Chapter 24
“Really?”
Without showing even the slightest sign of annoyance, Amelia lazily fanned herself with her folding fan and asked in a smug tone,
“Then where are your maids and your oh-so-wonderful fiancé?”
Well…
There was no telling whether the maids were still in the lounge trying to restrain Lady Shunoa.
Patrick had already run away long ago.
When Kitty simply shrugged as if to say I don’t know either, Amelia looked visibly pleased.
“As you can see, I’m giving His Holiness a tour of our palace. It’s been twenty years since His Holiness last visited the Imperial Palace.”
“I greet Princess Katrina, the noble star of the Empire.”
Having quickly figured out Kitty’s identity, Pope Yehudiel offered the formal greeting reserved for a princess of the Theros Empire.
Only then did the maid realize whom she had been escorting.
Startled out of her wits, she immediately released Kitty’s hand.
“Hi.”
Kitty answered with her usual blank, childlike greeting.
It was an astonishing display of disrespect toward the Pope of the Holy Kingdom.
Yet Amelia deliberately chose not to point it out.
Secretly, she hoped Kitty would make a terrible impression and lose every bit of favor with the Pope.
Is she really an idiot?
Even though it had already been revealed to the entire world that Katrina possessed not a trace of holy power, shouldn’t she at least make an effort to prove her worth somehow?
Or…
Did this girl not even know who the Pope standing before her actually was?
Perhaps she simply thought he was some high-ranking attendant or a foreign visitor.
For someone as foolish as Kitty, that seemed entirely possible.
While Amelia struggled to suppress her laughter, Pope Yehudiel suddenly turned to her and asked in an exceptionally courteous tone,
“Your Highness, if you don’t mind, while you continue showing me around the palace, perhaps we could also look for Princess Katrina’s attendants together?”
His eyes were filled with warm, sincere concern for the young, pitiful princess.
Amelia hurriedly wiped the mocking smile from her face.
“Ah… Yes! Of course, Your Holiness. I was planning to do exactly that. Helping those in need brings me great joy.”
She answered with a charming smile.
Inside, however, she was thoroughly irritated.
Ugh… how annoying.
I only came this way, and now I’ve ended up dragging around an extra burden.
Concealing those thoughts, she extended a hand toward Katrina, silently urging her to follow.
Kitty stared at the offered hand before speaking awkwardly.
“Actually… I’m not lost.”
“Hm? Then what happened?”
“I went down to the kitchen because I wanted to bake a cake… but they wouldn’t let me, so I’m on my way back.”
As Kitty scratched her cheek sheepishly, both Amelia and the Pope widened their eyes.
“What? A cake?”
The next moment, Amelia burst into bright, refreshing laughter.
“Did you hear that, Your Holiness? Katrina is such an amusing child. Poor thing—because of certain circumstances, she spent most of her life outside the palace. A cake? I suppose children living outside the Imperial Palace actually bake their own cakes.”
This is exactly why I didn’t want to explain…
Having expected to become the butt of a joke, Kitty quietly waited for Amelia to finish laughing before softly correcting her.
“Children outside the palace can’t bake cakes either.”
“They don’t even have enough money to buy bread.”
“All right, all right, Katrina. You certainly have quite the imagination.”
Kitty hesitated for a moment before replying.
It was starting to feel as though they were arguing.
She hated arguing whenever possible.
Still…
Wrong information ought to be corrected.
How could a princess know so little about the world?
“I’m not making it up. Even when I lived with my mom, we only baked cake on special occasions.”
“Because we didn’t have money.”
Even Kitty’s mother had escaped the palace with a fair amount of money.
If even they could rarely afford cake…
What about the ordinary children in the streets who had no connection to the palace at all?
Every time Kitty baked a cake, she had wanted to share it with those children.
But her mother had always refused, saying it would be too dangerous and might expose them.
After hearing all that, even Amelia could no longer dismiss Kitty’s words with laughter alone.
Pouting slightly, she challenged her.
“That’s ridiculous, Katrina. Then how could you suddenly bake a cake all by yourself?”
She looked Kitty up and down suspiciously.
Or…
Had the story about baking a cake been another lie?
This girl lied as naturally as she breathed.
It wouldn’t be surprising.
If that were true, Amelia intended to report it to Brother Evan immediately.
Even the cake he had praised would have been a fake.
Kitty remained silent for a moment.
Then she confidently placed both hands on her hips, puffed out her chest, and declared proudly,
“Well… because I’m the Saintess.”
Never in her wildest imagination had Amelia expected Kitty to tell such a shameless lie in front of the Pope himself.
Her jaw dropped.
“Y-You…! Apologize to His Holiness immediately! A Saintess isn’t recognized until His Holiness officially proclaims her one!”
As Amelia hurriedly tried to scold her younger sister’s rudeness, Kitty tilted her head.
“But whether Pope Mister recognizes it or not…”
“I’m still the Saintess.”
How could someone be this ignorant… and this arrogant… at the same time?
Kitty’s words completely exceeded Amelia’s imagination.
She was too stunned to speak.
The one who gently calmed Amelia was none other than Pope Yehudiel.
“It’s quite all right, Your Highness.”
“Strictly speaking, I am merely a servant carrying out the Divine Lord’s will in this world. The declarations I make are, in the end, nothing more than the imperfect laws and customs of mankind.”
“Princess Katrina has not committed any particular offense, so there is no need for concern.”
Goodness…
How could His Holiness be so humble and compassionate?
If the Pope had chosen to take issue with Katrina’s words, that foolish girl would surely have landed herself in serious trouble.
Casting a disapproving glance toward Kitty, who seemed utterly incapable of appreciating the Pope’s kindness, Amelia praised his generosity.
“Thank you for understanding my immature younger sister, Your Holiness. As I mentioned before, Katrina has only recently entered the palace, so she’s still adjusting. Her words and behavior can be rather… rough and unconventional.”
The Pope nodded absentmindedly, as though only half listening.
Then he carefully broached the subject that truly interested him.
“More importantly…”
“This cake Your Highness wishes to bake.”
“If it wouldn’t be too much trouble… might I also have the chance to taste it?”
…What?
Surely he’s joking?
Amelia stood frozen in disbelief.
The Pope was showing genuine interest in Kitty’s cake.
Kitty, meanwhile, merely nodded as though she had expected this.
“Sure.”
“But not for free.”
“You have to give me something too.”
With his characteristic warm smile, the Pope immediately offered the very thing Kitty wanted most.
“I shall ask the kitchen if they could prepare a small workspace for you.”
“…!”
A place to bake cake…
Inside the Imperial Palace kitchen!
Kitty’s eyes sparkled.
She knew very well that people ignored the words of tiny children like herself.
But when a grown adult spoke, everyone listened.
“You’ll really do that?”
“If I explain the situation properly, I’m sure the head chef will be willing to help.”
As he spoke, Pope Yehudiel naturally extended a hand toward Kitty.
Delighted, Kitty immediately called over Sylvia—the maid who had been nervously trembling in the corner all this time—and asked her to lead them back to the kitchen.
Amelia stood there blankly for a moment, watching the Pope and Kitty walk away hand in hand behind the maid.
Then she suddenly came to her senses and hurried after them.
She couldn’t suppress the frustration boiling inside her.
Darn it…!
This isn’t how things were supposed to go. Why has everything become such a mess?
How long had they waited outside the kitchen?
Eventually, Sylvia emerged from inside alongside Pope Yehudiel.
Speaking far more respectfully than before, she invited Princess Katrina and Princess Amelia inside.
When they entered, the head chef—who had been so carefree earlier—was now drenched in cold sweat, bowing repeatedly.
“M-My deepest apologies, Your Highnesses. This humble servant failed to recognize the noble Imperial Princesses…”
“Everything within this palace belongs to His Majesty the Emperor, and both of Your Highnesses are his precious daughters.”
“That naturally means everything in this kitchen is also at Your Highnesses’ disposal whenever you wish to use it.”
