MDWRC 03

3. Chocolate is Sweet and Bitter

‘Teria and Evenna?’

They were the maids staying with me in the Cold Palace.

“I’m telling you the truth.”

“Aren’t you hungry, Your Highnesses?”

In Evenna’s hand was a round piece of bread.

“Give it to me!”

As Evenna teased him by waving the bread, Louis jumped up and down, trying to grab it. The bread moved just out of the child’s reach, taunting him.

“You have to jump higher!”

The maids’ laughter grew louder every time Louis jumped for the bread.

“Remember what we told you earlier?”

“Go ahead and do it. I think it would look great on you.”

The two maids mocked the child with mysterious words.

‘I should just step in and give it to them.’

Just as I was about to walk out, I heard something shocking.

“Bark like a dog. Come on, try it.”

…What did she just say? I doubted my own ears.

“If I really do that, will you give it to me?” Louis asked. He couldn’t take his eyes off the bread while clutching his starving stomach.

“Of course.”

The maids nodded and encouraged him to follow along, treating him like a stray dog begging for pity.

“Louis, don’t do it.”

“Aw, why? I’m hungry.”

Evan pushed Louis behind his back. Evan glared fiercely at the maids while protecting his whining brother.

“Evan is the problem; he’s too stiff,” Evenna grumbled.

“Hey, don’t be like that,” Teria said, scolding Evenna. But she wasn’t taking the child’s side.

“He just needs to watch and learn from Louis.”

Teria gave a sweet, fake smile. Her eyes shined with a sense of superiority. She seemed to enjoy treating royalty like a dog.

“Now, come on, bark—”

“Don’t touch Louis!”

When Teria reached out to touch Louis, Evan slapped her hand away. Teria rubbed her hand for a moment, and her face turned demonic.

“You crazy little…!”

Teria raised her hand high to slap Evan’s cheek. At that exact moment—

Smack!

“Agh!”

Something flew through the air, hit Teria’s head with a loud thud, and fell to the floor. A container rolled across the ground and stopped. The label said ‘12%’.

“Who did that?!” she screamed.

I didn’t hold back anymore and stepped forward.

“It was me.”

“Oh, Eilein?”

Evenna called my name with a look of relief. She had been worried an inspector had arrived.

“What are you doing right now?”

“We were just playing with the Princes.”

The maids remained calm.

“Playing?”

“Yes.”

The answer was the same. I decided to ask the children instead. I knelt down to meet their eyes.

“Princes, is it true you were playing with the maids?”

“Huh? Was it not a game?” Louis asked.

“Shut up, it wasn’t a game,” Evan snapped at his brother. Even then, Evan kept Louis hidden behind his back. Then, looking at me with anger, he said, “…You won’t believe us anyway.”

Evan’s eyes were filled with distrust, caution, and unexpressed rage. His small body was shaking. Behind all that emotion was clearly fear.

‘I should have thrown a trash bag at them instead of chocolate,’ I thought. My heart ached. I didn’t need to hear any more.

I stood up and walked to the maids.

Slap! Slap!

“Aaaaah!”

They screamed as I hit them.

“You two are fired as of today.”

“W-What do you mean?!”

The maids held their stinging cheeks in shock. I shook my sore palms.

‘Even the original Eilein didn’t do this.’

The original Eilein avoided physical punishment that left scars because she was worried about her own safety. How dare these maids do something even Eilein wouldn’t do? Most importantly, as the head nanny, I had the right to fire them.

“B-But…!”

“You know that even if they are neglected, they are still Royalty, right?”

The maids flinched. Insulting the Imperial family was a major crime.

“If word gets out, I might lose my head, but you two won’t die easily. So leave right now.”

If they stayed any longer, I wouldn’t stop at a slap. Unlike my bright smile, the maids turned pale. They finally packed their bags and left the palace. I turned to the twins.

“Princes.”

Louis and Evan blinked at me.

“The maids were disrespectful. As the nanny who should manage them, I apologize.”

I knew my words were a bit hypocritical given Eilein’s past, but I had to do it.

‘These kids need a protector.’

Even if I left, the same thing would happen again.

‘So, I’ll just change Eilein into a proper adult.’

I decided to protect them.

‘I only have one year.’

To survive, I had to make these future villains my allies. If I raised them well, they wouldn’t become villains. Plus, if they grew up well, I could live a comfortable life as Eilein.

‘Then I’ll find a handsome man and live happily ever after.’

I imagined a happy future. I reached out to the children.

“Will you give me a chance to be forgiven?”

The children stayed back, watching me cautiously. I picked up the chocolate container and thought of a plan.

“I want to give you a gift to show I’m sorry.”

“…A gift?”

“Yes. Please wait a moment!”

I searched the kitchen and found some bread. I put six slices in a pan over the fire. Soon, the smell of toasted bread filled the room. But I wasn’t done. I poured the chocolate onto a plate.

Evan’s face hardened when he saw the dark, round pieces.

“It’s poison.”

…Well, they were black and didn’t look like typical food here. Chocolate didn’t exist in this world.

“It’s not poison, it’s chocolate. It looks dark, but it’s sweet and melts in your mouth, though it’s a bit bitter…”

Evan still looked suspicious. I decided to show them. I popped a piece into my mouth.

“Mmm, so sweet.”

The sugar was exactly what I needed. It was heavenly. Seeing me enjoy it so much, the twins’ eyes wavered. They started imagining how good it must taste.

“Sit down, it’ll be ready soon.”

I put plenty of chocolate on three slices of bread and covered them with the other slices, waiting for the chocolate to melt.

“Please give me a chance to make it up to you.”

The kids didn’t come close, but they watched me.

“I want to give you a gift.”

“…A gift?”

“Wait right here!”

I toasted the bread and melted the chocolate inside.

“…….”

“…….”

Evan was the first to look away. I smiled brightly at them.

“I look forward to working with you, Princes.”

***

Ruben Duke’s Castle.

In a bright office sat a man.

Kashar Vladis la Richard.

The tragic former Crown Prince with beautiful blonde hair and red eyes. Though abandoned by the Imperial family, he had returned as a Duke. He was silently cutting meat.

He took a bite, but his brow furrowed.

“Is it not to your taste, My Lord?” his aide asked.

The man shook his head. “I can’t taste anything anymore.”

He continued eating. It was his first meal in two months. Adult royals didn’t need to eat often to survive, but most ate for pleasure.

‘But that only matters if you have a sense of taste.’

His plate was empty, but he wasn’t satisfied. He pressed his forehead as a terrible headache began—the same one that had plagued him for a long time.

“Bring me that.”

“But… Yes, sir.”

The aide hesitantly brought some red berries. The man swallowed them. In reality, these berries made the headache worse and ruined his sense of taste. But he took them because of his incurable disease: ‘Madness.’

It was the disease that got him stripped of his title. He ate the poisonous berries just to stay sane.

“One month left,” the man muttered, looking out the window.

The anniversary of the death of his mother, the former Empress Viviana, was in one month. She had died locked in a tower, accused of being possessed by a demon and giving birth to a “mad” prince.

“Should I prepare to accompany you?” the aide asked.

“No, I’ll go alone.”

The tower was in the most remote part of the Imperial Palace. He only needed to leave flowers.

The aide left. The man looked at the leftover food.

‘I can’t smell anything.’

He could smell blood or iron, but he hadn’t smelled anything delicious in a long time. The poison he took was slowly stealing his five senses. It would eventually kill him, but he preferred that over dying as a madman. He tasted nothing but emptiness.