Sinthia and The Demon Duke of DeSidea: 24

“Your Majesty, I think we should treat His Imperial Majesty and His Imperial Highness to some Silk buns.”

Cedric froze when he heard that. He looked up to see his youngest daughter, staring at him with big innocent eyes.

“Sinthia that is... not a good idea.” Sighing, he wondered how it was her thought process worked. Had it always been so spontaneous or was it a change she experienced after the accident? After all, so much of her had change since then, it was shocking. Or he had simply not invested enough time to know her. The latter felt more plausible in all honesty.

“In my research I have found that the silk bun actually expresses the spirit of the festival better than any food.”

“You can’t feed an Emperor something like silk buns, Sinthia.”

“But there were silk buns in the basket I gifted you yesterday. Didn’t you enjoy them very much?” The king twitched. He had been discovered. It was true that he had seen the silk buns, and had tried one to satiate his curiousity. Needless to say, before he knew it, he had consumed all five that had been in the basket without a second thought.

“No matter, it could be seen as a grave insult to feed a member of the imperial family a food for commoners. You know this.”

“Not if the hosting family themselves partake in the food too.”

“What?”

“I looked over the menu, and we can definitely put in the silk buns as a dessert. They are light and sweet, so for sure we would all enjoy it.”

“It isn’t as simple as that—“

“Then you can just say that you were indulging your youngest daughter, who was so taken by the flavor of the bun that she begged you to give some to His Imperial Majesty.”

“This could become an international dispute, Sinthia—“

“It can also be said that the Silk Bun is a cultural food unique to Ophelia. It would be extremely lacking in our duty to provide a fulfilling and enjoyable festival experience if we were to leave out our cultural food, right.” Why did she seem to have an answer to every criticism? She was far more stubborn than the king believed.

“A cultural food? That’s what the silk bun is now?”

“Oh most definitely. A stranger I met at the market said that it was good enough to start a war over, so I think that it is iconic in the Silk Light festival experience.”

Cedrick was suddenly very concerned. “A stranger you met yesterday?”

“Yes. He seemed to be a noble, but I’m not sure. He said he wasn’t from around here and came specifically to enjoy the festival. He ate the bun so quickly he was shocked.”

“Why were you talking to strangers? What if he knew you were a princess—“

“With my commoner mannerisms and speech, there was simply no way of him to even fathom that I am royalty.”

His face crumpled in horror. “Your commoner mannerisms and speech??? Sinthia where in the world did you learn to act like a commoner??”

To that, Sinthia just shrugged. Acting like a commoner here was pretty much just her acting like normal in her previous life. It was nothing special.

“Oh...” she heard the king sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. 

“There is a woman that makes some amazing buns. I think we should have her make some and serve them.”

“Sinthia I’m too tired to deal with your strange idea.”

“That’s why I brought it up now. How about this, then. Put me in charge of the desert. That way, I can receive the blame alone and not the rest of the royal family.”

“What do you mean by that? What....” Cedric fell silent when he finally understood. 

Sinthia’s image was, to put it simply, complicated. She was excellent when it came to matters of business and appearing as a royal heir. She was always praised for being very professional and mature, and she was perceived as dependable in that regard. However, when it came to relationships between people, it was difficult to say she was exemplary. Ever since she had given her father shoes as a birthday present, people had believed her to be very tone-deaf and unaware of social protocol. She always seemed to do badly in social situations. It was apparently how she had gotten herself into the Nominations.

So in other words, Sinthia wanted to use her already questionable reputation as a way to lower expectations and alleviate the possible blame. After all, it was not at all strange to expect her to serve commoner food at a royal gathering from her previous track record of social awkwardness.

“Then if it backfires...”

“It will backfire on me and only me. As long as you say nothing and let me handle it, it will be alright. You seriously underestimate the power of tasty food.”

“And you underestimate the pride of an emperor.”

Sinthia only smiled at that. “Also—“

“No, we will discuss anything else later.”

“But—“

“I am honestly quite frightened of what I may hear out of your mouth at this time Sinthia, so please, say no more.”

What? Were the things she said really so strange? Sinthia huffed, then agreed and left.

The king and his five children stood at the front of the palace. The emperor of the Nova Kingdom looked out the window of the carriage as the approached. “Well well, it seems Cedrick has been doing good.” He laughed heartily. The Emperor of Nova was only a few years older than The King of Ophelia, and looked young for his age too. He had one of those charismatic smiles and magnetic personalities that ensured his subjects loved and cherished him. His blond hair was beginning to turn white, but it was still robust and healthy.

“Son, The King of Ophelia has a son around your age too, so make sure you befriend him. And he has quite a few daughters.”

“Of course, father. Do you want me to marry one of them too?”

The emperor only laughed again. “Ah, my son is truly a sarcastic brat isn’t he? If you want to marry one of them, well... we can see about that, can’t we?”

“I thought that you wanted me to marry a woman who will offer more benefit.”

“The Ophelian Kingdom is very valuable, my son. Far more valuable than you’d think.”

The emperor smiled as the carriage rolled to a stop. He turned to his son and ruffled his bright golden hair. “Well then. Shall we get going, Vicktor?”