The Villainous Princess Wants to Live in a Gingerbread House

ake it?”

“Yes! I want to give it to you, Your Majesty.”

“…again.”

“What?”

Asha asked back, but the Emperor did not answer.

‘I can’t figure him out.’

There was a very pleasant atmosphere, and at the same time, there was a sign of disapproval.
In the meantime, the Emperor winked at the chamberlain.
The chamberlain peeled off the paper and put the apple jam cookie on the table.

The Emperor roughly cut the cookies in half with a butter knife and strode them into his mouth.
There’s nothing to say for a while.
Asha looked through the expression and clenched her fist inside.

“It’s working!”

The Emperor, who took a bite, hardened for a while, and slowly chewed what was in his mouth.
Around the Emperor, a subtle flash of light, like a firecracker, burst in the water.

“…Is it an apple inside?”

“Yes! I baked the apple a little and put the boiled one in.”

“This is the texture of the apple.
The cookies are soft, too.”

“I tried to make it savory and sweet… I hope it’s delicious.”

“So what do you want?”

“…What?”

Asha was a little embarrassed and asked back.
She wanted something, so she had been making a fuss since the morning.
She was delighted to think that now that the Emperor was in a good mood after eating the sweets, she would lightly accept any request, but she did not expect that the Emperor would ask first.

“It’s clearly written all over your face.
It’s saying what kind of bribe you brought to ask for a favor.”

“Will you listen to it?”

“It’s up to me to hear and decide.”

“But you already ate the sweets I gave you.”

“Haven’t you half left?”

“As promised last time, I’ll make it like a snack.”

“Kuhm.”

The Emperor, who was tilting his tea cup in a noble posture, coughed small.
The chamberlain brought the napkin with a look of dismay.
The Emperor didn’t seem to want to give a definite answer that he would listen.

She couldn’t help it, she just had to say it.
It was the moment Asha thought so.

“What?”

There was a strange breath of wind in her ear.
While Asha blinked in surprise, the Emperor wiped his mouth with a napkin and opened his mouth.

“…That’s enough.
Yes, tell me what you are going to ask for.”

‘Who? Who?’

She glanced around, but she couldn’t tell what voice it was or whose voice it was.
Meanwhile, the Emperor urged her to answer.

‘Differently?’

“That child, could you please make them a commoner instead of a slave?”

“Why?”

“…!”

“Oh, no.
That’s… Grandfather.
Well, I don’t know yet.”

“…Tell me your business.”

“It was this?”

Asha wished she had her own attendant.
But you can’t use a slave as an attendant.

“Grandfather… gave me something a while ago, a slave…”

“…Hmm.
I did.”

“The slave… Can you make him a commoner?”

“Why?”

Asha tried to hide her gloomy appearance and lowered her eyes.
The slave belongs to the owner and lives in a small room attached to the owner’s room.
But you don’t know what you’ll do to your sleeping master, so you lock him up when you sleep.
That’s why the key is right next to the lock.
I don’t value what’s inside…

“I wish I had my own servant.
But slaves can’t be used all the time.”

“So you’re going to exonerate him as a commoner and use him as your servant? The same is true of commoners who cannot become servants.
Do you know that the lady-in-waiting who takes care of you was also a close friend before your mother got married?”

“Yes… Yes?”

Asha barely held back from shouting before knew it.

‘Was Lise friends with mom?’

No wonder she was exceptionally sweet to her from the first time they met, but it must have been because she was a friend’s daughter.
However, thinking so did not dispel the surprise.

“If I can’t use him as an attendant… make him learn swordsmanship and become my escort knight.”

“What if a slave learns swordsmanship and has a grudge and stabs you to death?”

“It’s stabbing to death.
Even if you don’t learn it, you can just do it…”

“…”

“…”

“If you could grant me a favor, would that be… possible?”

Asha asked again, looking around.
The Emperor shook off half of the cookies he had left and sighed.

“I can’t refuse because I received the bribe.
I see.
Your slave is a commoner as of today.”

“Oh, really?”

“Do you want me to cancel?”

“No! No! No! Thank you very much, Grandpa!”

It’s really working!

Asha jumped up to express her joy, and then sat down again, clutching her ankle.

“What’s wrong?”

“Oh, nothing.
It’s really all right.”

“It’s not all right.
Hello!”

“No, really…”

It’s okay…