For the heart - Chapter 27

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 27

 

* * *

 

The next morning, Nina, who had slept in for the first time in a while, came out of her bedroom wearing a light shirt.

 

“Good morning, Your Highness!”

 

In the kitchen connected to the dining hall, Pieruto was wearing a small apron and peeling onions beside Tila.

 

It seemed Tila’s words about him being skillful with his hands and helping with work tirelessly without being asked were true.

 

“You should sleep more. Good food and plenty of rest are the best for a weakened body.”

 

What could possibly weaken an immortal body?

 

With just a Healer’s help, it was a body that could spring back to life at any time.

 

Even though she knew this better than anyone, Tila was always anxious about not being able to feed Nina better or let her sleep more.

 

“I made some fruit juice. Would you like a glass? Just a little since you need to eat a proper meal.”

 

“Sure.”

 

Nina nodded obediently.

 

It was clearly made for her. Since Tila had even added the condition of “just a little” considering her small appetite, she couldn’t refuse.

 

Watching food go into her mouth was Tila’s joy, after all.

 

At Nina’s answer, Tila smiled brightly and raised her eyebrows at Pieruto, and the boy immediately poured fruit juice into a small cup as if he’d been waiting.

 

Pieruto, who had set the cup down in front of Nina at the dining table, stood there fidgeting.

 

“Do you have something to say to me?”

 

“Ah… This…”

 

The boy’s face turned red as he pulled out two rabbit-shaped cookies from his apron pocket and held them out with both hands.

 

Seeing this, Tila turned around and chuckled quietly.

 

“He said he wanted to try making cookies, so we made them together this morning. You received the rabbits, right?”

 

She hadn’t received them yet.

 

Two rabbits with one ear bent, delicately made but still messy, were still in the boy’s hands.

 

Tila spoke as if she knew exactly what Nina had received without even looking.

 

“He says Your Highness is like a rabbit. A white rabbit. Prince Casian is an eagle, I’m a bear, and Emil is a squirrel. You don’t know how much we laughed this morning because of that kid. It fits quite well, doesn’t it?”

 

At Tila’s subtle praise, the boy’s cheeks flushed red.

 

Nina reached for the cookies in Pieruto’s hands but stopped for a moment.

 

If she took the cookies, she would inevitably touch the child’s palms a little.

 

‘He’ll be surprised.’

 

If she were injured it would be different, but since she was fine now, there wouldn’t be a problem even if they touched.

 

However, since rumors had spread that people would die just by ‘touching’ her without any such conditions, Pieruto must surely believe that too.

 

Moreover, given his history of being brought to heal her, his fear of her would be greater, not less, than others.

 

But then.

 

“You can take them. I know that touching Your Highness won’t kill me…”

 

Nina stared at the boy who spoke quietly as if telling a secret.

 

Tila must have told him. That it was all just rumors.

 

Nina turned her head toward Tila, but from the rapid chopping sounds—tap tap tap—it seemed she hadn’t heard Pieruto’s words.

 

“Alright. I’ll enjoy them.”

 

Only then did Nina take the two cookies from the boy’s hands.

 

Pieruto blushed and grinned widely.

 

“But what about you?”

 

“Pardon?”

 

“Don’t you have your own cookies?”

 

“Ah… No…”

 

The boy smiled awkwardly as if he hadn’t thought of that at all.

 

Nina nodded in understanding and moved to the window with one cookie and her juice glass.

 

It was just one more person added, but somehow the Satellite Palace felt a little brighter than usual.

 

* * *

 

After finishing her meal, Nina came out having changed into training clothes.

 

Seeing this, Tila’s eyes widened.

 

“Surely you’re not planning to go to the training grounds?”

 

“I am.”

 

“Oh my! You just returned yesterday! When you woke up late this morning, I thought you might rest well today. No way. Today you should eat and sleep all day.”

 

“I’m used to always moving, so if I don’t move, my body gets more sluggish. Then I get more tired.”

 

“…Then just take a leisurely stroll and come back. Okay? Don’t come back drenched in sweat again.”

 

I understand. Though she heard the answer, Tila didn’t believe it.

 

“Why do you train so intensely? Who could possibly surpass Your Highness?”

 

“I need to endure as much as possible so I don’t have to sacrifice Arsed’s knights. The less I can bear the pain, the greater the knights’ sacrifice will be.”

 

It wasn’t to avoid dying. It was to become numb to pain.

 

Nina endlessly pushed herself, raising the intensity of her training higher and higher.

 

While the oracle drove Nina to the battlefield, what made her endure to the end was her sense of responsibility as the Knight Commander.

 

Tila simply felt sorry for Nina like this.

 

Nina never easily revealed such deep feelings to anyone, nor did she know how to show the unreasonableness and pain she experienced.

 

She just endured silently by herself.

 

‘If our Princess had grown up receiving plenty of love from her parents, she would have grown into someone who knew how to show the brightest expressions more than anyone. She would complain when things were hard…’

 

A deep sigh escaped from Tila as she watched Nina’s retreating figure leaving the Satellite Palace.

 

* * *

 

On the way to the training grounds.

 

Nina looked up at the sky. The sky, which was nothing but deep blue without a single cloud, was so clear.

 

She gazed for a moment at the view where it was impossible to distinguish between sea and sky, and when she lowered her head, Nina spotted two people approaching her.

 

It was Lillien and Casian.

 

Lillien’s appearance was particularly radiant, with pink flowers adorning her hair and wearing a fluttering dress.

 

“Casian Montregger greets Your Highness the Princess.”

 

“…Good morning. Duke Montregger.”

 

Nina found his formal attitude, which she hadn’t seen in a long time, rather strange.

 

Since their first meeting had been what it was, when they were alone together, Nina naturally spoke casually to him, and Casian showed no displeasure at Nina’s manner.

 

And he was definitely subtly more relaxed in his attitude when they were alone.

 

On the battlefield, he had subtly disobeyed even her orders as commander.

 

Like how he wouldn’t correct calling her “Princess,” and even when she told him to wait, he disobeyed orders and rushed out in front of her on his own.

 

Of course, thanks to that, they were able to easily break Nortanica’s magic dome.

 

“Nina. Nina…”

 

Moreover, clearly, he had called her who had lost consciousness not “Your Highness” but “Nina.”

 

No one had ever called her name so desperately before, so it felt strange yet not unpleasant.

 

That’s why she didn’t make an issue of it.

 

She just had to pretend she hadn’t heard it.

 

Nina, recalling that day, silently met eyes with Casian, but Lillien’s sarcastic voice cut through their connecting gazes.

 

“Your complexion looks good? I know full well that conquering Nortanica was thanks to Prince Casian. Don’t think about taking credit for everything as if it were your achievement.”

 

“So. You don’t seem happy about it? Even though the day when Arsed will unify the entire continent is drawing near.”

 

“What?!”

 

“Even if you don’t like me, making such a sour expression about something that benefits the nation is rather unbecoming of a princess, don’t you think.”

 

“This is really!”

 

Even after openly losing her temper, Lillien glanced at Casian standing beside her.

 

She didn’t want to show such an unruly side, but whenever she faced Nina alone, her temper flared up.

 

Especially since something had been getting under her skin lately, making it even harder to control her anger.

 

“I have training to do. I’ll be going now.”

 

Nina turned around, leaving the trembling Lillien behind.

 

Casian would take care of comforting her on his own.

 

She would no longer waste her patience on pointless matters.

 

* * *

 

Since they had just returned from conquering Nortanica yesterday, Nina was alone in the vast training grounds.

 

She had ordered everyone to rest for the time being, so no knights would appear here.

 

After a while, Nina’s hair and training clothes were thoroughly soaked with sweat after finishing her training.

 

As she swept up the hair that had fallen onto her forehead with her hand and was catching her breath, a gentle breeze blew.

 

It had been training that was a bit more intense than usual.

 

It was because random thoughts kept surfacing in her mind.

 

Things like Casian standing beside Lillien, Lillien’s feminine and radiant dress that was so different from her own training clothes, the image of the two who would marry after achieving continental unification.

 

It took quite some time to drive out these pointless things from her mind that had nothing to do with her and didn’t need to be thought about.

 

After sweating profusely, both her body and mind felt much more refreshed, making her steps toward the Satellite Palace lighter.

 

“Have you finished training. Your Highness.”

 

Nina stopped in her tracks at the sight of Casian appearing before her.

 

She had no idea where he had appeared from.

 

The closer he came, the more Nina unconsciously took steps backward.

 

‘I’ve sweated a lot. Why does he keep approaching.’

 

Nina furrowed her brow and extended her arm.

 

“Stop there. Don’t come any closer.”

 

“That would be difficult. I have something very important to discuss with you.”

 

As expected, it was clear that when they were alone, he wouldn’t listen.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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