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“You can’t eat it.”
“Why?”
“Never, never eat it. Instead, I’ll use another method.”
In accordance with Alex’s will, since it was the first cookie Ciel baked, he could never throw it away, and as a souvenir, the salt cookie baked today was decorated to the point of being decorated with preservation magic.
When things finally started to settle down, Alex stared at Ciel. It was unfamiliar to me to see him cry while wearing arrogance because of the cookies.
“How did you bake those cookies?”
“That’s, uh, so.”
“It looks like you want to ask me something.”
That facial expression that she puts on whenever she is feeling down about something. Ciel’s smile was always awkward, even when he was proposing the alliance for the first time, even when Stan was present. He only needed to look into her eyes to understand what the other person was thinking.
“Did I get caught?”
Ciel ignored him, and instead, she looked away. She seems to think she’s good at lying, but she is not.
Saying no unconditionally would only make Ciel’s nightmares worse. He can’t see Ciel falling asleep crying again tonight after a clumsy contest of strength.
“Just say it. If I can listen to you, I will listen to you.”
Alex pulled up a chair and sat next to Ciel. He doesn’t know why, but something that had been bubbling inside from earlier melted like sugar and disappeared.
* * *
“Just say it. If I can listen to you, I will listen to you.”
Even though he was willing to talk, I didn’t know if I should laugh or cry.
“Are you going to listen?”
Is he really sincere? I felt like I would get hiccups at his words, which made it sound too silly.
“Sure. “I’ll do everything I can.”
Alex’s reaction is exceptionally generous today. That made me more anxious. Even until morning, the person who had low pressure seemed strangely in a good mood.
“Your Highness. My cookies must have tasted good to you.”
“Yes. Of course. I’d like to reciprocate. Tell me anything.”
His eyes were dazzled by a bright smile. So, it was scarier. Even after he tried the salt loaf cookie, it was clear why he said this.
I confessed my sins.
You’ve heard it all. Now that this had happened, I grabbed Alex’s hand and bowed down.
“Your Highness, there is actually something I wish for.”
“Yes. I know.”
“You can’t be mad when you hear it.”
In front of me, who had repeatedly asked for trust, Alex smiled in a way that was oddly suspicious.
Now is the time. I know best about my sin, which was throwing a party at my whim, I knelt down in front of Alex with the feeling that I was covering up wrongdoing.
“Your Highness, please forgive me just once!”
Alex was startled as I bent down, and he quickly stood me back up again. Because of that, it started to take on some characteristics that were comparable to the one that I was hugged in the middle of the day.
“Forgiveness, what does that mean?”
“The thing is.”
I rolled my eyes and gave Burnett a signal because I was too embarrassed to speak. Burnett, upon receiving my signal to come to my rescue, instead chose to speak up.
“Since Lady Ciel has moved into the crown prince’s palace, she has expressed that she is interested in throwing a party on her own.”
“I wanted to show the people of the Lily Palace the Crown Prince’s Palace. Your Highness, please allow me to do this just once.”
The bribery operation failed spectacularly. Having failed in my plan, I had no choice but to go into a deadly flattering operation.
“You wanted to show them the Crown Prince palace?”
“Yes. It’s a place that Your Highness personally decorated for me.”
I was leaning against him at the time, and I looked directly into Alex’s crimson eyes. If this doesn’t work, there really is no other way.
I only get to live once.  I have to shout it out loud. I purposely stared at Alex’s eyes more tenaciously. I kept staring at him like we were having a snowball fight, but Alex’s eyes suddenly curved in the most beautiful way.
“Did you do it with the intention of bragging about it?”
I thought he would get angry, but Alex suddenly laughed. When you laugh like that, it makes me feel bad.  The sudden appearance of his bright smile, which is not something he does often, made my heart sink.
But who am I? I smiled and answered Alex leisurely.
“Yes. I am proud to say that.”
I only picked out Isaac’s favourite compliments and showered them on Alex. Let’s just say that the praise that came out of my mouth was almost at the level of Yongbieocheonga.[1]
“I know you well.”
“Then are you going to allow me?”
I looked up at Alex, twinkling my eyes.
I thought he was upset because he was in a bad mood this morning, and I also fed him salt cookies, but contrary to my expectations, he seemed to be in a very good mood instead.
“Do you have other plans for tomorrow?”
“I have to bake the cookies again. I’ll be sure to ask my sister for help tomorrow.”
As long as I have the invincible buff that is my sister, I am not afraid of anything. At my triumphant words, Alex shook his head.
“Since I was able to fulfil your request, I’d be grateful if you could do the same for me.”
“Pardon?”
“I’ll tell you later. Rest up for the rest of the day.”
“That is difficult.”
I smiled and waved at Burnett as Alex combed through my tangled hair, which was a mess because I had slept on my stomach. When they got my signal, they got the warm food lined up.
“This……”
“I’m hungry. Because I was keeping you waiting, I wasn’t even able to eat dinner.”
To ask Alex’s permission, I asked the chefs to prepare several special dishes.
Of course, the menu is mostly just things I like. I even gave Alex a warm stew on purpose.
“Your Highness is also hungry. Bon appetite.”
“Thank you, Ciel.”
As I took the bowl of stew I had offered, Alex gently wrapped my hand around it. Looking at Alex, who seemed to be in a particularly good mood from earlier, I came to a conclusion.
I can tell that Alex liked the salt cookies a lot. Our male lead has an odd taste in food, too.
I don’t know who it will be, but the future Crown Princess, who will get married to him in the future, will also be tough. I felt sorry for Alex’s messed up eating habits, probably because he had suffered a lot in the past.
“Eat this. This is delicious too.”
In an effort to provide Alex with something appetising to eat, I subtly moved the plate of food closer to him. So we started having a very late dinner.
* * *
The dark palace was shaded even in the middle of the day. The treacherous foothills loomed behind them, their jagged corners obscured by a thick layer of damp moss.
“I didn’t know there was a place like this inside the imperial palace.”
“This is how it is here all the time.”
I woke up late in the morning, finished my dinner with Alex, and then got into the carriage without knowing where I was going. Fortunately,  to the entrance of the northern mountain behind the imperial palace.
“I grew up here. Did Burnett tell you about it?”
To be more specific, half of what I knew came from Burnett, and half came from what I already knew. I knew that the princess had mistreated him ever since he was a child, but I never imagined that it would be to this extent.
Now, it was difficult to even enter a place like a deserted ruin because of a lock.
While I opened the door like that and looked around, Alex was pressured by the maids who were following me.
“Everyone, please step back for a second.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Meryl is nervously looking at me, but I shake my head. He seemed to have something to say, so I followed Alex quietly.
After making his way along a narrow path that wound its way past the palace, Alex emerged at the edge of the road carrying a small pile of stones.
A stone tomb that is hidden from people’s knowledge and has not even been erected. But I knew what it was without Alex having to tell me.
This is the grave of Alex’s mother.
“They wouldn’t even let me put a tombstone up for my mother.”
She gave birth to the emperor’s son, but his mother’s identity was thoroughly veiled. Looking at the shabby grave, Alex’s eyes were wet.
What exactly is going through his mind as he stands over the grave of his mother, whose existence has been erased and whose name has been taken off the headstone?
Alex got down on his knees and tidied up the rubble.
“Since we’re in the same boat, at least there shouldn’t be any secrets from me.”
“Does anyone else know?”
Alex got to his feet and began to stroke my hair gently.
“You’re the only one I’ve talked to. You are the only one in this palace who is on my side.”
No one, not even Burnett, could support Alex in front of the Emperor or Princess Lotte. Alex, who has been alone and hasn’t had a single friend, has made it to the position of crown prince. I looked up at Alex.
“I am always on your side. This party, too, is for Your Highness……”
“Do you think I am qualified to be the next emperor?”
Before I could complete my sentence, Alex interrupted me and asked. I sucked in a deep breath and clamped my mouth shut. Despite having an unappreciated mother, I now know a lot about Alex.
He silently endured Princess Lotte’s unfair treatment and obediently carried out the orders of the emperor.
He worked hard until late at night last night, and unlike Princess Lotte’s group, who were blinded by self-interest, he truly cares for this empire.
If Stan is successful in achieving his goal of becoming emperor, then Princess Lotte and her nobles will rule the world. Even the last medicine case showed what they could do for money.
“Of course. Say that someone else is there besides Her Highness.”
Alex didn’t seem to believe it at all, even when he saw me with blood on my neck, at least 300 million times better than Stan.
“Why do you think so?”
“Of course you can!”
Because you are the male lead. I just couldn’t say anything else, so I stopped talking.
Alex is now at a turning point in his life.  I can’t give you a careless answer to your question because I’m responsible for pushing your back to some extent.
Why would I want this kid to be emperor?
“Your Highness…… You are someone who understands the pain of others.”
A sudden thought occurred to me. In the original story, it was only Alex who extended his hand to poor Clara who had to suffer from Ciel’s bullying.
The attack of Princess Lotte, drunk on her own bloodline and power, was not directed only at Alex. Despite only being the daughter of a viscount, Clara, who luckily became the adopted daughter of a duke, became a good prey for them.
Alex was the only one who supported Clara, who had left the Duke of Valentine and started living alone.
“What do you mean?”
“I have heard such a story. People who are born with power take their power for granted.”
It was the same even with Princess Lotte. The only criterion for her, who has been awarded the title of Princess Royal since her birth, is her lineage.
But no one can choose who their parents are. No matter how hard she tried, there was nothing she could do about being born, so Princess Lotte was surrounded only by high-ranking nobles.
But Alex was different. Since he was a child, he has been subjected to the persecution of Princess Lotte, but he has never avoided helping other people who are in the same predicament as himself.
“Your Highness is someone who doesn’t just turn a blind eye to people in trouble. I like this kind of Your Highness.”
Since nobody’s perfect. If I had to choose between Princess Lotte and Alex as someone who would be on my side, I would definitely choose Alex.
Notes:
Yongbieocheonga is a song created under the order of King Sejong during the Joseon Dynasty, literally meaning the Songs of the Dragons Flying to Heaven; it is the first piece of work made by using Hunminjeongeum, the script of the Korean alphabet, and also an epic poem that praises the founding fathers of the dynasty.