The Obsession of the Tyrant Sub-Male Lead is Unnecessary

Episode 26

“What? Why did you stop talking?”

“Oh, no. I can’t say any more.”

“Why?!”

“Oh, I don’t know. Just pretend I didn’t hear anything, Princess!”

Retrius, who was stubbornly refusing to speak further, seemed unlikely to open his mouth again. Verona decided she would have to look for another opportunity.

“Princess, I’ve just baked some fresh bread!”

At that moment, Mary burst in. She was beaming, carrying a tray piled high with bread that gave off a sweet aroma.

“Please try each one. I made a variety because your tastes might have changed.”

Following Mary, several other maids entered, each holding trays filled with various types of bread. Each one was different.

“This is raisin cookies, Zelda brought financiers, Irene brought roll cake, Susan brought muffins, and Lady Merayton sent pecan pie.”

Mary, still wearing her baker’s hat, proudly listed the treats she had prepared.

“I made sure to include your favorite nuts, Princess! Doesn’t the smell already make you feel delighted?”

“Thank you, Mary. But I’m not a squirrel…”

While it was true that Verona liked most nuts like almonds, macadamia nuts, pistachios, cashews, pecans, and hazelnuts, this was a bit much.

Every single bread had nuts in it!

‘Carlos isn’t the only one who gets overexcited, even Mary is doing it now?’

Verona shook her head, but Mary, unfazed, immediately set about serving warm tea and arranging the treats on the table.

“Even if it’s just a little, please try them. Once you let me know which ones you like, I’ll focus on those for future snacks.”

“Well, okay, I guess.”

A gentle breeze blew through the window, intensifying the delicious aroma of the bread. Even though Verona had eaten breakfast earlier, her mouth began to water.

Mary took a piece of each bread from the maids’ trays and placed it on Verona’s plate.

“How is it, Princess?”

“It’s delicious! It’s soft and moist, I feel like I could keep eating it.”

At first, she thought there was too much to try, but once she took a bite, it was as if she hadn’t eaten breakfast at all. The child growing inside her was clearly quite hungry.

Verona, who usually had a small appetite despite her fondness for desserts and bread, realized that the baby, being Carlos’ child, was quite different.

“This filling is made with the finest black sugar.”

Mary served a slice of pecan pie. Verona eagerly speared it with her fork and took a bite.

At that moment, Olivia, who was holding the pie tray, flashed a strange look.

‘What’s that about?’

Verona pondered while chewing on the sweet pie, but then Mary’s face went pale as she inspected the knife used to cut the pie.

“Oh my goodness! Princess, please spit it out immediately!”

“Huh? Why?”

Verona, who had just swallowed the pie, asked in confusion, and Mary spoke urgently.

“I think there’s walnut in the pecan pie!”

“What? Walnut?”

Verona was startled, but she had already swallowed the pie.

“What are we going to do! Lady Merayton, fetch the royal physician at once!”

“Yes.”

Olivia quickly left the room.

“Princess, are you alright? Are you feeling any reactions?”

Mary, on the verge of tears, anxiously checked Verona’s neck and hands. Verona, in a daze, checked her body for any signs of a reaction but felt fine.

“I think… I’m okay?”

“Are you sure? But, Princess, you have a walnut allergy! Touching them is fine, but when you eat them, your throat swells and you break out in rashes… And now that you’re pregnant, such a severe allergic reaction would be dangerous!”

Mary, her face pale with fear, seemed unable to believe Verona’s words. And it was understandable since Verona had a serious walnut allergy.

Of course, Olivia hadn’t mentioned it when she made walnut pie before.

When Verona was younger, she had once eaten food containing walnuts and had nearly passed out, barely surviving the ordeal.

Though she hadn’t been allergic from the start, her inability to eat walnuts had led her to grow especially fond of other types of nuts.

‘So why am I okay now?’

Verona herself had no idea why. In fact, the pecan pie, with a little bit of walnut visible, tasted even better. She used to push walnuts away just by seeing them.

The royal physician, Burton, who rushed in after hearing Mary’s story, examined Verona and came to a conclusion.

“There are no signs of an allergic reaction.”

“Huh? Really?”

Mary exclaimed in disbelief.

“Yes. Are you sure you had an allergy before? There’s nothing wrong now.”

“Of course! The Princess had a severe walnut allergy! This is strange. Could it be that her constitution has changed without any special treatment?”

“Hm… I’m not sure, but perhaps the child inside has altered the Princess’s body.”

Burton, after some thought, offered this explanation.

‘The child?’

Verona was shocked. She had heard that pregnancy could cause many changes in a woman’s body, but she had never heard of something like this.

“Considering that the child carries His Majesty’s bloodline, it’s likely that they are not an ordinary child.”

Burton left with those cryptic words, leaving behind a bewildered Verona.

“Either way, it’s a relief, Princess.”

“Yes, it is.”

Mary sighed in relief, and Verona happily took another bite of the pie.

“Could I have some more, Olivia?”

“Yes, Princess.”

For some reason, the pie appealed to her more than the other breads. Verona even had Olivia place the tray on the table for easier access.

As Verona cut into another piece of pie, this time more walnuts were visible, making it look less like pecan pie and more like walnut pie.

Olivia, with a suddenly cold expression, left with the empty tray, walking away with the other maids.

“Mary, did Olivia make this pie?”

Verona asked in a small voice, sensing something off about Olivia’s retreating figure. But Mary shook her head.

“No, of course not. Knowing what Lady Merayton might try, would I ever let her handle your food, Princess? The new chefs made it. And of course, we checked to ensure there was no poison. Olivia wasn’t allowed anywhere near the kitchen.”

“…I see.”

“It seems the instruction not to include walnuts didn’t get through clearly. I’ll make sure to explain it again. Don’t worry.”

“Well, actually… walnuts taste pretty good. I think I might even like walnut pie more than pecan pie.”

“Really? That’s such a relief! As expected, the baby inside you is extraordinary. To even rid you of your allergy symptoms!”

Mary beamed, overjoyed.

“Yes, it’s truly a relief.”

Although it was fortunate that she had no allergic reaction, the fact that Olivia had brought the pie left a lingering unease in Verona’s mind.

‘That look in her eyes… something feels off.’

However, since Olivia hadn’t made the pie, it wouldn’t be right to suspect her without evidence. Left with no other choice, Verona finished eating the pie.

* * *

Later, after an investigation, it was revealed that the inclusion of walnuts had been a mistake by one of the chefs.

The chef, a commoner who had previously worked as a top pâtissier at a famous bakery in the capital, was renowned for his pie-making skills and had been personally scouted by Carlos.

He admitted that he had added the walnut filling because he wanted to impress Verona with something he had poured his heart into.

When Carlos returned to the villa that evening, furious, he threatened to imprison the chef in the dungeon. But Verona, horrified, quickly intervened. After all, she hadn’t had an allergic reaction, and the pie had been genuinely delicious.

In the end, Carlos merely docked the chef’s pay. At first, he wanted to fire him, but considering the consequences of a commoner pâtissier being dismissed from the royal palace, it was as good as a death sentence. No noble would hire a pâtissier who had been punished by the Emperor.

“What if something terrible had happened?” Carlos asked.

“In the end, nothing did, so it’s fine,” Verona replied, as she enjoyed the lemon pie the chef had made as an apology.

The tart filling combined with the rich, smooth cream on top was truly exquisite.

This pie had only been served to Verona after Retrius had thoroughly tested it for poison. In fact, two people had inspected the ingredients, and Mary had stood by the chef the entire time to monitor the process.

“I appreciate the concern, but don’t you think Mary’s being a bit over the top?”

“She’s just looking out for you, that’s all,” Carlos said, gently wiping some cream from Verona’s lips.

“I’m glad she’s been working hard while I’ve been away. I should double her salary.”

“Mary will be thrilled.”

Carlos was always generous with things like this. When he heard there was still salmon from Waterfall Mountain left in the storage, despite Verona having enjoyed a salmon salad for dinner, he had asked about it. It turned out that seafood would now be delivered from Waterfall every three days.

‘He’s already like this, so what will he be like once the baby is born? He might carry the child everywhere with him.’

Verona couldn’t help but laugh at the thought of the cold-faced Emperor carrying a child into state meetings.

“No matter how much I dislike it, if you enjoy the food, I’ll have to tolerate it,” Carlos said with a smile, thinking she was laughing because of the pie.

“Still, we need to strengthen the inspections and monitoring.”

“Yes, go ahead.”

Verona didn’t completely dismiss the idea that the chef might have been involved, but he had lived his life as a poor commoner and had only recently gained recognition in a bakery.

Furthermore, there had been no issues with the pie itself, and no evidence suggested he had known about her walnut allergy.

‘Not even Carlos knew about it.’

In any case, his skills were undeniable, and it was a pleasure to enjoy such wonderful pies. Judging by how her hand kept reaching for more, it seemed the baby had quite a liking for his pastries too.

“Still, it’s strange. How could my allergy completely disappear just because I’m pregnant?”

“That’s because the baby is mine,” Carlos said confidently, for no particular reason.

“I told you, our child will be healthy. They’re even making you healthier.”

“A child who’s already looking after their mother… I think I might cry.”

“She’s going to be a very good daughter.”

Carlos spoke affectionately, stroking her hair. Verona teased back.

“Maybe it’ll be a son?”