CH 23

In the afternoon, while we were talking about the wedding, I heard an unexpected story.

“Yes? You can’t taste anything?”

That means that Cedric has lost his sense of taste.

“Yes. So it’s okay to make dinner with only your favorite food.” Cedric replied indifferently.

The wedding ceremony of the Epricent Empire has a unique culture. That is, the wedding banquet consists of only the foods that the people who are getting married like. It is said that the guests eat together the couple’s favorite food and bless them.

But wouldn’t it be a little different if they only pack my favorite food?

As I was thinking this, Cedric said. “The servants of the castle know that I’m under the curse of slowly falling asleep, so there will be no backlash if they make supper with only your favorite food.”

Ah, well. If so…

I asked, shaking my head. “But what exactly does it mean for your body to slowly fall asleep?”

I know that when the curse is fully executed, he falls into a very deep sleep. He’ll definitely be alive, yet it’s an eternal sleep that makes him not waking up to any stimulus.

But is there something in the process?

Cedric answered my question as if he were explaining it.

“It means that my five senses are slowly paralyzed.

“P-Paralyzed?”

“Yes. It’s nothing. It’s just a dull numbness, like falling asleep slowly.” As he opened his mouth blankly, he continued. “Perhaps my sense of touch will disappear soon.”

Ah, come to think of it, I remember reading it.

‘Smell, taste, touch, hearing, sight, possibly?’

When Cedric’s curse was first described in the original story, he had already lost his sense of touch.

Because of that, the wounds on Cedric’s body never dried up. Even if he bumped into anything and got hurt, he had no sense, so that’s inevitable.

Calib was very afraid to see Cedric, who seemed to be okay with the increased wounds.

Knowing that Cedric is under the curse is completely different from seeing it with my own eyes.

Was it since then?

It was as if darkness had begun to sprout in Calib’s heart… Huh? Wait a minute.

“But, Cedric.” I’m allowed to call him by name because we were about to get married.

Come to think of it, he was already calling my name.

I said, leaning my upper body towards Cedric. “But last time, didn’t you hold my hair and smell it?”

“Hm?”

“Obviously, you asked if I used perfume.”

It was after the successful eradication (?) of Jeryl.

Cedric suddenly grabbed a handful of my hair and sniffed it. It was so cute that Calib imitated his older brother like that, that’s why it stayed in my memory.

“If you had lost my sense of smell, you wouldn’t have been able to smell.”

I didn’t doubt Cedric’s words that he was losing his senses.

Instead of answering my words, Cedric only spat out a disturbing sigh.

“Cedric?”

“Actually, I doubt it.”

“Yes?”

“It’s natural that I can’t taste anything as I can’t smell. So I lost my sense of smell and taste almost at the same time, and I didn’t taste anything at lunch with Calib a little while ago.”

Since the mouth and nose are interconnected, the sense of smell influences the sense of taste.

“But Ellia, you smell.”

“…Yes?”

Startled, I quickly raised my arm and hit my nose.

Sniff, sniff, my clothes only smelled good.

Seeing me like that, he let out a short laugh.

“I’ll have to correct it as a scent. I never meant anything bad.”

Ah, that surprised me.

Cedric looked at me with a subtle gaze as I lowered my arm awkwardly.

“From you, grapefruit, peach… It smells so refreshing.”

“Grapefruit and peach?”

Those are the fruits that I have never eaten since I possessed this body.

“In the hut, I couldn’t smell properly because there wasn’t any circumstance, and after coming to the Grand Duke’s Castle, each of us was busy.”

I met Olivia that day and had a bad laundry.

“When you came to my office the next morning, I smelled these scents ever since.”

Eh, how great.

If so, it means that Cedric has been smelling that scent from me for quite some time.

“But until then, I was confused. It could have been a momentary illusion.”

“So that’s why you checked that when I was on the bed back then.”

Cedric nodded slowly.

Is that why he smiled like that?

Looking back, the silent smile seemed very satisfied.

“Ellia, I still smell that scent.”

“R-Really?”

“Yes. Isn’t it really strange?”

Cedric blinked at his untouched tea.

“I can’t even smell the scent of Earl Grey which looks so dark even after searching for that scent, but the scent that you emit every time you move is so clear.”

Those blue hydrangea eyes looked straight at me. I don’t know what those quiet eyes that didn’t have any ripples were thinking.

Is he thinking of me as suspicious, or is he simply curious…

If it’s the former, I’m screwed.

If this interaction happened because I’m the bad fairy who cursed him…?

Cedric is a genius, so he’ll be able to figure out what’s going on in the circumstance right away.

…Damn it.

After all this, I should get married quickly, get rid of the curse and run away before Cedric finds out.

It was the time when I couldn’t do anything and just mumbled.

Rumble!

Suddenly, lightning struck and thunder rang out.

“Kyakk!”

The world flashed as if a thunderbolt had fallen nearby, and I was distracted by the roaring sound of thunder.

Soon after, it rained as if it was waiting.

Swoosh, I feel like I’m falling hard as if I were in a typhoon.

Even though it’s a fantasy world, isn’t the weather always changing?

“Suddenly it’s raining like this…?”

Embarrassed that I screamed, I spoke with an awkward face.

But Cedric’s expression was unusual.

“Cedric?”

“Ah, yes. It’s raining… All of a sudden.”

Cedric’s expression as he looked at the window where the water had already flowed was somewhat chilly.

It was at this time.

“Ellia!”

The door to the office swung open without notice.

The main character was none other than Calib.

As he opened Cedric’s office without permission, he exclaimed with a very bright face.

“It’s raining, Ellia!”

His feet were pounding like a puppy who was excited about the rain.

Ah, how cute.

But Cedric looked at Calib with cold eyes.

Why is Cedric doing this?

Was he so upset that Calib swung the door open without knocking?

Then Cedric said.

“Calib. You…”

“Hm?”

Cedric licked his lips as if he had something to say. Then he immediately shook his head.

“Hmm?”

Calib tilted his head as if he was curious. Yet Cedric didn’t continue. Perhaps he didn’t think much of Cedric, Calib said with a bright face.

“Right, Brother! You know, Ellia makes good potato pancakes!”

“Potato… pancakes?”

“Yeah, potato pancakes!”

Cedric’s face, full of anticipation, and Cedric’s expressionless faces turned to me at the same time.

Since it’s raining, let’s make potato pancakes… Well, I think it was like that.

S-So suddenly?

As soon as I smiled awkwardly, Calib said in a worried voice.

“Brother, you don’t eat well these days. Do you have no appetite?”

“Um, that’s…” Cedric muffled his words with an ambiguous expression on his face.

Apparently he didn’t say he lost his taste, because he was afraid Calib was worried.

Was that why Calib was more afraid in the original story?

He was relieved to see Brother, who seemed to have no problem, but suddenly lost his sense of touch?

Between those thoughts, Calib said.

“But it’s okay. Ellia’s potato pancakes will make you crave for them.”

Huh?

“Ellia is really great. She can cook a lot of food in a short time without using any magic, and she can cook a lot of different dishes with just potatoes.”

Calib came up to me and said. “Besides, as Ellia said, it reminds me of potato pancakes because it rains.”

The red eyes staring up at me were innocent, but somehow I felt skeptical.

Didn’t he come too soon as soon as it rained and he got reminded of it?

But, well…

That said, there was no reason not to make potato pancakes.

I said, holding Calib in a flash.

“Then, shall I show off my skills after a long time?”

“Wow!”

Calib welcomed with his hands raised high.

I laughed out loud, forgetting that Calib was so cute like that.

“Is Brother going with us too? Once you try it, you will definitely like it.” Calib looked at Cedric with twinkling eyes. There seemed to be diamond-shaped glitters flying around.

Cedric closed his mouth for a moment, then looked at me. He seemed to be asking me for help, knowing his circumstances.

But there was nothing I could do about it. 

I don’t want to disappoint because Calib is so cute!

‘I’m sorry.’

Cedric’s expression distorted slightly when he closed his eyes with such a gaze and then opened them.

Eventually, he sighed and stood up from his seat.

“Edwin, organize the items that have been set so far and put them on my desk.”

“Yes. I understand.”

We headed straight to the kitchen, guided by Olivia.