TPVSR 10

Chapter 10

Knock, knock, knock.

“Grand Duke, I’m coming in.”

I opened the door with a knock.

In the study, Carlos was sitting there with glasses. He glanced over me dryly as I entered and asked:

“What is it?”

“I heard you skipped lunch.”

I set the tray down on his desk.

His eyes briefly touched the food, then looked away.

“Have you decided to work as a servant in this house instead of being a princess?”

Carlos asked as if he’d seen something strange.

Yes, I could understand that reaction.
This is why I didn’t want to deliver it personally.

“Using refined stones alone won’t solve everything. To live normally, you need proper eating and sleeping habits too.”

Carlos let out a scoffing laugh.

“So, you want to act more like a doctor than a servant?”

“…I’m just concerned about the health of the guardian I’ll rely on for the next four years. If something happens to you, it’ll cause trouble for me too.”

“So you made this yourself?”

“…I borrowed Mia’s hands a little—or rather, a lot.”

My gaze slipped to the side.
It was too skillful to claim I made it all alone.

Carlos asked dryly, lifting no utensils:

“Why should I trust that this is safe?”

A cold look aimed at me.

“Ah… um…”

I’d relaxed too much after Mia’s kind reaction.
Even though this was the reaction I expected,
it still felt suffocating in my chest.

If Carlos started suspecting me, it would never end.

I moved my lips for a long moment before speaking:

“…Do you think I’m crazy enough to try poisoning you so obviously?”

I tried to sound natural, but my words trembled like leaves.
Carlos just looked down at me without a word.

I closed my eyes tightly, almost shouting:

“It’s because of the eggplant and blueborage.”

“…What?”

“If you cook eggplant and blueborage together, it detoxifies demonic energy in the body. So this isn’t just food…”

The more I spoke, the more tangled my explanation became.
Through my closed eyelids, I could feel Carlos’s cold gaze.

“This is the first time I’ve heard of that.”

“…It’s probably true. It was only researched in the royal family. The chief researchers discovered this combination, and I just watched…”

I babbled. Everything made sense in my head, but my words came out a mess.

Calm down. If you panic, it’ll look even more suspicious.

I took a deep breath and continued:

“The body exposed to demonic energy can’t recover with refined stones alone. You need to remove the toxins inside. Eggplant and blueborage do that. The royal family always included this in the emperor’s meals.”

Finally, I spoke clearly.
But Carlos’s expression didn’t change.

“Do you have any proof?”

“…Proof?”

“You said it’s royal secret. How am I supposed to believe that?”

“Well…”

I was stuck. Proof? Of course, there was none. Nothing was documented. I had only seen and experienced it myself.

“I just thought it might help you.”

My words faded.
He probably wouldn’t eat it anyway.
I fiddled with my fingers, tugging my skirt, and reached to take the tray back.

“If you don’t want it, that’s fine. I won’t force you.”

The important combination of eggplant and blueborage had been shared with Mia anyway, so she would make it taste good in some way.

Then it happened.

“…Leave it.”

“Huh?”

Startled, I opened my eyes.
Carlos, still expressionless, was looking at me.

I didn’t catch it immediately.
He frowned sharply.

“You’re making a stupid face that doesn’t suit you.”

“I think I misheard.”

“I said to leave it.”

I hadn’t misheard.

‘What…?’

I froze, unsure how to respond. He nodded toward the tray.

“Just so you know, thanks to the princess’s moxibustion, I’m immune to most poisons.”

The emperor had long tried all sorts of tricks to kill the Grand Duke.
When I was seven, there was barely a poison the emperor hadn’t tried in the Grand Duke’s house.
That was why the Grand Duke only ate produce from the back of his estate.

“It doesn’t contain poison.”

“Looks like it.”

He lifted his eyelids and stared at me.

“What are you doing?”

“Huh?”

“Are you just going to watch me? Are you checking if I finish it or not?”

“No, I was just curious. I didn’t think you’d actually eat it.”

“You’re saying something strange after shoving food at me.”

Carlos smirked briefly.

“Unless the princess brought some unknown poisonous herb from across the continent without me knowing, it won’t affect me.”

He picked up a fork.

“I can detect most poisons with taste. If this were an attempt at poisoning, it would give me a good reason to deal with the princess myself.”

Then he took a bite of the eggplant rollatini.
I stared blankly at the scene.

It was strange.
A warm feeling spread somewhere in my chest.
What is this feeling?
Was I sick from the food? No way.

I asked carefully, sensing the odd warmth:

“…How does it taste?”

“Not bad.”

“…Really?”

I couldn’t help but smile brightly.

“I’m glad!”

I paused.
Carlos looked up at me, staring.
His expression seemed to shift subtly, then hardened.

I realized too late and pressed my lips together.

‘Did I smile too much?’

It probably wasn’t a flattering look.
Feeling embarrassed, I turned my head slightly.

“Then, enjoy your meal.”

I needed to leave before hearing more.
I nodded quickly and left the study like running away.

Click.

The door closed, and my heart raced.

‘He said it’s not bad.’

I didn’t know why, but my steps felt lighter.
I walked down the hallway, trying not to hum.
I even tiptoed a little, feeling oddly cheerful.

‘What should I make next?’

I still had many recipes I could share.
Herb combinations to detox demonic energy, teas to improve sleep…
If I asked Mia, it would be quick to make.

I felt strangely excited the whole way back to my room.

As soon as Loreia left, Carlos’s hand stopped.

Clack.

He set the fork down on the plate.
He picked up a napkin and quietly spat out the food he had in his mouth.
His expression was cold.

He hadn’t intended to eat it at all. He was just curious—what was the princess thinking with this?

Carlos frowned at the plate.
That expression from earlier kept coming to mind.
The smile that lit up her face when she heard “not bad,” her eyes genuinely happy.
All from a mere thirteen-year-old.

Lost in thought, he shook his head.

‘After all, she’s still a princess.’

The emperor’s child.
The royal family’s little troublemaker.

No reason to care about that smile.

He tilted the plate over the trash can.
Clunk.

The eggplant rollatini slid out with the sauce.
He returned to his desk, picked up some documents, but the words didn’t register.

That face kept flickering in his mind.
A pure, joyful smile, like a child receiving a gift.

“…Annoying.”

Carlos muttered lowly, rubbing his forehead.
There was no reason to care.
There shouldn’t be.