Chapter 15
Returning to her mansion, Iris shed her ornate accessories and dress, slipped into pajamas, and dove onto her bed.
‘I’m not moving an inch for a while.’
As she rolled around, a *creak* sounded, and the bedroom door opened. In this house, there was only one person besides Iris who would wander in so freely.
“Jack, knock before you come in.”
“Since when?”
“From now on.”
Closing the door, Jack crossed his arms and looked down at Iris rolling around on the bed.
“By the way, how’d things go today?”
“It went well.”
“Good to hear. That aside, what’s with that cheap crystal you told me to get?”
“Oh, that?”
Iris, still lying down, wiggled her fingers. Jack raised an eyebrow, then pulled a chair from beside the bed and sat down.
“You said it’s a crystal enchanted by a wizard from Veveria, right?”
“What?”
“One that supposedly brings a child if you keep it—a truly amazing spell.”
“No way…”
At Iris’s whispered words, as if sharing a secret, Jack looked dumbfounded and asked,
“Why would you make up something like that?”
“It’s not made up.”
“What are you talking about?”
“The Empress will get pregnant this summer.”
“Is the crystal actually enchanted or something?”
“No, where would I get such a skill? It’s just a cheap crystal.”
Seeing Jack’s utterly confused expression, Iris giggled to herself.
“Just keep that in mind.”
“The Empress is getting pregnant…”
“Yup.”
Looking at Iris’s cheerful response, Jack furrowed his brow.
“That’s not exactly good news for the Crown Prince, is it?”
“But it’s not bad for me, is it? By the time that kid’s toddling, I’ll already be abroad.”
“No sense of responsibility.”
“Responsibility?”
Iris shot up from the bed and poked Jack’s furrowed brow.
Only then did he seem to notice his own expression, and his face softened slightly.
“I’d appreciate it if you recognized that paying off all this debt I didn’t even incur makes me a pretty responsible person.”
“…Fair enough.”
“Now get out. I’m going to sleep. Don’t come around for a while. I’m not stepping a foot outside this mansion.”
“You’ll get fat.”
“None of your business.”
“It *is* my business. You’re our business capital.”
“You jerk. Get out.”
Jack was promptly kicked out of the bedroom after getting punched in the shoulder by Iris.
Rubbing his slightly stinging shoulder, he went downstairs to the first floor and spoke to a man waiting there.
“Someone says the Empress will be pregnant within the year.”
“For real?”
“She’s such a strange woman, I can’t be sure. Still, just in case, pass it on to the homeland.”
“Understood.”
Before leaving the mansion with the man, Jack glanced up at Iris’s bedroom on the upper floor.
Shaking his head, as if deciding there was nothing more to learn, he left.
After that, Iris truly didn’t step a foot outside the mansion.
For a week, she lazed about in bed, eating makeshift meals from whatever ingredients were in the kitchen when she got hungry.
‘Cooking is such a hassle.’
As she crunched on a raw carrot while crossing the first floor, a *knock, knock* came from the mansion’s door.
“What’s that?”
No one was supposed to visit.
It couldn’t be Jack—he wouldn’t knock—and it definitely wasn’t the postman.
Maybe it was the worker who occasionally restocked supplies.
Iris tightened her shawl and opened the door. As it swung open, a vibrant bouquet was thrust toward her.
“You shouldn’t open the door so carelessly without asking who it is.”
Behind the colorful bouquet appeared a man with radiant blonde hair. It was the impeccably handsome Crown Prince. Iris blinked at him for a moment.
“What’s the matter?”
“If your lover hasn’t heard from you in over a week, isn’t it only proper to check in?”
“Well, I suppose, but…”
She bit into the carrot she was holding with a loud crunch. The Crown Prince tilted his head slightly.
“What are you eating?”
“Oh, a carrot.”
“…A carrot?”
“Yes.”
“Isn’t that horse feed?”
“What are you talking about? I bet the dishes you eat have all sorts of carrots in them.”
“Well, in dishes, sure, but…”
*Crunch, crunch.*
“Why would you eat that…”
“Want some?”
As she took the bouquet and offered the half-eaten carrot, he gave a faint smile.
“No.”
A very firm refusal. Iris shrugged, brought the carrot back to her mouth, and stepped aside to let him in.
“I don’t have any proper tea, so I’m not sure if that’s okay.”
“Any tea is fine.”
“Then would you like to go pick some random grass from the garden? Ever tried tea made from weeds?”
“….”
“Just kidding. Don’t take it so seriously.”
*Crunch, crunch.*
She led him not to the rarely used parlor but to a living room on the second floor.
The Crown Prince looked around curiously and asked,
“Why isn’t there a single servant?”
“Because there aren’t any.”
“Who maintains the mansion?”
“No one. I just clean the parts I use myself.”
At that, the Crown Prince’s expression subtly shifted, but Iris didn’t care much.
She was going to sell this mansion once this was all over anyway.
“…I’ll arrange for some servants.”
“No thanks, Your Highness. I hate fussiness.”
“No, *I* can’t stand it. How am I supposed to hold my head up if word gets out that my lover is eating donkey feed in her own home?”
“Donkey feed? It’s a carrot!”
“Same thing.”
The Crown Prince seemed genuinely shocked by her lifestyle. *This is why nobles…*
She spat out the carrot top and personally brewed tea.
“Drink.”
“….”
“It’s not weeds, so drink.”
The Crown Prince, eyeing the tea suspiciously, only lifted the cup to his lips after she assured him it wasn’t weeds.
Then, with a faint smile, he set the cup down, clearly finding the taste unpalatable.
“It’s cheap tea leaves, so to Your Highness, it’s probably no different from weeds.”
“You should’ve warned me.”
She shrugged and casually drank from the cup he’d set down.
To her, tea was just steeped grass, nothing more, nothing less.
“So, why are you really here?”
As she counted the flowers in the bouquet, the Crown Prince fell silent for a moment.
“I know it’s not just because you missed my pretty face, so spit it out.”
“There’s a place I’d like you to come with me to.”
“Where?”
“Veveria.”
*Huh?*
“I have business with a wizard there.”
That was unexpected.
‘Was there anything in the original story about the Crown Prince visiting Veveria before it began?’
Of course she didn’t know. Why would she care about pre-story details?
Iris finished counting the hundred flowers in the bouquet and set it down on the side table by the sofa.
“Why Veveria?”
“Because I have something to commission from a wizard.”
“You’re not going to tell me what it is?”
“Obviously not.”
“Then why not go alone?”
“Because I need your help.”
“What help could I possibly be there?”
At that, the Crown Prince said with a very serious expression,
“The wizard we’re meeting…”
Iris blinked, focusing as a strange tension hung in the air.
“…is said to have a thing for beauties.”
“….”
“Now do you see why I need your help?”
“Seriously…”
She let out a hollow laugh, exasperated. But at the same time, something clicked. A wizard in Veveria who loved beauties.
‘Isn’t that the wizard who becomes the female protagonist’s ally in the original story?’
A woman who loved beauties but barely spoke to men, if she recalled correctly.
“No pretty maids available?”
“No maid prettier than you.”
“You know that’s not what I meant.”
“Better to bring a sure bet than something uncertain.”
The Crown Prince flashed a sly smile.
Iris thought for a moment before nodding.
“Fine, I’ll think of it as a trip. Of course, the travel expenses…”
“I’ll cover everything.”
“Good. When do we leave?”
“Three days from now, to be safe.”
“Not bad.”
And just like that, she was off. To the land of wizards!
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By Anna 💓
