Chapter 70
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I'm a homebody who ended up possessing the body of a villainess locked away in a desolate tower.
Chapter 70
"Y-you're concerned about me?"
"...You're staying here after paying your lodging fees fairly. It's only natural that I would be concerned about the Crown Prince."
Ah, so that's how it is?
I swept my hand across my racing heart and fixed my gaze on the teacup on the table.
If I lifted my head now, he'd surely notice my flushed face.
Unable to bear the increasingly bewildering atmosphere, I forced out a laugh as if nothing were amiss.
"S-still, there's no need to concern yourself with dessert!"
...Surely it was my imagination that his face seemed slightly flushed as well.
Blaire Grand Duke simply wiped his face lightly before returning to his usual composure.
It happened so quickly that seeing his reddened cheeks felt like a mirage.
Having regained his composure, he shook his head.
"That was something the attendants earnestly requested from the pastry chef. They asked him to pay special attention."
"Pardon?"
His subsequent explanation left my mouth hanging open.
Apparently, ever since I collapsed, the people around me have been paying meticulous attention to everything—from the temperature of my bathwater to each individual ingredient in my meals.
...It was nothing short of complete overprotection!
"...Yet it's remarkable that the Crown Prince was still thinking about work."
As I listened to his words in silence, I fidgeted like a thief caught red-handed.
"Ah, that was purely accidental while I was reading a letter...!"
"I should have all reading materials in the Crown Prince's chamber removed."
"That's not acceptable!"
My voice rose involuntarily at such an unreasonable assertion. After all, I'd endured quite a lot.
Whenever I merely wanted to check on the manga production progress, people would shoo me away, saying I shouldn't touch anything since Baroness Fabron, the new story writer, had arrived.
And whenever I tried to peek anywhere else, people would startle and abandon their posts.
As a result, I'd been experiencing a kind of isolation throughout my recovery period.
With so much work already underway, I could never return to those days when simply lying in bed brought happiness!
"I apologize, but."
Whether or not Blaire Grand Duke understood my feelings, he responded in a clipped tone.
"Isn't it strange that you thought of the Grand Duchy's castle wall construction project while reading a letter?"
"Well..."
Of course, looking at it that way, it did seem like my brain's algorithm itself was malfunctioning.
But still...
Whether he interpreted my silence as agreement, Blaire Grand Duke nodded with a satisfied expression.
"I'm relieved you seem to acknowledge it yourself."
"That's not what I meant...!"
"Liam."
Liam, who had been waiting nearby, promptly stepped forward.
"Yes, my lord."
"Remove everything from the Princess's chamber this instant."
Liam adjusted his glasses and turned his gaze toward me.
"Understood. The head maid and everyone else will be delighted."
Though I wanted to believe it wasn't intentional, his expression was so infuriating that I clenched my teeth.
Why does everyone keep saying they're happy about this?!
There's a limit to how unjustly one can be slandered.
I exhaled roughly and pushed myself up from my seat.
"I'm getting up!"
"That won't do."
"Pardon?"
"While the attendants labor to clean your chamber, shouldn't you show courtesy by finishing every last bit of the vanilla flan the pastry chef has sweated over?"
Ah, that's right.
That was something I often said to Blaire Grand Duke.
That it was only proper to finish every delicious dessert and even lick the plate clean.
"Your Highness. Surely you don't intend to break your own words?"
"I, well..."
Overwhelmed by his flawless logic, I plopped back down in my seat.
Then I scooped up the remaining flan and put it in my mouth. The flan was so delicious it nearly brought tears to my eyes, which only made me feel more wronged.
Blaire Grand Duke spoke just as I was nearly emptying the dish.
"I allocated an additional 30% budget to the Kitchen recently."
With the spoon still in my mouth, I shifted my gaze from the bowl to look at him.
Why is he bringing this up now?
"The head chef has been purchasing ingredients for all manner of nourishing dishes with that additional budget."
I froze.
A thought flashed through my mind, and I seized upon it.
"D-don't tell me it's because of me?"
He wasn't trying to make me feel indebted, was he?
Suggesting that despite the discount on room and board, they were still providing excellent service?
Fortunately, Blaire Grand Duke denied my concerns as if he'd read my thoughts.
"I'm saying it wasn't my command."
"...What?"
"The head chef requested the additional 30% budget, and I simply reviewed the request with my advisors and approved it as justified."
So the nourishing dishes and everything else weren't done on Blaire Grand Duke's orders, but rather happened voluntarily?
"Everyone has been looking after you, it seems."
I'd known this to some extent already.
Bonita had been more attentive than usual, and the advisors I'd spoken with a few times offered encouragement whenever we crossed paths, telling me to stay strong.
And Lady Rainy brought me a blanket she'd personally knitted, saying it was prepared for me.
Even the painters, pressed by their deadlines, had gifted me a massive landscape painting large enough to fill an entire wall, hoping I'd recover soon.
And then there was Ian.
My guard knight, usually busy with his main duties and sometimes working part-time to the point where I wouldn't see him for days, had recently taken to standing watch outside my chamber almost every time I stepped out the door.
Unless one's perception had truly left this world, anyone could sense the concern radiating from those around me.
Yet what truly astounded me was that people I'd barely conversed with were quietly looking after me.
I'd assumed only those I saw frequently, like Bonita, would do such a thing.
"I hear that among those who work in this mansion, there isn't a single soul who hasn't been indebted to the princess."
"I... haven't really done anything special? I don't even know all their names...."
"Perhaps you've done something for their families. For instance..."
Farmers trapped at the stalled Dam Construction Site, fretting over missing the harvest season.
Women who couldn't find suitable work and had to endure scornful glances.
Seasonal laborers wandering the vast Continent in search of employment.
...People who had received direct and indirect aid from the Grand Duchy's economic revival.
After his brief yet substantial explanation, Blaire Grand Duke added his words.
"And I, too, hold the princess in high regard."
Upon hearing that, I could have raised my voice in embarrassment or responded with feigned nonchalance.
But why didn't I?
Was it the power of his handsome face?
In that moment, I felt those words embed themselves peculiarly deep within my heart.
* * *
Late at night, the Royal Palace of Salt lay shrouded in an eerie silence.
Within the dimly lit Hall, Berga tilted his wine glass as he spoke with a troubled expression.
"Where is Lemeia?"
"She remains confined to her chamber, Your Majesty."
"Tsk."
She must still be whining about calling off the marriage.
Yet he no longer possessed the energy to soothe his foolish daughter.
Even the marriage he'd sought to expedite was now indefinitely postponed.
"Is the situation... grave?"
"I regret to inform you, Your Majesty, but it is. Hundreds have already abandoned the Borderlands."
The origin of all this stemmed from Lemeia's mistake.
Initially, I'd believed it a trivial matter that could be resolved with minimal loss...
Yet contrary to my expectations, the food shortage, once begun, spiraled beyond control. It had grown so severe that even emptying Salt's entire treasury couldn't remedy it.
When plague broke out on top of everything else, the situation descended into catastrophe.
"Heh heh..."
A bitter laugh finally escaped Berga's lips.
In this worst of circumstances, neighboring nations all adopted a passive stance toward grain trade.
The suspicion he'd denied didn't take long to become reality.
"How could we remain ignorant while the Cletan Empire's cavalry advanced to our doorstep?"
Crown Prince Lyden intended to consolidate his power further by swallowing Salt itself.
The king's hand holding the wine glass began to tremble ceaselessly.
"If I were to send Lemeia, could it sway the Crown Prince's heart?"
"I believe an attempt must be made, Your Majesty."
"...Send an envoy."
Storm clouds gathered above Salt's precarious sky, like a small wooden boat tossed upon turbulent waves.
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org