“Bella, it’s late at night. Stop eating the snacks now.”

“Aww, just one more.”

I looked up at Lori, who was serving me tonight, trying my best to look pitiful.

However, she firmly rejected my request.

“No! You should be sleeping soon. It would be good to brush your teeth once more.”

“Ugh… I’ll just do it tomorrow. I just did it.”

“If you eat snacks and don’t brush your teeth, you’ll get cavities! You’ll definitely suffer later.”

“It’ll be fine. Rosa and Ronya let me!”

“As long as I’m serving you, that’s absolutely not possible.”

Proving that she could be strict even with a kind face, Lori dragged me to where the toiletries were.

‘God, Lori is so rigid.’

Stuck between the eldest Rosa and the youngest Ronya, Lori had a calm and strict personality.

Among the three, she was the most principled, unlike the somewhat lax characters of the other two, she seldom changed her mind once it was made.

‘Ugh, I hate brushing my teeth…!’

For me, who inevitably lived on special snacks for magical replenishment, dental health was a very important issue.

Because of the maids who were overly concerned, I had to brush my teeth at least ten times a day, and especially before sleeping, I could only go to bed after meticulously rinsing my mouth.

It was only thirty minutes ago that I had brushed so thoroughly.

How could it not be unfair to have to brush again just because I had a single snack?

Being dragged powerless by Lori, I could only regain my freedom after brushing my teeth and rinsing my mouth.

“Aah, feels clean, doesn’t it? Your mouth must feel refreshed! You’ll sleep easily now!”

“…I’m wide awake, though.”

“Your thoughts will change once you lie down. I’ll prepare the bedding for you. Could you wait a moment?”

“Mm, okay.”

I sat on the chair, watching Lori’s back as she neatly arranged the blankets.

While waiting for her, I cupped my hands and blew into them, filling my nostrils with the refreshing scent of mint.

Rather than making me sleepy, it seemed to make my mind clearer. Sleeping soon was unlikely.

“Everything is ready, Bella. Would you like me to read you a bedtime story?”

“I’m fine.”

“Then I’ll sing you a lullaby.”

Lori lifted me onto the bed, tucked the blanket up to my chin, and began to softly hum a lullaby.

‘Big problem. I’m not sleepy at all…’

Actually, I was enjoying a rather leisurely life these days, staying awake late into the night was becoming more common.

With Sione busy researching something with Elga, and classes having been suspended for a while, there was not much else to do.

Ever since Raven came to the Rose Palace, even reading books alone didn’t seem interesting. Baking was about the only thing I found amusing these days.

“By the way, Lori. Did you eat the cookies I made last time?”

Suddenly remembering, I asked, and Lori’s hand, which had been comforting me with a lullaby, stopped abruptly.

“Hm? Uh… yes, I ate them.”

“Were they good?”

Asking with hopeful small hands gripping the blanket, her pupils momentarily trembled.

“Uh, they were really delicious! So much so that I’d want to eat them again.”

“Really? What about the others?”

“Uh… Yes, everyone said they were so delicious that they couldn’t sleep!”

Phew, that’s a relief.

It seemed that despite appearances, they tasted fine.

‘But what’s this about not being able to sleep because they’re so delicious…? Is that a vampire saying?’

Puzzled, I tilted my head at the unfamiliar phrase.

However, as Lori added that it was really the best with a thumbs-up, I chuckled, satisfied.

Thinking that the reactions of Elga, Sione, and Raven, to whom I had also given cookies, must have been good as well.
“Hmm. It’s quite late, Miss Bella. Chatting like this, you might lose your sleep. Close your eyes again.”

“Mm, okay.”

Although Roy’s voice attempting to put me to sleep sounded somewhat urgent, I thought he might just want to return to his quarters quickly due to the late hour.

However, despite my best efforts, sleep wouldn’t come. So, I feigned sleep, even going so far as to snore.

“Miss Bella, are you asleep?”

“Snore, snore. Zzz.”

“Phew, good. She’s in a deep sleep.”

Muttering words to herself that I couldn’t understand, she soon left the room.

She must have thought I was really asleep.

“…Has she gone?”

After waiting a few minutes and sensing no sign of Roy’s return, I bolted upright in bed.

It was too early to call it a day.

‘Should I go see Raven?’

It would be fun to visit him and hear his thoughts on the cookies I’d gifted.

Luckily, Sione had lifted the boundary, making the timing perfect.

What conversations transpired between them to change her mind? Or did Sione’s unilateral misunderstanding get cleared up?

From my perspective, there were more than a couple of things I was curious about.

‘It’s a rare chance to talk to both, so I should get their stories individually.’

I was particularly interested in Sione and her relationship with Raven for a reason—Raven himself.

After all, Raven was here in this foreign land because of me, and I felt a heavy sense of responsibility and guilt toward him.