The Empress's Command
Thalia straightened her spine as if she had been struck by lightning.
The woman turned with elegant poise and continued speaking.
"By order of Her Majesty the Empress, I am to adorn Your Highness to perfection so that you may appear without deficiency before the supreme sovereign of the empire. I ask that you please cooperate."
She then gave a light gesture to the maids. The four standing in the front row approached the bedside carrying garments.
Thalia jerked her body back.
"All of you, step away. I have no intention of meeting that person."
"Please refrain from such disrespectful speech."
The woman's once-gentle voice suddenly turned sharp as frost.
"No matter that you are an imperial princess, I cannot tolerate careless talk about His Majesty the Emperor. I shall overlook it this once, so please be careful from now on."
After a brief hunch of her shoulders, Thalia sharpened the edge in her gaze.
"And if you don't overlook it, what will you do? Run and tattle to your great Emperor?"
"There's nothing stopping me."
The woman answered coldly.
Thalia let out a dry laugh.
"Is that so? Then run to the main palace this instant and tell him. That the ill-mannered Second Princess was screaming she has no desire to look upon that fine face of his!"
In that moment, a searing pain flared across the back of her hand.
Thalia looked up at the woman with a blank, stunned face.
The woman who had struck her with the slender switch she held sent her a gaze as cold as ice.
"The authority Your Highness enjoys as a princess originates from His Majesty the Emperor. I cannot overlook such reckless words."
"How dare you… how dare you to me…"
Thalia trembled, unable to finish the sentence.
Looking down at her with an indifferent gaze, the woman moved toward the door.
"Her Majesty the Empress has strictly ordered us to bring Your Highness before His Majesty the Emperor by any means necessary. Do you wish for us to resort to forceful measures?"
Having murmured the threat, the woman flung the door wide open with one hand.
Thalia held her breath at the sight of the soldiers of the Empress's Palace lined up along the corridor.
Quietly observing her deathly pale face as if savoring it, the woman continued in a soft voice.
"There's no need for us to make each other flush with anger. If Your Highness cooperates, it will be over quickly."
It meant that if she did not cooperate, they would force her with military might.
Thalia clenched her fists so tightly her knuckles turned white. Her eyes burned with humiliation.
If Senebier stood before her in this moment, she felt she could plunge a dagger straight into her chest.
Must she have even her last shred of dignity trampled so mercilessly like this?
She felt she could never, ever forgive that woman for the rest of her life.
"Now, quickly bathe Her Highness clean."
At the head lady-in-waiting's command, two maids leaned over the bed.
Thalia roughly slapped their hands away.
"Don't touch my body!"
Startled by the shrill shout, the maids hastily retreated as if dodging sparks. They seemed worried about possible retaliation later.
Noticing their hesitation, Thalia took an even more high-handed attitude.
"I'll leave the bathing attendance to my nanny. So all of you, get out of my room."
The woman who had been looking down at her with a thoughtful gaze soon let out a sigh of resignation.
"Very well. However, you must leave the adornment to me. That much I cannot concede."
The head lady-in-waiting soon led the maids out.
A moment later, the nanny came running into the bedroom.
She was someone who always wounded her with thoughtless words. And yet, the moment she saw her face, tears of relief nearly welled up.
Thalia buried her face in the shoulder of the nanny who had approached to support her.
Unaware of how her heart was crumbling, the nanny was simply delighted.
"You heard from the head lady-in-waiting, right? His Majesty has summoned the young lady! Surely he must be concerned after hearing the news that you were injured."
Thalia let the nanny's chatter go in one ear and out the other as she struggled to her feet on the floor. A tingling pain climbed up her bones.
A surge of anger rose.
What was this about making her walk without problems? Her twisted leg could not even properly support her own weight.
Gritting her teeth, Thalia dragged her throbbing leg and stood behind the screen.
As she staggered and pushed her body into the marble bathtub, the nanny poured warm water over her.
Soaking in the lukewarm water, Thalia looked down at her leg. The reddish-purple scar looked just like a swollen earthworm.
When she fiddled with it with her fingertips, the nanny slapped her back.
In that moment a wave of sorrow washed over her, but Thalia withdrew her hand without a word. She was afraid the nanny might get angry and leave the room as she was.
"Now, I'll rinse your hair, so tilt your head back."
As she leaned her head against the tub as instructed, the nanny tilted a large pitcher and poured lukewarm water.
Finally, when the soap was completely washed from her body, Thalia staggered out of the bathtub.
The nanny who brought a large towel wiped the moisture from her body, then dressed her in new undergarments and a petticoat.
"Now, the rest will be done by the head lady-in-waiting."
When the nanny, having finished all her efforts, left the room with a light heart, the head lady-in-waiting returned leading the maids.
Thalia silently endured the gaze that scanned her up and down as if scoring her.
The woman who had been circling around her eventually clapped her hands toward the maids.
"Braid up her hair and dress her in the clothes we've prepared. I'll select the accessories myself."
Soon, dozens of fingers began busily moving around her.
Thalia silently endured them treating her like a doll, as if undergoing torture.
Three or four maids repeatedly put clothes on and took them off her body, while the remaining maids set about braiding her hair that fell to her waist into multiple strands and rolling them up.
The head lady-in-waiting who had been watching the entire process with a picky face finally nodded after a long while.
"This will do."
The maids who had been arranging her attire immediately stepped back.
Thalia looked up at the head lady-in-waiting with weary eyes. She draped a pearl-colored silk cape over her shoulders and turned toward the entrance.
"It is time to go now."
After hesitating, Thalia left the room. She wanted to walk as naturally as possible, but her desensitized leg would not move as she wished.
With every off-beat step, she felt the soldiers' gazes pouring down. She wanted to crush every single one of those eyeballs.
Suppressing the sense of humiliation, she exited the detached palace and saw a carriage waiting in front of the garden. Beside it stood an unfamiliar man in armor.
Had the previous knight resigned?
The face of the man who had bothered her throughout the journey flashed through her mind.
But soon she thought it did not matter. After all, he was a guard knight who was replaced every season. It was about time for a change.
Thalia boarded the carriage with an indifferent face. The head lady-in-waiting who boarded after her opened her tightly sealed lips and spat out a strict voice.
"Today, His Majesty the Emperor will speak of an important matter. Please refrain from any words or actions that go against etiquette."
"What is the important matter?"
"That I do not know either."
"Then how do you know whether it's an important matter or trivial nonsense?"
The woman clamped her mouth shut. Her patience seemed to be running out.
Thalia turned her gaze from the woman rubbing her temples to look out the window.
Before she knew it, the carriage had left the detached palace garden and was vigorously crossing the vast imperial grounds.
Anxiously watching the scenery flowing by quickly, Thalia already began rubbing her throbbing knee.
Even though thick cushions were laid, the subtle vibrations of the carriage seemed to stab at her joints. Wiping away the beads of sweat that formed, she desperately swallowed the pain.
How long had she been like that when the rattling carriage finally stopped moving.
Staggering outside, Thalia frowned at the wide plaza where sunlight poured down whitely.
In front of the main palace, an unusually large number of people were bustling about today. As she looked at it with gloomy eyes, the head lady-in-waiting who approached her side urged her.
"His Majesty is waiting. Please hurry."
Thalia bit her lip and moved her steps.
The sight of those who recognized her flinching and whispering invaded her vision. Trying hard to ignore it, she was about to pass those blocking the entrance when someone stopped her.
"You cannot pass through here now. I'm sorry, but through the side door…"
The soldier who had hastily blocked the way belatedly confirmed her face and roughly drew in a breath.
Thalia glared at him with a cold gaze.
"How dare you block whose path?"
"I-I'm sorry. Your Highness the Princess."
The soldier hurriedly stepped aside.
Thalia passed those who awkwardly bowed their heads toward her and entered the building.
Her whole body was soaked in sweat from the effort of trying not to reveal her unnatural gait. Despite such efforts, it did not seem to be going as she wished.
She glanced sideways at the reactions around her. Then, a huge birdcage placed on one side of the hall caught her eye. Seeing what was inside, Thalia's eyes widened.
"…What is that?"