The Villainous Princess Wants to Live in a Gingerbread House - Chapter 52

Asha’s eyes snapped open. In her mind’s eye, all the pastries she’d fed Ibven flashed past. She’d been anxious the whole time wondering if they were having any effect at all—and now, finally! Pibi, so delighted it was hopping about wildly, landed on Asha’s shoulder and breathed heavily with exertion.

‘What on earth is this bird saying.’

Pibi looked down at Ibven’s face, then shot Asha a glance.

‘What? Of course he did, I…….’
Asha blinked. She’d given the pastries to Ibven, but she hadn’t actually seen him eat them.
Just as belated realization was forming on Asha’s lips, a knock sounded from outside. Lis rose from the bed with a puzzled expression and moved toward the door.
“Kalno? What brings you here……?”
“Alexei…… the Imperial Heir has finished his business, and I’m returning. I came to pay my respects, but…….”
Kalno had sought out the Young Princess at this hour because Alexei had insisted. Alexei still hoped that Kalno, who refused to say anything about his cousin sister, would become closer to her. Kalno had not refused Alexei’s suggestion and had come to greet the Young Princess partly out of friendship with Alexei.
The other half…….
Kalno abandoned that line of thought and knocked on the door. But the Young Princess’s expression was slightly different from usual. She seemed to have something on her mind, or perhaps some worry.
He quickly understood the problem. The Young Princess had noticed the slave following behind him and startled visibly.
“Ibven! Are you awake? You should keep lying down. How’s your stomach?”
“……I’m fine.”
Kalno recognized him immediately. It was that very slave boy he’d saved in the North.
“How did you…….”
The Young Princess and the slave appeared to be on familiar terms. Or at least, she seemed to think they were. He could tell by the way she brushed his hair back without hesitation and felt his forehead for fever.
“There doesn’t seem to be a fever…….”
The Young Princess asked the Maid to bring Ibven a digestive in a worried tone, then naturally led Kalno inside while chattering away.
“I had Ibven eat some cake…… I think maybe I gave him too much and his stomach’s upset.”
“……How is that boy here with you?”
“Huh? His Imperial Majesty gave him to me……. Wait, do you know Ibven too, Kalno? Oh, since Ibven is from the North, you must have seen him before then?”
Kalno had been about to answer readily to the Young Princess’s cheerful question, but he quickly closed his mouth. If he spoke of his time in the North, he might end up talking about the war. For some reason, he didn’t want to discuss such matters with her.
“…….”
“Ah…… or maybe not? Um, well. Anyway. Since you’re here, Kalno, want to take some cake home?”
“It would seem prudent to be cautious about growing too close to a slave.”
“It feels like we’ve been having different conversations this whole time.”
The Young Princess packed cake as she spoke. Kalno fell silent for a moment. He too recognized that his manner of conversation hadn’t been quite right. Though this was the first time in his life anyone had pointed it out.
“I’ll pack some cake for you. Why don’t you take it home and eat it?”
“……If you insist on giving it to me.”
“What do you mean about not getting close?”
Kalno couldn’t answer readily to this. It wasn’t that he lacked words for the Young Princess. He could say it—that a member of the imperial family being so intimate with a slave might invite gossip, that naturally she ought to be careful. He could say such things…….
But those words wouldn’t come out. From the moment he’d arrived, it seemed like he could only think of excuses. The reason he didn’t want to discuss the war in the North, the reason he wanted to tell her to let go of the slave boy.
Kalno fell silent, then decided to change the subject.
“Alexei…… the Imperial Heir seems to have been quite pleased with this cake.”
“You really only say what you want to say. Fine then, me too. Call me by my name, Kalno. Speak comfortably.”
“Pardon?”
Without turning to look at Kalno, the Young Princess carefully packed the cake piece by piece into a box.
“Kalno keeps saying only what he wants to say, so I’m saying what I want to say too.”
“…….”
“Kalno calls Asha by her name, doesn’t he? So he can do the same for me.”
“…….”
“You can call me Asha.”
“…….”
“……Or don’t, if you don’t want to.”
The Young Princess thrust the box at him abruptly. Her lips jutted out in a pout. As he gazed at that face, his turbulent mind somehow settled, and two contradictory impulses rose in him at once.
He wanted to tell her she didn’t like it, let her sulk, then soothe her with all his strength. But he also wanted to simply nod and agree on the spot.
“……Then I’ll do as you command, but only when we’re alone.”
“No, why do you say it like you’re forcing yourself to do something you don’t want?”
“Because it’s not something to particularly enjoy.”
“For heaven’s sake! You just said you’d do it!”
“It’s a command from the Imperial Heir, so I have no choice.”
The Young Princess looked at him and thumped her chest in exasperation.
“You’re enjoying this so much! You liar!”
“Who says that?”
“Your face does, Kalno!”
After bickering with the Young Princess for a while as she stamped her foot in indignation, Kalno raised his hand to cover his mouth. For some reason, he didn’t want to show his expression, and he turned his head away too. When a brief pause fell between them, the Young Princess suddenly spoke.
“……But hey. You didn’t eat any of it either?”
She had pouted, saying he wasn’t having a proper conversation with her, and that she’d do as she pleased too—but it seemed she meant it. He couldn’t fathom what the Young Princess was saying at all.
“What are you talking about?”
“The sweets I gave you. You didn’t eat them?”
“……I ate…….”
“No, you didn’t.”
Even as the Young Princess glared at him, there was no harshness to it—only freshness. That troubled Kalno more. He didn’t know how to respond. But then something worse happened. Her shoulders sagged.
“When I ate them, they didn’t taste bad……. Oh, right. You don’t like sweets, do you…….”
He’d said so many times that he had no taste for sweets, and this was the perfect chance to tease her about it, but the words wouldn’t come.
“……No, I mean yes. I’m better with them now, actually. Since I’ve been eating the sweets you gave me.”
“Liar.”
“Is it a habit? You call me a liar every time you open your mouth?”
“Because you only tell lies, so of course you’re a liar! It must be a habit for you!”
The Young Princess squeaked in protest. But her claim that he couldn’t hide his expression—that was harder to believe.
“Remember that lemon cream pastry you gave me last time? You shoved it right into my mouth. I had no choice but to eat the whole thing.”
“Exactly. You forced me to eat it.”
“So you were aware of it.”
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“If you’re not going to eat the cake, give it back.”
“I’m going to eat all of it, so don’t think you can hand it over and snatch it away.”
Kalno held the cake box high with one hand. The Young Princess rose on her toes, but her hand couldn’t possibly reach it.

* * *

Head Chef Fiyod Bukker stared at the empty cake plate before him, his brow furrowed. The cake that had been on the plate was already gone.
‘He said he hated confectionery! He said he didn’t want to do it! What in the world is going on!’
The large, rough-faced cook standing before him gazed down at the empty plate with perfect composure. It was clear he already knew Fiyod wouldn’t say anything more about the cake.
Last evening, the Emperor had summoned the Imperial Heir to the palace for dinner. It was only natural that Fiyod threw himself into the cooking. Moreover, he’d even received praise that the food was quite excellent. Which meant Fiyod had been called to stand before the Emperor and the Imperial Heir himself.
It was only the second time he’d faced the Emperor directly since becoming Head Chef. The first was the day he was appointed. On the path from the Kitchen to the Emperor, brilliant dreams about the life that would now change rushed swiftly through Fiyod’s mind.
……But they had rushed past far too quickly.

– So you’re busy preparing the banquet to receive these Nocti Elves, I hear.

The moment he heard the Imperial Heir’s subtle remark, a chill ran down his spine. Did the Imperial Heir know about Valery and his involvement? What if he thought Fiyod was his errand boy?

– This time I entrusted the dessert to my chef. When I had a taste myself, it was quite excellent.

When Fiyod heard those words from the Imperial Heir, anger flared first, just for a moment. Had Pavel really gone straight to the Imperial Heir with his dessert plans without saying a single word to Fiyod, his direct superior?

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