【 Chapter 4 】
If I were the real Minuelle, I would have lived with a sick body since I was young. If I overdo something even a little bit, I will collapse, and my fever will spike.
However, as a person who has experienced one-off life for a short time, everything was suspicious.
“I’m really glad that the divine power fits well. Will Ramande stay with Minuelle from now on?”
“Can I do that?”
“Please do so.”
Even though I had picked up Ramande, The high-ranking officials of the temple were relieved, far from regretting, even though he had dedicated himself as a priest.
“You made a tapestry? Why didn’t you take a rest when you weren’t feeling well? You don’t have to move a finger, dear.”
“As expected, it’s not good, right? I shouldn’t have given you my first finished work.”
“This is the first time you made it? I’ll designate it as a family treasure right now.”
Despite being weak and fragile like a young sprout, the family members hovered around her as if they were afraid she might disappear. Above all, there was the heat inside her chest, which was likely the cause of her physical weakness. When the anger surged, she would sometimes lose control and lash out.
“You damn children! In the name of love and beauty, I won’t forgive you… Kheuk! Ukh!”
“Mi, Minuelle! Calm down!”
In my childhood, when it was difficult to control my emotions, I used to have fits of anger no matter how many times I was scolded and how many bottles of blood I threw up.
I’m roughly calling it repressed anger because I wondered if this was the ultimate form of anger, but….. even if I called it repressed anger, it’s not usually that severe.
[Repressed anger – Repressed anger is anger that is unintentionally avoided, often as an attempt to avoid uncomfortable feelings related to stress, conflict, and tension.]
‘If everyone had something like this in their body, those who fail in selective anger management would disappear from the world.’
In any case, beneath the peaceful life of a golden spoon, there were those things laid out. For ten years, I lived with my eyes closed, pretending I didn’t know, pretending to be naive and innocent, as the adults hushed about me.
‘There’s nothing more comfortable than turning a blind eye.’
I hoped to continue living like this in the future. Didn’t I promise myself not to step out of this peaceful life just a short while ago?
‘But the timing is weird.’
I looked down at the paper on which the short message was written.
“The Church of Fire.”
Even though I, who grew up in a temple, had never heard of it before. There were no gods who ruled over natural elements such as water, fire, wind, and earth, although there were gods of love, sea, and light. Instead, there were spirits.
‘This part is not covered in the original…..’
After I left the temple, not long after, this started happening. But it’s probably just my overactive imagination to relate it to me. I really wish it wasn’t the case.
“Tsk. My dream is to live comfortably with a golden spoon.”
And to marry Esadien and have beautiful children!
However, Ramande crumpled his eyebrows when he heard the murmur while folding the letter.
“Where are you going to go?”
“Hey, what are you talking about…..”
Ramande was very sensitive to topics related to death. I didn’t want to be scolded, so I quickly changed the subject and asked about the church.
“You know, then does this Church of Fire treat the Spirit like a God?”
“Well, it’s my first time hearing about it, too. But what’s clear is that each temple is watching with caution.”
“Indeed, otherwise they wouldn’t even be sending a message like this.”
“It’s true, though. Wasn’t the coachman waiting outside?”
“Oh, right! I’m really going to go!”
I stood up from my seat.
You need to heal while looking at Esadien’s crazy beauty!
“Do you like the Prince that much?”
“Well, it’s good just to look at it. I love it so much.”
I smiled and bent over to look at Ramande as I talked about Esadien.
“Didn’t my pupils change to a heart shape?”
“No, they’re perfectly round. I’m the only one reflected in them.”
“Oh my goodness. I guess they only change when I look at Esadien!”
When I mentioned that hearts seemed to pour out of my eyes, Ramande’s expression became increasingly sour.
‘Why am I holding her and listening to this?’
Despite the signs that I should stop, I couldn’t help but continue.
“Especially when we take walks together, he’s like art.”
Esadien didn’t show much interest in me, but he didn’t reject my requests or push me away either. At most, I would ask him to take a walk together or hold hands, but that was about it. His firm arms, refreshing scent, and sparkling hair that seemed to shine like glitter in the sunlight never grew old, no matter how many times I looked at him.
“That’s too bad. It’s raining today, so you won’t be able to go for a walk.”
“Ramande, are you jealous because I don’t play with you?”
“What? Battle? Duel? Boxing?”
As if it was ridiculous, Ramande crossed his arms and said.
“Say something that makes sense. Why am I jealous when I see you every day at home anyway? And I’m busy being called around too.”
Indeed, since Ramande was an official priest, he was a versatile character who could heal the wounded, bless new life, and perform other various duties.
“Right? You’re working so hard, Ramande!”
While mimicking the tone of the High Priest, I stroked Ramande’s head. Although he accepted my touch by bending his waist, Ramande didn’t stop nagging until the end.
“So please be careful and have fun with the Crown Prince. Don’t think of strange things.”
Ramande’s purple eyes in front of me were filled with a smile.
“Got it?”
“Yeah, got it.”
Hearing my answer, he escorted me to the front door.
“Oh right, Minuelle.”
“Yes?”
“The chef says mangoes are coming in today.”
As soon as I heard those words, my eyes widened and my happiness index skyrocketed.
What should I care about the Church of Fire? Mango is coming!
“Mango!”
As someone who dislikes sweet things and only seeks out meat, mango was an exception.
For me, a mango lover, my parents gave me a mango farm from a far-off southern country as a birthday present when I was young, though I can’t remember exactly how old I was. Even though I couldn’t eat it every day since it was from a distant island nation, I became very happy on days like this when mangoes came in.
“Hahaha.”
Ramande laughed out loud at me, who was about to do the shoulder dance immediately.
“Then come quickly. Yes?”
The familiar hand rubbing my cheek was slow but warm.
“Of course!”
I left the house with a cheerful answer.
💧
As soon as the rainy season began, the Emperor and the Crown Princess took measures to allow my carriage to enter as close as possible to the Imperial Palace. Even the short stretch from there to the palace was covered by a roofed walkway, so that not a drop of water could touch me.
‘Power is the best.’
When you watch the rain without getting wet, you can feel its own charm.
Humming to myself, I passed through the covered passageway and energetically shouted out the stiff greeting that had become routine as I stepped into Esadien’s parlor.
“Your Highness, today too, I miss you again.”
However, today, there was someone else with Esadien in the space where he always read books alone. It felt awkward, and the scenery was very unfamiliar. Although Esadien was also a person, it was natural for him to interact with others, but the image I had seen of him until now was like a tree standing alone.
“Lady Karinen.”
“Ah, This person?”
The blond young man who was looking at me with a surprised expression opened his mouth and stood up from his seat. Although Esadien was also in good shape, the size of this man’s muscles was different.
‘Ugh, my thighs are the size of that arm.’
Well, everyone has their own preferences when it comes to muscles. Although I’m not a fan of the big, bulging muscles that move here and there, he was a fairly impressive, handsome man overall. His slightly faded blonde hair, which looked soft, was pretty. Of course, he wasn’t as beautiful as Esadien.
The soft green eyes bent. He approached me and greeted me with a gentle kiss on the back of my hand.
“Nice to meet you, Your Highness. My name is Theodore Tregosnan, a knight. I have been close friend with His Highness for a long time.”
“….!”
As soon as I heard the name, my heart dropped.
While I knew I would eventually meet him when coming to see Esadien, I never expected the male protagonist from the original work to appear so soon.
“I heard that you were dispatched to the desert… I am the Third Prince’s fiancée, Minuelle Karinen.”
“That’s right. It’s just nice to see the rainy scenery after a long time.”
At first glance, we seemed to be having a pleasant conversation, but my mind was a mess.
‘I, I hope I’m not falling into the cliche of having a physical reaction to him.’
I never go for forced plotlines from the original work. I am definitely Team Esadien! I don’t like affairs or melodramas either!
“Lady Karinen?”
Theodore raised an eyebrow as if he was looking at a strange creature. It was then that I realized that I had been sneakily hiding behind Esadien.
“Ah.”
It seems that the unease about the future was more deeply ingrained in me than any liking for Theodore.
‘Thank God…’
It might have seemed strange to others, but to me, this was more important. Since it had come to this, I wanted to touch Esadien’s waist, so I tightened my grip.
“Oh my, I’m sorry. I’m a little shy and timid.”
“Oh, I see. But for a timid lady, your voice was quite loud.”
“Well, that’s because I like the prince.”
Why are you asking something obvious?
“Haha, this is quite something.”
Theodore muttered, as his eyes lit up with amusement, as if he had discovered something interesting.
‘Don’t look at me like that. It makes me uneasy.’
I moved my body slightly and rested my forehead on Esadien’s back. As I faintly heard the sound of his heartbeat, my mind became a little more at ease.
“Young lady, don’t stand still, sit down. Theodore, you too.”
However, Esadien was firm. He took my hand off his waist and sat me down on the sofa. Although the soft cushion was welcoming, I was disappointed that it had lost its firm texture, so I clenched my palm and then relaxed it.
“Since the young lady is uncomfortable, you should go now too.”
“Yes, I understand.”
As Theodore glanced between us, he slowly got up from his seat, leaned over to Esadien, and whispered.
“You don’t want to waste the opportunity to show your fiancée, do you?”
Even though he whispered it, his voice was low enough that I could hear everything.
‘Is Esadien finally conscious of me?’
Without realizing it, my ears perked up, but Esadien cut off that speculation like a blade.
“No way.”
The swelled heart withered in an instant. It would have been nice if he said it with a faint blush on his earlobes.
“Why are you embarrassing people like that, Your Highness?”
It wasn’t that Theodore himself was embarrassed. A pitiful look was directed at me.
“Young lady, the prince is very bad at expressing himself. He is a warm-hearted person.”
“I told you to leave already.”
“Oh my, I understand.”
Theodore’s face flushed at the noticeably lowered voice of Esadien, and he rushed to the hallway with a force that seemed appropriate for his size. It gave off a feeling of fitting proportion to his stature.
‘But I think he’s a good person.’
“Lady Karinen.”
As I stared blankly at the back of Theodore, lost in thought, Esadien spoke to me in a more stern tone than usual.
“I have something to say.”
“Ah, yes!”
I quickly adjusted my posture, or rather, my position. When I moved next to Esadien, who was sitting across from me, and stuck close to him, he sighed..
“Could you move a bit to the side?”
“Can’t we cross our arms?”
“No we can’t.”
It was a firm refusal. I groaned at him.
“Then I want to hold hands.”
As Esadien’s blue eyes looked down, he noticed my hand slipping between his fingers, and he let out another sigh, pointing out the fact.
“You’re already holding it.”
“Hehe.”
However, he didn’t tell me to let go. I wasn’t given permission, but just not being refused was enough for me, and I held onto his large hand tightly with both hands.
“What do you want to say?”
When I asked, Esadien stiffened his face a little.
“Young lady, I….”
And I could feel my face gradually stiffening as I listened to his continued words.
💧
Thank you for reading!
