CH 417

Mia Gets Stabbed by Tatiana (Mentally)

“Is this Crolio Pond… It’s a very pretty place.”

Rania led the group to a man-made pond. In contrast to the castle, which was mostly made of wood, this was made of layers of stone. It was also well-kept, and the sound of the clear water flowing made it a peaceful place where people could fall asleep.

“I told everyone else not to come in so we could wash off here.”

The pond was surrounded on all four sides, giving us plenty of privacy.

“Hmm… It almost looks like a bathroom. The lack of a roof worries me a little, but it’ll do for washing.”

Mia took off her shoes and clothes and threw them on the ground. She quickly changed into a one-piece swimming suit with the help of Anne.

“Come on, Bel. You’re also going to take a swim; as well as Tatiana. We’re going to a banquet tonight, so make sure you’re both clean and nice,” she said, acting like the older sister of the two girls.

Her act of maturity lasted only a few seconds, until she saw the pile of fabric at Bel’s feet. The carefully folded stack of fabric.

“All right, Mia-neesama!”

Bel has already taken off all of her clothes. Tatiana, next to her, was still changing, but she was also folding each piece of clothing she had taken off. In fact, her pile was even neater than Bel’s, which may have been because she was interested in medicine. Mia looked down at her own messy pile of clothes, on top of which was a carelessly crumpled dress. It should be said again that Mia was the princess of Tearmoon. As a proud member of the royal family, she was used to having servants take care of her. She had never had to worry about what would happen to her clothes after she took them off. She knew Anne would clean them up, because Anne always did.

But Mia quickly and quietly straightened up her own pile.

It wasn’t because she needs to. It was about being an older sibling to two younger sisters. It was important for her ego to be safe.

“Okay, now that you’re ready, it’s time to jump in!”

She said it as if she had been waiting all this time for the girls to finish folding their clothes. Then, after getting rid of all the evidence of her carelessness, she walked boldly toward the edge of the pond. She put her toe in the water first. It wasn’t as cold as she thought it would be. She put both of her feet in. Her skin, which had been warmed by the sun, felt cool and pleasant. Then she put her legs in the water up to the knees. The itching and stinging on her feet was already starting to go away. The water started to work so quickly that it was almost like magic.

“Wow, this really does wonders. What is with the water here?”

“I heard it’s because this spring water has substances that heal wounds and tiredness,” Tatiana said as she walked up to the edge.

“Wow, therapeutic substances.” Mia said as she pulled one foot out of the water and looked at it.

From what she could see, it didn’t look like anything special.

It still hurts a little, but it doesn’t worry me that much. Even more so since I’ve already cut my feet on the basement floor. Those rocks were pretty sharp. For Mia, who had been through prisons and guillotines to build her character, wheat-induced dermatitis wasn’t much to worry about.

“How do you feel, milady? Should I perhaps…” Anne said, leaning in with worry.

At that moment, Tatiana put up her hand. “Oh, if that’s okay, I could take a look.”

“Oh, yes, that’s right. You know some medicine, right?” said Mia. “So, Anne, could you take care of Bel for me? Clean her up, all right? I don’t just want her to look nice, but I also want her to be clean.”

“I… Okay, I get it.” For a brief moment, Anne seemed to take a deep breath. Then she gave a nod.

Hm? That was strange. Mia noticed that Anne didn’t seem very happy at that time. I hope she’s just tired… In either case, I should pay attention to this. I’ll ask her about it when I’m done with my bath.

A quick answer seemed wise. Shalloak was still waiting for her later in the evening, when she would have to face him. Then, she would rather not be caught off guard by a problem in her own camp. As she thought about her choices, she lifted one foot for Tatiana to look at. The younger girl looked at the bottom of her foot for a while, then squeezed her calf. Her eyes furrowed, and the corners of her lips stuck out.

“Oh? Is it all the way up there swollen? No, I think it’s stiff from all the walking,” Tatiana said as she rubbed it harder.

“My, you can also give massages? It feels good.” As a test, Mia tried to squeeze her other calf in the same way. It felt a little bit more meaty than she remembered, but she thought that was just her mind playing tricks on her.

Then Tatiana said, “Um, Your Highness, I know that’s a very rude thing to say, but if I may be so bold…”

Mia looked up and saw Tatiana looking at her very seriously. She felt sick to her stomach when she thought that the sharp wheat had caused more damage than she had expected.

“I’m sorry to tell you this, but I’ve been keeping an eye on your diet since the beginning of this trip, and I think you’re eating too much.”

Mia’s jaw dropped. She just sat there, speechless, as Tatiana continued to rub her legs. After what must have been enough pressing, she finally nodded in a way that looked like a doctor making a final diagnosis.

What’s with that nod? She figured out what?!

“If you eat too many sweets, it will hurt your body. Obesity is bad for your health.”

“D-Did you just say…obesity?”

“Yes. We haven’t reached that point yet, but if you eat too many sweets, you’ll gain too much weight and hurt your health.”

She hadn’t reached that point yet. In that remark was the implication that she might do someday. She hadn’t gone too far, but she was getting close enough to be worth mentioning. Mia was shocked by the harsh ruling. As she worriedly thought about what the girl had said, each word reverberating like thunder, she gave Bel’s upper arm just below the elbow a squeeze.

“Eeek! M-Mia-neesama, that makes me laugh!”

Mia ignored her granddaughter’s laughing squeal and squeezed the same part of her own upper arm. When she compared how fat they were, she gasped when she learned that…hers was fatter. She had no more reasons to hide behind, so she had to face the harsh truth that she’d made a mistake: she’d been eating too much.

“I strongly suggest that Your Highness pay more attention to what and how much you eat. Your health is very important, after all,” Tatiana said in a more serious tone.

“Of course, of course, of course. You are correct. I…appreciate that you are ready to correct people when they need it. It takes guts to do that, and it’s a very important trait for doctors to have,” Mia said, trying not to shake too much as she spoke. “I-I admire your honesty, and I hope you never lose this important part of your personality. If you ever get in trouble for saying what you think in this way, please come to me. I will help you.”

In general, Mia was a person who could listen to advice. But if someone said, “Your Highness, you’re getting a little fat, so you should watch what you eat!” was a little hard to take. At the end of the day, this wisdom only hurt her. It wasn’t fair that the pain was so unevenly spread! If she had to take a knife, then everyone else should too. So she gave Tatiana a friendly push and told her to keep giving her honest, heartbreaking advice to whoever was next. When it came to pain, Mia was a big fan of sharing, even if it meant forcing people to share whether they liked it or not.

I bet Esmeralda and her friends are also secret overeaters. I’m sure of it! Everyone must have some parts that are too big. Hmph, I’ll show them all how bad it feels to be me!

Then she had another thought.

Hmm… Perujin veggies are very fresh, and their fruits look very healthy to eat because they are all nice, juicy things… There is still time before the dinner party. Maybe a short snack break won’t do much harm. I’ve traveled all the way to the capital, which is known for its delicious snacks. I wouldn’t want to disrespect their culture.

Before long, she was thinking of thoughts that went against what Tatiana had said.