~Chapter 50~
Were the two of them planning to enjoy a secret romantic rendezvous at this point? Had Bethes finally come to his senses and rediscovered his identity as the male lead of a romance novel?
Ha. If that was the case, then I should step aside graciously. Out of respect for my past self as a devoted reader.
“Of course! You don’t need my permission for something like that. I don’t mind as long as you don’t put on an excessive display of affection in front of me. Hmm, I’ll be generous—kissing is fine.”
“What are you talking about?”
Bethes tilted his head slightly to the left. Sophienne stepped forward, her eyes glinting ominously.
No. Put away that sweet smile.
“No, Princess Consort Dalia. I would like to accompany you as your maid.”
…Did I just hear that wrong?
“His Highness Bethes was urgently looking for a maid to serve you, Lady Dalia. So I took the liberty of asking. I truly wished to accompany you.”
She added the explanation as if to dispel my doubts.
Sophienne smiled like a newborn demon.
Why? I don’t like this. I really don’t!
The sensation of being slapped by Sophienne was still vivid. And it hadn’t even been two days since I’d publicly humiliated her at the banquet.
Was she planning to follow me, wait until we were alone, and beat me up?
I looked back at Bethes. He looked a bit awkward as he rubbed the back of his neck.
“There won’t be other maids accompanying us on this inspection. There will be servants, and once we reach Dayron, there will be maids who served there before. Still, I thought you might need a personal maid. But if you’re uncomfortable, you can say so.”
My ears perked up.
Of course I was uncomfortable. Bethes wasn’t unaware of that.
But! Even so!
Why would Bethes want to bring Sophienne along?
Obviously because he liked her. Maybe he wanted to stay close to her under the excuse of her being a maid.
And Sophienne too… right? She wouldn’t follow me just to get revenge, would she?
Logically, it would be easier for me to bully a maid than the other way around.
Yes. Better this way than traveling alone with Bethes—
A romantic trip between Bethes and Sophienne, with me awkwardly tagging along.
That seemed like the better picture.
This was my chance to cleanly distance myself from both Bethes and Sophienne.
After a brief moment of deliberation, I raised the back of my hand in front of her.
“We may have had an unpleasant incident between us, but I don’t mind. I look forward to working with you, Sophienne Belman.”
In other words—kiss my hand.
A kiss on the back of the hand was a sign of respect and courtesy.
I watched her carefully.
The Sophienne I knew was someone who believed pride was as essential as food.
She’d been a princess since birth.
The girl who once stomped all over her dress—could she really do this?
Go on, Sophienne. If you can’t even manage this, you can just go back. It’d be a shame not to pair you with Bethes, but I really don’t want to deal with the exhaustion—
At that moment, Sophienne lowered her gaze and lightly pressed her lips to the back of my hand.
I had to focus hard on controlling my expression, more flustered by her politeness than anything else.
“Thank you for granting permission, Your Highness.”
Sophienne smiled brightly, like a child.
For a moment, I truly felt like a villainess tormenting the female lead.
Ah… I feel uneasy…
I won’t end up stabbing Sophienne in the stomach like in the original story, will I?
I already missed Étienne’s estate.
I sat facing forward, while Sophienne sat across from me, facing backward.
From the moment she boarded the carriage, she kept staring at me relentlessly.
Why do you keep staring? You’re going to bore a hole in my face.
I turned my gaze away, deeply uncomfortable.
The recent argument was awkward enough, but there was a more fundamental issue—I felt like I was losing a battle of wills.
She was a princess from birth. I was someone who’d scraped by on part-time jobs and service work, only to starve to death in extreme poverty.
How could I possibly feel at ease? Sob…
No. That was my past life. Now I’m Dalia. A princess consort, the wife of that arrogant and brilliant man, a noblewoman—and beautiful!
I even landed a solid hit in our fight, didn’t I? Don’t shrink back, Dalia. You can do this!
I lifted my chin and met her gaze boldly.
Sophienne’s small mouth twitched into a smile.
My face heated up.
It felt like she’d seen right through all my internal calculations.
“Why are you smiling?”
“Because you’re so beautiful, Princess Consort.”
…What? That sounds like an insult.
“Thank you.”
So I smiled even more.
If I got serious alone, it would feel like losing.
Perhaps interpreting my smile as goodwill, she began speaking.
“I was surprised you allowed me to come along. Honestly, I thought you’d refuse. After all, there was that unpleasant incident.”
“Yes. I do dislike it.”
“Then why did you allow it?”
“I’ll answer if you tell me why you’re following me.”
“Then I won’t tell you!”
Sophienne let out a clear, cheerful laugh.
What is this—are you messing with me?
I stared at her suspiciously, but she merely shrugged, completely at ease.
Ugh, annoying. I’ll ignore her.
I used to like her in the past because of her quirky personality. She wasn’t a cliché heroine.
But meeting her in person was exhausting.
It’d be best not to get involved.
I leaned back and closed my eyes.
Maybe because I was overly conscious of her presence, I felt tired. I’d only eaten a light meal that morning, and hunger crept in.
I felt uneasy.
It was like my stomach was about to growl at any moment.
I tensed my abdomen, determined not to embarrass myself in front of Sophienne.
But tension was a matter of muscles. Growling was a matter of digestion.
As expected, something roared roughly from my stomach.
Seriously. I must have a cursed werewolf living in there.
She heard it, didn’t she? Unless she was deaf. Or asleep.
I cracked my eyes open slightly.
She was staring at my stomach, eyes wide.
Could you at least pretend not to notice?
But Sophienne wasn’t that kind of person.
“Was that sound just now from inside your stomach, Lady Dalia? How astonishing. I didn’t know the human body could make such sounds. How unrefined.”
She wore a serious expression, but the mocking gleam in her eyes was unmistakable.
Is that funny?
“It’s perfectly natural if you have a healthy digestive system.”
Before I realized it, I’d made a rather pitiful excuse.
“Pfft—ah, sorry. I’m just a positive person. Would you like something to eat?”
What does positivity have to do with this?
“I’m fine. Don’t worry about it.”
You’ve already laughed enough.
I tried to sound aloof, but immediately regretted it.
Grrrrrk.
The werewolf howled again.
“Oh my, oh my.”
Sophienne even waved her hands in mock surprise.
I shot her a sharp glare.
I’m the princess consort. She’s the maid. Is this acceptable behavior?
Perhaps sensing my icy gaze, Sophienne wiped the smile from her face. She then rummaged through her belongings beside her.
I pretended not to care, watching out of the corner of my eye.
She pulled out a dark-colored flask.
Oh. I know that.
For a moment, the irritating Sophienne once again looked like the lovable heroine from the novel.
“I’ve loved tea since I was young. If I couldn’t drink it when I wanted, my father gave me this. It’s enchanted so the tea inside is always pleasantly warm.”
I knew. She used to throw tantrums if she couldn’t drink the tea she wanted.
Sophienne took out a shallow cup and tilted the flask. A glossy, dark liquid poured heavily into the cup.
This sweet scent…
“It’s hot chocolate. Would you like some?”
She even produced a saucer from somewhere and presented the perfectly set cup to me. The brimming hot chocolate tempted me.
Ah… one sip would be perfect right now. Warm my chest, sugar spreading through my body. Just the right sweetness, just the right fullness.
I pinched my thigh discreetly.
“No, I’m fine.”
I said it primly, though it felt like spitting blood.
But I had no choice.
Setting pride aside, I couldn’t help wondering what she might have done to it.
Right. Knowing Sophienne, even if it wasn’t poison, she could’ve added laxatives.
Good job. You refused well. So why are tears forming?
“Oh dear, you’ll regret it. This chocolate is actually a specialty from our kingdom, considered superior to any other nation’s. Even my discerning palate was won over. It’s smooth, sweet, and warm.”
I know. I drooled over that description when I read it.
Sophienne wrapped both hands around the cup. Her long lashes fluttered as the hot chocolate flowed soundlessly into her mouth.
Gulp.
She drank it, but the swallowing sound came from my throat.
Sophienne’s puppy-like eyes curved into a wide smile.
I knew that feeling. Sweet things made you smile automatically.
Looks delicious. I’m jealous. I want some too.
I glanced at her flask again.
There seemed to be some left. And she was drinking it herself—it didn’t seem tampered with. Maybe I should’ve just eaten it. Even diarrhea would be worth it.
“Don’t hesitate. Have a cup. Opportunities like this don’t come easily.”
As if reading my mind, she offered again.
How unexpected—from that infuriating Sophienne.
“Well, if Lady Belman insists so strongly, I suppose I can’t refuse. I’ll just have a taste.”
I accepted the cup, careful not to rush. It was indeed warm.
I carefully brought it to my lips.
Ding—
A bell rang in my head. Sweet fireworks exploded through every cell of my body.
It was on a completely different level from the hot chocolate Penny used to make.
Then my eyes met Sophienne’s.
“Pfft. You’re enjoying it so much.”
Sophienne narrowed her eyes and smiled.
