One of the maids of the "Raven Heart" glided silently and gracefully through the frigid corridors of the Jade Castle.
With her auburn hair and emerald eyes, she wore elegant attire that was clearly a manifested "Memory." Her steps were steady, barely leaving a trace of sound on the silent floor.
This maid was not a veteran of the palace; she had joined with the latest batch of servants only a year ago.
However, a year of rigorous training, observing the senior maids, and appearing before the Queen had brought her to a state of coldness where nothing in this world could surprise her or elicit a reaction.
This was the fundamental trial for every maid assigned to serve the Queen: "Absolute Composure." Everyone had to embody this trait like an unbreakable shield.
Normally, no maid is transferred to the Queen's service without at least three years of experience and practice, but she was an exception; she was naturally gifted in the art of silence and stillness.
Despite her calm nature, her "Flaw" played the primary role in this steadfastness.
[Flaw: Faint Heart] [Flaw Description: You feel emotions very faintly.]
Her Flaw forced her to perceive emotions much less intensely than ordinary humans, to the point that she once doubted that if she stood on the brink of death, she might not feel dread or the urge to scream.
Soon, she reached her designated destination and stopped before a massive door.
This was one of the food storehouses located in the depths of the palace, where the finest and rarest delicacies were kept.
She approached the door and lifted her hand gently, then began injecting her "Essence" into specific points on the door's surface.
The door was enchanted, protected by a complex essence-print; if the correct sequence for opening was not followed, it would remain sealed forever. Given its thickness and the strength of the ice from which it was crafted, the maid doubted that only the Queen herself possessed the power to destroy it by force.
After two minutes, she withdrew her hand calmly as she watched the door open with a deep, stony sound.
"Hmmmm..."
For some reason, a strange feeling washed over her; a mysterious sensation whispering that regret would be her ally if she took a single step inside.
But, as was her habit, she ignored this intuition and entered the storehouse with graceful steps to carry out her assigned task.
However, the moment she crossed the threshold, she froze in place, casting her gaze around her.
The storehouse was in a state of utter, miserable chaos.
The scent of the Queen's private brew wafted through the air with a suffocating intensity, and many precious items lay neglected on the floor.
She took a deep breath, trying to maintain her composure; whatever had happened here was not her responsibility. She would assess the situation first and then report it.
As long as she remained calm and acted professionally, the Queen's wrath would not reach her.
She continued walking cautiously, avoiding making any sound while observing her surroundings. Yet, she found nothing but ruin; no trace of the perpetrator, and no logical explanation for what had occurred.
This silence lasted until she turned the corner at the end of the storehouse.
There, she froze in place, staring at the scene in disbelief.
An entire year of artificial calm, and four years of suppressing reactions, shattered in a single second.
Before she realized what she was doing, magical sparks flickered to transform into a beautiful earring near her left ear, and she screamed in a voice filled with terror as she ran out of the storehouse: "HELLLLLLLPPPPPP!"
The "Memory" she had summoned was a communication tool for the Head Maid. Soon, the Head would arrive with the guards, but as for her, she no longer desired anything but to return to her home in the Waking World and escape this scene.
As for what she had seen in that dark corner...
It was Prince Orion, completely naked, surrounded by dozens of empty bottles of the Queen's brew, in the midst of a pool of vomit and the remains of bones and flesh from Great Beasts.
Despite all this destruction, the Prince was snoring deeply and laughing in his sleep, lost in a profound slumber amidst the chaos he had created.
In truth, the maid had not glimpsed the Prince at first due to his small size compared to the surrounding wreckage; rather, she saw what she thought was a hideous monster of flesh and bone, emitting disgusting laughter while repulsive fluids leaked from it.
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"Everything that happened here will remain strictly confidential."
"As you command, Princess Eunbin."
The Head Maid replied, bowing her head in submission, while Princess Eunbin stared at the scene before her with a rigid expression.
Soon, the Princess's voice echoed in their ears, cold and decisive, though the Head Maid could have sworn she caught a trace of a muffled laugh in her tone.
"Compensate the maid who discovered the place, and emphasize to her that if a single word escapes her, she will be held severely accountable."
"Yes, Princess Eunbin."
"Summon the female guards assigned to protect my brother as well; I want to know the reason for this heinous negligence."
"Yes, Princess Eunbin."
At that moment, the maid wished she could vanish from existence, but she couldn't. Nothing remained for her but to pray to the Dead Gods that this nightmare would end quickly.
The Princess asked again: "Where is my brother now?"
"The maids have returned him to his room and bathed him, and the Prince is still drowned in sleep despite all that happened."
At this, the Princess's composure broke completely, and she burst into loud laughter in the middle of the chaotic storehouse, where no one else was present.
"Have you discovered how he got here?"
"We found a secret passage inside the storehouse. We sent a guard to explore it, and when he returned, he reported a complex network of secret passages, and we do not know for certain where they all lead."
The Head Maid paused for a moment, choosing her words carefully before continuing: "At the moment, we suspect that one of these passages leads directly to the Prince's room, and we need official permission to search his room."
The Princess began laughing again, clutching her stomach. After a few minutes, she said, gasping for breath: "No need for that, I will investigate my brother's room myself."
"As you wish, my Princess."
The Princess turned to leave, and after a few steps, she stopped and added: "Clean everything here, and inform the maids responsible for my brother to tell him as soon as he wakes up that my mother wishes to see him."
"Your command, my Princess."
The Princess departed, and the Head Maid remained alone, staring at the wreckage.
What happened today was too much for her to bear at her age. For a brief moment, she felt genuine pity for the young Prince's fate, but she quickly dismissed those thoughts.
After all, there were several maids traumatized and in need of immediate treatment.