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Chapter : 23
“Thanks, that was delicious.”
Marianne wiped her mouth with a napkin. Today’s meal had been satisfying as well. It would have been even better if it were a bit spicier, but she understood that Cedric was eating it too.
“I often think about it when I eat… I’m glad I prefer Western food over Korean cuisine.”
Sometimes, she did crave a hearty kimchi stew or ramen with chunks of soft tofu, but her desire wasn’t as intense as the possessed characters in the novels she had read. She had always liked bread and pasta more than rice.
“Woo!”
Cedric startled Marianne out of her daydream.
“Ah, sorry, Cedric.”
As she refocused, the plates, spoon, and fork had all disappeared, replaced on the table by the storybooks they had received as gifts.
“Hmm, shall we read this one today?”
Marianne picked one up and checked Cedric’s expression. Then she pointed to another storybook with her hand.
“Or this one? Or you can choose whichever one you want to read, Cedric.”
“Uu?”
Cedric tilted his head in confusion. He glanced back and forth between Marianne and the books, then tapped a book with a pure white cover and pale blue edges with both hands.
“This one, you like it? Got it.”
Marianne neatly stacked the other books aside and began reading the title of the storybook Cedric had chosen.
“The title is The Tale of the Fairy Princess.”
A golden crown was drawn to the left of the elegantly handwritten title, and a pair of fairy wings to the right.
After pointing to the title with her finger, Marianne turned the page. She was slightly impressed by the first page.
“Wow, look at this, Cedric.”
Unlike the cover, the first page of the story was incredibly ornate. It was as if someone had shattered jewels and scattered them across the page, glittering, depicting a fairy kingdom hidden among flower fields.
“Woo!”
Cedric’s eyes sparkled, clearly delighted. Marianne waited for him to fully admire the fairy kingdom, then read aloud the text at the bottom.
“Once upon a time, in a faraway fairy kingdom, there lived a beautiful princess.”
Turning the page, she continued.
“The princess, born from dewdrops bathed in sunlight, was kind and lovable.”
The fairy princess drawn below the text was just as beautiful as described in the book. Standing beside roses dotted with morning dew, she smiled broadly. Whoever the artist was, it had been depicted vividly.
“Uu, uu.”
“Yes, this is the princess. Really pretty, isn’t she?”
Cedric liked it too, rubbing the fairy princess—or more precisely, the translucent wings on her back.
“Oh, you’re fascinated by the wings? When you grow up, Cedric, you could make something similar. Actually, you could make something far prettier and more magnificent than this. Our Cedric will become the strongest wizard and swordsman in the world, after all.”
Marianne whispered this softly so only Cedric could hear, smiling to herself. He wouldn’t remember anyway, so a little spoiler wouldn’t hurt.
“Uu?”
“One of the fairies, jealous of the princess loved by all… Cedric, are you sleepy?”
Cedric tilted his head slightly, as if curious about what she said, but upon closer look, his eyes were half-closed.
“Uu…”
Marianne glanced toward the window. Though thick curtains blocked it, she could easily imagine what the weather was like outside.
If Cedric was this sleepy, it was likely that heavy clouds covered the sky or snowflakes were drifting down.
“I’ll finish the storybook for you tomorrow. For today, go to bed early, Cedric.”
“Uu, aah.”
Marianne closed the storybook and patted Cedric’s back, taking hold of his tiny hand as he reached up to rub his eyes.
“No, your eyes will hurt. Chloe, help me.”
“Yes, a warm towel has arrived. Cedric, I’ll wipe your face and hands and feet briefly, so hang in there.”
Chloe quickly took a large cloth and stood beside Cedric. Folding it in half, she efficiently wiped his face and neck with practiced ease.
The warmth seemed to soothe Cedric’s already sleepy eyes, and he began dozing off, his head nodding.
“Since you seem very sleepy, I’ll wipe your hands and feet after you lie down. This way, please. Good job, Cedric.”
Chloe demonstrated her skill as a trained maid, calming Cedric’s small whimpers and helping him lie comfortably on the bed.
“Chloe is really amazing. I probably couldn’t even get him to the bed myself.”
“Oh my, really? Hehe, I’ve gotten used to younger siblings. Compared to those little devils, Cedric is so well-behaved.”
Chloe smiled gently. In the blink of an eye, she wiped Cedric’s hands and feet and tucked the thick blanket over him.
“I’ll go add more firewood to the fireplace. If anything happens, please ring the bell.”
“Thanks, as always, Chloe.”
Marianne waved to Chloe as she stepped back, then turned her attention to Cedric.
Lying in bed, Cedric half-closed his eyes, staring at the storybook in Marianne’s hands. She felt a twinge of guilt that she hadn’t been able to spend the last two days with him, and he seemed obsessed with the book.
“Uu, uu.”
“All right, Cedric. I’ll finish reading until you fall asleep.”
Marianne sat on the chair beside the bed, brushing Cedric’s tousled hair and opening the storybook.
Her soft voice drowned out the wind outside and filled the warm room.
“…The prince defeated the wicked witch who troubled the princess. The princess was rescued and returned to the castle. The two of them lived happily ever after.”
Carefully closing the storybook, Marianne glanced at Cedric. He was sleeping soundly, breathing peacefully.
She pulled the blanket up to his shoulders and patted his belly. The story she had just read lingered in her mind.
“If anything, I’d be the witch-fairy jealous of the princess. But if I can choose, I want to be the godmother-fairy who blesses the princess and prince.”
She smiled quietly, thinking Cedric wouldn’t remember anyway.
Even if Amelie or others told him about Marianne later, it wouldn’t make much of an impression. Still, it was enough if some part of her reached Cedric.
Marianne whispered softly as if bestowing a blessing on the now peacefully sleeping Cedric.
“Our Cedric will even defeat demons, become a magnificent duke again, and marry a princess as beautiful as the fairy princess.”
Then she left Cedric’s side. A moment later, with the sound of the window rattling, Cedric opened his eyes briefly before closing them again.
The wind was growing stronger.
Exaggerating slightly, a week flew by. Marianne sipped her warm herbal tea, gazing out the window.
“Here, move it this way!”
“Damn it, who left the cart anywhere?”
“Hey, just move your hands quietly. The snow is heavy today too, so we need to finish before afternoon.”
“That’s right, let’s finish quickly and have a drink afterward.”
The front yard, blanketed in snow, was bustling. People carrying firewood in carts or on their backs were heading toward the annex.
Most were large men, but there were also quite a few children and women. Even walking in the cold, carrying heavy loads, their faces were bright.
Amelie had generously paid them, so many entire families had come to help.
Although the children and women mostly carried twigs and leaves, even small firewood was needed to keep the fire going. It was good that they were helping.
When Cedric rebuilt the northern lands in the future, it would help if the villagers weren’t poor, so it was beneficial in many ways.
“Was Laurent in charge of the annex today?”
“Yes. Lord Tehez also assisted, so three knights are managing it with him.”
Amelie replied, pouring newly heated tea into a cup and setting it before Marianne.
“They say it will snow even more in the afternoon. But we’ve lit a large fire in front of the annex, so it should be warm.”
“That’s good. How about the Potea berries?”
“Hmm…”
Amelie, who had been calm and cheerful during the conversation, let out a small sigh. With a thoughtful expression, she finally spoke.
“Well, they are growing, but… as you saw before, the person we brought in as a farmer is quite… unusual.”
“Oh, Bertrand, right?”
“Yes.”
Marianne recalled the man she had met a week ago and empathized with Amelie’s feelings.
Tall and thin like a reed, Bertrand wasn’t a native of the north; he was a visitor who happened to be staying there.
The Potea berries had a higher-than-expected reputation, so it was hard to find someone willing to grow them. Upon hearing the rumors, he had volunteered.
“He claimed he could communicate with plants, didn’t he…?”
At first, she had thought he was crazy, but there was no one else to entrust, and he had insisted so confidently that they gave him charge of the Potea berry cultivation.
“Yes. Apparently, he talks to the Potea berries to himself when he’s in the greenhouse.”
“Huh… interesting. Then, before the snow gets heavier, shall we go take a look? I’m curious how much the Potea berries have grown.”
