Chapter 30: A Kindred Scent!
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 30: A Kindred Scent!
“Haha, welcome. Berry, Dia.”
When I looked up, I saw Dantalion smiling brightly.
He was as handsome as ever. Just looking at his golden hair, which sparkled like the sun, made me feel better. I looked up at Dantalion with a silly grin.
“Your Highness.”
“……”
However, a chilly voice came from beside me. I flinched and glanced to my side.
Veronica was staring at Dantalion with a frozen expression. Gulping, I looked back and forth between the two, reading the room.
“Berry.”
“What were you thinking?”
“Berry, calm down.”
“No one takes responsibility if someone loses their life in a duel. You know that, don't you?”
Veronica asked, her voice rising with agitation. She wasn't angry because she was worried about Cedric; she was angry because she was so deeply concerned for Dantalion. Her worry had turned into fury.
“……Berry, Dia is watching.”
“…….”
“Let’s talk about that later, just the two of us.”
At Dantalion’s words, Veronica finally managed to suppress her emotions. When our eyes met, she forced an awkward smile.
“Dia, Mommy’s sorry.”
“Mmm, it’s okay.”
I was fine because I knew exactly why Veronica was angry.
However, since a child is supposed to be scared at times like this, I made sure to act a bit hesitant even as I said I was okay.
Seeing that, Veronica reached out and pulled me into her arms. She patted my back soothingly with her palm.
“Our Dia, shall we eat something delicious with Mommy and His Highness?”
“Yup, I’d love to!”
“Oh my, look at all these strawberry desserts Dia likes.”
“I love strawberries!”
Holding me, Veronica approached a pre-set table.
This place was different from the drawing room of the Crown Prince’s palace. Special guests were received in a space close to the bedroom, and the terrace there had a particularly beautiful view.
The table was set on that terrace, which opened out to the exterior. A warm breeze brushed against my cheeks.
‘It’s as warm as spring here.’
I had heard that a barrier was maintained within the Imperial Palace to keep the temperature constant. That was why the Crown Prince’s palace felt like spring, even though winter hadn't fully passed yet.
“Dia, say ‘ah.’”
“Ahhh.”
I shivered as I ate the strawberry sherbet Veronica fed me.
The food in the Imperial Palace was incredibly delicious. The sherbet, which captured the flavor of fresh strawberries perfectly, melted instantly in my mouth.
“Is it good?”
“Yup!”
I nodded vigorously at Veronica’s question. Dantalion watched us with a pleased expression.
After tasting at least one bite of every dessert the Crown Prince’s palace had prepared, I let out a satisfied sigh.
Ah, it would be perfect to take a nap right now.
As soon as that thought crossed my mind, my child’s body began to nod off.
“Oh my, haha.”
“It seems she’s sleepy now that she’s full.”
“Dia, didn’t you say you had something to give His Highness?”
“Mmm…….”
That’s right. I had decided to give Dantalion the brooch.
Snapping out of my daze, I lifted my head. Then, I looked at Dantalion with sparkling eyes.
“Your Highness!”
“Yes?”
“Dia has a present for you!”
“A present?”
Dantalion’s eyes widened in surprise.
I giggled and pulled a small box from my bodice. Then, I handed the neatly wrapped box to Dantalion.
“This is……”
“That friend will protect you, Your Highness!”
“……?”
Holding the brooch, Dantalion looked at Veronica instead of asking me.
Watching the bewildered Dantalion, Veronica answered with a calm face.
“It’s a brooch that the Young Count of Gideon gave to our Dia.”
“If it’s Gideon……”
“Yes, it’s a gem said to house a demon.”
“Ah.”
Dantalion also seemed to know about the demons of the gems, as he nodded his head.
Looking down at the pitch-black gem, Dantalion let out a short laugh.
“So this demon is going to protect me?”
“Yup! That’s right!”
“I see. Thank you.”
Fortunately, Dantalion didn't refuse or act suspicious; he accepted the brooch readily.
He seemed to find the child’s heart—worrying for him as he prepared to duel Cedric—to be quite touching.
“The Mr. Demon will protect you, Your Highness!”
“Right, I’m looking forward to it.”
Dantalion replied with a grin.
He knew the stories about the demons, but he didn't seem to think for a second that he would actually meet one.
Well, that’s how most people would think. It was only natural.
‘I’m leaving the rest to you, Dollens.’
[Master, just trust me.]
I held a secret conversation with Dollens behind Dantalion’s back. Tonight, he planned to proceed with a proxy contract with Dantalion without revealing my identity.
Since he was so confident, I figured it would be fine to leave it to him. I stepped closer to Dantalion and pinned the brooch directly onto his chest.
“You look cool, Your Highness!”
“Thank you, Dia.”
“Yup!”
Dantalion reached out and stroked my hair. I looked up at him and shouted.
“You have to win, okay?!”
“…….”
“…….”
At that, the atmosphere turned chilly again. In particular, all expression vanished from Veronica’s face.
I knew Veronica was very angry with Dantalion for deciding to duel Cedric on his own, but I didn't expect her to show her displeasure so openly.
It felt like it wasn't just simple worry. I looked back and forth between the two silent adults.
“W-wow. The flowers are so pretty.”
Unable to handle the atmosphere, I eventually turned my attention elsewhere.
The two of them would probably talk more candidly if I disappeared, so it was best to step away for a moment.
With that thought, I asked Veronica.
“Mommy! I want to go look at the flowers.”
“But you can’t go alone……”
“I’ll go with the knights!”
“Hmm……”
Around me were Sir Raven, who had followed us from the mansion, and the knights of the Crown Prince’s palace.
Seeing them, Veronica nodded in relief.
“Don’t go too far.”
“Okay!”
I nodded vigorously and left the terrace. Right next to the terrace was the garden of the Crown Prince’s palace.
Surely nothing would happen inside the Crown Prince’s palace.
Besides, Sir Raven and other knights were with me, and I had my contracted demons, so there was nothing to worry about.
[Ugh, this great one hates flowers.]
‘Why?’
[They smell strange.]
‘Hmm.’
But both Desmond and Bibi hated flowers.
They smelled strange? Usually, don't flowers smell fragrant?
Maybe their tastes were just weird because they were demons.
In the end, I walked forward, barely glancing at the flowers. Eventually, the garden ended, and a building-like structure appeared.
“You must not go this way.”
“Huh?”
One of the knights Dantalion had assigned to me spoke up cautiously.
It seemed that going any further would take me away from the Crown Prince’s palace.
The palaces were quite far apart, but it wouldn't hurt to be careful.
I was about to nod and turn around at the knight’s words when—
“How curious to find a child in a place like this.”
“……!”
A voice like a gentle breeze reached my ears. I turned my head back toward the source of the voice.
“Ah, it’s the Lionel child.”
“…….”
“Have you come to see the Prince?”
It was the Empress Dowager, Gabriella. I looked up at her with tense eyes.
“G-greetings to…… Her Majesty the Empress Dowager?”
“Oh my.”
I had been good at mimicking the greeting when Veronica was beside me, but doing it alone felt awkward. As I greeted her while gauging her reaction, the Empress Dowager burst into a laugh as if she found me adorable.
At the victory banquet, I had stayed glued to Veronica’s side because she was injured, so I had only seen the Empress Dowager in passing.
‘No matter how I look at her, she doesn't look like she’s over forty.’
The Empress Dowager’s skin still glowed like someone in her twenties.
Even if divine power prevented aging, her youth and beauty were enough to evoke admiration. Based on looks alone, she could pass for Veronica’s older sister.
“It doesn't look like you’re lost.”
The Empress Dowager scanned the knights surrounding me before continuing.
“Are you returning to the Prince? I was just on my way to see him myself, so let’s go together.”
“Okay.”
I hesitated for a moment before giving a small reply. The Empress Dowager laughed again, calling me cute. The ladies-in-waiting around her did the same.
However…….
‘Why are her eyes so cold?’
The Empress Dowager had a gentle face and was smiling the whole time, but having met her eyes, I knew for certain.
She was merely raising the corners of her mouth out of habit; her eyes weren't smiling at all. In fact, they were even colder than Duke Winston’s eyes when I first saw him.
[Master, that woman is strange!]
‘What?’
Suddenly, Desmond shouted in a displeased tone. I was startled by his words.
‘What’s strange about her?’
[I can smell it!]
‘What smell now?’
A smell? Surely he wasn't talking about the flower scent from earlier.
Toward the skeptical me, Desmond shouted something shocking.
[It’s the scent of a kindred kind!]
‘……What?’
Startled, I looked back at the Empress Dowager, who was wearing a kind smile.