Chapter 45
Life is a lie.
“Here, it’s dinner tonight. Young Lady.”
“Is this real?”
She asked, staring at the puffy chicken breast. Emma beamed with pride.
“Yep! It’s a chicken breast cooked with the ‘healthy muscle-building diet recipe’ that His Highness Pession gave me!”
“…”
The fluffy chicken breast really did taste like a fluffy chicken breast. She chewed hard, and then it was sage time.
‘Why do humans live?’
Her appetite dropped.
She didn’t eat much in the first place, and this was the only dessert she had left in her life!
‘How did I get myself into this situation?’
She suddenly became distressed.
What happened to the cute little Pession who was so sweet and cuddly when he said he liked her at the Sharit mansion?
They were so good back then.
She wants him back, her sunshine maniac!
***
Early morning.
Pession burst into the Halbern mansion after his morning workout.
“Arellin, let’s work out!”
It was a routine that had been going on for over three weeks now.
She crouched down, shivering, still not out of bed.
In the aftermath of yesterday’s workout, her entire body ached with sore muscles.
It’s been three weeks since she started working out, and every day is still a new pain.
“Arellin, get up! Let’s go!”
“No.”
“If you don’t want to do it, we should get married!”
Kill me?
At a moment when she was seriously on the verge of causing the Crown Prince’s death, Pession turned to the curtains of her room, which were tightly closed.
“Why is it so dark in here, is Arellin a child of the darkness, eek!”
“Ew!”
My eyes!
“Let’s get out!”
“You go!”
She threw a pillow, but Pession dodged it with a light flick.
“Is this a pillow fight?”
“No, it’s not.”
“Anyway, let’s get out!”
“No!”
Pession chuckled as she curled up in a ball under the covers.
“Haha, you look like an Arellin caterpillar!”
She really didn’t want to lift a finger today. It’s all because of the same chicken breast menu every day and the non-stop workouts.
Her body may be getting stronger, but her mind is exhausted.
“Arellin, you need to work out.”
“I’m not going.”
At this point, Pession would give up.
That’s when she let go.
“Oops!”
Suddenly, she lifted up, and she floated in the air.
“?!?!”
She quickly pulled off the covers and locked eyes with a beaming Pession.
“Arellin, did you sleep well?”
She couldn’t believe it. Pession was scooping her up in a caterpillar-like hug.
“What are you doing?”
“What? Going to the training ground.”
She’d forgotten for a moment.
How ridiculous this guy was.
“So, I replied. Arellin, did you sleep well?”
“Sleep well?”
Pession made a face.
“What? Didn’t you go to bed on time again? Did you read your book? You need to go to bed on time! You need to sleep properly to work out.”
My mum.
“Did you eat well?”
“Yeah.”
“Good girl, good girl.”
She couldn’t believe it. A good girl, a child who doesn’t even get a good meal from Mehen, getting beaten up by Pession.
“That’s lighter than the rock I lifted in training yesterday. Arellin, you need to get fatter.”
“…ha.”
A 7-year-old lifts a rock for training.
“Put it down.”
“No, I don’t want to.”
Pession laughs and declines.
Meanwhile, we had all the attention in Halbern Manor.
“Oh my, oh my, look at them.”
“You two look so good.”
“I know. You must like her.”
“Oh, she’s cute.”
Every butler and maid they passed gave us a beaming smile.
“Did you hear, Arel? They say we look good together.”
“Good?”
“Mmm.”
Pession, who’d been grinning from ear to ear, looked at her and turned serious.
“Yuni told me all about it. She said you locked yourself in your room all day yesterday after I left, and you’re getting depressed because you keep doing that!”
Yuni, you traitor.
Confiscate the compliment stickers.
“Get out, get some sunshine, get some air, it’s good for you!”
“Bullshit…”
She doesn’t need sunshine and air to be healthy, she already healthy.
“Huh?”
“No, nothing.”
Pession glared at her face.
“Arellin, you have bags under your eyes.”
“Of course.”
“Are you sick?”
“No. It’s just that I didn’t sleep well last night.”
“What? Why?!”
“Because I was a sieve.”
Ouch.
Pession scratched his head like he’d never heard the word before.
“What’s a sieve?”
Doesn’t he know from there? How healthy is he?
“I have it.”
“It’s a condition caused by poor digestion…”
She was about to shrug it off, but the Crown Prince’s all-round chamberlain, Graham, who was standing behind me with a commanding presence, explained.
“Aha. So, Arellin, you haven’t eaten since last night?!”
“Uh.”
“How can that be?! Aren’t you supposed to eat something?”
She rubbed her stomach.
“Forget it, bugger off. I won’t be able to eat anything for a day or so.”
Pession looked shocked.
“…? How can you not eat, are you human?”
“Whatever.”
It’s all because of him!
“Then, Pession, I think we should skip workout today…”
“We can’t do that.”
Are you human?
“I’ll be gentle with you instead.”
Pession nodded, as if he had made up his mind.
And after a moment.
“Gentle, huh, huh.”
“Arellin, you’re weak, you can’t stretch this far.”
“You devil!”
She regretted it again.
She hadn’t believed Pession’s words after all.
***
Pession was also pleased today.
“I’m definitely gaining muscle with the diet, and Arellin seems to be holding up better!”
‘Isn’t that because you’ve been working her to the bone?’
Graham, walking alongside Pession, gave him an odd look.
He was surprised to see such a new side to the Crown Prince these days.
The way he was wringing Arellin’s stamina out of her like a dry rag, it was like watching the army he would be in charge of in the future.
‘What is this country.’
Where is it going?
“Hmm.”
Unlike Graham, who was worried about Albrecht’s future, Pession was both proud and unsatisfied.
He wants Arellin to get well soon, so…
“Is there something else, something better?”
The diet was working.
He was wondering if he should visit Master Quian one more time.
Graham sneered.
“Do you think he’ll give you some nourishment?”
“Nourishment?”
“Yes. I’ve been thinking that since she is so weak, she might need some food to nourish herself.”
“Nourishment…”
Peshion blinked his eyes.
“Supplements?!”
The crown prince’s eyes sparkled.
Pession’s eyes sparkled wildly as he saw the elixir entering the imperial palace.
“That’s it!”
***
Emperor’s Palace.
Emperor Edward of Albrecht, a diligent man focused on his duties, was listening to the reports coming in from all over the country.
“They say the monsters have wreaked havoc in the southern forests again.”
“Monsters have also been spotted in the west…”
“The Matriarch has sent word of the results of the Sharit investigation.”
Monsters seemed to be on the rampage more lately. Emperor Edward’s brow furrowed deeply.
“And the northern castles?”
“The northern provinces have also requested additional reinforcements. Just looking at the battle records this year, the invasion cycle is three times faster than usual.”
“Oh dear.”
A sigh of frustration mixed with a worried sigh.
It wasn’t as if monsters hadn’t been a cause for concern for humans since the Yue, but this was the first time it had become such a big problem.
“The northern castles are fortunately under the protection of Archduke Halbern, so there have been no major incidents, but we are requesting more knights and soldiers.”
Emperor Edward’s frown deepened.
“Is the northern castle really that dangerous?”
“The northern strongholds are our first point of defence.”
“Why don’t we ask the Holy Kingdom of Lemren to send a contingent of paladins?”
“Let’s put that on hold for now.”
Then.
“Your Majesty, the elixir.”
“Ah, it’s time.”
Empress Ageni had prepared the elixir by hand, as she was worried that it would make him unwell.
Emperor Edward took the elixir with a grimace.
As usual, Emperor Edward put the clear brown liquid to his mouth without thinking, and suddenly spat it out.
“Tsk, what is this!”
It only looked brown, but the liquid tasted like chocolate.
“Your Majesty?!”
“Your Majesty, what’s going on?!”
Everyone from the servants to the ministers looked at Emperor Edward in surprise.
“Chamberlain-!”
Emperor Edward snapped.
“Yes, Your Majesty, what is it?!”
“The elixir has been switched. Find out who has played with this elixir, and find out now!”
Emperor Edward commanded, not hiding his anger.
I can sense Pession’s gonna get in trouble soon 🤣