Even Though I Defeated the Demon Lord, My Wife and Daughter Treat Me Like Trash ~ I Found Out My Wife's Child Isn't Mine, and When I Confronted Her, She Got Mad and I Was Exiled. The Country's in Trouble Because the Demon Lord Came Back? Sorry, I'm Getting Remarried to a Princess, So I Can't Help. - Chapter 25: The Best Cake (Princess's Perspective)

Chapter 25: The Best Cake (Princess’s Perspective)

The conversation with Lord Van was refreshing.

“Lord Van, you must never disappoint those around you, right?”

“Why do you think that?”

“Well, you meet everyone’s expectations perfectly, fought the Demon Lord, and even defeated it…”

“It wasn’t something I did alone. More importantly, may I ask you something?”

“Yes.”

“I’m sorry if I’m mistaken, but… are you perhaps worried about having disappointed someone?”

His response surprised me.

Until now, whenever I brought up topics where I praised the gentlemen I spoke with, they would take the chance to boast about their own achievements.

If I had asked a similar question…

“Haha, it wasn’t all my doing. But I’m proud to say I played my part.”

It would be something like that.

But Lord Van was humble, and instead of talking about himself, he turned the conversation to me.

Before I realized it, I had begun to open up about my own worries.

“I’m always troubled… Even today, when I met Prince Albert. I tried not to show it, but it was clear that he was disappointed by my appearance.”

“I see…”

“I’ve heard that Lady Camilla is very beautiful. Men must be happy when their partner is lovely to look at, right?”

“I don’t think that’s everything, but yes, it’s nice to have an attractive partner.”

“right…”

“But in that regard, Princess, you are quite fortunate.”

“Me…?”

“Yes. You see, there are two types of worries. Those that are pointless to stress over, and those that are worth thinking about.”

“And by that you mean…?”

“For example, wanting to be taller is a worry that’s hard to solve, isn’t it? No matter how much you think about it, there’s no answer. But wanting to lose weight, though difficult, is something that can be worked on. That’s a worry worth addressing.”

“When you put it that way, I suppose you’re right.”

“Now, this may not solve your problem, but… doesn’t staying cooped up in the castle make things worse? If you’d like, would you join me for some exercise tomorrow?”

I wasn’t particularly excited about the suggestion itself, but I did want to talk with Lord Van a little more, so I agreed.

The enjoyable tea party came to an end, and Lord Van escorted me back to my room.

“Your Highness, it’s not appropriate to wander around the castle freely, especially as a guest…”

Roana, the head maid, was about to scold me for slipping out of my room, but Lord Van interrupted.

“Lady Roana, I deeply apologize. I insisted on inviting the princess for a walk since the guards were idle.”

When Lord Van bowed his head, Roana hurriedly tried to smooth things over.

“No, no, please, there’s no need for a hero like yourself to bow to me… And for you to address someone like me with ‘Lady Roana’… Roana is fine.”

“Thank you. Also, if I may ask one more favor, we were talking about dieting during our conversation.”

“Oh, the princess?”

“Yes. So, I thought it might be nice for her to watch me train. I’d appreciate it if you could spare some time tomorrow morning.”

“Well… I believe that should be fine. There’s nothing scheduled until the evening banquet.”

“Thank you, Roana. If the princess takes an interest in the training, it might be better if she wears something more comfortable.”

“In that case… how about riding attire?”

“That would be perfect. Then, Your Highness, I will come to escort you tomorrow.”

Lord Van smiled, bowed, and left the room.

Roana, still looking flustered, stood there in a daze for a while, then muttered softly.

“Your Highness… Lord Van is a really wonderful man, isn’t he?”

“Yes… very much so.”

Roana kept praising Lord Van, saying things like, “Despite all his great achievements, he’s humble, approachable, unpretentious, and yet so refined.” She repeated these sentiments several times.

I nodded in agreement every time she spoke, fully understanding her admiration.

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇

The next day, at Lord Van’s invitation, we began by strolling through the royal castle’s gardens. 

Just walking around made me break into a light sweat. 

I felt a bit embarrassed when I found myself out of breath halfway through.

After walking for a while, we came upon a large pond.

“Princess, would you like to run around the pond with me?”

“Uh… yes.”

Though it was a kind suggestion, I wasn’t too enthusiastic about it. 

But I didn’t want to disappoint Lord Van, so I agreed.

“Let’s set a goal. For you, I think five laps would be good.”

“O-Okay. I’ll do my best.”

Even though I said that, I was already struggling after just one lap.

I somehow managed to push through two, then three laps, but by the time I finished the fourth lap, I had to stop.

“Hah… hah… hah…”

“Are you at your limit?”

“Hah… hah… yes…”

Ah, I knew it—I’m hopeless.

I couldn’t even complete the simple goal of five laps that Lord Van suggested. 

Feeling frustrated with myself, I stood there when…

“Princess. From what I saw, you were already struggling by the second lap.”

“Yes, it’s…it’s embarrassing to admit.”

“It’s not embarrassing at all. You did your best.”

“But, Lord Van, you said five laps…”

“That was just something I suggested. But you pushed yourself beyond your limits because you didn’t want to disappoint me.”

“That’s… true, but…”

“Your Highness.”

“Yes?”

He gently interrupted me and, with a smile, said…

“As you mentioned yesterday, people have many expectations of you. I’ve experienced something similar, though not to the extent that you have, Your Highness.”

“You too, Lord Van…?”

“Yes. Somehow, despite just being good at fighting, I’ve been called the ‘Hero of the Nation,’ and people expect me to act accordingly. But I don’t believe I can meet all of those expectations.”

“I see.”

“Yes. But, Your Highness, you are someone who pushes yourself beyond your limits to avoid disappointing others. You should take more pride in that. It’s far more important than just having a beautiful appearance.”

“…Thank you.”

“That said, don’t push yourself too hard, alright? Trying too hard to meet expectations can lead to you overburdening yourself.”

“I understand.”

“Now, let me give you a reward for all your hard work.”

“Reward?”

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

To my surprise, Lord Van snuck out of the royal castle and invited me to join him in town. 

He took me to a place called a café—an entirely new experience for me.

“The cake here is really good. I hope it suits your taste, Mari… I mean, Maria.”

Since we were trying to be discreet, he didn’t refer to me as a princess, nor did he use my full name, Mariabelle, or formal speech.

The tea was served for both of us, and soon the cake arrived… but only in front of me.

“Um, where is your cake, Lord Van?”

“Ah, well… it’s a bit embarrassing, but this month I’ve had a lot of expenses, so I only had enough for one.”

“That’s not right. I feel bad.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“Then, let’s do this. After all that running, eating the whole cake would be a waste. Please, have half for my sake.”

“If you insist.”

The staff kindly brought an extra plate, and we split the cake in half.

The cake we shared was the best I’d ever tasted.

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

[Van’s Perspective]

“After returning to my country, running became part of my daily routine. I wanted to relive the memory of that day, to feel Lord Van’s presence beside me… and I’ve spent every day since then wanting to become even a little more beautiful, so that when we meet again, I could show you my best self…”

As I watched Mariabelle speak with such a dreamy expression, I couldn’t help but feel a bit confused.

Something… didn’t quite match up with my memory. This happens more often than you’d think.

People’s memories tend to shift in a way that suits them.

I’ve seen this firsthand when I’ve collected testimonies about events and then used the “Memory Probing” spell—sometimes the reality is completely different.

But… maybe that’s just how teenage girls are. 

They say it’s something like “being in love with the idea of love.”

Still, what matters is that she has spent these five years thinking of me and working hard.

That’s the important truth here. 

So, I should at least say something to honor those feelings.

“Mariabelle.”

“Yes?”

“You’ve truly… become beautiful.”

“Yes… yes!”

Her face lit up with joy—and in that moment, her smile looked incredibly captivating to me.