I’m the Only One Who Can Guide the Tyrant to Sleep - Chapter 19
***
The next day, even as I went to work, I couldn’t stop thinking about Meriette. I had no idea how to get back at her.
To be honest, I felt powerless. She was just a common maid, much like me, and if I had to compare, she had the upper hand.
It seemed like Meriette had been working in the palace for quite some time, she was older than me, and she had the Empress’s trust. If a fight were to break out, I would be at a disadvantage.
“What are you thinking about?”
Floria asked, sipping her tea from across the table. On the table, there were several sets of pastries and a fairy tale book.
“No, it’s just that the weather seems like it might rain,” I replied.
“I’d prefer it to snow.”
“It doesn’t seem cold enough for snow today.”
“Right. I’d like to see it snow. It’s too cold to go out to the garden though. …But more importantly, Evelyn.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Could you read me a fairy tale?”
Floria smiled sweetly while nibbling on a cookie.
“You asked if I had something on my mind, but aren’t you worrying about me?”
“But you said Evelyn wasn’t here. So, my worries are over.”
I chuckled. She was so cute that my worries truly did disappear.
“What would you like me to read?”
“One about snow!”
“How about this one then? It’s about a cute squirrel and snow.”
“Perfect!”
Floria beamed without even knowing what it was about.
I opened the fairy tale book. It was a perfect fit for seven-year-old Floria, with an illustration every two pages.
“In the snow piled high enough to bury them, the young squirrel Moomoo was busy gathering food for the winter. Moomoo’s favorite food was acorns, of course. However, when he finally arrived at the acorn tree after struggling through the snow, Moomoo was disappointed. All the acorns on the tree had disappeared.”
Floria’s eyes widened, and she leaned in, fully captivated by the story.
“In the snow piled high enough to bury them, young squirrel Moomoo was busy gathering food for the winter. Moomoo’s favorite food was acorns, of course. However, when she finally arrived at the acorn tree after struggling through the snow, Moomoo was disappointed. All the acorns on the tree had disappeared.”
Floria’s eyes widened, and she leaned in, fully captivated by the story.
“Moomoo easily knew who was behind this. There were pawprints in the snow. It was the mischievous cat, Chocho’s doing. Chocho enjoyed teasing the squirrels.”
“Chocho!”
Floria quickly got into the story, clenching her fists.
“‘How can I get the acorns back from Chocho?’ Moomoo wondered. Then, Moomoo realized what Chocho cherished the most.”
“What was it?”
“Well…”
As I was reading the fairy tale, I suddenly paused. Floria called my name with a puzzled expression.
“Evelyn?”
‘If I play this right…’
The wicked cat Chocho in the fairy tale resembled Meriette quite a bit. Maybe… I could use this to get back at her.
“Evelyn, what does Chocho cherish the most?”
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
I chuckled lightly and continued reading the fairy tale.
“What Chocho cherished the most… that was…”
***
A few hours later, Floria left the princess’s palace to study.
I lingered around the Crown Prince’s palace. It was to cross paths with Meriette.
‘If I use that method, I might be able to exact my revenge, but…’
To be honest, I felt a bit uneasy about it. After all, I had never directly encountered Meriette.
What if she was being threatened by the Empress? Or if she had genuine, unavoidable circumstances?
‘She didn’t seem like that at all when she was stomping on the flowers…’
I had to consider the possibility. I needed to meet her in person to judge.
‘I’ll have to talk to her up close.’
After lingering around the Crown Prince’s palace and walking through the outdoor corridor leading to the garden a couple of times, Meriette finally appeared.
Meriette was accompanied by another handmaid. I discreetly hid behind a pillar.
The maid with jet-black hair and glasses was gazing at Meriette with admiring eyes. I had originally planned to bump into Meriette and perhaps drop a book, but the situation was tricky.
If someone was with her, it would be difficult to gather as much information as I wanted.
It seemed like they had just been discussing something, as the maid with jet-black hair asked,
“So, did Her Majesty the Empress really promise to meet you?”
“Shh! Keep your voice down.”
Meriette replied, her tone scolding, but a smile played on her lips.
“Well, she didn’t say it outright, but you could say that by now, she trusts me enough.”
“But Her Majesty the Empress is truly remarkable in many ways,” the maid said, choosing her words carefully, likely aware of her surroundings.
However, the underlying meaning in her words was easy to decipher.
“To go to such lengths for power… It’s quite impressive, though a bit malicious.”
“Well, if we’re talking about impressiveness, it might be me.”
Meriette retorted. The maid looked puzzled.
“After all , I’ve done most things single-handedly.”
“Single-handedly? So, Her Majesty the Empress has never given orders…”
“It’s not that. She did order me to take good care of His Highness the Crown Prince and even handed over a hefty sum. Don’t you see her intentions there?”
“Well, yes, but…”
The maid’s expression became clouded. It seemed that she was the smarter of the two.
