Inside the bedroom, light and shadow interwove, the towering pointed ceiling panel embedded with intricate golden patterns, and the surrounding walls adorned with elaborate reliefs.
This room, hidden on the Castle’s Fourth Floor, rarely saw visitors.
The Butler, dressed in a sharply tailored Gothic tailcoat, with silver hair like frost and a white beard, wore a rare expression of worry between his brows at this moment.
A little blonde girl, wearing lantern pants, was in an almost rebellious stance, sweeping the delicate tableware and fine dishes from the dining cart one by one.
The crisp sound of shattered plates echoed through the spacious room, each crack tightening the Butler’s heartstrings.
“Please, calm down,” the Butler tried to soothe the sudden storm with gentle words. “These foods were carefully selected delicacies. Please eat some, Your Highness.”
The little girl suddenly turned around, her golden hair shining dazzlingly in the sunlight. “What good is ‘precious’? I don’t want to eat! I am a Princess of this Castle. Am I not even allowed to enjoy a decent meal?”
The Butler’s heart tightened; he knew well that this young Princess had a strong temperament, yet it was hard to comfort her. “Your Highness, last time you praised these dishes to no end, saying they were unprecedented delicacies. Why is it different today…”
Before he could finish, the girl was already too angry to listen. Her small hands clenched tightly into fists, and her eyes seemed to flicker with flames. “Last time was last time, now is now! Does Nori’s taste never change? You all always presume to arrange everything, but no one understands Nori’s feelings!”
The Butler sighed deeply, overwhelmed with mixed emotions, and looked silently at the shattered plates scattered across the floor.
At that moment, the door quietly opened, and a figure stepped into the luxuriously decorated room. Moria, wearing a flowing morning gown and a warm smile, walked in.
“Nori, what’s going on? Who’s upset you again?”
Nori looked up and exclaimed joyfully upon seeing Moria, “Sister Moria! You finally came to see me!”
“Hehe, I come to see you whenever I have time,” Moria said with a voice full of affection, breaking the room’s tension. “Laura, quickly bring that newly arrived dress over and let Nori try it on.”
The slightly plump maid at her side hurriedly responded and soon returned with a stunningly radiant dress held carefully in her hands.
The hem of the dress instantly captured Nori’s gaze. She took it with delight, clutching it lovingly to her chest.
“Sister Moria, you’re so good to me. Nori likes you the most!”
After saying that, she couldn’t help but grumble about the King and Queen’s strict discipline with a hint of coquettishness.
“Don’t worry, I’m here. From now on, whatever you want, just tell me. I’ll do my best to get it for you.” Moria gently stroked Nori’s hair.
“Yay! That’s great!”
Nori suddenly threw herself at Moria, wrapping her arms tightly around her waist. The Butler sighed quietly, having noticed this.
Just then, another person entered.
It was Marentia, head lowered. She had already changed into dry clothes and was tiptoeing awkwardly into the room.
“Where were you? Why are you coming back so late?”
Nori’s face immediately darkened upon seeing her personal maid return, her tone tinged with displeasure.
Marentia answered with a hint of panic in her voice, “Sorry, Your Highness. I accidentally got my clothes wet, so I spent extra time cleaning the attic.”
Nori sneered coldly, grabbed the flower vase on the table, and violently smashed it to the floor. The sharp sound of breaking shattered throughout the room.
Marentia trembled in fear but dared not utter a complaint, quietly squatting to carefully pick up the fragments, her movements full of humility.
Seeing this, Moria shook her head lightly. “Marentia, you’re too careless. Nori, maybe I should get you a more attentive maid?”
At this, Nori’s lips tightened slightly, a flash of caution crossing her eyes. But she quickly turned and showed a brilliant smile.
“It’s okay! Nori is used to using maids like this!”
“Is that so? Good then,” Moria smiled and nodded, then turned to leave. “I have other matters to attend to. I’ll come keep you company next time.”
Nori nodded, watching Moria, Laura, and the Butler depart.
The setting sun streamed through the window, casting a glow on her tender face. Once she was sure they had all gone, Nori hurriedly locked the door behind her.
“Nori…”
Marentia, finishing picking up the last shard, looked up at Nori.
“A little hurt?” Nori’s anger was gone, replaced by a gentle smile. “This much, Tia shouldn’t mind, right?”
“It’s okay, it doesn’t hurt,” Marentia whispered, gazing at Nori’s beautiful yet innocent face. “I understand why Nori does this. For you, I’m willing to endure everything.”
Nori casually tossed the new dress aside. Among the piles of clothing, Moria’s gifts were stacked high but none pleased her. Her heart was already filled with another obsession, leaving no room for anything else.
“The things you wanted me to investigate, I’ve brought them,” Marentia handed over a piece of paper. “Unfortunately, I’ve never been able to get into that room belonging to someone named Su Ling, so this is all I’ve found out…”
“No matter. As long as we’re together, we’ll win!”
Suddenly, Marentia felt her chest lightly pressed, and looking down, saw Nori’s small face staring up at her.
“Not that,” Nori tiptoed, barely reaching Marentia’s height, her eyes full of expectation. “Now… no one sees us.”
“Yes.”
“So, um, Nori can… have a kiss?”
“I, I know.”
Marentia bent down knowingly.
Bathed in the golden rays of the setting sun, their lips met softly at first.
An ordinary kiss, then growing more intense.
Nori’s small mouth opened slightly, cheeks flushed. Her hands pressed against Marentia’s body, gently pushing the maid backward to the edge of the bed. Then, the two collapsed onto the bed.
“Nori, are you sure this is okay? You’re still too young…”
Marentia closed her eyes shyly, fully aware of what she was doing.
A lowly human maid and a Princess of the Royal Family—this was a forbidden underground relationship.
Any hint of such contact would stain the status of the royal bloodline.
If rumors ever spread, if any whispers ever started inside the Castle, their brief, warm moments would be destroyed, plunging them into an abyss of no return.
This love was like hanging on the edge of a cliff, trembling and on the verge of falling.
“Nori is already twenty-four years old, you know,” Nori’s small hands untied Marentia’s hairband, fingers threading through her hair.
“Although I look like I’m only twelve, if you count by your human standards, Nori is already twenty-four. Tia is only twenty-one this year, right? Three years younger than me.”
But…
“Does Tia not like doing this kind of thing with Nori?”
“Not at all.”
Marentia remained silent. The two held each other tightly. She felt Nori’s soft, slightly chilled body curling into her arms like a small animal.
She struggled to suppress the guilt inside her, but whenever that unease arose, her love for Nori overwhelmed it completely.
“Has no one else found out about this kind of relationship?”
Marentia asked softly, her fingertips stroking the smooth skin of Nori’s shoulder.
No one knows. Probably, it’s like this.
(Drew some rough sketches; there may be official character designs later. If anyone has suggestions, feel free to share.)
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