I Don't Want To Work! - Chapter 56
CHAPTER 56
“Here you are, Your Highness.”
The servant handed the glass courteously.
The long-necked crystal glass contained golden champagne.
“Thank you.”
I took the glass and sipped.
It was a luxurious champagne suitable for the first ball of the year.
I smiled. Delicious. And—
‘I want to go home right now.’
Whether the champagne was delicious or not.
Oh, I want to go home.
‘I’m tired…’
I shook my head slightly.
Coming to the ballroom at a time when I would normally be fast asleep was tiring enough, let alone the stares of the pouring crowd.
‘And I’m even more tired because of the fuss about learning to dance these past few days.’
I blinked my eyes.
Lady Whitney introduced by Liena was a very nice person.
She had a soft and kind appearance, overflowing with consideration, and her dancing skills were excellent.
“Now, Your Highness, watch me~ Like this, like this~ It’s quite easy, isn’t it?”
Moreover, how beautiful her dance lines were.
My passion for dancing was ignited even though I had given up on it.
But, there was one overlooked problem.
“Ah, Your Highness, have fainted!!”
“Aaah, Your Highness!!”
It was my stamina.
Fainting while spinning around.
Fainting after stumbling on a step and hitting my head against the wall.
I even fainted from exhaustion after memorizing the choreography.
After achieving the achievement of fainting twice a day, I had no choice but to take out the leaf of the World Tree and the last remaining Mandragora.
‘Tears are coming.’
There will be no more learning to dance in my life from now on.
I will conquer all balls with this dance.
‘By the way, where can I replenish Mandragora after eating it all?’
I shook the champagne glass.
The bubbles rose and disappeared.
‘The Emperor’s physical condition has greatly improved.’
Just a few days ago, I made time to visit the Emperor.
And sneakily checked his physical condition, which was not only much improved but also full of vigor.
‘It would be dangerous to continue taking Mandragora.’
Even though his body had fully recovered, there could still be side effects if he continued to take Mandragora.
So, I advised him tearfully to stop taking Mandragora.
Sigh.
‘Now, where can I get Mandragora?’
It was a sweet deal to eat Mandragora falling from the Emperor’s side.
‘It’s too expensive to buy with my own money…’
Although I didn’t feel it every day, Mandragora was a precious medicine.
How expensive was it?
I wondered if I could buy three or four roots with my annual dignity maintenance budget.
‘I need it.’
I pouted my lips.
Just a few days ago, a letter came back from ‘him’.
It was a letter asking for an appropriate reward for helping the Teckon Orc tribe.
Of course, I could create what was needed, but the problem was the price.
‘Medicine and money are both needed!’
There was not no way.
If I were to rush to the Emperor and poke at the guilt, he would surely shower me with both money and medicine without hesitation.
‘But somehow, I don’t feel like doing that.’
Awkward attempts to get closer with clumsy apologies.
‘Besides, honestly, I wasn’t exactly from a kind family.’
No matter how many times I rid myself of those who cling to me in pursuit of the goal of making Nectar, I always end up leaving them behind. I closed my eyes.
<Family? How unexpected that you would consider a decent person as family.>
The words of the Detmé came to mind a while ago.
‘Anyway, I need to find a way.’
While I finished the remaining champagne, someone approached.
“Hello.”
It was Stella.
Today, Stella was wearing a sleeveless white dress that perfectly matched her sun-kissed brown skin.
“Hello, Your Highness.”
Why is she here?
As I bowed my head, Stella also nodded lightly.
“….”
Then silence fell. Stella just stared at me intently.
What is it? Why? I rolled my eyes.
Does… she have something to say?
“Um, Your Highness. Do you have something to tell me?”
“That.”
Stella hesitated.
What is it?
“You… you treated Countess Saila’s son’s Rom fever, right?”
“Ah.”
I nodded.
“Yes.”
“And you also treated the Good Empress’ illness?”
This time, I nodded again.
Technically, it was about finding the compatibility of two tea leaves and Tiani spring water.
But my efforts were acknowledged.
As I continued to nod, Stella turned her head towards me completely.
“Lastly, I have one more question.”
“Ask anything.”
“On the Day of Festival…”
Stella’s golden eyes stared directly at me.
“You were the one who solved the problem.”
“….”
It was a gaze full of certainty.
Lies didn’t stand a chance against such eyes.
Since the other party was already convinced of the truth.
“Yes.”
I sighed deeply and nodded again.
“Why did you hide such abilities until now?”
Stella asked.
“If you had shown even a part of the abilities you just displayed, life would have been much easier.”
“And I would have come close to death much more often.”
I said, placing the empty glass on the nearby table and raising my empty hands.
“I have no big dreams, Your Highness.”
It was a gesture of surrender.
“My dream is simple, to lie on a bed for the rest of my life and roll around, licking honey!”
Yeah.
My essence keeps getting blurry, but my true essence in this life is exactly that.
Living thin, long, and sucking honey!
“I don’t want to do anything other than breathe, eat, and sleep. Really, I’m serious.”
I clasped my hands tightly and took a step closer to Stella.
“I don’t want to work…!!”
It was true.
I would be willing to take out my heart to prove my sincerity. I, I-.
‘I don’t want to work!!!’
“Calm down!”
My sincerity seemed to overwhelm Stella, as she grabbed my shoulders in surprise.
“Calm down.”
She repeated twice, which made me seem even more flustered, huh?
As I nodded, Stella took a deep breath and spoke up.
“So, does that mean you’re not interested in the throne?”
She understands this so perfectly.
“That’s right.”
I rubbed my palms together and lowered my body slightly.
“I have no interest in the throne. Just living well! That’s my only concern.”
“Hmm.”
Stella narrowed her eyes.
“You do seem that way, indeed.”
I nodded lightly.
“If you were interested in the throne, you would have shown your skills sooner.”
And besides, herbalism doesn’t help with inheriting the throne.
Stella muttered quietly as an afterthought.
‘Alright!’
I clenched my fist.
‘At first, I thought not having any abilities was a curse.’
No, it wasn’t.
Being incompetent saved me.
‘If I had abilities like magic or swordsmanship here, Stella or Leonard would have been wary of me right away.’
Now, Leonard and Stella have gone beyond being cautious and are in a full-blown fight.
Later on, when they competed for superiority, they would’ve tried to get rid of me immediately.
I would have done the same.
‘Rather than leaving traces, it’s better to be ruthless.’
I swallowed my saliva and looked at Stella, who seemed lost in thought.
“Alright, I understand.”
Stella nodded.
Although there was still some wariness left, her gaze had loosened considerably.
That’s enough, I’m grateful for this much!
As I nodded quickly, Stella chuckled softly and even let out a small laugh.
“I didn’t bring this up for anything else.”
“Really?”
“No, it’s not.”
Hmm, after Stella cleared her throat once, she glanced around.
Although Stella and I were an odd combination that attracted attention, our voices couldn’t be heard.
Even though I confirmed this, Stella bowed her head and whispered in my ear.
“One of my subordinates is very ill.”
“What kind of illness?”
“It’s not an illness.”
She shook her head heavily.
“It’s a curse.”
A curse. I swallowed my saliva.
…But why is she telling me this?
“The mage has already been there. So are the priests.”
Stella spoke quickly as if she knew what I was going to say.
“But no one could break the curse. Not even the high priest of the Temple of Detmé.”
“…?!”
I almost exclaimed but managed to quiet my voice.
“The high priest couldn’t break the curse?”
“That’s right.”
Stella nodded heavily.
“The high priest said it was a curse cast with the same sanctity, so it couldn’t be broken.”
The same sanctity?
That means the god cast the curse.
‘The gods wouldn’t usually curse humans.’
If a human under a curse is someone’s faithful servant or a priest, it could lead to a conflict between the gods.
Moreover, since the gods intervened in the human realm, it could upset the balance.
That’s why the gods usually leave human affairs to be resolved by humans themselves.
“….”
A chilling prediction passed through my spine.
Yeah, they’re cautious.
Gods who rush in without looking ahead.
“Your Highness, you visited the battlefield not long ago.”
When I just recalled it, Stella and Leonard didn’t leave their seats due to a small war.
The Emperor had just returned.
“Yes.”
Stella nodded at my words.
“Were there soldiers from the Kyres mercenaries among them?”
“….Yes.”
Ah, this bastard!!
My prediction was correct.
Kyres, the god of war.
He was a man without a brain or character to speak of!