Ingrid sat at the dining table with a yawn. She has been busy deciphering her mother and grandmother's letters these past few nights and hasn't been able to sleep well.

  Dark circles started to form under her eyes, though it's unnoticeable unless one takes a closer look.

  Grand Duke Rasmus and Elias aren't around today. They are currently in a remote town outside of the western border, investigating. They found the sheer number of giants attacking at the same time is highly unusual and therefore suspicious.

  Ingrid heard that during the giant's invasion several days ago, Prince Aleric's subordinates aided in the battle. Thanks to their help, they manage to defeat the giants without any major casualties.

  "Carlton, how's the issue with the emperor going?" Ingrid asked the butler who was personally waiting on her.

  Carlton's hands, which were holding a pitcher of lemon juice, halted in mid-air. A flicker of surprise flashed across his eyes. But being the veteran butler that he is, he quickly regained his calm.

  Carlton didn't know how the young lady learned about the issue. He suspected the servants. But her question suggested a level of knowledge far exceeding anything a servant's gossip could provide.

  Furthermore, Ingrid has been recuperating in the Grand Ducal Palace since the incident—it was impossible for her to have learned anything from an outsider.

  Unknown to them, Ingrid had a very reliable informant in the guise of the prince of Aradhya, who kept her up to date.

  Before answering, Carlton poured lemon juice into Ingrid's glass. "I've heard the emperor curse the Grand Duke daily during morning court," he said. "With the Empress's incitement, more nobles previously neutral are now siding with the imperial family. Our family's silence, however, has also contributed significantly to the current situation."

  What happened at the Lennox residence these past few days remained undisclosed. Given the grand duke's power, whatever he covers, the imperial family can never uncover.

  "Since when did my uncle become so bold?" Ingrid muttered to herself.

  Emperor Cecil was a coward. If it wasn't for the Grand Duke relinquishing his claim to the throne, Cecil would never have become Emperor. Even after his ascension, he remained a foolish coward, relying on his brother's reputation and strength to stabilize his reign.

  That's why Ingrid didn't believe that the Grand Duke's disrespect towards the empress during the hunting festival is the reason for all of this. Even if Grand Duke Rasmus asks the empress to lick his boots, a coward like Emperor Cecil would most likely shove the empress down himself.

  Unless, they were aware of the terrible incident that happened at their residence and thought that they could take advantage of their vulnerability.

  Ingrid suddenly remembered Prince Aleric's sarcastic remark a few days ago when he was giving his unsolicited court update.

  "Your house doesn't seem to run out of traitors."

  Ingrid did not give his words much thought, thinking he was talking nonsense again out of boredom.

  But perhaps Prince Aleric was right. Otherwise, why would a coward ruler suddenly turn against their house?

  The question is, how much do they know? And who could have told them?

  ***

  When Raven and Prince Aleric arrived, Ingrid was already at the table, reading the half-translated letter of her grandmother. She was trying to see if she could translate some of them herself, using the vocabulary she learned from Raven the past few days.

  Raven discovered that the young lady had quite an affinity for learning languages. She had only been learning Amalga, the Amalgams' language, through observation, yet she had already picked up several words.

  Ingrid proved far more helpful to Raven with the translation than Prince Aleric, who merely watched like a king observing his subjects. His only contribution was providing Raven with transportation.

  "Raven, come sit," Ingrid said, patting the seat beside her. "I've tried translating this part. See if it's correct." She pointed to the line in the third paragraph and handed him the scratch paper with her translation.

  Raven sat and read the neatly written words on the scratch paper and then compared it to the original letter.

  "I'm impressed, your highness! It's mostly correct. But this word here is wrong. In Amalga, gaba means retribution, but you wrote destroy. You may have confused it with the word guba, which is the Amalga for destroy."

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  "Oh," Ingrid nodded her head, took out a notebook, and began taking down notes. Afterwards she said, "By the way, can you handle the translation for a while? I need to speak with your prince."

  "Of course, your highness."

  Ingrid sighed, too weary to argue. She'd repeatedly said to Raven not to call her 'Your Highness,' but he wouldn't listen. The prince was no help—he was even worse. He can't seem to pick between calling her 'princess' or 'wife,' so he decided to call her 'princess wife.

  It infuriated Ingrid every time.

  Ingrid pulled Prince Aleric to a separate table where a pot of hot tea and a variety of pastries were laid. Raven had made it a rule that no food or drink be allowed near historical relics. Consequently, another table was installed for short breaks.

  Luckily, Ingrid had the help of her new lady-in-waiting Iris in preparing the snacks. Iris was also a clever one and never once asked why Ingrid was making her sneak so many pastries every night. She even sneakily clears them out before the servants come to clean Ingrid's room in the morning.

  Ingrid still doesn't know that Iris is one of Prince Aleric's subordinates.

  "Your highness, is it possible for you to find out what is happening within the palace?" Ingrid asked straightforwardly.

  Prince Aleric asked with his arms crossed, "Princess wife, aren't you taking this prince for a servant?"

  Ingrid's eyes instantly turned sharp upon hearing the annoying nickname.

  "Will you stop calling me that!"

  Prince Aleric shrugged, a teasing smile playing on his lips. Ingrid's furious expression, like that of a rabbit ready to pounce, only seemed to entertain him even further.

  Only when he teased her did a spark appear in her eyes that was growing colder with each passing day—like a winter night that held no promise of dawn.

  "Finding inside information in the palace is a piece of cake. But what's in it for me?"

  Ingrid rolled her eyes at him. She thought of using her mother and grandmother's letter to bargain but decided against it. Though the letter is hers, Raven is the prince's subordinate. So she can't use that as a chip.

  Ingrid thought for a while before answering.

  "If you help me, I will tell you everything I know about King Oliver's secret lab, including its location."

  Prince Aleric's face darkened.

  "Wait, you know the location of the lab?" Raven, who has been listening on the side, interjected.

  "You don't?"

  "Of course not! I was bred and raised inside that wretched lab. When we were sold to the Kingdom of Weeldro, my sister and I were placed in this huge box. So we've never seen the light of day throughout the entire journey."

  Ingrid's stomach churned. Why does she feel comforted by the knowledge that someone else suffered inside the lab just like her?

  The realization horrified Ingrid. She suddenly felt like vomiting.

  "Are you alright?" Prince Aleric asked, noticing her trembling fist.

  Ingrid looked away. "I'm fine."

  Prince Aleric, however, wasn't convinced. It's clear as day that she isn't.

  "Anyway, if you want to know the location of the lab, you have to help me know what the emperor and empress are up to."

  Prince Aleric stared at her for a while, his eyes complicated.

  "Very well. It's a deal."

  ***

  It was a bright and sunny day.

  Ingrid was having a picnic in the Dahlia Palace's garden alongside her two ladies-in-waiting and Emerald.

  Emerald was the young maid who got scalded by the tea while Ingrid was trapped in her daydream.

  Ever since then, Ingrid seems to have grown fonder of the sweet and angelic-looking child.

  "My lady, we'll go and check if the pastries are ready," said Lily and took Emerald with her, leaving Ingrid and Iris alone.

  "Iris, have you gotten used to living in the Lennox residence?" asked Ingrid. A lot of things have happened in the past few weeks, causing her to neglect this new lady-in-waiting of hers.

  "Yes, my lady. Lily was a great teacher," answered Iris perfunctorily.

  "It must have been hard having to switch from being a soldier to a lady-in-waiting and learning all that strict etiquette."

  Ingrid casually looked at Iris through her periphery while sipping her tea.

  Iris seemed less awkward when speaking and bowing, unlike when she first met Ingrid. However, though the seamstress tried her best to make a dress that catered to her large frame, she still looked odd in them. It's like looking at an ostrich in a peacock's feather.

  "Indeed, my lady," Iris answered honestly. "I've realized the noble world is simply another battlefield—one fought with words instead of swords. Every word must be chosen carefully; otherwise, one might fall into a deadly trap. Temper must be controlled, for the first to lose it loses the battle. Honestly, my lady, I still prefer the battlefield. There, at least, identifying friend from foe is easier."

  "Pfff, hahahaha!"

  Iris was confused by the young lady's sudden laughter. But soon, the crease in her brow softened, enthralled by the sight before her.

  Ingrid's face brightened as she laughed, her cheeks tinted with a pinkish glow. Her emerald eyes twinkled as a melodious sound reverberated from her chest.

  It was a contagious laughter that made even a rigid soldier like Iris feel a tender emotion in her heart.

  Perhaps Iris was simply imagining it, but the garden seemed to have become livelier with her laughter. It was as though her joy was giving the living beings in the garden vitality.

  Lily and Emerald, who were standing by the entrance of the garden, halted in their footsteps.

  Emerald rubbed her eyes. She seemed to have just seen a beautiful fairy laughing—wait, that's not a fairy, that's their young lady!

  Their young lady is laughing!

  How long has it been since their young lady last laughed? She couldn't remember.

  Emerald quickly grabbed the recording stone in her pocket. But before she could record the once-in-a-blue-moon scene, the recording stone was slapped from her hand.

  "Who said you could record the, young lady?" Lily rebuked her angrily.

  "But..." Emerald bit her lip under Lily's glare. She wanted to argue that the Grand Duke had given the Dahlia Palace servants the recording stones to conveniently capture the young lady's precious memories.

  But Lily is Ingrid's favorite lady-in-waiting, so she held her tongue. Lily's overbearing manner toward the other servants is well known throughout the Dahlia Palace.

  "I'm sorry, it's just so refreshing to hear someone so straightforward," Ingrid said while wiping the tear that rolled on the side of her cheek.

  However, as soon as she stopped laughing, the warmth in her eyes vanished. A wintry cloak once more veiled her face, as if the earlier vibrancy had been an illusion.