CHAPTER 48……………………………………….
Following the princess’s orders, Waldip had safely delivered the boys to the Papal Court, but he frowned at the chaotic atmosphere.
“Your Highness, what’s the matter? Did my squad make some kind of mistake?”
“They have committed a mortal sin, Captain.”
“Waldip, it’s really nothing serious, so don’t scold them. The fault is mine.”
Waldip gave the kneeling knights, soaked in guilt, a cold, sharp glance, then reported to Ariana.
“I will hear the details later, but I will ensure the squad members are treated according to the rules. I request your approval.”
“I cannot approve.”
“…But—”
“What happened to the boys I asked you to take care of?”
Waldip knew Ariana was trying to avoid the subject, but he reported nonetheless.
“The boys you ordered to be released have been safely entrusted to the Papal Court. I will continue to monitor them, so you need not worry about their safety, Your Highness.”
“Waldip does his job well, so I’m sure he managed it properly. Let’s go home; I’m hungry.”
All eyes in the crowd were on them.
Whispers ran through the people: Isn’t that Princess Ariana Berkshire?
The bodyguard knights were skilled, but drawing so much attention was dangerous.
In the end, Waldip yielded to Ariana.
‘She already knows how to win the hearts of her subordinates.’
Throughout the journey to deliver the boys to the Papal Court, Waldip had to endure Ariana’s praise until his ears nearly hurt.
Although Ariana said she was too busy to hear thanks, to Waldip, it seemed the princess was simply shy about receiving praise.
Even now, Ariana was doing her best to prevent Waldip’s knights from being punished.
There was such a person—someone who couldn’t always express themselves directly, sometimes causing misunderstandings, awkward and clumsy.
‘But in truth, the warmest person.’
The Ariana Waldip had observed so far was that kind of liege.
“I will accompany you.”
For Ariana, she had done all she could for the boys, and the same applied to the knights.
Though Waldip was a strict captain, this time he chose to follow the princess’s will and turn a blind eye.
The squad, who had expected harsh punishment, were deeply moved by Ariana’s protective actions.
Ariana boarded the carriage and safely returned to the Grand Ducal Castle.
It really had been a day full of events.
‘And even unexpected rewards…’
Even alone in her bedroom, Ariana felt dazed.
You have been called “Cutie” 200 times!
Skill “No Money, But Cute” has been strengthened.
‘I haven’t even seen Dad recently, so why is the count going up?’
The “Cutie” title given behind her back by the readers also counts toward the total.
“A sudden thought… little bird, what if Perez realizes I’m possessed? Would he feel some sense of ownership over me out of curiosity? When he said my eyes looked pretty today, it sounded almost like a threat. Is that okay?”
Reader, you shouldn’t request hints this naturally.
“…I hope Perez hasn’t cast eavesdropping magic on me, so he’s already seen all my conversations with you.”
Reader, isn’t that a little too self-conscious? His possessiveness is only level 1.
‘I have to be careful with my words from now on. That guess I just made… it sounded plausible enough to give me chills.’
Ariana resolved to communicate with the little bird privately from now on.
When Perez had confronted her earlier, she hadn’t shown it, but it had been genuinely creepy.
No character had ever realized that Ariana could read the floating system window.
Don’t worry, reader. Your conversations with me have never been leaked. There is no surveillance now either. If there is, I’ll let you know.
“Ah, you really will? Phew, that’s a relief. I was needlessly nervous…”
Ariana exhaled deeply.
With her tension released, a flood of thoughts came to mind.
She realized there were more people than expected who recognized her.
Even a small act of kindness moved people greatly, making her think that maybe it would be easier to maintain a villainous reputation.
People are fickle—if you do well a hundred times but fail once, they scold you; but if you fail a hundred times and succeed once, you get praise.
Ariana didn’t want to try to look good to others, including her father and two older brothers.
“But if Perez doesn’t end up with Chloe, wouldn’t that most disrupt the original storyline? I’m supposed to seduce Perez but also inherit Berkshire—aren’t those two requirements conflicting?”
Even if Chloe and Perez don’t end up together, the original investment flow won’t change.
For once, the little bird gave a firm answer.
Normally, it would answer ambiguously to avoid responsibility, but this time it didn’t.
The little bird added,
Even if Perez loved Chloe, he would make no concessions regarding investments.
“Right…”
In the original story, there’s a scene where Chloe flirts with Perez and asks what the next interest rate will be, but he never answered.
“By the way… what is the ‘Experience Reading’ skill?”
It’s late. Good children should sleep early.
“Every time I ask that, I make you sleep because it’s late. My time to comfortably talk to you is always before bed—why does this always happen?”
I’ll tell you first thing tomorrow morning, reader. I promise.
Since this was the first time the little bird made a promise, Ariana didn’t press further. She was too tired.
The moment her head touched the pillow, Ariana fell asleep instantly.
Sometimes she wondered if it was all just a midsummer night’s dream, and if she could wake up back on Earth in her body and resume her ordinary life.
‘I don’t know. Am I hoping the possession will be nullified because the difficulty is SSS, or do I want to keep living here?’
When her thoughts became clear, it was a sign she would awaken from the dream.
Ariana opened her eyes slowly.
Fortunately—or unfortunately—she did not wake on Earth.
She woke naturally with sunlight streaming through the window, still in her luxurious princess bed with frills.
‘Life without a smartphone is surprisingly boring.’
She stared at the ceiling for a long time.
‘Ah, warm. Winter blankets are the best. Lying here with no thoughts is so comfortable. I never want to get up.’
As she smoothed the blanket to feel its softness, she froze at an object in her hand.
A neatly folded blue note.
‘Could it be…’
She quickly unfolded it and read:
When will you show me something interesting to watch?
‘Perez?’
Ariana had never seen his handwriting, but only he in the whole world would write this and hand it over as a note.
Even from the note, she could sense Perez’s presence, and she paused, trembling slightly.
“……”
‘Did he come into my room himself? No, that’s impossible. Did he have a subordinate leave it?’
Leaving a note on the blanket while she slept…
She should have felt fear at such a strange act, but instead joy bubbled up.
After nearly ten months of neglect, she was now interacting with Perez—it felt almost exhilarating.
It had been so long since she’d truly felt his presence.
Though it also meant Berkshire’s strict security had been breached, Perez could override even imperial security if he wanted.
Perhaps this note was a result of Ariana first asking Tserdikas to relay her words to Perez.
It was the first time she had truly felt Perez’s attention.
‘Finally, progress is being made.’
