Subliminal Wayfarer

The space provided to Carynne was far more than just a single room.

For someone who had the status equivalent to the crown princess, it was customary to allocate not just one room but an entire suite of areas. Seven rooms, a hall, a reception room, a studio, and even a music room equipped with instruments. A four-story palace building was designated as the domain of the crown princess.

When the owner of such a space was gone, and enough time had passed, those areas were typically repurposed. During the social season, they might be lent to other nobles or used as storage for artwork.

However, the late crown princess’s quarters had remained vacant. Leaving such a large and prestigious space near the crown prince’s palace unused was unusual—it was considered wasteful. Still, no one dared to approach it.

“They say it’s haunted.”

“They say the late crown princess wanders around crying.”

“Some say they’ve heard screams.”

These weren’t just baseless rumors. Servants had repeatedly gone missing or been found dead in the area. Despite all precautions, ominous events continued to occur. As a result, servants minimized the time spent managing the area and avoided it whenever possible.

Unlike the crown prince’s palace—a space of decadence, debauchery, and luxury—the crown princess’s quarters were eerie and somber.

That was, until Crown Prince Gueuze decided to house Carynne Hare there. Carynne sighed as she looked at the maid.

“Regardless, couldn’t you at least bring the washbasin on time?”

“I-I apologize… M…Miss Hare.”

The maid, glancing nervously, placed a silver tray with water in front of her. Carynne Hare, the dazzling woman now seated beside Crown Prince Gueuze, lived as though she feared nothing under the heavens, adorning herself with all manner of precious jewels.

‘If I had even one of those, I’d live comfortably for the rest of my life.’

This was what went through the maid’s head, though she didn’t dare to act on it.

Fear of Crown Prince Gueuze stopped her. Everyone knew what happened to servants who failed to meet Gueuze’s expectations—they faced harsh consequences.

Among even the most demanding nobles, Gueuze was unparalleled in his capriciousness. Noblemen like Baron Ein, who worked to cater to his whims, often sighed in frustration, retreating to private spaces to chain-smoke. For common servants, dealing with Gueuze was even more precarious.

Gueuze hated even the sight of cleaning staff. He was exceptionally finicky, with moods that shifted hourly.

If he ordered a fire to be lit because it was cold, and it was, he might then hurl a teacup at someone’s face, accusing them of trying to roast him alive. If their face became bloody, he would kick them, complaining that their unsightly appearance was distressing him.

In the morning, he might summon a prostitute and gift her diamonds, only to release his dog to chase her away at night, clapping as she fled. If she survived, she was lucky. Sometimes, people simply disappeared without a trace.

Thus, the servants learned to live as though they were invisible, doing nothing beyond their instructions. What they were ordered to do, they must complete without fail.

“If the water is too cold, I’ll add more hot water.”

“No, this is fine. And don’t sprinkle petals in it anymore—they get in the way when I wash.”

“Understood.”

Compared to Crown Prince Gueuze, this red-haired noble lady, who clearly stated her preferences and complaints, was an easy master. The real issue lay with her status. Gueuze had granted her the crown princess’s quarters but had not given her any formal title.

‘How should we treat her?’

This was the shared dilemma among the servants.

If Gueuze were treating her like his consort, lower nobles instead of common servants should have been serving her. But that would require Gueuze to grant his mistress’s husband a title, which in turn would bestow her with a rank akin to that of a duchess.

Yet Carynne was unmarried, and no one knew how far Gueuze intended to elevate her. A position close to him was precarious—one day cherished, the next gone.

Despite the instability of her place, Carynne seemed indifferent, focusing only on her appearance and sighing deeply.

“What about the cosmetics I requested?”

“They’re expected to arrive tomorrow, Miss. Should I summon someone to assist you with your makeup?”

“Yes.”

Carynne closed her eyes. The maids moved cautiously around her, their hands brushing lightly over her body. They weren’t entirely sure if they were the right ones to be serving Carynne. Even though Carynne herself wasn’t a particularly demanding master, the looming presence of Crown Prince Gueuze left them no choice but to tread carefully.

 

“Did the head maid say anything?”

“She was furious that a mistress dared to use the crown princess’s quarters.”

“Is that all? She didn’t say what we’re supposed to do?”

“No… so what should we do?”

“Stay quiet and be careful.”

“Right.”

 

If Carynne was destined to remain Crown Prince Gueuze’s favored mistress for a long time, it was easier to just bow and obey. In fact, if she were that level of mistress, the palace would have already replaced them with noble attendants from the main palace. Having commoner servants like them around could be seen as an insult to Carynne’s status.

But the head maid had firmly refused such a request.

 

“How could we assign daughters of baronial families to serve a woman with no formal title!”

 

The head maid harbored disdain for the crown prince’s young mistress. The more influence a mistress like Carynne gained, the more her own authority diminished. Besides, the absence of any formal title suggested that Carynne’s position beside the crown prince wouldn’t last long—a belief that influenced the head maid’s decision.

The king, though old, stubbornly refused to abdicate to the crown prince. The crown prince himself had no official wife, the crown prince’s son was still a child, and the royal palace’s only women were the aging mistresses of the king. Thus, Carynne Hare’s arrival had drawn significant attention.

How far would Crown Prince Gueuze elevate her?

How should they treat her? As royalty? A mistress? Or a courtesan who would soon be discarded?

Tension filled the palace as people cast wary glances, their minds racing to predict her future.

.

.

Clatter!

“No, no! Please, you can’t, Your Highness!”

The peaceful days didn’t last.

The maids of the crown princess’s quarters were horrified to see someone who should never have entered. Someone no one wanted to see here—Prince Lewis.

“Are you trying to stop me?”

Prince Lewis looked at the maids blocking his way with a mix of disbelief and annoyance. The knights behind him wore fierce expressions, but the maids were more terrified of Gueuze than of Lewis.

“Please forgive us, Your Highness. But the person residing in this room—”

“—Could very well be my future mother.”

“No, no, Your Highness! How could you… how could you dare…?”

“Can you take responsibility for those words?”

“…Your Highness! But if we… if we incur Crown Prince Gueuze’s wrath, we’ll face severe consequences…”

Hearing them invoke Gueuze’s name, Lewis stared at the maids in disbelief before turning to his knights.

“So, they’re stopping me because dealing with this later would be inconvenient for them? What do you think?”

The knights glared at the maids as one of them spoke.

“They must be severely punished.”

“This is unacceptable. The laws of the palace are strict, and these maids are defying them for their own comfort. No one may obstruct a royal.”

“No, Your Highness!”

“What does the law say about interfering when a mere noble gives advice to a royal?”

“There is no such clause. It can be dealt with summarily.”

“……!”

The maids turned pale.

Technically, they weren’t even allowed to speak to a royal without permission. That Lewis had been mild-mannered and far younger than Gueuze had allowed them to forget this. But now, Lewis seemed particularly agitated about Carynne Hare, displaying an unprecedented sharpness.

“I will forgive your insolence this time. But your work is your responsibility. Do not try to shift that burden onto me. Do not take advantage of my leniency.”

“…W-We shall withdraw, Your Highness.”

At last, the maids realized that the presence of a mistress like Carynne could provoke insecurity over Lewis’s claim to the throne.

“I will see that woman.”

Prince Lewis’s icy expression bore an uncanny resemblance to his father’s.

 

* * *

 

“I always knew my father would try to kill me someday.”

“Do you believe it?”

“What’s there to believe or not? It’s obvious. Pass me the sugar, will you?”

Lewis sighed heavily as he added milk and sugar to his tea—one spoonful, two, three… up to five spoons—before finally taking a sip. Despite his childlike preference for sweetness, his expression was anything but lighthearted.

“Your Highness, for now, you shouldn’t drink tea with too much sugar. If poison is added, it’ll be harder to detect.”

“If my father wants to kill me, I doubt he’d resort to something as crude as that. Colorless and tasteless would be the minimum standard.”

Lewis grumbled as he sipped his overly sweet tea, which was closer to a sugary drink than proper tea.

‘What would he do if I did add poison to the sugar?’

Carynne thought to herself but kept the thought unspoken. Instead, she pulled a crystal vial from her pocket.

“I’m not sure if it’s colorless and tasteless, but I did receive this. Along with some rope and a dagger.”

“…What’s this?”

“Just so you know, don’t even think about tasting it.”

“Amusing joke, but rather grim, Miss Hare.”

“I say it out of concern for you, Your Highness.”

Lewis stared intently at the transparent liquid inside the crystal vial, but there was no way to discern its properties just by looking at it.

“What would happen if I just touched it to my tongue and spat it out right away?”

“Your Highness, I want to live a long life.”

‘Everyone here would lose their heads.’

Lewis seemed to agree. He handed the vial to his escort knight, who carefully transferred the liquid to another bottle he had brought and returned the empty vial to Carynne.

“I’ll have it analyzed.”

“Will this serve as evidence?”

“No, it’s not enough to prove that my father is trying to kill me.”

Lewis sighed.

“It’ll just serve as evidence to have your head removed, Miss Hare. On the grounds that you’re slandering royalty.”

“…I thought as much.”

Carynne sighed as well.

Even though Prince Lewis was cooperating with her and seemed to trust her, he was still a member of the royal family, and the situation didn’t favor her. Even if Carynne testified, Crown Prince Gueuze would undoubtedly dismiss her as ‘a liar driven by ambition for the throne’ and cast her aside.

“Let’s think about it together,” Lewis suggested.

But in truth, there wasn’t much else they could do.

For now, all they could do was watch Crown Prince Gueuze. Carynne looked down at the dagger Gueuze had given her and recalled the underground prison she had been dragged to in her previous life.

Back then, Gueuze had brought Lewis to the basement too. He had killed Lewis, and Carynne had killed him in turn. No matter how powerful someone is, they can die if stabbed, poisoned, or strangled.

She ran her fingers over the dagger. If she gave up on this life… the answer would be relatively simple.

“I’ll kill Crown Prince Gueuze.”

“Anything but that.”

“That is the most realistic way to protect Your Highness.”

“…Drink some more tea, Sir Raymond.”

In lieu of Lewis, the captain of the royal guard interjected.

But Raymond refused to back down, continuing to look at the young prince.

“But, Your Highness…”

“Drink your tea, Sir Raymond.”

Carynne stopped Raymond, relieved she hadn’t spoken up first.

“Sir Raymond, that’s not a suggestion worth considering.”

“Why not?”