Chapter 32

I started a background investigation on Shabelle.

Shabelle liked sweets, and in particular, her favorite was fresh fruit tart.

The Barony of Float was said to be a poor territory, so the Baron barely maintained a mansion in the capital. And the cook at their mansion wasn’t very good at making desserts.

That’s why Shabelle seemed to be diligently going to events and banquets, only to eat the food there.

Dresses took time to make, so I first sent a letter to Shabelle along with five kinds of tarts—strawberry, melon, blueberry, peaches and orange. They were made by the Krenberia estate’s chef.

And I didn’t miss an opportunity that I got with the help of Radiev.

At the Rose Garden, Radiev told me to stop picking a fight with Shabelle and give her a chance to ‘heal’ her ‘wounds’, and Shabelle agreed.

That was much of the contents of my letter.

There were a lot of greetings and formalities in accordance with aristocratic etiquette, so the letter itself was two pages long. But to summarize the contents—

It’s a precious opportunity given by His Highness the Crown Prince, so I’m going to do my best to help and heal your wounds. Please look forward to it.

In other words, Shabelle told Radiev that she’d give me a chance. If I refused, I wrote that it would be tantamount to disobeying an Imperial order.

But when the letter was sent, what came back was a reply from Baron Float, Shabelle’s grandfather.

The Baron seemed to have panicked when he saw that a letter came from a Ducal Princess with the mention of the Crown Prince.

Shabelle’s wounds were healed with the tarts I sent, he said, and thanked me for caring.

‘…How come an adult is targeting me? To make it easier?’

I sighed as I thought of Shabelle.

My purpose wasn’t to heal her wounds, but to attack.

I planned to write a reply addressed to Shabelle again despite the correspondence coming from the Baron, but come to think of it, it’s a little strange.

It wasn’t good etiquette for a man to reply directly to a young lady.

It would be fine if I was an adult, but I was only a year older than Shabelle.

I read the Baron’s reply again. After the greeting, I noticed his first sentence.