Chapter 23
“…What?”
The woman, who had been staring absentmindedly into the fireplace as if lost in gloomy thoughts, slowly turned her face toward the child. Her elegant brows knit together.
“Don’t you like carrots? They’re sweet and delicious.”
Instead of answering, the woman looked around in search of the child’s guardian.
She soon spotted the two maids and the young boy staring at them in alarm from the corner of the room.
At the same time, they immediately recognized who the woman was.
The fiancée of the First Prince.
The young lady of House Shunoa.
The infamous villainess of the capital’s high society.
And the one person most distressed now that rumors had all but confirmed the Second Prince would become Crown Prince.
Kitty had just walked up and started talking to that woman.
The duchess’s daughter recognized Evan’s maids at once, and her expression instantly turned icy.
Looking down at the child clinging to the armrest of her chair with open disdain, she let out a mocking laugh.
“Ah… I was wondering who it was. So you’re the rumored half-witted Second Princess.”
“Mind your words, Lady.”
“That remark alone is enough to charge you with insulting a member of the Imperial Family.”
The Second Prince’s loyal maids immediately rebuked her, but the young lady paid them no attention.
“You heard them, Your Highness. Because of you, I might end up falsely accused and thrown into prison. Next time you decide to talk to someone, think a little more carefully before acting.”
She waved her hand dismissively, as though shooing away an annoying puppy.
Kitty simply stared blankly at her before giving a small nod.
“I did think carefully.”
…Is this child mentally slow?
The duchess’s daughter’s gaze shifted from hostility to suspicion.
Just then, Kitty proudly announced the conclusion she had reached.
“I’m going to bake you a carrot cake, big sister.”
The vacant, innocent tone—completely oblivious to the tense standoff between the lady and the maids—made the young lady leap to her feet.
“No! I told you, I hate carrots!”
The moment the words left her mouth, she realized how childish she sounded.
Her face flushed bright red.
I was only trying to say something unpleasant enough to chase her away… Why on earth did I blurt that out?
Even she couldn’t understand herself.
The maids stared at her with equally wide eyes.
Only Kitty remained delighted, happily hopping around the young lady.
“Why do you hate carrots? Are you allergic? Or… don’t tell me… you think they taste bad?”
She simply looked thrilled to be chatting with such a beautiful older sister.
Unable to find the right words, the duchess’s daughter hesitated before finally hiding her mouth behind her fan and snapping back.
“…Why are you interrogating me over something like that? I hate them because I hate them! And what’s with you? You’re just a little kid. Why are you so obsessed with carrots? Kids your age are only supposed to like candy and chocolate, aren’t they?”
Kitty placed both hands on her hips and let out an exaggerated sigh.
“What are you talking about? You’re not a toddler anymore. You should eat everything without being picky.”
The tone she used was exactly like an adult scolding a fussy child.
The young lady forgot all her embarrassment and exploded again.
“Y-You little brat! Just who do you think you are?! I’m already irritated enough, and you’re making it worse!”
“My lady, please calm down!”
“At this rate, something terrible is going to happen!”
Margaret and Diana rushed over and grabbed the young lady’s arms, trying desperately to calm her down.
But the notorious villainess of high society showed no signs of settling down.
Patrick bolted from the lounge.
Kitty hurriedly took several steps backward to avoid being smacked by the wildly flailing fan.
“I-I was only trying to cure your picky eating…”
“Why do you keep calling me ‘big sister’?! Do I look that easy to push around because I’ve been putting up with you? Huh?! Do I look easy?! You… tiny little bean!”
Even while restrained by the two maids, the young lady kept forcing herself forward with astonishing strength.
Behind her glasses, Kitty’s eyes grew round with shock.
Just moments ago, the duchess’s daughter had been staring sadly into the fire.
Now she was snorting like an enraged bull, glaring fiercely.
Kitty had no way of knowing it, since this was their first meeting.
In truth, the young lady of House Shunoa was nearly as formidable a swordswoman as the First Prince himself—a Sword Master.
For someone like her, overpowering two slender maids would have been effortless.
If anything, Margaret and Diana were displaying far more strength than anyone expected.
At this rate… she’s actually going to hit me…
Realizing that even the maids she trusted couldn’t hold their opponent back, Kitty finally did what Patrick had done.
She turned and fled the lounge in a panic.
“Where do you think you’re going?! Get back here! Let’s settle this! And tell the Second Prince exactly what happened! We’ll see this through to the very end!”
The thunderous shouting behind her made the little girl’s legs move even faster.
Goodness…
Who would’ve thought that such a beautiful, sorrowful-looking lady had such an unexpected side to her?!
***
The first place Kitty ran to was, naturally…
…the kitchen.
The imperial palace kitchen was bustling with activity as cooks worked nonstop to replenish the food and drinks for the ongoing banquet.
Kitty had assumed it would be empty this late at night.
Instead, she froze in surprise.
But…
She absolutely had to make the young lady of House Shunoa eat carrot cake!
Now that things had come to this, calming her down with cake was the only option.
If she baked a carrot cake so delicious that it cured even her hatred of carrots, the young lady would surely forgive her and clear up every misunderstanding.
“Oh no! This is terrible!”
Mustering all her courage, Kitty dashed into the kitchen.
In an instant, every servant turned to look at her.
“Who is that child?”
“She must have gotten lost.”
The startled maids immediately recognized her expensive clothing and hurriedly bowed respectfully.
The head chef quickly understood the situation and beckoned to one of the younger maids assigned to miscellaneous chores.
“Sylvia! Escort the young lady back to the banquet hall.”
“Y-Yes, Chef! Come, my lady. I’ll take you back.”
Before Sylvia—a girl who looked no older than fifteen—could lead her away by the hand, Kitty struggled with all her might.
“No! I’m not lost!”
“Huh? Then…”
“I have to make a cake for the young lady!”
“A cake?”
At those words, every servant—including the head chef—looked toward the cakes they had already prepared.
Beautiful chocolate mousse cakes served in elegant glass cups.
Cheesecakes decorated with fresh mint.
Large platters overflowing with exquisite desserts.
Wasn’t there already more cake than anyone could possibly eat?
Reading the confusion on their faces, Kitty shouted,
“No! One I make myself! My own cake!”
Sylvia tilted her head in confusion.
“You… want to bake a cake yourself, my lady?”
In her desperation, Kitty made an impulsive promise.
“Yes! If you let me bake it, I’ll make one for everyone here too!”
“Hahaha!”
The busy servants and even the head chef all stopped working at once.
One after another, they burst into cheerful laughter.
There was something about an innocent little child that naturally brought smiles to everyone’s faces.
Caught up in the warm atmosphere, Kitty forgot she had been resisting and looked around hopefully.
“So… you’ll let me bake a cake?”
***
“Why not all of a sudden? Everyone was happy just a moment ago. Weren’t you smiling because you were excited to taste the cake I’d make?”
At Kitty’s muttering, the maid leading her back toward the banquet hall could only give an awkward smile.
Does this child think the imperial kitchen is her personal playground?
If someone suddenly barged in asking to bake a cake, who would actually agree?
Whether Kitty understood that or not, she continued trudging along.
Then someone suddenly called out to her.
“Oh my? Fancy meeting you here, Katrina. Don’t tell me you’ve already gotten lost?”
It was Princess Amelia.
She was walking toward them while chatting pleasantly with the Pope, the two of them alone together.
Holding the hand of a maid she had never met before, with none of her own attendants accompanying her, Kitty wondered how she should explain this rather awkward situation.
After a moment’s thought, she summarized it simply.
“It’s a long story.”
Ordinarily, Amelia would have been annoyed by Katrina’s blunt and discourteous manner of speaking.
But today she seemed positively delighted.
After all, she was standing proudly beside the Pope, able to show Katrina exactly where she belonged.
Once, Katrina had been her greatest rival as a leading candidate for sainthood.
Now, however…
Princess Katrina’s true identity had been exposed for the entire world to see.
