Chapter 9
“What?”
Karpel asked curtly.
As if he was almost ready to fight with her.
However, he didn’t bat an eye, perhaps because he was just depressed.
But it didn’t hurt her. She was also used to him addressing her as ‘you’.
Ever since her first birthday, she had been treating Karpel with all her heart and soul. She didn’t want him to see her as a child but as a woman. She thought if she spoke gracefully like a lady, he might welcome her. As time went on, she became determined to reach her goal. But simply acting like a lady wouldn’t change one’s attitude.
As a result, his hate towards her began to dig its claws.
Brooding over her memories, she recalled her heart being stabbed the moment she noticed him doing aegyo during her seventh birthday.
‘What the hell?! Why am I thinking about that?! Focus, Inaila!’
“I made something for you, Your Highness!”
“You made……?”
He asked, glancing upon the tray she was holding.
“Would His Highness like to…..have some?”
“……..”
“I want to talk about something..….”
“……..”
Her courage gradually crumpled under his deep silent stare. But it wasn’t long until he stepped out of his room to let her in.
She carefully walked into the room and placed the tray on the table.
The silence was heavier than she thought it would.
As she faced Karpel, his temple crumbled. The fact that he was standing without closing the door stated that he was waiting for her to leave.
“I heard……His Highness didn’t have his dinner yet, so I made something that I know you like. Please try it.”
“What do you think you’re doing?”
‘What did I do?’
“How could you just barge into my room like that?”
‘You told me to come in, didn’t you?’
Embarrassed by the situation, her cheeks turned red. She knew that he didn’t like her sole existence by the look he was giving her. She felt like this would perhaps be her last memory in this life of hers.
‘Haa…I guess it was a failure today. Anyway, it was worth being wary of doing strange things that this girl had never done before.’
She lifted up the tray with a despairing heart.
“……I’m sorry. His Highness must be tired—”
Karpel suddenly threw a question, cutting off her words and pointing at the tray.
“What does that mean?”
‘What do you mean?’
“That I have something that His Highness likes—”
“You do?”
“Yes, and I wanted His Highness to—”
“Cinnamon.”
Inaila zipped her lips as all of her words were being cut off. A heavy silence followed. She spoke up first.
“Me too. I like the taste of the spice.”
Even though she sneezed on the cinnamon powder, her past self loved it very much.
Suddenly, Karpel’s features softened. His face seemed a little redolent.
She was taken aback by the sudden change of his features, but at least it seemed like he was going to have them.
‘Good! Now, I only need to talk to him.’
Karpel sighed as she put the tray back down. He left the door slightly open. He sat on the sofa and beckoned her to the other side of the sofa.
“Sit down there.”
“Yes.”
She sat down on the soft cushion before lifting the bottle and filling up the glasses. As she lifted up her glass to toast, Karpel looked puzzled.
‘No toast? Okay.’
She lowered the glass awkwardly. Staring up at her, Karpel picked up a yakgwa.
“What I wanted to say was…….”
As she spoke, Karpel put the whole cookie inside his mouth. His eyes widened as he continued chewing on it.
As expected, the taste was unfamiliar to him. The syrup was plain and sticky like caramel, while the cookie was perfectly soft like a cake. It could be similar to a Madeleine, but it was fried with oil and dipped in syrup.
She was worried about the taste, but she saw him engulfing another one. The corners of his lips slightly rose up.
‘Wait, is he smiling?’
She had never seen him smile since the Emperor visited the Krenberian mansion.
And soon, Karpel put another one inside his mouth. The third one, perhaps.
‘Did you even chew on the last one?’
Startled, she grabbed his hand.
“Eat slowly, Your Highness!”
He glanced at her.
“Or you’ll get indigestion.”
As his emotionless eyes dropped down to her hand, she quickly pulled back.
It made her recall that these hands of hers were the ones that always forced him to escort her. These always used to hug him even if he strongly refused her.
‘No, I shouldn’t…….force him anymore.’
Karpel must have been trying so desperately. Not to die in the hands of the Emperor. To kill the Emperor with his own sword.
And all she had done in the midst of his efforts was to disregard his opinions. She held back a sigh.
Kaprel picked up the next one and chewed on it. It seemed to have suited his taste.
He gulped down what was in his mouth before glancing at her.
“It’s delicious.”
He unexpectedly complimented her.
She muttered, dazing at him.
“Then, I’ll make sure to prepare it for you another day……”
His eyes shifted to the round-shaped yakgwa cookies.
“You made these?”
“Yes…..”
She felt nostalgic as she kept staring at his soft features. She felt like she was talking to the old Karpel, who was so kind to her.
She met him only when she knew how to babble. She wasn’t even two when she lost her mother’s touch. She didn’t even know what honorifics were. Karpel was the one who taught her words and writing.
It was when she was almost left unattended in the mansion of Krenberia. It took a very long time for the Duke to overcome the grief of losing his wife. He spent most of the time in his room, and Inaila was left alone like Karpel.
It was Karpel who took care of her. They used to rely on each other every second.
It was when she was six years old that the Duke came to his senses. He began to value her dearly.
From then on, her father began to have her back. And gradually, Karpel distanced himself from her.
She kept obsessing over him, while he kept losing his expression and finally became indifferent as he is now. A period of seven years. It wasn’t even possible for adults to change their personalities so quickly.
And within that period of time, she kept on forcing him to love her. She believed she would be eventually successful in changing his heart.
‘If someone had forced me like that, I would have wanted to kill them as well.’
So now that he sat beside her without being displeased with her presence, it felt like a miracle.
Inaila picked up one of the cookies and slowly chewed on it, her eyes on Karpel, who kept eating at his pace.
There was no mark of hostility on his face. His golden orbs were sparkling like a magic lamp.
As those orbs noticed her stare, she hurriedly shifted her eyes. He muttered in a low voice.
“I’ve changed my mind. I’m in a good mood today, so I won’t listen to you.”
“You’re in such a good mood….”
‘That you don’t want to ruin it by talking to me?’
Karpel raised his eyebrow at her in such a way that he knew everything that was going on inside her mind. She quickly shifted her eyes.
She thought of talking about breaking their engagement, just as what Karpel would like. She sighed.
‘I guess it won’t be happening today.’
But, at some corner of her heart, she did not want to bring it up, thinking about witnessing the soft side of him.
“Well then, shall I leave now?”
“Do as you please.”
‘……What do you mean?’
Did he want her to stay or leave?
The interpretation of the face of this adolescent boy was very difficult.
‘You want me to leave?’
Her chest felt stuffy, so she lifted up her glass and drank all of the liquid in one gulp.
But the moment she swallowed it, she realized something was wrong. Her head started spinning.
“Wha—?”
“Ina!”
Surprised, Karpel jumped up and clasped her hands, therefore stopping her from taking another sip.
“Your Highness……what are you…..”
He grabbed the glass and drank a drop that remained.
“Poison!…..N-No, is this…..alcohol?”
She was struck dumb at his bewildering voice.