The Villainous Princess Wants to Live in a Gingerbread House

said you’d give me a dress.”

Alexei laughed a little more at Asha’s sulky voice.

“That’s what a brother gives his sibling.”

Asha shut her mouth for a moment and agonized.

“Shall we talk about it?”’

There was one thing she needed.
Alexei nodded again after noticing her signs of agonizing.

“Then I… want to go home.”

“…home?”

Asha carefully continued, examining Alexei’s expression.
She thought, let’s get along well here, get used to it, save money, and do business with baking powder.

But if she had a chance to go back to her mom and dad’s house…

“Well, it’s nice to stay at the Imperial Palace, but… I mean… It’s nice, but she left something at home.”

Although she realized that she was talking nonsense from the middle, Asha decided to trust her ability.
Would Alexei take her word for it again?

“What did you leave behind?”

At first, Alexei had a stiff face, but now he seemed to hold back his laughter.
Asha mumbled her words.
She would have thought of something if she had something good in her house…

“That’s…”

“Did you leave a doll that you hug when you sleep?”

“What?”

It was difficult for her to say that there was no such thing as a doll in an impoverished house.
Although she pretended there was a doll with a wad of cotton-stuffed fabric that Yuriev had sewn and made.

“Rabbit doll or bear doll?”

“U… Unicorn?”

She missed the chance to say it wasn’t a doll.
Alexei smiled with his chin at Asha’s awkward answer.

“It’s impossible to go home.
If you don’t allow it.”

“Well, yes…”

Asha tried to divert her words by saying that she just talked about it just in case, but Alexei seemed to find her topic of dolls interesting.

“That’s impossible, but if it’s a unicorn doll, I’ll get it.”

“Oh, no.
It’s all right! It’s really okay…”

“But I’m giving it to you as an apology for not being able to fulfill your wish, so if there’s anything else you want, tell me.”

There was a look in his eyes that he would not accept any further objections to the unicorn doll.

‘It was really just a coincidence yesterday.’

The beak of the chick in her sleeve embroidery moved slightly at Asha’s lament.

‘Be quiet, silly Phoebe.
I’m trying to get you a house now.’

<…This kind of threat for me…>

That’s what she said, but Phoebe’s angry voice soon died down.

“Then I want a cage.”

Actually, she wanted to have a kitchen, but she thought it was a little too much.

“Cage? You’re going to raise a bird? Then from Lumen Basilice to the bird…”

“Oh, no, just the cage… All I need is a cage!”

It occurred to me that if there was another bird, this petty spirit might react.
Alexei nodded at Asha’s fierce handshake.

The servant brought out new tea, and in the meantime Alexei cut the scones in half and spread jam and butter.

‘Ha, scones are delicious.’

When the butter was cold, it was a scone that had a unique fluffy texture by quickly finishing the dough and baking it.
Through the fluffy texture, dried berries added chewiness and sourness, and the taste of nuts spreads savory thanks to the addition of chopped toasted almonds.

Alexei slowly opened his mouth while he was chewing.

“By the way… Do you know why grandfather called me urgently today?”

“Huh? No…?”

Asha took a bigger bite of the scone, meaning she didn’t know or want to know.
She thought if she was eating something, he wouldn’t ask anymore.

“The former leader of the Knights of Tingnes has applied for reinstatement.”

“What?”

Asha deliberately mumbled the scone loudly and looked at Alexei, who continued with a smile as if the figure were cute.

“It’s been 10 years since he retired, but the deputy commander is still leading the knights.”

“Wow.”

“So grandfather called me to talk about what to do with him.”

Asha only nodded.
She felt a little choked up because she took a full bite of scones.
She didn’t really like the scent of cinnamon, but when she needed to drink something then she would have some tea…

“Anastasia, who is the former leader of Tingnes… Do you know?”

“…?”

Asha tilted her head.
Knights of Tingnes? She thought she heard it somewhere, but she couldn’t think of it well.

‘Did I see it in the original? But seeing as I can’t remember this much, it doesn’t seem to have had much importance?’

“The name Sir Tarjei Nellin? Have you ever heard of it?”

She shook her head.

As Asha shook her head, Alexei lowered his eyes and picked up a teacup.
The movement was very elegant.

‘Should I learn that?’

Then will she be able to tilt her tea cup in a more elegant way?

Asha fiddled with the handle of the teacup and thought.
And when she heard the next words, Asha burst out her cough.

“He’s your maternal grandfather.”

“Kuluk!”