Chapter 14 - The Little one and the Duke, the Daughter and the Father

After a moment of daze, Henriette looked down at the waffle plate he gave to me.

I pondered about it a little bit and tried eating the waffles cut into pieces.

The taste of sweet whipped cream, crispy waffles and fresh raspberries filled my mouth.

It was delicious, but I was confused.

Did Henriette just worry about me?

I looked at Henriette with a puzzled look on my face, and he put his chin on his palm and spoke.

"The sound of your stomach is quite loud."

"… what?"

"So eat and make the sound stop."

That's right. I guess my stomach growled loudly in your ears.

But even with that, he seemed particularly generous, so I spoke in a small voice.

"Thank you…"

I couldn't touch the food even at dinner after the meeting.

Seeing me like that, Henriette took another bite of the food first, and confirmed that it was free of poison.

I heard a little from the maids that Henriette is always protecting himself with mana, so poison wouldn't work.

It was rather strange that the villain, Henriette, savored and ate the food first for me to check if it has poison.

***

The mastermind seemed to have been caught in no time when the maids tucked me into bed yesterday and told me about it.

Unsurprisingly, it was a noble on the border who was already famous for joining the anti-emperor group.

While Henriette was away from the castle for a while, he ordered a man to bribe the servants and chefs.

I don't know what happened to him.

It is said that he was disposed of in accordance with the 'National Law', but considering that Henriette was the real pinnacle of the empire, it was unlikely that he would be allowed to be alive right now regardless of the 'National Law'.

Anyway, thanks to him, I was able to relax a little bit.

"It's not poisoned. Eat."

During the next day's meeting, Henriette first tried the dessert and confirmed it.

He, who spoke concisely without fail and naturally continued the meeting. Everyone else, me, and even the usual servants, who were afraid of him, looked at him with a strange expression.

In particular, the faces of the nobles were spectacular.

They looked like they had so much to say, but they just turned their heads around with expressions like the people who couldn't say anything because they had only one life.

An aide next to Henriette, who was not much different from them, suddenly spoke out.

"Sir, I believe the Miss already lost her fear of being poisoned, but I'm afraid your body will be damaged. If you still have a lot to worry about, I'd rather check first next time."

"Will you?"

Henriette, who had become a rather soft-faced person, turned his eyes to me as if he were seeking my opinion.

Even if the mastermind was caught and all his lackeys were disposed of, the fear of poison still hasn't left me yet.

Henriette won't die from poison, but the aide might die.

He can't die. The aide even gave me lemon candy yesterday.

After a moment of contemplation about how to express it, I looked up at Henriette, grabbing his sleeves slightly.

Then I said with a little hesitation.

"I- I'd rather have you do it for me…"

But if you say you'll leave it to your aides from now on, I'll accept it. That's what I'm thinking.

At that moment, Henriette's mouth seemed to flinch briefly, shaking.

What, you're not feeling well?

I immediately felt nervous so I quickly pulled away, Henriette said, returning to a calm expression,

"yes, I see."

Fortunately, it didn't appear to be offensive.

In the midst of rising questions, I decided to listen first to the ensuing meetings and finish my dessert.

The meeting was now almost over.

When I looked through my memory and revealed all I can remember, the foundation of information was slowly getting solid.

So I slowly filled up the parts I forgot with other contents, and I made up for what I left out, and I dragged my brain until I remembered.

"So, that day, I went on a picnic. I've seen butterflies and flowers a lot."

"Huh, did you? What's next?"

Luckily, the adults loved hearing me talk rubbish.

I thought Henriette would scold me for telling stories unrelated to the meeting, but surprisingly, he just looked into the documents until the end of my story.

"Oh, and I saw a dog in an orchard, that's it!"

I opened his arms wide, recalling my memories of that time.

That dog was cute.

The only pleasant memory of my life in Count of Semond was when I went to an orchard on the west side of the Count's territory.

For some reason, people were looking at me with eyes like they were looking at a puppy.

At that moment, a problem arose.

Growl.

"…"

Maybe because it was a child's body, my food storage was not good.

Sheesh, even though I already ate! I've learned recently that I get hungry quickly if I squeeze my brain just a little bit.

"Eat and talk."

"Yes, Duke."

I diligently ate cheese cream cherry cake, chocolate-coated doughnuts and macarons.

But why does everyone care about me?

While I was eating, people looked at me and said "cute," which reminded me.

When should I give it?

In fact, I brought a picture of Henriette here today. This time, I drew it more sincerely than last time.

And I didn't draw a 'crown'. It was thanks to what Peina told me.

'Last time, he told you not to draw a crown. Why don't you draw the Master without a crown this time?'

So I brought my painting, but how can I give it to him?

I thought about it a little bit. If I give it to him openly, he'll say, "What's that?" or "I don't need it."

Oh, I have an idea.

After finishing everything I ate, I purposely pulled out the tip of the paper I brought in the inside pocket of the dress.

It's not too obvious, but I'll make sure you see it at all.

Then slightly, I tapped the back of Henriette's aide's hand with my elbow.

Don't make it too obvious this time, pretend it's a mistake.

"Hmm?"

The aide's eyes turned directly toward me.

I leaned slightly forward, pretending I hadn't touched him. To reveal the paper in the pocket of my dress.

It just so happens that the meeting was taking a short break, and the aide asked me when he found a piece of paper in my pocket.

"What did you bring in your pocket, miss?"

"Oops!"

I was blatantly acting surprised and covered my pocket with my hands. I shook my head with my eyes open.

But the aide was already smiling, and Henriette's gaze turned to me.

All right, as planned.

"Oh, nothing!"

"Oh, my lady. You drew it for the Master."

Peina helped out little by little.

Even the eyes of others gathered, and finally Henriette asked me.

"What did you bring?"

"I didn't bring anything…"

I'm going to lie on purpose.

"Are you going to lie to me?"

When I heard it, I pretended not to win, and eventually pulled out a paper folded in half from my pocket and handed it to him, saying timidly.

"… this time, I didn't draw a crown."

So far, I've succeeded. Phew, I'm tired.

Henriette unfolded the picture I gave him and looked closely into it.

Although others seemed to want to see the painting, he cleverly looked at the painting at just the right angle so that the contents could not be seen in the eyes of others.

Only the servants and aides in the back could look into the painting together.

It was not until a long time before Henriette folded the picture and said.

"… it's terrible."

It was as expected.

I looked at Peina but she was only smiling with delight.

"Keep it. I'll dispose of it separately."

"Yes."

Henriette handed the painting over to an aide again.

I pouted my lips discontentedly, and smiled hastily as he looked at me.

'Tch, I won't be drawing next time.'

I think so.

"We will soon visit an orchard in the northern part of the duchy."

Henriette was looking at me while bringing it up.

"You'll come with me then."

My eyes are wide open.

But Henriette went on to tell a more unconventional story.

"The orchard will be yours sooner or later, so you'd better take a look at it."

I wasn't the only one who looked at Henriette, who finished speaking in a delicate manner. Other aristocrats were at a loss for words.

'You're giving it to me? What? Orchard?'

'Why?'

"It is a vast and rich place that is not comparable to that belonging to the Count of Semond. It's my honor."

His words that followed didn't even stick in my head.

I was spacing out until the meeting was over that day.

***

The maids were excited about the preparation of the lady's first picnic.

Henriette didn't put the word "picnic" in his mouth, but ordered them to prepare a lunch box for her and put on a new dress.

So it seemed, it would be like a picnic.

Their young lady was stunned until the moment she went to bed after dinner, as if going on a picnic to an orchard that would soon be hers is so exciting.

Peina was reading a fairy tale in bed when she stopped and asked her, her eyes wide open.

"You can't sleep because you're looking forward to it, lady?"

"Oh, no."

Although there is a sense that the mental age has been lowered to suit the child's body, the existing adult spirit wasn't excited about the picnic.

I just blinked a few times with a confused face.

But soon, I was able to realize.

'The child's heart is racing with joy.'

I couldn't even think of closing my eyes. And as if I were wearing glasses, my eyesight seems to have improved several times more than usual.

My heart was pounding, and there's tickling limbs.

Apart from the adult spirit, a child's heart is racing with excitement.

'Now that I think about it, it's my first picnic. The first picnic of both lives.'

The excited child mind gradually penetrated even the adult mind.

After the maid, who had finished reading the fairy tale book, went out of the room, I just laughed and I couldn't stand it so I hugged my pillow and rolled around on the bed.

Meanwhile, the maids waiting outside asked Peina, who had just closed the door.

"How's the lady?"

"She's very excited. I'm afraid she won't be able to get up tomorrow morning."

"But I'm glad. It's the first time she'll be away from the castle since she came back, so I thought she'd be scared."

The maids wept their hearts off.

It has already been almost three weeks since the youngest princess came to the Duke of Wensgrey.

The kid who didn't even know how to laugh at first can smile well now.

The shallow wounds recovered as quickly as it was tender, but there were wounds that went deeper.

Therefore, the maids, as well as their servants, have all been concerned about the youngest lady.

They still haven't forgotten the small scarred body wrapped in a towel.

"When can I tell the Master about her wounds?"

"Let's wait and see for now. I'm glad the master's attitude toward her is more relaxed than I thought, but still…"

There was a reason why the maids are still hesitant to bring up the scars of the lady.

They knew very well what a fearful man their master was.

It wasn't hard enough to kill a servant because his routine was to cut off the necks of nobles.

He was a generous person in his own way because she was his daughter, but it is unknown whether she will be involved in deep-seated affairs.

On the contrary, he might have pulled out a sword, saying, "Don't tell me about bothersome things."

From the butler to the stable keeper, there was no servant who didn't fear the master. He was such a man.

However, Peina has been making a small decision for some time.

On the day she can break her fear, she would surely let the master know to help heal her wounds.

"What are you doing there?"

At that time, a low-pitched voice spread from across the hall.

The maids all closed their mouths at once and bowed their heads.

"Master."

Henriette, who had not been asleep until late, looked indifferently at the maids with faintly tired eyes, took his eyes off, and threw his eyes at the closed door.

His eyes are shaped like a beast hidden in a darkened hallway.

The maids dared not make eye contact with him and were dropping their heads to the ground indefinitely.

"The Lady has just fallen asleep."

"····· I didn't come here because I had business with her."

But when they heard it, they almost raised their heads.

Which means he's been looking for the maids.

"Follow me, you have work to do."

Henriette turned around first.

The maids briefly looked at each other with a mixture of questions, anxiety, and fear, and carefully followed him downstairs.