The Villainess Princess Wants To Live In A Gingerbread House ​

Asha suddenly stopped, and the waltz flow was cut off.

“It’s here? Did you bring it?”

“After we finish the waltz, I’ll give it to you, Princess Anastasia.”

“Is the waltz the problem right now?”

Although Asha’s eyes sparkled with excitement, Karnov nodded.

“I should rewind the music box.”

“Karnov!”

Karnov turned the music box spring again. The music started from the beginning. Asha reluctantly changed her steps.

“Ugh, my legs hurt today, so I can’t stand… Wow, Karnov!”

As Asha was about to say that she couldn’t stand any longer, Karnov suddenly bent down, took off her shoes, and then stood up.

“If your legs hurt that much, you can just put your feet on top of mine.”

“No, how can I…”

Before Asha could finish her sentence, Karnov effortlessly lifted her up and placed her two feet on top of his shoes.

“Karnov, are you really doing this?”

“Hmm. It seems heavier than a sack of wheat.”

Despite Asha’s attempt to keep her feet on Karnov’s shoes, he was much more skillful than she thought.

“Princess, if you can’t even stand still, what will you do at the Empire’ Protection Day Ball?”

“Everyone will laugh at me.”

Karnov didn’t respond to Asha’s words. Asha narrowed her eyes.

“What? You’re going to leave me alone when everyone laughs at me?”

“Well, then, do you want me to scold them?”

“Of course! You have to scold them!”

“How should we do it?”

“Let’s replace the red wine in the crystal glass with vinegar. I’ll prepare the vinegar.”

“And I’ll execute it?”

“That’s right.”

“And I’ll get the blame?”

“Who would dare insult our Deputy Commander Karnov?”

Asha burst into laughter, nearly stumbling. Karnov chuckled and supported her waist.

“Among the people I know, you’re the one who likes the fact that I’m the deputy commander the most.”

“Oh, really?”

Asha said so, tilting her head.

“But I like Karnov even if you were a stable hand.”

“Aha. Who would dare insult the stable hand of the Imperial Palace?”

As Asha burst into laughter again, the music from the music box finally stopped. Karnov lifted Asha and sat her on the nearby sofa, put back on the shoes he had taken off her, and stood up.

“Karnov! We finished one waltz. Hurry up!”

Karnov looked down at her twinkling light green eyes and then reached into his pocket.

“But Karnov, what did you make it with?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean… a ring or a bracelet? Usually, people make something like that, right? Sometimes as a brooch or a small tiara…”

“What are you talking about?”

“No, I meant dia…”

Karnov took out what he had in his pocket. It was a small glass bottle. Inside, fine white particles were delicately piled up. The lid had several small holes, like tiny dots.

“…Why did you bring a salt shaker?”

“I told you I got it from Lumen Vasilice’s mine.”

“Yeah, but why a salt shaker… salt…”

In that moment, the words Phoebe had said a few years ago came to mind.

– Isn’t there a mine there?

– It’s a mine where bright, transparent things come out.

Asha’s face, which had been pondering over Phoebe’s words – white, transparent, and bright – slowly turned into an expression of disbelief and astonishment.

No way? Could it be?

– It’s not just transparent things.

– Pink similarly like, too.

“I, I heard there was pink, definitely.”

“Ah, that’s this one.”

With a sly smile, Karnov, as if waiting for this moment, pulled out another pouch. It contained fine particles of transparent pink salt.

“T, This is also salt?”

“Yeah. They say salt in this color is extremely rare.”

“Salt… So, the mine in Lumen Vasilice is a salt… salt mine…”

“A salt mine.”

Asha trembled as she held the salt shaker in both hands. Finally, the explosive Asha jumped up.

“Phoebe! Phoebe! Come out right now, you naughty chick!”

━━━✦❘༻༺❘✦━━━

Karnov walked through the imperial garden, quietly stroking his chin. He couldn’t help but feel like bursting into laughter as he recalled the girl’s perplexed expression.

The girl’s spirit told her that there was a “mine where white and shiny things came out” in Lumen Vasilice, and the girl seemed to believe it was diamonds.

So she urged him to choose Lumen Vasilice, but when he opened the lid, she seemed very shocked by the fact that it was a salt mine.

The girl argued with the little chick as if it was a liar. Even the chick must have been upset about something, violently beating its wings and peeping.

– You clearly said that! There’s a diamond mine in Lumen Vasilice!

– Peep! Peep! Peep!

– Shining, white, and sparkling things! You even said there were pink diamonds!

– Peep peep! Peep peep!

– No… You did… It’s not exactly a diamond mine…

– Peep! Quack!

– Well, but…

The girl gradually realized that the chick wasn’t entirely at fault, and her voice became quieter. The chick, which had been chirping vehemently, soon calmed down and, as if consoling the girl, pecked at her hair.

As the girl’s face went through various shades of blue, red, and white, Karnov briefly wondered if poking her cheek would cause an explosion.

Thus, taking advantage of this rare opportunity, Karnov decided to tease her and have some fun. However, when he saw her face, confused and on the verge of tears, the intention to tease her faded away.

Karnov found it a little unfair. She teased him every time because she was excited, but he lost every time because he faltered even if there was an opportunity.

In the end, Karnov explained to the girl how valuable the salt mine was – though not comparable to diamonds – and emphasized that managing an existing salt mine was much more convenient than Linum Yushita which was growing flax more and more.

After a while, the girl seemed to understand and feel relieved. Yet, she was not entirely reassured. She escorted Karnov to the outskirts of Taimir Palace, still feeling a bit uneasy.

Although Karnov thought it wouldn’t matter if the girl escorted him outside, even if it was just muddy ground, he refrained from saying anything. If he mentioned it, the girl would undoubtedly mock him, saying something like, ‘Our Karnov~,’ so he kept silent.

‘Diamonds, huh.’

The girl had mentioned that the remnants of what came out of the Lumen Vasilice were just fine, but if she thought it was a diamond mine, she might have wanted jewelry.

‘She liked salt as well…’

While his taste buds couldn’t discern the flavor of plain salt, the girl, after sprinkling it on her palm and tasting it, had sparkling eyes.

While Karnov felt a bit downcast when he remembered how quickly she mistook the salt mine for a diamond mine, he couldn’t help but wonder.

‘Could it be diamonds after all?’

The girl had never shown much interest in jewelry. If she had, her room would have been filled with lanterns made of diamonds. So, if it wasn’t diamonds that captured her interest…

‘She has a glass greenhouse, a mortar made of Maghaddan Mountain marble, a small garden, a cedarwood knife from Sedvoyer, and I give her a new apron every year.’

Karnov pondered for a moment, trying to figure out what he could do for her. Giving her a kitchen might be the best option, but it was monopolized by the emperor, and Karnov couldn’t interfere with that. Alexei was the one who had the best quality sugar, butter, and cream.

‘What’s left? The farm or the orchard?’

The Kingdom of Kirelete had excellent orchards, but they were too far away. Farms required a lot of manpower for management, and given the girl’s personality, it was evident that she would want to send cookies to the caretakers every day.

‘Investing a bit more in the railroad might be the best option.’

The railroad connecting the empire from top to bottom had been under construction for several years and was nearing completion. Rumors were circulating that it would be finished either later this year or early next year.

If the railroad was completed before the end of autumn and she could take a train to Lake Bishti, the girl would undoubtedly be very pleased.

Karnov came to this conclusion and stroked the grass that had sprouted at the end of the Taimir Palace garden and moved on. Two violet flowers bloomed in the place where he passed without him knowing.

━━━✦❘༻༺❘✦━━━

“Today, the palace seems noisy.”

Asha, who was gently brushing her finger over the morning glories that the gardener had transplanted into a pot a few days ago, tilted her head. The gardener had found them blooming in a corner of the garden a few days ago and transplanted them, saying that if left there, they would wither and die in the summer sun.

Lise, who looked into the catalog with a serious expression to order the dress that Asha would wear to the Empire’s Protection Day event, looked up.

“Oh, did you notice? Today, they are going to plant new trees in Taimir Palace.”

“It must be tough for everyone in this heat.”

“Still, the wind is cool today, so it’s fortunate.”

At Lise’s words, Asha lightly swirled her fingers through the air. Shamal chuckled, claiming that it tickled, and walked past.

“It’s time for Natalya to come soon.”

“Oh, I should go to greet her.”

Asha, who had been examining the morning glories, stopped and stood up. Lately, there had been repeated news of Lyudmila coming over, making and eating cookies, and the information had even reached Tataricha Mansion. Soon enough, as Karnov had predicted, a letter arrived.

It was Natalya’s letter asking if it was okay to visit her right away. Fortunately or unfortunately, it did not coincide with the date Lyudmila was supposed to come.

When she went outside, one road was already almost completely planted with new trees. Asha, who was walking leisurely while looking at the unfamiliar trees, opened her eyes slightly as she looked between the trees. At the end of the branch, she saw a small light green fruit.

“Huh?”

“What’s wrong, Your Highness?”

Asha, thinking that her lips were slightly dry, looked around. It was clear that all the trees were the same.

“What kind of tree is used for the new trees in the palace?”

While Lise was asking the worker who was passing by, Phoebe on Asha’s shoulder flew up.

<What do you mean? It’s all apple trees.>

“The trees in Taimir Palace are apple trees. It’s unusual. I’ve never seen apple trees planted as street trees.”

Asha only looked at the stretch of road with a stunned face. Phoebe tilted her head.

<Why are you surprised? Didn’t you play pranks on him to be cute?>

“Yes, but! Even if that’s the case! I didn’t expect him to find it this cute…!”

Asha, knowing that Alexei would recognize her handwriting, had only wished for a moment for him to catch his breath from reading reports. Though Asha thought that she would likely get at least one apple tree if Alexei’s mischief extended far enough, she didn’t expect them all to be apple trees.