CH-03
- Chocolate is sweet and bitter
Teria and Evena?”
They were maids who lived with me in the cold palace.
“Really.”
“Are you not hungry, Your Highnesses?”
In Evena’s hand, there was a round-shaped bread.
“Give me that!”
When Evena playfully shook it, Louis jumped and tried to grab the bread.
The bread moved back and forth, teasingly avoiding the child’s hand.
“You have to jump higher!”
The maids ‘ laughter grew louder every time Louis jumped towards the bread.
“Didn’t we mention something earlier?”
“Go ahead and try. It seems to suit you well.”
The two maids taunted the child with words unknown to me.
‘No, if you want to give, just give it.’
Unable to wait any longer, while moving forward…
“Woof woof. Try it!”
… What was that just now?
I doubted my ears, wondering if I misheard.
“Is that true if I try?”
Louis asked with a sly smile.
The child couldn’t take his eyes off the bread, clutching his hungry stomach.
“Of course.”
In response to Louis’s question, the maids nodded their heads.
They even didn’t forget to encourage him to imitate them, as if sympathizing with a deserted dog.
“Louie, don’t.”
“Why not? I’m hungry.”
Evena tried to touch Louis, reaching out for his bread.
But Evan immediately pushed her hand away.
Evena silently stroked the back of her hand that Evan had hit.
Soon, her face turned into a grimace like a demon.
“Are you crazy…!”
Evena raised her hand to the air. In a moment, just as she was about to strike Evan’s cheek…
Smack!
“Ack!”
Something flew in and hit Evena’s head, making a loud sound.
The rolling cylinder came to a stop. It had the letters ‘12%’ imprinted on it.
“Who did that!”
An irritable voice pierced my ears.
I couldn’t bear it any longer and stepped forward.
“It’s me.”
“Oh, Eilin?”
Evena called my name in surprise and relief.
She must have been worried if an inspector had come.
“What are you doing right now?”
“We were just playing with the princes.”
The maids were still nonchalant.
“Playing with them?”
“Yes.”
I asked again, but the answer remained the same.
I decided to change the subject of my question.
“Is it true that you were playing with the maids, Your Highnesses?”
I lowered myself to their eye level by kneeling on one knee.
“Huh? Weren’t we playing?”
“If it’s not that, shut up.”
Evan pushed Louis behind him.
Evan was hiding his younger brother behind him, even in this situation.
Finally, the child who glared at me couldn’t endure his anger and spoke.
“… You won’t believe me anyway.”
Evan’s eyes were filled with suspicion, caution, and the anger he couldn’t express.
The small body trembled.
What was undoubtedly hidden behind those overwhelming emotions was fear.
“Princes, let’s go.”
The maids left with shocked faces.
I reached out to the children.
“Forgive them, will you give me a chance?”
The children just looked at me, not coming closer.
I picked up the chocolate tube and thought of a plan.
“I want to give you a gift as an apology.”
“…A gift?”
“Yes. Please wait a moment!”
I searched the kitchen and found some bread.
The oven was already lit, and I placed six slices of bread on a pan.
The scent of freshly baked bread filled the kitchen.
‘I can’t end it here.’
Baked bread would be delicious, but I wanted to add a special ingredient.
That ingredient was chocolate.
I poured chocolate onto the plate.
Evan’s face froze as he saw the dark orbs shining.
“It’s poisonous.”
…Certainly, it didn’t look pretty with the dark color.
Moreover, there was no such thing as chocolate in this world.
“It’s not poison, it’s chocolate. Even though it looks like this, it’s sweet when you put it in your mouth, it melts gently, and there’s a slightly bitter taste…”
“….”
Evan’s expression remained stiff.
‘Indeed, he’s faster to experience anything directly.’
I put a piece of chocolate into my mouth to dispel any doubts.
“Mmm, it’s sweet.”
Maybe because the sweetness ran out, the chocolate stuck to my mouth.
The sweet taste that melted smoothly and the slightly bitter taste was truly divine.
‘To recharge sugar, there’s only chocolate.’
I didn’t know what exactly they were imagining, but both twins shook their eyes simultaneously.
Three slices of bread were topped with plenty of chocolate, and I waited for the chocolate to melt by placing another slice on top.
After a while, the pleasant smell mixed with the sweet scent of chocolate wafted through the air.
I served the finished toast on a plate and placed one in front of Louis and Evan each.
“Today’s lunch, chocolate toast.”
That’s how the day started.
Duke Ruben’s residence.
In the brightly lit office, there he was.
Casha Vladis La Reinhardt.
A doomed prince with beautiful blonde hair and red eyes.
Abandoned by the imperial family but returned as a duke.
The man was expressionless as he sliced the meat.
Swish.
Finally, a smoothly cut piece of meat entered his mouth.
He chewed and swallowed, but the man wrinkled his forehead.
“Doesn’t taste like anything now.”
The man, once a prince, was able to survive for a long time without meals.
However, now that he was an adult, he could go without eating for a long time without any harm.
Nevertheless, the food was another pleasure, so intentionally abstaining from meals was not common.
But one man, in particular, couldn’t enjoy the scent of delicious food for a long time.
‘Madness.’
The disease that cast him down from being a crown prince.
The man was consuming poisonous fruit to maintain his sanity.
Swallowing the fruit that caused severe headaches and stole his senses, the man was trying to stay conscious.
“One month left.”
The man looked out of the window.
It was one month until the birthday of Casha’s mother and the former Empress of the empire, Bibiana.
Empress Bibiana died in the abandoned tower.
The crime was associated with the devil.
And the fact that she gave birth to a mentally ill prince.
Bibiana never had the chance to rule the country, and only Casha had the duty to honor her.
“Shall we prepare?”
“No, I’ll go alone.”
The tower where she died was located in the farthest corner of the palace.
There was no need for many people in a place where only a few people had to put down flowers favored by Bibiana.
“Understood, Your Excellency.”
The assistant stepped back.
Casha looked at the remaining food.
‘It doesn’t smell.’
Although the scent of blood or the metallic smell of iron could be detected, the fragrance of delicious food couldn’t be sensed for a long time.
‘It will get worse.’
Eating poison would take away his senses.
Even if he vomited blood and died, it was better than becoming a lunatic.
Casha touched his forehead with his hand.
The severe headache that had tormented him for a long time had begun again.
“Bring that.”
“But… alright.”
The assistant hesitated, but brought the red fruit.
The man put the fruit in his mouth.
In fact, the fruit only exacerbated the headache.
The serious headache even took away his taste.
But the man swallowed the fruit to keep his senses from deteriorating further.
“One more month.”
