The Abandoned Princess, Yet She Is Loved - Chapter 106

The Emperor lay in bed.

His face was ghostly pale, completely devoid of color. There was barely any movement in his chest, nor any sound from his breathing. At a glance, he looked practically dead.

Grace had seen a face like this once before—when Emily died, she had looked just like this.

“How long has he been like this?” Grace asked.

“It’s been well over a year now. At first, he would occasionally regain consciousness, but now he remains in a near-comatose state,” the Crown Princess replied.

“Has his condition remained stable like this?”

“No. It’s getting worse. According to the doctors, his breathing is weakening, and his blood is becoming more toxic. They say that if he doesn’t recover soon, he won’t last much longer.”

As the Crown Princess spoke, Grace examined the Emperor more closely. His arms and legs were as thin as branches. He looked like someone who hadn’t had a proper meal in ages.

“If he’s unconscious, has he been able to take in any nutrition?”

“The mages would convert food into liquid form, then prop him up and feed it to him little by little. But of course, there’s a limit to how much he can swallow, so we couldn’t give him much.”

“I see…”

Grace brought her fingers to the Emperor’s nose. At first, there was nothing—but then she felt a faint, intermittent breath that could barely be called breathing.

‘It’s a miracle he’s still alive at all, breathing like this.’

Seeing him in person made it painfully clear just how dire his condition was—far worse than she had vaguely imagined during his long illness.

“…Whew.”

She took a deep breath and gathered the healing energy she had used on many others. A white light gathered in her palm, and she scattered it over the Emperor’s body.

The Emperor was enveloped in the white glow. Grace poured more power into it, her body tense with exertion. The light flickered fiercely, as if it might burn his body. Beside her, the Crown Princess watched anxiously, her expression full of hope and desperation.

After a long while, Grace withdrew her hand. The glow surrounding the Emperor vanished along with her touch.

‘There’s no change at all from before I used the healing…’

The Emperor remained still, eyes closed, his breathing unchanged. His face was still as pale as a corpse.

“It seems the divine healing isn’t working. What should we do?”

Perhaps she had to consider the possibility that reviving the Emperor simply wasn’t an option.

Grace spoke in a disheartened voice. She had made a significant decision in coming here, and she hadn’t expected it to have no effect whatsoever. She had seen injuries heal so many times simply through the use of her energy that she had, perhaps foolishly, assumed it would work here too.

“Maybe it’s not something that works with just one try.”

But the Crown Princess disagreed.

“Would you be willing to continue for a few more months? If we steadily apply healing energy, there’s a chance his condition might improve over time.”

“…Ah.”

“The doctors examine him once a day. Even if there’s no visible change, there might be internal improvements we can’t detect with the naked eye.”

“…Understood.”

Grace wasn’t optimistic, but since professionals would be monitoring his condition, she had no choice but to agree.

She hoped there would be some visible sign of improvement soon.

If the Emperor regained consciousness and exposed Vladimir’s crimes, Frederick wouldn’t have to suffer so much on the battlefield.

The longer this rebellion dragged on, the longer he’d remain at war. She desperately hoped things would be resolved soon so they could be reunited. It was disappointing that the Emperor showed no response.

“It’s time to go. His Majesty’s visiting hours are limited. Let’s stop here for today—you can return tomorrow or the day after.”

“Yes. I’ll do my best.”

‘Just like Her Highness said—if I keep trying, maybe there’ll be a response.’

The Crown Princess checked her pocket watch and looked at Grace. Grace gave the Emperor one last glance before leaving his chamber, carrying her disappointment with her.

Meanwhile…

“Hey, did you hear the latest about that Grace girl?” one of the ladies whispered.

“What rumor?”

Diana, busy brushing her hair in front of the mirror, turned to look at Sarah.

“They say the Armento are heading to war soon—and she’s been appointed commander of a legion.”

“What?!”

Diana’s eyes widened in disbelief.

She already knew Grace had awakened as an Armento, could wield all four elements, and had divine healing powers—thanks to endless gossip from the social circles, even if she didn’t want to hear it. That alone was irritating enough.

But to be appointed a legion commander? That was a whole different level.

In terms of the imperial knights, that meant she’d be in charge of an entire division—usually a position held by senior veterans. And Grace? She didn’t even have combat experience. It was unprecedented and absolutely shocking.

“Not just anyone can become a commander, right?”

“Right. As far as I know, it’s usually handled by the most senior nobles.”

“Ugh… Why…?”

Diana ground her teeth.

“Why does that girl keep getting praised? She’s nothing special!”

“I know, right? Everyone’s treating her like some kind of saint now.”

As Grace’s reputation grew day by day, glowing ever brighter, both Diana and Sarah found it increasingly intolerable.

“Surely there’ll be an opportunity to bring her down eventually… right?”

Being the Crown Princess’s chief maid had once felt like a position of power, a means to take action—but as it stood, they couldn’t find anything to use against Grace.

“Yeah. There’ll be a time when we can stop her from strutting around like she owns the place.”

Diana sighed and stood up. As she approached Sarah, her eyes suddenly widened.

“Wait, I haven’t seen that necklace before.”

“I just bought it recently. How does it look?”

“It’s beautiful. Must’ve been expensive, huh?”

The necklace featured a pink diamond. There was no way Diana’s allowance from the Duke of Reinheim could cover it. The funds had been skimmed from the Crown Princess’s palace budget.

“Where’d you get it?”

“You know the place—Madame Bell’s boutique.”

“Didn’t we go there together? I don’t remember.”

They usually shopped together, so Diana tried to recall.

“You had another engagement that day, so I went without you.”

“I should get something similar.”

“Let’s go together next time. We’ve got plenty of money anyway.”

The two girls exchanged smug smiles. Ever since becoming the Crown Princess’s chief maids and gaining control of the budget, their lives had become extravagant.

They bought luxury clothes, jewelry, shoes, cosmetics—almost daily. They dined at the finest restaurants and often drank expensive alcohol. No matter how much they spent, the budget kept flowing. It felt like an endless fountain.

Every day felt like bliss.

At first, they were cautious—sneaking funds by coming up with plausible explanations in the ledgers.

But after realizing no one actually checked the books—not even the Crown Princess—they stopped trying to be careful.

‘No one’s even looking. Why bother being subtle?’

It had been quite a while since the books stopped matching the actual funds in the treasury, but no one seemed to notice or care. So, they shamelessly continued to exploit the palace’s budget.

But a few days later, a storm hit.

“You’re aware the Empire’s in turmoil, right? Vladimir is under suspicion of treason,” said the Crown Princess sharply.

“Yes, Your Highness,” Diana and Sarah responded with bowed heads.

Ever since Prince Vladimir vanished and rumors of his attempted coup spread, the Crown Princess had become noticeably more irritable.

“Now Prince Rubens is investigating everywhere, trying to find out who might be siding with Vladimir.”

Perhaps she was irritated because, as Vladimir’s full sister, she was now under suspicion of possible collaboration.

“That’s why our palace is now being investigated. They want to know how the budget’s been used—whether it might have supported the rebels.”

“…!”

“They’re going to compare the expense records and the treasury’s contents, and they’ll thoroughly investigate any discrepancies. Since you two manage the accounts and disbursements, be prepared to answer.”

Diana and Sarah turned pale as sheets.

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