"Princess."
Doloros walked up to her, hands behind his back.
"Sir Doloros!"
Vivia brightened upon his arrival. They stood in the courtyard, a sea of colorful flowers waving dreamily along with the wind's tune and birds merrily chirping in the cloudless sky. Doloros stroked his beard, his eyes carefully studying Vivia's hand.
"How much does it hurt, Princess?"
"Oh this? It doesn't hurt much~"
The way his eyes squinted passed a forced gulp through her throat. It reminded her of the times her master would easily catch her in the lie.
"Don't underestimate me, Princess. I did notice your stiff movements, however subtle they may be. And that cheek too. Please come to my chamber for a moment."
"This much is really nothing, Sir Doloros..."
Nevertheless, she found herself in his office, waiting for Doloros to prepare his medicine as he mixed some herbs together. He returned to her side and applied a thin layer of the cool paste across the faintly reddish mark on her cheek. It absorbed immediately, the stinging pain settling down to her relief. He then gently lifted her hand.
Not visible to the naked eye, he peeled off a translucent layer that revealed the ugly burn wounds underneath, throbbing in a purple hue. Staring at it, Vivia's request to meet him late last night momentarily flashed in his mind.
'May I ask for a favor, Sir Doloros?' An awkward smile laced her lips as they sat beside the fireplace.
'Has your pain worsened?'
'No, no, it's fine. Your medicine is doing wonders. I was just wondering…if you could somehow hide it.'
'Hide?'
'So that my wounds won't be visible tomorrow.'
It occurred to Doloros a beat of silence later.
'The princess doesn't want the Emberlain Convoy to learn about young lord Astaroth's aggression against you?'
A faint smile was all her response.
'Why? It isn't a minor incident to be overlooked. True, it'd raise tensions, but I believe Lady Asmodea will handle the diplomacy part.'
'I believe she will, but I'd still prefer they don't get to know about it. One demon's violence doesn't reflect upon the entire realm. Even so, this one incident will overshadow all the good things that I've experienced here.'
Doloros's thoughts juggled between sympathy and helplessness at present.
How much did she endure to not accidentally expose this?
He gently wrapped the invisible film back once he was done tending to her wounds. "You shouldn't keep it on for a long time. It'll only worsen by covering it."
She dropped a courteous bow. "Thank you for your help, Sir Doloros. I'll take my leave."
"Wait."
Doloros left the chamber for a moment, and soon returned with a small pot in his hands that blossomed with a delicate flower.
Curiosity ramped up within her. "Oh my, it's such a beautiful flower. What is it called?"
"Lilybell."
"Oh, I remember! I heard Crown Prince Zerath mention it once. There's a garden of lilybells that only bloom when they're…" she coughed, "entertained."
"Yes. I'd like to give this to you as a farewell present."
Her lips slightly parted, stunned. To think that a demon cared enough to present her with a parting gift - to a human at that - was an immeasurable joy. She gingerly took the pot in her hands, lost in the flower's beauty as her eyes moistened.
"Thank you, Sir Doloros. But i-it wasn't really necessary…" her voice choked up a bit.
Doloros's stance remained the same. "For me, it was. Take good care of it. Lilybells are a little mischievous. But they've good healing properties. The medicine that I applied on your wound also contains its nectar. It's a very useful flower."
His disciples, Karin and Tael, too, arrived by then, bringing a heavy metal box with them.
"This is for you, Princess. This box contains some varied medicinal herbs from our realm that could help you in the future," Karin said.
"Though we hope you never get injured in the first place," Tael added.
Her eyes widened. "I-I cannot accept this. This lilybell is enough for me."
"A princess shouldn't be too humble," Doloros stuffed the box in her hands along with the lilybell pot she already held.
Her head lowered as she tried to stop the stubborn tears from escaping. An overwhelming joy surged in her heart with their kind presents.
Leaving his chamber with a sniffling nose, she made her way towards the royal kitchen next. Chef Andras's raised brows strained with fury made her promptly decide to back off.
"Wait!"
"..."
I think today's the day he'll finally cook me alive.
Opposed to her violent imagination, Andras stuffed a small bag into her hands, though she barely had any space left as she already held Doloros's presents.
"What's this?"
His nose slightly elongated with pride. "The best pudding this royal chef has made. And with the best honey that was gifted to me!"
"Best honey?"
"Do you have any idea how rare this honey is? It comes from a species of bees that are rarely spotted in our realm, so even getting hands on a few drops of it costs quite a fortune. At first, I thought someone was playing a prank on me, but I personally tested it. This is real…It's a great preservative that lasts for a long time. This…this is my treasure," his eyes teared up, and he sniffled.
Vivia was dumbfounded to see his stern persona break with his starry-eyed drool that was otherwise only filled with chill towards her.
"T-That's so nice to hear! But I don't remember seeing this pudding in the welcome feast."
His gaze darkened. "Why'd I serve my precious pudding with the precious honey to the Emberlain Convoy? As if I'll serve this to humans!"
"...I'm a human so why are you giving this pudding to me?"
"It's our parting gift to you, Princess!"
Sous chefs Ronove and Vassago eagerly made their presence known by raising their hands in full swing, popping up from behind Andras's back.
"Chef Andras especially made it for the Princess!"
"It's your farewell gift, but he won't say it to you because he's shy!"
His dangerous shadow loomed over them with a voice that crackled thunderously. "What did you two say?"
"That you made two puddings Chef! One for Azarael and one for the Princess!" They beamed so brightly as if they were born golden.
Ah, such sunshine they are…Can I take them with me to Emberlain?
Lifting a crafty smile on her lips, she grinned. "Chef Andras made this pudding for me. I'm so touched. And Azarael too, huh~?"
"Because Azarael secretly kept the honey jar at the counter. We saw it ourselves!" The sous chefs exclaimed.
"Oh!"
Her train of thoughts broke when Vespera came rushing in. "Chef Andras! That ice demon child," she heaved breathlessly, "He's freezing your kitchen!"
Everyone rushed at once and spotting him, Vivia hurried to his side. He had been hiding in the corner of the kitchen, his body curled into a ball.
"Eurus!"
As opposed to the urgency Vespera had highlighted, the kitchen wasn't in that dire a state, but the temperature had certainly dropped to a dangerously low degree. A thin layer of ice was now beginning to form all over.
Eurus slowly raised his head, and his teary silver eyes shone. He jumped to embrace Vivia, and his arms tightly wrapped around her waist. Burying her head in her chest, he sniffled and trembled.
"Why are you crying, Eurus? Did you get hurt?" Vivia patted his back with gentle strokes.
"He didn't get hurt. He's crying because he heard from some guards passing by about the Princess leaving Rudaheim," Vespera grimaced.
She then muttered. "He was only supposed to control Chef Andras in case he goes berserk."
Andras frowned and threw her a sharp glare. "Why'd I go berserk?"
Ronove raised his hand. "In case Chef burns the kitchen out of anger for serving the Emberlain Convoy!"
"Only Eurus will be able to stop you!" Vassago nodded.
Vespera's urgent attempts to signal the two sous chefs to shut their mouths went all in vain.
Andras glared. "You think I'll burn my precious kitchen?"
She snorted. "Your temper is well known throughout the realm, Chef Andras. Don't try to fool us."
"Eurus…"
Vivia kept all her presents aside and held his face. Guilt consumed her, seeing his bubbly cheeks reddened with tears and despair. Truth be told, she had wanted to tell Eurus about her departure last night after the festival itself. But the more she imagined his reaction, the more her heart twisted. Eventually, she failed to tell him anything.
But now as he learned about it at the last moment with no time to process the sudden news, her guilt only intensified. She hugged him back, tears brimming in her eyes along with his.
"Please forgive me, Eurus. I was very harsh to you. I should've told you last night."
She met his beautiful eyes. "But I'm a human. I was only supposed to stay here temporarily until my brothers came to fetch me. My real home is in the Human Realm."
His expression paled, and he tightened his grasp on her waist, vigorously shaking his head in dismissal.
"No…Don't go…"
A flash of inspiration struck him.
"I will go with you," His eyes sparkled hopefully like little snow flakes.
"I and Zerath go with you!"