The Villainess Is Being Doted on by the Crown Prince of the Neighboring Country 79

Sudden news

“Fwaaaahhh…”

“Sleepy?”

“…Yeah.”

After returning to their bedroom together with Aquasteed, Tiararose was so relieved that she couldn’t help but yawn. She then wondered if Aquasteed would scold her throughout the entire night… but he started to brush her head gently instead.

“For now, you can get into the bathtub.”

“Ah, thanks.”

Consenting to the worrying Aquasteed’s advice, Tiararose got into the bathtub.

The warm water was making her head fall as she dozed off. Aquasteed, who was using a different bathroom, smiled bitterly as he dried Tiararose’s hair with wind magic.

Then he took Tiararose and put her to bed. By the time he had whispered “Good night” in her ear, her consciousness had already drifted off to dreamland.

◇　◇　◇

Tiararose and the others got up in the afternoon and had a light meal.

Still a bit sleepy, she went to the kitchen to bake a cake together with Liliarge. Aquasteed had told Tiararose not to go outside, since he was worried about her catching a cold due to her having stayed up all night the night before.

He then set out together with Pheles to visit the neighborhood on horseback.

After telling Liliarge about what had happened the night before, she thought it was fun and laughed.

『Were Aquasteed and Pheles drinking on the roof?』

“Looks like it. I was surprised to find that out…”

『It’s rather unusual for the royalty to be drinking outside. But Pheles has been like that since forever.』

While Pheles certainly has the dignity of a king, he has a childish side.

Apparently, a long time ago, Pheles had once sat on the ground to drink with the Fairy Kings. That may have not looked very nice if Keith had been around.

『I too have been swayed by his uncontrolled behavior many times. I hated his guts at first for being so rash at first.』

“Rash…?”

『Yes. Pheles was from a royal family, but had several brothers that were older than him. In order to establish a new country, he ran away from home.』

“…”

Tiararose was surprised after hearing Liliarge’s words.

Sure enough, Pheles was from a royal family of another country. Tiararose knew that he had founded Marineforest together with the Fairy Kings, but didn’t know much about the details.

『There were no fairies in the country where Pheles was born. It seems he had set out wanting to see an actual fairy, which eventually led him to where Marineforest is now.』

Pheles had come to this place to meet Liliarge after hearing the rumors about her, who was favored above all other fairies. He then settled in the fairies’ village, and became friends with them.

Liliarge seemed to be having fun telling their story, but a while ago she had mentioned that he hated him at first. However, they seemed to love each other deeply. There must have been very difficult times for both of them before the two became united.

Tiararose vowed to herself to overcome any difficulties that may arise in her future together with Aquasteed.

『Ah, Tiara! The cake should be ready soon, right?』

“Yes, it’s looking good.”

Liliarge’s nose twitched in response to the smell of the spongy cake coming out of the oven. Her glossy tail swinging left and right was a clear indication of just how much she was looking forward to the cake, more so than her words.

Tiararose put whipped cream over it, and then Liliarge added some strawberries. The strawberries were laid out wonderfully over the top of the cake.

As a final touch, Tiararose added a cute decorative piece of chocolate that looked like Liliarge, which she had secretly made beforehand.

『Ah, what’s that? It’s so cute!』

“It’s you, Lady Liliarge. Chocolate can be melted and poured into a mold to give it any shape you like. Isn’t it cute?”

『Yes!』

Liliarge smiled, thinking that it would make Pheles really happy to see that.

Tiararose was extremely pleased, knowing that she would make someone happy with sweets. Laughing, she and Liliarge took the finished cake to the living room.

Aquasteed and Pheles returned home just as Firine had finished making tea.

“Tiara, I’m back.”

“Welcome back, Aqua.”

Tiararose went to greet them at the door, and got a tender kiss on the forehead from Aquasteed. She was a bit embarrassed because Pheles was right next to them, but since she was so happy, she didn’t say anything about it. A shy “Oh…” slipped out of her lips, which made Aquasteed laugh.

After seeing that, Pheles too tried to kiss Liliarge on the cheek as she came to greet him, but…

“I’m home, Lilia.”

『Welcome home! But it’s embarrassing, so don’t!』

The embarrassed Liliarge gave Pheles a cute punch to push him away.

Tiararose took their jackets to the hanger, and led them to the living room. The cake they had just finished baking was waiting for them there.

“Ah, that’s right, you said you’d bake a cake.”

“Look at that! There’s a tiny Lilia on it too.”

Aquasteed looked at the strawberry cake on the table and commented on just how tasty it looked. Pheles was fixated on the Lilia-shaped chocolate decoration.

The four of them passed the time speaking about the events of that day while enjoying the delicious cake.

Pheles opened his mouth to talk while looking at Liliarge happily stuffing her cheeks with cake.