#13.
Once word spread that I suffered from a Delus flower allergy, Hadelus Castle was thrown into an absolute uproar. The “Little Madam,” whom everyone had assumed was merely an arrogant and self-centered brat, had been hiding a life-threatening allergy all along. Since they believed I was the type to spit out every single thought that crossed my mind, the revelation seemed to leave them more than a little bewildered.
“Why on earth would you hide something like that!”
Hannah dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief, her voice thick with stifled sobs. Beside her, Vivian’s expression was the definition of ferocious.
“If you’re going to act like this, why don’t you just live alone? You didn’t give a single thought to the maids who worry about you! I knew you were stubborn, but I never imagined it was to this extent!”
“Vivian, I can’t help but notice a bit of extra ‘oomph’ behind those words. Is it just my imagination, or are you taking this opportunity to vent your frustrations and insult me?”
“It’s definitely your imagination!” Vivian barked back, looking caught off guard, before blowing her nose loudly.
I chose to ignore it and gave a small, playful smile. After all, it was true that I’d given them all a heart attack. Seeing me unexpectedly docile, Shuri ground her teeth as she directed her vitriol elsewhere.
“If that royal physician had even a shred of intuition, you wouldn’t have had to suffer like this.”
“If it weren’t for Lord Archid, it would have gone unnoticed this time too. That quack!” Vivian added to the fury, snapping the laundry she was folding with aggressive force.
Hannah joined in, picking up the thread. “Still, it’s a relief that Lord Archid went straight to the Grand Duke. Thanks to him, we’ve been assigned a new physician.”
“Honestly, I never liked that doctor. He was always so dismissive during checkups. I don’t care how ‘difficult’ our Lady can be!”
*Calling it ‘difficult’ is a bit of an understatement for the things I’ve done, isn’t it?* I witnessed Vivian’s fierce loyalty firsthand and looked away awkwardly.
Regardless, the doctor’s negligence was undeniable. If he had performed a proper examination when Roena was ill last year, I wouldn’t have been wandering around the Delus flower fields like an idiot. More than anything, the fact that Archid had gone to the Grand Duke on my behalf pulled at my heartstrings.
“I didn’t expect Lord Archid to go see the Grand Duke,” I murmured, fiddling with the duvet out of a sudden wave of shyness.
“It was a first,” Hannah said. “We were all shocked.”
The Grand Duke himself was probably stunned, too. Archid initiating a visit was unheard of.
“Still, it seems Lord Archid is the only one who truly treasures our Lady,” Vivian remarked.
“Oh, Vivian! Weren’t you just complaining the other day about how he was giving our Lady the cold shoulder?” Shuri teased.
“Shuri, be quiet!”
As Vivian turned away with a pout, Shuri burst into laughter. Thanks to Archid, the physician who had been enjoying his salary while doing nothing was kicked out. The new physician, Marsha, was full of passion and looked after me with meticulous care. I suspected she only acted this way because she hadn’t yet experienced my reputation as the ‘Mouth of Hell.’
*Anyway, the Flower Festival is just around the corner. Will I be okay?*
I counted the days on my fingers, lost in thought. No matter how bad the allergy was, I was still the Young Grand Duchess of Hadelus. I couldn’t keep avoiding the Delus flowers forever. Moreover, staying in bed like this was effectively dumping all the festival responsibilities onto the Grand Duchess. Our relationship was strained enough as it was; forcing her to do my work would surely put her in a foul mood.
*Is there anything I can do?*
While I was pondering this, Hannah and Vivian were deep in conversation about the festival.
“Have you decided which seeds to sow? The ones I planted last time died so quickly.”
“I don’t know. I’ll probably go with the same ones as before. Planting seeds is such a chore in the first place.”
“How unromantic. If you’re going to be like that, why don’t you just go around blowing dandelion seeds?”
“Oh! That’s a great idea!”
I clapped my hands in agreement, making Vivian look at me with a puzzled expression. Ignoring her gaze, I hopped out of bed.
“Wait, My Lady! Where are you going?” Vivian asked, chasing after me.
“To see Mother.”
“I heard she was heading to the seed farm today…”
“Look, the carriage is coming in now.” Shuri, who was adjusting the curtains, announced the Grand Duchess’s arrival.
Deciding to strike while the iron was hot, I grinned and sprinted down the hallway. Since Elena was just returning from the seed farm, it seemed like the perfect time to propose my plan.
“Wait for us, Young—I mean, Little Madam!” Vivian corrected herself as she glanced around at the other servants and followed me.
I didn’t have time to wait. I clattered down the stairs. The Grand Duchess, who had just entered the castle and was about to ascend, stared at me with wide eyes.
“Mother, welcome ba—ack!”
I tried to stop and offer a polite greeting, but my feet got tangled in my long skirts. Since I was on the stairs, I ended up launching myself forward right toward Elena.
I saw Elena’s startled face just before I crashed into her, burying myself in her arms.
“Gasp!” I heard Vivian behind me, sharp and shocked.
I hung there, draped over Elena, breaking into a cold sweat. I hadn’t intended to give her such a… vigorous welcome, but my traitorous legs had a mind of their own. I looked exactly like a puppy jumping up to wag its tail for its returning master.
Elena seemed frozen from the shock, yet she didn’t forget to hold onto me firmly so I wouldn’t fall.
*Argh, I want to die.*
Wriggling in shame, I clung to her neck even tighter. Finally, Elena spoke.
“That is quite a greeting. My neck is actually hurting a bit.”
“…W-w-welcome back.”
I pulled away hurriedly, my face burning red. Or rather, it was more accurate to say she set me down gracefully. If she hadn’t caught me, I would have been hugging the floorboards. Being in her arms hadn’t felt bad at all.
Elena crossed her arms and asked with a leisurely expression, “What wind has blown through you to make you cause such a fuss this time?”
“Oh! I have something I’d like to discuss regarding the Flower Festival.”
As soon as I brought up the main point, Elena’s expression seemed to stiffen for a moment before she returned to her usual cold tone.
“I should have known.”
“Do you have a moment?”
“Even if I didn’t, haven’t you already come here to speak?”
“Hehe.”
“Follow me.”
Once Elena gave her permission, I immediately stuck to her side. Her pace was quite fast, making it a struggle to keep up, but I could feel her subtly slowing down for me.
*She has a surprisingly considerate side.*
I had expected her to scold me for dumping all the work on her, but she didn’t seem as angry as I’d anticipated. When we arrived at the terrace, light refreshments were already neatly arranged on the table. Macarons in vibrant colors seemed to be whispering, *’Eat me.’*
Now that I thought about it, it was close to snack time, and I was feeling rather peckish. While I was debating whether or not to reach for one, Elena said snidely:
“One would think I was the type to watch how much you eat. Why the sudden modesty?”
“I’ll enjoy them!”
Taking her “modesty” jab as a cue, I immediately snatched up a macaron. Right. Since when did Roena care about being polite in these situations? The allergy incident might have made people think I was a timid child, but in reality, I was the height of arrogance.
The pink macaron tasted just as sweet as it looked. The shell was perfectly chewy, and the filling melted on my tongue like a cloud. Dipping it in milk made it feel like a literal slice of heaven.
For a moment, I was entirely focused on my macaron mukbang, only to flinch when I felt Elena’s intense gaze on me. Ah, I’d forgotten my purpose because it was so delicious.
“Um…”
“Were you always such a hearty eater?”
“Pardon?”
“You used to eat no more than a bird, so I thought you had no interest in food at all.”
Elena frowned, murmuring words that were hard to decipher. For some reason, she looked very displeased.
*‘Ah, is it because I ate the Grand Duchess’s share too!’*
I realized then that I had polished off all four macarons on the plate like a starving animal.
“Oh… I didn’t mean to eat them all myself…”
“I brought those out for you to eat by yourself,” Elena said curtly, sipping her black tea.
How should I put it? She seemed annoyed, but it didn’t feel like it was necessarily my fault. Since she said it wasn’t because of the macarons, and my stomach was full, I moved on to the main point.
“I heard that you’ve been having a hard time because of my allergy, Mother.”
“Which brainless maid told you that? Give me a name.”
Wait, why did my mother-in-law suddenly switch back to “Mad Dog” mode? I’d only made a general comment because I assumed it to be true, but here she was, glaring and growling. She looked ready to tear into whoever had dared to speak to me.
Feeling a cold sweat break out, I said politely, “No, no one told me. I just guessed.”
“It’s nothing. It’s not your concern. I did it all by myself last year anyway. It would be more exhausting if you tried to help now.”
My, this mother of mine has a talent for cutting remarks. Originally, the Flower Festival preparations were the joint responsibility of the Grand Duchess and the Young Grand Duchess. Telling me not to worry because she’d done it alone anyway was like a group project leader declaring they’d carry the whole team because they were sick of everyone else. I suddenly felt like a deadbeat teammate who was just along for the ride.
If she was doing this on purpose, she had a real gift for verbal sparring. If not, that was a problem in its own right.
I gave a bright smile, determined not to let the Grand Duchess suffer through the project alone.
“I want to help you, Mother. I actually have a great idea. Would you like to hear it?”
