--The next day's service turned out to be most uncomfortable for Shayla.

Most of the nobles living in the capital use the temple in the nobleman's quarter for the Lord's Day service.
However, those who lived in the inner palace, the concubines, were not allowed to go outside.
As for what to do, there is an old custom that when the royal family remains in the inner palace, they invite a priest from the temple in the royal capital to temporarily cleanse a room and make it a temporary worship room. Thanks to Madame Magnom's skillful work, a room in the inner palace had been transformed into a temple with a proper altar.

Since the service was scheduled to start at a certain time, Lidil and Nasha had insisted on picking Shayla up before the time. However, if the two of them were to act with Shayla today, the malice that was directed at Shayla would be directed at them as well.
Therefore, Shayla found out from Ray what time the prayer room would be open, and decided to go in at that exact time and spend the time until the service.

The more serious members of the household, who arrived well before the service time, were sympathetic to Shayla. The second person to enter the room, a young lady of the Red Roses, whose name I do not know, even said, "I heard you had a difficult day yesterday. It is safe to assume that the incident in the courtyard has already become known throughout the palace.
As proof of this, as the time for the service approached, the gazes of the high ranking ladies who entered the room, whether they were from the Peony or the Red Rose faction, were tremendous. Regardless of the reason, it was clear that Shayla had behaved inappropriately yesterday. The higher the lady's rank, the more unforgivable her behavior would be.

--When the Named Ladies finally showed up, the blatant gazes of the ladies burned Shayla's skin.

Violet-sama, Suzuran-sama, and Waterlily-sama, seemingly unconcerned with the events of yesterday, slipped through the gaze and gracefully sat down on the upper throne in front of the altar.
--The last person to enter the room, however, was Master Peony.

She paused as she walked through the door, her soft cream-colored dress swaying with its fluffy hem. She looked around the room with a smile on her face, and when she turned her head in Shayla's direction, she stopped moving and lowered her eyebrows sadly.
Then, as if rather ashamed of herself, she covered her mouth with a fan and walked slowly, slowly, to her seat.

It was an act that was more than enough to make everyone in the room realize that Master Peony was uncomfortable with Shayla Callerd.

The looks that followed were painful, painful, painful. I couldn't hear a single word the priest said to me. If a glance could kill, Shayla would have died at least ten times in the not-so-long time of worship.
When she was finally released, Shayla was sweating profusely on her back, even though she was prepared for it.

(......, though she was able to pray at least. Whether or not the god Amenos would hear her or not.

When it was my turn to pray, I prayed for 'gratitude for the fate that led me to the inner palace and for the happiness of my loved ones' without losing the gaze that stung my back. I will not think about the fact that I probably died a couple of times in that moment.

"I'm home. ......
"Welcome home, Miss Shayla. Welcome home, Miss Shayla. ...... Thank you for your time.

When I got back to my room, Rei, who had taken care of my room, saw from Shayla's expression that I was in a state of shock and gave me a hand. She smiles and sits back in her chair.

I'm fine. I was prepared for this. ...... I'm sorry I dragged you into this, too.
"I'm sorry you had to get involved. No one is foolish enough to harass you under Madame Magnum's supervision. I'm sure the ladies will soon realize how foolish they've been when you return.
"That's not a good idea, Lei.

--Leaning on Juke's feelings to secure a place in the palace is surely not the way to go.
As I recall the uproar of "Who does His Majesty favor among the "famous"? That was what Shayla was thinking as she recalled the uproar.

The palace is not a place to use you, but a place to help you, right?　Competing for His Majesty's favor is only a burden to His Majesty. --I'm not going to take advantage of His Majesty's feelings.
"Master Shayla ......

You have no right to use it. Shayla has not yet been able to give a clear answer to Juke's request.

--I want to help, I do. I'm not sure if I can stand next to that person who stands alone in the lonely position of a king, but I hope I can at least be close by to protect Juke's heart.

No matter how many times he stumbles, no matter how high the wall is in front of him, no matter how much he is overwhelmed by his own pettiness, he is still a pure person who does not try to escape. He is a person who knows his weakness, but refuses to be defeated by it, and has strength at his core.
I no longer doubt the feelings that he has for Shayla. He has given Shayla a clear and beautiful love that transcends all statuses and mutual positions.

"Shayla.

The voice that calls her name with a hint of joy.
The way he touches her cheek with his fingers.
A palm a little hotter than Shayla's stroking her hair.
The careful, gentle way you hold her, as if you were handling something broken.

All of it--all of it, I don't mind.

So I'm confused.
That's why I'm scared.

If I accept that hand...
If I take his presence for granted...

I'm sure I won't be able to bear the loss.
Even the time we spend apart like this will make me feel anxious and lonely, and I might even say something impossibly selfish.
I know that I can't even control my feelings.
I don't even know what will happen to me if I let go of the brakes I'm trying so hard to put on.

I'm too scared - so I can't take the last step.

"...... Originally, the rumors of the Favored Princess were low. I'm not going to stir things up too much on my end and cause chaos in the palace.
"Yes, perhaps. ...... if that's what Shayla-sama wants.
I'm sorry I was so selfish.
No, I'm not.

Ray smiled as he answered.

You can't be selfish when you're Shayla. You have to be a little more unprincipled than that to be worthy of your position as lady-in-waiting.
"Oh, my God, Rei.
I'm not kidding.　It's not a joke. As a royal court attendant, it's my job to make sure that the high-flying princesses stay comfortable while adhering to the rules.



I've never heard of such a strange skill. I'm not sure what to make of this, but I'm sure it's a good idea. ...... However, if you think about it, there are still maids serving the nobility at this very moment, and based on that, Rei's words may not be entirely wrong.

...... It's an amazing place, the Inner Palace.
I'll take that as a compliment.

We looked at each other and chuckled.
--Just then, there was a knock at the door.

"Master Shayla. It's Marika.
Come in.

Marika came in, a tray in her hand. Apparently, she was bringing us lunch.

Oh, by the way, it's almost lunchtime.
It's been a long time since I ate in my room, Miss Shayla. You haven't eaten in your room in a long time, Shayla, so it's no wonder you lose track of time.

Ray smiled serenely and disappeared behind the impulse. She was probably preparing tea for after dinner.

Shayla-sama, I heard that today's meal is a special menu for the Descent Festival!

Marika placed the tray on the desk and beckoned Shayla to hurry up. Marika's movements are still a bit rough, but her carefree attitude often saves the day.
For your information, when you think of a meal at the royal palace, you might imagine something extravagant. The preparation of a meal is as simple as placing a tray on the desk and opening the metal cover to avoid dust.

When Marika sees that Shayla has sat down in her chair, she excitedly takes off the cover.
--And then she froze.

"Aaaaah!

The small room was filled with shouts and the sound of Marika's shroud hitting the floor. Rei, who had been behind the impulse, rushed to show herself.

"Master Shayla, what is it?

In a small room where there was no room for concealment, there was no way to disguise the cause of the anomaly. She took a glance at the desk, saw the plates on the tray, and changed her color.

What a mess. ......!

The food itself was quite ordinary. There is nothing wrong with the bread, the soup, the salad, and the main meat dish.
The problem lies in the fact that there is an oversized long worm wriggling in the soup and a large number of small worms crawling on the bread.

The metal cover, of course, does not allow you to see inside. Meals are prepared in the kitchen, arranged on trays for the side rooms of each room, and covered. The attendants of each room carry the covered trays to their rooms, so there is no way to see inside them.
Of course, Shayla was shocked to see her meal crawling with insects, but I can't imagine how Marika must have felt, carrying such disgusting food without knowing anything about it. In fact, Marika was staring at the top of the tray with tears in her eyes, which was unlike her usual cheerful and cheerful expression. Her fingertips were trembling, and the blood had drained from her face.

Shayla stood up and gently supported Marika's back.

"Marika, are you okay?
"Oh, ......, I'm so sorry, Miss Shayla!

As if she had come to her senses, Marika fell flat on her face. Shayla was rather surprised.

"What's wrong with you all of a sudden? It's not your fault. It's just that you brought us food, like you always do.
"And, sir, you gave Miss Shayla this: ......
I'm fine. So don't worry so much about it.

I've never had a bowl of soup crawling with worms, but last summer, when my aunt and uncle didn't give me enough to eat, I ate leftovers that were almost full of worms. Although she was shocked, she was unfortunately used to seeing insects on food itself.

It's inexcusable. Who in the world would do such a thing to ......!

While Shayla was desperately trying to calm Marika down, Rei was trembling with anger. This is not something Shayla can eat.

The salad and the meat seem to be safe, so that's good.
"That's not the point!

I tried to calm her down, but my words had the opposite effect. Rei's eyes were shaking with agitation that she usually didn't show, but she was trying her best to control it.

You can't do this to Shayla's food. ......!　I have to inform the head mistress immediately.
Wait, Ray. It's better not to make a big deal out of it.
Isn't it disruptive to the palace to leave things like this unattended?
That's true, but...

Basically, Shayla is not very good at fighting over herself. In fact, until she entered the palace, she had never been involved in any conflict.
I'm not sure what to make of that. It's not that I wanted to get into a fight.

I'm sure you'll be happy to know that I'm not the only one who has a problem with this.
...... Are you going to do that with me and Marika?
Of course, I'll help you.
We can't let Master Shayla out of her room under these circumstances!

In this case, Ray is right.
I'm sure you're right. Rei sighed secretly and pushed open the door.
--Open and stop.

"...... Ray?
You must not look, Master Shayla!

Ray shouted sharply and tried to close the door, but he was too late. It's a good thing you're not the only one who has a problem with this. ...... It was probably a chicken.



If you don't process the ...... properly, it won't taste good.
"That's not the point!

Rei's almost scream was mixed with a very obvious truth: "Why are you so calm? Rei's nearly screaming words contained the very obvious truth: "Why are you so calm? Her hand on the door handle was turning white from overexertion.
Shayla gently rubbed Ray's hand to calm her down, and then let go of the handle. This time, she opened the door herself and looked again at what had fallen into the hallway. --It was a chicken. It was a chicken, and from what she could see, it looked freshly cooked.

Thinking for a moment, Shayla slammed the door shut.

"Ray, Marika, I'm going to change.
What's ...... it?
You can't hold a chicken in this dress, you know. If you wear your loungewear and a jacket, it won't be unnatural to go out for a bit, will it?
You can't hold a chicken in your arms. ...... Sheila!　What do you think you're doing?
What do you mean? ...... I was going to take the chickens to the kitchen and see what they had to say.

If it's rotten meat, it's fresh food that's lying on the doorstep. It would be a shame to leave it lying around like this.

--Shayla had been treated as a servant by her stingy aunt and uncle for a year, and had experienced every kind of work from menial jobs to maidservants. Although she had hired an expert cook, she was often left in charge of buying and preparing ingredients, and a freshly roasted chicken was nothing new to her.
To add to that, Shayla was completely isolated from the aristocracy by her aunt and uncle, but that didn't mean she was unsociable. She doesn't mind talking to people, and surprisingly, she's not shy. After she was treated as a servant by her aunt and uncle, when she went out to town on family business, she would exchange words with shopkeepers and people she knew. At the very least, this kept her from being left behind by the world.

For Shayla, it was a foregone conclusion that she would go and find out the truth of the matter in person with a souvenir. Leaving the two dumbfounded maids, Shayla poked her head into the wardrobe and pulled out some reasonable loungewear.
Finally, the two maids came back.

"Wait a minute, Master Shayla!
What are you thinking about? If you want to clean up and report back, we'll do it!
Marika doesn't like bugs and Rei doesn't want to touch chickens.

The two maids of honor, having been right on the money, both clam up. After a while, Marika began to speak up.

I'm not a fan of bugs.　I don't like bugs.
I didn't ask, but I can tell by the way you were acting. You were just startled, you wouldn't have screamed so loudly.
I'm sorry. ......
I don't care about that.

Ray is similar. Her hands were too cold to have been startled. The fear must have temporarily slowed down the flow of blood.

Ray, are you okay with bugs?　If you're okay, I'd like you to come with me to the kitchen with the tray. Marika, go to Lidil and ask him to make sure that none of the other servants' dishes were damaged.

No matter who we report to, we can't do anything if we don't have accurate information. In the event that you've got a lot of time, you'll be able to take a look at the web site and find out more about it.

With Rei helping her get dressed and carrying the tray (still covered, of course), Shayla opened the door again. Picking up the chicken that was still lying on the other side, Shayla turned around.

Marika, take care of the rest.
"Very well, Miss Shayla. --Have a good day.

Marika smiled and bowed her head, almost in tears.
She smiled back at Marika and said, "I'm sorry.

(This is ...... harassment, after all, isn't it?

(This is harassment, isn't it?) -- A valuable maidservant has been hurt by the malice directed at her.

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