Edith was tying the laces at the back of Alia's dress. Although it was one of Alia's everyday dresses, it was still quite elegant, being a royal gown.
After securing the last lace, she glanced at Alia.
There was a look of firm resolve on Alia's face. Edith had never seen her like this before. While part of her was glad to see this change in Alia, another part felt uneasy.
"I've finished dressing you, Lady Alia."
"Alright, Edith. We're going to the dining hall. Don't forget the promise you made."
"Understood, Lady Alia."
Alia flung her door open with force and began walking toward the dining hall. Edith followed behind her, shoulders slumped.
The Royal Palace was quite vast. Alia had to walk a considerable distance to reach the dining hall. As she made her way there, her presence quickly drew the attention of curious eyes.
While walking down the corridor, the servants looked at Alia with surprise. It wasn't hard to understand why. Alia rarely left her room. She usually ate her meals there, received her lessons there, and if she needed to meet someone, she would meet them in her room — though such meetings were almost nonexistent.
Knowing she wasn't used to interacting with others, Alia didn't speak to any of the servants as she walked by. She had actually thought this might be a good chance to practice. A small conversation before entering the room might help her recover some of her forgotten social skills. But since nothing came to mind to say, she hesitated. For today, just eating in the dining hall would be enough.
After a short walk, Alia came to a stop. She glanced around briefly. A hint of discomfort showed on her face. Then, she quietly turned around.
"Edith… umm… where was the dining hall again?"
"Hmh!?"
Edith was caught off guard by the question. Once again, an unprofessional sound escaped her lips. Truly… Alia had been full of surprises lately. Still, after thinking it over, Edith realized this behavior was actually normal for her. Even she couldn't remember the last time they'd gone to the dining hall together.
"Erm… please, follow me."
Edith turned around and began walking in the opposite direction, with Alia following timidly behind.
"Sorry..."
"It's not a problem, Lady Alia. ..To be honest, I also thought we were heading in the wrong direction. I just assumed you wanted to stroll a bit. I should've said something. I'm the one who should be apologizing."
"I think it turned out well in the end, Edith. We ended up exploring the palace a little. I really had forgotten it."
"..."
"...If you wish, I could show you around the palace after breakfast, Lady Alia."
"Huh... Hahaha... How embarrassing. I was born and raised in this palace, and yet I don't even know my way around."
Alia let out a small laugh as she made a rather self-deprecating remark. With every step she took toward becoming stronger, she kept realizing just how weak she actually was. Even she was surprised by her own weakness.
Hearing those words, Edith found herself speechless. She silently regretted ever saying anything.
While Alia and Edith continued their odd little conversation, they had already reached the dining hall. At the end of the corridor stood a grand and imposing door.
"We've arrived, Lady Alia. Right through here."
When they neared the hall, Edith pointed to the dining hall's entrance and halted. She then stepped to the side and moved behind Alia.
"Thanks, Edith."
"My pleasure, Lady Alia."
Alia felt a slight tension when she saw the door. As she moved forward, she realized her breathing had quickened. An uncomfortable warmth spread through her entire body. No matter how much she had prepared her mind, her body wouldn't respond the way she wanted.
"..huff.. huff.."
After pausing to gather her courage, she moved. Ignoring her trembling and sweating body, Alia stepped through the doorway.
Just beyond the door, she noticed two people standing by the wall. One was a tall, dark-haired young man — nearly one and a half times her height — wearing light armor and a sword at his waist. Beside him stood a young girl whose dark silver hair matched elegantly with her maid uniform. Despite the blank expression on her face, she looked unusually noble for a servant.
They were Isolde's maid and bodyguard; Remy and Sanoriel Mika.
After stepping inside, Alia turned to face Mika and Remy. She tried to put on a warm smile, but her tense expression made it come off awkwardly.
Both Mika and Remy looked at her in surprise. After a short moment of hesitation, Remy gave a respectful bow.
"Good morning, Princess Alia."
Remy nudged Mika, who was still staring in surprise. Mika quickly bowed her head.
"Good morning, Princess Alia."
"Good morning."
Alia gave a polite nod to the attendants, then turned to face the table.
In the center of the room stood a grand and magnificent chandelier, accompanied by an equally massive dining table. The table seemed large enough to seat at least twenty people, but right now, only a single person sat there.
Isolde was eating her breakfast with quiet elegance. Alia slowly made her way over and gave a respectful bow.
"Good morning, Sister Isolde."
Isolde had noticed Alia enter the room, but hadn't directed her attention to her until she spoke.Upon hearing Alia's greeting, she continued eating, her focus still on her meal.
"You embarrassed us yesterday. You do realize that, don't you?"
Alia remained silent, her head still lowered.
"Hmm… Then again, it's not exactly surprising for you to embarrass us, is it, Alia?"
Isolde's voice was cold and steady. She didn't even glance at Alia as she delivered her biting words.
"…I'm sorry."
"Sorry? Our lost honor won't be restored with an apology. ..His Majesty was angry too."
"..."
Isolde slowly turned her head toward Alia. There was a stern, irritated look on her face.
"Our losses… Speaking of our losses…"
Alia was looking down at the ground. Her whole body went rigid as soon as she heard the words, and it felt like her insides were burning.
"Well… You haven't left your room in a while. At the very least, you can eat."
Isolde gestured to the chair across from her. Alia quietly walked over to the seat, pulled it out, and sat down. Her soul and body were in pain.
"Milia."
In another corner of the room, a maid standing with a frightened expression suddenly flinched. Then she quickly stepped through the nearby door and entered the room.
Shortly after, she returned carrying a tray. She walked briskly to Alia and placed the plate, glass, and cutlery from the tray neatly in front of her. After bowing in greeting, she returned to her place.
The atmosphere in the room was extremely tense. No one besides Isolde and Alia made a sound. It was as if everyone was making a conscious effort to remain silent.
Mika was shifting her gaze nervously from side to side, while Remy stood still, maintaining his blank expression.
But among everyone, there was one person filled with far stronger emotions. Edith was glaring at the dining table with an angry look on her face.
"So, what's behind this sudden shift in behavior, I wonder?"
For a princess, Isolde's tone was quite rude. She showed no effort to mask her disgust for Alia.
"I thought it would be good to make a change."
"A change? What exactly do you want to change, Alia?"
"..."
"...m-myself."
Isolde remained silent for a moment. Then she stood up.
"Servants, leave the room."
The harsh authority in Isolde's voice caused all the servants in the room to flinch.
Mika turned and was the first to leave through the door. Remy followed right after. From afar, Milia briskly walked after them, trailing behind. However Edith, seemed hesitant.
"Edith stays."
For the first time since Alia had entered the room, she looked up and spoke while looking directly at Isolde's face.
"I ordered all the servants out."
"Edith is my servant."
Edith didn't leave. She stood quietly where she was. Isolde glanced at Edith out of the corner of her eye, then shook her head.
"Well, nothing will really change anyway."
Isolde started walking with calm steps. Circling the huge table, she slowly got closer to Alia, then leaned back on the table.