The Villainous Princess Wants to Live in a Gingerbread House

and size doesn’t really matter when it comes to skill.”

“My hands are small and I can’t do it,” muttered Britia.

“Is that so?” 

Sig responded, but somehow it didn’t feel like the words were coming from his mouth. 

Just moments ago, he had felt so resentful towards her, but now that resentment had melted away as quickly as snow.

All his attention was focused on the hand she had in her grasp.

Sig wondered whether the June nighttime temperature was constant.
Perhaps it was due to the lack of a breeze.

“All right, then I’ll give Duke-nim the amount of the handkerchief.”

Her eyes seemed to sparkle under the moonlight.
Her lips moved slowly.

“Duke-nim?”

Britia called out to the dazed Sig.

“Duke Turas-nim.”

When she shook the hand she was holding, he blinked quickly and looked down.
Britia also followed his gaze and was surprised when she realized she had been holding his hand tightly and quickly let go.

“You called me?”

He seemed to have not heard a word of what she had said, his mind elsewhere.

“I asked how much I should give you.”

“Money?”

 Sig pondered for a moment and shook his head.
He hadn’t made the item to receive payment.

“I can’t just take it for free.”

Britia expressed her desire to pay the price, but he couldn’t decide how much would be appropriate.

“If it’s difficult for you to decide right now, take your time and let me know later,” Britia said, smiling.

He couldn’t possibly demand an exorbitant amount that would be difficult to bet on.

Britia couldn’t help but worry later and couldn’t even smile.
How much could he decide by thinking? Sig was more concerned about her little hand leaving his than such matters.

“…”

Sig, who touched the tip of his finger, noticed that his body temperature was higher than usual.
As expected, June in the capital of the Kingdom was hot.

When Britia returned to the party venue, she felt that Sig had been following her from behind since earlier.

At first, she thought it was natural to walk the same path from the rose garden to here.

 However, as she wandered around the hall, she was convinced that he was definitely following her.

It was a very strange feeling.
It was like being chased by a very, very large dog wagging its tail.

“Duke-nim.”

He took a step back when she called, and then he came closer to her.

 His tail flicked, lightly brushing Britia’s wrist.

Then, he stopped abruptly when he saw someone approaching them.
The person who was coming towards them quickly passed by them after meeting Sig’s gaze.

“You’ve been following me since earlier, and it’s been bothering me.”

His rigid tail drooped downwards.

“I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable.”

As he was about to move his foot, Britia grabbed his arm.

“I said you could stay comfortably next to me instead of following behind.”

He immediately straightened his body at her words.

As she watched the tail of the newly revived Britia swish back and forth, she smiled softly.

“Duke-nim looks calm, but sometimes he can be quick-tempered.
He acts before he speaks.”

Rather than answering, Sig chewed on his lip, appearing restless.

“Does Duke-nim feel nervous about the party?”

“Well, you could say that.”

Perhaps because there were many unfamiliar faces around, Britia guessed and lightly held onto Sig’s arm, letting go soon after.

It wasn’t that his hard, stiff face was angry, but rather tense due to his shyness.
Now that she knew the truth, it was as if he wasn’t scary at all.

“You don’t have to be on guard like that.
I won’t eat Duke-nim today.”

Talking to him had become much more comfortable all of a sudden.

 He joked about loosening up, and there wasn’t a hint of stiffness in his expression.

“Will you eat me someday?”

‘Was that a Northern joke?’

But his expression was too serious, and his tail fur stood on end.

“Thank you for letting me know that Southern jokes don’t work here.”

Britia joked and clapped her hands, easing his guard.

But only partially.

“It would have been nice if Crave came today.
He would have been annoying by your side, wouldn’t he?”

“I wouldn’t know what to say, and he would get bored.”

“Well, maybe he would enjoy it since he loves to talk so much.”

Maybe that’s why Crave wanted to befriend him.
He could talk more while he stayed silent.

“Duke-nim, excuse me for a moment.”

His calm face changed as if he had heard a thunderbolt.

As if he had heard that she was going to leave him here.

“I can’t go with you like a male Duke.”

It was then that Sig’s pupils shook as he realized where she was going.

“I’m sorry.”

He understood that he couldn’t follow, but his eyes looked uneasy when he was left alone.

Britia’s footsteps quickened as she rushed back from the bathroom, her nerves on edge.

 She felt relieved to have left the crowded party area, but she knew she needed to introduce herself to someone soon.

As she walked around, surveying the partygoers, she heard someone call out her name.

“Britia!”

It was Lady Robley, the Duchess.

“We’ve been looking for you everywhere.
Where have you been?”

Her eyebrows furrowed, a telltale sign that something was bothering her.

“I’m sorry, Lady Duchess.
Is something the matter?”

“I told you I needed to introduce you to someone.”

Her voice was tinged with irritation, and Britia couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

“This is my nephew, Marcus Beaumex.
He’s the third son of my older brother, Earl Beaumex.”

Britia extended a polite greeting, but Marcus merely glanced at her before sneering and turning away.

“So, this is the woman my aunt has been raving about? She’s not exactly a beauty, is she?”

“Marcus!”

Lady Robley chastised him in a low voice, but Marcus continued to scrutinize Britia with a disdainful gaze.

“Well, she’s not ugly, but she’s certainly no beauty.
And she’s not exactly young, either.”

He clicked his tongue and shook his head.

“I think you’ve said enough.”