People Aren't Meant to Be Fixed! (4 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 15
I stared blankly at the food, lost in thought, until the sight of the meat dish made my mouth water uncontrollably.
At that very moment, I felt as if I had lived solely to eat that meat today, and I grew desperate to start my meal immediately. Truly, the effect of meat was exceptional.
“It’s cold outside. Go fetch a blanket.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Meanwhile, as dusk fell and the temperature dropped, Jeff warned that I might catch a cold and insisted on keeping me warm, giving various orders to the maidservant.
He refused to put me down onto the chair right away and instead paced around while still holding me, and I kept my eyes fixed on the meat dish on the table.
“Your Majesty, as instructed, I have brought items to keep Her Highness the Crown Princess warm.”
Soon after, the maidservant swiftly returned with something to wrap around me and draped a blanket over my shoulders right before Jeff’s eyes.
To prevent it from slipping off while I ate, she even fastened it neatly around my neck with a tiny yellow ribbon pin, creating an effect that matched perfectly with my dress.
“Eat slowly. You’ll get a stomachache otherwise.”
“Yes!”
Having thought only of eating meat for what felt like forever, I dug in the moment the meal began. Of course, mindful of the many watching eyes and my past life as an emperor, I avoided eating too greedily.
Yet despite that, my eager chewing betrayed just how famished I was. Still, at only three years old—still young and adorable—it didn’t appear terribly unseemly in others’ eyes.
Jeff, watching me eat so earnestly, worried I might get a bellyache.
“How about trying some honey-glazed potatoes? They’re very sweet and delicious.”
Wanting me to eat a balanced meal, Jeff asked me to try another dish made of potatoes. His eyes shone with such earnest longing, as if pleading for me to taste exactly what he had pointed out.
Reluctantly, I shifted my gaze at his request, but the potato dish held no appeal for me.
‘Ugh, what a potato-head.’
Since I disliked it so intensely, I pressed my lips firmly against the fork in silent protest.
Swish—
Just then, taking advantage of my hesitation, Poppy—who had stayed perfectly still until now—suddenly reached out toward the potatoes.
Thup!
“No. You can’t eat it—you’re just a doll.”
Hey! I never said I didn’t want it; I certainly never said I was giving it away. I quickly reached out to stop Poppy.
“Quack….”
Poppy, who had been flailing with a strange sound, now looked up at me with eyes brimming with sorrowful entreaty—as if asking, “Will you really not give it to me even after seeing this?”
‘Why do you have to act so pitifully?’
Inwardly, I groaned in exasperation.
“Here, take it. If you get sick later, don’t blame me.”
Grumbling that I was merely granting his wish and wouldn’t take responsibility either way, I stabbed the tiniest roasted potato onto my fork and handed it over to Poppy in a “whatever” spirit.
“Quack!”
‘From now on, potatoes are your share, Poppy.’
If nothing went wrong with Poppy today, I resolved to pass all potatoes to him every time Jeff served a meal from now on.
Pook!
Finally deciding to fill my own stomach, I speared a neatly cut piece of meat with my fork.
“Your father says he’s happiest when watching our daughter eat.”
Jeff rested his chin on one hand, his face radiating contentment.
“Especially when you taste meat and wear that look—as if you own the whole world—it reminds me of your mother.”
“Mother?”
“Yes. Your mother loved gazing at the stars while tearing into meat.”
Having assumed my mother was already dead, since she’d never shown herself until now, I tilted my head in confusion at this sudden mention of her over dinner.
“Wasn’t Mother dead? Could she possibly be alive?”
“She is alive. Your father planned to tell you once you grew a little older.”
Jeff abruptly fell silent, then stiffened and began to cry, leaving me utterly stunned by this unexpected revelation.
‘For the past three years, I’ve never seen the Empress—or even her attendants.’
Naturally, I’d assumed she was dead.
‘But if Jeff is telling the truth and the Empress is indeed alive, she’s likely somewhere outside the Imperial Palace.’
Yet even so, it was strange that she’d never once shown her face.
‘Could she… have run away?’
No other plausible reason came to mind, so I braced for the worst-case scenario.
“Soon… you’ll get to meet your mother. Just wait a little longer.”
At that moment, Jeff, his eyes distant, finally opened his tightly shut lips.
“It won’t be much longer now. It’s already been three years.”
Judging by how he spoke, it clearly wasn’t a case of running away. Realizing my assumption was wrong, I began considering other possibilities.
‘As Empress of the Empire, it’s unlikely she was kidnapped.’
Well, I’d find out soon enough.
‘Her absence hasn’t caused me any trouble in daily life anyway.’
Deciding there was no need to dwell on it, I felt relieved—my mind unburdened—as I watched the sauce drip slowly from the tip of my fork.
“It’s cold. Let’s head back now.”
A while later, when my plate was nearly empty and my belly full, Jeff signaled the end of the meal.
“Our darling Darling~ Daddy will read you a fairy tale before bed tonight!”
As I tried to climb down from my chair myself, Jeff suddenly swept me up into his arms, hugging me tightly while beaming widely.
‘Ugh, no!’
I grimaced and squeezed Poppy harder in my hand.
“Quack….”
Because of that, I ended up barely gripping Poppy by the hair with one hand, and he wore a pained expression the entire time, as if he could actually feel it.
[This is the timeline separator]Three days later.
“I’m bored.”
I lay idly on my bed with Poppy, staring up at the ceiling.
“The young Crown Princess has nothing to do. At least in my previous life, I had state affairs to handle.”
Next, wearing an expression as if I’d die of boredom, I recalled a recent incident.
The moment I flinched at the sight of a mosquito, Poppy—interpreting it as a hostile threat—had fired a beam at it.
‘Knowing full well Poppy’s power, Jeff spent a fortune over these three days installing mosquito-removal devices across the entire Empire.’
As I relived that chilling moment, Jeff’s response came rushing back.
At the time, Jeff had pressured the alchemists relentlessly to finish quickly, casually disbursing enormous sums of money without a second thought. I’ll never forget his stern imperial expression as he sat at his desk, demanding they build the mosquito-removal device faster.
It wasn’t even a swarm—just a single mosquito! I couldn’t understand why he made such a fuss over something so trivial.
Jingle—
Just as I thought Jeff’s behavior was absurd, a faint sound caught my ear, and I turned my gaze.
“Quack!”
At the end of my sight, Poppy held a rattle—one with a summoning function I didn’t even know he’d fetched.
“Did you bring that for me?”
I gave him a puzzled look. In response, Poppy shook his body back and forth while still holding the rattle in his mouth, clearly urging me to take it.
“Quaack!”
Letting out a loud sound to confirm, Poppy then stopped moving and sat quietly.
“How thoughtful of you.”
After praising him once, I marveled at Poppy’s clever usefulness.
‘This little one could serve not just as a bodyguard but also as an errand-runner.’
As long as I trained him properly, I took the rattle from Poppy’s mouth and glanced around for something to test it on.
“Now that I think of it, I’ve never actually used this before.”
Poppy, staring intently at me, suddenly grinned and hummed a little tune through his nose.
‘Does Poppy know that if I shake this, a maid will come rushing in?’
Watching Poppy cheerfully chirp “Quaack!”, I looked back up at the ceiling.
“Peaceful life is nice, but it’s way too dull.”
Unaware of his master’s lament, Poppy happily darted around in circles by himself.
“I should go draw something.”
Fed up with Poppy’s restless antics, I grabbed him with one hand and shook the rattle with the other.
Jingle, jingle—
Soon enough, I summoned a maid by shaking the rattle with my free hand.
Knock, knock—
Not long after, the arriving maids knocked on the door.
“Come in.”
I immediately granted them entry, and as soon as the door opened, they bowed respectfully.
“Your Highness, is there anything you need?”
Since I hadn’t actually called them for anything specific, I shook my head, prompting the maids to step closer and check on my condition.
“You look unwell. Did you have a bad dream last night?”
“No, it’s nothing like that. What’s on my schedule for today?”
Determined to escape the palace if today’s plans were as dull as usual, I pressed down on poor Poppy with both hands while waiting for their answer.
“Today, Marquess Fleur will be visiting the palace. She’s bringing many toys crafted from trees native to the northern regions.”
Their gentle, soft-spoken reply gave me a headache—not because they’d done anything wrong, but simply because hearing the word “Fleur” triggered an automatic reaction.
‘Damn it.’
Because Marquess Fleur’s arrival meant her noisy brood would surely tag along too.
‘I’m going to suffer again.’
Inwardly screaming, I yanked my hair in frustration until the alarmed maids calmed me down, after which I reluctantly prepared to receive the guests.
Soon enough, I reunited with the children in the familiar playroom—and predictably, nothing about them had changed.
“Crown Princess~! Long no see!”
“Uh, yeah. Right.”
Before I could even manage an awkward smile, Ronowe and Beris immediately claimed the seats on either side of me, and dark clouds gathered in my mind.
“Your Highness, are you feeling better now? We heard you’ve been bedridden lately.”
My irritation lasted only briefly before Carlisle, seated across from me, politely inquired after my health.
“As you can see, I’m fine.”
Apparently, Jeff had concocted some odd excuse about the mosquito-removal devices to explain my absence.
‘I’ll have to humor him a bit.’
Inwardly grumbling that I couldn’t catch a break, I sighed.
“Ever since the mosquito-removal devices were installed across all territories, fewer people have been suffering from stomachaches.”
I was surprised by the news Carlisle shared.
‘Could the devices have improved the drinking water too?’
Jeff’s seemingly over-the-top actions had unexpectedly yielded real benefits.
“Crown Princess~.”
Meanwhile, Ronowe, wearing a dissatisfied frown, swung her arms and legs vigorously.
“Play with us too!”
“You only talk to my big brother—it’s unfair!”
Beris joined in, creating a ruckus, and I felt utterly trapped between them.
Popop—
Just then, Poppy—who had quietly vanished earlier—suddenly reappeared, circling across the carpet.
“A white bun is moving!”
Beris was the first to notice.
“Where?”
Ronowe instantly perked up, her eyes sparkling.
“Quack?”
Startled, Poppy froze in place, and the Fleur siblings stared in wonder at him crawling along the floor—innocent as newborns encountering fresh snow for the first time.
“Crown Princess, can we bite this?”
“That’s not food. It’s a doll Daddy gave me as a present.”
I hurriedly clarified Beris’s misunderstanding, but the siblings immediately grabbed Poppy’s body and started tugging.
Despite this torment, Poppy remained docile—perhaps because his tormentors were just children.
“But he eats potatoes too!”
“Wow~!”
“So amazing~!”
Soon enough, Ronowe and Beris began tossing Poppy around like a ball.
‘Those little rascals. If they find out he shoots beams from his mouth, they’ll definitely beg to see it.’
I absolutely won’t tell them. Watching the siblings adore Poppy so much, I resolved to keep that one fact a secret at all costs.
Whoa—
Whoa! Whoaa!
Not long afterward, a shout echoed into the room where we’d been passing time idly, and everyone’s attention naturally turned toward the window.
“What’s all that shouting about?”
Could something be happening outside? I turned my head to check for myself.
Male lead is a Divorced Husband
She said to him: “Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change it!”
Liu Changning transmigrated into a female cannon fodder character in a female-dominant novel.
After reading the first half of the novel’s plot, the first thing she did upon transmigration was to divorce the Pan Jinlian-style male protagonist she had just married.
She indulged herself, pretending to be ugly and poor.
But as time passed, the way that man looked at her became more and more unusual…
Liu Changning was dumbfounded: Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change!
――
This lifetime, Pei Yuanshao was rejected by the same woman twice!
The first time, she drove him away. Forced by the situation, he endured the waves of anger in his heart, yielding and humbling himself.
That person lay slanted on a rocking chair, her sallow face emotionless: “If you don’t want a divorce, go cook!”
Pei Yuanshao’s face was dark and gloomy: “You!”
The second time, after the crisis in Jinling City was resolved, the new emperor sent someone to pick him up. He turned around, stammering: “I… I have to go. If you keep me…”
That person lay on the kang bed, her back to him, as if she had long anticipated this day, crisp and clear: “Goodbye!”
Pei Yuanshao was so angry his fingers trembled: “You… you!”
The mission of family and country made him restrain himself, averting his eyes and turning to leave this broken household.
Two years later, they met again. Seeing her ethereal face, his body shook like a sieve.
“She was originally a ‘she’!”
At the Qionglin Banquet, the top scholar of the imperial examination, a talented person with exceptional speech and conduct, all the unmarried young gentlemen from aristocratic families looked at her with shy and timid eyes.
The peerless imperial official Pei Yuanshao felt the anger in his heart erupt. He pointed at the woman surrounded by the crowd at the Qionglin Banquet, his thin lips slightly curled: “Little sister, I wants that person to be the wife-master of my Mingde Prince Manor.”
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