23
Besides, by taking care of her beauty and health and
polishing her beauty like this, she gasped at the thought that she might be
able to get a wonderful man to marry her and leave the Empire.
For that purpose, she thought she should do the exact opposite
of what she had done until now, and steadily do what she could.
If she did that, she would surely be able to avoid the death
penalty without fail.
（I was beautiful before too, but if I
polish myself even more, I'm sure a wonderful prince will come to pick me up!）
Candice was fully
fired up for the sake of her own happy future.
「L-Less dessert is fine too.」
「Are you truly sure about that!?」
「Ugh……!」
Speaking of the joy of a meal, it was dessert.
Candice looked
forward to dessert time more than anything, but this too was for the sake of
her future.
（Once I slip out of this country……
I'll eat dessert until I throw up.）
Candice's
motivation rose yet another level.
While drinking her after-meal black tea, Candice
thought to herself as she looked at Arthur, who was happily eating cake.
「Hey, Jeanne……」
「Y-Yes! Imperial Princess-sama.」
Jeanne had been
watching over Arthur with gentle eyes, but being called by name by Candice,
she replied despite her surprise.
「Starting tomorrow, I will teach Arthur
manners little by little. When it is mealtime, come with me.」
「Eh……?」
「I-Imperial Princess-sama……
are you truly sure about this?」
「I properly keep my promises!」
Arthur and Jeanne
opened their eyes as wide as possible.
For Arthur, who had no place to belong in the palace
to the point that he couldn't even receive food satisfactorily, it was the best
possible offer.
If Candice, who loathed Arthur, came to be
together with Arthur, the others would have no choice but to amend their
attitudes as well.
Completely oblivious to such a thing, Candice was
merely saying it to protect her own pride.
Besides, Candice realized something for the first
time.
She didn't know the reason, but it felt much more delicious
than eating alone.
（For a while, I want to be in a noisy
place with people, rather than a quiet place like the inside of the dungeon.）
Without realizing that meals with Arthur by her side
eased Candice's loneliness and anxiety, she had proposed it.
「You will…… teach me?」
「That's right! Please do not make me
say it over and over. You're persistent, you know!」
「Thank you very much!」
「Because of that, prepare Arthur's
meals from now on as well. It is unsightly for him to be nothing but skin and
bones while being next to me, so please serve Arthur things that look nutritious.」
「A-Are you truly sure about this!?」
They were probably surprised by the order to prepare a
portion for Arthur, whom she had not even approached up until now, let
alone eaten together with.
Normally, at the chefs' question, she would throw tableware
while saying, 「Listen
properly the first time,」 but Candice stopped at merely directing a stern gaze
at them to appeal her dissatisfaction.
「C-Certainly!」
「As long as you understand.」
「Imperial Princess-sama, thank you so very much……!」
Jeanne bowed her
head deeply.
However, since Candice was acting full of ulterior
motives and solely to protect her own pride, she did not understand why she was
being thanked.
But the sight of Jeanne, who was always just glaring
at her, bowing her head deeply was not bad.
Besides, if she kept Arthur close at hand as a
servant, it wouldn't be easy for Louise to eliminate Candice
since she would have no reason to do so, and she shouldn't join hands with Georges
to kill Candice either.
To begin with, the current Candice has no plans to
kill anyone.
They were words born from such a simple thought, but without knowing that this single matter would lead to the two being deeply grateful to her, Candice finished a meal that was much more enjoyable than usual.
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