Zarah was sitting on the bed as Iris handed her a book she had recently started reading.
A knock sounded from outside.
"Lady Iris, Lady Zarah."
"Yes, enter," Iris called.
A maid stepped in and bowed swiftly.
"Lady Peirce has come to visit Lady Zarah."
Iris raised a brow in confusion.
Lady Peirce?
Zarah straightened immediately.
Lady Peirce…
That meant Marceline — Ines's cousin.
Marceline would not visit her unless Ines herself had sent her.
In the webcomic, Marceline was the sole heir of Duke Marvin Peirce, the Empress Dowager's brother.
The House of Peirce led the faction that supported Ines's rule.
Marceline dominated noble society. Her words were ones every noble hung upon.
She was the voice of the throne — speaking what Ines could not without raising suspicion.
And yet…
She had been poisoned at the very beginning of the webcomic, after Melody's love potion succeeded and Ines had taken her to bed.
As long as Marceline lived, Melody could never manipulate the nobles against Ines.
Zarah's thoughts darkened.
But things were already changing.
Ines had chosen her instead.
Would Melody move Marceline's poisoning earlier?
Iris tapped her shoulder.
"Hey? Zar, you okay? You didn't answer. Do you want to meet Lady Peirce?"
Zarah blinked and looked at her, then nodded.
"Yes. I would be honored to meet Lady Peirce."
The maid bowed.
"I will inform her."
She left.
Iris turned back to Zarah.
"Who?"
"Her Majesty's maternal cousin," Zarah replied quietly.
Iris didn't question it.
If Zarah said it, it was probably from the webcomic.
She scrunched her face.
"Why would her cousin need permission to enter?"
"Well, they are nobles at the end of the day. I suppose they don't enter without notice," Zarah said thoughtfully.
Then she added,
"Shouldn't the real question be why she's visiting me?"
Iris smirked.
"Her Majesty probably sent her to check on you. You didn't explain those 'inconveniences' in your letter."
Zarah rolled her eyes.
"Oh, please, Iree. Let's think seriously for a minute—"
"But your friend's deduction is entirely correct, Lady Zarah."
Both girls turned toward the door.
Marceline stood there, having just entered the chamber.
Iris curtsied, and Zarah got down from the bed and followed suit.
"Greetings to Lady Peirce," both of them said in unison.
Marceline waved a hand dismissively.
"There's no need," she said with a smile.
"After all, I have come to check on the victim of a tragic chamber trashing," she added, before glancing at Iris. "And her charming friend, who seems to be keeping her company."
Iris smiled politely.
"Zarah and I are best friends — like sisters. This is the least I can do for her."
Zarah nodded, returning the same kind of smile.
"And I would rather not be alone if something like this were to happen again. I would prefer someone I trust by my side."
Marceline's lips curved upward at that.
The bond between the two reminded her of her own elder cousin, Ines.
The Empress was not openly affectionate — but Marceline knew she cared deeply.
"Well," Marceline began, "I was sent to help Lady Zarah acquire new clothes and accessories. But I think if one sister receives something and the other does not, it would be rather unfair."
She smiled.
"So Lady Iris should come along as well."
Zarah blinked in surprise and looked at Iris, who simply shrugged.
The Empress had sent her cousin… for this?
Why would Ines trouble Marceline when a maid would have sufficed?
As if reading her thoughts, Marceline chuckled softly.
"My cousin seems to have greatly surprised your friend, Lady Iris."
Iris gave a careful smile.
"Only in the sense that Her Majesty knew what happened when it was not stated."
Marceline's eyes softened.
"Ah, well… she is the Empress. Can anything truly happen without reaching her ears?"
Zarah and Iris didn't look at each other, but they shared the same thought.
'A lot.'
Neither said it aloud.
Marceline continued, "A servant informed her, and she asked me to assist Lady Zarah. So — shall we head to the dressmakers' wing?"
Iris glanced at Zarah.
Zarah nodded once, signaling she was fine, then turned to Marceline.
"Please lead the way, Lady Peirce."
Marceline smiled and stepped ahead, guiding them out.
As they walked, Zarah's bandaged foot — where the glass shard had lodged earlier — ached slightly.
But she ignored it.
After all, this was not so bad.
She was getting new clothes and accessories—
And she didn't even have to spend her own savings.
Ines sat in her study, her eyes scanning trade documents between Caelthra and the neighboring empire.
She worked diligently, signing each document one by one.
A knock sounded.
"Your Majesty, Duke Zepher requests an audience."
Ines set her quill down.
The servant beside her spoke on her behalf.
"Her Majesty grants Duke Zepher an audience."
In truth, Ines was distracted.
Her thoughts kept drifting back to the matter of Zarah's chamber.
She found herself imagining the flower maiden's expression upon returning to find it destroyed—
Even though she had not witnessed it herself.
It was… unusual.
For the first time in a long while, she could not devote her full attention to her work.
Instead, her mind lingered on a trivial question.
Was Zarah upset?
Ines exhaled softly.
The doors opened.
A man with blond hair and sharp green eyes entered and approached her desk before bowing.
"Greetings to the brilliant light of the Caelthra Empire, Her Majesty the Empress."
Ines hummed and raised a hand, signaling him to rise.
"Report," she ordered.
At a glance from her, the servants collected the signed documents and left the room in silence.
The man straightened.
He began reporting on the western border and the recent rebellion.
Ines listened, her expression unreadable.
Nolan Zepher.
Duke of Zepher.
Captain of the Royal Guards.
A man who had never been meant to inherit his title.
Her gaze lingered on him briefly.
The tragedy that shaped him was not easily forgotten.
His entire family had been massacred.
His elder brother — Sebastian Zepher, the former Duke — had died protecting his child.
The infant had been smuggled away by a maid…
But the maid was later found dead in the forest.
The child had never been recovered.
Presumed dead.
Torn apart by wild animals, they said.
Ines's eyes narrowed slightly.
Nolan had never accepted that conclusion.
He had made it clear—
Until he saw his niece's body with his own eyes,
He would never believe she was dead.
"Lord Nolan."
Ines's voice cut through the silence as her fingers tapped lightly against the wooden desk.
"Yes, Your Majesty?" Nolan replied, his head bowed.
"I need you to personally investigate something."
Nolan lifted his gaze slightly, waiting.
He had known her since childhood — two years her senior, once her appointed playmate when she had still been a princess.
"A flower maiden's chamber was trashed," Ines said. "I want you to find out who is responsible."
Nolan hesitated.
"Your Majesty… are palace guards not sufficient for such a matter?"
He was the Captain of the Imperial Guard.
He led men into battle — not inquiries into a flower maiden's chamber.
Ines's gaze shifted to him, sharp and steady.
"They are," she said calmly. "But would Lord Nolan not honor my request?"
Nolan exhaled quietly.
That look.
It wasn't a request.
It never was.
"Must Your Majesty give me that gaze?" he said with a faint sigh. "Your word is law. I was not refusing — I was merely curious."
Ines did not respond to that.
"Then go to Lady Zarah's chamber and report your findings."
Nolan straightened and bowed.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
With that, he turned and took his leave.
Ines picked her quill back up and returned to her documents.