'Princess Mirissa… She must have been hurt, right? She's such a fragile child. How can I comfort her?' No matter how much I hated Lennox, this wasn't Princess Mirissa's fault. 'Mirissa was born of an affair. She knows that.' If she had heard what her brother had done, she would have been deeply wounded.
While I was flustered and confused, Lennox, who seemed to be losing control, finally spoke up. "Mirissa, don't say such terrible things."
"Princess Mirissa, please calm down," I said softly to Princess Mirissa. I detested Lennox, but I didn't want to use a young child to exact revenge on him. Children should only hear good things.
But Mirissa glanced at me and then shouted at her brother, her blazing eyes an added bonus. "Don't you dare approach Meldenique, you filthy adulterer!" She gripped my hand tightly with her tiny, bat-like hand, as if she, a very small and delicate girl, would protect me. "Let's go, Sister."
"…Yes?"
Mirissa looked up at me, tears in her eyes. "Don't be with that scumbag, let's go together!" She hadn't known me for long, but Mirissa seemed to feel sorry for me. She wasn't outwardly expressive, but she was a righteous girl with a quiet strength.
'No, Mirissa… You don't need to protect me like this.'
"Sister, don't be hurt by what he says!"
'…Can't you see my face is completely unharmed, child?'
"Don't look so calm. I know you're sad inside…"
"…Huh?" Was my genuine composure being misinterpreted like this?
"Mirissa, that woman wasn't hurt." It was the first time I'd wanted to agree with Lennox.
"My brother, no, Duke Lennox Hessmann." She was no longer the innocent child who had looked at me. The girl turned to her brother with blazing eyes and declared, "A dirty trickster like you doesn't deserve to say that!"
At this moment, there was no time to correct the situation. Mirissa tugged my unresisting hand, pulling me toward the stationery store. It was a tremendous charisma, unlike that of a child. I glanced back at Lennox, who had become an officially confirmed adulterer even by his own sister, and he looked utterly devastated. He froze in place, his pupils trembling with rage, unable to control himself.
'Hey, Hessmann. I haven't done anything yet! I truly didn't plan any of this. But this is how things are turning out?'
I really shouldn't have, but I felt a slight thrill and ran toward the stationery store, holding Mirissa's hand. We quickly reached the stationery store. As I opened the door, Mirissa glanced at me and shouted loudly, "In the future… I'll stop that bad guy from approaching you!"
That's reassuring. Judging from the shocked look on Lennox's face earlier, it seemed he truly would never get close to me again. I couldn't believe things could be resolved so easily, like getting something for nothing.
'I need to soothe Mirissa's troubled heart.' I looked down at Mirissa, who was slightly gasping for breath, and opened the stationery store door. This was a way to calm her down while feeding her something delicious. "Come in, Princess."
And so the stationery store door opened. However, inside, where I expected only Dominic to be, I saw Dominic, Cassian, Carat, and Axion.
'…No, why are these people gathered here? And why are you avoiding my gaze?'
In addition, there were many slushies I had made, sitting between them: grape flavor, orange flavor…
'Are you here just to eat slushies?'
I tried to smile at those who hadn't been working and had fallen into slushie addiction, and then tried to introduce Mirissa. But then the girl screamed and spoke up.
"Sister! I'll introduce you to my good self and my husband. Don't worry!"
"…What?"
Did they hear the confident voice of a small girl? The expressions of the four men inside the door contorted into indescribable shapes. Mirissa kept her fierce gaze fixed inside the stationery store, as if securing her prey. The men stiffened with different expressions: one surprised, one shocked, one puzzled, and Dominic, utterly stunned.
Mirissa clenched her fists and made another point. "He must be the most handsome, humble, and cool person! Hey, I'll pick him out from here!"
"Uh, I mean—"
"I'll start right now!" Mirissa was highly motivated.
The cramped round table filled up as soon as Mirissa and I sat down. The four men's shocked, horrified, or curious and enthusiastic gazes almost made my face burn. However, little Princess Mirissa didn't care about their stares. She leaned back, took out her notebook and fountain pen from her bag, and began her investigation.
"Carat and Axion are too young, aren't they?"
"…Uh, right?"
'Are you really planning to find a husband?'
Mirissa's eyes sparkled at my slightly dazed answer. "Here, it's just a handsome man and His Highness the Crown Prince." Mirissa crossed her arms. She looked at Cassian and Dominic like a meticulous wedding planner.
Dominic, who had received Mirissa's gaze, suddenly spoke up. "…What are you talking about?"
"I'm literally going to find a husband. Handsome, precocious, cute, kind, and someone who only likes Meldenique."
'Oh, what perfect conditions!' Even in the midst of the embarrassing situation, I couldn't help but nod my head. "It's cool that you're so straightforward. That's the best quality."
Dominic, who was looking at me, interjected. "Hmm, you know, I'm often told that I'm on the innocent side."
"…Oh? You?" This was the first time I'd heard that. Although Dominic was good at cleaning and cooking… wasn't he rather prickly and vicious?
Dominic spoke in a low voice, audible only to me. "Why, it's good to be precocious."
'You bastard… Did you want to claim all the good qualities?' I'd felt it for a long time, but this sword was the type that would cause major trouble if you made him an enemy.
While I admired Dominic's quicker absorption than a sponge, Mirissa began to meticulously write down personal information. "Okay. I'll record it. What's your name?"
"Call me Dominic."
"Do…mi…nic." Princess Mirissa wrote down Dominic's name in her notebook. No matter how you looked at it, they seemed to be a good match.
Mirissa, who was muttering and writing other personal information, looked up again. Her piercing gaze began to wander from place to place like a hyena. And among the slushie-drinking group gathered at the round table, it was Carat who spoke first. His eyes were full of curiosity, but he asked with a chic, indifferent air, even pushing his cup away as if he had no interest in slushies.
"No, Mirissa. Why are you suddenly trying to find Mel's husband? What's going on?"
"Carat. Listen, something terrible happened." While I was confused about whether to stop Mirissa or not, she finally spoke up with bitter eloquence. "Listen, folks. Marriage vows and betrothal vows are beautiful institutions created by His Majesty, aren't they?"
"By the way?"
"But Duke Hessmann dared to betray its beauty."
'Duke Hessmann. That's your brother…'
However, we were all captivated by Mirissa's earnestness and began to listen to her. Cassian blurted out, "What do you mean, Princess Mirissa?"
"My family's Duke Hessmann had an affair, ignoring his arranged engagement. He had an affair with Meldenique's sister. He even said that a 'mental affair' isn't an affair. On the topic of cheating!" She emphasized it four times. If Lennox had been here, he would have been utterly pulverized. No, he must have already heard from his sister that he was a bastard, and he was pulverized and flown to the sky.
But that's not my business. I listened silently, taking a sip of the sweet slushie.
"So…" She bit her lip again, stared at me, and continued. "Sister, can I tell them?"
"What?"
"His brutality."
Now he had become "him." I'm sure Mirissa, in Meldenique's mind, used to call Duke Hessmann "Brother." I nodded my head in agreement. Lennox's reputation was plummeting whenever I felt it.
"He went on a trip with his fiancée's sister. But that's not all. He shamelessly said he would take advantage of you!"
"Well, that's true." When Mirissa saw me wiping the sweat from my forehead, she whispered sadly, "Besides, it's not enough that he committed an affair! He's even trying to interfere with Meldenique's stationery business!"
"He built a large general store in front of here to disturb Meldenique!"
"I didn't like him!" Shion jumped up from his chair.
Carat also gritted his teeth grimly. "…Is he even a person?"
'Wasn't Carat a commoner? Can he say such things to a Duke?'
Dominic, who had been silent, spoke quietly. "I didn't like it. I have to go kill him."
"Dominic." I stopped Dominic with a wink. The boy, who had become docile with a single glance from me, nodded. However, he seemed to be gnashing his teeth as he muttered to himself. Still, Dominic's anger calmed down…
Before I knew it, Mirissa's plump hands gripped my hand tightly. "Good sister didn't do anything wrong."
"…?"
"So that my sister doesn't lose to an adulterous man, I'll do my best to promote the stationery store to the children of our Academy!"
'Why did I lose Lennox and gain a big customer?' I smiled awkwardly and patted Mirissa's head.
"He, and!" Mirissa squeezed my hand, her tone sad. "Now, I'll find you. A good man!"
Apparently, Mirissa was misunderstanding things a little. Remembering the evil deeds that the original Meldenique had done before I possessed her, sweat welled up my spine.
'If you find out about my past evil deeds later, won't you feel a great sense of betrayal?'
"No, I didn't do anything good either…" I muttered, making excuses for later, but Mirissa shook her head.
"The other person is having an affair, but there is no one who can stand it sanely. You can do anything."
Apparently, Hessmann has no way out.