Me, a Princess? My Lord! - Chapter 66

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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 66

Mabel, who had visited the room where the senior maids gathered, said.

“The Princess said she needs a maid to run errands.”

Those who had been huddled together, crunching on snacks they had gotten from the kitchen, cast their gazes over.

“Errands? What kind of errands?”

“Something rather unpleasant… I heard it’s work that’s tiring and might get you a bit dirty.”

At those words, the senior maids’ expressions instantly became indifferent. One of them spoke in an annoyed voice.

“Why are you coming here to tell us that? If she gave you the task, you should do it!”

“Ah, I have some sewing to do…”

At Mabel’s words, snorts of derision erupted from here and there.

“Oh my, look at her? Are you trying to be clever because you don’t want to do it?”

“No! That’s not it…”

“What do you mean that’s not it! Put that down right now.”

Mabel set down the heavy basket with a bewildered expression.

“We’ll divide that work among ourselves, so you go to the Princess. Quickly!”

Since they told her to do so, what choice did she have?

Empty-handed, Mabel walked along the corridor with shuffling steps.

‘What on earth is she planning to make me do…?’

Though she didn’t know for sure, Mabel felt secretly relieved. With her injured hand, it would be difficult to do delicate work like sewing.

“Princess, you called for me so I came. Please excuse me for a moment.”

Mm-hmm.

A small answer came from inside. Mabel carefully opened the door and entered the room.

“You came? Come in.”

Heidi smiled brightly and gestured to Mabel. She looked exactly like someone who had known in advance that Mabel would come.

“I heard you have work for me to do…”

“Originally I was going to ask you to clean the fireplace.”

Heidi shrugged her shoulders.

“But when I actually looked, it’s clean. Turns out they finished cleaning it a few days ago. I don’t think there’s any need to do it again.”

“…!”

“Since you came all this way, don’t just go back. Would you keep me company for a while?”

Heidi tapped the chair next to her.

She hesitated.

‘Is it okay to do that?’

When Mabel hesitated, Heidi tapped the chair once more.

“Quickly.”

Mabel nervously sat down facing Heidi. She wasn’t sure if someone like her dared to sit facing the Princess, but since she was told to, she had no choice but to comply.

“Ah! Wait just a moment.”

Heidi, who had suddenly stood up as if remembering something, began rummaging through drawers. Heidi returned with several boxes in her arms and set them down on the table.

“I received these as gifts, and after trying a few, they were delicious. Let’s eat together.”

When she opened the boxes, colorful desserts were beautifully arranged inside. They were precious and pretty things she had never even seen before.

Mabel, who had been staring blankly for a moment, belatedly waved her hands in refusal.

“How could I covet the Princess’s things? And resting like this during work hours…”

“Do you want to do this work for a long, long time?”

Mabel was flustered by the unexpected question.

“Yes? Yes, Princess.”

“Then sometimes you need to be clever too. If you’re only diligent all the time, your body will wear out. You should rest earnestly when you can rest.”

“…”

“Right now you’re not being lazy either. You don’t need to refuse what I’m offering you. Whatever it may be.”

Heidi said while picking up a cookie covered with sugar.

“You’re a guest who came to my room, so I need to offer you something to feel comfortable myself. Try it.”

Heidi slipped it between Mabel’s lips.

“…!”

Crumble.

The cookie that entered her mouth instantly melted and disappeared. It was just like magic.

Mabel’s eyes became as big as marbles.

‘This isn’t right. This really isn’t right…’

But the cookie was too, too, too delicious to turn away from…

Hungry Mabel began frantically grabbing and eating cookies. The sweetness she was tasting for the first time loosened the strings of her reason.

Heidi, who had been quietly watching such Meibell, opened her mouth.

“What’s your name?”

“Cough, cough!”

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.”

Meibell’s face turned bright red.

“Please call me Meibell.”

“Meibell. That’s a cute name.”

Heidi smiled brightly.

“How old are you?”

“I just turned seventeen recently.”

“Seventeen… No wonder I thought your face looked too young.”

Heidi, who had muttered quietly, looked into Meibell’s eyes and asked.

“When did you start working?”

“It’s been about a year now. I’m one of the later arrivals to the palace.”

At Meibell’s words, Heidi tilted her head.

“Then among the maids working in my palace now, what’s the youngest age?”

“As far as I know, thirteen. Though she only helps with odd jobs.”

After that, Heidi asked Meibell various things about the maids’ lives.

How many hours a day they work, whether they have days off, how much wages they receive.

Meibell, who had been obediently answering the questions, tilted her head inwardly.

‘Why is the Princess curious about such things? It must be a completely different world from the Princess’s.’

After thinking for a moment, Meibell shrugged her shoulders.

‘Well. Whatever the reason, what does that have to do with me? What matters is that the Princess is beautiful, kind, and gentle.’

Meibell looked at Heidi in front of her with sparkling eyes.

Even her appearance of thoughtfully contemplating something while gazing into space was beautiful like a painting. Even though she was a woman, her heart was beating fast.

At this point, Meibell became genuinely curious.

‘Why does Sheila hate this angel-like Princess so much? What does she plan to use her weaknesses for…’

* * *

“Princess, could you smile a little brighter? The kind of feeling that makes viewers want to smile along! You understand, don’t you?”

“…Like this?”

“Very good!”

Heidi pulled up the corners of her mouth with all her strength. It had been several hours of forced smiling. Now she couldn’t even feel her cheeks.

“It’s going very well. This will be my masterpiece!”

Today was the day for painting the portrait. Heidi, who had been carefully dressed up since early morning, smiled awkwardly under the court painter’s gaze.

‘Deshion said I just need to sit still so there’s nothing to worry about…!’

It wasn’t wrong. She just had to sit on the soft sofa and smile brightly.

But when that becomes one hour, then two hours, the story becomes a bit different.

Her upright back felt like it would cramp, and her mouth corners kept twitching.

‘But the hardest part is something else.’

Heidi glanced at the face of the person sitting next to her.

The King with a stern expression was familiarly gazing straight ahead.

‘This is so awkward!’

At that moment, as if sensing her gaze, the King’s eyes turned toward Heidi.

“Ahem, if you’re tired, you can take a short break.”

“No, I’m fine.”

After their brief exchange, silence fell again. An awkward atmosphere filled the space.

Then the court painter, who had been looking back and forth between the two, spoke up.

“You two have very similar eyes.”

At those words, the King and Heidi’s eyes met.

“Eyes?”

“Yes. The Princess resembles Your Majesty very much.”

“Is that so.”

The King stared intently at Heidi’s eyes for a long while. Heidi silently met his gaze.

Eventually, his violet eyes wavered, and his dignified, calm expression crumbled.

“I had never thought about it before.”

He licked his dry lips several times before speaking in a deeply subdued voice.

“But… I thought you looked exactly like the Queen. Your eyes, nose, and mouth.”

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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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