Chapter 8
“Now we have to crush the veins of the leaf… Would you like to try it with me?”
Smack!
Eugenie placed an apple mint leaf on her palm and clapped her hands together firmly.
She shook the crushed leaf into a glass and then held her hand open in front of Noah’s nose.
“Can you smell the apple mint from my hand? That’s because the leaf veins burst.”
Noah sniffed her hand eagerly, then started bouncing on his feet.
“Me too! I want to try!”
“Okay, then put the leaf on your palm like this…”
Smack!
Noah clapped his hands with a serious expression.
He poured the now-burst apple mint leaves into the glass and held his tiny hand out to Eugenie.
“See? It smells good on my hand too!”
“It really does! You did a great job! Now, could you use this muddler to mash up the ingredients in the glass?”
Noah, looking flushed with excitement, carefully muddled the lime, sugar, and apple mint together.
Meanwhile, Eugenie brought out the ice container.
Noah, holding the ice scoop in his hands, looked up at her with sparkling eyes.
“How much ice should I put in?”
“Fill it all the way up.”
Noah scooped up a generous amount of ice.
He did drop a few pieces along the way, but he looked like he was having so much fun.
Once the glass was filled with sparkling water and decorated with round slices of lime and apple mint leaves…
Now’s the time!
Eugenie gave a subtle glance.
The maids nearby immediately showered Noah with praise.
“Oh my, you made this so well!”
“The colors are just beautiful!”
“You’re amazing!”
With the adults’ compliments, Noah’s little shoulders rose as if they could touch the sky.
Smiling brightly, Eugenie gently encouraged him.
“Try it.”
After one sip, Noah looked up at her with wide, astonished rabbit-like eyes.
“This is really good!”
“I’m so glad it suits your taste.”
Saying that, Eugenie carefully observed his reaction.
Noah’s mood had completely lifted.
Maybe now’s the right time to bring it up?
With a soft, downy voice, Eugenie cautiously began.
“Your Highness, forgive my boldness, but… could you grant me the honor of accompanying you?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“The weather has been so nice lately.”
Spring had just begun.
The sun was bright and warm, though the wind still carried a hint of coolness.
And on days like this…
“I thought maybe we could all go on a picnic together.”
“A picnic?”
Noah’s eyes sparkled like stars.
Of course they did. To a young prince, the word picnic was utterly enchanting.
Ever since his mother had passed away…
Noah hadn’t stepped outside the 2nd Prince’s Palace even once.
“Would you not like that?”
When she asked again, Noah quickly shook his head.
“No, I do! I want to go!”
But the joy was short-lived.
Noah looked down, his mood suddenly dropping.
“But… I think Janet won’t like it…”
At that moment—
Eugenie felt a strong sense of discomfort.
Why was he so concerned about Janet’s opinion?
Even if he was young, Janet was still his subordinate. She was a maid to the 2nd Prince.
And then there were those words…
“Don’t talk to me.”
“I don’t trust anyone but Janet…!”
What did he mean by that?
After a moment of thought, Eugenie lowered herself to look Noah straight in the eyes.
“Your Highness, you are the master of the 2nd Prince’s Palace.”
“Master…?”
Perhaps unfamiliar with the word, Noah repeated it softly.
“Yes. Being the master means that everyone in this palace must follow your words, Your Highness.”
Eugenie gave him a warm smile.
“You can do whatever you wish. If you want to go on a picnic, we’ll go. If you want to talk with the maids, you can do that too.”
“But…”
“No one in this palace can stop you. That’s the kind of person you are, Your Highness.”
Eugenie said this firmly.
But fear still lingered on Noah’s face.
“But… what if Janet leaves me?”
After a long pause, Noah asked carefully.
“Lady Macray would leave Your Highness?”
“Yeah. If Janet leaves… then there’s no one left beside me.”
Noah lowered his gaze, looking utterly dejected.
“My brother doesn’t care about me at all.”
“Pardon?”
“He… definitely hates me.”
Eugenie froze for a moment.
The Emperor had no interest in the Second Prince?
But according to the original novel…
“And the maids always change. Janet is the only one who never leaves.”
Noah’s shoulders sagged even more.
“She’s the only one who cares about me…”
He trailed off and soon buried his head low.
“That’s why… if Janet hates something, I hate it too.”
As Eugenie listened to the child’s confused and rambling words, her eyes turned cold.
This is just too much.
She couldn’t be sure, but it seemed that Janet had been subtly isolating Noah all along.
Constantly rotating the maids, cutting off access to anyone he might grow attached to.
So that she would be the only one left in his world.
“I told you, no one in the 2nd Prince’s Palace can stop you.”
Eugenie said gently.
“Whether it’s the maids or Lady Macray, it doesn’t matter. If you want someone to stay by your side, all you have to do is say so.”
Noah’s eyes grew wide.
“Really? I can really do whatever I want?”
“Of course. If the 2nd Prince doesn’t give permission, no one can replace anyone in this palace.”
Eugenie added playfully, giving him a wink.
“Except for His Majesty the Emperor. That’s something I hope you’ll understand?”
“Oh…”
Noah blinked slowly in a daze.
It was the first time.
The first time someone told him he could decide things for himself, that no one could leave him without his say.
A gentle voice caressed his ears.
“And also, His Majesty doesn’t hate you, Your Highness.”
“…Really?”
“Of course.”
Eugenie knew from reading the original novel.
The Emperor’s feelings for his only half-brother were complicated and tangled.
However—
There’s no way he hates him.
You don’t feel that much guilt toward someone you hate.
A slow smile began to spread across Noah’s face.
“Hey, when we go on a picnic, can we bring a lunchbox? I want a sandwich with ham and cheese.”
“Of course. I’ll make sure to include that.”
“Will you play catch with me too?”
“Not just catch. We’ll run together and I’ll push you on the swing too.”
Then Noah, holding the mojito glass tightly with both hands, shyly held it out to Eugenie.
“This… will you make mojitos for me again too?”
“Absolutely.”
Eugenie nodded without hesitation.
Upon hearing her answer, Noah’s cheeks flushed pink, and then—he suddenly tugged at the hem of Eugenie’s skirt.
Hm?
Eugenie bent down.
Noah whispered quietly, just for her to hear.
“Um… you said my brother doesn’t hate me, right?”
His bright eyes sparkled with hope.
“…Then, can he come with us too?”
For a moment, Eugenie was at a loss for words.
Of course, she did need the Emperor’s cooperation to accomplish her goal.
She had already been planning to approach him somehow, even if it meant staging a coincidence.
But—
He’s just such a little child.
He was at the age where it would be perfectly natural to simply cry and demand to see someone.
And yet he was already so mindful of the adults around him.
Suppressing the ache in her heart, Eugenie whispered back.
“I can’t promise anything… But I’ll definitely ask at the Imperial Palace.”
“Really?”
“Of course. But until we get an answer from His Majesty, it’ll be our little secret. Okay?”
“Okay!”
Noah beamed brightly.
Seeing that smile, Eugenie felt a strange tightness in her chest.
Just how long had this small child been alone, lonely enough to be swayed into a rebellion by scheming nobles?
Because of that—
Eugenie could no longer complain about the “slow and frustrating pace” of the plot.
This world was no longer a novel, and the Noah standing in front of her was no longer…
A mere fictional character.
