Chapter 6

The next day, an unexpected event occurred.

"Hey, did you see it!?"

"I saw it, I saw it. I was so shocked, my mind went blank."

I had sensed that the castle was unusually bustling since morning. Not only my fellow maids but also the other servants seemed restless and uneasy.

"Hey, Sandra, why don't you go see it? He's really handsome."

"Silky silver hair, slanted blue eyes, and thin lips..."

One of the maids dramatically praised his appearance. It seemed that a new handsome man had appeared, causing a stir in the palace. His sudden appearance suggested he might be a diplomat from another country. However, I hadn't heard any news about a new diplomat from a foreign land. Besides, my interest was more in my work than in a man of exceptional beauty.

"Hey, you guys, we're on the job."

This is the royal bedchamber, after all. It was more headache-inducing to figure out how to reprimand the maids who were getting excited and ignoring their duties, rather than dealing with the commotion itself.

"It's fine. I can't freely walk around the palace, so your stories are my only entertainment. Tell me more, please."

The queen said playfully. All the maids beamed and began to share the scandals they had witnessed within the palace. Once they started, there was no stopping them. Since it was the queen's wish, I closed my mouth, which usually couldn't stop chattering. The bedchamber became as noisy as a bird's nest, with everyone talking about who was charming and who had a spending habit. I wished I had some interesting stories to share with the queen, but unfortunately, I was not good at gossip. So, while I was planning the queen's schedule for the evening, I was suddenly called by name.

"Hey, Sandra."

The soft voice belonged to the queen. Despite the softness, I had a bad feeling and responded politely.

"Yes, Your Highness?"

"You were unusually late coming back from the knights yesterday. What happened?"

Indeed, I had been late returning to the queen due to getting lost and being detained by Ian. Before I could answer, one of the maids who had come to fetch me spoke up.

"Sandra was talking to a man. I can't remember who it was... but he had a long beard."

Before she could finish, another maid exclaimed.

"What!?! It couldn't be Lord Ian, could it? From the House of Lucas!"

The one who shouted was Emma, who was particularly fond of gossip among my colleagues. Incidentally, she had left her post the moment she heard about the handsome man to go see him. The other maids also seemed shocked and were making various exclamations.

"Um, yes. I was with Lord Ian, but..."

I answered hesitantly, and then Emma approached me aggressively, making me step back.

"Sandra! What kind of relationship do you have with Lord Ian!?"

I was flustered. There was no clear relationship between Ian and me. I was just infatuated with him unilaterally.

"There's no relationship. He just saw me home..."

Still, I wondered why Emma was pressing me so hard. It almost seemed like she was the one obsessed with Ian. Up until now, she had been saying rude things about him, like "No matter how good the Blue Star Knights are, he looks like that."

"Really!? You're really not lying?"

She pressed me closely, and I nodded. Relieved, Emma finally backed off. The queen, noticing my confusion, said with a laugh.

"Sandra, you really have no interest in gossip, do you? Didn't you hear the story about Ian?"

It seemed that while I was distracted, they had been talking about Ian. I nodded, thinking I might have wanted to hear a bit of it.

"I'm sorry..."

"There's no need to apologize. By the way, you should come with me to inspect the knights this afternoon. You'll be surprised."

I tilted my head at the queen's suggestion. If it were a task to observe the Blue Star Knights' training, there would be many maids who would want to go. Why did she specifically choose me? As I expected, the other maids started to volunteer, and I missed the chance to decline. In the end, Emma won the second spot, and we were set to go on the afternoon inspection.

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