The Villainous Princess Wants to Live in a Gingerbread House - Chapter 95

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

The Villainous Princess Wants to Live in a Pastry Shop
95

Asha was still elaborating on an appropriate introduction when Mariya, who had been listening intently with lingering tension in her face, suddenly clapped her hand over her mouth and shot to her feet. Even Lis, who was pouring tea from the pot, jumped back in surprise. Mariya’s mouth opened and closed several times before she finally managed to speak.
“Mi, Miura Eileau…?”
The Young Princess, who had been downcast moments before, leaped up with such excitement that her cheeks flushed bright red. Asha found the situation utterly bewildering, but Miura seemed perfectly accustomed to it. Miura laughed heartily and extended her hand toward Mariya.
“I’m Miura Eileau.”
“Heavens! Is this real? My birthday? No, wait—my birthday is still so far away……”
The Mariya who had been stiff with nerves just moments before was nowhere to be found. She pressed both hands to her mouth, then began waving them in jubilation. Miura barely managed to calm her down and get her seated again.
“I saw your painting, Mariya. I was so impressed by it that I pestered her into wanting to see you.”
“…!”
Mariya conveyed everything through her eyes alone. ‘You wanted to see me?’ Asha nodded in confirmation.
“I thought it would be nice for painters to find a friend in each other, and I was curious too—about the artist who painted such a charming picture. That signboard painting was truly delightful.”
“That was… Baron Sarato said I should taste it first before I could paint it well, so he let me try the cake beforehand. It was so delicious. That’s how I came to paint something like that……”
“Ah……”
In the moment the conversation turned to ‘Asha’s Chocolate Cake,’ Asha suddenly realized she’d made a mistake, but there was no opportunity to undo it.
The instant chocolate cake came up, Miura’s eyes lit up too, and the two of them sat Asha between them and chattered on at length about the taste of chocolate cake.
“Enough! Please stop!”
Only when Asha threw both hands up and gestured wildly between them did they finally cease their conversation.
“You can’t just keep talking about someone like that in front of them… Stop… Please, stop talking……”
“Yes…?”
At that, Miura let out a small laugh, and though Mariya didn’t quite understand Asha’s words, she nodded along obligingly. Seeing that, Miura’s smile deepened.
“Mariya, that cake was made by her—by me.”
“…Yes?”
Mariya looked utterly confused about what she’d just heard. Then, realizing the implications, her eyes flew wide open and she darted her gaze between Asha and Miura.
“That… that cake? You made it?”
Asha looked ready to scream. It appeared that Mariya had been speaking in complete innocence, unaware of the truth, and now Asha had scratched a wound wide open. Watching Asha’s expression with evident amusement, Miura came to her rescue a moment later.
“I ate the cake and was so moved that I wrote to her about it. It was simply my way of recommending it to you.”
“Ah! Thank you so much for telling me…!”
“What are you thanking me for! But… the letter was nice, truly… Still, no more of this!”
When Asha actually began rolling on the ground, Rus, Miura’s student, set down two canvases draped in cloth in front of Asha. The moment Mariya recognized these as Miura’s paintings, her eyes began to sparkle.
“This one is what she asked me to paint.”
Miura winked and handed the canvas to Lis. Then she took hold of the cloth covering the remaining canvas.
“And this one is… a painting I’m giving to her.”
With those words, Miura slowly peeled away the linen cloth. On the canvas was rendered the vivid image of a small girl in a soft sky-blue dress, standing near the Terrace.
Her pink hair looked as though it had been drawn from the finest threads of a perfectly ripe peach, and the texture of the dress seemed almost tangible. Light filtered through glass panes shone upon the girl’s smiling face, making it appear even brighter.
“Heavens… good Lord, it’s so beautiful! It truly looks as though light is shining through from beyond the canvas. However did you manage to paint like this?”
“Do you like it?”
“Like it? I love it immensely! If you touched the dress, it would feel silky. How on earth……”
Asha called Lis over as well and made a fuss over the portrait.
“But do I really look like that? I was already startled when I saw the sketch. It seems somehow different from what I see in the mirror.”
“Heavens, you look exactly like her!”
“You… really think so?”
Asha gazed quietly at the girl in the portrait. Though she certainly resembled herself, the painted image appeared more lovely and endearing than what she saw reflected in glass.
“It truly is a magnificent portrait.”
Lis spoke carefully, her fingertips moving delicately but never quite touching the canvas. Miura gave a small, embarrassed cough and smiled softly.
There had been awkward tension between the two of them ever since Lis had responded sharply to Miura’s discourteous behavior in the past. Now, standing before this extraordinary painting, that tension seemed to melt away.
“Everyone will be moved when they see it! Oh, I think it would look wonderful framed and hung on the wall. I shall look into an appropriate frame.”
“Do you think so? It’s just… would that really be all right?”
At Asha’s hesitant words, a crack appeared in Miura’s expression. Unaware of this shift, Asha continued, examining the painting from different angles.
“If I hang such a beautifully painted portrait of myself in my own room, wouldn’t it seem as though I love myself too much…?”
“What are you saying! Who would dare suggest such a thing?”
“Honestly, even if someone did say that, I’d still want to hang it. It’s such a beautiful painting. I’m truly grateful, Miura.”
“…I’m so relieved you like it.”
Miura smiled with visible relief. And Mariya, standing beside her, remained transfixed by Asha’s portrait, her expression still one of shock.
“I wonder what it must look like through Mariya’s eyes… Um, ah ah.”
Mariya had been watching the portrait in silence, barely breathing, when tears suddenly spilled down her cheeks. Fortunately, she recovered quickly, fanning her flushed face with her hand.
“I, I apologize. It’s the first time I’ve seen Miura’s work in person…….”
“Well, well…….”
Asha shook her head and held out a small bundle of cookies she had wrapped beforehand to both of them.
“It’s a bit embarrassing to call it a token of gratitude, but these are cookies I baked. I hope you’ll enjoy them.”
And Miura snatched them up like a hawk diving on prey. It was the sort of gesture that, coming from anyone else, would have prompted Lis to offer a sharp word about propriety.
“Truly? Did you bake these yourself, Your Highness?”
“I did. I made them in crescent shapes. They’re called Kipfel Cookies.”
“I’m truly grateful. I’ll enjoy them.”
Watching Miura’s enthusiastic reaction to Asha’s pastries, Mariya’s eyes widened, and she carefully accepted the bundle of cookies.
“The pastries Her Highness makes are quite delicious. If you try them, Mariya, you’ll understand my delight.”
“Ha, ha……. I’m so happy you found them delicious. Actually, the task I asked Mariya to help with was creating the wrapper design for the flour we use to make these pastries.”
“Oh! Is that so! How wonderful.”
Miura even clapped her hands in admiration. Mariya looked terribly embarrassed by Miura’s enthusiasm and tried to hide her face.
“Well, my work is commercial illustration, so compared to Miura’s…….”
“Compared to mine?”
Miura tilted her head.
“The paintings I’ve devoted myself to thus far and your work are certainly different in nature. But one cannot say that either is superior to the other.”
…….
Asha watched the flow of emotion that passed between the two—shimmering like pearl dust—and allowed herself a smile.
“And regardless of what genre of painting one creates, it cannot determine whether talent and skill are present. Talent exists purely as itself, and skill shines simply through its existence.”
Asha gazed at the storm of glittering particles that burst forth from Mariya, so bright they seemed nearly blinding, and lowered her eyes with a smile.

* * *

The Emperor’s Birthday Banquet was held on a grand and lavish scale. Even grander than last winter’s Victory Ball. Chandeliers hung at great height, glittering brilliantly, and people in magnificent attire lined up to present gifts to the Emperor and bow before him. Yekaterina, standing in for the Duke of Sedvoyer, greeted the Emperor and acknowledged Asha as well.
“When the festivities are in full swing, you will surely play the Kerum Game with me, won’t you, Imperial Heir?”
The Emperor casually opened Yekaterina’s gift, handed it to the chief steward, and narrowed his eyes.
“They say obsession grows with age. There’s not a single word of the old saying that rings false.”
“Your Majesty?”
…….
Yekaterina folded her wrinkled eyes and smiled before withdrawing. After that, the dukes came forward one by one to offer their respects and gifts. Thanks to this, Asha was able to exchange glances with the Countess of Tataricha, whom she hadn’t seen in some time. And now, it was the turn of the last of the dukes—Oleg.
“Your Majesty, may you enjoy eternal prosperity.”
Oleg, who had decided to journey north, said it was an honor to attend the Emperor’s Birthday Banquet as his final gathering before leaving Jedo, and then cast a quick glance at Asha, who sat beside the Emperor.
“You must be quite busy with your preparations for the north. Thank you for taking the trouble to come, Oleg.”
“It is an honor for me, Your Majesty.”
With those words, Oleg presented the box he had brought. It was a small box, decorated with a pale ribbon.
The Emperor opened the box with an expressionless face—after opening dozens of gifts and rehearsing different words of praise for each, one’s features naturally fell blank—but upon seeing what was inside, his expression changed for the first time.
“What is this?”
“It is a restoration of an antique ceramic doll made in the style of the Otrop Era, from roughly a century ago.”
Oleg offered no lengthy explanation. In the box, lined with white silk as a cushion, lay a ceramic girl no larger than an adult’s palm.
The ceramic girl with her pale pink hair had rosy cheeks. The folds of the dress of a girl picking flowers in a field were rendered with exquisite delicacy. Flower petals clung to various parts of the dress, and a bird painted in pale yellow perched playfully on the girl’s hair as though pecking at it.
Even Asha, who had been viewing the Emperor’s birthday gifts with indifference until now, found her eyes widening at the sight of such an adorable and finely crafted doll.
“How lovely…….”
Asha gasped with admiration, then caught the Emperor’s eye as he glanced at her, and tilted her head in curiosity. The Emperor, who until now had shown little reaction to any precious gift, now appeared visibly delighted.
“Truly, a magnificent gift.”
“If Your Majesty is pleased, then I am pleased.”
Asha felt internally startled by the bright particles of light that flowed forth from the Emperor like a spring.

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