain Count’s family fell, I was truly at a loss… but I found my path.”
“So where are you working now?”
Already, a list of the noble ladies scheduled to visit the palace today flashed through Ashaella’s mind.
There were three candidates.
Viscountess Firentino, Countess Derman, and Marchioness Grampia.
Ashaella had received word from Viscountess Firentino that she wished to tour the palace with her husband.
They should be viewing the central garden by now, so that ruled her out.
Countess Derman was said to be meeting with the Chancellor about the merchant guild she managed. Time-wise, she wouldn’t have arrived yet, so that ruled her out too.
Which left…
“Ahem, you know the Grampia Marquis family, right?”
“I thought so. That’s where you are.”
“Hmm? What do you mean, ‘I thought so’?”
“Ah, it’s nothing. So you came with Marchioness Grampia?”
“That’s right. My lady happens to be the aunt of Lady Grandel, who serves Her Majesty the Empress! So I might even be recommended to become a maid to the Empress herself!”
Watching Amy look around and speak as if sharing a great secret, Ashaella’s gaze turned frosty.
The Empress herself had no such intentions, yet somehow Amy was indulging in this groundless fantasy.
Regardless, Amy continued with sparkling eyes:
“Come to think of it, has your employer come to the palace too? Who do you serve? Well, unless it’s someone like the Duke of Deache, they’re bound to be lower in rank than our Marquis Grampia.”
By this point, Ashaella felt almost embarrassed to reveal her identity.
Of course, had she been dressed in her usual imperial attire, Amy wouldn’t have made such a mistake.
Ashaella reflexively examined her own appearance.
She wore plain clothes without jewels or decorations.
She’d purposely chosen simple attire because Robelia kept tugging at her clothes, and she worried elaborate garments might be uncomfortable for the child when she held her.
Clothes made of inexpensive fabric rather than premium cloth, looking even plainer because they were constantly being soiled by Robelia’s drool.
In such attire, it wasn’t unreasonable for someone to mistake her for a maid.
“Hey, why aren’t you answering? …Wait a minute. Now that I think about it.”
Amy narrowed her eyes as she looked at Ashaella.
Ashaella was giving off a different impression than before. Her aura had changed somehow. At first, Amy had been too excited to notice, but now she felt a strong sense of incongruity.
After careful consideration, Amy clapped her hands as if realizing something.
“I see, I knew something was off! Did you just speak informally to me?”
Amy snorted derisively and crossed her arms.
“Hey, no matter how close we are, I’m still older than you. How dare you suddenly drop honorifics?”
Ashaella pondered briefly. She could just let it go. After all, she and Amy weren’t particularly close.
‘Well, it’s troublesome. Let’s just send her away.’
Amy was prone to jealousy and envy. Not wanting to get entangled, Ashaella decided to quietly let it pass.
“Your Majesty the Empress!”
Just then, Lady Grandel’s voice calling for Ashaella came from a distance.
“Your Majesty! Where are you, Your Majesty!”
Knowing that Ashaella sometimes retreated to this secluded corner of the garden when she wanted peace, Lady Grandel searched every nook and cranny.
“Philia, is Her Majesty truly in this area?”
Behind Lady Grandel was Marchioness Grampia, her aunt, who had been scheduled to visit today.
“Yes, Aunt. Her Majesty enjoys quiet. Princess Robelia is currently napping, and Her Majesty has no more appointments today, so she must be around here.”
“Even so, to rest alone without even a single maid…”
Marchioness Grampia looked around the garden with concern.
Born and raised as a noblewoman who then married into an aristocratic family, she likely felt uneasy at the very notion of being without attendants.
“Oh my, it’s my lady and… Lady Grandel!”
Amy had noticed them too.
But her reaction was utterly absurd.
“Oh! She must be planning to introduce me as a maid!”
Ashaella was flabbergasted by this ridiculous misunderstanding.
‘Does this girl not have ears? No, does she lack common sense?’
Despite Lady Grandel clearly calling out “Your Majesty the Empress,” Amy possessed a remarkable talent for seeing and hearing only what she wanted to believe, firmly clinging to her delusion.
“My lady!”
Before Ashaella could say anything, Amy pushed through the bushes and leaped out in front of the Marchioness and Lady Grandel.
The Marchioness’s eyes widened in surprise at Amy’s sudden appearance.
“Amy? I was wondering where you’d gone. What were you doing here?”
The Marchioness, with her green hair elegantly styled high, quickly regained her composure and asked calmly.
“I hesitated to interrupt your conversation with Lady Grandel, so I stepped outside. Have you finished your discussion?”
In reality, she had probably just been wandering around the Ruby Palace garden out of curiosity.
Ignoring Amy’s affected words, Ashaella also emerged from behind the bushes.
If Lady Grandel was searching for her with the Marchioness, they likely had some matter to discuss.
“Well, for now… Oh my!”
The Marchioness’s soft brown eyes shifted from Amy to Ashaella.
Already well-acquainted with Ashaella, she could recognize her no matter how plainly dressed she was.
“So this is where you were!”
Ashaella returned the Marchioness’s warm smile with a light one of her own.
“It’s been a while, Marchioness Grampia.”
One step: the Marchioness speaking as if she knew Ashaella.
Two steps: Ashaella addressing the Marchioness without using the highest honorifics.
Three steps: Lady Grandel addressing Ashaella as “Your Majesty.”
“…What?”
Amy’s jaw dropped as these three realizations hit her in succession.
“Y-Your Majesty the Empress?”
Her horrified outburst earned glares not only from Marchioness Grampia but also from Lady Grandel.
* * *
“By the way, to think you’d use such precious fabric for the Princess. Aunt, you really do adore Robelia too much.”
Lady Grandel chuckled as she arranged Robelia’s clothes.
Ashaella, gently patting Robelia in her arms, replied:
“Indeed. I heard it was obtained from across the southern sea, from the new continent?”
“Yes. Apparently she just established trade with merchants from there. Anyway, I’m so excited to see how well it will suit our Princess.”
Lady Grandel seemed genuinely thrilled.
Originally, Marchioness Grampia had planned to just have a brief chat with Lady Grandel before leaving. However, wanting to use the unexpectedly acquired precious fabric for the Princess, she had suddenly needed to find Ashaella.
“Oh, right. But why did you forgive that insolent girl?”
Tap, tap. Having finished organizing the clothes, Lady Grandel now shook out the bedding as she asked.
“She didn’t know.”
Amy, who couldn’t mentally accept that Ashaella was the Empress, had nearly been beaten by the furious Marchioness for pointing her finger accusingly.
Fortunately, Ashaella had stopped it, saying it was fine, so Amy had merely been expelled from the Marchioness’s household.
Nevertheless, Lady Grandel still seemed displeased.
“Even if she didn’t know, that’s no excuse. Even when my aunt and I addressed you as ‘Your Majesty,’ she still behaved that way.”
The memory of Amy’s wild protests and shouts that it couldn’t possibly be true came to mind.
At the time, Ashaella had been angered too, but Amy was just a powerless commoner after all.
Besides…
“When I could plainly see she was overwhelmed by her emotions, how could I administer a harsh punishment?”
“But, Your Majesty—”
“She is a citizen of the Empire too, Philia.”
Ashaella adjusted Robelia, who had fallen asleep in her arms.
“And a powerless commoner at that.”
Her voice was quiet, yet carried an undeniable authority that no one could challenge.
“Really, Your Majesty…”
Looking at Ashaella, Lady Grandel let out a small sigh as if to say “what can you do?” and pouted.
Yet her eyes held the happiest, most satisfied expression, beautifully curved.
A strange expression, neither smiling nor crying.
“Huh? What’s this? What’s going on? Your Majesty, what is it?”
Had Yulia not suddenly entered, Lady Grandel might have shed tears.
Sensing the subtle shift in the atmosphere, Yulia’s eyes brightened as she pressed further:
“Ah, what’s this mood about! Hey, why am I being left out!”
The face of Yulia, who was pleading as she moved back and forth between Lady Grandel and Ashaella, was likewise filled with nothing but happiness.
The heavy, sorrowful expression of the past could no longer be found—pure, unblemished happiness. Today, as always, it quietly hovered over the Sieria Empire.
