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Chapter 45
Life feels like a lie.
“Here’s your dinner.”
“This… is real?”
I stared at the dry chicken breast and asked again. Emma explained proudly.
“Yes! It’s chicken breast prepared with His Highness Pession’s ‘Healthy Muscle-Building Meal Plan’ recipe!”
“……”
The dry chicken breast tasted exactly as dry as it looked. As I chewed through it, a heavy wave of disillusionment hit me.
‘Why do humans even live?’
I completely lost my appetite.
I was never a big eater to begin with, and the few joys I had left in life were the occasional snacks and desserts!
‘How did I end up like this?’
Suddenly, I felt miserable.
Where did the small, adorable Pession who claimed to like me at the Charit mansion go?
We were doing fine back then.
Give him back—my sunshine maniac!
Early Morning.
After finishing his morning workout, Pession burst into the Halbern estate.
“Arellin! Let’s work out!”
This had been our routine for over three weeks now.
Still curled up in bed, I winced.
My body ached all over from yesterday’s exercise, like I’d come down with the flu from muscle pain.
Even though it had been three weeks since we started, every day was a new kind of torture.
“Arellin! Get up! Let’s go exercise!”
“No.”
“If you don’t, go get married!”
Should I kill him?
For a brief moment, I genuinely considered staging a crown prince assassination. That’s when Pession turned his eyes to the curtains tightly drawn over my room.
“Why’s it so dark in here? Are you the child of darkness? Hyah!”
“Ahhh!”
My eyes!
“Let’s go!”
“You go!”
I threw a pillow, but Pession dodged it with ease.
“Is this a pillow fight?”
“No, it’s not!”
“Anyway, get up!”
“I said no!”
I rolled myself into a cocoon under the blanket. Pession laughed.
“Ha ha, Arellin, you look like a caterpillar!”
Today, I didn’t want to lift a single finger. And it was all thanks to the endless chicken breast menu and the daily workouts with no rest.
My body might have been getting healthier, but my spirit was crumbling.
“Arellin, time to exercise.”
“Not going.”
Surely Pession would give up by now.
That’s what I thought.
“Up we go!”
Suddenly, I felt myself being lifted into the air.
“?!”
I yanked off the blanket and found myself eye to eye with a beaming Pession.
“Did you sleep well, Arellin?”
I was speechless. Pession had picked me up like a caterpillar.
“What the hell are you doing?”
“Hmm? Taking you to exercise.”
I had momentarily forgotten.
Just how absurd this kid could be.
“So, answer me. Did you sleep well, Arellin?”
“Do I look like I slept well?”
Pession frowned.
“Why? You didn’t sleep on time again? Were you reading? You should sleep on time! Good sleep is essential for effective training.”
Are you my mom?
“Did you eat properly?”
“Yeah.”
“Good job. Aww, good girl.”
Unbelievable. Even Mehen rarely said “Good girl,” and here I was getting it from Pession.
“You’re lighter than the rock I lifted during training yesterday. Arellin, you need to gain more weight.”
“…Ha.”
What kind of 7-year-old lifts rocks for training?
“Put me down.”
“Nope.”
Pession declined with a smile.
Meanwhile, we were the center of attention in the Halbern estate.
“Oh my, look over there.”
“They’re such a cute pair.”
“Indeed. The young lady is so lucky.”
“Aww, how adorable.”
Every butler and maid we passed smiled warmly at us.
“Did you hear that, Arell? They said we look good together.”
“Happy now?”
“Yup.”
Pession giggled and then looked at me with a mock-serious expression.
“I heard everything from Yuni. You were holed up in your room all day after I left yesterday! Of course you’re feeling down if you keep doing that!”
Yuni, you traitor.
I’m confiscating your gold star stickers.
“You have to go out, get some sun and fresh air to stay healthy!”
“Bullshit…”
If sun and air were enough to make me healthy, I’d be superhuman by now.
“Huh?”
“Nothing. Never mind.”
Pession stared at my face.
“Arellin, you’ve got dark circles.”
“Figures.”
“Are you sick?”
“No. I just couldn’t sleep last night.”
“What? Why?!”
“I had indigestion.”
Tilt.
Pession tilted his head like someone hearing a new word for the first time.
“What’s indigestion?”
You don’t even know that? How healthy are you?
“It’s a thing.”
“It’s a symptom caused by poor digestion…”
Before I could brush it off, Pession’s all-purpose attendant, Griham, who had been standing silently in the background, explained in full.
“Oh! So, Arellin, you haven’t eaten anything since last night?!”
“Yeah.”
“How could you?! You need to eat something!”
I lightly rubbed my stomach.
“It’s fine. Still queasy. If I eat, I’ll probably just get indigestion again. Skipping a day won’t kill me.”
Pession looked at me with a face full of shock.
“…? How can you not eat? Are you even human?”
“What the hell.”
This is all your fault!
“Then, Pession, maybe we can skip today’s workout—”
“No way.”
Are you human?
“I’ll go easy on you instead.”
Pession nodded with a firm resolve.
A little later—
“This is going easy?! Huff, huff…”
“Arellin, you’re weak. What are you going to do if you collapse from just this?”
“You little demon!”
Once again, I regretted it.
I should never have trusted Pession.
Pession was proud again today.
“This diet is definitely working. I think you’re getting stronger, Arellin!”
‘Maybe it’s because His Highness is pushing her to the brink of death…?’
Griham, walking behind Pession, wore a complicated expression.
Lately, Griham had been surprised to discover this new side of the crown prince. It was as if he were wringing out Arellin’s stamina like an old rag. Honestly, it felt like a preview of how Pession might command the military in the future.
‘Where is this country headed?’
While Griham worried for the future of Albrecht, Pession—though proud—still wasn’t fully satisfied.
He wanted Arellin to get better as soon as possible. So…
“Isn’t there a better way?”
The diet was working well.
He was considering visiting Master Quaeon again when Griham subtly suggested:
“Perhaps some nourishing food?”
“Nourishing food?”
“Yes. Since the young lady’s body is naturally frail, she might need something restorative.”
“Restorative…”
Pession blinked.
“Like herbal medicine?!”
The prince’s eyes sparkled.
Just then, he passed by a cart carrying herbal tonics into the emperor’s palace—and his eyes glittered even more.
“That’s it!”
The Emperor’s Palace.
The diligent Emperor Edward of Albrecht was handling state affairs, listening to reports pouring in from across the country.
“There’s been another monster outbreak in the southern forest.”
“Western sightings have increased as well…”
“The Mage Tower has sent word regarding the Charit investigation.”
Monsters seemed more active lately. Deep lines formed on Edward’s brow.
“What about the Northern Fortress?”
“They’ve requested reinforcements. This year’s battle frequency is already three times higher than usual.”
“Damn.”
Sighs and worried murmurs echoed in the chamber.
Monsters had always been a threat, but never to this scale.
“Fortunately, Duke Halbern is defending the North, so nothing catastrophic has occurred. But the knights and soldiers urgently need reinforcements.”
Edward’s brow creased further.
“Is the Northern Fortress truly that dangerous?”
“It’s our top-priority defense zone.”
“What about requesting the Holy Knights from the Lemren Holy Nation?”
“Let’s put that on hold for now.”
Then—
“Your Majesty, your tonic.”
“Ah, right on time.”
Concerned about his health, Empress Azenny personally prepared this daily tonic.
Despite the hassle, Emperor Edward dutifully drank it.
Just like always, he raised the murky brown liquid to his lips—only to immediately spit it out.
“Ptooey! What is this?!”
It looked like the usual brown concoction, but it tasted like… chocolate.
“Your Majesty?!”
“What’s wrong, Your Majesty?!”
Servants and ministers rushed over in alarm.
“Steward—!”
The emperor’s furious roar rang out.
“Y-Yes, Your Majesty! What’s wrong?!”
“This tonic was tampered with. Find out immediately who’s behind this prank!”
Emperor Edward issued the order with barely contained rage.
