“Ah!”

Delia quickly moved her foot to catch the box but twisted her ankle in the process.

“Oh dear, are you alright?”

Delia, managing to regain her balance, rubbed her aching ankle and gave an apologetic smile to the two people.

“I’m sorry. I wasn’t looking where I was going….”

When Delia looked up to see who the two people were, her eyes widened like marbles.

“As long as you’re alright. Is your ankle okay?”

Delia stared blankly at the beautiful woman speaking to her.

The woman, with long blonde hair braided and adorned with elaborate jewelry, was wearing a dress as intricately designed as her accessories. She appeared to be around Delia’s age.

It didn’t take long for Delia to realize who the woman in front of her was.

The woman’s blue-gray eyes, identical to Kaiel’s, were looking at Delia with concern. Delia smiled and stood up, removing her hand from her ankle.

“Yes, I think I’m alright.”

Delia bowed her head respectfully.

“Thank you for your concern, Your Highness.”

It was Ashlene.

Delia smiled inwardly with satisfaction.

‘So pretty! So very pretty!’

Ashlene Roches. As Kaiel’s half-sister and Nior’s full sister, it was natural for her to have such stunning looks.

“I am Delia Averbit, a researcher working under the Grand Duke of Tranade.”

“You work under my brother?”

Ashlene looked at Delia with interest.

“What brings you to the imperial palace?”

“The Grand Duke said he had something to show me….”

“My brother?”

Delia quickly used the Character List on Ashlene.

A window appeared before her.

[Character List]
Name: Ashlene Roches Sheriton
Abilities: Charm 97, Perception 92, Political Skill 90….
Favorability: 76

Delia was slightly surprised to see Ashlene’s favorability score.

‘Ashlene’s score shows up… but Kaiel’s doesn’t?’

With a favorability of 76, Ashlene seemed to have a moderate liking for Delia.

“Delia?”

When Delia didn’t respond, staring into space, Ashlene spoke first.

“Your ankle seems to be hurting after all. I’ll call a servant to get it treated.”

“It’s alright.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

Ashlene smiled warmly.

“I also have something to ask you about my brother.”

Ashlene kindly asked a nearby servant for something. The servant bowed and then disappeared towards the palace.

“Let’s go.”

Ashlene was kind and warm even to someone she had just met. Ashlene was truly the gentle and kind-hearted princess of Sheriton.

As her initial excitement wore off, Delia remembered the Ashlene from her novel.

Delia clenched her hand tightly.

Ashlene Roches also died.

Later, during the war between Kaiel and Nior, by the Floren army.

Floren, where lapocia is cultivated, shares a border with Tranade, which was ruled by Kaiel, leading to frequent battles.

When Sheriton goes to war with Tranade, Floren joins forces with the Sheriton Empire.

It’s a troublesome place for Tranade in many ways.

As Delia mentally retraced the complex plot of the original novel, she grew increasingly angry at herself.

‘Nior, Kaiel’s mother, Ashlene—they all die! What kind of terrible author am I? Is this even fair?’

Of course, characters dying in novels is a common occurrence.

It wouldn’t matter if it weren’t happening in real life.

In essence, Delia was like a god in this novel world. Watching the world as a god and living as a character within it were worlds apart.

“Here we are, the drawing room. Have a seat.”

Following Ashlene, they arrived at the palace’s drawing room. Delia admired the gold-decorated pillars as she followed Ashlene to the table.

Sitting in a plush chair, Delia looked at Ashlene with clear eyes.

Ashlene’s face, though not exactly the same, bore a subtle resemblance to Kaiel’s, especially her blue-gray eyes.

“Your Highness, you are truly beautiful.”

Delia blushed as soon as she spoke her honest thoughts, but Ashlene seemed pleased.

“Oh, thank you.”

Ashlene laughed as she sat in the chair the servant had pulled out for her.

“Delia, you’re also very beautiful.”

Ashlene gestured to the waiting servant.

“Please bring the tea. Prepare mine as usual.”

As they exchanged small talk about the weather, the servant approached with a tray. On the tray were a shallow porcelain cup and a tall glass.

The liquid in the glass looked familiar.

The servant placed the glass in front of Ashlene and the porcelain cup, along with a napkin, in front of Delia. Steam rose from the tea in Delia’s cup.

In contrast, the glass in front of Ashlene contained something different from Delia’s tea.

A familiar scent wafted from the glass.

“Is that… somaek…?”

At Delia’s surprised remark, Ashlene’s eyes sparkled with delight.

“Yes, somaek! How did you know just by looking at it?”

A cheerful notification sound popped up in front of Delia.

[Ashlene Roches’ favorability score has increased by 2 points.]

The way she’s always insisting on alcohol instead of tea, and being a heavy drinker, Ashlene was true to her character.

Understanding the situation, a small smile appeared on Delia’s lips. At this rate, she felt she could significantly increase Ashlene’s favorability score.

“I like it too.”

“It’s a drink my brother gifted me, and I liked it so much that I often buy it myself.”

Seeing the somaek in the expensive, gold-trimmed glass made Delia chuckle.

Ashlene brought the glass close, savored the aroma, and took a sip, then licked her lips in satisfaction.

“It’s still good. Nowadays, nothing tastes good unless it’s this somaek.”

It was quite amusing to see her drinking elegantly from such a fancy glass, considering she used to gulp it down without care.

Delia couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

A beautiful princess drinking somaek. By now, the price of somaek must have skyrocketed, possibly even surpassing that of most wines.

Ashlene looked at Delia, who had laughed out of nowhere, with a puzzled expression.

“Why are you laughing?”

“Oh, I’m sorry! It’s just that…”

Delia, with a lingering smile, gestured towards the glass Ashlene was holding.

“I’m the one who created the recipe for that somaek, so seeing Your Highness enjoy it makes me very happy.”

As Delia smiled again, Ashlene’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Really? Delia, you made this somaek yourself?”

When Delia nodded lightly, Ashlene beamed.

“That’s wonderful! If you come to the palace again, be my drinking buddy.”

“It would be an honor!”

As she spoke, another notification popped up.

[Ashlene Roches’ favorability score has increased by 4 points.]

Since it started at 76 points, it should now be 82. It was a significant gain. Gaining favor with the princess would surely bring many benefits.

“As you can see, there aren’t many who enjoy drinking in the palace. Especially among the ladies.”

Ashlene said regretfully before taking another sip of somaek.

“By the way, how is my brother these days?”

At Ashlene’s question, Delia hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“He seems to be buried in work. He’s always so stern.”

Ashlene, sounding worried, continued.

“I hope Lady Rant recovers soon. Delia, you’re working on that, right?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Thinking about Lady Rant made Delia’s heart ache, but she forced a smile and answered. Noticing her expression, Ashlene spoke sympathetically.

“Is the work very hard?”

“Oh, not at all!”

“My brother has such a strict personality, it might be tough. I’ll have to talk to him later. I hope he’s not treating the servants like…”

“No, no!”

Delia quickly stopped Ashlene, who seemed ready to confront Kaiel about the treatment of the servants.

She begged for this job, and she wasn’t even doing anything yet, so it wasn’t hard at all. It was just difficult facing characters in the novel whose fates she knew.

‘Especially since I have to kill your brother, Your Highness.’

Delia tried to calm her heavy heart. Ashlene, watching her, spoke again.

“There were some nasty rumors about my brother circulating among the commoners… I was worried they might be true. But the brother I know isn’t like that. So, were the rumors false?”

Ashlene made a light punching gesture towards the air.

“I’d like to find and punish whoever started those rumors, really!”

Delia laughed again and put on her warmest smile. She had nothing else to say.

“Anyway, if you ever find it hard, let me know, Delia.”

“I’m really fine! The Grand Duke treats me so well that I have no difficulties at all. But thank you for your concern.”

Ashlene took another sip of somaek, then looked at Delia, who was staring at her. Ashlene smiled brightly.

“Delia, you have such pretty eyes. Green.”

“Pardon?”

Ashlene, who was reminiscing, began to speak.

“When my brother was young, he picked a bunch of unripe green apples from the imperial garden’s apple tree and gave them to Lady Rant as a gift.”

Ashlene laughed, finding it amusing.