Who Brought the Head Maid Back? - Chapter 8

Before I could even gather my senses, I felt the cold, damp air clinging to my skin. A horrific yet familiar sensation crept up my spine. The moment I instinctively opened my eyes, I saw Lady Esmain’s eyes filled with hostility.

In that instant, I realized. Ah, this is a dream of my past life—of that time.

“So, you’re the witch who holds the Crown Prince in the palm of your hand and manipulates him as you please?”

Lady Esmain threatened me, her eyes flashing with a chilling light.

“It is a misunderstanding.”

“What misunderstanding? The Crown Prince himself told me that he was waiting for you.”

I grumbled under my breath.

“Stupid man, I told him not to say anything.”

“What did you just say?”

I pretended not to hear and changed the subject.

“It is merely a childhood affection. Hasn’t he been seeing you frequently lately, My Lady?”

At my soothing tone, Lady Esmain tilted her chin up arrogantly.

“He has. And unless something unexpected happens, I will become the Crown Princess.”

“Then why am I here?”

“You’re an eyesore. I have no intention of living in the same palace as a woman he once set his heart on.”

To think Lady Esmain’s cold words would be so welcome! I shouted happily.

“I will gladly leave.”

“Who said I would let you walk out on your own two feet?”

The lady sneered. With a single gesture, both of my feet were snapped. As I groaned, enduring the pain, I heard a foolish, goat-like voice from behind.

“Is this her?”

“Baron Dorian, what brings you here?”

I realized that Baron Dorian, Lady Esmain’s younger brother and the future Duke of Esmain, had entered the prison.

Baron Dorian was small and slight of build with a persistent streak. Rumors were rampant that he was obsessed with strange ancient superstitions and was burning through the Ducal family’s fortune.

Furthermore, he had harbored a secret crush on me since childhood, and whenever he attended a banquet, he would inevitably approach me to flirt.

The moment he smiled and looked down at me, his face—which already looked like it had been pummeled a few times—crinkled further.

“Sister, this isn’t her.”

“What?”

“This is the one I told you about. The maid I had an eye on.”

Even amidst the horrific pain, I felt a wave of dizziness. Am I crazy? To have an eye on you?

Lady Esmain seemed to think the same, as she dismissively ignored her brother.

“What are you talking about, you lunatic?”

Then, like a person with no talent but excessive pride, Baron Dorian threw a fit. Suddenly, a siblings’ dogfight broke out in front of my cell.

In the middle of it all, I fell into deep thought.

I stood at a crossroads: should I break my conscience and claim to be the maid Baron Dorian liked, or should I stay virtuous and let them break my life instead?

But before I could decide, their fight ended. It seemed Lady Esmain had won. The moment I looked at the loser—whose face looked more like a wild boar’s than usual—I made my belated choice.

I’d rather just let my life be broken.

I was someone who could forgive a man for having no money, but I could never forgive an ugly face.

Lady Esmain fanned herself gently and spoke.

“The Crown Prince said this: that you toyed with his heart.”

“!”

I cursed inwardly. That idiot, who is more than two and a half times short of a full deck, just blurted that out?

“I have never behaved in a way to deserve such outrageous words.”

Since I was going to die anyway, I decided to die with dignity and responded elegantly. But my elegance was soon shattered. Lady Esmain sneered and said the following:

“Do you think I created this situation? The order came from the Empress, but it was with the Crown Prince’s silent approval. He said he would punish you.”

“!”

I felt like I would vomit blood from the sheer unfairness and resentment.

Good heavens. I poured my blood, sweat, and tears into making that dim-witted human shine just a little, and instead of gratitude, what? Toyed with him? Punishment?

Lady Esmain glared at me as if she wanted to devour me.

“You had a secret meeting with His Highness at the spring banquet, didn’t you? And the next day, when I went to the Crown Prince’s palace to demand answers, what did you say? Did you tell me not to blame an innocent person?”

“You’re still blaming an innocent person right now. It must be a hobby of yours.”

I felt hollow. Of course, I hadn’t had a secret meeting with the Crown Prince at the spring banquet.

There must have been someone else he was meeting secretly. It was strange that I didn’t know about it, but as I quickly searched my memories, the Crown Prince had been acting suspiciously around that time.

Thinking he was simply upset because of the Empress’s scolding, I had generously given him a whole day of free time.

He was a dog who repaid grace with betrayal.

Even if I didn’t love him, the fact that the Crown Prince—who was like a younger brother I had raised with all my heart—sold me out just to hide his meeting with some other secret lover was devastating.

I cried out in anguish.

“I offered my loyalty in the hope that he would become a great Emperor—one who would guarantee my stable and wealthy future!”

I had even ignored the Second Prince, who followed me around while pretending not to, and hung on to the Crown Prince’s well-being and progress with all my might. I thought of the brass hairpin the Second Prince had once placed on my head with his small hands. It was still hanging in my disheveled hair.

If I had known it would come to this, I should have stuck with the Second Prince.

I beat my chest in regret, but it was far too late.

Thinking of the Second Prince made my heart feel restless.

He was truly strange. I swore I had never been particularly nice to him or given him any affection. Yet, whenever he saw me, he would run over and greet me happily.

I knew he had grown up with much loneliness and lack after losing his mother, the Imperial Consort. But I considered it none of my business and had only exchanged greetings with him shamelessly. Was it that indifference he liked?

Then, a thought suddenly occurred to me.

Now that I think about it… didn’t the Second Prince give me a gem yesterday?

We had run into each other in the palace garden, and he insisted on running over to give me a gem no larger than a fingernail. It looked dull and lacked luster, so I thought it was nothing and just stuffed it in my pocket. Since I was kidnapped immediately after, it should still be there.

But what should I do with the gem?

If I died like this, it would be a waste for it to be buried in the ground. I shifted my hips and, with my hands tied with rope, fumbled to feel the outline of the gem in my inner dress pocket. I thought it would be better to leave it as a memento to the jailer who had been my only companion while I was locked up.

Perhaps suspecting I was up to something suspicious, Baron Dorian rushed over and pushed me. As my body tilted and fell, something popped out of my pocket and rolled across the prison floor.

Tumble, tumble.

What stopped on the floor were the gem from the Second Prince and a silver coin.

Ah, I had that too.

My eyes fixed on the silver coin. It was a lucky coin I had obtained when I ran away from my family to the palace as a child. I didn’t particularly believe in luck, but I had kept it until now. I laughed weakly.

You’ll be buried with me as well.

Meanwhile, Baron Dorian, who had been staring blankly at the items, suddenly widened his eyes.

“What is this!”

Turning pale, he lunged for the gem. I flinched and scooted away as far as I could, not wanting any contact with that “wild boar.”

“H-how is this here?”

Baron Dorian didn’t care whether I was disgusted by him or not. His focus was entirely on the gem. He picked it up with trembling hands and looked at it with an ecstatic gaze.

“What is it that’s causing such a fuss?”

Lady Esmain grumbled, covering her mouth with her fan. From her furrowed brow, she clearly disapproved of her brother’s undignified behavior.

Baron Dorian shouted, spraying saliva.

“T-this is an extremely rare magic tool, even in the South!”

He then fell silent and suddenly whipped around to face me. His button-like eyes were smoldering. I looked away in disgust. With his eyes bulging like that, he didn’t just look like a boar; he looked like a toad as well. A horrific hybrid.

Baron Dorian interrogated me.

“You, where did you get this?”

“Why do you want to know?”

Do you think I’ll tell you nicely? I answered cockily with a sneer. At that, Baron Dorian, with veins popping on his forehead, shook his fist and threatened me.

“Do you think I’m joking? How could a maid like you possess something like this? You’d better tell me honestly where it came from.”

Aha, so that tiny gem is something quite incredible. While I wondered why the Second Prince had given me such a thing, I vowed never to let them know.

I spoke shamelessly.

“I found it.”

“What?”

I stared directly at his toad-like face and emphasized every word.

“I. Found. It.”

If I told them I received it from the Second Prince, it was obvious what these heartless people would do to the poor boy. I was a selfish person, but I wasn’t so wicked as to betray a kindness shown to me.

So, I made up my mind. Since I was going to die anyway, I would take the secret to the grave.

I spoke flippantly.

“Where did I find it? Was it the stables? The pond? Or maybe the latrine?”

Realizing I was mocking him, Baron Dorian’s face turned bright red.

“You crazy woman!”

Slap! A thick hand flew toward my cheek. Thrown mercilessly to the floor, I spat out blood and laughed. If they thought I would change my mind just because my legs were broken and I was being beaten, they were gravely mistaken. My eyes shone with fierce determination.

“Still acting like this!”

The moment the Baron, unable to contain his rage, raised his leg, I squeezed my eyes shut.

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