CH 32

It was past noon when Psychke opened her eyes.

Because of what happened, she couldn’t even get up right now. Her body was engulfed in such exhaustion and woke up due to the door opening.

“Ah, forgive me. I stopped by to see if you have woken up.”

Her maid, who woke her up unintentionally, was taken aback. Her freckled cheeks turned red.

‘Was she called Cecil?’

The maid, called Cecil, who was assigned to attend to her during her stay in the Lestir, was the exact opposite of Melissa.

Cecil takes care of her and is genuinely worried about me.

“Miss, are you hungry? I heard from Sir Isolet that you worked hard yesterday! Should I bring a meal to you? The menu consists of grilled lamb with parsley, broccoli soup, and… Oh! If you feel discomfort anywhere, should I bring you a cup of hot cocoa?”

“No, I am fine—”

“No! Miss, you skipped breakfast already. If you don’t eat again, your health will deteriorate. Nevertheless, you might change your mind when you see the food for yourself, so I’ll bring it to you! Oh, by the way, the chef grinded a bunch of tomatoes that are good for relieving fatigue, and I’ll bring them to you too!”

As soon as she finished speaking, Cecil ran out. She was in such a rush that the door wasn’t even closed tightly.

“….”

She had no spirit left in her body. It was as if they flowed out like a waterfall. And as soon as she woke up, she forgot that she had tried running away.

Psychke blankly looked at the door.

‘I think she’s about the same age as Melissa. So how are they so different?’

And it wasn’t only Cecil who was like that to her.

Even though it was only the third day, the overall mood of the Lestir employees was not comparable to that of Silkisia.

The employees didn’t care about her being the fake princess.

‘If I was recognized as a real princess, what would it feel like?’

She wasn’t used to being treated sweetly. All of this was possible since she was still Verndia’s fiancée, and this is just an illusion that will soon fade away.

As she thought so, she rein in her desire to loosen up. She patted her cheek to wake her up.

But betraying her will, her body slowly leaned towards her bed.

In fact, it was a miracle that she didn’t die by the hands of the beasts yesterday.

Even if I took the doctor’s medicine, the fatigue accumulated at the auction did not go away.

‘I need to calm down… but…’

With her grip on the blanket, Psychke nodded and began to doze off.

Her tormented body is wrapped around soft stuff. Even if she felt uncomfortable, she doesn’t have the talent to step down.

“Why is the door open… creak. Oh, forgive me.”

Isolet, who was about to come in, was startled. Since Psychke was already awake when he came in, she asked him.

“What is the problem?”

“Uh, that…”

He couldn’t go out or come in, and he was sweating profusely. His gaze was fixed on his feet.

“Is there any problem?”

“Your clothes…”

Psychke looked down at what she was wearing.

Maybe Cecil changed them while she was sleeping, and it was just plain pajamas that noble girls would wear.

She wanted to know what was wrong, but she placed a robe to cover her pajamas.

It was then that Isolet saw her.

His face, which had always been exhausted, looked even more tired because of the alley bombing.

Psychke immediately spit out the words that came to her mind.

“I think you should take a vacation.”

“I think so too.”

Isolet, who was greatly moved by the word vacation, lamented.

“Princess, do you know how much I suffered last night? The Duke should have waited for a wagon to arrive. Or he should have sent a notice to send a wagon over there? What am I supposed to do when he abruptly went away alone at dawn—”

He grumbled that he thought he was going to die because he had been walking a long distance since dawn.

“It’s the same with alleyways. Hah, but this is a secret, but the duke was deeply worried that the princess you’d be arriving late.”

“Wor…. ried?”

“Yes. So he went to pick the Princess… and who would have thought that he would bomb the alley down?”

Isolet raved about how tedious he was to fill out his report.

“If he was that bored, he should have held it in and didn’t smash the alley down.”

“You suffered.”

(TN: LOL, why did I find this funny?)

Psychke sincerely comforted him, who seemed to have a lot of things piled up.

The butler mumbled sadly, saying that the Duke should understand his suffering, then lowered his voice abruptly.

“But, is that even true? A monster in the middle of the capital. This is a matter of believing or not—”

He made an absurd excuse in order to fill his report and it must have been the full story to his closest confidant.

Psychke corrected what he had misunderstood.

“It’s not a monster, it’s a beast.”

“Ah, it must have been a beast. It’s because the names are similar, so it’s always confusing. It’s a naturally occurring monster, right?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“I get scolded every day, but I don’t know why I can’t memorize it. By the way, are you okay with your injury? I’m so glad it ended that way.”

Judging, it seemed that no one told Isolet that she had fought the beast directly.

She is, after all, rumored to be an incompetent princess, so even if she tells the truth, no one will believe her.

Psychke nodded her head roughly.

“I should have been a better butler. Ah, I really have no face to show in front of you again, Princess.”

“No.”

“The duke cursed me a lot when I left you alone. I thought I was finally getting fired.”

“…. I’m sorry.”

“That’s not possible. What does the princess have to apologize for? It was my fault for not following orders.”

Isolet waved his hand frantically. The teddy bear and the rabbit doll, which were held in his hand, which children could play with, shook together.

‘What is that…’

Psychke’s eyes focused on the doll.

Isolet, who noticed that gaze, said, “Oh,” and explained the real purpose of coming here.

“Do you like rabbits or bears?”

“Pardon?”

“Or do you like something else?”

She looked at Isolet’s face, wondering what this meant.

He was as serious as a soldier going to war choosing a weapon.

“There are foxes, there are squirrels, there are ducks—”

“…. Are you talking about dolls?”

“Yes. If you tell me what kind you like, I will give it consideration as much as possible.”

“Consideration?”

Psychke had a puzzled expression on her face. Isolet, who was unconsciously trying to tell the truth, bit his tongue.

“Princess… No, I have a female customer. She has to give the guest a present.”

“……?”

“… I just want to ask for help from you. Princess, do you like teddy bears or rabbit dolls?”

Was there a little girl in Lestir who could come as a guest? Why is he asking her those kinds of things? Psychke shook her head.

“I don’t like dolls, so I can’t say anything about them.”

“Sorry but I can’t help you with that sort.”

“How, I’ve already ordered different types… Then what does the princess like?”

Psychke did not readily answer the question she had heard for the first time in her life. What does she like?

‘What do I like?’

“I brought you a meal, Princess!”

Just then, Cecil showed up, pulling the tray. In Silkisia, if this was the case, she could only tase this smell if there was a feast or celebration.  

Even then, Cecil grumbled that the tray was small and had no choice but to bring it.

“Please eat it before it gets cold.”

Cecil handed her a warm mug. The sweet scent of cocoa wafted up and tickled the tip of her nose.

In constant urging, Psychke wet her lips with cocoa.

It was yummy.

What she ate now was the tastiest than any drink she had ever drank.

She held the sweet liquid in her mouth and swallowed it only when it was lukewarm.

And she opened her mouth which smells like the cocoa she is drinking.

“It’s a sword. I think I like swords.”

“…… There is no such thing here. I am doomed.”

With words she couldn’t understand, Isolet ran away.

But Psychke was so obsessed with cocoa that she didn’t even realize he was out.

The cocoa was warm.

***

After a late meal, it was around sunset already.

If she kept lying down, it would feel like time stayed still. So, she forced herself to stand up and go outside.

Her whole body ached from the poison of the beast that remained in her body. Her bandaged arm was numb as if she had been electrocuted.

Rubbing her arm with the opposite hand, Psychke headed towards Verndia’s office.

‘I can’t run away until we’re not engaged.’

She forgot. As long as he has the ring, she can’t leave him. The idea of escaping was impossible as long as their location is shared through the rings.

‘I don’t know why he saved me, but I have to end this soon before he changes his mind.’

(TN: Bro, he had changed his mind already.)

Lia had to report what happened at the auction house and get compensation.

She had to prove to Verndia that demons could be dealt with even without the Imperial Knights.

‘It’s too late today, so I’m going to the Magic Association tomorrow—’

“I’ll be back soon!”

“Where are you going? I haven’t finished my story yet!”

Bang! The door to the office a few steps away roared open. Surprised, Psychke stopped walking.

“Oh, why are you here?”

The girl who saw Psychke rushed to run. Her cute pink ponytail fluttered as she ran.

“So you’re here?”

“Hello, Miss Lia. I’m staying here for a while for some reason.”

“… What?”

Lia, who greeted her warmly, stiffened her face.

At the instantaneously chilling temperature, Psychke misunderstood that this place was not in Lestir, but in a field in the middle of winter. And the cold got worse after Lia found a bandage wrapped around her arm.

“Are you alright?”

“I am all alright.”

An invisible spark bounced between the two of them.

Her flesh shrank from the cold. As she opened her mouth, her white breath leaked out.

Lia, who confirmed Psychke’s condition at Verndia’s during a snowball fight, collected Mana.

She took Psychke’s hand, still frowning.

“I’ll be back soon, so wait for me.”

Albeit that Verndia was chasing after them, Lia had led Psychke out of the Duke’s residence.