The Villainous Family Loves Me Too Much!

“What do you all think?”

Everyone in the kitchen stared at me, eyes wide open.

I had expected some sort of reaction, but it seemed they were more surprised than I anticipated.

“You can’t possibly mean to make a wedding decoration out of desserts, sister?”

Sylonne’s expression was darker than usual, perhaps she was bewildered.

Delgado tried to maintain his composure, but the quiver of the quill he was holding betrayed his astonishment.

“That’s right. If everyone at the wedding feels like eating, they can just start munching away! Kids will love it!”

“What a brilliant idea, Your Highness! Making transparent threads out of sugar to hang various desserts would be wonderful! We could have a variety of macarons, marshmallows, and even create jewels of various colors using sugar!”

“With sugar jewel crafting, I, as the royal chef, have some expertise, hehehe!”

On the other hand, Nox and Phil, the chef at the palace, were excited by my new challenge and competitively poured out a myriad of ideas.

“We produce plenty of sugar in the Felosite territory, so supply won’t be a problem.”

“Sugar jewels can be made to look like real jewels in any color. Just give the word, and we’ll prepare right away, Your Highness.”

Sylonne, who had been quietly watching the two chefs brimming with excitement, cautiously spoke up.

“Hold on, just a minute! To be honest, sister, it’s not that dessert decorations are a bad idea, but there’s something we need to consider.”

Afraid their grand ideas might be dismissed by her remark, both chefs stared intently at Sylonne.

“You two, stop glaring at me.”

Sylonne waved them off and came closer to me.

“The nobles of Felosite are quite conservative despite appearances. Maybe even more than the Empire’s nobles. If we are making this choice because of our current situation, I’ll ask my brother to arrange for whatever decorative materials we need.”

The dignified Delgado nodded at Sylonne’s words.

“It’s not that at all, Sylonne.”

I handed her a few sheets of paper filled with my presentation materials.

Though it was written with a pen, it was well-organized with hand-drawn pictures and beautiful typography.

“Oh my, when did you prepare all this?”

“Wow… Princess, you are good at this too.”

Everyone who saw my materials couldn’t help but express admiration.

“Well then, would you take a look at this?”

My shoulders perked up slightly. Wasn’t I once known as the presentation genius in the wedding industry?

I was confident in drafting proposals and especially convincing with them. I was an expert in dealing with conservative parents, so a loving sister-in-law was nothing.

“Hmm. Okay, our princess, sit down again. The earlier was just a teaser, now we’ll have a proper presentation.”

I sat Sylonne down and pulled out the big sheets of parchment I had been working on all afternoon.

“Now, this is the concept of the wedding I’ve been dreaming of.”

On the parchment was a map of the wedding hall, Heaven Hall, divided into four sections. Each section was themed: Macarons, whipped cream, chocolate, and a tea party.

“Sweeter and sweeter, thus named Felosite Sweet Wedding Festival!”

“Oh!”

“Wow!”

“My goodness!”

As I went on explaining each section, the two chefs and Colin were intrigued, continuously uttering words of admiration.

“Breaking the monotony with unique activities like a whipped cream fight, while simultaneously providing satisfaction to conservative nobles who prefer the traditional banquet style at the tea party. Essentially, we’re creating a festival where everyone can enjoy, not just a commonplace wedding!”

But Sylonne still looked dubious.

“On the day we first arrived here, Grandfather and Mother said they wouldn’t attend Archduke’s banquets as they were not entertaining.”

When I first planned this wedding, I focused on the immense wealth and technical prowess of the Archduke’s family and the Felosite territory.

The grand and lavish Felosite palace, which even I, a princess raised in the Castien palace, found intimidating, had abundant staff and various foods to prepare a banquet on the same day.

They must have already enjoyed all kinds of ‘noble’ banquets here.

Other nobles of Felosite were as indulgent in revelries as the Archduke’s family.

With advanced technology, their banquets were far more evolved than those in the Castien capital.

I learned this fact from a quite thick book titled [The Essentials of Banquets] that I found while visiting the imperial library for reference.

“It’s not because of the inability to procure goods that we thought of this kind of wedding. If the marriage between the great Felosite family and the imperial princess is no different from any other noble’s banquet, what’s the point?”

I felt a sting while lying with a straight face to Sylonne, but in the end, it wasn’t entirely a lie.

Due to the urgent situation of material procurement, such a plan was made, but I quite liked the concept during the preparation process.

Above all, it’s essential for me, from the Empire, to gain the trust of the common citizens in Felosite.

“Given that I’m from the imperial family, people might have a negative perception. Shouldn’t we get closer to the citizens? Through a festival where not only the nobles but also the commoners and children can enjoy together.”

“Hmm… sounds good.”

I was nervous as Sylonne seemed to ponder while touching her chin, but she responded coolly and quickly.

“Hooray! How incredibly insightful our princess is!”

“Indeed! It’s astonishing, Your Highness!”

As Colin suddenly stood up and applauded, Nox quickly followed and clapped enthusiastically.

Meanwhile, Phil and Delgado, standing between them, exchanged whispers and looked down with serious faces.

“However, Your Highness, there’s a problem we overlooked.”

* * *

– Due to the severed trade with Delfia, we absolutely lack the amount of milk needed to make whipped cream.

Many problems were identified in the meeting yesterday.

Not just the milk for whipped cream, but also butter and flour were lacking. The amount wasn’t insufficient for daily living, but if used all for the wedding, there would be no surplus left.

– We’ll have to tap into the reserves meant for aid… which means the children in the slums will starve.

– No, never touch the aid reserves.

Back to square one, it seemed.

Regardless, I didn’t plan on depleting the palace’s food resources just for one wedding. Above all, touching the aid reserves was out of the question.

– What the hell is the Delfia family doing? The way Felosite is run doesn’t seem right.

My head kept shaking.

Felosite’s carriages are known for their smooth glide forward without any wobbling. Why then is my head wobbling so much?

“You’re small but making quite the racket. What on earth is going on?”

“Ah, I’m sorry.”

I, who had been knocking my head against the carriage wall, straightened my posture.

I’ve gotten somewhat accustomed to those piercing red eyes… yet.

Whenever I meet the Archduke’s eyes, my heart still drops; it’s still somehow frightening.

I diverted my gaze down nervously.

“Sigh…”

“Now you’re sighing. Is meeting your mother’s family that distasteful?”

“It’s not that…”

We were headed towards the residence of my maternal grandparents, Count and Countess Kenoch, at their invitation.

I’ve never met them, but they were said to reside in a beautiful castle at the foot of a mountain in a peaceful farming area on the outskirts of Felosite’s domain.

I sighed deeply and confessed the truth.

“It’s about the milk.”

“Milk?”

“A large amount of milk is needed for the wedding, but the chef says it’s difficult to procure that much. Whipped cream is essential… it seems we need to find another solution.”

The Archduke’s face contorted oddly upon hearing my lengthy lament.

‘Ah, I must’ve touched a nerve again.’

Unable to meet his eyes, I sneakily looked at the scenery behind us.