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Chapter 3




Translator – zimming
“Ancia, what’s wrong? doesn’t it taste good?”
I quickly loosened my rigid expression and beamed. I didn’t want to worry Blake for nothing.
“No, it’s delicious. Try some of these mushrooms.”
“But I don’t like mushrooms
”
“You have to take it for your health.”
“Ahh-“
As I fed him the mushrooms, Blake begrudgingly opened his mouth. When the spoon goes to his mouth, he has a slightly crestfallen look, which turned into an immediate frown. His hand reached out for the nearest cup of water and gulped it down straight away. I held his hands to calm him down.
“Ah! Ha- hands
 it’s not the bedroom here!”
Husband, what are you talking about during a meal?
“Don’t just swallow it with water, make sure you chew it first.”
“Yes
”
He turned his head to the side to avert his gaze as he nodded softly with his cheeks all red.
“You can drink the water now.”
I was going to take the cup for him, but Blake grasped my hands tightly.
“What’s wrong?”
“My hands are warm
.. I feel at ease now that Ancia holds me.”
Anyway, if Blake feels comfortable, do I truly have some light power?
***
After finishing the meal, I went back to my room. And immediately, I called Brown, the chief servant of the Crown Prince’s palace. The man walked in with a prideful stride. I could tell that he was arrogant in his expression.
“Your Highness, what brings you here?”
“The meal quality was very inadequate.”
“Ah, so that’s why you called. It’s not an emergency.”
“There is a problem with the Crown Prince’s meal, isn’t this urgent?”
In his arrogant triumph, he smirked – just a small movement of his lips; a narrowing of the eyes and a tilting of the head. It was so subtle, yet it was even more infuriating for Ancia who caught a glimpse of it.
“Your Highness, you’ve just arrived, and you didn’t know many things, but the Crown Prince’s budget is not very fortunate. What else can we do if His Majesty doesn’t give us more?”
Brown lied smoothly without any feelings of remorse. This place is not glamorous enough to be called luxurious, but it would be enough for any meat to come out now and then.
“Okay”
“I was worried about you being too young, but I’m glad you understood.”
“I will dismiss you.”
“Wha, what?”
Brown’s arrogant face crumpled. Instead of dealing with him, I turned my head and gave orders to Edon, the knight who was standing next to him.
“Sir Edon, let Brown Hamel, who embezzled the Crown Prince’s budget, be imprisoned and charged with the crime. “
“What do you mean embezzlement? Do you even understand what that word means?”
“I know. What you did was embezzlement.”
He was white as chalk. His eyes and mouth were frozen wide open in an expression of stunned surprise, and when Edon dragged himself out, he shouted with hints of anger.
“Let go of me now! Do you even know who I am? I am the heir to the family of Marquis Hamel! You’ll regret it, so let go of this hand!”
He must have been brought up with the belief that he was superior to everyone else by virtue of his birth—such arrogance.
Edon didn’t heed his words and dragged Brown out. When the chief servant was suddenly taken away, the atmosphere of the Crown Prince’s palace was all over the place. But instead of dampening the atmosphere, I drove the momentum and fired another batch of people in the palace.
When Blake is ousted from the crown prince’s post, most courtiers betray him and side with the male lead, Richard. There was no need to have future traitors around.
I fired all those who ignored Blake, despised him, disloyal, or who had the description of betraying him in the original story.
“All servants and maids were chosen by the emperor himself. I wonder if it’s okay to do this
”
The maid, Melissa, was worried. In the original story, she devoted herself to Blake with Edon and Hans.
I answered immediately without any worries.
“It’s okay.”
The emperor won’t blame me for my behavior. I was confident about that.
“How would you like your meal?”
“I’ll make today’s dish.”
“Pardon?”
Dismissing the courtiers, I checked the warehouse. The warehouse have a variety of healthy ingredients, including eastern ingredients. As I expected, the chief servant Brown stole a huge budget, but he didn’t order the kitchen to reheat the dinner we had last night. It was the cook who did such a thing, so I dismissed all the chefs who ignored the Crown Prince and neglected to work.
Suddenly, I found an unexpected treasure. Soy sauce, soybean paste, and red pepper paste!
There are not only many kinds of spices, but also all sorts of ingredients. I can’t believe they’re giving me vegetables every day instead! I rolled up my sleeves in anger.
***
While staying at the Crown Prince’s palace, many people feared or despised Blake for being a heir to the curse. Blake knew that, so he didn’t come out of his bedroom often.
These days, I take him to short walks around the palace and had driven away all the miscellaneous things that made my husband uncomfortable. After I finished preparing the meal, I called Blake to the dining room. The moment he slides into his chair, I served him a Soybean paste stew, rice and meatballs.
“Ta-da!”
I didn’t make any extravagant dishes because I only know essential recipes. Moreover, it was challenging to find the right taste as that of a Korean soybean paste stew. But none of that matters, as it’s the effort that counts.
“
.. What’s this?”
“It’s a dish from the East! I’ve seen it in a book. I just happened to have ingredients in the warehouse, so I made them!”
“You made it yourself?”
“Yes. Your highness.”
“Wow
”
Blake sat down in the chair with a look of amazement. Then he lowered the dish for a long time and asked with a timid voice.
“
But how do you eat it?”
“Oh, you must’ve never seen this food before, I’ll teach you how to eat it then.“
I smiled subtly at Blake, who blushed with embarrassment.
“Don’t worry, I’ve only known it recently, too.”
“Your highness, Aah-“
“Aaah—“
I gave him a delighted smile and fed him. Blake chewed on the food on his mouth, and then he cracked a smile.
“Delicious?”
“Yew!” (Yes!)
“This time, try it alone.“
I hand him a spoon.
“It’s called soybean paste stew. Eat your rice first, and then scoop up this soup.”
“Alright”
“Be careful, it’s hot. And the taste is unique, so if it doesn’t suit your taste, don’t force yourself.”
“Yes.”
He put a spoonful of soybean paste stew in his mouth after eating the rice first as I told him to. He dug into the rich food with ravenous hunger. He shoved the food into his gaping mouth, filling his belly. At that moment, Blake’s eyes grew to tears.
“Your Highness, what’s wrong?”
“Delicious!”
“Really?”
Although it was milder than Korean soybean stew, I was worried because it tasted so unique in this world standard, but it seems to be agreeable to his taste.
“It’s the best food I’ve ever eaten!”
“Is it that delicious?”
“Yes!”
“Then, I’ll do it more often.”
“Are you making it yourself?”
“Of course.”
“Wow!”
Seeing Blake happily eat, I felt peace in my heart. This must be what parents felt like when they saw their child eating happily.
***
The maid Melissa, the servant Hans, and the knight Edon sat down on the terrace and chatted after a day’s work.
“Fortunately, His Royal Highness has wed an excellent wife.”
The other two nodded in unison at Hans’s words.
“Now that she kicked out all those people, I feel relieved.”
Edon recalled the Crown Princess, who resolutely dismissed the chief servant.
She’s only ten years old, yet she had incredible intelligence, dignity, and a good eye for people.
Countless people were kicked out today, but none of them were unfair. All of them chose to insult and ridiculed their master from behind and neglected their work.
“More than anything, I’m glad these two have a good relationship. I was so worried at first.”
Melissa recalled the day Ancia fell into the lake. Fortunately, it was an accident, not suicide. Nonetheless, that hapless accident would still leave goosebumps all over her body. When her brain goes back to that painful memory she would divert it however she could.
“I know. How long has it been since I saw him smile? But I think Melissa should go and make the dishes from now on.”