People Aren't Meant to Be Fixed! - Chapter 42

“Ouch……”

Who on earth is this crazy person running around recklessly in the imperial palace?

I was grateful that I hadn’t fallen over backwards to the point of hitting my head.

If I wasn’t careful, I could have seriously injured my weak body, and in the worst case, I could have hit my head and said farewell to this world, so whoever it was, they had committed a grave sin.

“Your Highness, I’m so sorry!”

Anyway, I looked up, wanting to at least see the face of this insolent person, and was surprised.

“Are you hurt anywhere? Please forgive my rudeness.”

Blonde hair wasn’t uncommon, but the appearance of the maid who bumped into me was exactly the same as the suspected spy that Sasha had described in the reception room.

“Here, let me lend you my hand. Please grab it and get up quickly.”

‘Is she from Konrad Castle?’

Thinking that I was face to face with someone trying to ruin the country I had built up over a lifetime since my previous life, my mind instantly became cold, but I couldn’t outright ask if she was a spy, so I just took the hand the maid offered.

Zing-

‘What’s this?’

It was at that moment.

‘The moment our hands touched, an unpleasant energy flowed in.’

It was just a simple touch, but for some reason, an unpleasant feeling of something flowing back through my blood vessels spread throughout my body along my spine. As soon as I stood up, I pushed away the blonde maid’s hand and stepped back.

“!”

And Poppy, who witnessed this, twisted her eyes fiercely and then ran towards the blonde maid with a terrible cry.

Chomp!

“Poppy, don’t do that!”

Why is she suddenly acting like this again? Fortunately, she just grabbed the hem of the dress with all her might and jumped up and down, but it was still bewildering.

“Thank you for your help, Your Highness.”

After barely managing to stop Poppy, I saw the blonde maid who seemed to have aged years in just a few minutes.

“And I apologize once again. I will be more careful of my surroundings to ensure this never happens again.”

The maid, who had been following Poppy with her eyes as she jumped into my arms, finally bowed her head several times and apologized repeatedly.

‘How can someone who doesn’t even know the basic rules of conduct work in the imperial palace?’

I thought as I watched the blonde maid, her face flushed with embarrassment, disappear with quick steps.

‘Be grateful that I let it slide, or Jeff would make a fuss if he heard about this.’

But she just left without me even saying I forgave her? It’s absurd, but I decided to let it go for now.

‘Anyway, I should investigate who that maid is, using this incident as an excuse.’

I openly clicked my tongue and shook my head from side to side. Poppy followed me, making an irritated face as she watched the blonde maid’s retreating figure, and I squeezed her tightly before releasing her and putting her back down on the floor.

“Your Highness, perhaps we should call a doctor immediately to check for any bruising?”

“That’s enough. I don’t want to see you making a fuss too.”

What is she saying that sounds like Jeff and Hecate would go berserk? I rejected her suggestion in shock. Even when I collapsed after encountering Yongyong’s energy, how much of a fuss did they make!

“Besides, if I was really injured, there would have been an uproar already.”

I imagined my former disciples crying and wailing, using the dragon’s breath again and calling for a doctor. It was the worst.

“Anyway, the mood is ruined, so no more. Let’s stop this infiltration game here and walk quietly.”

“Yes, Your Highness. Please let me know if you feel any discomfort.”

“Alright.”

I walked leisurely with Sasha to Konrad Castle, feeling relieved that the maids were making less of a fuss and at least communicating through words.

* * *

“The view from here isn’t bad either, is it?”

“You’re right.”

We finally reached the window where Sasha said he had spotted the maid. Since there was a separate balcony, we went outside to enjoy a wider view of the scenery, and the entire southern garden could be seen at a glance from above.

“It warms my heart to see Your Highness enjoying it.”

“Did you eat something weird?”

Ugh, it’s creepy. I openly made a face showing I couldn’t stand it. Although I couldn’t say it out loud, I got goosebumps and chills at the same time.

“Haha, don’t be so cold because of the prank I played in the reception room.”

Perhaps my reaction was too direct, as Sasha seemed surprised but quickly moved on, smiling with his eyes and saying he wanted to ask a question.

“What is it?”

“The maid you just bumped into is the one I mentioned earlier. What do you think after seeing her in person? Will you report it to His Majesty the Emperor or Her Majesty the Empress?”

Is that all he’s asking? I felt it was trivial and blurted out.

“I won’t. How can I make a fuss without clear evidence? They wouldn’t believe me even if I told them.”

Do you think I’m the kind of person who thoughtlessly tattles? I grumbled inwardly while waiting for Sasha’s response.

“That’s right. But it would be fine to confide in either of them.”

Why, how, for what reason is it fine again? I folded my arms and slightly raised my head at Sasha’s behavior, which seemed to have some basis for confidence.

“Because my father would have certainly told His Majesty about it.”

As soon as Sasha finished speaking, a gentle breeze blew as if on cue, making his hair flutter.

“Although the nobles are always fighting over their gains and losses in the eye of the storm, the Vladimirs are different.”

Could it be that Duke Vladimir’s visit to the imperial palace today and his private audience with Jeff were to discuss the spy issue? If so, it makes sense why Sasha was waiting alone in the reception room, reading a book without anyone else accompanying him.

“Our family will take the lead in rooting out the families who aided the spy.”

Meanwhile, Sasha, who had been grinning, suddenly became quite serious.

“You’re making quite a roundabout way of saying that your family is not under suspicion. You can say such things directly, Sasha.”

“You mean I should speak proudly about things I have nothing to be ashamed of.”

“That’s right, you rascal.”

I added that I’m actually quite perceptive, you know.

“Really? From what I can see, you’re not quite at that level, Your Highness.”

Suddenly, Sasha started to nitpick, and I burst out in anger.

“Don’t say that with a smile!”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Has this guy developed a taste for teasing me while hiding behind the fence of friendship? My mood, which had been gradually improving, quickly became uneasy again, and I pouted. I turned my back on Sasha, not wanting to exchange words while looking at him, with my arms still folded.

“Look over there.”

“I won’t fall for it.”

“I’m not playing a prank, Your Highness.”

I’ve been fooled twice, if I fall for it a third time, I really need to be reborn or something.

“There’s something shining around the tree near the maze garden.”

“Oh? It’s true.”

I had been determined not to fall for it until the end, but when I glanced sideways, I realized Sasha’s words were true.

“There’s something shining near that tree over there, go fetch it.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Come to think of it, the direction Sasha pointed to was where I had encountered Yongyong in the squirrel’s body, and when he said there was something there, one thought suddenly occurred to me.

Maybe Yongyong left behind some kind of legacy when he disappeared without my knowledge.

‘I can feel Yongyong’s energy, albeit faintly.’

And this prediction of mine was correct, and soon I was able to hold a blue stone in the shape of a hexagonal crystal in my hand.

‘Before, I would get dizzy and collapse after contact, but now I feel nothing?’

Moreover, this stone completely erased the terrible feeling that had seeped in when I bumped into the blonde maid, the moment it came into my possession.

I was thinking of asking Jeff to summon someone from the temple if necessary, but now there’s no need for that.

“Keep it safe and put it in my bedroom.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

I can’t be careless with such a rare treasure. Thinking that I should keep it well, I quickly handed it over to the maid with strict instructions.

“Young Master, it’s terrible!”

It was then.

“I think you need to return to the estate right away.”

“For what reason?”

A maid from the Vladimir family, who had run breathlessly from afar, came looking for Sasha with an urgent expression.

“I am currently attending to Her Highness the Princess. I cannot leave without a valid reason.”

“That, that is……”

The Vladimir family’s maid, who had been hesitating, immediately lowered her gaze when she met my eyes, which were tilting my head curiously behind Sasha, and continued speaking.

“The Duchess has suddenly collapsed.”

“!”

I was standing behind Sasha, so I couldn’t see his expression, but I could see him flinch at the maid’s words. So I thought he might have been surprised or shocked.

Although he’s a suspicious character, unlike me, he’s a normal human being except for his extraordinary brain, so he should be sensitive when something happens to his family.

“If that’s the case, it can’t be helped.”

Eventually, Sasha turned around and made an extremely apologetic face.

“Your Highness, I’m sorry I couldn’t accompany you until the end.”

“It’s alright. It’s not rude at all, so don’t apologize.”

I guess I can’t go to the library like this. I decided to fill the time that had been left hanging by the abrupt end of my meeting with Sasha with a nap.

“Since it’s come to this, I’ll take a nap. Wake me up before dinner on your own.”

By the way, is the Duchess’s absence until now due to her weak health? I’ve already seen Fleur Marquis several times, but the lady of the Vladimir family hasn’t shown her face at the imperial palace even once in the past 3 years.

“Then I’ll come back in an hour or two, Your Highness.”

Well, it’s their family business, so it’s not my concern. I soon arrived at my bedroom and, with the help of a maid, changed clothes and prepared for a nap.

Click-

Perhaps because I had woken up early in the morning to tend to the flower pots, talked with Lilith, and wandered around here and there, my eyelids were unusually heavy, so I drifted off to the world of unconsciousness as soon as the maid disappeared.

Afterwards, there seemed to be something flashing intermittently, but I dismissed it all as part of a dream. I was too tired to bother opening my eyes while sleeping.

Whoosh, whoosh-

“You’re noisy, Poppy……”

Then, feeling Poppy moving around where I was lying, I got annoyed, and she cried out with a yelp.

“Mmm……”

But, as I mentioned earlier, I was in the middle of sleeping, and the whisper of reason saying that I should figure out why Poppy was acting like this didn’t resonate with me at all.

And that evening.

“It’s been hard to see Mom’s face these days.”

After a good sleep, the maids dressed me up again, and I immediately met Jeff.

“I wonder if Mom is busy because she’s the Grand General, and maybe another war is about to break out?”

“Absolutely not, Darjeeling!”

I was just saying it, but Jeff jumped up in surprise.

“It’s because there are some bad friends who have been troubling Mom lately!”

Seeing him get serious, the chances are fifty-fifty.

‘Doesn’t he think I might have heard something from Sasha?’

The three-year suppression is over, and suddenly it’s like this, it’s very suspicious.

I clicked my tongue inwardly and looked at Jeff.

“Darjeeling, Mom and Dad have done their best to prevent scary things like war from happening again. So our daughter doesn’t need to worry.”

Just staying quiet would have been halfway there.

“It’s true, true, really true, so don’t listen to what anyone else says.”

But when you try to hide it so obviously, the protruding tail becomes more noticeable.

‘Geez, this guy does the same thing when he’s flustered, even when he’s all grown up.’

“I understand.”

I’m sure he’ll handle it properly, but maybe because I once ruled the country, it still bothers me. I reluctantly let out a deep sigh.

‘It would be refreshing to just sweep everything away, why is he dragging it out?’

Jeff’s roundabout approach, leaving aside the easiest and simplest method, was frustrating.

‘No matter how well everyone around treats me, it’s frustrating not having someone to confide in at times like this.’

In my previous life, whenever I felt this way, Elaila would pop up and make a fuss…

‘I miss the days when we could boldly call for war, I miss it!’

I suddenly felt as if a huge obstacle was blocking my path between the old times that came to mind and the present reality.