Chapter 9
Ding—
“Ah, it’s done.”
Kitty immediately started running toward the oven, where the sweet aroma of freshly baked cake was drifting through the kitchen.
But once again, Dimitrius stopped her and opened the oven himself.
Practically hanging onto his arm to peek inside, Kitty carefully inspected the cake before giving a satisfied nod.
A success.
“Wait a minute. It has to cool first.”
“But… I’m not allowed to use the bread knife either?”
“Of course not.”
Dimitrius answered without hesitation.
Just in case the excited little princess tried to grab the knife herself, he quickly picked it up first.
They let the warm sponge cake cool for a while after taking it out of the oven.
Then he turned the golden-brown cake upside down and sliced it evenly into three layers.
Kitty generously spread whipped cream over the bottom layer.
“What if we add lots of sugar, fruit, and homemade strawberry jam too?”
As vivid red jam streamed over the snow-white cream, the First Prince quietly watched before asking,
“You made the jam yourself too?”
“Yep.”
Pieces of strawberry that hadn’t completely broken down sparkled like little jewels inside the jam.
She arranged the lengthwise slices of strawberries in a neat circle over the cream before placing the second cake layer on top.
Again, she spread plenty of whipped cream, strawberry slices, and jam before covering everything with the final layer.
Now came the most enjoyable part.
Unlike the impoverished Second Princess’s palace, the First Prince’s residence lacked for nothing.
No matter how much expensive whipped cream and fresh strawberries Kitty piled onto the cake, Dimitrius didn’t complain once.
He merely stared at the increasingly uneven cake, its surface covered in thick layers of cream, with an expression that seemed to ask,
What in the world is this?
“Isn’t your cake kind of… ugly?”
“Is this really how it’s supposed to look?”
At his casual remark, Kitty immediately frowned.
Ugly?!
There was no such thing as an ugly cake.
“It’s prettier than you.”
The handsome prince with his beautiful black hair merely shrugged, clearly unconvinced.
To be fair, Kitty understood why he was skeptical.
He had probably spent his entire life seeing flawless cakes crafted by the imperial pastry chefs.
Compared to those perfectly smooth creations, her lumpy cake covered in thick swirls of cream must have looked strange.
But Kitty had a plan.
She carefully picked up the spring flowers she’d laid on the handkerchief and began decorating the sides of the cake.
It might not become a breathtaking masterpiece worthy of a master pâtissier.
But cakes were supposed to reflect the baker’s feelings.
“Ta-da!”
“Strawberry shortcake, complete!”
And what could better represent her mood than a fluffy cake overflowing with spring flowers and strawberries?
Once it was finished, Kitty shared the cake with Prince Dimitrius and her maid Cindy in the kitchen of the First Prince’s palace.
Paired with the fragrant tea Cindy brewed at just the right moment, it made a perfect late-night snack.
Tea poured gently into delicate white cups.
A warm, fragrant steam drifted upward.
Kitty’s tiny nose twitched beneath her oversized glasses.
“Wow… it smells amazing.”
“This is my first time using tea leaves this expensive and high-quality.”
“I wonder if it’s really okay to brew this much of it…”
Holding the teapot, Cindy chatted excitedly.
Only Dimitrius looked awkward.
Despite owning all of these luxurious things, they had never meant anything to him.
Kitty offered him the first cup of tea along with a slice of cake.
Sounding rather pleased with herself, she said,
“Here, Oppa. Have some tea.”
“You sliced the strawberries for me, so I’ll let you eat some.”
“But why do you keep calling me ‘Oppa’?”
“We’ve only just met.”
“…You’re not my older sister.”
The logic was so sound that Dimitrius decided it wasn’t worth arguing.
Instead, he quietly took a bite of cake.
The fluffy sponge and smooth whipped cream softened the intensely sweet flavor of the strawberries and jam.
To someone who had spent his entire life eating the finest foods in the imperial palace…
It was simply an ordinary strawberry shortcake.
The crimson tea, fragrant with raspberries, wasn’t particularly remarkable either.
“Tastes like something kids would enjoy.”
Still…
The sweetness of the strawberries reminded him that spring had truly arrived.
That was the only thought that lingered.
He hated spring.
Spring meant the long-closed gates of the imperial palace would finally open again.
Nobles from every corner of the continent would flood into the capital for social gatherings, alliances, and political schemes, throwing the palace into chaos once more.
And…
That woman would return as well.
What outrageous spectacle will she create this social season?
After finishing his slice, Dimitrius set the empty plate aside and called out,
“Hey, kid.”
Princess Katrina looked up at him, still happily savoring her cake with a fork between her lips.
Funny…
He keeps calling me “Hey, kid.”
We’ve only just met too.
Completely unaware of the irreverent thoughts running through her mind, Dimitrius continued,
“If you could spend your whole life just baking cakes like this…”
“You wouldn’t have any complaints, right?”
Spend every day baking cakes?
How wonderful would that be?
It wasn’t simply that she wouldn’t complain.
That was her greatest dream.
Her only wish.
Kitty nodded enthusiastically several times.
Seeing that, Dimitrius spoke with unusual seriousness.
“Good.”
“Don’t ever change.”
“…”
“If you don’t…”
“You might actually survive in this place.”
Kitty took the fork out of her mouth and nodded firmly.
“Okay.”
The following day, Princess Katrina was leisurely enjoying the warm spring sunshine in the front courtyard when Cindy approached her.
“How did you ever think of going to the First Prince for help?”
“I honestly never imagined things would turn out this way.”
“Your Highness… I think you’re a genius.”
Kitty looked up at the maid staring at her with sparkling violet eyes before giving a small shrug.
“I’m a Saintess.”
What she meant was simple.
A genius was someone blessed with extraordinary talent.
In that sense…
A Saintess could also be considered a kind of genius.
Finding the princess unbearably adorable, Cindy smiled and poured her a cup of herbal tea.
“Here.”
“Please have a snack too.”
“The head cook specially prepared it.”
In truth, it was nothing more than plain biscuits and ordinary herbal tea.
But considering how Katrina had been treated before, the change felt almost miraculous.
Ever since Dimitrius had visited just once, every servant in the Second Princess’s palace had begun treating the young princess with genuine respect.
The neglect that bordered on abuse was gone.
The brutal punishments had stopped.
Munching on a biscuit while sipping her tea, Kitty muttered flatly,
“It doesn’t taste good.”
“Haha… It’s a little plain and dry, isn’t it?”
“But things will improve soon.”
“I’ve asked around, and apparently it’s not easy to completely revoke a palace’s budget after it’s already been allocated.”
“Especially not a palace belonging to a direct member of the imperial family.”
So the budget problem would surely be resolved before long.
Even if they couldn’t afford the luxuries enjoyed by the other royal palaces…
At least they’d probably be able to buy the little princess some cakes and sweets.
“Do you think His Highness the First Prince might also help restore our palace’s budget?”
“Isn’t Oppa Evan supposed to do that?”
Kitty answered as though the answer were obvious.
Since Cindy had already given up expecting much from the Second Prince, she blinked in surprise.
“Do you think so?”
Now it was Kitty’s turn to look puzzled.
After all…
Hadn’t Evan said it himself?
Wait there.
I’ll send someone.
True, she hadn’t exactly obeyed his warning not to cause any unnecessary trouble.
But surely…
He wouldn’t refuse to help his only little sister?
After hearing such childlike optimism, Cindy smiled awkwardly.
“Maybe…”
“But personally, Your Highness…”
“I don’t think Prince Evan is the kind of person who’s moved by family ties or personal affection.”
She had phrased it gently.
What she really meant was:
It would be better not to expect anything from Evan.
Kitty tilted her head slightly.
“Really?” she replied simply.
