BPFP 55

Chapter 55

Noah came over to the bench, panting, and opened his canteen to drink some water.

“Do you want a towel?”

When Ellia handed him a towel, Noah took it.

“Elli, did you wait long?”

“No. The sparring match was so fun I didn’t even notice the time pass.”

“Really?”

“Here, water and a towel.”

“Thanks.”

Alexis drank the water and wiped the sweat from his head with the towel. From below, she could see droplets of sweat run down his neck, pool at his collarbone, and disappear into his shirt.

Ellia flushed before she even realized it.

Then Noah teased her from the side.

“Why’s your face red?”

“When did it turn red?”

“Don’t tell me—you’ve got a fever again?”

Before she could react, Noah pressed his hand to Ellia’s forehead.

“Good, no fever.”

As Noah sighed in relief, Alexis spoke up.

“Elli, are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Don’t worry.”

“Alright, then. Let’s go have lunch.”

“Yes.”

Ellia went to lunch with Noah and Alexis. The two always came to fetch her at mealtimes, worried she might skip a meal.

Ellia hadn’t expected Noah to be like that, but he quietly looked out for her too. It was a change, if one could call it that.

“Elli, I think you’ve gained a little weight from all those desserts.”

“Is that something you should say to a lady? Want me to share some dessert with you? If we both get chubby, it’ll look nice, right?”

“No thanks. I’m building muscle.”

“Shouldn’t you grow taller first?”

“It’s fine. I’m growing faster than you anyway.”

Then he pressed her crown lightly with his palm, teasing that she still had a long way to grow.

“For a ten-year-old, this is about average.”

“Ah, I see.”

“‘Ah, I see’? No—it’s a fact.”

“Alright, just eat your food.”

“Mmmpf!”

Ellia’s mouth was suddenly filled with broccoli. Noah had speared a piece with his fork and shoved it in.

After forcing it down, Ellia stabbed a carrot and stuck it into Noah’s mouth.

“Isn’t carrot tasty?”

“…I guess so.”

But Noah hated carrots.

And Ellia hated broccoli.

As they bickered, feeding each other vegetables they disliked, Alexis cut in.

“If you two keep fighting over food like that, I’ll make sure only carrots and broccoli are served from now on.”

Over both Noah’s and Ellia’s heads, there was always Alexis.

Most of the time he was easygoing and careless, but sometimes he showed this decisive side.

[The Duke wins!]

‘Shut up.’

The eggplant on Ellia’s shoulder chuckled.

Ellia threatened it with a forkful of fried eggplant.

‘Want me to turn you into fried eggplant too?’

[I’m sorry.]

The eggplant quickly backed down.

The next day.

Word came from Lapis.

Ellia immediately went to her room and activated the communication orb.

—My lady, I’ve secured the shop location you asked about. It’s across from Queen’s Cosmetics.

“Good. I’ll send the interior design plan today. Prepare it according to that.”

—Understood. Also, it seems the Grand Duchess is digging into Sir Felix.

“I expected that. She has a nose for money like a hound. Ignore her. No matter what, even she won’t be able to touch the White Tower.”

Currently, Felix was working with magicians at a White Tower–affiliated lab to produce health supplements.

Mass production required manpower, so Ellia had partnered with the Tower’s mages.

Thus, the supplement lab was set up at the White Tower.

Meanwhile, the lab at the Ducal residence was used for new product development.

Whenever Ellia created a new product at the ducal lab, it was first verified by Lapis, and then mass-produced at the Tower.

—Understood. Still, it may be wise to give the White Tower a heads-up.

“Alright.”

—Then I’ll take my leave.

“Thanks for your work.”

After ending the call, Ellia left her room.

“You look cheerful.”

She ran into Noah in the hall.

“Going to the Tower?”

He was holding textbooks for class.

“Yes.”

Austin’s lessons weren’t over yet.

But Ellia had quit a year ago. She already knew everything, and didn’t need them.

Noah, however, had almost no chance for education in any of his past lives. All three times, he had died young.

But this time would be different.

Because Ellia wouldn’t allow it.

The curse that had cut Noah’s life short was gone for good. If Grand Duchess Christina ever learned this, she’d be furious.

Perhaps she already knew—after all, she was the one who cursed him.

‘I’ll make her regret it bitterly.’

But unlike before, Ellia wouldn’t seek bloody revenge.

Instead, she would see to it that the Ducal house became richer and more powerful than ever, and that Noah ascended to the throne. That alone would satisfy her.

At the Tower, Felix—who had been busy with supplement production—was startled by Ellia’s sudden visit.

“My lady, what brings you here?”

“Why do you think I came?”

“Don’t tell me…”

Sweat trickled down Felix’s forehead.

“New work.”

“…What?”

Ellia handed him a research recipe book containing her newly developed skincare line.

“I’m opening a shop in a month. Produce the quantities written here before then. Also, the prototypes I made earlier.”

“You want me to produce this much in just a month? And these are products I’ve never even seen before!”

“Which is why I brought Sister Jasper, who helped me with the experiments and research.”

“Honey, I’m here.”

“…Jasper.”

Felix’s face crumpled as he embraced her.

“Do you know how much I missed you?”

Ellia shivered at the display of affection, goosebumps rising on her arms.

“Do you really want to do that in front of a child?”

Hands on her hips, she glared up at them until they sheepishly stepped apart.

“So Jasper will be working here too?”

“Yes. That’s why I brought her.”

“Then I’ll get right on it.”

Felix’s shoulders seemed to square with new resolve.

“I’ll be counting on you, Felix. And you too, Sister Jasper.”

“Don’t worry.”

“Leave it to me.”

Leaving them in charge, Ellia returned to the ducal lab.

She needed to create the second cosmetics line.

This one would be a functional line:

• Anti-aging products focusing on wrinkle care.

• Hypoallergenic products for sensitive skin.

• Brightening products for pigmentation and uneven skin tone.

For this, she purchased rosehip, potatoes, acerola cherries, and various herbs through the Black Pearl merchant group.

The eggplant helped extract the plant ingredients—it was best at handling plants, after all.

It was also Ellia’s most helpful assistant in research.

Using the extracted ingredients, Ellia created cosmetic formulas in cream form.

For the brightening line, however, she produced both liquid and cream versions for faster absorption.

“Elli, are you still not done?”

Alexis visited the lab.

“My lord?”

“It’s dinner time, but you haven’t come.”

“Oh, is it that late already?”

“Look outside.”

The window showed pitch-black night.

She must have been so absorbed in experiments that she lost track of time.

It was already 8 p.m. No wonder Alexis came to get her.

“What about dinner…?”

“The prince and I already ate. I brought yours separately.”

He lifted a basket.

“Want to eat here?”

“No, let’s eat in the garden. I feel like looking at the night sky for a change.”

“Alright.”

Ellia quickly took off her lab coat and went out to the garden with Alexis. Sitting on a bench, she bit into the sandwiches he had prepared and gazed up at the night sky.

The northern night sky was especially deep and dark, making the stars shine clearly.

“The stars in the North are so bright. I love it.”

“Other places aren’t like this?”

In the capital, the city lights dimmed the stars, so they never twinkled as much.

That’s why Ellia often said the city’s light swallowed up the stars.