[It seems that the guest has a skilled magician on their side. I tried to check the letter, but it was magically secured. So, I advise you not to discuss anything important when I am not around.]

The guest referred to Michael, and the letter referred to the royal decree.

“So…”

I swallowed dryly as I looked at Dame Greta. She nodded briefly with a solemn expression.

If this assumption was correct, did that mean they could hear everything being said in this room right now?

‘In that case, even yesterday…?’

Yesterday, while comforting the anxious nanny, I had been chatting recklessly with Dame Gwendolyn.

I inhaled sharply and covered my mouth with both hands.

“Don’t worry. His Grace was here yesterday, so if anything had seemed suspicious, he would have mentioned it. From what I understand, His Grace has an unprecedentedly strong lineage from Arcadia, so there should be no one on the continent who could surpass him in magic.”

“Nyak!”

I see. Just as I responded with an entirely unconvinced voice, a sharp cry came from afar. It seemed that Angie had once again grabbed the calico cat’s tail mercilessly.

“Now, I will inform you of today’s schedule.”

Dame Greta smiled confidently, as if to reassure me, and continued speaking.

“Since you were exhausted yesterday, you will rest throughout the morning. Then, you have a luncheon with His Highness the Crown Prince.”

“A luncheon…?”

“His Grace had breakfast with His Highness yesterday to discuss matters related to the royal decree. Since it concerns both of you, His Grace insisted that it would be inappropriate to leave you out of the discussion and suggested that you all talk together.”

Dame Greta still maintained her composed smile, but discomfort and embarrassment seeped through her expression.

She seemed apologetic even as she delivered the news.

‘If Michael hates Odelia so much, why not just avoid her forever? Why is he so desperate to torment her?’

He truly could not rest easy unless he met me and caused trouble. Such an elegant and refined nuisance he was.

Sigh, if only I could get rid of this troublesome guest quickly, I could at least enjoy a few peaceful days before heading to the royal castle.

At that moment, a rather brilliant idea struck me.

“Dame Greta.”

“Yes?”

“There’s something I’d like to have for lunch today…”

***

“It is truly delightful to see my dear sister at every meal like this.”

Michael, seated at the head of the table, wore his usual friendly smile.

‘What a hypocrite.’

I swallowed my irritation and lowered my gaze to the white soup placed before me.

The only upside to Michael openly showing his hostility toward me was that I no longer had to put in any effort to mask my feelings. I didn’t need to force a smile.

“Our kitchen has been enjoying the opportunity to present Norhart’s traditional dishes to Your Highness.”

“Is that so? Thanks to your hospitality, I am enjoying full meals every day. Now, let’s see. Is this soup? The texture looks a little unusual for a potato soup…”

The moment Michael took a spoonful of the soup, his expression subtly stiffened.

I quickly took a sip of the soup myself, suppressing my triumphant smile.

“Oh my, the crisp texture of the vegetable fibers is quite impressive. Clarke, could you introduce this dish to us?”

“Ah, I’m relieved that it suits my lady’s taste!”

The head chef, who had been standing by the door waiting to present today’s menu, beamed with delight.

“This soup is made by boiling and blending white asparagus—”

“Cough!”

“Oh dear, Your Highness. Are you all right?”

As Michael, who had been listening to the chef, suddenly choked and coughed, I quickly signaled to Ian to refill his water glass.

“Ah, haha, I must have eaten too hastily, enchanted by the taste of your cooking.”

“It—it is an honor, Your Highness…!”

Though Michael’s eyes were red from coughing, he still forced his princely smile to reassure the chef.

‘Ugh, picky eater. He must have eaten it without suspicion just because it was white.’

Indeed. Ever since I transmigrated into this world and left the royal castle, I hadn’t had many chances to use the ‘transmigrator buff,’ but today, I finally put it to good use.

“I would love to have white asparagus soup as an appetizer. Back in Belvo, I often had it for hangovers the day after a banquet. White asparagus grows here too, doesn’t it? I heard it’s especially good for relieving hangovers.”

Michael despised vegetables. Among them, he particularly disliked anything fibrous, like broccoli, celery, and asparagus.

However, since he believed that being a picky eater wouldn’t benefit his image, only a select few—including the royal chefs—were aware of this fact.

In Princess Flora Is Lovely, this very trait was used to make Flora fall for Michael all over again when she found it unexpectedly endearing to see him picking out his vegetables.

And as a reincarnated reader, I planned to use that setting to make Michael uncomfortable with Norhart’s hospitality.

“The main course is tricolor pasta, seasoned with a fermented bean sauce, accompanied by bean sprouts, corn, and carrots.”

“Oh my, the bean sprouts have such a delightful crunch.”

“It pairs even better with the traditional Norhart pickles—broccoli, radish, and lotus root.”

“Clarke, have I mentioned that the first food I fell in love with in Norhart was this broccoli pickle?”

“Oh, Lady, I am honored…!”

Meanwhile, Michael, with an expression as if he had bitten into something bitter, barely managed to swallow his food. Since he had come here to wield power over me and Cedrion, he couldn’t afford to show any signs of displeasure, so he seemed to be clinging to his pride.

‘Ah, how satisfying.’

This is the privilege of being a reincarnated reader, dear male lead. Blame the fact that you’re the protagonist for all the information I have on you.

I decided to go a step further and irritate Michael even more.

“Cedrion, did I tell you? Thanks to you, I get to enjoy these healthy and delicious meals from Clarke’s kitchen, and I look forward to every meal.”

“If I hadn’t known such a lovely thing until now, I regret the time lost.”

Noticing something, Cedrion’s expression warmed with a barely suppressed smile.

Oh… his unexpectedly cooperative response caught me off guard for a moment.

Fortunately, the head chef was too touched by my praise, and Michael was too busy forcing down food he despised, so no one paid attention to my reaction.

No one—except one person.

Michael’s escort knight, who had been standing behind him throughout the entire lunch.

The same man with teal-colored eyes who had stared at me intently yesterday in the courtyard.

The knight with tied white hair was smiling the entire time, as if he found this all immensely entertaining.

Seeing that amused face somehow triggered memories from last night’s banquet…

My head began to throb, so I quickly averted my gaze and barely managed to respond to Cedrion.

“Ah, well… I get so busy looking at you during meals that I must have forgotten to mention it.”

“…”

Cedrion’s expression stiffened as if he had never uttered those sentimental words earlier.

In the end, I was the only one left embarrassed by what I had said.

By the time dessert was served, we were finally able to engage in a proper conversation.

As evident from his picky eating habits, Michael had the palate of a child, and when the sweet raspberry sorbet was brought out, his expression cleared as if he had just bathed after days in the wilderness.

Fine. A well-behaved child deserves a reward.

I decided to throw Michael a little carrot to keep him from interfering in the upcoming discussion. Of course, he hated actual carrots.

“Clarke, since His Highness seems to greatly enjoy dessert, is there any extra sorbet left that you could bring him?”

“Ah, yes, My Lady…!”

Michael, who should have been offended by the mention of ‘leftovers,’ didn’t say a word. He was too pleased about getting more of the only thing he had enjoyed during the meal.

“Oh my, Cedrion. I ended up stepping in even though you were here.”

“You’ll soon be the mistress of Norhart, so why worry about something like that?”

“Exactly, exactly…!”

Clarke, who had returned after relaying my request to the kitchen, nodded enthusiastically.

A brief flicker of contempt crossed Michael’s face before it was quickly erased.

After a second serving of sorbet, scooped generously from the kitchen, finally, Cedrion got to the main topic.

“Your Highness, may we now discuss our journey to the royal capital?”

“Ah, yes, that is why we arranged this luncheon, isn’t it? I was so enchanted by Norhart’s cuisine that I nearly forgot our purpose.”

Michael shot me a glare. The lingering hostility in his eyes made it clear he was certain all of this was my doing.

‘Well, if he had known Odelia from childhood, he would have realized that she also knew about his dislike of certain vegetables.’

It didn’t matter if it wasn’t a perfect crime. My reputation with Michael couldn’t possibly get any worse.

In fact, it was better if he believed that the longer he stayed, the worse my pranks would get.

Feigning innocence, I took a sip of water.

“To begin with, the royal decree His Majesty issued is quite different from past precedents, leaving us unprepared. Given the circumstances, we ask that the decree be revoked…”

“Brother.”

Michael smiled radiantly.

It was a dazzling, princely smile, but knowing his true nature, I recognized it as the face he made when he was about to mess with someone.

“About the baby you intend to adopt—doesn’t she need a baptism?”

“There is a Grand Temple in Norhart.”

“But it’s not just about the baptism, is it?”

What now? I struggled to maintain my composed expression and glanced at Cedrion.

A slight hint of dismay flickered across his face. That meant Michael was making a valid point.

“Children who carry Arcadia’s First Blood are extremely rare. Even if she is a distant relative, she could still be your heir. Shouldn’t the royal family formally acknowledge Norhart’s successor?”

Since Cedrion held the second position in the line of succession, it seemed any child he raised would require royal oversight.

“And more importantly…”

Before Cedrion could formulate a response, Michael continued.

“Lady Lure has defied her banishment and remains here, hasn’t she?”

Wait, he was bringing that up now?

Michael turned to look at me.

Slowly, he traced his tongue across his lips, his icy-blue eyes gleaming like a serpent’s.

“There is a limit to how much patience I can show.”