The Villainous Princess Wants to Live in a Gingerbread House - Chapter 100

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Villainous Imperial Heir Wants to Live in a Pastry Shop
100

“Very well. Now sign, Your Highness.”
“Kalno, I know I said I’d grant you anything, but it has to be something within my power…….”
“I won’t ask the impossible.”
“Are you truly certain?”
Asha muttered under her breath that one shouldn’t sign away wishes carelessly, yet she finished her signature with meticulous care and pressed the completed Wish Token into Kalno’s hands.
“Is…… is that all?”
Kalno gazed at the Wish Token for a long moment before smiling faintly and nodding.
“That’s all.”
“You promised you wouldn’t ask for anything unreasonable.”
“I promised, didn’t I. Why are you so anxious? Afraid I’ll swallow you whole?”
“But anyone would be nervous if you walked away with a signed oath like that!”
Asha spoke with desperate earnestness, but Kalno only chuckled, making no move to return the Wish Token. Instead, he carefully tucked it away inside his coat.
“I look forward to the day I use this wish, Your Highness. Now, if you’ll excuse me—I must deliver a letter to the Marquis of Silestria.”
With those words, Kalno bowed deeply, brushing his brow against the back of Asha’s hand before turning to depart.

* * *

“…… and so it appears everything is progressing smoothly. I’ve acquired the shuttered breadcrumb factories at bargain prices.”
Baron Sarato reported with barely contained excitement, trailing behind Asha as she moved between the counter and oven. Asha peered into the oven for a moment, then looked up.
“Those breadcrumb factories…… you mean the ones your uncle owns?”
The Baron, catching the unspoken question Asha had swallowed—”your Uncle Valery’s factories?”—smiled reassuringly, thinking she was concerned.
“There were rumors of insects, so the place went bankrupt entirely. Nobody wanted to touch it. Thanks to my purchase, the factory owner’s gotten a new lease on life.”
Asha nodded in agreement, yet inwardly she sensed that if Valery discovered she was the one who’d bought those factories, a tempest would soon be at her door.
“What about the Pibi packaging design?”
“Mariya has been working on it with great enthusiasm, and it’s nearly finished. Though I have a feeling……”
The Baron tilted his head thoughtfully as he spoke.
“I suspect she’s collaborating with Myura, or at least that he’s been advising her.”
“Mariya and…… My…… Myura?”
Asha’s eyes widened. The Baron had said “a feeling,” but he sounded almost certain.
“Her painting style and color palette have shifted slightly—for the better, of course. I’m fairly convinced Myura’s been offering guidance. And it looks as though Mariya has moved into a property belonging to the Ailau family.”
“What? They’ve barely known each other, and already things are moving this fast?”
“It seems Myura holds her paintings in very high regard.”
Asha recalled the last time she’d seen them together. They certainly had gotten along well—Mariya admired Myura, and Myura was busy marveling at Mariya’s talent.
“We’ve mostly resolved the shelf-life issues too. If we’re lucky, we might launch by year’s end. But Your Highness, what are you baking?”
Asha had meant to ask more about Myura and Mariya’s situation, but the Baron’s attention had shifted elsewhere—toward the oven, from which a sweet yet faintly tart aroma had been drifting for some time. Asha smiled slightly and began rolling out the finished tart dough into a long sheet.
“This is something called Tarte Tatin. Have you ever tasted it?”
“Tarte Tatin?”
“It’s like an apple tart made upside down. You slightly burn sugar syrup until it’s like caramel, coat the apples in it, and bake them for a long time. The apples become stewed—the sweetness concentrates intensely, and the texture turns soft and chewy~!”
“Oh……”
“Then you place this tart dough on top of the stewed apples and bake it with the apples facing down. Just thirty more minutes in the oven. Doesn’t it sound delicious? Would you like to try it?”
The Baron nodded eagerly at the mere description. Asha grinned warmly.
“Of course—take your time eating, and we can chat some more.”

Crisp tart dough topped with apples that had been simmered for hours in a rich syrup of butter and concentrated caramel sauce, crowned with a dollop of fresh cream.
“Mmm……”
The nutty flavor of the caramel lingered as the apples melted soft and tender on the tongue. The cream caressed the crispness of the tart and the chewy texture of the apples in perfect harmony.
“Is it good?”
The Baron couldn’t answer—only nodded. Asha smiled broadly and laid out several plates in a row, cutting the tart. Lis, watching from beside her, helped deftly.
“This one’s for grandfather, and this for great-grandfather, and Ibven, and Asha, and Lis, and Pavel.”
Asha stared at the small portion remaining and let out a soft sigh. She wished she could give some to Kalno, but……
“Sarato, would you like a bit more? This one tastes best while it’s warm.”
“Of course!”
Asha watched as golden particles bloomed and danced behind the Baron’s back, her expression warm with contentment. He tried to move his spoon with dignified grace, but the quickness of his pace somewhat compromised the elegance of his movements.
Just as Baron Sarato was finishing his plate, Asha smiled softly and brought out what she’d prepared to say.
“Olga, I wanted to ask you something.”
“Yes? What is it? Please, just tell me!”
Baron Sarato assumed it concerned business and had begun reaching toward the documents he’d set aside, but Asha placed her hand over his, stopping him.
“Listen, Olga. I heard you did some shopping recently.”
“Shopping? Me?”
“Yes. A while back. You bought a painting, didn’t you? A pretty one?”
“……!”
The moment Asha smiled, Baron Sarato swallowed hard. A dozen different thoughts raced through his mind.
“That is to say… the Duke Oleg has been clearing out many things as he prepares to travel north.”
“Right, he mentioned going. I heard about it too.”
“Among his things were several paintings, and well… since I come from a merchant family, you understand, the higher nobility don’t always look favorably upon us. So I thought I should perhaps acquire some rare paintings for myself…….”
“That’s not true. Myura mentioned he liked that painting, and when it came on the market, you bought it.”
“……!”
“I’m not trying to take it from you, so stop acting like a cornered cat.”
“A, a cornered cat?”
Baron Sarato’s voice wavered with confusion. Asha seized the moment to move to her main point.
“We’ve ended up with two paintings by Myura at our house now, haven’t we?”
Baron Sarato looked at her with an expression suggesting he might choke at her phrasing—”our house.”
“So I was thinking about holding a small exhibition. Gathering some of the Duke’s paintings together. What do you think?”
Baron Sarato shot up from his chair, spoon still in hand.
“You mean to display Her Highness’s and His Majesty’s portraits? What kind of exhibition is this? Surely not in a salon with the nobility…….”
“No, no, not at all. I’ve just acquired a villa, you see. I thought I’d organize it properly and hold the exhibition there. We’d sell tickets—maybe somewhere between ten and twenty karugs? Open to anyone.”
At Asha’s words, Baron Sarato nodded, then his expression suddenly grew troubled.
“But there are so many malicious, base-minded people in this world. There are surely those who would want to destroy a painting simply because it’s by a famous artist…….”
“The Knight Order will guard against that.”
“The… the Knight Order?”
Asha nodded. She hadn’t asked yet, but she had a feeling that pestering one of her two grandfathers would yield results.
“Yes. So don’t worry about that. But I’ve been thinking about something else. Do you know what Confetti is?”
“Con… fetti?”
“It’s usually called a kissing candy—you know the type.”
“Oh! That confection with almonds or nuts inside, coated in sugar……?”
“Yes, that! I was thinking of making confetti out of chocolate. You coat the almonds and hazelnuts in chocolate, then sprinkle things like sprinkles on the outside. The exhibition will be in early autumn, so… what if we handed out one to each visitor at the entrance? They could eat them while viewing.”
“Why… why would we do that?”
“Well… why, you ask? I want to try making confetti, but making just one batch feels odd, doesn’t it? If I make a lot, I’d end up with far too many to eat alone. Sharing them around seems better, don’t you think?”
“You could sell them! If these are your confetti, Your Highness, I haven’t tasted them myself, but I dare say they’d fly off the shelves!”
“Nonsense.”
Asha laughed and waved her hand dismissively.
“These aren’t ordinary confetti—they’re made with chocolate. The idea is for people to try them and then buy more of your chocolate themselves.”
“……!”
“So really, what I was asking is… could you lend me that painting of yours? Would that be alright?”
“I was prepared to loan it to you from the start!”
Baron Sarato exclaimed. Asha burst out laughing.

* * *

“Your Highness!”
“No, it’s Natalya.”
“Natalya!”
Asha bit her lip desperately to keep from smiling. The moment she stepped into the garden, Natalya, who had been playing with a ball alone, eyes widened in astonishment as she came racing toward her.
By the time Asha had instructed Tataritsya to place the Tarte Tatin—which she’d brought with only the apples baked—into the oven, and had arrived a bit late, the Duchess Tataritsya rushed over in a panic when she saw her daughter practically hurling herself at the Imperial Heir.
Asha embraced Natalya once before releasing her, and smiled toward the Duchess. The Duchess swept her hair back and spoke hurriedly.
“Your Highness, please forgive my daughter’s rudeness. She is really…….”
Duchess Tataritsya sighed deeply. Natalya pouted her lips at her mother’s repeated scolding and looked up at Asha with bright, sparkling eyes.
“Your Highness, I didn’t know you were coming.”
“I came in such a rush that I didn’t have time to tell you beforehand.”
“Want to go to our cottage? I’ve added more to the collection. You haven’t seen it yet, have you?”
Natalya pulled Asha along. The Duchess had the expression of someone who would sell her very soul to the devil if only she could keep her sugar-syrup-guzzling daughter seated at the table.
Asha waved reassuringly to the Duchess and followed Natalya toward the woods behind the manor, deep into the forest. Natalya walked with long strides, and Asha hurried after her, gathering her skirts above her knees so they wouldn’t drag.
But as they crossed a small stream and Natalya’s cottage came into view, Asha noticed that the girl’s spirits were beginning to sink.
“Oh, Natalya?”
Natalya stopped in her tracks and turned back to Asha, speaking abruptly.
“Have I been too disrespectful to you?”
Asha’s eyes widened in complete surprise at this unexpected question.
“Huh?”
“Or… we’ve only just met, and I’ve been presuming too much familiarity?”
Natalya’s expression was clouded with hurt. Asha blinked in astonishment.
“Why are you saying that all of a sudden?”
“Mother keeps scolding me. She says I’ve wronged you.”
“Do you think that too, Natalya?”
Natalya pressed her lips together firmly. Clearly, she wasn’t confident she’d been treating Asha well. Asha spread out the dress she’d been holding, arranged it carefully, and then drew Natalya’s hand into her own.
“All right, then. I wanted to talk about this anyway. When it’s just the two of us, let’s call each other by our first names. How does that sound?”
“What?”
“I’m Anastasia, so Asha—you’re Natalya, so… Natasha.”
“…!”
“Let’s keep it a secret between us. We’ll only call each other that when we’re alone. How about it?”
Asha met Natalya’s green eyes as she spoke. Natalya blinked and murmured softly.
“…Asha?”

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