The Imperial Palace was vast and complicated.
I knew it was dazzlingly luxurious with its golden shining marble.
But with similar corridors and familiar attendants busily passing by, I couldn’t tell if I had been here before or if it was my first time. I was merely trailing behind the head maid.
Pastel felt like she had just stepped into a tiger’s mouth, her pink eyes spinning around.
Ugh.
Ughhh.
Demon Lord, where are you?
Aren’t you supposed to be by my side in times like this?
The Demon Lord had already been cut off at the entrance due to being a mere attendant. His bewildered expression when he realized he couldn’t enter alongside me because of the head maid’s interference was still vivid in my mind.
—What’s the matter?
Ugh.
—You can’t protect me, Demon Lord?!
That’s!
Really!
—Just wait. Head maid, you haven’t retired yet. It may have been over ten years, so you might struggle to remember my face, but think deeply. Do you remember who I am?
The Demon Lord cast down the “Do you know me?” spell.
With that confidence, my heart raced.
I want to be a powerful person too!
—Demonious, of course I remember you. Even though I’ve reached an advanced age, my wisdom for remembering distinguished individuals hasn’t dulled.
Perfect effect!
—However, keeping track of statuses and positions is also my duty. Today is not your day, so please come back another time.
Effect: zero…….
No.
The Demon Lord was helplessly chased away.
Innocent Pastel was left alone.
Waaah!
You said you’d protect me!
Liar! Liar!
You fool who can’t even keep your promises!
Pastel trembled.
While the pink-haired girl was being guided by the head maid, the expressionless maids passing by without even glancing at her felt a bit scary. It seemed their solemn rules transcended personal feelings.
No one gives me a second glance.
This is my first time experiencing such indifference as a popular person.
The environment and atmosphere were too contradictory.
Honestly, I can understand jealousy and criticism, but indifference is just too strange.
Is it terrifying or creepy? It’s hard to believe I wouldn’t get any looks; I started to wonder if I was having a nightmare.
Pastel stuck her pink tongue out and bit down on it with her front teeth. Her pink eyes filled with tears.
Ouch!
Failed to control my strength……!
This isn’t a dream.
Shaking with her bitten tongue, she wiped her eyes.
It was reality. The maids passing by indifferently weren’t ghosts.
How on earth do they resist the urge to look at me?
Total professionals.
I almost have a sense of respect.
But, but.
Please give me some attention!
This mechanized atmosphere is too scary!
“Marquis Craft, this is the dining hall—”
“Whoa! Yes! I’m the Marquis!”
Pastel jumped in surprise at the sudden mention of her title.
The elderly head maid, who had been explaining and gesturing, paused and smiled kindly.
Then, as if she hadn’t just witnessed the young marquis’ embarrassing history, she resumed her explanation nonchalantly.
“This is the dining hall.”
Wow.
Pastel shook off her surprise, her cheeks slightly flushed.
As she listened, she caught sight of a long dining table beyond the large doorway. Golden candle holders lined the table, and the flames flickered.
Shifting her gaze along the neatly arranged chairs, she spotted the emperor’s seat. While there was currently no occupant, the arrangement seemed to indicate the status of those who would face each other across the table.
The heavy atmosphere made Pastel feel suffocated.
Ugh.
Ughhh.
I should have listened to Melissa!
I shouldn’t have refused and just come with her!
If I have a one-on-one dinner with the emperor in this atmosphere, I will definitely choke……!
Having completed her explanation without the main subject catching a word of it, the head maid led her to the chair directly to the right of the emperor’s seat.
Pastel sat daintily in what seemed an oversized chair for her small frame. Her pink eyes darted around aimlessly. Little hands fidgeted with her white dress hem.
“You may begin eating as soon as your schedule is over,” she said.
“Eh? Yup?”
The head maid bowed and left.
“What?!”
Hey there?!
Pastel was left all alone in the dining hall. The candles burned steadily without the wind.
The girl began to look like she might cry.
“Hello……?”
Eating alone at a banquet with no host.
I didn’t want this experience!
As she shrank in her chair, a line of maids entered one by one, each holding dishes.
The dishes were elegantly placed on the dining table, filling it with a variety of colorful meals in no time.
After setting the table, the maids lined up against the walls. With hands gracefully resting on their bellies and their gaze lowered to the ground, they embodied mechanical discipline.
Pastel felt a different kind of sorrow from being alone.
Why are you doing this to me…….
As her pink eyes trembled, they caught sight of a roasted turkey directly in front of her. Juicy oil trickled down its brown skin. Steam wafted invitingly from the expertly carved meat.
Pastel gulped. A bit flustered, she glanced around. Not spotting any maid meeting her gaze, she cautiously opened her mouth.
“Um, may I eat……?”
Her voice was as tiny as an ant.
No response came.
Pastel stared intensely at the turkey, lost in thought.
Time dragged on, and the steam from the turkey diminished to a mere wisp.
With trembling hands, Pastel picked up the fork.
“Um, may I eat?”
No answer. The maids remained quiet.
The fork trembled as it edged toward the turkey.
Then it hesitantly changed direction, moving toward the salad beside it. A cherry tomato was speared.
Pastel proudly raised the fork with the cherry tomato for everyone to see.
The cherry tomato shone brightly.
“I’m really, really eating.”
No response followed.
Pastel took a deep breath and popped the cherry tomato into her mouth.
Nom.
Chew, chew.
The tomato burst pleasantly, releasing a refreshing flavor that filled her mouth.
Ugh.
Pastel’s pink eyes widened.
This is, this is.
The best cherry tomato of my life!
It’s got such perfect flavor and freshness, like it was just picked from a garden……!
Moved, she hurriedly moved her fork again. She stabbed another cherry tomato and popped it into her mouth.
This too is the best cherry tomato of my life!
Yes, yes!
I’m so glad I came to the Imperial Palace!
If cherry tomatoes can be this tasty, how amazing will the other dishes be?!
Until now, I declared that the Demon Lord’s cooking was the best in the world, but the gap created by fresh ingredients from capital and power is something that cooking skills alone cannot fill!
Demon Lord, I’m sorry!
From now on, the best chef in my life will be the royal chef!
With a flavor this spectacular, I can endure the horrifying scenario of being invited right after offending the emperor or the humiliation of eating alone in a host-less banquet!
It’s not like they’re pretending to reconcile and then poisoning me; they’ve just treated me to the meal of my life!
Long live the emperor!
Long live!
As Pastel continued eating the cherry tomatoes, a sudden wave of rejection rose from deep inside her. Her chest tightened, and she felt blood surge uncontrollably in her mouth.
“Huh?”
Blood trickled down her lips.
Her pink eyes quivered.
Poison.
Poison……!
She shuddered. Red drops stained the white tablecloth. Blood flowed along the golden patterns of the plate.
Her hands trembled violently.
Aah!
Help me!
Help me!
This can’t be grounds for execution!
Her chest seized. Blood gushed out. Her strength ebbed, causing her fork to clatter to the ground. The sound echoed in the dining hall.
Pastel gripped the arms of her chair with difficulty as she stood up.
Run!
Run……!
But then her strength failed her, and she collapsed. The chair she bumped into fell over, causing a clatter. The blood-stained hem of her white dress lay against the marble.
A few of the bowing maids glanced over. Their eyes widened in shock. Confusion spread rapidly.
“Marquis-sama?!”
A hurried commotion moved towards the trembling Pastel. Hands rushed to aid her.
“Marquis-sama! Are you alright?!”
Barely propped up, Pastel trembled. With pale lips, she struggled to utter her last words.
“Poisoning by the emperor.”
A scream erupted at her words. Although they were maids, their positions were firmly in the nobility’s social circle.
In her blurring consciousness, tears streamed down Pastel’s face.
This is too much, too much.
I didn’t do anything that wrong……!
I will not let everyone know about this cruel betrayal of a poisoning that even tyrants wouldn’t commit!
Let’s see if there’s anyone among these maids who will spread the truth to the aristocracy……!
“Your Excellency! Marquis-sama!”
Something rolled out of the trembling girl’s lap.
It was a cylindrical pepper shaker.
Gem dust clinked inside.
Huh.
Pastel froze.
Her pink eyes widened more and more.
“To think someone would commit aristocratic poisoning that even the former emperor didn’t dare to do!”
The duty-driven maid exclaimed in outrage.
Then, without even bothering to take off her uncomfortable shoes, she dashed out, determined to spread the news.
Wait! Just a second……!
The noble faction maid’s silhouette vanished in an instant.
Aaaah!
In bad health and shocked, Pastel’s consciousness began to fade.
She grasped the hem of the maid’s dress weakly.
“Say it! I will relay it to everyone!”
The maid was crying.
Her pale lips struggled to part.
“Gem, pepper…….”
Her head drooped.
Thud.
Screams filled the air.
Marquis Craft was poisoned at a banquet hosted by the emperor.
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