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Chapter 01
The bustling Sun Street, a trendsetting hub in the central region.
Here stood a famous dessert cafe known to any young lady who kept up with the latest trends.
Blanc Blanc!
Everything at Blanc Blanc was as beautiful as a work of art.
From the mystical lavender-colored drinks topped with fluffy cotton candy to the cakes that, when sliced, would cascade with sweet cream along with fruits!
The interior was so stunning it goes without saying—a charming and splendid space that ladies couldn’t help but adore!
So much so that young ladies wanting to decorate their homes like Blanc Blanc caused accessory shops to thrive.
Due to the constant crowds, visiting wasn’t easy. Wealthy nobles wanted to book it exclusively, but the owner of Blanc Blanc, also a noble, refused.
“I wish for all guests to equally enjoy a fairytale-like time at Blanc Blanc.”
“So that’s your philosophy, ma’am?”
“Hehe. Honestly, I’m worried about being accused of discrimination.”
“……”
But today, a “Closed” sign hung at Blanc Blanc’s entrance, even though it wasn’t their regular day off.
The sudden closure was because someone had broken the unwritten rule and booked Blanc Blanc exclusively!
“Your Grace. How about this photo?”
The most famous photographer in the central region trembled as he handed over a freshly developed photo.
The handsome man with a cold demeanor, looking as if his gaze alone could kill a dozen people, took the photo smaller than two of his fingers pressed together.
Staring at the photo so intently it seemed he might bore a hole through it, Chris finally spoke.
“Do you remember what I said this photo would be used for?”
His voice was sharp as a blade’s edge. The photographer bowed his head so low it nearly touched the ground.
“I-I remember clearly. For merchandise to be used on fan sites…? Photo cards…?”
Despite claiming to remember clearly, his voice lacked confidence.
A distinct vein bulged on Chris’s jaw. Crunch.
At that moment, the photographer saw his deceased grandfather’s face.
「Your father hasn’t even come yet, and you’re trying to come here?」
Snapped back to reality by his grandfather’s absurd expression, the photographer stammered.
“A-anyway, you said it would be made into an extremely prestigious item!”
“An extremely prestigious item.” Flattered by the sweet talk, the vein on Chris’s jaw disappeared.
“You remember.”
“Y-yes, yes.”
The photographer rubbed his hands together obsequiously.
“But why…?”
At that moment, Chris’s blood-red eyes blazed.
“Why is the photo quality like this?”
The photographer immediately lowered his head. Chris stared intently at the back of the photographer’s pitiful head.
“Of course I know. It’s impossible to capture this unbelievable beauty on such a small piece of paper. But shouldn’t at least half of it be captured?”
“Y-yes! I’ll do my best!”
Sweat dripped from the photographer’s face, dampening the floor. Without a hint of sympathy, Chris spoke firmly.
“Do you plan to just talk about trying?”
“N-no!”
Swallowing his tears, the photographer quickly grabbed his camera.
Chris withdrew his displeased gaze from the photographer and turned his attention to the subject.
On a table piled with all sorts of lovely desserts and decorations sat his beloved doll, dressed in an exquisite gown.
Upon seeing the doll, warmth seeped into his cold, blood-colored eyes.
‘How can she be so adorable?’
Chris carefully tucked the photo he was holding into his pocket. Even a poorly taken one couldn’t be thrown away.
“The cutest in the world…”
Chris muttered in a low voice. The words were quite affectionate, but his tone resembled the growl of a beast.
Sniff!
Tears welled in the terrified photographer’s eyes. If this photo didn’t meet Chris’s approval, he was doomed.
‘A magic show where my body gets split in half might unfold!’
Amid this chaos, where some marveled at the beauty and others trembled in fear, Chris’s beloved doll, Pianni, fully savored the sweet scent of pastries and tea.
‘Mmm~ So good!’
Wow! There was a reason it was famous. Not only was it pretty, but it also tasted this 「delicious」!
‘His Grace always picks top-tier cafes, doesn’t he? He really is extraordinary.’
Pianni liked Chris. She had felt that way ever since the moment he recognized her beauty, which everyone else dismissed as insignificant.
‘Ah. So relaxed and nice.’
The warm sunlight filtering through the terrace, the fine dress, the pretty cafe, the delicious pastries and drinks, and Chris’s insane affection for her!
Seeing all this, being a doll isn’t so bad after all—
‘Waaaah—! Snap out of it, Pianni! You’re human!’
Pianni clenched her dainty hands tightly. Of course, to anyone watching, it wouldn’t seem like she moved at all.
‘I will definitely return! And I will get my revenge!’
Pianni gritted her teeth, burning with determination.
Seeing his beloved doll’s eyes seemingly become sharper for no apparent reason, Chris spoke.
“How can she be so bright-eyed and alert.”
While photographing the doll, the photographer thought to himself. He had never seen such a pitiful and dull-looking doll in his life.
‘How should I put it? Like the village idiot running around with a runny nose?’
Thinking this, the photographer suddenly shook his head.
‘Eek. I almost said something careless!’
He decided to be careful not to let his thoughts slip out.
‘He definitely won’t kill me gently!’
As the sole Grand Duke of this country, an object of both envy and terror, he would surely split me in two in an instant.
‘And diagonally at that!’
To avoid death, the photographer kept his mouth firmly shut and did his best to take the photo.
Let’s rewind time to the past.
In the eastern part of the Loroan Empire, renowned for its peacefulness, lay the Count Liebe estate.
That day, unusually radiant smiles bloomed in the mansion always filled with sweet scents.
Fair, soft cheeks and luscious coffee cream-colored hair.
A petite figure perfectly suited to a cute dress embroidered with countless floral patterns.
Heavy-looking, lush eyelashes and large, jewel-like, brilliantly shining brown eyes…
The young lady of the house, anyone who saw her would exclaim, “Ah! So cute!” Pianni had suddenly started her own fashion show.
“How about this one?”
Pianni tilted her head, wearing a beige chiffon dress densely embroidered with light green, white, and yellow little flowers.
This was already her sixth outfit change. Far from being tired, the excited maids clenched their fists and shouted.
“We must call a painter immediately! We must preserve this image forever!”
“No, wait. There’s something better. The one that’s popular in the central region…”
“Perhaps a camera?”
“Yes, a camera! We must get a camera! We must preserve this image for generations…!”
Even amidst the maids’ sincere praises, Pianni couldn’t quite feel satisfied.
“Sigh.”
Pianni let out a sigh, propping her face up with her small hands. Seeing this, the maids gritted their teeth.
‘Her soft cheek is being pressed by that tiny hand!’
‘How can she be so adorable!’
‘Even when our young lady is troubled, she’s lovely!’
‘If I could just kiss that cheek once, I’d have no other wishes…!’
The maids, panting heavily, snapped back to attention when Pianni sighed again.
“What’s wrong?! Do you not like the dress?”
“Mmm… It’s not that…”
Pianni looked at herself in the mirror. So short. Now past her birthday, she was eighteen, an adult, yet she hadn’t changed a bit compared to the childhood portrait hanging on the wall.
‘What is this?’
Since she was little, Pianni had wanted to be a tall, voluptuous, slender-legged beauty who could proudly show off her legs.
Even now, if she could, she wanted to be a woman who could say with a mature expression, “I only drink my liquor straight.”
‘But why am I so tiny?!’
Even her cheeks were childishly plump and soft. It was probably because she heartily enjoyed tea loaded with sugar and milk along with sweet desserts.
If she, like other young ladies, enjoyed her tea straight without sugar and milk, would she lose weight and become more mature?
‘No! I can’t give up sweetness!’
Pianni made a determined expression with a face like a country bumpkin puppy.
‘It’s fine! I’ll lose weight someday!’
Pianni decided to believe her parents’ words that her weight would naturally decrease as she grew taller.
Of course, the probability of the newly adult Pianni growing any taller was almost non-existent, but Pianni averted her eyes from this cruel reality.
Pianni’s parents were extremely famous in the eastern region.
Their love story—how the only son of a poor count and the daughter of an even poorer and humble baron fell in love at first sight and married—was enough to captivate the hearts of eastern ladies.
This tale of love reached even the ears of people who didn’t know the Liebe count family existed.
「One falling at first sight is plausible, but both? Is that possible?」
「Isn’t it an exaggerated story?」
Those who harbored such doubts understood immediately upon meeting Count and Countess Liebe.
「They fell for each other’s faces!」
「Ah~ With faces like that, it’s absolutely possible to fall at first sight!」
The beauty of Count and Countess Liebe far surpassed ordinary standards. One could say they had reached a certain realm.
This beautiful couple possessed one treasure that could never be taken from them: their only daughter, Pianni.
“Pianni.”
Count Liebe, who adored his daughter to no end, spoke with moist, shining eyes.
“Yes.”
Pianni replied with a blank expression, like a lazy puppy.
At this un-ladylike sight, Countess Liebe covered her mouth.
“You really are…!”
