109 – 109. The Monastery
A secluded monastery located on the outskirts of Wyrill Province, adjacent to the capital.
It was a facility where about thirty nuns spent their entire lives in faith and labor.
Not only nuns lived here.
…
Swoosh.
The doll-like appearance with neatly tied black hair, and a rough linen dress that didn’t match her appearance.
Princess Anais, the third princess of the empire, was skillfully undoing a failure.
“I’m getting used to this kind of thing now.”
She was currently weaving lace.
The tools she used were relatively simple.
Several failures tightly wound with thread, a knitting basket placed on the table, hairpins, and even a pattern underneath.
They were nothing more than items that anyone could obtain if they set their mind to it.
The secret to creating high-value goods with these simple tools was skill.
Anais diligently unraveled the thread and crossed it with swift hand movements, fully immersed in her work.
Swoosh. Click.
Her skill in weaving lace using eight failures had already reached an advanced level. It was a speed that was hard to believe for someone in their first year of labor. Although she was currently only weaving simple patterns for tablecloths…
From Noble mtl dot com
Anais’s talent was already recognized throughout the entire monastery.
“Anais, you’re truly skilled.”
“…Sister.”
“I mean it. When I was your age, I used to do needlework like Hudret.”
An elderly nun overseeing the work said, looking pleased with Anais.
It didn’t seem like she was complimenting Anais as a princess.
‘There’s no reason for that.’
Anais glanced up at the nun. She had spent her entire life in the monastery. She would continue to live there until she died. Why would she want to impress a fallen princess who enjoyed some movie?
It was definitely a sincere compliment.
But the feeling of being praised wasn’t exactly pleasant. It was rather bitter.
How did she end up in the position of being recognized for lacework?
Looking around, women in similar situations as her were slowly weaving lace with lost expressions. Those without enthusiasm were carrying the burden of failure. What’s the use of being recognized as a genius here?
The old nun, unaware of Anais’s pace, continued her praise.
“Anais, I want to entrust you with a new task starting tomorrow.”
“A new task?”
“If it’s you, you can quickly adapt to even more delicate needlework. I’ve been doing lacework for over 40 years, but you, with such talent, are a first.”
“…”
“Even compared to Helen, in her 8th year, or Lauren, in her 9th, you’re similar or even better. You can do it.”
Anais’s face froze at the nun’s announcement.
Despite working mechanically during this time, her heart was already filled with unease.
It wasn’t the fear of the new task she would be given. She could adapt somehow. As the nun said, her talent was outstanding.
However, it was increasingly evident that she was adapting to the life of a laborer.
“I have to continue living like this in the future.”
Her work was incredibly simple.
She woke up at five in the morning.
After washing with cold water, she said her morning prayers.
And the rest of her time was all labor.
Her main job was lace-making, but she also found time to tend to the vegetable garden and herb garden.
The only fortunate thing was that, thanks to her noble status, she was able to avoid truly difficult labor such as laundry or caring for patients. However, it was not much consolation. The fact that she spent most of her day in labor did not change.
Is this really a convent? Or is it a labor camp?
Anaïs, who was caught in confusion.
At that moment, a middle-aged woman who was working beside her spoke up. She was a woman who had been abandoned here after losing her husband a long time ago. Perhaps due to being trapped for too long, her mind was not fully intact.
“I’m really, really envious, Your Highness.”
“…….”
“Lace made with a 12-point pattern is mainly used for underwear or dresses, and it’s really expensive. Even if my husband worked at a bank or a trading company, he wouldn’t be able to easily afford it. But with Your Highness’s skill, you could quickly reach that level, don’t you think?”
“I’m not interested, so stop there,”
“I’m really, really envious. There’s room for improvement. I also liked lace when I was young!”
She decided not to respond.
Anais had no interest in whether the lace she made with her own hands went into curtains or negligees.
Her focus on the work was purely to pass the time quickly. She had never turned on the light just to show off her skill.
Swish, swish.
Anais quickly made a lace tablecloth.
“Faster…!”
There were cheers around, but Anais paid no attention.
She was busy thinking about the face of the person who had trapped her here.
…
Evening. Anais finished her work and returned to her lodging.
It was the only time she could use at her discretion.
There wasn’t much she could do in the limited time.
“It’s the same every day anyway.”
The only important thing was to find out about the news of the system.
She was practically cut off from the outside world. Letters were allowed, but only incoming ones. And even those were censored.
Surprisingly, the person who wrote the most letters to her was her stepsister, Sienna. At first glance, they seemed comforting, but if you read them carefully, they were filled with subtle attacks, mockery, and cornering.
“Crazy woman.”
It was even scarier because she knew Sienna was just teasing her for fun.
But these days, Sienna’s mental attacks had weakened.
The knights who accompanied her were the main source of information for her. They were knights who were practically living in exile with Anais. Although they had fallen, Anais was still a princess. Security was necessary.
In fact, it wasn’t easy to have conversations with the knights.
“They also subtly ignore me.”
Outwardly, they were polite.
But the knights often made excuses to avoid passing on outside news. Sometimes, they even showed signs of annoyance. They probably didn’t want to treat the princess who spent ten hours a day making lace with excessive respect.
If you’re not afraid of the criticism from the knights, it’s a lie.
Still, there was no other way, so I decided to ask.
“What’s the news from outside?”
“For now, let me tell you about the state affairs. The remains of Hayden and Ian, the brothers who were slaughtered earlier, have been buried in the public cemetery. Although Queen Victoria instructed to scatter them in the river, they were buried at the military minister’s request.”
For some reason, the journalist’s attitude was quite polite.
I don’t know why they’re behaving like this, but it’s not a bad thing.
“Did Victoria sister go that far?”
“Yes. It’s certain.”
“She must have gone crazy. As expected, she took medicine. I’m sure of it.”
“I really don’t know about that. …And I somehow managed to get information about the academy friends as well. It turns out Iris, who was my classmate, was running an op*ium den with her boyfriend and got expelled when it was revealed later.”
“She was a good girl. Sienna might be framing her.”
“Well, I don’t know about that either.”
“And what else?”
“It is said that Leon Rotherdale played a significant role in subduing a devil-worshipping group that appeared in Lepstow during the process. I’m not sure about the details, but there are even rumors that he killed a newly manifested devil. If it’s true, it’s a very significant achievement.”
“That senior?”
Anais turned dumbfounded and just nodded.
The last image of Leon Rotherdale was still vivid in her memory.
It was honestly confusing to see that crazy senior who used to smile brightly and shake hands become a master, and then shortly after, heard that he became a member of the punitive forces. But she didn’t doubt it. There was a way to explain that incident.
Alan Madox.
He was probably playing a prank. Taking advantage of Leon Rotherdale’s weakened state, he set a trap…
Ah.
Anais, who had been burning with resentment towards Alan, hardened her expression.
It was she who had made the health syrup and spread it. Honestly, even in the early days of decadence, there were times when she shed tears while thinking of Senior Leon. At that time, he was such a strange character, but now she wondered how much he had deteriorated.
But the feeling of guilt was fleeting.
Immediately, her anger welled up again.
“Alan Maydoff.”
No matter how much she thought about it, all the misfortunes surrounding her were because of Alan Maydoff.
A living disaster, quite literally.
In her imagination, Anais had killed that bastard Alan in all sorts of gruesome ways. There were times when she burned him to death, times when she stabbed him hundreds of times while he was still alive, and times when she murdered him in the middle of a square with a guillotine.
Killing him over and over again never got boring.
It was just regrettable that she couldn’t put it into action.
“Your Highness, I will prepare the bathwater.”
The maid spoke with a curt attitude.
Why is this woman suddenly acting like this? I won’t refuse, but it’s a bit strange. After all, Anais doesn’t expect to be rewarded just because she’s loyal to her now.
“It won’t hurt.”
Anais nodded slowly. And while the bathwater was being prepared, she contemplated once again how to kill Alan.
After all, there was nothing else to do in the monastery.
**
She couldn’t just sit still and become Anais’s pawn.
From Noble mtl dot com
That was the thought that came to her as soon as she returned home.
Was I afraid to use a woman who hated me as a pawn? I used to worry about that. If I married her, I would have to endure the risk of being stabbed and killed while sleeping.
Looking back now, it was nothing to handle Anais. It was relatively easy to overpower her.
If she had the intelligence of an empress, she wouldn’t have bothered to consult with Anais. Anais, of course, might still have some value as a pawn, but she was not capable of planning a rebellion together. She’s probably still locked up in the monastery without a care.
The reason I wanted to avoid Anais was because of her sisters.
“There’s no way those two are just sleeping.”
There was not only the danger of a coup, but I didn’t think the two of them would compromise with the empress’s authority… at least not voluntarily. I don’t know how we ended up in this situation, but analyzing the cause was meaningless.
Now my goal was to prevent a civil war, even if it meant that.