18. Individual’s Feelings
Three months had passed since Eleonora was elected as the student council president.
“…The work has finally calmed down. I don’t really care if all the former president did was neglect his duties, but he also committed fraud, adding to my workload.”
They had to arrest those who colluded with Hildred and revise the fraudulent ledgers. Honestly, the latter was the hardest part.
Thanks to that, Eleonora had no time to abuse her power as the student council president. From an outside perspective, she seemed like a humble lady who sacrificed herself for the sake of the academy.
As a result, unfounded rumors spread at the academy.
“Did you know? Not only is she a compassionate young lady, but she’s also selfless enough to devote her entire being to work for the academy.”
“Even the daughters of Marquis Dhruva and Margrave Drews touted her as the ‘Virgin Mary.’ I’ve never met her, but I’m sure she has a pure heart.”
If Eleonora were to listen to that, she’d have fainted from all the nausea. Unfortunately, she was still frantically handling documents in the student council office even today.
She couldn’t escape because two demons (Eleonora’s POV) were watching over her.
The wicked Eleonora couldn’t endure Berthold’s ‘tyranny.’
Feeling dizzy, Eleonora went home, borrowed the kitchen, and baked some cookies.
Surprisingly, Eleonora was an excellent cook, as she often gave Lydian her handmade sweets.
“Actually, I’d intended to use a deadly poison, but the risk of it being traced back to me is high! …This is rather roundabout, but let’s use a slow-acting poison.”
Eleonora carefully went through the poisonous substance she collected from various places and decided to use [Lindis Grass], a poisonous plant that caused abdominal pain. Local tribes sometimes used it as tea leaves, so it tasted like your average drink.
“Abdominal pain can be caused not only by poison but also by stress. It’d be difficult for them to investigate the real cause. By making them bedridden, I’d have plenty of chances to hunt them down.”
Afterwards, Eleonora would just appoint her favorite personnel as the student council members, and her dominion would be perfect.
Eleonora, who was vengeful, grounded the [Lindis Grass], mixed it with the dough, and baked it. Since the taste was similar to tea leaves, there was no need to worry about being caught. Despite the slight bitterness, the overall taste wasn’t bad.
Eleonora baked the cookies while humming.
No matter how one looked at them, the fragrant, golden-brown cookies looked delicious.
“—As expected of me! The cookies look perfect! They wouldn’t be able to tell!”
Overjoyed, Eleonora took the cookies to the academy, thinking it was a great success.
Upon arriving at the student council room, she saw that the two had already started working. They soon acknowledged her presence.
Although they seemed to disdain her, Eleonora still greeted them with a smile.
“Good morning. I baked some cookies as a symbol of my gratitude. Please enjoy them.”
She took out the cookies from the paper bag, served them on a small plate (there was a tea set in the room), and placed it in front of the two.
Instantly, their eyes went wide.
After all, the cookies looked extremely tasty, and to top it off, the smell was so good!
Eleonora desperately suppressed her laughter.
The two never imagined that she could bake sweets.
“How unexpected… You can bake cookies?”
“It looks very delicious. Thank you. I’ll be sure to savor it.”
When someone who committed misdeeds on a daily basis did a good thing for once, they’d seem like a saint—
—and that was exactly how the two felt.
‘Since she’ll become the mother of the nation, I tried to correct her behavior, but who’d have thought that it actually worked? Certainly, she’s an irredeemable woman, but I was also too harsh on her. In fact, I fully expected that she’d hold a grudge against me. But instead, a duke’s daughter like her went to the kitchen to bake us some sweets… What a wonderful development!’ (Berthold)
‘Perhaps, I’ve been prejudiced until now. She has grown as a person. I knew how wicked she was, but that didn’t justify my behavior towards her…’ (Theselius)
As they were responsible for five times the workload of Eleonora, their minds were exhausted. In such a state, Eleonora’s sweets were akin to an oasis to a parched man.
They were touched by the fact that despite their mistreatment, Eleonora still baked some cookies for them.
The two reached for the cookies, full of warm emotions.
Crunch.
Gulp.
The fragrant cookies melted inside their mouths. Moreover, the cookies weren’t too sweet. It was perfect for the two, who didn’t like sweets all that much.
‘…Isn’t this Lindis Grass? If I recall correctly, it serves as both a stress and fatigue reliever? All the ingredients are top-tier. The fragrance of the cookies is accentuated by the bitterness of the grass. How delicious.’ (Berthold)
‘Lindis Grass is an expensive medicinal herb that is monopolized by the Jebgo tribe. It has a really nuanced taste. It alleviates my weariness… Was she concerned about us?’ (Theselius)
With their extensive knowledge, they misunderstood Eleonora’s scheme greatly. Some poisons could serve as medicine, and Lindis Grass was one such type.
When Eleonora saw that they were devouring her cookies, she was excited.
‘Ohohoho! Let them savor it for now! In a few hours, they’ll be clutching their stomachs and throwing a plethora of curses towards me! All right, time to work.’ (Eleonora)
Feeling better, Eleonora was even more motivated to do her job, and did her best.
However, due to the combination of staying up all night and her daily fatigue, Eleonora was about to reach her breaking point.
‘Ugh… My head is dizzy… I’m sleepy…’ (Eleonora)
Eleonora couldn’t fend off the drowsiness that engulfed her, and fell asleep on the spot.
Berthold and Theselius stared at each other.
“She looks exhausted.”
“We’ve been busy lately.”
Just as the two of them stood up to escort her to another room, Lydian suddenly entered the room.
“Huh? Is Eleonora asleep?”
“That’s right. Work has been piling up lately, I guess she’s tired.”
Lydian smiled wryly at Berthold’s answer.
“I see. She was overexerting herself…”
Lydian gently caressed Eleonora’s head, before turning to look at his two vassals.
“Berthold, Theselius, I’m sorry, but please handle today’s work. I’ll escort Eleonora to her mansion.”
“Understood.”
The two readily agreed. Not out of their loyalty towards Lydian, but out of concern for Eleonora, who overworked herself to the brink of exhaustion. They were ruthless to wicked people, but kind to otherwise.
Lydian carried Eleonora and walked down the hallway of the academy, before getting inside his carriage.
Lydian stared at Eleonora’s face and noticed the two dark circles under her eyes. Her hair was also disheveled.
If he wasn’t the crown prince, Eleonora wouldn’t have to go through all of this.
“Thank you for always doing your best. I’m sorry that I didn’t thank you enough. I love you, Eleonora.”
Lydian kissed Eleonora on the cheek, and enjoyed their shared time together.
Although it was only for a short time, Lydian’s energy was recharged the moment he met his fiancée for the first time in a while. Unfortunately, Eleonora didn’t know any of this. In her dream, she was desperately running away from the Document Monster that chased after her…
Several hours later, Eleonora woke up and learned that Lydian carried her home. Of course, by that time, Lydian was gone.
‘Oh no! My makeup is ruined. There are bags under my eyes! I can’t believe His Highness Lydian saw me in such a miserable state!’ (Eleonora)
Eleonora writhed around in shame, but Luna said. “His Highness Lydian didn’t mind, though? In fact, he apologized and was sorry for the hardships he caused.”
“…Really?” Eleonora tearfully asked again and again.
Around that time, Berthold and Theselius suffered from abdominal pain and went to see the doctor, who diagnosed them.
“—It’s because of stress. Did something ail you?”
“…Everything?”
They answered without doubting Eleonora in the slightest.
As a result, the two had to take a few days off. Certainly, it went according to Eleonora’s wicked scheme, but there was no way anyone could easily replace the two, who were taught by Lydian himself. Thus, the documents piled up, and Eleonora suffered from the document hell.
‘…They’re so annoying, but as much as I loathe to admit it, they’re good at their job!’ (Eleonora)
Eleonora acknowledged the two to a certain extent. On the other hand, Berthold and Theselius also acknowledged Eleonora and apologized for their past disrespect and softened to her.
Regardless of Eleonora’s feelings, the student council was now peaceful.
Translator’s Note:
Not even they can escape from Eleonora’s charm huh!
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