Chapter 18
“Lady Marie is truly compassionate. To bring everyone in without passing a single person by and take care of them like this.”
“Well, of course. Especially at times like this, I believe we have to help one another to survive.”
“There are far more people who would not do so. We are fortunate that the master of this mansion is Lady Marie.”
We went down the stairs. It was so dark that I had to feel along the wall to find the switch.
Soon, as light flooded the area, a figure came into view—one that seemed as though it had absorbed all the darkness in the world.
Killian, who had been sitting on the landing, stood up.
“You scared me! If you were there, you could’ve said something.”
“I thought maybe my darling was cheating on me, so I was keeping an eye on things.”
“What cheating? We’re not even dating.”
Ordinarily, I might have gotten angry at such nonsense. But perhaps because the one saying it was ridiculously handsome, I didn’t feel particularly irritated.
I shrugged, thinking it was just his usual flirting, and Sir Barren widened his blue eyes like a curious puppy.
“…You are not lovers?”
“Well, what do you think?”
“Oh, please! Just go make some porridge.”
I jabbed Killian in the side as he grinned slyly. Startled, Sir Barren placed a hand over his chest, then froze.
“W-Why would I…?”
“Don’t get any ideas. If you do, you’ll die.”
Before Sir Barren could even finish his sentence, Killian cut in. He elbowed him lightly and added with a smirk,
“I’m joking.”
“That didn’t sound like a joke.”
“What kind of porridge should I make? Egg and salt porridge?”
“Why are you so harsh to the princess? She had chicken soup yesterday.”
I wondered if we should take out some chicken again today when Killian playfully twirled a strand of my hair and curled one side of his lips upward.
“Well, she looks suspicious no matter how you see it. Don’t you think? To be discovered there just as we went out to bury the archbishop.”
“Maybe that’s how it looks to a psychopath like you.”
“Indeed. There are more corpses than living people outside… Wouldn’t it be better to think positively?”
“Sir Barren and I seem to understand each other well. By any chance, can you cook?”
“I’m sorry. I’ve only ever eaten food distributed at the temple.”
I see. What a shame. I had thought this might be a good opportunity to reduce Killian’s dominance a little.
Seeing my reaction, Sir Barren drooped his eyebrows as though he had committed a crime. Killian stretched my hair long and placed it over his upper lip.
“There’s a fine chef right here. Why are you looking for another man?”
“What are you doing?”
“The head chef at the best restaurant in Justiva had a mustache like this.”
“I wasn’t looking for another man. I just thought it might be nice if Sir Barren helped you a little.”
“That won’t do. I want Marie to rely entirely on me. If some small fry gets in the way…”
Did his inner thoughts just slip out? Usually, people keep thoughts like that to themselves.
As always, Killian was impossible to predict. I couldn’t tell whether he was joking or serious. Before I could respond, he headed down the stairs first.
“So, chicken soup again today?”
“Y-Yes. Please.”
We arrived at the kitchen and began preparing a meal for the princess. More precisely, I brought ingredients from storage while Killian chopped and boiled water.
“Move. You’re in the way.”
“Ah, sorry.”
Sir Barren stepped back while watching Killian cook skillfully. He came to stand beside me and waited quietly.
After a while, Killian placed a steaming bowl of milky chicken soup before us.
“It smells delicious. Why are you so good at cooking?”
“I once worked as a dishwasher.”
“At that fine restaurant in Justiva you mentioned earlier?”
“I almost got kicked out for breaking plates. That’s when I met Lord Arthur.”
“My father?”
Though I didn’t even know what Count Arthur looked like, the word “father” came out of my mouth easily. Killian, who had wiped a spoon clean, pushed the tray toward me.
“Can you carry it without tripping?”
“Yes. I’ll try to be careful.”
I thought he might finally tell me more about Count Arthur.
But it seemed it still wasn’t time.
Still… could I really carry a bowl filled to the brim without spilling it?
“Shall I carry it?”
Before I could decide, Sir Barren took the tray. After thanking him, we headed upstairs together.
Killian said he would stay in the kitchen—perhaps he didn’t want to face the princess much.
“Wow, that smells wonderful!”
When we returned to the princess’s bedroom, Rita beamed and stepped aside. The princess swallowed and looked at the soup set before her.
“So there is still a cook alive in the Arthur mansion?”
“Yes. Something like that.”
The princess lifted her spoon elegantly. Though she must have been starving, she never lost her composure.
She savored the soup slowly and finished her meal at leisure. After wiping her mouth with the napkin Killian had prepared in advance, she let out a satisfied breath.
“It’s quite good. But for this child, something richer will be necessary.”
“Your Highness, forgive me for asking, but how far along are you?”
Grandpa Eugene asked carefully.
“It has already been over nine months. I do not even know whether my husband, the Duke of Summeril, is dead or alive—yet childbirth approaches.”
She muttered in frustration. Hearing that, worry rose in me as well.
If she were to give birth in this mansion… who would assist her?
There was no doctor at the Arthur estate. Would we have to go outside and search for a living physician? Ugh. My thoughts suddenly became complicated.
“Your Highness, please tell us more about my sister.”
Before Sir Barren had even finished moving the tray aside, Rita dragged a chair to the bedside and sat down.
I, too, leaned in to listen. Though I had only written fragments of this world, it was now unfolding on its own.
“The last time I saw Cordelia was just before we fled from a band of thieves.”
The princess stroked her swollen belly as she spoke.
“She always put me first. As a duke’s daughter, she might have prioritized her own safety.”
“The head of our Luzen Ducal House considered it a great honor that Lady Cordelia served Your Highness.”
Grandpa Eugene puffed out his chest proudly. I recalled reading in a history book:
A royal lady-in-waiting was not merely a servant handling chores. It was an honorable position—one who conversed with royalty, assisted with attire, and shared in leisure.
But the Luzen Ducal House? I had never heard of it, yet a ducal family must be of extremely high status.
I knew Rita was noble, but I hadn’t realized she was from a ducal family.
“And in addition, Lady Cordelia was engaged to His Highness Crown Prince Louis.”
Grandpa Eugene revealed a pride I had never seen before. The princess nodded lightly, and I covered my mouth in realization.
In lawless Justiva, the person the male lead Louis had saved… was Rita’s sister.
I had originally envisioned their meeting as a fated encounter.
Which meant Cordelia was the heroine of the novel I had written.
“Cordelia caught Louis’s attention because of a certain incident in the past.”
The princess narrowed her eyes as if recalling an old memory. That “incident” must have been the Justiva kidnapping.
“I was so afraid back then that we might lose our precious young lady.”
Grandpa Eugene shuddered. Rita added that she had heard her sister was once dragged away by strangers when she was young—confirming my guess.
“Is the Crown Prince doing well? Did he protect my sister?”
“Of course. Louis values Cordelia and the Luzen family greatly.”
“I miss my sister so much… And I wonder if Mother is still alive…”
“Unfortunately, I have heard no news of the Duke of Luzen.”
The conversation flowed endlessly—one I could not carelessly interrupt.
And amidst it all, I felt a slight sense of isolation.
