I’m the Only One Who Can Guide the Tyrant to Sleep - Chapter 29
Upon arriving at the reception room, there were several other handmaids besides me.
We greeted each other awkwardly, and the only sound in the reception room was the clinking of teacups, resonating quietly.
It was strange. Among the ten or so handmaids, not a single face was familiar.
Living within the palace, it was natural for handmaids to form friendships. Even if we didn’t work in the same palace, we would inevitably cross paths.
‘But not a single person I know?’
I wasn’t the only one surprised. It also seemed like they didn’t recognize each other.
‘If we’re all seeing each other for the first time… Could it be that they intentionally brought handmaids who don’t know each other?’
Something was amiss.
I stared at them intently. There were various people gathered.
Some looked around nervously as if everything was unfamiliar, while others had relaxed expressions.
There were those, like me, in handmaid attire, and some in casual clothing.
Even the casual attire was divided into two categories: worn-out clothes that attempted to maintain dignity and more high-quality garments.
I had the feeling that they had gathered people from various backgrounds for some purpose. I didn’t know exactly what it was for.
‘Is there something going on?’
I pondered while observing each person. Just then, the palace’s chief handmaid entered the reception room.
“Originally, this is a task for the Crown Prince’s Palace’s chief handmaid, but she had her assignment changed, so I had to come here,” the chief handmaid began smoothly.
“Everyone present here may be either newcomers to the palace or those who have worked in the palace for a long time. This is an unusual and unconventional move.”
It seemed that bringing a diverse group of people was not just my misconception.
“And all of you are here as apprentice handmaids.”
Apprentice handmaids…
“Unless you make significant mistakes, becoming a formal handmaid shouldn’t be too difficult. The reason for the apprenticeship period is to gauge where each of you should be placed since each of you has different strengths.”
Then, the chief handmaid began explaining each task.
The duties in the Crown Prince’s Palace were slightly different from those in the Imperial Princess’s Palace.
There were few male servants in the Imperial Palace because most were handmaids.
However, the former seemed to have different customs, favoring the use of same-gender attendants, probably due to the possibility of physical contact when assisting with dressing and grooming.
As a result, the number of handmaids in the Crown Prince’s Palace was significantly smaller than in the Imperial Princess’s Palace, and there were fewer tasks to perform.
“You’ll be divided into three main categories of responsibilities. First, entertaining external guests and managing the premises. Second, taking care of the Crown Prince’s education in general. And lastly, attending to His Highness’s needs from the closest proximity.”
There were more than fifteen handmaids present in this room. If the tasks were divided into three categories, there would likely be about five or six people assigned to each task.
‘I’d rather be in charge of attending to His Highness from the closest proximity…’
Opportunities to interact directly with Caesar would be exceedingly rare, given the nature of the other tasks.
“The apprenticeship period will last for one week. During that time, each of you will experience every task once and have an interview with me.”
The chief handmaid concluded, sweeping her gaze around the room.
“Do any of you have any questions?”
“I have one.”
Raising her hand was a beautiful woman with black hair down to her waist.
‘She’s so pretty.’
She wore an air of confidence and didn’t seem to be wearing handmaid attire.
Her attire appeared rather sophisticated, leading me to speculate that she might be from a high-ranking noble household.
“Yes?”
“Is His Highness’s opinion also considered when assigning tasks? For example, in the last… the task of attending to His Highness from the closest proximity, it seems that familiarity to His Highness would be crucial.”
It was an unexpected question, and the chief handmaid remained silent for a moment.
“We will, of course, inquire with His Highness as well. However, all the palace servants, both male and female, fall under the jurisdiction of Her Majesty the Empress, so the final decision will be made by her.”
Seizing the moment, I raised my hand as well.
“What’s your question this time?”
“Well, I was wondering if there were any specific criteria used to select the handmaids who have come to the Crown Prince’s Palace this time. Since you mentioned that it’s under the Empress’s jurisdiction, I thought that if Her Majesty herself had personally chosen me, I would like to express my gratitude.”
The chief handmaid chuckled.
“The quickest way to show your gratitude is to do your job properly.”
She didn’t elaborate any further, but I had already obtained the information I wanted.
‘She’s not denying it, so it seems like the Empress really did personally select the handmaids.’
If that were the case, then it meant that all the handmaids, regardless of their backgrounds, were chosen according to the Empress’s preferences.
‘Ah…’
It suddenly dawned on me.
I felt like I finally understood why the Empress Dowager had made such sweeping changes to the handmaids in the Crown Prince’s Palace.
