Chapter 76
It was a truly warm and sunny afternoon. I felt the heat warming the crown of my head as I moved my spoon without pause. Stress made me crave something sweet.
Indeed, the southern regions were abundant. Even the royal family couldn’t compete with the food here.
I devoured five macarons filled with ganache and candied orange peel, two cups of rose-scented tea, and a full bowl of yogurt topped with pomegranate jelly. I didn’t forget the shaved ice topped with heaps of fresh apple mangoes either.
The table, laden with food, looked luxurious. Actually, not just the table—the place I was in itself felt lavish.
Naturally, that made sense.
I was currently staying at the southern villa owned by the Castrine family.
Even though the Castrine family’s main residence was in the north, their interest in the Dedication Festival was immense.
No matter how important the northern barrier was, they couldn’t simply ignore the southern one. Last year, during the festival that Brian attended, Lysianthus had accompanied him as well. So it made sense that there was a proper Castrine villa even at this far southern tip.
But what happened after that, I couldn’t understand.
Yesterday, trying to calm my boiling stomach, I spoke to Raymon.
“I was originally supposed to stay at Viscount Flux’s mansion.”
“That won’t do.”
“Why not?”
“The Castrine family has a villa here, and you are my fiancée. If you’re not staying at the temple, staying here is appropriate.”
He wasn’t wrong. Not exactly.
But I had planned to team up with Viscount Flux, run some errands in the black market, set things up properly, and even try throwing out some bait!
And what’s with this “I hope you get everything you want”? Raymon was staring at me so intently it left me speechless.
Maybe it was my imagination, but his expressionless face seemed to silently plead for me to stay.
I swallowed the words I wanted to argue with and said something else.
“…So you won’t mind if I go out and do things, or invite someone here?”
Raymon slightly narrowed his eyes instead of answering.
“Weren’t you the one who said I should use even the Marquess of Castrine to get what I want?”
“…Yes.”
“Then I’ll take that as permission.”
I had to make an effort not to sound sarcastic.
When Raymon appeared, why did I feel surprised, embarrassed, and humiliated rather than glad? Thinking carefully, it was simple.
I didn’t want to show him my ugly side. That was natural. Even though I no longer harbored the desire for that man to love ‘Titania’…
But in the struggle to survive, I inevitably showed only my ugly side—struggling with nothing to my name, flailing as hard as I could.
Even though I tried to maintain my pride and build walls, in truth, without their help, surviving in one piece would have been impossible.
Maybe I should have crawled on the floor, muttered “thank you,” taken everything offered without complaint, and swallowed my pride.
But that man kept trying to break down my walls.
Even though he had no idea what it meant to me.
A man who, no matter what, would never feel the desperate emotions I once thought of Titania.
If I hadn’t rescued Vivi, if I hadn’t become a useful royal for the Castrine family… my mouth tasted bitter.
But I had become the Castrine family’s ‘benefactor,’ so this was something I had to endure.
As I held back, Raymon kept rambling.
“Whatever you need, I’ll get it for you. If you desire something, just ask. Manpower, anything…”
“Haha, what if I pull out the Castrine family’s pillars?”
“If Your Highness truly desires it, perhaps one or two…”
“Just talking about it is too much; let’s keep it a joke.”
“It wasn’t a joke, though.”
“Ah, yes… I see.”
“But if by ‘family pillars’ you mean the mansion’s pillars, that’s troublesome. Pulling out intact pillars isn’t useful. It’s more practical to request something symbolic, like a family heirloom.”
Raymon said nonsense with a straight face.
Thanks to him, the bitter feelings that had consumed me moments ago were easily washed away.
“No, giving me the heirloom would be troublesome.”
“Handing over a piece or two of the Castrine family’s heirlooms won’t cause any trouble.”
“No, it would trouble me! That’s it for this topic!”
Ugh… the more I thought about it, the more my temples throbbed. Honestly, a sense of crisis crept in: ‘Is it really okay for a family to give this freely just because I’m their benefactor?’
I pushed aside idle thoughts and scraped the remaining yogurt from the bowl.
Weight gain? Who cares. With days like these, constantly on edge, I couldn’t even gain weight if I wanted. Watching me dive at desserts aggressively, Barbara looked exasperated.
“…Your Highness?”
“What?”
“Eating that many sweets at once isn’t good for your health.”
-(;° ロ°) Right, I’m the contractor…! My contractor’s stomach has limits! It’s not some infinitely expandable bag!
The emoji sword, sulking because I tried to forcibly separate myself, peeked at me nervously.
I slid the empty bowl toward her.
Actually, stress calls for something spicy, not sweet. Suddenly, I longed for tteokbokki so badly it brought tears to my eyes. Damn, what does it matter if I’m a precious princess? My soul craves K-food.
I grew up eating kimchi fried rice, kimchi stew, and radish kimchi as a side…!
Jjolmyeon… kimchi… cup noodles… tteokbokki… sob, sob sob. But it wasn’t available, so what could I do?
I held out the empty bowl.
“Give me more of this…”
Debbie quickly filled a new bowl of yogurt and handed it to me. I hurriedly shoved it in my mouth, choking and coughing. Immediately, Debbie ran off somewhere.
I was too distracted by my coughing to see where she went.
Well, she was probably just getting medicine…
“Cough, cough, ugh! Kuuh, kuulk kuulk… ugh!”
-Oh no, our contractor is dying!!!(´；Д；｀)-
“Your Highness!”
“Are you alright?!”
Barbara hurriedly patted my back. Already queasy from overeating, I gagged while coughing. It was painful.
Bang!
The door suddenly opened.
Debbie strode in, carrying someone over her shoulder. Barbara’s eyes went wide.
Stammering, she said:
“Th-the High Priest Ilian?!”
“Kuuh, ugh, High Priest?!”
A familiar face. Previously, summoned by the Castrine family to the palace to oppose the Empress…
Right, Vivi had mentioned sending the High Priest here before, but at this very place? At this very time? For this reason? The High Priest is coming?!
Amid our shocked expressions, Debbie placed the High Priest down and confidently said:
“High Priest! The princess is unwell!”
I panicked and shouted:
“No! I just overate in a fit of anger and gagged! What treatment is needed?! If anything, throwing up once will make me feel better!”
“Vomiting is not good for your stomach or esophagus, Your Highness!”
“Hehehe, long time no see, Princess Titania.”
High Priest Ilian smiled kindly and gently stroked my back and shoulders.
A faint minty, refreshing scent accompanied a sense of energy. The nausea I felt from overstuffing instantly subsided.
Even the lingering aches and pains from muscle soreness disappeared.
Wow! This is High Priest power!
The last time, I received treatment while unconscious, so experiencing it fully conscious was a first.
The effect was incredible, but could it really be this easy? I asked, unable to hide my hesitation.
“C-can I really be treated like this? Your divine power should be used for more serious cases…”
High Priest Ilian looked just like a kindly neighbor.
His round, cheerful eyes and perpetually smiling mouth remained the same, though his under-eyes appeared slightly darkened.
The High Priest smiled widely, forming a circle with his thumb and index finger. He winked, flashing bright teeth through the circle.
“Haha, it’s fine. I’ve received a lot of this treatment myself.”
“Ah… I see…”
“For someone like me, getting called is already a treat. Even major nobles don’t summon me often. Thanks to you, Your Highness, this quarter’s budget for commoner priests’ support was easily resolved during this visit! Wahahaha! I even got a nice bonus last time, so please keep using my services!”
High Priest Ilian’s smile was exceptionally radiant.
