“I don’t have any money.”

“…What?”

The Grand Duke’s expression briefly crumbled. He looked at her blankly, as though he had just heard something incomprehensible.

“What do you mean…?”

“I don’t have money. I can’t pay for the meals or buy clothes.”

“Ah.”

The somber continuation of her statement caused the corners of the Grand Duke’s lips to twitch faintly. Lila, oblivious to this, remained lost in her own serious thoughts.

“So, just a few clothes… By the way, how much is one outfit?”

Clothes must cost more than bread, right? Worry shadowed Lila’s face. If she had known this would happen, she would have stolen a few jewels while at the palace. It was too late for regrets now.

Lila thought back to the other Shadows who received rewards from their instructor or the steward whenever they successfully completed a mission. Unlike them, she had never been rewarded.

While she had always been given ample support for weapons and equipment necessary for missions, this was the first time she regretted not having personal funds.

“I’ll pay for the clothes and food… with something other than money.”

Lila, after pondering for a while, looked at Grand Duke Eustace with a determined expression as if she had just come up with an idea.

“Something else?”

“Yes, I read about it in a book once.”

Recalling a fairy tale about a traveler who couldn’t pay for her meal and ended up working at the restaurant, Lila’s face brightened slightly. She thought that if she helped out with chores at the Grand Duke’s estate, it would be enough to cover her meals. While she wasn’t confident in many things, she did believe in her ability to work hard.

“I’m not great at washing dishes, but I’m good at cleaning. I used to clean my lodging sometimes.”

At her words, the Grand Duke’s expression became peculiar. His face seemed caught between a smile and a frown. Feeling a sudden sense of urgency at his ambiguous reaction, she quickly added,

“Or… do you have someone you really want to punish? No, wait, not kill, but just discipline? If so, I could…”

After all, the thing she excelled at the most was assassination. It wasn’t exactly something to boast about, but it was the one skill she had perfected.

But since she wasn’t an assassin anymore, perhaps it would suffice to punish people instead of killing them. With a resolute expression, Lila looked at him, and the Grand Duke’s lips trembled slightly.

“…Pfft.”

A small chuckle escaped his composed lips. That was all it took for Grand Duke Eustace to burst into laughter.

“Haha, hahaha!”

As he laughed heartily, Lila blinked in confusion, unsure of what was so amusing.

“Lila, you don’t need to worry about such things.”

After a brief laugh, the Grand Duke sighed deeply. His expression turned complex and subtle, as if he hadn’t laughed at all.

“Why not? Isn’t it illegal to not pay? I read about someone who stole bread because they were hungry and ended up in prison.”

“Hmm.”

The Grand Duke hummed softly, narrowing his eyes. His earlier amusement had completely vanished.

“Lila, this is different. You are my guest. Hosting a guest with food is a natural obligation of the host. And the clothes? Those are a gift for my cherished Raven. There’s no reason for you to pay for them.”

At his calm words, Lila’s expression turned complicated this time.

“Is that so?”

“Yes, it is.”

The Grand Duke nodded once with a gentle smile. Still, Lila couldn’t accept it so easily.

“But… I don’t want to become a debtor.”

“You’re not a debtor; it’s a fair exchange.”

With a serious face, the Grand Duke locked eyes with Lila. Her puzzled face reflected perfectly in his clear blue eyes.

“As I mentioned yesterday, all I want is for you to stay by my side.”

He carefully reached out and wrapped his hand around hers. His gaze lingered on the scars on the back of her hand, and his expression darkened.

In noble circles, scars were considered flaws. While some warriors saw scars as marks of honor, most nobles used magic, potions, or holy power to heal any injury without leaving a trace unless it was a life-threatening wound or caused by someone as formidable as a Swordmaster or a Sixth-Circle Mage.

To see a princess of Esteban Empire covered in scars—something unimaginable for someone of her status—was disheartening. Every time he saw her damaged hands, Eustace’s mood plummeted, burdened by thoughts of the suffering she must have endured during her life.

“Everything I give you from now on is simply in exchange for you staying by my side. Don’t feel burdened by it. All you need to do is enjoy it.”

How could anyone believe that the hands of the Imperial Princess of Esteban were riddled with scars? Hands that should have been untouched bore signs of unimaginable hardship. Grand Duke Eustace couldn’t fathom what could possibly compensate for the pain she had endured.

“You don’t need to try so hard to give me something in return. The food, the clothes, and everything else are only a fraction of what you should have been entitled to enjoy all along.”

The more Eustace spoke, the stranger Lila felt. Why was he giving her what she, as an imperial princess, should have received? It wasn’t something he needed to do.

Even if it was meant as gratitude for staying by his side, it still didn’t add up. No matter how she calculated it, she was the only one benefiting from this arrangement.

“But still…”

“Shh.”

Before she could protest further, the Grand Duke silenced her by bringing a forkful of banana butter fry to her lips. The soft, sweet banana melted in her mouth, filling it with a rich sweetness.

“……!”

The unfamiliar yet delightful taste made Lila’s eyes widen. Without realizing it, she clenched her toes in response.

“That’s it,” he said softly.

Lila, entirely captivated by the taste of banana butter toast, received a pat on the head from Grand Duke Eustace as if he were praising her. When he picked up another piece of banana toast and brought it to her lips, she eagerly ate it, like a baby bird accepting food. Each time the banana melted in her mouth, she felt a sweetness that seemed to permeate her mind.

“It seems bananas suit your palate. I’ll have them prepared frequently from now on,” the Grand Duke said, smiling with satisfaction, as if he had made a scholarly discovery.

Feeling a bit shy again under his gaze, Lila picked up a different fork and stabbed a piece of banana.

“Open up.”

“Hm?”

Grand Duke Eustace blinked at the banana butter toast suddenly thrust before him. Lila gently tapped the banana against his lips, urging him to open his mouth.

“You have to try it. It’s delicious.”

Sharing food made it even tastier—that was something her mother had taught her.

“Sweetheart, you must be hungry. Come here, let’s eat.”

Back when the frigid palace was always like winter, Lila and her mother often shared even a small, hardened loaf of bread. The taste of that bread, shared with her mother, remained vividly etched in her memory despite the faded details of those times.

“Try it. Mommy cast a magic spell to make it taste even better.”

To young Lila, her mother always seemed like a magician capable of enchanting the ordinary. Bread that was tough and tasteless when eaten alone would become soft and fluffy when shared with her mother.

“This is a spell you can do too. All you have to do is share your food with someone you like.”

Her mother had explained this kind of magic to her. Lila had yet to confirm if the spell really worked, but after all the kindness the Grand Duke had shown her, she thought it might be possible today.

“Quickly, say ah—”

“Thank you… I’ll eat well.”

Urged on by Lila’s persistence, the Grand Duke hesitantly opened his mouth. Watching him chew the banana toast, Lila’s eyes sparkled. She wanted him to experience the happiness she felt.

“How is it? Delicious, right?”

“…Yes, very much so.”

His response was uncharacteristically quiet, and his gaze avoided hers. Was it not to his liking? Lila tilted her head at his subdued reaction.

‘Maybe I can’t even do this kind of magic? No, that can’t be it. It’s probably because I’m still wary of the Grand Duke, so I don’t know if I truly like him or not. Mother did say you have to share with someone you like for it to work. So, of course, it won’t be effective.’

As she analyzed his reaction, Lila sighed and let go of her disappointment. She liked the banana butter toast immensely, but everyone had different tastes. It wasn’t necessarily a failure of magic; perhaps the Grand Duke simply didn’t like bananas. That thought reassured her.

“Hmph.”

While Lila came to terms with the situation, the Grand Duke cleared his throat lightly. Through the strands of golden hair, she caught a glimpse of his ear, which seemed redder than before. Lila ignored it and grabbed a piece of tomato with her fork.

“This is tasty too.”

“You’re offering me more?”

“Yep.”

The Grand Duke, who had been hurriedly sipping lemon tea, paused at the sight of the tomato offered to him. Though his expression remained composed, his long lashes trembled slightly, like someone faced with a dilemma.

“Thank you, but there’s no need for you to give it to me. This is your meal, after all.”

Speaking cautiously, the Grand Duke gently grasped the fork she was holding and turned it back toward her.

“Please, eat.”

“I’m full.”

Lila shook her head firmly. It wasn’t a lie—she really was full. At this rate, she worried she’d actually turn into a pig with how much she’d been eating every day. She glanced at her slightly rounded belly, momentarily concerned.

“That’s unacceptable. In the Grand Duke’s estate, no food is to be left behind.”

“Really…?”

“Yes, it’s a rule. Even guests are not exempt.”

Expecting him to easily let it go, Lila was startled by the Grand Duke’s firm stance. He sounded so serious that she began to rethink her habits. Leaving food behind did seem disrespectful.

“Lady Lila, you need to eat much more. That’s the only way you’ll grow taller and gain some weight.”

“But I don’t need to grow taller.”

“You must. You need both height and weight.”

“Why?”

Lila blinked in confusion, finding it hard to imagine herself looking different after all these years of strict self-discipline to maintain her figure.

“Because you no longer need to be small or thin.”

The Grand Duke spoke nonchalantly, but his tone was resolute.

“Lady Lila, compared to others your age, you’re extremely petite.”

“Yeah.”

Lila nodded obediently, fully aware of how much smaller she was compared to others.

“That’s why you need to eat well and grow taller, so you can be healthier than you are now.”

the Grand Duke, who had just spoken sternly, smiled sweetly as if it were a completely different person.

“You’re no longer the Emperor’s shadow, are you?”

“Ah.”

A soft exclamation escaped her small lips. Her black eyes, now awakened to a realization, trembled slightly.

“You’re right,” Lila agreed, acknowledging his words. He was right—she was no longer the Emperor’s shadow. Nor did she want to live as one anymore. She needed to change.

“Then help me out a bit. Eating alone is no fun.”

“…Fine. Let’s share the food. But don’t overeat to the point it makes you sick.”

At Lila’s suggestion, the Grand Duke took a step back. He carefully cut the remaining sandwich in half with a knife and handed it to her.

“Even if you’re full, you have to eat dessert. The desserts made by the Eustace family’s pâtissiers are famous even among the nobility.”

“Dessert…? Is that also a rule?”

“Yes.”

the Grand Duke smiled warmly at Lila’s innocent question, his grin filled with playful mischief.

“I’m already so full. Can I even eat more?”

“There’s always room for dessert. Trust me, you’ll manage.”

“I’ll try my best.”

As it turned out, the Grand Duke was right. Just as he said, there really was a separate space for dessert. Lila devoured the sweet and tangy strawberry ice cream and the soft tiramisu cake that Emma had brought, leaving no trace behind.

Until mere moments ago, Lila had thought banana butter toast was the most delicious food in the world. But now she had discovered an entirely new culinary wonder. Truly, the world was full of amazing flavors.