Chapter 39

Sometime in the afternoon, I went out with Zenia.

Our purpose was to find a house for me to live in on my own, but in the end, I couldn’t sign a contract.

It wasn’t because I couldn’t find a place I liked.

It was because the real estate agent, who had been showing me around with a bright smile, changed his tune the moment he confirmed my identity.

“Are you… by any chance, Princess Astell Ruthius?”

“What of it?”

“…Ah, oh my! What should I do? I don’t think a contract will be possible.”

“All of a sudden?”

“Well, ah! This house has already been contracted, and I completely forgot.”

“You showed me a house that’s already taken?”

“I-I’m getting old, so my memory keeps failing me… I-I’m so sorry.”

Was this the third time?

I didn’t press the sweating agent any further and turned to leave.

Zenia asked cautiously.

“I don’t understand why all the agents are acting like this today. The moment we try to sign, they all change their story as if they’d planned it… Should we look for another agent?”

“It’ll be the same no matter who we find.”

“Pardon?”

“I’m the Mad Princess. Who would want to rent a house to a madwoman?”

“But you’re a Hunter, Princess. Doesn’t that make it safer?”

“They probably think I’m more dangerous because I’m a Hunter. It’s like a madwoman holding a knife to them.”

“No, who on earth would think something so rude…!”

Zenia was furious as if the sky had fallen, but I was unfazed.

I’d already heard enough at the memorial service to know what the nobles thought of me.

The problem is that most of the vacant houses in the capital are owned by nobles.

‘It would be better to meet the landlords directly instead of going through an agent. To do that, I’d need to know which nobles are wealthy landowners… Should I go to an information guild?’

Maybe it was my low blood sugar, but I had no motivation.

As I headed for the carriage, Zenia, who had been fuming by herself, scurried over.

“So, Princess, what will you do now?”

“First, I need to get something to eat.”

“Come to think of it, you skipped dessert today, didn’t you? Shall I find a dessert shop nearby?”

“Hmm, let’s go to Jean Blanc’s Royal Dessert.”

“Ah! It’s close from here. We’ll be there in no time by carriage.”

Jean Blanc’s Royal Dessert was just a block away.

I thought it was just another ordinary dessert shop, but there was a long line in front of the store.

“Is this place famous?”

“Of course! It’s a dessert cafe opened by none other than a patissier from the imperial palace.”

“Oh, is that so?”

To think I received two vouchers for such a famous shop.

‘It seems the Constellations don’t just give out random things.’

I stared blankly at the people.

“It’s so peaceful. After all that chaos at the memorial service.”

“People have learned it’s not dangerous as long as you avoid the Gates. They’re adapting. The living have to go on living.”

It was the same in my past life.

Even in a world on the brink of ruin, people went to work and bought coffee just like any other day.

It was the result of accepting ruin as a part of daily life and adapting quickly.

‘I was the one who adapted the fastest. To the point of using monster corpses to make money.’

I chuckled at the old memory and stepped up to the counter. An employee with a practiced smile pointed to the line.

“I’m sorry, but you’ll have to get in line.”

“I know. I just wanted to ask something.”

“You can choose your dessert while you wait. For your reference, the cakes are sold out.”

“If the cakes are sold out, can I not use my voucher?”

“Pardon? A voucher?”

“This.”

When I took the voucher out of my inventory and showed it to her, the employee’s eyes widened.

“One moment, please!”

She scurried inside with the voucher and reappeared a moment later, her face flushed.

“The patissier will make one for you now. Will you be dining in?”

“No, to go.”

“This way, please. I’ll show you to a table.”

“I don’t have to wait in line?”

“Those with a voucher are an exception. I’ll prepare some black tea for you first. Please enjoy it while you wait.”

‘What kind of voucher is this that lets me skip the line?’

I thought it was a simple cake coupon, but the reaction was anything but ordinary.

As I sat at the table the employee led me to, people started murmuring.

None of them looked pleased.

“Who is that? Who just walked in without waiting in line?”

“Weren’t nobles supposed to wait in line, no exceptions?”

“Who in the world is she? How did she get a voucher?”

“They don’t sell vouchers here, do they?”

I was wearing my hood pulled down low. The carriage, bearing my family’s crest, was parked far away.

So, to them, it must have looked like some unknown person had just skipped the line and taken a table.

On top of that, Jean Blanc himself was making a sold-out cake just for me.

‘Even I wouldn’t look at this favorably.’

I ignored the glares and sat down at the table.

A moment later, the employee set a black tea service on the table.

I was smiling unconsciously at the bittersweet aroma of the tea.

Just then, a familiar name caught my ear.

“Have you heard? His Majesty summoned Sir Kaiel. I wonder what it could be about.”

“Isn’t this the first time His Majesty has invited a commoner into the imperial palace?”

It was a group of young noble ladies who were already seated inside the shop.

‘Has the news of Kaiel’s visit to the palace already spread? Rumors travel fast.’

I focused on their conversation as I sipped my tea.

“They say he’s even hosting a party for the Hunters. Given the current situation, I suppose it’s unavoidable.”

“Can you really consider Sir Kaiel a commoner? He’s the Master of the Magic Tower and I hear his Hunter rank is high. Who would dare look down on him as a commoner?”

“Honestly, his looks alone are far from a level that could be ignored. He holds his own even when compared to Paladin Johan or the Second Prince, Dante, doesn’t he?”

“When it comes to looks, you can’t leave out Young Duke Alex. Unlike other nobles, his speech is rough and his actions are uninhibited, but doesn’t that make him all the more charming?”

“My, you seem to have a taste for bad boys.”

The young noble ladies covered their mouths with their fans and giggled.

Their voices were so loud that I could hear them without even trying.

‘A taste for Alex, huh. I don’t know whose daughter she is, but her parents must have their hands full.’

I clicked my tongue inwardly and tilted my teacup.

‘Ah, bliss.’

The tea, having cooled to the perfect temperature, held a richer taste and aroma. The unique bittersweet flavor that enveloped my tongue was superb.

‘I feel like I could drink this instead of water.’

“If we’re talking about bad boys, it has to be Sir Dante. Besides, he’s the youngest person to ever earn the title of Sword Master. My apologies to Sir Alex, but isn’t he incomparable, from looks to skill?”

“Isn’t Sir Dante less of a bad boy and more of a harmful one? Just being near him feels like it’s shortening my lifespan.”

“It’s not that. It’s that I wouldn’t mind my lifespan shortening if it meant I could be by his side.”

“Oh my! You’re right, my lady!”

Laughter spread through the shop.

Perhaps because I was listening to them, Dante’s face naturally came to mind.

Those jet-black eyes, devoid of any warmth. That smile, as chilling as it was beautiful.

‘I definitely wouldn’t want to be with him… Johan is better than Dante or Kaiel. He has the body of a beast, the face of an angel, and such an innocent personality.’

I recalled the time I held hands with Johan.

Back then, he had trembled like someone with hand tremors…

‘It was really cute.’

So cute it made me feel guilty that it was all for a mission.

I decided I should donate half the mission reward to Johan’s temple as I savored the tea.

“By the way, what rank do you think Sir Dante is? I was so curious I couldn’t sleep at night.”

“I heard he’s number one.”

“Me too! I heard he’s SSS-rank. How strong is that?”

“There’s also a rumor that he’s a multi-rank, the only one in the world.”

“And they say Sir Dante was the one who defeated the boss. Haa, I should have seen it… I regret not attending the memorial service so much.”

For people under an imperial gag order about the rankings, they seemed to know the details quite well.

A plausible mix of truth and lies, at that.

It felt like I was listening to disinformation deliberately spread to cause confusion.

“Lady Elaine, can’t you give us a hint?”

“Yes, we’re all dying of curiosity.”

I turned my head slightly to see the young noble ladies’ faces.

Indeed, one of the five ladies looked familiar.

The young lady from the house of Count Roma, the one who’d accused me of hiding because I was scared.

Elaine Roma, Hunter rank 71.

‘Is she the one spreading this nonsense?’

But Elaine, perhaps mindful of the gag order, didn’t answer the ladies’ questions.

She only offered a meaningful smile.

It was the other ladies who interpreted that smile however they pleased.

“So Sir Dante really is number one, isn’t he? I knew it.”

“Honestly, if not Sir Dante, who else could be number one? We didn’t even need to ask you, Lady Elaine.”

“Actually, I heard a strange rumor. That’s why I wanted to confirm with you, Lady Elaine.”

“What kind of rumor?”

“That the Mad Princess is number one. At first, I laughed it off because it was so absurd, but after thinking about it, it felt a little strange.”

“What about it?”

“How could such a rumor have spread? The idea of a madwoman taking first place is ridiculous from the start.”

“Perhaps it leaked from the Ruthius estate?”

“Duke Ruthius doesn’t seem like the type to defy His Majesty’s order and spread false rumors, though.”

“Obviously, some ignorant servants must have made it up. Lady Elaine, what do you think of my theory?”

Elaine put down her teacup with an air of superiority.

The young ladies watched her lips expectantly.