The Loyalist is the Abandoned Princess - Chapter 6

Startled by my words, Catherine lowered her head deeply and remained silent for quite a while.

“……”

“Catherine?”

“Th-then, Your Highness, I will help you change into your outdoor clothes.”

Her voice trembled slightly as she spoke.

Seeing her fumble as she turned around, I shrugged.

‘Pretending to be tough, but she’s just a soft-hearted child.’

***

As Catherine led me downstairs, various parts of the estate caught my attention.

‘Well, the bedroom was decent enough.’

But the peeling wallpaper, worn wooden railing, and the dust covering the statues and porcelain pieces made me sigh.

The place wasn’t just shabby—more than anything, the utter lack of any signs of life was disheartening.

It was clear that no one had lived here for at least ten years.

‘Was there really such an abandoned building within the palace grounds?’

I asked Catherine, who was walking ahead, “Who lived here before me?”

“It has been more than thirty years since Count Rouge, His Late Majesty’s uncle, lived here.”

So it wasn’t just ten years—it had been thirty.

I asked another question. “I see. Catherine, who did you serve before me?”

Catherine’s voice noticeably lowered as she replied. “I used to serve the First Princess Consort.”

“I see.”

‘No wonder she wasn’t in a good mood earlier.’

From what I remembered, the First Princess Consort wasn’t in a favorable position either.

Her husband, the First Prince Ergyul, was a drunkard with a gambling problem. Unlike the second prince, who had earned numerous military accomplishments at the border, or the third prince, who had the support of his maternal family, Ergyul had long since fallen out of favor with the Emperor and remained practically unnoticed.

Still, even the first princess was in a far better situation than someone like me, who was about to be expelled.

‘Catherine was practically demoted.’

I could understand why she had been hostile toward me.

We made our way down to the first floor and entered a hallway on the left. There was a small door ahead.

As we approached it, I heard a commotion coming from behind the door.

Voices of people talking.

“Are we all going to be kicked out of here?”

“No way, I worked so hard just to get hired here!”

“Rilla, your father runs a tavern for travelers. I’m the real problem here. If I end up on the streets without a letter of recommendation, my whole family will starve!”

“By the way, is it really true that Her Highness wrote to Prince Parsifal?”

“Must be. If not, why would they even be talking about a divorce? I guess Her Highness will be fine since her family is rich, but we’re the ones who have to deal with the fallout.”

Catherine flinched, her body freezing momentarily upon hearing the conversation from beyond the door. Desperately avoiding my gaze, she grabbed the doorknob and pulled it open.

“Her Highness has arrived! Stop the nonsense and get up!”

The door swung open, revealing three people sitting around a round dining table.

A plump woman with a blank expression, a small, frail girl, and an elderly man chewing on a piece of bread.

Their faces all went pale.

Their reaction was as if they had seen a ghost, which made me feel awkward.

‘Is this somewhere I’m not supposed to be?’

Of course, I understood why they were reacting this way.

Because of Agnes’s infamous reputation—a madwoman of the palace, a drunkard thrown away by her own family—they must have been scared.

‘Are they expecting me to lash out or something?’

It really was frustrating to deal with the bad reputation of the original owner of this body.

‘I need to get to a convent as soon as possible. I won’t survive if I stay here any longer.’

For a few seconds, we stood there awkwardly staring at each other, until Catherine spoke up with a grumble.

“What are you all doing? Stand up and show your respect!”

The three hurriedly tried to stand up, making the small hall chaotic.

I raised my left hand to have them sit back down and lowered my voice.

Then, looking at their anxious faces, I smiled and said, “I’m sorry for disturbing your breakfast. I just came to introduce myself since we’ll be living together, even if only for a short time.”

“……”

“And to learn your names.”

With a keen sense of the situation, Catherine quickly introduced the three people.

The plump maid with the expressionless face was Philippa.

The girl with bright eyes was Rilla, the only cook in the annex.

And the elderly coachman was William.

Satisfied after memorizing their names, I turned to leave.

“Alright then, please continue your meal. You won’t be bothered by me while I’m here, so don’t worry.”

“…Yes.”

Though they responded, everyone still seemed uncomfortable.

Well, that was enough. I had done what I came here to do.

Leaving Catherine in the hall, I started heading back to my bedroom.

Behind me, I heard someone whispering.

“What just happened? Was that really Agnes—no, Her Highness?”

“You don’t think she’s unwell, do you?”

“Maybe she’s planning something against us. Maybe she asked for our names to put us on a hit list?”

“Rilla, keep your voice down. Before we all actually end up dead because of your big mouth.”

Standing at the door, I let a faint smile cross my lips.

Well, let’s get along from now on.

***

Mern Empire, Empress’s Palace.

Empress Genevieve was the most noble woman in the empire.

She was born as the eldest daughter of the Duke of Cilius, one of the four great families.

Her beauty was as outstanding as her lineage.

She possessed the characteristic radiant platinum blonde hair and blue eyes of the Cilius family, with sharp, distinctive features.

In her youth, she was known as the “Rose of the South,” and that nickname remained even now.

Her only flaw was marrying her current husband.

Emperor Christian I of the Mern Empire.

A man who wasted his life in indulgence and debauchery.

Thinking of such a man as her spouse filled her with rage.

Of course, after decades of marriage, her husband no longer evoked any emotion in her.

Now, Genevieve had her beloved son, Caspian.

Caspian. My son.

A child with platinum blonde hair and blue eyes like herself. He was her hope and the future of the empire.

She had to make Caspian the Emperor.

‘Yes. That’s why I have to be even more ruthless.’

Genevieve stared into the flames flickering like a serpent’s tongue in the fireplace, clenching her fist tightly.

Her sharp nails dug into the soft flesh of her palm without mercy.

But she felt no pain.

Her mind was occupied by the obstacles standing in the way of her and Caspian’s grand future.

‘…Parsifal.’

What had once been nothing more than a minor irritation had grown into a significant hindrance over time.

When she had sent Parsifal to the northern border, Genevieve had thought little of him.

Back then, Parsifal had been a pitiful boy. She hadn’t thought he could survive in the harsh northern region for more than a month.

She had expected to hear of his corpse being found in the north sooner or later—whether frozen to death or killed by an assassin from Killinger.

But Parsifal defied her expectations.

He survived, and each year he grew stronger.

He became taller, his eyes sharper.

Genevieve’s gaze darkened.

The firelight flickered in her blue eyes, and she couldn’t contain her fury as she muttered to herself.

“I will remove anyone who stands in Caspian’s way.”