*Gag. Gag.*
"What should I do? Princess, are you alright?"
I managed to nod to Susan, who was pacing back and forth with a panicked expression. In reality, I was far from alright. I felt like I was dying.
Less than an hour after returning from the Lemut estate, a violent upset stomach had leveled me. Susan, Anna, and Beth were in a frenzy, fluttering around with cold towels and glasses of water. I’d survived a fever recently only to be taken down by a bowl of fruit.
'Ugh, and I thought I was having a good day...'
Was this some kind of cosmic karma for successfully manipulating my fiancé? Or just a cruel joke? Either way, it was agonizing.
The family doctor soon arrived, sweating profusely under my glare. Pain always made me look a bit murderous, and the poor man was clearly terrified.
"Um... Your Highness... what exactly did you eat today?"
"Nothing... just those raspberries..." I groaned.
The doctor’s eyes widened behind his spectacles. He quickly scribbled a prescription, his hands shaking. He muttered something about the berries likely being the problem and practically fled the room the second he was done. Charlize had apparently made his life miserable with her frequent hangovers, so I couldn't really blame him for the hasty exit.
'Those berries... they were so delicious, though...'
It was just my luck.
"I hate being sick," I muttered, my brow furrowed in pain.
I heard a sudden gasp from the doorway. I looked up to see my two escort knights looking at me with expressions of pure terror before they quickly averted their gaze. They were literally trembling.
'Ah, right. When Charlize is sick, everyone else suffers.'
The original Charlize had zero pain tolerance. Whether it was a hangover or a mild headache, she’d vent her irritation on anyone within arm’s reach. I had no intention of doing that—I didn't even have the energy—but the fear was already ingrained in them.
'How did she have the energy to be mean while she was dying? I can't even lift my head.'
It was a shame the family mage was away on a business trip. A quick healing spell would have been nice.
The knights disappeared from the doorway. I wondered where they were going, since they usually followed me like shadows, but the pain soon pulled me back under.
"Princess... here’s your medicine. Take it and try to sleep."
"Oh... thank you..."
I drifted off before I could even finish the sentence.
* * *
I woke up a few hours later. The sky hadn't changed much, so I hadn't been out for long. I started to sit up and saw my maids watching me with strange, unreadable expressions.
"Princess! You’re awake!"
"Are you feeling better?"
"I’m fine," I said, shaking off the last of the grogginess. The medicine had definitely worked. "But why do you all look like you’ve seen a ghost?"
Susan took a deep breath. "The escort knights are waiting outside. They insisted on seeing you the moment you woke up."
"Well, let them in, then."
"The thing is... they brought the children."
"The children?" I blinked. Susan nodded and quickly opened the door.
The two knights entered, dragging two very terrified-looking children with them. I recognized them immediately—they were the ones who had given me the raspberries earlier.
'Wait... are those the raspberry kids?'
There had been four of them before, but only the two oldest were here now. I looked at the knights and realized with a jolt of horror what had happened.
They’d brought the children here as human shields. They were so afraid I’d blame them for my illness that they’d rounded up the "culprits" to offer them up for punishment.
'I can't believe they’d use children to save their own skins.'
I frowned, my anger flareing. I needed to fix the culture of this household, and fast.
"Princess! We’ve captured the ones who dared to poison you!" one of the knights declared, bowing low.
"Please, deal with them as you see fit!"
"..."
The knights began to sweat even more when I didn't respond. They clearly thought I was seething with rage. And I was—just not at the children.
"When did I tell you to bring these children here?" I asked, my voice low and cold.
"W-what? But Princess... they made you sick!"
"Do you move without orders now? Do you think you’re free to do whatever you want?"
"..."
"Are you going to continue making your own decisions in the future?"
The knights practically hit the floor as they bowed. "We're sorry! We just thought... we didn't want you to be angry...!"
"I don't need excuses. Get out. Both of you."
They didn't need to be told twice. They fled the room as if their lives depended on it. I sighed, rubbing my temples. My grandfather really needed to vet his staff better.
The two children were left standing in the middle of the room, staring at the floor and trembling. They were just ordinary kids who had wanted to give a gift to the "nice lady."
"Susan, I need to change. I’m covered in sweat."
I felt gross and uncomfortable.
"Take the children to the drawing room. And bring some sweets. The good kind."
Charlize had a notorious sweet tooth, so the kitchen was always stocked with high-end desserts. I got out of bed, grabbed a handful of the candy I’d been eating earlier, and pressed them into the children’s hands.
"Don't be scared. Eat these while you wait."
The children looked at the candy, then at me, then back at the candy. They gripped them tightly and nodded.
"Th-thank you..."
I changed my clothes and headed to the drawing room.
When I entered, I found the children sitting at a table piled high with colorful desserts. But they hadn't touched a single thing. They were sitting perfectly still, clutching the candies I’d given them earlier.
'What’s wrong now?'
I sat down across from them. They immediately jumped as if they’d been shocked.
"Why aren't you eating the cookies? Are they not to your liking?"
"It’s... it’s not that..."
"Don't be afraid. You haven't done anything wrong."
At my words, the girl burst into tears. The boy followed suit, his lip trembling.
"Why are you crying? What did the knights tell you?"
"Th-they said... if we didn't stay perfectly still and do exactly what the Princess said... we’d never see our mom and dad again..."
'Those bastards.' I cursed the knights under my breath. They’d threatened children with being separated from their families just to save themselves.
I tried to calm them down by offering more snacks, but they were too terrified to even swallow. They just sat there, tears streaming down their faces.
'Great. Now I’m the child-traumatizing villainess.'
I looked around the room, desperate for something to distract them. My eyes landed on a decorative cabinet. I walked over, grabbed a couple of small ornaments, and brought them back to the table.
"Hey, look at this. These are special."
I held up one of the ornaments—a small, crystal sphere. I pressed a hidden switch on the base, and suddenly, a flurry of shimmering, illusory butterflies burst from the sphere and began to flutter around the room.
The children stopped crying mid-sob, their eyes widening in wonder.
"It’s magic," I said, smiling. I showed them how to turn on the other ornaments. From the girl’s crystal came a tiny, glowing white rabbit that hopped across the table. From the boy’s came a miniature jaguar that let out a silent yawn.
They looked incredibly real. Even I was impressed—Charlize’s memories of these things were one thing, but seeing them in person was another.
"If you stop crying, I’ll let you keep these," I said.
"Really?" the boy asked, his voice shaky.
"Yes. I don't like it when people cry. Especially when they’re supposed to be eating cookies."
The children quickly wiped their eyes. They clutched the magic ornaments to their chests and looked at me with a mix of awe and tentative relief. I managed to hold back a laugh and nodded.
"Yes, they're yours. Now, eat your cookies."
Finally, their faces lit up.