Meanwhile, a maid began pouring tea, filling the air with fruity and floral scents. Annette, mesmerized, was startled by the clinking sound, noticing the cup before her. Unlike the clear ruby-red tea in the Empress Dowager and Empress’s cups, hers was a murky brown with white foam bubbling on top.
‘…Is this some sort of punishment?’
She recalled mean maids mixing gravel or dirt in her food as a child.
‘It can’t be dirt, but…’
Feeling dejected, Annette wondered if it was a mere prank by a maid or the Empress Dowager’s command.
“Your Highness, even if Lady Heyworth’s body has become young, her taste might not be that of a child. Why only hot chocolate for her?”
Charlotte’s words made Annette’s head shoot up, her heart leaping.
“Is this hot chocolate?”
“Have you never seen it before?”
“Yes!”
Realizing it wasn’t a nasty trick, Annette excitedly replied, then hesitated, awkwardly adding, “Chocolate is rare in Heyworth, so…”
It wasn’t a lie. In Heyworth Kingdom, chocolate was a luxury, and she had heard that even Bridget and Laon only enjoyed it occasionally, imported from the empire.
However, Annette felt somewhat embarrassed to boldly admit that she, a princess, was seeing these for the first time.
Almost everyone knew about her situation in Heyworth, and she didn’t care much about others’ opinions, but…
Strangely, she didn’t want to show that here.
“So you don’t know yet whether it suits your taste.”
Fortunately, the Empress Dowager didn’t seem to find Annette’s added comment peculiar and looked at her intently, encouraging her to taste it. The Empress Dowager’s expression still seemed quite stern.
Yet, Annette increasingly felt that she might not dislike her.
‘Considering the thoughtful preparation…’
“Ahem.”
Caught up in the thought that the Empress Dowager might be favorable towards her, Annette suddenly felt shy and quickly reached for the cup.
She hadn’t noticed the sweet aroma when she thought it was muddy water. And gulp.
“……!”
The moment she swallowed a sip, Annette’s eyes widened. The exquisite sweetness filled her mouth, leaving her mind-blown.
Experiencing supreme bliss, Annette tightly gripped the cup with both hands and quickly guzzled down the hot chocolate.
Realizing the cup had long been empty, she reluctantly placed it on the table and then noticed the Empress Dowager’s piercing gaze.
“It was really delicious! Thank you.”
Embarrassed at blurting out her impression and bowing her head, Annette slowly raised her eyes.
The Empress Dowager, having caught her eye, suddenly fanned herself and asked out of the blue.
“Is the dress uncomfortable?”
“……Excuse me?”
“No, never mind.”
Annette tilted her head in confusion, but the Empress Dowager said no more.
In the meantime, Charlotte offered her a cookie.
“Having had hot chocolate, a plain cookie would be better than cake or macarons.”
“Right!”
About to dive into a strawberry tart, Annette admired the Empress’s advice and took the cookie, relishing the crunchy almonds and rich buttery flavor.
Then, silently, the Empress Dowager pushed a plate with a strawberry tart towards Annette. Still bewildered but grateful, she nodded in thanks and picked up a fork.
As she indulged in everything the Empress Dowager and Empress recommended, time flew, and she soon felt a slight fullness.
“……!”
Annette belatedly realized the havoc she wreaked on the table and the noticeable protrusion of her belly.
Panicking, she quickly covered it, but her tiny hands couldn’t hide the bulging belly.
‘Oh no!’
Determined to show propriety as a princess and a future daughter-in-law, Annette’s eyes filled with despair.
Male lead reborn without memories — but he still falls for her.
The person he finds displeasing in this life turns out to be his cherished wife-master in previous life…
Xie Zhi and Fang Xianxing who had known each other for less than three days through a blind date sat in the same car in front of the civil affairs bureau. They had a disagreement and failed to get married.
Xie Zhi immediately took out his phone, slid through his contacts, and randomly selected the next marriage candidate.
The woman snatched his phone and hung up. Looking at his phone wallpaper, she awkwardly changed the subject: “An ancient painting, eh? It looks pretty good, it’s just that the person in the painting looks a bit like me.”
When he heard this, he sarcastically mocked her for being so delusional, completely unaware that, the person in front of him was the reincarnation of Wen Ru, the famous prime minister of Yuan Shun whom he most admired…
The female CEO who doesn’t want to get married with a divorce agreement in hand × The male archaeological researcher who will only get married if he’s sure he can get divorced
