I couldn’t. Damn it.

“Let me down!”

“No.”

“Let me down!!”

Urgh, I couldn’t believe I’m being treated like I’m nothing.

It’s already my fourth defeat.

I came in high spirits, but it seemed like it only took three seconds to subdue me.

I glared at Dietrich’s indifferent face who didn’t even seem happy about the victory and made an unhappy expression.

I didn’t want to say the cliche lines that cheap villains say every time they lose.

“You won’t get away with this!”

“….Get away with what.”

I was now able to manipulate Eredia’s ability quite freely, but because I’ve only been practicing on my own the swordsmanship skills that I’ve learned from Liatris, it was all futile.

‘Is it impossible no matter how much effort I do?’

Was this what you call the difference in talent?!

I guess he didn’t get the nickname as the world’s strongest villain for nothing.

The branches of the purification trees originally moved according to my will, but it was useless since they were tied tightly by the shadows.

Hanging from the column of the tree, I wiggled my feet and felt discouraged.

Dietrich stretched out his hand as if feeling weak-hearted at seeing my downcast appearance.

“If you swear to give up now, I will let you down.”

“Don’t want to! Giving up (sounds like heads and vice versa) is only something we use when counting kimchi!”

“What’s kimchi?”

You didn’t even know what kimchi was! You ignorant villain!

I kicked the tree trunk with my foot, recalling the food from my previous life which he didn’t even know.

“Stop moving.”

Dietrich, who had approached me as I kept stamping my feet in the air, quickly grabbed my skirt. I snorted at his attentive consideration in the midst of this.

‘So what if it shows a little.’

It was a skirt with a wide breadth so it was easy for it to flutter, but because of the namesake that we’re a Grand Duchy, I wore two layers of underskirts plus underpants.

“I have a lot of work to catch up on because of you.”

If you think it was natural to easily open the door to his office and request for a duel, then, of course, it was. At first, he pretended to be dealing with me on equal footing – this was even more miserable – but seeing as he now suppresses me from the start, he must be really busy.

“If you allow me to go to Mount Limeria then I won’t bother you anymore.”

“I already said no.”

“Then I won’t stop.”

Let’s see how persistently I could annoy you. I made a firm determination and clenched my fist at him who frowned below me. He glanced at my little fist and then moved away.

“Where are you going?!”

‘Is he really not going to release me?!’

I was flustered and panicked but the shadow slowly disappeared. I alternately looked at the shadow that settled me safely down on the soft grass and Dietrich’s back which had moved farther away at some point.

‘At any rate, he’s always thorough.’

I buried my face in between my knees and darkness came to me in the middle of the day.

‘I can’t sneak out at night either.’

Oslo kept following me during the day, and there was a guard put up outside my door at night so there was no good way to get out.

“Princess, let us return to the castle now. There is also a lot of work to be done as a secretary.”

“….Traitor.”

I gritted my teeth and glared at Oslo who extended his hand for me to grab.

‘I can’t believe you’re on Dietrich’s side!’

No matter that Dietrich was the head of the house, I thought that Oslo and I had built up a bond.

“What do you mean traitor? I am His Grace’s knight from the start.”

“Hmph.”

“So why are you being stubborn in going to a dangerous sanctuary in the first place?”

He scolded me off and scratched his rough beard. I raised my voice quite high.

“Because I need the relics!”

“Will it not do it if you just send someone?”

“Aren’t all faceless knights able to use the power of shadows to some extent?”

Then that means I didn’t have anyone to send in my place. Additionally, it wasn’t an issue that could be carried out without proper precautions so as not to attract the interest of outsiders.

‘I don’t have a choice.’

I hardened my expression in determination and dusted off my hands. I tried to persuade him logically, but there was no way since he never thought to listen to me.

‘Don’t resent me for this, Dietrich.’

I had finally decided to carry out the plan I had left as the last course of action.

────── 〔✿〕──────

“Marilyn, is this really how you bake it?”

“Oh my goodness! What’s wrong with the shape?”

Marilyn tilted her head in astonishment when I served the steaming hot cookies in a tray fresh out of the oven.

‘It’s a little bumpy here and there but is it that shocking?’

The cookies, which rose up instead of inflating neatly, boasted a visual that could only be eaten in hell at first glance, but the smell was savory and stimulated the salivary glands.

“Are you sure you only put the ingredients I gave you?”

“Huh? Uh yeah. Of course.”

At Marilyn’s question, I nodded my head firmly, hiding behind my back the bag containing the white powder I secretly put in the cookie dough.

“That’s strange. I must have taken the wrong measurements. I apologize, Princess.”

‘There’s no need for you to apologize.’

I wondered if it was that bad. Anyway, it would just disappear in the mouth so the shape wasn’t important.

“No. If it’s tasty then that’s good enough.”

“If the shape is this weird then the dough must have been proportioned wrong. It wouldn’t taste good.”

“Don’t touch it!”

I stepped forward, startled by Marilyn’s act of reaching out as if to taste the cookies.

If you’re not reading this at blogspot, you’re probably reading from an aggregator site. Read this translation at /.

“I was just trying to take a look.”

She caressed the back of her hand in embarrassment and put on a hurt smile.

“I’m sorry.”

I wanted to present it in a way she liked but the owner of the cookies was someone else.

“I’m going to give it to Dietrich, you see.”

It was unacceptable for that cookies to enter anyone’s mouth other than his.

‘Otherwise, all my plans will be exposed.’

Marilyn was now a well-established head maid in Lagrange. It would be chaos if she ate my cookies and collapsed.

“Didn’t I already tell you I was going to bake cookies for His Grace early in the morning?”

“Princess, if you had given me your words I would have helped you anytime.”

Marilyn smiled delightedly and patted my head.

“No, it wasn’t that difficult.”

I put all the cookies on a plate so she wouldn’t look at them, and then I left the kitchen. The smell of fragrant cookies permeates languidly in the hallway.

“Oh, that’s a delicious smell.”

Oslo’s eyes sparkled as he followed me closely. Maybe it’s because of his large frame, but Oslo always had snacks on him. I smiled broadly and offered him a cookie.

“Sir, why don’t you eat one?”

“Will that be all right?”

“Of course.”

“But you didn’t give one to Marilyn earlier.”

Oslo asked with his eyes going round at the plate I pushed in front of his nose.

‘If I tell you to eat then just it, no doubts.’

I lowered my voice and cutely whispered.

“I’m only giving it to you, Sir.”

“Really?”

“Yes. It’s a secret, okay?”

Anyway, I had to get rid of Oslo, who always followed me like a shadow.

“If you eat here, there will be crumbs so go to the drawing-room and eat there.”

I put a bunch of cookies on parchment paper and gave them to him.

Although the shape was a little bit pompous, the sweet smell was quite appetizing so he smacked his lips together.

“But it’s His Grace’s order for me to guard your side, Princess.”

“I’m about to enter his office right now, though?”

“Aha.”

Persuaded by my calm words, Oslo nodded his head foolishly. I added some words to drive the wedge.

“There’s also a chocolate drink in the drawing-room which you said was amazing the other day.”

“Then, I will see you later.”

In fact, although he had been entrusted to become my surveillance in the name of being my escort, there was absolutely no risk that he would go out of the castle.

Oslo, who had let his guard down, stepped out of the hallway with light steps. Grinning, I watched as he turned into a dot and disappeared. Then, I immediately knocked on Dietrich’s office door.

Knock, knock.

“Enter.”

“Brother~.”

He raised his eyebrows in surprise at the unfamiliar designation.

“What?”

‘Oh, he didn’t like that.’

Since I was young, it was a word that never came out of my lips because of the heat that would creep up my face for some reason. I snorted, trying my best to ignore his sour reaction.

“What are you doing?”

“Work.”

His reply was more brusque than usual. It didn’t particularly show on his face, but I could guess he was quite embarrassed.

‘All right. I’m going to take his soul like this.’

“Aren’t you tired? You should take a break.”

“What’s the matter?”

“Matter? I’m just worried about you, that’s all.”

I placed the tray filled with cookies on Dietrich’s desk and smiled broadly.

He narrowed his eyes as if trying to read my intentions.

“You know, I made this.”

“….Leave it and go.”

“You’re not going to eat it now? But I want to see you eat it.”

I pouted my lips as if feeling upset and tilted my head to the side.

He was tolerant to most poisons, but the powder I put in the cookies was not poison, so it’s fine.

‘It’s not well-known that the root of a valerian is effective as a sleeping pill.’

I only knew this information as well after going in and out of Josef’s lab.

Since it wasn’t poison but a simple sleeping pill, it wouldn’t have been of any use in Lagrange, so Dietrich wouldn’t have taken them either.

I smiled broadly as I watched him eat without leaving a single cookie.

“Is it g

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