Chapter 89 - 16: You Are Eliminated

Chapter 89: Chapter 16: You Are Eliminated

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.

Following the polite, restrained knocking came a refined, gentle male voice. "Is Princess Lilia here? I am the Interior Minister of the Royal Court, Amos Perry."

Hearing these words, Rebecca immediately gaped in shock. Why would the Royal Court’s Interior Minister suddenly come looking for them? Could it be... were the wild fantasies she had just been entertaining in her head actually coming true?!

Rebecca felt dizzy. She watched helplessly as Lilia opened the door and let in the Interior Minister who called himself Amos.

He glanced around the clean and tidy, yet cramped and dilapidated cabin, a look of self-reproach crossing his face. He explained that ever since His Majesty the King learned of Princess Lilia’s situation, he had felt deeply guilty. When he initially brought her back to the Royal Court, His Majesty the King had intended for her to live a comfortable life, free from the bullying and ostracization she had suffered in the orphanage. Little did he know that the incompetent stewards under him had completely misinterpreted his intentions, leaving Lilia to suffer injustice in such a run-down shack for all these years.

Now that His Majesty the King was aware of her plight, he would never let her suffer again. From now on, she would have her own palace and her own maids. Not only that, but the managers and servants who had bullied her in the past would receive their due punishment.

"As per His Majesty the King’s orders, your palace has been prepared with the utmost haste," Amos said respectfully. "If you wish, you may move in right now."

As soon as he said this, Lilia remained relatively unfazed, but Rebecca, who was listening nearby, felt as though she had stepped on soft cotton, completely floating on air. A new palace was fully prepared... Did that mean they were really moving into a grand house right away?!

In that moment, Rebecca practically wanted to pack Lilia’s bags immediately and leave with the Interior Minister. It wasn’t that she had an obsession with big houses; rather, she firmly believed that such a tiny, pathetic cabin was completely unbefitting of Lilia’s status.

Just as Rebecca suppressed her excitement, ready to start packing at a moment’s notice, the girl standing in front of her spoke up. "I’m sorry, Mr. Perry, but could you wait for me for a moment?"

"Of course," Amos said. "Is there something you still need to finish? Perhaps I can be of assistance."

"No, it’s not that." Lilia smiled. "My maid cooked a meal for me, and I want to finish eating with her before we head over."

Rebecca was stunned, then rendered speechless. Under the Interior Minister’s astonished gaze, the little maid who had been standing on the sidelines suddenly threw herself forward, wailing.

She instinctively reached out to grab Lilia’s arm, but stopped, afraid that doing so would offend her. Her pale blue eyes were completely washed with tears. "...Princess Lilia, you’re truly too good to me! Waaaah... I swear to follow you to the death! From now on, whoever you tell me to bite, I’ll bite! Waaaah!"

Amos fell silent. He turned his gaze back to Lilia’s face. A gentle smile lingered at the corners of the girl’s mouth. If he remembered correctly, her expression had barely changed since the moment he walked through the door. This princess... she didn’t seem to be the simple, kind, and talented lucky girl he had imagined her to be.

After having lunch with Rebecca, Lilia, led by Amos, arrived at the new palace the King had prepared for her.

Just as Amos had promised, His Majesty the King had given her the very best of everything currently available. The new palace was in no way inferior even to Veronica’s. Aside from the fact that it lacked a bit of liveliness—being inhabited by only two living people, Lilia and Rebecca—it was practically flawless.

Before leaving, Amos mentioned that his head manager was currently screening the servants within the Royal Court. Soon, qualified candidates would be brought before Lilia so she could personally select those who would serve her in the future.

Lilia actually didn’t care much about this. She was used to living on her own. Even if she needed someone to take care of her daily needs, having Rebecca around was more than enough.

Who knew what criteria Amos’s subordinates were using to "screen" those servants. She had seen plenty of similar dramas and movies; her current situation made it the perfect time for others to plant spies by her side. After witnessing the Crown Prince succession struggles in both the Lien and Ovis kingdoms, Lilia wasn’t about to take such matters lightly.

However, making Rebecca solely responsible for the cleaning and maintenance of this entire palace was asking a bit too much. Although Rebecca insisted she could handle it without a problem, Lilia wasn’t some heartless capitalist. Hiring a few people specifically to sweep and maintain the courtyards was perfectly fine. Lilia was too lazy to waste time on such matters, and since she still had classes to attend, she simply delegated the authority to Rebecca.

Upon receiving her orders, Rebecca felt that she had been entrusted with absolute faith! She immediately stood straight and saluted, declaring that she would do her utmost to handle the task perfectly. Her attitude was so deadly serious that she looked ready to sign a blood oath on the spot.

Leaving Lilia’s room, Rebecca hurried toward the front hall while calculating in her mind what kind of people she should hire. They needed to be absolutely loyal to Princess Lilia, first and foremost! Secondly, their character had to be considered; she couldn’t let anyone with sticky fingers in, as that would easily cause trouble. In addition, personal competence was also important. At the very least, they had to be able to follow instructions, not do the exact opposite of what they were told...

Just as she was counting the criteria on her fingers, Rebecca suddenly heard the gossiping voices of a few girls coming from around the corner.

"Annie? You... why are you here too? Didn’t you say Princess Veronica was everyone’s role model?"

"T-That doesn’t change anything! Weren’t you also saying you wanted to go to Prince Leo’s side, yet here you are?"

"Oh, come on, let’s not throw each other under the bus. Wouldn’t it be great if we could all stay here together? After all, we’re already familiar with each other."

"Exactly! Speaking of which, don’t you guys think Princess Lilia’s name sounds a bit familiar?"

"Is she... the one Rebecca was talking about before?"

"That’s impossible, right? I heard His Majesty the King dotes on this princess so much that he’s letting her personally select her own maids. How could someone like that possibly take a liking to Rebecca? If that were true, her taste would be far too terrible."

"True..."

The voices drew closer. Hearing these all-too-familiar voices, Rebecca’s first instinct was to hide, but then she remembered her current status. She was Princess Lilia’s personal maid! She had been entrusted with the important responsibility of selecting the servants by Princess Lilia herself!

With that thought, Rebecca puffed out her chest, kept her chin high, and marched straight ahead without breaking her stride, bumping right into the several maids coming around the corner.

"Ah..." Annie and the others all widened their eyes when they saw her.

"Rebecca?!"

"What are you doing here?!"

As soon as the words left their mouths, they almost immediately noticed the uniform Rebecca was wearing. Whether it was the fabric or the tailoring, it was vastly superior to theirs. They had only ever seen similar styles on the female head stewards. But... Rebecca... a head steward?! How was that possible!

Under the surprised and utterly shocked gazes of the group of maids, Rebecca crossed her arms over her chest, trying her best to put on an imposing front.

"Excuse me." Although she was angry, she maintained basic politeness so as not to embarrass Princess Lilia. "I heard everything just now. I can’t believe you would dare to insult Princess Lilia right in my presence.

"As the person personally appointed by the Princess... the manager in charge this time!

"I announce that you are all rejected!"