Talia straightened as if she had been struck by lightning.

The woman turned gracefully and continued speaking.

“Her Majesty the Empress has ordered that Your Highness be adorned to perfection, so that there will be nothing lacking when you stand before the supreme ruler of the Empire. I ask for your cooperation.”

With that, she made a small gesture toward the maids. The four standing at the front stepped forward carrying garments and approached the bedside.

Talia immediately recoiled.

“Get out. All of you. I have no intention of meeting that man.”

“Please refrain from such irreverent language.”

The woman's gentle voice suddenly turned sharp as winter frost.

“No matter that you are an Imperial Princess, speaking so carelessly of His Majesty the Emperor cannot be tolerated. I shall overlook it this once, but I advise you to be more careful in the future.”

Though she had instinctively shrunk back, Talia quickly sharpened her gaze.

“And if you don't overlook it, what exactly are you going to do? Run off and tattle to His Great Majesty the Emperor?”

“There is no reason I couldn't.”

The woman replied coldly.

A dry laugh escaped Talia.

“Really? Then go running to the Imperial Palace right now and tell him this. Tell him the ill-mannered Second Imperial Princess screamed that she doesn't want to see his precious face.”

At that moment, a burning pain exploded across the back of her hand.

Talia looked up at the woman in stunned disbelief.

The woman lowered the thin switch she had struck her with and stared down with eyes as cold as ice.

“The authority Your Highness enjoys as an Imperial Princess originates from His Majesty the Emperor. I cannot overlook such reckless slander.”

“You dare... You dare to...”

Talia trembled violently before she could even finish speaking.

The woman regarded her with indifferent eyes before turning toward the door.

“Her Majesty the Empress repeatedly instructed us to bring Your Highness safely before His Majesty the Emperor, regardless of the means required. Are you truly asking us to resort to stronger methods?”

Murmuring the threat, the woman threw the door open with one hand.

Talia's breath caught.

Imperial soldiers belonging to the Empress's Palace lined the corridor outside.

The woman quietly observed her pale face, as though appreciating the sight, before speaking softly.

“There is no need for us to make things unpleasant. If Your Highness cooperates, it will all be over quickly.”

If she refused, they would drag her there by force.

Talia clenched her fists so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Humiliation burned behind her eyes.

If Senevier were standing before her right now, she felt she might be capable of driving a dagger straight through her heart.

Was she truly determined to trample even the last scraps of her dignity into the dirt?

She did not think she could ever forgive that woman.

Ever.

“Now then. Wash Her Highness immediately.”

As soon as the head maid gave the order, two maids bent over the bed.

Talia violently slapped their hands away.

“Don't touch me!”

The shrill scream startled the maids, and they hurriedly retreated as though fleeing sparks from a fire. They looked worried that she might retaliate against them later.

Noticing their hesitation, Talia adopted an even more imperious tone.

“My nanny will attend my bath. All of you leave my room.”

The woman stared down at her thoughtfully before finally releasing a resigned sigh.

“Very well. However, I must personally oversee Your Highness's preparations afterward. That much is nonnegotiable.”

The head maid soon led the other maids out.

A short while later, the nanny hurried into the bedroom.

She was a woman who constantly wounded Talia with careless words.

Yet the moment she saw her face, Talia felt as though she might burst into tears from relief.

As the nanny approached to help her up, Talia buried her face against her shoulder.

Oblivious to the turmoil rotting inside her, the nanny was simply delighted.

“You heard what the head maid said, didn't you? His Majesty asked to see you! He must have heard that you were injured and been worried about you.”

Letting the woman's chatter pass through one ear and out the other, Talia forced herself upright.

A prickling pain climbed through her bones.

Rage surged inside her.

What had that promise about letting her walk without difficulty been worth?

Her ruined leg could barely support her own weight.

Grinding her teeth together, Talia dragged her aching leg behind the privacy screen.

She staggered into the marble bath, and the nanny poured warm water over her body.

Submerged in the lukewarm water, Talia looked down at her leg.

The reddish scar resembled a bloated earthworm.

As she absently traced it with her fingertips, the nanny smacked her sharply across the back.

A wave of misery rose within her.

But Talia silently withdrew her hand.

She was afraid the nanny might become angry and leave the room altogether.

“Now then, I'll rinse your hair. Lean your head back.”

Talia obeyed, resting her head against the edge of the tub.

The nanny tipped a large pitcher, pouring lukewarm water over her hair.

At last, when every trace of soap had been washed away, Talia staggered out of the bath.

The nanny brought over a large towel and carefully dried her body before dressing her in fresh undergarments and a new petticoat.

“There. The rest will be handled by the head maid.”

Having completed her work, the nanny departed with a relieved expression.

The head maid soon returned with her attendants.

Talia silently endured the woman's gaze as it swept over her from head to toe, as though assigning a score.

After circling around her several times, the woman finally clapped her hands.

“Pin up her hair and dress her in the garments we prepared. I'll choose the jewelry myself.”

Immediately, dozens of fingers began moving busily around her.

Talia endured it in silence, feeling as though she were being tortured while they handled her like a doll.

Three or four maids repeatedly dressed and undressed her in various garments, while the others worked on her hair, dividing the long strands that reached her waist into multiple braids before coiling them upward.

The head maid observed every step with a critical expression.

Only after a long while did she finally nod.

“That will do.”

The maids who had ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) been adjusting Talia's clothes immediately stepped back.

Talia looked up at the head maid with exhausted eyes.

The woman draped a pearl-colored silk cape over her shoulders before turning toward the door.

“It is time.”

After a moment's hesitation, Talia left the room.

She wanted to walk as naturally as possible, but her numbed leg refused to obey.

With every uneven step, she could feel the soldiers' eyes fixed upon her.

She wanted to crush every last one of those eyes.

Suppressing her humiliation, she left the detached palace.

A carriage waited before the garden.

Beside it stood an unfamiliar man clad in armor.

Had the previous knight resigned?

The face of the man who had irritated her throughout the journey briefly crossed her mind.

Soon, however, she found she no longer cared.

The Imperial Guard knights assigned to her changed with the seasons anyway.

It was about time for another replacement.

Talia boarded the carriage with a detached expression.

The head maid climbed in after her and finally spoke in a stern voice.

“Today, His Majesty intends to discuss something important. Please refrain from any behavior that might be considered disrespectful.”

“What important thing?”

“I do not know.”

“Then how do you know it's important and not completely meaningless?”

The woman pressed her lips together.

Her patience seemed to be reaching its limit.

Talia turned away from her and looked out the window.

The carriage had already left the gardens of the detached palace and was racing across the vast grounds of the Imperial Estate.

Watching the scenery rush past, Talia anxiously rubbed her knee.

The thick cushions beneath her did little to help. Even the faint vibrations of the carriage felt as though they were drilling into her bones.

Wiping away the beads of sweat forming on her skin, she desperately swallowed the pain.

How much time passed like that?

Eventually, the rattling carriage finally came to a stop.

Talia staggered outside and frowned at the broad plaza flooded with brilliant sunlight.

The area before the Imperial Palace was unusually crowded today.

As she stared at it with foreboding eyes, the head maid approached and urged her forward.

“His Majesty is waiting. Let us go.”

Biting her lip, Talia began walking.

People who recognized her visibly flinched and immediately began whispering among themselves.

Pretending not to notice, she attempted to pass through those blocking the entrance.

Someone stopped her.

“You cannot pass through here right now. My apologies, but if you would use the side entrance—”

The soldier hurriedly stepped in front of her, then belatedly recognized her face.

He sucked in a sharp breath.

Talia fixed him with a cold stare.

“How dare you block my path?”

“M-My apologies, Your Highness.”

The soldier immediately jumped aside.

Talia brushed past the people awkwardly bowing their heads and entered the building.

Trying to conceal her unnatural gait left her entire body drenched in sweat.

Despite all her efforts, she doubted she was succeeding.

She glanced around discreetly, gauging the reactions of those nearby.

Then something caught her eye.

A massive birdcage stood in one corner of the hall.

The moment Talia saw what was inside, her eyes widened.

“...What is that?”