I’m the Only One Who Can Guide the Tyrant to Sleep - Chapter 30
First, to keep Meriette from standing out.
If Meriette had been the only one dismissed, rumors would undoubtedly spread. Some of the handmaids who had worked with Meriette at the Crown Prince’s Palace already knew she was affiliated with the Empress, so the Empress wouldn’t want rumors associated with her spreading.
Second, to hide another spy besides Meriette.
Meriette used to be the Empress’s spy, but now she was gone. Therefore, the Empress needed to plant another of her people in the Crown Prince’s Palace.
But simply replacing Meriette with someone else in particular would be too conspicuous.
To prevent that, she decided to bring in an entirely new set of handmaids. If all the handmaids were newcomers, the Empress’s spy wouldn’t stand out.
‘However, what about the previous spy? What happened to the person who had been monitoring Meriette all this time?’
There were two possibilities. One was that the original spy was not a handmaid.
They could have disguised themselves as a courtier or a palace guard to get even closer to the Crown Prince, which would make planting a new handmaid plausible.
The second possibility was identity laundering. Someone who had originally worked as a handmaid in the Crown Prince’s Palace but pretended not to be one anymore could have returned here.
I observed the new handmaids who had joined me for training.
‘So, did they intentionally bring people who don’t know each other? Perhaps to facilitate identity laundering.’
It was a plausible theory. Changing one’s identity, even with a simple change in hairstyle, was not difficult.
The palace was vast, and the staff often didn’t remember each other. Everyone in this room seemed not to know each other, just as I didn’t know them.
Moreover, with the Empress’s power, forging documents to prove one’s identity wouldn’t be too challenging.
Therefore, among the handmaids in this room, there could be the Empress’s spy.
‘So, was I… just a coincidence, or does the Empress know something?’
I had only been in the palace for about a year. I hadn’t reached adulthood, so I hadn’t gone through my debutante ball yet. I had spent most of my time as Floria’s companion handmaid.
In other words, my network was limited. That’s why the possibility of me being assigned coincidentally was also high.
Despite the confusion surrounding the situation, I had learned one thing for sure: the Empress was more meticulous than I had initially thought.
‘I need to find the Guide quickly.’
The first hurdle to that is none other than…
‘To be the exclusive handmaid of the Crown Prince.’
I engraved a new goal in my heart.
During the one-week probation period, I had to find a way to be by Caesar’s side, no matter what.
***
The Chief Handmaid’s words that becoming a full-fledged handmaid would be achievable with minimal mistakes were indeed true.
Our assigned tasks were not overly challenging, mainly due to the lack of mentors to guide us one-on-one.
‘Can it really be this rudimentary?’
I couldn’t help but think as I compared it to learning from other palace handmaids or courtiers from different palaces, or even the Crown Prince’s male attendants.
I naturally had such thoughts since there wasn’t anyone to mentor us directly.
There was no veteran handmaid assigned to teach us. However, among us, those with prior experience as palace handmaids were not in the majority.
For those who had just entered the palace for the first time, it must have been quite overwhelming.
‘Since the competition has decreased, I guess it’s a good thing.’
Normally, it was customary for a veteran handmaid to be assigned as a Crown Prince’s exclusive handmaid.
Of course, exceptions were made when it came to male royals, and handmaids of the same age were assigned, like in my case with Floria.
However, our situation was unique. The Crown Prince to be our master. The roles of the handmaids were to assist him with his attire and accessories.
It was customary for the Crown Prince to have a dedicated attendant for this role, so there was no need for an exclusive handmaid.
That’s why the position of Crown Prince’s handmaid was considered a more relaxed and less competitive role.
Although there were no mentors, and I had no prior experience, it seemed like a straightforward job.
“Oh my, this is quite beautiful.”
In the garden, I heard the Chief Handmaid’s admiring sigh.
She had entrusted the duties of the Imperial Princess’s palace to other handmaids during this one-week training period, dedicating her efforts to teaching us.
“Thank you.”
Arinna, who responded with a relaxed smile, was the same woman with the long hair who had raised her hand and asked questions on the first day we arrived at the Crown Prince’s palace.
“It’s very harmonious. But not monotonous.”
Arinna responded to the Chief Handmaid’s compliment with a faint smile, giving off indifference as if it wasn’t a big deal.
We were learning flower arranging in the garden. It was a task to prepare decorative vases for various places in the Crown Prince’s palace, and it wasn’t too difficult.
‘Although I haven’t received such compliments before…’
I glanced at Arinna. Indeed, as the Chief Handmaid said, her flower bouquet was outstanding.
“Have you learned flower arranging somewhere else before?”
“Just a little. I think I like flowers, that’s all.”
“Hmm… Can we talk for a moment?”
“Of course.”
The Chief Handmaid promptly took Arinna away from the garden.
“It’s unbelievable. Favoritism should have its limits.”
As their figures disappeared completely, the conversation began as if they were waiting for this moment.
The first to speak was a handmaid with curly purple hair. Since I hadn’t memorized all the handmaids’ names yet, I referred to her as Purplehead in my mind.
“So, what’s the big difference between my flower bouquet and this one?”
The handmaid with short yellow hair chimed in.
“Isn’t there something going on between the Chief Handmaid and her? Has anyone here heard about their family in this place?”
Several of them shook their heads.
“Come to think of it, that’s strange too. This is the first time I’ve heard of the Robane family.”
