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Before
her memories returned, she had only thought of him as a good-looking fiancé.
Normally, one would be fooled by that smile. Of course, Candice had also
been easily fooled. Because Candice has memories of her previous life,
she would absolutely not be won over. Besides, perhaps because he is still a
child, there are many naive parts to his planning, so Candice can still
escape.
Candice, who possesses memories of her
previous life, intends to maneuver things skillfully. However, she couldn't
help but give him credit for taking actions that surpassed Candice
despite being so young. For now, the match could be called a draw. Completely
oblivious to the strange fact that she, possessing sixteen years' worth of
memories, was fighting a close battle with the child Georges, Candice
burned with a blazing spirit of rivalry.
（If he thinks I will be won over by a
present from the likes of Georges, he is sorely mistaken……!）
Written
on the card, along with polite sentences, was that he wanted to meet Candice
alone. Furthermore, it wrote about a sweet that doesn't exist in the Diagard Empire, only in the Daltonest Kingdom.
She heard that the traditional cupcakes of the Daltonest Kingdom are
fluffy and topped with plenty of colorful cream. The fragrant, sweet cupcakes
are extremely popular with women, and it seems the one Georges likes has
plenty of cheese kneaded into it. Because they are very soft and easily lose
their shape, they can rarely be brought out of the Daltonest Kingdom.
Even within the kingdom, the chefs who can make them are limited, and they are
apparently called phantom cupcakes.
（H-How delicious that sounds……! It
makes me want to try eating it, doesn't it.）
Completely
unaware that Georges had accurately grasped Candice's tastes, she
was falling right into his trap.
（No, no……! I am no longer someone who
will be lured by sweet treats!）
However,
being told this much, her interest was piqued. Candice's throat made an
audible gulp. The phantom cupcakes that can only be eaten in the Daltonest
Kingdom. Now that she knew about it, she couldn't help but be curious about
what it tasted like.
（Ugh……! Endure it, Candice! If
it was going to be like this, I should have gone to the Daltonest Kingdom
at least once.）
Although
Georges was Candice's fiancé, their meetings were mostly in the Diagard Empire. 『Why
must I go to a place like the Daltonest Kingdom?』
Even when invited by Georges, she had interrupted his talk by saying so.
She thinks he had wanted to take Candice to the Daltonest Kingdom.
She doesn't know the reason for that now, but Georges probably had some
sort of circumstances too.
（I…… really only thought about
myself, didn't I. I couldn't care less about other people.）
She
was now amazed at her past self's narrow-mindedness.
「Here is the present from His
Highness Georges.」
「Please show it to me.」
She
received Georges's present from Rose. A rather small box that fit
in the palms of Candice's hands. Inside was an adorable bracelet. Silver
with blue jewels; despite being gorgeous, it had elegance, and the design
looked easy to wear.
「Cute……」
Her
true feelings spilled unconsciously from Candice's mouth. If it were her
past self who was fixated on flashiness, she would have thrown it aside saying,
『It's not cute, it's too plain,』
but it was perfect for Candice's current attire.
「Wow…… It's lovely. Very beautiful.」
「It suits Candice, Imperial
Princess-sama very well.」
「…………That's right, isn't it. It suits
me.」
Even
looking at the exquisite craftsmanship, she could tell that Georges had
thought carefully when having it made. Being told that a present from Georges
suited her gave her complicated feelings, but cute things were not a sin.
（H-He's quite something, isn't he……!）
Was
Georges's sense for presents this good even back then? Despite not
having told him Candice's birthday, casually sending a present was truly
something to be expected of him. Taking receiving for granted, the usual Candice
would absolutely never give anything in return, but this time was different.
She understood that she had to properly send a thank-you card.
（Because 『Thank
you』 is necessary to become a "good
Imperial Princess"!）
She
was beginning to feel apologetic towards Georges, who went this far for
her. Besides, it was just Candice being dragged down by her past
memories; right now, he is just a good Prince. Candice was gradually
beginning to feel a pang of guilt.
As if to shake off such feelings, she opened the presents one after another and had Eva take notes on who sent them. Most were from Imperial nobles who were conscious of Duke Radziwill. The inoffensive presents were the same as in her memories.
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