***
After promising to go horseback riding with Cheraan, Judith began her methodical preparations.
She carefully laid out her plans, but time was tight to execute them one by one with precision.
First, she instructed the maid brought by Helen to mend the robe she would wear for the outing.
It was one of the few belongings she had brought from Tien, made when she was around thirteen years old.
“Since it’s an old garment, and the stitching is likely worn out, please sew new sleeves onto it.”
The maid, taking the old robe in her hands, made no effort to hide her displeasure, offering only a half-hearted reply before retreating.
Judith didn’t bother to reprimand her for her insolent attitude.
The maid behaved that way because she knew Judith wouldn’t call her back for a rebuke.
Yet, the maid had no inkling of what Judith was truly thinking.
As soon as the maid left, Marianne, who had been dusting the window frame from a distance, scurried over, pouting.
“Your Highness, why do you let them act like that?
Did you see the look on her face just now?”
“Marianne, keep your voice down.
She might hear.”
“Let her hear!
As if I’m scared of those stuck-up palace maids!
They’re just maids, even if they’re in the royal palace, and yet they dare to treat you, Your Highness, the crown princess, like…”
“Marianne.”
Judith’s voice took on a firm tone, and Marianne immediately lowered her gaze, looking chastened.
Judith sighed softly, then gently patted Marianne’s head, even though she was taller than herself.
“I don’t let them act that way because I’m afraid, Marianne.”
“I know that, but still…”
“There’s no need to worry.
I’m aware that the maids Helen brought have been bullying you, but scolding them now won’t change anything.
So please bear with it a little longer, alright?”
“Your Highness, what are you planning?
I can’t figure it out anymore.
I used to understand what you were thinking, but now…”
“Back then…”
Judith started to respond but stopped herself, giving a quiet, enigmatic smile instead.
The Judith that Marianne remembered had been a simple girl, easy for anyone to understand—a frail and pitiable princess who wanted to escape from everything.
“You’ll understand in time.”
Marianne nodded childishly at her words.
“Your Highness.”
After comforting Marianne, she sat down to embroider a handkerchief.
She looked up slowly.
“Yes, Helen?”
“Her Majesty the queen has ordered me to bring her to you immediately.”
So that’s why she was missing.
It seems she met with Queen Gilsis.
As Judith observed the unusually smug look on Helen’s face, she sensed trouble ahead.
“Why does Her Majesty want to see me so suddenly?”
“She heard that you’ve already memorized the royal lineage and wants to commend you for it.”
‘A reward?’ Judith barely stifled a laugh.
The sky would sooner collapse before Queen Gilsis would ever reward her for something like that.
Did Helen really expect her to believe that?
Helen’s face twisted at Judith’s amusement.
“Your Highness, may I ask what you find so amusing?”
“…Oh, it’s nothing.
If the queen has summoned me, I’ll go.
But before that, may I call for Marianne?
There’s something I need her to do.”
“Do as you wish.”
Though suspicious, Helen had no reason to object, so she stepped back a few paces.
Judith raised her voice, calling to Marianne, who had been dusting the window in the nearby sitting room.
“Did you call for me, Your Highness??”
Marianne rushed over, feather duster still in hand.
Judith cast a quick glance at Helen, who was standing a few steps back, before turning her full attention to Marianne with a calm, composed expression.
“Marianne, I need to go to see the queen.
Do you remember what I asked you to do this morning?”
“Huh?
I don’t recall, Your Highness?”
She blinked in confusion, having no recollection of any such instruction.
Judith gave a gentle, chiding smile and moved closer, keeping her demeanor casual and natural.
“Honestly, Marianne, you forget things so easily.
I told you to remind the head chef that I’d like pheasant for dinner, didn’t I?”
Helen, who had been listening closely, scoffed at this.
‘Soon her lie will be exposed, and she’ll face the queen’s wrath.
Yet she still thinks of dinner.
Is she that foolish, or just shameless?’
Judith noticed Helen’s brief lapse in vigilance.
Wasting no time, she closed the distance between herself and Marianne, grabbing her wrist.
In a hushed voice, she spoke in the Tien dialect, one Marianne would recognize immediately as her hometown’s language.
“As soon as I leave, go to the Astel Palace and tell His Highness that I’ve been summoned to the queen’s quarters.”
Marianne’s shoulders tensed as she grasped the weight of her cryptic instruction.
She knew Judith wouldn’t have been called by the queen for anything good.
She realized it was a veiled request for her to alert Prince Franz and seek his intervention.
Marianne, who had been blinking in confusion, quickly masked her reaction, responding instead in an exaggeratedly flustered tone.
“Oh… Oh!
That’s right!
I must have completely forgotten because I’ve been scrubbing floors all day.
I’ll be sure to tell the head chef!”
“Be sure not to forget, alright?”
After patting her hand, Judith turned to Helen.
“Let’s go.”
Judith brushed past Helen with an air of icy calm.
Helen trailed behind her stiffly, her head held high in self-importance.
While the two figures disappeared from her view, Marianne nervously chewed on her fingernails.
As soon as Helen’s impeccably styled hair disappeared down the hallway, she bolted from the room.
* * *
The palace, previously a chaotic mess from the queen’s tantrum, was now pristinely restored.
The spot where the shattered vase had lain was replaced by an even more extravagant one, while the cracked mirror had been swapped for a new one.
Such swift replacements, always extravagant, were a way for the queen to flaunt her influence.
Her grand dresses and dazzling jewelry, more luxurious than anything a wealthy noble could afford, served the same purpose.
When Judith entered, Queen Gilsis was seated on a sofa, dressed in a gown adorned with such intricate embroidery that it was almost dizzying.
Though the dress was breathtaking, her gaze—fixed on Judith—was icy and full of hostility.
“I understand you called for me,” Judith spoke with a polite bow.
The queen’s crimson lips twitched slightly in response.
“So, I hear that you’ve already memorized the royal lineage I ordered you to learn?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Such insolence.
You dare lie right to my face without batting an eye?”
“How could I, Your Majesty?
I have only spoken the truth, so I ask for your understanding.”
“Is that so?
Bring it in.”
Helen, who had been waiting like a hound behind the queen, promptly brought forth the family tree and held it up before Judith.
The queen cast a mocking glance and said, “The founder, His Majesty King Selgius, had five sons.
Tell me the name of the prince who succeeded him.”
“The founder’s firstborn, Crown Prince Boromeo, passed away from a mysterious illness, so it was the fourth-born, Prince Godfrey, who ascended as his successor.”
“And who was the sixth ruler?”
“The sixth king of Lotheir was Severian Jedekair, also known as ‘Severian the Iron-Blooded’ during his lifetime.”
As Judith continued to answer each question flawlessly, Helen’s smug expression began to falter, as did the queen’s.
Yet, she pressed on, demanding names of offspring born to concubines, which Judith answered calmly and correctly.
How was this possible?
The longer it went on and the further they went through the family tree, the more it was the queen, not Judith, who grew uneasy.
Some details Judith recited were ones even the queen hadn’t memorized.
Memorizing such an extensive lineage, even with months of study, seemed nearly impossible.
Was this witchcraft?
“…Thus, Princess Cesarea became the first woman to ascend the throne.
Though once disregarded as a concubine’s daughter, her intelligence and governance left a lasting impact on future generations…”
“You impudent wretch!”
At last, the queen exploded, her trembling body betraying her rage.
She flung the family tree at Judith, striking her head.
The force of the impact caused her hairpiece to dislodge, and her dark blue hair fell loose in disarray.
Judith promptly knelt, feigning submission.
“Your Majesty, have I erred?”
“Erred?
You little viper, daring to toy with me at your age!
Speak truthfully.
How did you deceive me?”
Judith looked up abruptly, eyes wide with feigned fear, which brought a twisted satisfaction to the queen.
“Your Majesty, deceive you?
How could I?
I’ve only obeyed your orders as faithfully as possible.”
This was true; only it hadn’t been the Judith of this lifetime who had endured that order.
In her past life, she had spent countless hours memorizing this endless lineage.
The queen had called her every few days to test her and scold her viciously, even resorting to corporal punishment if she faltered.
For a year, she suffered this harsh treatment, and even the sight of the royal family tapestry o in the palace’s great hall had left her with an enduring anxiety.
“So, you’re determined to resist?” the queen hissed.
“Helen!”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Snapping out of her daze, Helen hastily bowed.
The queen cast a frigid glance at Judith, still kneeling with her head bowed low.
“Bring the whip.
I shall discipline this girl until the truth is dragged out of her.”