I’m the Only One Who Can Guide the Tyrant to Sleep - Chapter 27
***
“To be honest, I was planning to ask Katana to keep the ledger…”
I lay alone on my bed, tossing and turning, and let out a small sigh. In the end, Meriette’s ledger ended up in the drawer of my desk right in front of me.
“It’s making me feel uncomfortable.”
Originally, I had thought of persuading Katana to take on the task. With her abilities, she could create a portal that no one else could enter except for herself.
Storing the ledger in a secret space accessed through that portal would ensure that no one could find it.
But when I actually saw Katana, I no longer wanted to force her.
The Katana from the original work had been just as cautious as she had been solitary. She trusted no one easily and always showed a sharp edge. She was that strong and resolute.
However, the Katana I saw today was nothing more than a young child who had been driven out of the magic tower less than a year ago. A child who seemed like she could easily drop her guard in the face of kind words from someone she had just met.
If I had persuaded her a bit more, she would have undoubtedly hidden the ledger for me.
“Sigh…”
I buried my face in the pillow several times. It was because of the guilt I felt. I didn’t want to use that child for my own purposes.
“Who’s worrying about whom?”
If I continued like this, we would all end up dead.
Even though I tried not to look, my gaze kept shifting to the desk drawer where the ledger was hidden.
“Let’s go again tomorrow. I’ll ask her again.”
What could possibly happen within a single day?
With such a casual thought, I eventually fell asleep, and the unexpected story unfolded the next morning.
***
“Pardon me?”
I asked the chief handmaid of the Imperial Palace with a bewildered expression.
Every morning, the chief handmaid gathered all the maids for a meeting to deliver special news.
“Starting today, Miss Chester will be working as an apprentice at the Crown Prince’s Palace, so pack your belongings,” the chief handmaid repeated the same news with an indifferent expression.
It was like a bolt from the blue. Change workplaces overnight?
“The Crown Prince’s Palace? Why… why me?” I asked, surprised.
“There was an order to hire all new maids for the Crown Prince’s Palace,” she replied calmly.
“All new maids? What about the maids who were originally working there?” I inquired.
“They will be reassigned elsewhere.”
Hiring all new maids for the Crown Prince’s Palace? This was unprecedented. Still in confusion, I stared at the chief handmaid who explained, seemingly unable to do anything about it.
“It’s because of an unfortunate incident.”
“An unfortunate incident? What happened? What kind of incident was it?”
“All because of the foolish desires of one maid.”
One maid?
“But you said to hire all new maids.”
“Aren’t they all equally guilty of turning a blind eye to misconduct while working in the same palace?”
So, it was about replacing all maids because of the wrongdoing of one maid.
“Whose order is this? Does His Highness the Prince know about it? Why is this happening…”
“Evelyn.”
Interrupting my questions, the chief maid called my name in a low voice.
“If you want to keep working in the palace, it might be wise to learn how to curb your curiosity.”
Her tone was cold, and I clenched my teeth in response.
Curbing my curiosity. This implied that there was some hidden agenda behind the replacement of all maids at the Crown Prince’s Palace.
And it was an agenda that I, a lowly maid, should not get deeply involved in.
‘Perhaps… the throne.’
I had a gut feeling that I could understand. The one behind the decision to replace all maids at the Crown Prince’s Palace was likely the Empress.
And it was an understanding that implied an intricate relationship hidden behind the scenes, something that should not involve a mere maid like me.
With this thought in mind, I silently contemplated in the room, left alone by the chief handmaid who had coldly returned to her seat.
‘Could such a coincidence be possible?’
The fact that all the maids at the Crown Prince’s Palace were replaced within a day of me obtaining the ledger from Meriette was astounding.
‘An unfortunate incident, the foolish desires of one maid…’
If Meriette was talking about embezzlement, then the pieces of the puzzle were falling into place.
But why? If the Empress had discovered Meriette’s ledger, there was no way I would remain unscathed.
At that moment, the ledger was in the drawer of my home desk. If I were under suspicion, it would have been the first place to be investigated. I could have been apprehended immediately.
