Yes. Nice to meet you too, madam.

You foolish thing!

Catherine was on the edge of her patience. If she just left like this, wouldnt she be the only one bowing to the young princess? She decided to be more forward and spoke to the girl with indignation.

Princess, cant you understand when I do this?

Yes?

Ive heard that you were dense, but I didnt know it was this bad. I am Your Majesty The Emperors woman and am equivalent to your mother. You should take an example from your role-model.

Ah

Apollonias frustrating answer seemed to make Catherine explode.

And then, calling me madam? Even in the district, addressing your step-mother like that will get you criticized by your neighbors.

Now, wont you call me properly? Catherine didnt lose her elegance while glaring at Apollonia.

Pardon me queen, but I think youre mistaken.

The woman standing next to Apollonia opened her mouth. This middle-aged woman was the nanny, someone who wouldve been the maid of honor, of the Princess.

Are you talking to me now?

You havent mastered the etiquette yet, so it is reasonable that you dont know it, but..

Unlike her small figure, the maid continued to speak firmly with both of her eyes wide open. Catherine then crumpled her face.

Unlike the queen, the status of the empress is below the direct blood-line of the Imperial family. It cannot be compared to the step-mother from a district, so your title would be madam, not Her Majesty.

Wh-what did you say?

It was true. In an empire that worshiped the Imperial family said to inherit the blood of the gods, the only role-model for the crown princesss children was the emperor and the empress. The consort also received the title of a queen but it was still fundamentally different from the crown princess.

However, since there has been no empress for a long time, many of the guests, including Catherine were unaware of the imperial hierarchy. They vaguely thought that the empress-less palace was no different than a concubine palace.

Th-theres no way. None of my maids ever said anything like that.

Its because the Empire has not had an empress in the last few decades. The maids dont know much about the empresss etiquette.

For decades, The Emperor had only one empress and loved her with all his might. Since there was no polygamy from inside or outside the imperial family, the etiquette was discarded and forgotten.

But, but the other empresses

None other than His Majesty The Emperor could give an example to His Highness The Crown Prince or Her Highness The Princess.

Catherine was embarrassed by the stern answer from the maid.

Heyyou sure speak insolently.

When logic was not enough to win against the maid who was well-versed in etiquette, she decided that she would have to rely on authority to save face.

How dare a mere maid get involved in a conversation between the queen and the princess?

As the nobles around her began to murmur, her heart became impatient.

Im just giving you an example of the etiquette that you should know.

So the maid didnt uphold the etiquette to protect the queen?

If something goes wrong, you can punish me with proper evidence.

She seemed compliant, but she specifically asked to punish her only with proper evidence. It was clear that Catherine was arguing without any firm grounds.

How can you lose against a nameless maid?

The maid bowed her head and tried to step back, however, Catherine felt even more ashamed of herself. She turned around and held the maid back in her place.

I havent allowed you to leave yet!

Only

Takk-! As the queens hand cut through the air, it swung at the maids cheek and bounced back.

Maya!

Apollonia, who had been standing silently, immediately screamed and rushed to support her staggering maid. Catherine gasped and stared at the princess as if her anger had subdued.

That foolish thing!

This is why I tried not to run into people as much as I could. Apollonia looked at the soaring queen and breathed deep breaths inward.

She thought no one would care if she turned around after saying a short greeting. It was obvious that itd be troublesome to get close to Catherine, so at the very least Apollonia tried to be courteous.