Chapter 59
Chapter 59
After Mitzu left, the princess received the antidote from Dylan. It was a red color, similar to the antidote the head maid had given her that morning.
“The taste… well, you’ll see once you try it, but the one I made is exactly the same as the palace would have made. Just think of it as a slightly bitter herbal tea. I’ve made plenty, so drinking it for a week should be enough.”
“Th-thank you. Thank you so much, Duke Harrison. Thank you, Erina.”
“No, it’s nothing! It wasn’t even difficult.”
Erina waved her hands modestly. If it could help even a little in improving the princess’s health, that was enough for her.
The princess drank the antidote all in one go. Having taken a lot of medicine since she was young, she didn’t even find this particularly bitter.
However, the children seemed to think differently. They rushed over and placed a small box in front of the princess.
“Your Highness, your mouth feels all bitter after drinking the medicine, right?”
“It’s so bitter! You need to eat something sweet after!”
“W-we brought pudding!”
The princess looked curiously at the box the triplets had placed before her.
In fact, ever since they had arrived at the palace where the princess lived, the children had wanted to give her pudding. But they thought the antidote was more important, so they had been waiting for the right moment.
Now that the princess had taken the antidote, they eagerly wanted to show off the pudding they had made.
Knowing how much the children wanted this, Erina also gently pushed the box toward the princess.
“Before coming to the palace today, the children and I made it together. Resen, Lia, and Poi all worked hard to help, saying they wanted to give it to you.”
“O-oh my…! R-really? Thank you, thank you! I, I really love strawberries!”
The princess’s pale white face turned a soft pink.
The children got up from their seats and stood beside the princess, closely watching her lips move.
Even though their eager stares could have been overwhelming, the princess seemed happy for the rare attention. She scooped up a big spoonful of the pudding and put it in her mouth.
As soon as it touched her tongue, the pudding’s firm texture and sweet-sour flavor spread in her mouth and then melted away without a trace.
It was a perfect pudding, the kind that even the palace’s most famous chefs couldn’t easily replicate.
“…!”
The princess’s eyes sparkled.
“Your Highness! Isn’t Erina’s pudding the best?!”
“Lia helped by removing all the strawberry stems!”
“Poi helped too!!”
The children gleefully stomped their feet beside the silent, pudding-eating princess.
They were certain—the princess must have fallen in love with Erina’s snack too.
“It’s, it’s so, so delicious…!”
After eating two whole puddings in one sitting, the princess finally shared her feelings.
“Did it suit your taste?”
“Very, very much!!”
“I’m so glad! I’ll enjoy the desserts you prepared too.”
“Y-yes…!”
Seeing how much the princess liked the pudding made Erina feel warm inside.
She was happily munching on the desserts prepared by the princess’s side when she heard a disappointed voice from nearby.
“I’ve never even tasted the pudding…”
Startled, Erina turned her head to find Dylan staring at the box in front of the princess with a mournful expression.
Come to think of it, only Mitzu and the children had snacks that morning!
Erina suddenly realized she hadn’t saved any pudding for Dylan and Hael.
Or rather, Mitzu and the kids had eaten so much that there wasn’t any left to save. Even the puddings for the princess had been barely rescued!
“A-ah, um, that’s not what I meant…!”
“I really wanted to try the pudding you made, Erina.”
“Ugh…!”
“It seems the children have already had it, right?”
Erina nodded hesitantly. Dylan looked as if the world had collapsed around him.
He was overcome with a wave of sadness—how could Erina eat snacks with the kids and leave him out?
Dylan lowered his head with a despondent expression. He looked so pitiful and forlorn that Erina was instantly consumed by guilt, as if she had committed a terrible crime.
“I-I’ll make some for you as soon as we get home today!”
“No, it’s fine. Just knowing you forgot about me has already killed my appetite.”
“I didn’t forget you!”
“Sigh, no. It’s understandable. Really.”
Despite saying it was understandable, Dylan turned his entire body away from her.
He was acting like a petty, sulky child or rather, a very small-minded dragon.
Resen, Lia, and Poi all frowned at their uncle’s pathetic behavior.
He didn’t seem to care how troubled Erina looked, sulking over being left out like he was about to dig himself into the ground.
Because he was sitting so close, Anna, the princess, overheard everything. Unable to hold it in, a small laugh escaped her lips.
“Pfft.”
At the faint sound of laughter, the dragons and Erina all turned toward the princess. She looked like she realized she had slipped up, but soon enough she burst into laughter again.
Everyone’s faces looked so identical that it was hilarious.
“S-sorry, I’m so sorry. It’s just, you all looked so close. I couldn’t help it.”
“We are close!”
“But only with Erina!”
“It’s not Dylan…!”
The children quickly corrected the princess, clarifying that they were only close with Erina, not with their uncle.
The princess glanced again at Duke Harrison, but he had already returned to his usual expressionless face.
Since he didn’t seem to deny the children’s words, it appeared that he was indeed a bit distant from his niece and nephews. Only Erina tried to smooth things over, saying,
“We all get along very well! Really…!”
But it didn’t seem to help much.
After watching the adorable family for a moment, the princess took out presents she had prepared for the triplets.
Sensing instinctively that the gifts were meant for them, the children eagerly crowded closer to her.
“Wow! Look, Erina! When you open the lid, it plays music!”
“I know this song! It’s Lovely Little Girl! La, la-la-la, la-la!”
“Poi’s says the hero’s song!”
Excited, Poi jumped up and down clutching the gift. The presents from the princess were jeweled music boxes.
Knowing that dragons liked shiny things and thinking the children would love music, the princess had chosen them carefully.
The triplets were even more delighted than she had hoped. The children each proudly showed their music boxes to Erina, who sang along happily with them.
“Thank you, Your Highness!”
After bowing politely, the triplets soon started running around the garden. Their ability to sit still had long since vanished.
“Don’t go too far and don’t touch anything you shouldn’t!”
“Okay!!”
The triplets answered sweetly before dashing off again.
Perhaps it was better this way, they would exhaust their energy here. The imperial garden was spacious, and the soft grass made it safe enough for them to tumble without serious injury.
“Um, Erina?”
“Yes?”
Hearing her name called quietly, Erina turned her gaze from the children back to the princess.
The princess handed her a gift too: a hairband adorned with a beautiful green gem.
“This is… just a small token… and I have a… a favor to ask…”
“A favor? You didn’t have to give me a gift for that…!”
Was today some sort of gift-giving day in the Empire?
That morning, Mitzu had also randomly given her a present, and now even the princess was offering one.
Though the princess did say she had a favor to ask.
Erina clutched the hairband and glanced helplessly at Dylan, silently pleading for help. But Dylan, misreading her expression, just smiled easily as if saying, ‘What kind of present should I give you, Erina?’
