The Villainess Princess Wants To Live In A Gingerbread House ​

One of the five marquises of the empire. Developed Linum Yushita’s flax, recently recovered his strength, and played a crucial role in politically restraining the imperial family…

“Heu, heu, heuchoo! Hetchu! Choo!”

All of that was interrupted by a plain sneeze.

“Wow. I’ve never seen someone sneeze three times in a row before.”

“Me neither.”

“…”

A little while ago, while sifting a bag of flour, the powder got into his nose. His daughter’s friends looked on in amazement, but Marquis Oleg’s face was so red that he could only sniffle at the tip of his nose.

Marquis Oleg was rubbing the tip of his nose with his forearm and looked at the flour on his arm with a confused expression. He’d wiped his face, but if it got on his clothes like this, what kind of situation was he in right now?

Marquis Oleg could sense the servants gathering near the kitchen doorway, witnessing the awkward scene. He wanted to give an order to banish them, but unfortunately, he was in another person’s mansion, and it wasn’t just any mansion – it was the residence of Marchioness Tataricha, his somewhat rival.

Marquis Oleg struggled to suppress the thought that kept clouding his mind.

“Now… Are you done?”

“Yes! Due to the change in seasons, we had to switch from figs to peach preserves.”

In front of him lay a tart with a slightly rough appearance, but with a transparent glow emanating from the peaches piled atop it.

‘Does this make sense?’

When the princess asked him to bake a snack, why couldn’t he say no? Marquis Oleg, who had never set foot in a kitchen in his life, couldn’t understand why he followed along so obediently.

When the princess suddenly pulled him in saying that they could all make tarts together, he should have refused, but he followed the princess’s strong voice, saying, ‘We have to do it right away for your daughter and wife,’ as if fascinated.

‘No, no matter how much that’s the case…’

From there, he poured flour as the princess told him to, cut butter, mixed it, and put it in the oven. Even though the princess was still a young child, it should have been considered overly rude to assign such tasks to a marquis of the empire. However, for some reason, he couldn’t bring himself to speak out against it.

But then, wouldn’t it seem as if he were submitting to the authority of the imperial family? Despite resolving to say something assertive, the words wouldn’t come out. Whenever the girls whispered among themselves, he felt unable to speak out again.

“Shouldn’t we be keeping an eye on them?”

“Lyuda is talking to the marchioness.”

“Yes. What if things don’t go well?”

“I wanted to watch too, but… Lyuda seems good at talking and making up with her mother, and it’s kind of weird to think of someone secretly watching Natasha and I fighting and making up.”

“I don’t fight with Asha.”

“That’s true.”

“But I know what Asha is saying.”

“If it doesn’t work out, let’s eat the snacks we made now and think about it.”

There was someone who called their daughter ‘Lyuda’.

There are people who are worried that their daughter who fought with her mother will not be able to make up properly…

Marquis Oleg found himself caught in an indescribable feeling. And he quickly got caught up in the emotion, and at the instruction of Prince Anastasia, who was busily moving next to him, kneaded flour, almond powder with butter, spread it into a mold, baked it, filled it with cream, and cut the peaches.

That’s how the princess made him complete this ridiculous peach tart with his hands.

“I’ll quickly wash up and go…”

“No! You can’t.”

Princess Anastasia firmly held him back. Marquis Oleg looked at the princess with a frustrated expression.

Now he must have aged thirty years more in an instant! There must have been white flour sitting on top of his hair.

“If you go out looking clean like this, the marchioness and Lyuda won’t think that you made this yourself.”

“Uh, is that important…?”

The little girl sighed deeply. Marquis Oleg never felt so criticized in his life. Eventually, Marquis Oleg had only pursed his lips, and decided to cancel washing off the flour. Satisfied with his decision, Princess Anastasia suddenly widened her eyes.

“It seems like it’s over.”

“Yes?”

“It seems Lyuda and the marchioness have finished talking. It’s time.”

The princess handed him a tray. On it sat the just-completed tart. Three forks, a large knife, two napkins, and three glasses of cold milk were arranged neatly.

“If it gets on Lyuda’s mouth, please wipe it.”

“What?”

“You can go to the drawing room now.”

“Do I… carry it with me?”

The princess looked at him with a puzzled expression, wondering why he questioned something obvious.

“Did you hurt your arm?”

“No… it’s not that.”

In fact, Mura Aylau’s painting was the heaviest thing he had ever held in his life. The artwork in the exquisite frame was quite substantial, possibly due to the aura of a masterpiece. Baroness Saratov, who bought the painting, carried it like a feather.

And aside from the frame, this tray was the heaviest he had ever held in his hands.

‘I… came to Marchioness Tataricha’s, baked a tart myself, and I bring it myself?’

Every part of his thoughts seemed absurd. As these incomprehensible events unfolded one after another, he felt a dizziness in his mind.

But looking at the expression of Princess Anastasia that all of this was natural, it seemed as if he might be misunderstanding something.

‘Is this it? In this atmosphere… Did both His Majesty and His Royal Highness get swept away?’

Feeling confused, he looked at the eyes of another person who agreed with the strange one, making the confused person seem even stranger. It was even stranger for a marquis of an empire to make dessert in someone else’s kitchen and carry it out on a tray.

People who faced the princess in the palace every day might be in even more bizarre situations.

“Oh my!”

As he took a step just outside the kitchen, Marquis Oleg snapped back to reality. Marchioness Tataricha stood there, her face surprised, covering her mouth. Marquis Oleg’s face turned red.

“I was looking for the marquis because I couldn’t find you, but here…”

“Oh… no, this is… I didn’t mean to intrude into your kitchen…”

“That peach tart looks delicious.”

No, not again! He returned to the world where he couldn’t adapt to the situation, with the eyes of a strange person staring at him in disbelief and another person sympathizing with that strangeness.

“Oh, did you bring a handkerchief, Marquis Oleg?”

He always carried one, but the intention behind the question was unclear. However, Marchioness Tataricha provided an explanation without him having to ask.

“Please come up quickly.”

“…This debt will be repaid in the future.”

And shortly afterward, Marquis Oleg could see the purpose of the handkerchief that Marchioness Tataricha mentioned.

His wife and daughter were facing each other, wet with tears, and their eyes opened wide when they saw Marquis Oleg, who brought a tart in flour-covered clothes.

The embarrassed Marquis Oleg almost dropped the tray, but managed to set it down and scrambled to find a handkerchief in his pockets. No matter how much he asked what they were talking about, his wife and daughter only exchanged glances, shedding tears, laughing, but never offering an explanation.

━━━✦❘༻༺❘✦━━━

Everyone decided to share the tart, which Marquis Oleg baked with full strength. The girls took the fireplace and the adults occupied the terrace.

The tart, crispy and golden brown, had a crust that would split open when pierced with a fork. On top of it, a thin layer of fig jam was spread. Then, a generous amount of cream made from a mixture of cream cheese and whipped cream was added. Finally, sliced preserved peaches were arranged on top, creating a tart filled with the taste of summer that was hard to recall in late winter.

Marquis Oleg, who was barely allowed to shake off the flour, sat down, trying to maintain a dignified appearance despite feeling somewhat out of place.

“How did you manage to do such a thing…”

“I’m just amazed at Marquis Oleg’s thoughts for your wife and daughter. It looks really delicious. We’ll enjoy it, Marquis Oleg.”

“…”

Despite wearing an expression of disbelief, Marchioness Oleg moved her fork alongside Marchioness Tataricha. However, the ladies, after taking a bite of the tart, seemed more impressed than touched.

‘Are they paying attention just because I contributed?’

In reality, it was Princess Anastasia who did almost everything, and he was more of an observer. Marquis Oleg quietly took a fork to a peach on the tart and spoke.

“I am truly indebted this time, Marchioness Tataricha. I must repay this debt later…”

However, Marchioness Tataricha seemed somewhat indifferent to his words, as her attention was fully captured by the tart.

Marquis Oleg, considering himself in a position of debt, refrained from pressing the issue further. Instead, he tasted the tart, and his eyes widened.

It was a taste that made him forget what he was about to say, a taste that transcended his lifetime of maintaining dignity. The creamy texture with the refreshing and nutty flavor of milk, the crispness of the tart crust, the melting sweetness of fig jam, and the lingering crunch of the remaining almond bits all combined perfectly.

The final touch was the preserved peaches, bursting with flavor, remaining soft on the outside but retaining a crispiness within.

“This… Is this really what I made…”

“Amazing. Since you’ve made such a wonderful tart, let’s consider the debt settled, Marquis Oleg.”

Marchioness Tataricha praised while diligently savoring the tart. Marquis Oleg only regained his composure after the table was cleared of all tart plates.

“Ah, no. Strictly speaking, I only watched. What was made… It was truly the princess’s doing…”

Marquis Oleg blurted out his words. Everyone in the capital already knew that the young princess enjoyed the act of making snacks with no regard for dignity.

It was proof of how much the emperor doted on the princess, and Marquis Oleg had thought the same until just now.

“Oh my. If you eat something like this every day, anyone would…”

The somewhat-plausible conversation among the adults continued when all the tart plates on the table were empty. Marchioness Tataricha, who fully appreciated the last piece, put down her fork and said.

“My daughter is so independent and unpredictable, I didn’t expect her to bring a friend home with her own feet. In fact, it was a pleasant surprise for me.”

The fame (or notoriety) of Natalya Bagration was well-known to Marquis Oleg and his wife.

“What’s the big deal about spending a night at a friend’s house? Isn’t that right? Maybe my daughter acts more like an unbridled colt now. Maybe she’ll leave without contacting me, saying she’ll see Lady Lyudmila. I hope that’s all right?”

“…Yes, anytime…”

Until now, it was Marquis Oleg who had lived thinking that it was impossible to visit another person’s mansion without giving a word in advance, but from today, he was going to have to change that idea.

Marquis Oleg smiled with his slightly red eyes and clasped his hand.

“Lady Natalya, and Marchioness, please come anytime.”

Marquis Oleg, who had maintained his posture of dignity and adherence to protocol, silently watched as the politeness and rules melted away like the cream on the tart. Eventually, he nodded in agreement with a sense of approval.

━━━✦❘༻༺❘✦━━━

“Did the conversation go well?”

Asha asked as she pushed the tart plate towards Natalya and Lyudmila. Lyudmila nodded while sipping her tea, her throat feeling strained from crying during the ongoing conversation with her mother.

“Yes, she told me to do my best as long as I don’t overdo it. My mother understood.”

“I’m so glad it worked out. Then let’s hurry up and eat the tart, too.”

Natalya, who had been anxiously hiding her unease, let out a short sigh of relief. Then, with a sense of relief, she grabbed the tart with both hands and took a bite. Asha smiled as she wiped Natalya’s cheek with a napkin.

Lyudmila looked down at the tart and sighed.

“I can’t believe my father made this…”

“When I asked him to make something for Lyuda, he said he knew what right away.”

“Didn’t you say it’s something he had to do?”

She said in a tone suggesting that Lyudmila understood everything Asha was saying, as Lyudmila had experienced it herself. Asha smiled wryly and pushed a tart peach into Lyudmila’s mouth.

Lyudmila was embarrassed for a moment, but without refusing, she took the peach from Asha. When Natalya looked at them, Asha offered a peach to Natalya’s mouth with a fork. Lyudmila, who swallowed the peach while munching, quietly opened her mouth.

“I’m thinking of collaborating with the tailor you introduced me to. It seemed like he already knew our fabric.”

“Oh, Joel? I heard Karnov asked him for help when making an apron from Lyuda’s fabric.”

Lyudmila nodded with a small smile. After savoring the taste of the tart, Natalya, who had been savoring it with puffed-up cheeks, spoke to Lyudmila.

“Isn’t it nice to rebel?”

Lyudmila simply nodded her head without saying whether it was rebellion, a resolved matter, or anything like that.

“It’s all thanks to you. Thank you…”

Asha, who was reaching for the tart with a happy expression, paused.

“What? If you say it’s all thanks to us that you rebelled against your parents…”

“It’s all thanks to you two.”

Lyudmila spoke emphatically once again. A moment later, the girls’ laughter rang out on the terrace.

“Next time, we’ll see each other at the coming-of-age ball.”

“Will Lyuda attend?”

“Yes. The Young Viscount Ceilistria needs a partner, so I’ll help him.”

“Why am I the only one not going? Why is Asha going?”

“I’m helping Karnov.”

Natalya frowned at the words and then barely straightened it.

“What? I want to go too.”

“Natasha can come too.”

“It’s bothersome to get the clothes to fit.”

“Hehe. I’ve finished everything~!”

The laughter of the girls scattered once again beyond the terrace.