The surviving princess {Liskook}

Chapter 7

A young maid who had worked at the Jeon mansion for generations raised her voice.

“She may be unwell, but she is still our young madam. A royal we wouldn’t normally dare to look in the eye.”

Who could argue with that? The maid firmly addressed the newcomers who looked displeased.

“The world may be as it is, but our job is to do as we’re told, nothing more.”

“Yes, the marriage was ordered by His Majesty the King, and both the master and the young master have accepted it. Our duty is to serve her well.”

With the experienced maids taking a firm stance, the newer ones, who hadn’t worked at the mansion for long, fell silent. They quietly exchanged glances and resumed mending the seams they were working on.

The discipline at the Jeon household was far stricter than that of other noble houses. Starting from the head of the family, boundaries were clear, and frivolity was not tolerated, making the staff even more diligent in their duties.

However, the newly hired maids, brought in due to a shortage of hands following the victory, found this ethos strange and hard to understand.

“Oh, we shouldn’t be idling like this.”

One of the maids suddenly snapped out of it and ran to inform the butler that the princess was with them and that the royal maid was absent.

When Jungkook returned to the Jeon mansion after completing his afternoon training, he inquired, “Where is my wife?”

“She wandered around the mansion this morning and is now in the maids’ workroom,” the butler replied.

Jungkook headed to the workroom, where he overheard the maids’ chatter through the slightly open door.

“So, the cat I saw a few times in the backyard had fur as white as this. You didn’t see it, did you?”

“No, I was always at the estate. This is my first time at the capital mansion this year. It must have been so cute.”

Jungkook listened for a moment before knocking on the door. Entering, he found Lisa lying on a pile of clothes, snoring softly. It seemed the maids had covered her with a blanket.

The maids, who had been chattering away, were startled by the young master’s sudden visit and quickly stood up, flustered.

“Where are the palace maids? Mrs. Maleca or Mrs. Dialle?” Eirik asked.

“They went to eat during the shift change,” one maid replied.

Jungkook’s eyes narrowed. The maids, seeing his displeasure, were at a loss for words until one brave senior maid hurriedly explained, “So we’ve been looking after the young madam. We informed the head maid and the butler.”

Knowing that his mother was aware of the situation, Jungkook felt somewhat reassured. He picked up Lisa, blanket and all, and left the workroom.

As he carried her up the stairs, the princess remained calm in his arms. However, once they reached the bedroom, she started to squirm. He gently placed her on the bed, but she crawled away towards the other side of the bed as soon as she was set down.

Jungkook watched her, puzzled. It didn’t seem like she had any particular reason for wanting to get down or move away.

Approaching his wife, he brushed some loose threads from her tangled hair. She seemed to stay still for a moment but then quickly slid off the bed and sat on the floor, staring blankly.

It seemed she didn’t particularly like his touch. Perhaps she only saw him as a means to transport her from one room to another.

Jungkook let out a small, involuntary laugh. He recalled the maids’ conversation about the white cat they had seen in the garden. Her face, when not wearing that odd smile, did have a rather aloof look to it.