The Tyrant’s Leash Is Held by a Maid

Liana sighed as she looked at the violets underfoot.

‘Deborah, are you okay?’

Originally, Deborah and Liana were to follow into the garden of the Imperial Palace. 

However, Deborah’s cheeks were swollen due to the morning’s issue, so Miss Natasha had suggested she take her leave early.

“Have a safe trip…”

The image of Deborah’s back moving away with her shoulders slumped was still vivid in Liana’s mind.

‘I’ll buy you something delicious tomorrow.’

While Liana nodded her head, thinking of her friend’s favorite dessert shop, Deborah’s replacement, Annie, spoke sweetly.

“Liana, you looked really cool today!“

“Huh?”

“I mean what you did to Miss Angelica today. I saw it from behind too!”

“Ah…”

Liana tried to subtly ignore Annie’s sparkling eyes.

“Why- I just said it because it’s true!“

“Still, you said you were prepared to get fired. Awesome!“

She wouldn’t have been fired. Choosing to not say it aloud, Liana shrugged and smiled.

After working five years as a kitchen servant prior to securing the maid’s position, Liana never acted impulsively when working as she was responsible for the future of her niece.

There was only one reason she spoke that way to Angelica. It was because she saw Miss Natasha watching the situation over the window.

Liana determined the line she had to hold only after some calculations. As long as she was Miss Natasha’s exclusive maid, she wouldn’t be able to get along with the Baldwin siblings who were born of the Marquis’ former wife.

After becoming an exclusive maid, Liana’s next goal was to become the maid Miss Natasha would take with her when she married.

If loyalty can be confirmed by being beaten a little, it was worth it.

‘Of course, I wanted to avenge Deborah a bit but…’

Brushing the thoughts away, Liana just rolled her eyes and smiled.

“It’s really not like that.”

“Hey~ Humility…  That’s seriously cool. It’s not easy for a maid like us to do that!”

Liana was embarrassed by Annie’s words and hurriedly changed the topic.

“By the way, Annie, have you ever seen Prince Illyd before?”

“No, it was my first time today!”

Annie put both hands on her cheeks with a dreamy expression as if fascinated. It was the right topic.

“How can a person look like that? He really isn’t Manish?”

“Right. He’s very handsome.”

“After seeing him up close, I thought my heart would pop from my chest. Oh my God, look at this! It’s still running wild!”

Annie put her hand on her chest and took deep breaths.

All girls were the same. Liana smiled softly as she saw Annie reacting similarly to when she first saw Illyd.

“I’m sorry for Deborah, but I think I had a lucky day today…”

Annie glanced at the flower garden, muttering inwardly. Liana too followed Annie’s eyes and looked at the garden.

It was said that the large violet garden was created in the spacious backyard by the order of the previous Emperor, who particularly liked purple.

Although he died without seeing this, no one could deny that it was a good choice.

The flower garden of the Imperial Palace with violets in full bloom was so beautiful that even the numb of heart were captivated.

Everything Liana could see was purple. The flowers that met their season and opened their petals wide showed off their beauty by leaning on each other’s bodies.

The spring sunlight kissed the flowers as if they were lovely and the flowers shone brighter as if delighted by the kiss.

And, amid such a splendid flower garden, there were a man and woman who best matched the flowers.

As he lay in a drowsy pose, Illyd’s brilliant platinum blonde hair shone brightly even in the gazebo’s shade. A summer weight silk shirt suitable for a flowery date was partially unbuttoned, providing a glimpse of his tight chest.

And leaning on the cushion next to him, Natasha was beautiful.

An amazing, dazzling man and woman. So much so that servants standing away from them choose to look at them instead of flowers.

And among the servants bewitched by their beauty were Annie and Liana. Annie was standing at the side of the garden, ready to run whenever called, and whispered again to Liana next to her.

“They get along really well.”

“Right.”

“It would be good if the Prince was a little more sincere.”

‘Yeah. Then maybe I’ll be able to work in the Imperial Palace…’

Holding a slightly different dream from Annie, Liana nodded her head.

*   *   * 

Under the gazebo, far away from Liana and Annie, Natasha’s drowsy voice resounded.

“I think you like my maid, Your Highness?”

Lying across a white cushion, Natasha reached out and stroked a little violet. The cold touch of the living petals on her hand was oddly addictive.

“Your eyes continue to drift in that direction.”

“I wanted to compliment you!”

Illyd, who was looking at Liana, turned his head and answered calmly.

“She deserves a round of applause for dressing you in such a beautiful dress.”

Natasha smiled at the sweet-talk. An adorable dimple was drawn on her cheeks. It looked like a smile that came out of nowhere, but it was a calculated grin to win a man’s favor.

Illyd whispered as he tucked Natasha’s hair behind her ear.

“Having the maid choose your outfit again while coming to see the flowers. Aren’t you afraid of the nymphs’ jealousy?”

“I don’t know about anyone else, but I don’t want to hear that from you!“

“Why?”

“Don’t you know? Who causes the most jealousy in the Empire?”

Illyd giggled at the charming inference. Natasha shuddered and turned her head coyly at the man’s smile upon watching her trying to act all cute.

The maid he was looking at entered her line of sight. Liana and the maid who had come with her were standing calmly on the other side of the flower garden.

The vast purple waves of flowers were swaying in the wind. 

The same wind caused Liana’s hair to gently sway like  a Miscanthus Sinensis field in the fall.*

Liana’s hands, holding her hair and arranging it, were strangely red. Looking again, she was a maid with a noticeably soft impression.

What made this morning’s issue particularly interesting was probably the unexpected firmness that came out of that soft, meek face.

Natasha tapped the soft petals with her fingertips as she recalled the earlier incident.

She poked her head out because she had heard an unusual sound through the open window. And as expected, Angelica, whose hobby was to pick a fight out of pride, had slapped Deborah.

Her stupid half-sister would often vent her anger towards helpless maids who could never argue with her. Although she thought her sister’s behavior was shameful, Natasha used to turn a blind eye since Angelica’s actions didn’t inflict any harm directly to her.

But, today, she didn’t want to do that for some reason.

‘Should I go down or not?’ In the end, it was the bold words of the new maid that made Natasha’s feet move.

As Natasha recalled Liana’s confident words, she smiled coolly.

“Now that I have become an exclusive maid, I don’t think my ears belong to me anymore.”

Natasha thought that child was as soft as the violets in her hands, but she knew how to expose her claws quite a bit.

‘I wish I could have brought it in sooner.’

It was a pity that she had to let her go when her work was done.

Natasha continued to fiddle with the violets and observe Liana. Her amethyst eyes gleamed  in the sunlight as she frowned.

Suddenly Natasha realized that the spring sunlight was stronger than she had expected.

Liana was exposed to the sun, unlike Natasha, who was lying in the shade created by the gazebo. Her pale cheeks were already flushed.

‘It must be hot…’

However, they couldn’t erect a shelter just for maids to use while waiting outside. Natasha continued staring at Liana, making the excuse that she couldn’t help it.

And the way to rescue the maid unexpectedly issued from the Palace owner’s mouth, not the vassal.

Ding~ Ding~

After ringing the bell, Illyd gave the order in a relaxed voice.

“It’s hot, so everyone should stand under the shade. You can bring a chair and sit down.”

“I’m grateful for Your Highness’ generosity.”

The chief servant bowed his head politely, as if genuinely impressed, and spoke to the other servants. 

The servants simultaneously bowed their heads towards Illyd.

He beckoned as if he was bothered and lay down on the cushion again. He shrugged at Natasha, who was staring at him.

“You looked concerned.”

“Me?”

“Of course.”

Natasha asked, narrowing her eyes as she saw him shrug.

“Really, did you give the order because I looked concerned to you?”

“Then who do I care about? Lady Natasha.”

Illyd raised Natasha’s fair, pale hand and kissed it playfully.

“As you said, it doesn’t matter if others are jealous of me.”

His blue eyes shone dazzlingly like the waves of the sea reflecting light.

“But it’s not my taste to be jealous of others.”

Approaching with full-on sweet-talking, Illyd whispered in Natasha’s ear.

“So, will you focus on me, not there? Besides looking at that maid, we have a lot to talk about.”

There was a distance in the whispering voice that reminded her of what she had forgotten.

Recalling the deal proposed at the banquet hall, Natasha quietly opened her mouth.

“…Will you really help me?”

“Of course! It‘s important to me, too.”

The man was terribly good at mimicking a lover, half for entertainment and half for cheating, and finally broached the main topic.

“Bring evidence. Then, as you wish, I will destroy the Baldwin household.”