#026. If I Can Be of Help to Someone I Like, That’s Enough
Princess Delaira’s research lab, barely a month old, already looked like it had been used for over ten years.
In other words, it was a complete mess.
“It smells a bit, doesn’t it? I’m researching the difference in efficacy between raw and boiled bracken, that’s why.”
The princess offered the explanation as an excuse, but to me, the scent was oddly calming. It was somewhat like the smell of boiling greens.
“It smells nice to me. Kind of like tea.”
“Well, I suppose it’s similar in that we’re steeping plants in hot water.”
Despite earlier complaints about how heavy I was, the princess didn’t seem the least bit bothered as she held me in her arms and excitedly explained the progress of her research.
“Oh dear, I must be boring you with something you’re not even interested in. I have this bad habit.”
The conversation shifted from the current research progress to why she believed the efficacy of bracken changes depending on how it’s consumed. Then she delved into the origin of bracken’s use by humans and its usage frequency by region. Only when she reached that point did the princess seem to realize what she was doing.
If I were a typical three-year-old, I wouldn’t have understood a word. Even for someone like me with a background in anthropology, her explanation—full of botanical jargon—was difficult to follow. She quickly wrapped it up with an apology.
“Mm, no. It was interesting.”
And that wasn’t a lie. I truly enjoyed listening to those kinds of things, even if I didn’t fully understand them.
Due to time and ability constraints, I couldn’t study every field myself. But life often demands a wide range of knowledge. Even if you hire experts for the details, you still need to be able to explain what you want from them.
So, listening to an enthusiastic expert ramble was actually a very efficient way to gain surface-level understanding.
“But earlier, you said bracken doesn’t grow naturally around here.”
“You remember that?”
Of course I did. You can’t be a prime minister if you can’t remember things from ten minutes ago. I stifled a smile at the rare praise. Right—when you’re very young, people are impressed just because you have a good memory.
I’d forgotten that, having spent half my life as a military leader and the other half as the head of a noble family.
“It was fun.”
But I didn’t say that aloud. Instead, I offered a response the princess would want to hear.
“You remind me of myself as a child… Maybe you have a talent for this kind of thing.”
Ah, the typical scholar, trying to recruit anyone who shows the slightest interest in their field. I had to quickly change the subject before I ended up buried in herbalism books and research papers.
“But if bracken doesn’t grow here, doesn’t that make your research difficult?”
“Ah, yes, it does.”
Even for a frail scholar, holding a nearly four-year-old child was tiring. The princess gently set me down on the desk so she could sit and match eye level with me.
“Since it’s not native to this region, no one in the Empire uses bracken at all. Naturally, it’s not sold anywhere. I’ve been importing small amounts from my home country, but it’s so little that I can’t conduct proper experiments.”
“Is it because the climate’s not right?”
“Yes. Bracken is sensitive to temperature changes… The temperature itself is okay, but the climate varies too much between seasons in the Letail Empire.”
That was exactly the answer I was hoping for. I blinked innocently and asked,
“Wouldn’t a greenhouse help?”
The princess smiled softly, clearly thinking it was just a child’s naive suggestion.
“Greenhouses are tricky to build.”
She wasn’t wrong. Greenhouses require glass, and acquiring enough glass to build a structure is no small feat. Plus, building anything inside the palace requires imperial approval. As a foreign princess brought in for her expertise, Delaira likely lacked the clout to get something like that approved.
“They’re building a small greenhouse in my new palace.”
The Grand Duke had misunderstood my fondness for flowers and assigned five gardeners to the Jasper Palace. He even offered to build a greenhouse if I wanted one.
While the Grand Duke probably just wanted me to enjoy flowers year-round, the first person I thought of when I heard the offer was Princess Delaira. Herbalists especially struggle to secure herbs during winter.
“Would you like to borrow it?”
Delaira’s eyes wavered.
“If… if you’d really let me, it would help so much. Bracken doesn’t mind heat or cold as long as the temperature stays stable.”
“I only grow flowers there. So you can borrow it. There are plenty of gardeners too. You can use it.”
“I… I don’t know how to repay you for such kindness…”
I smiled innocently and gently took her fingers in my tiny hands.
“If I can be of help to someone I like, that’s enough for me.”
I didn’t miss the way her eyes welled up with tears.
Yes, this was enough. I didn’t need to be repaid right now. As long as I continued supplying the bracken, the princess would repay me eventually. For now, this was enough.
I leaned in and whispered sweetly to the tearful Delaira,
“Would you like to be my first invited guest? I’ll show you the greenhouse.”
“Gladly!”
She reacted with delight, even though there wasn’t a single bracken plant in the greenhouse yet.
I took Princess Delaira back with me immediately, showed her the site, and even introduced one of the five gardeners assigned to Jasper Palace. Since the princess couldn’t tend the greenhouse every day, someone would need to look after the bracken in her stead.
After sending the now-busy Delaira off with plans for bracken cultivation, I went on to meet three more royals—all scholarly types like her who needed space for their research.
I only had one body. Why let unused space go to waste? Lending it out in exchange for cooperation was far more productive.
All three were deeply moved when I said, “Now that the move is complete, I missed you most and had to invite you.” They overlooked the short notice of my visit. When I offered them the space, they were moved again. And when I told them they were my very first invited guests, they were moved a third time.
Was it a lie? Maybe. But who could prove it? It all happened on the same day—no one would bother comparing visit times just to catch a three-year-old in a fib.
After securing all four of them, I collapsed with exhaustion as the sun began to set.
“Are you alright, Your Highness?”
Tula gently wiped my face with a towel soaked in warm water. As the warmth melted my tension away, I barely managed to mumble,
“So tired…”
I was so drained I couldn’t even speak properly. Recently, I’d been able to keep my speech relatively clear unless I was deliberately acting cute, but now, I could barely control my tongue.
Tula, knowing how hard I’d worked, looked even more worried.
“Can’t you take it a bit easier? The Grand Duke is supposed to be your shield for a while, isn’t he?”
“Having a shield doesn’t stop time.”
Everything has its time. Miss that window, and it’ll either cost you much more later—or become impossible altogether.
Building connections among hostages is one of those almost-impossible tasks. These people are all from different countries, with different temperaments and ages. Right now, they might feel lonely and be open to connection, but once they settle in, why would they go out of their way to make new ties?
They’ll just stick with the relationships they already have.
So the thing I needed to worry about wasn’t my physical fatigue or the Grand Duke’s identity. The Grand Duke? He’s probably just a precocious kid—or maybe someone like me, a reincarnator. I doubt I’m the only one like that in this world.
Either way, whether the Grand Duke is a normal child or not, he’s not someone I can deal with directly. Not with a hawk-eyed, tyrant-like emperor standing behind him.
What’s important now is one thing: I have to take care of Tula.
“You don’t need to worry about that yet. Just focus on learning what I tell you. I’ll take care of the rest.”
Just like I once did for my daughter, Yoo-hyun.
Tula didn’t seem to trust my words entirely. Or maybe she believed me but still couldn’t stop worrying.
But I was too exhausted to reassure her again. I drifted into sleep.
Dinner with Prince Katula hadn’t even fully digested yet, and I knew messing with my sleep cycle would make things harder later, but even that wasn’t enough to keep my eyelids open.
