I Tamed the Monstrous Prince - Chapter 25
Chapter 25
“I think I need to make some changes.” What choice did I have? He and I were now bound by fate. I could handle a servant talking back to their mistress. But a servant resorting to violence against their mistress? That was unacceptable. For Cesar’s sake, and for my own, I needed to replace these servants with people I could trust. To discuss such matters…
“I’ll probably need to speak with the Empress.”
Just then, a knock echoed through the room. After I acknowledged it, Mercedes entered with quick steps, accompanied by several maids carrying fresh water and a change of clothes.
“I was looking for His Highness Cesar. He was not in his room. I see he is here.”
“Ah, Lady Aroncho.”
“Please, call me Mercedes.”
“Yes, Mercedes.” I felt a blush creep up my cheeks. It was due to being seen sitting in bed with Cesar, his arms wrapped tightly around my waist. While nothing untoward had happened between us during the night, being seen sharing a bed with my husband still felt awkward.
The maids, of course, didn’t seem to mind. It was my own embarrassment that was the problem. I tried to subtly pull away from Cesar. However, he stubbornly clung to me, making it difficult. Mercedes directed the maids to be quiet as they went about their tasks. Even then, he remained firmly in my embrace.
Now thoroughly embarrassed, I cleared my throat a few times.
“C-Cesar.” I fumbled with my slipping nightgown under Mercedes’s amused gaze. Even though we were married, this seemed far too intimate. Intimacy between a married couple wasn’t considered desirable. It could even be seen as vulgar. As if reading my mind, Mercedes smiled faintly.
“You handled that situation well just now. The maids’ behavior was unacceptable.”
The commotion must have reached her ears. I voiced my honest feelings. “I was quite shocked. Do the servants here always behave this way?”
She gave a wry smile. The defiance, the theft… such behavior would have been unimaginable in the Flores Duchy. “They were likely emboldened by Countess Elvira’s authority.”
Indeed. Their behavior from early this morning showed no respect for me as their mistress. I gently stroked Cesar’s curly hair.
“And the way they treat Cesar…”
“That as well…” We exchanged a knowing, bitter smile. After a moment of silence, I finally voiced what had been on my mind.
“Mercedes, yesterday, I was too overwhelmed to ask, but as you can see, my situation is… difficult. I came to the palace alone, without even a single maid from my family. I have no one to rely on.”
An unreadable emotion flickered in Mercedes’s eyes. “Your Highness…”
“Would you assist me, at least until I have my own maids?” She immediately bowed her head. “It would be my honor. I only apologize that my abilities are so limited, and I may not be of much help to Your Highness.”
“Just having you by my side, Mercedes, will be a great comfort.” And so, it was decided that Mercedes would act as my lady-in-waiting for the time being. It was unconventional to have one’s husband’s nursemaid serve as a lady-in-waiting, but there was no other choice.
Come to think of it, my situation, entering the royal family without any personal maids, was far from conventional as well. Was there anything normal about this marriage? I needed at least one ally in this place. “Thank you so much, Mercedes.”
We talked for a while longer. Having been in the palace for so long, she was well-versed in its ways. “Even though those maids have been dismissed, something similar could happen again.”
I wanted to know if I had any authority over hiring new servants. I would have to be proactive if I wanted trustworthy people around me.
“That… is something you must discuss with Her Majesty the Empress. In fact, Countess Elvira asked me to relay a message to you.”
This referred to the meeting with the Empress that Countess Elvira had mentioned earlier. The tea party was scheduled for that afternoon. “The Empress mentioned arranging a meeting with me soon.”
“Married royals have a formal meeting with their elders after their wedding night. The late Empress also had such a meeting with her.”
Mercedes explained that this meeting would be an opportunity to negotiate my position within the palace, including matters of authority and personnel. “If Her Majesty bestows upon you the ‘Blue Flame Reverie’…”
