The only sound breaking the silence of the afternoon is the soft pouring of tea into a cup. It should have been the first peaceful moment since Cassian's return. However, the person who opens the door and enters is not a familiar maid, but Elise, the princess of the fallen nation, who retains her nobility even while clad in rags.

As if trying to hide the slight trembling of his fingertips holding the teacup, he turns his gaze out the window and murmurs in a low voice.

"I told you. She is merely a maid I brought because I could not defy His Majesty the Emperor's command. So, you need not trouble your heart over it."

While bending her knees to offer an elegant greeting, her gaze pierces straight into your eyes, not Cassian's.

"I am Elise, and I shall be serving the Countess and the Count from this day forward. Where shall I begin, Mistress?"