At that very moment, deep within the royal palace, the crown prince was enduring the emperor's furious wrath. In the emperor's eyes, this latest assassination attempt had been nothing but a reckless, foolish act. The princess couldn't resist adding a mocking remark. "This boy probably doesn't even want to be this stupid himself."
That comment only enraged the emperor further, convinced that at this rate the crown prince would destroy everything he'd worked his whole life to build. "If you trampled over your own sister to claim the crown prince's seat, then at least have the decency to act like you deserve it. Do you have any idea how the whole realm keeps comparing you to the Grand Duke?"
To keep the Grand Duke's power in check, the princess had agreed to give up her own claim to the throne while secretly plotting a scheme of her own. But right at that critical moment, the third child, Luca, was born. To use him as a tool to eliminate a rival, they kept pushing the Grand Duke into the most dangerous battles. But his luck held every single time, and he always returned home safe and sound.
Afterward, the emperor sent both the empress and the princess away, wanting to discipline this useless crown prince himself alone. The moment she stepped outside, the princess couldn't hide her satisfaction, openly mocking the crown prince's stupidity. Already incompetent, and with an empty head to match, truly beyond saving. That remark instantly enraged the empress. A sharp-tongued stepdaughter indeed. But since she still needed her to help seize the throne, the empress had no choice but to grit her teeth and endure it, silently vowing that sooner or later she'd make the girl pay dearly.
Meanwhile, left alone inside, the crown prince kept tearing at his hair, utterly confused. The location of the hidden holy relic held real power, but in truth, that power had never once been on their side. Ah, all I care about is the money.
Who could have guessed that little Luca was such a glutton? And he'd even begged to taste fertilizer meant for the plants.
While the Grand Duke was still lost in thought about the prisoners, Hazel was busy pushing a cart of fertilizer into the greenhouse. Little did she know the Grand Duke was there, too. The moment little Luna spotted Hazel, she came running over joyfully. "Look at this. The seedlings have already grown so much in no time at all."
Hearing that, Hazel suddenly remembered. After dealing with the intruders earlier, she'd used magic to burn through the entire batch of cauliflower. These were just seedlings she'd hastily replanted afterward. Seeing the Grand Duke about to speak up, she worried he wouldn't be able to come up with a plausible excuse to cover for her. So Hazel instinctively lunged forward to clamp a hand over his mouth. But the Grand Duke skillfully dodged her, then turned to tell the children it looked like the plants had been fertilized.
Confused, Luca turned and asked, "Miss, what's fertilizer?"
"It's delicious food for cauliflower."
Hazel breathed a sigh of relief that the Grand Duke hadn't given away her secret. Instead, he played along with what she'd brought, telling the children that once fertilizer went into the soil, the plants could eat it right away, and then they'd grow up big and strong. Luca's eyes lit up at that. "So — so can I eat it, too?"
That innocent question left both adults thoroughly alarmed, and they scrambled to stop him. "Oh, no. Don't eat that."
A little while later, back at the cottage, Luca ate until his belly was completely full. Hazel let out a relieved sigh, too, grateful the boy hadn't secretly eaten any fertilizer.
Dinner that night was fried pork ribs served with a side of lettuce. The four of them gathered warmly around the small dining table. And yet, the Grand Duke started being picky again. "Why is there rabbit food sitting on this table?"
"Well, it tastes far better than it looks, you know. I personally seasoned it with sesame dressing myself. Just give it a try. I promise you'll change your mind."
The children were thrilled to hear that and wanted to try it immediately. But the Grand Duke still curled his lip in disdain. "Raw cabbage. Even a starving farmer wouldn't touch this."
Just then, Luna's sharp little voice piped up. "Big brother, could you please stop complaining at the dinner table? You're a grown-up, and yet you won't eat whatever is put in front of you. Doesn't that make you the badly behaved one?"
Luca chimed in with a pout, too. "I eat whatever I'm given. You shouldn't be like that, big brother."
The Grand Duke was left utterly speechless, stunned that his own siblings would dare say such things to him. So, sighing in resignation, he picked up his spoon and ate quietly. A little while later, the plate was completely clean. Not a single scrap of vegetable left.
"Seems like this rabbit food actually suits your taste after all."
The Grand Duke never imagined that after all those years of forcing his siblings to eat carrots, the day would come when the two of them would lecture him right back.
In truth, he'd changed a great deal recently. Not only did he allow the wardrobe passage between the mansion and the candy cottage to stay open, he'd also started coming to the little cottage regularly for meals. Even though his personality was still somewhat rigid at times, after meals the children would run outside together to play, having the time of their lives. Watching that scene, Hazel couldn't help feeling a wave of emotion, as if the four of them had truly become a real family.
"The dining hall at the estate is far too large for just the three of you. For the children, mealtimes there have become nothing more than a forced obligation, and that's entirely your fault."
Hearing this, the Grand Duke fell silent for a moment, and in the end agreed to switch to a smaller dining room.
To show her gratitude, Hazel gave him a large supply of chocolate. She'd heard the royal palace was about to hold a victory banquet. He'd only just managed to make it home, and she truly couldn't bear the thought of him leaving again so soon. Hazel was about to bring up the idea of letting the children come along. But before she could say a word, the Grand Duke cut her off. "Instead of worrying about that — you always treat me like a child. I am the Grand Duke. Please stop seeing me as some fragile little boy."
Realizing he'd seen right through her guilty expression, Hazel slunk away, deflated.
"There's one more thing. I need to add a new rule."
Hazel took the list of house rules and read it over. The newly added rule turned out to be that from now on, no physical contact of any kind with one's employer is permitted.