/
Not even the dessert shop in town from last time didn’t have such elaborately crafted sugar cookies.
[I’ve prepared for feasts a lot while working at the Dukedom, but this is the first time I’ve seen a cake this pretty! It looks so good; how much sweeter it will probably taste!]
“It’ll be sweet, definitely.”
Since it’s poison.
The reason I wasn’t excited in the face of all these incredulous foods was that. As much as it was clear who had sent them, there was no way they would only be sweet.
“Anyways, stop eyeing it. I’m going to return all of it.”
[Why? Such a waste! They say you’ll be punished for throwing away food!]
“Selene, do you want to become a slave for the sake of one mere meal?”
[…..I already am, to you, Madam.]
“Ah.”
With a short but strong acknowledgement, I conceded and let her keep looking. But as soon as I made clear that looking was all we were going to do, Selene blinked and voiced out her complaints.
[What did the food do wrong to you? And how do you even know who sent it?]
“That’s because….”
“Call in the attendants immediately. Tell them to prepare a bath and food…”
What that man had said that day had transferred right into this basket exactly as they were.
After all, in the huge multi-layered basket, aside from the food, a fluffy towel was laid at the bottom, and soap as well as oil to be used in the bath.
‘Hmph. What does he see me as.’
He probably thought that the crazy witch was pathetic, to boot.
I wasn’t giving myself a useless reproach—this really was my situation. A woman who was Duchess in title had not only cried and shown all sorts of things to him, she had crawled back hastily to a separated villa with no servants and no lights on. How much worse would it have looked in the Emperor’s eyes, I wondered.
“……”
Though it wasn’t like I’d been living like this for only a day or two now.
***
This obvious truth had never felt so pathetic to me before, but I had no idea why I felt so bitter about it today.
I patted Haniel’s head as she scurried down my knee and peeked into the basket.
“We’re going to return this uneaten anyway. I’m a proud lady with self-respect, after all.”
[Madaaaam. You’re curse-ridden, what self-respect…]
“The curse is on my body, not on my self-respect. I’m a mom now. A mom must keep her self-respect so that the child’s self-respect goes up, too.”
…..plus, I’m really scared of her brother, you know.
Completely leaving my real reason out, I let out a dignified sniff. I may have decided to live going with the world’s flow, but men were an exception.
‘If I eat this, who knows what new leverage I might be giving him.’
With all the leverage he’d already gotten from me, I felt like a marionette doll, with countless strings dangling off all over my body.
And when I thought of the man who could take hold of every single string and skillfully control me, a shudder instinctively ran through me.
“Ughh, no way. Let’s not do that with just food.”
[….Then what about this?]
“Whatever that is, no to everything. It’s a no, so….”
As soon as Selene lifted the lid off the last basket, my lips gradually stiffened.
No. I had to say no, but…
[Mo, mo, mommyyy! Look at dis!]
Watching Haniel as she sank, flailing into the sea of colorful, piled-up ribbons, I just couldn’t say so.
[Fwiend Rwibbon came back with mo fwiends!]
***
“Lady Melleo, have you been well? We’ve come a bit late, unfortunately.”
[You are indeed late. I thought you had completely dropped out.]
There was a hard edge to what Lady Melleo said with her head turned away. But instead of giving up there, I tried smiling innocently at her one more time.
“Hoho. My child had to rest and be nurtured from the shock of that day, so we really couldn’t help it.”
[Is that so? Even though there was also this old lady, who was kicked by His Majesty and rolled about.]
“…..”