CPSMBD Chapter 34

Chapter  34

The Antidote

"It's a curse, but a beautiful curse," one fairy said.

"Indeed. Falling in love is what matters," another chimed in.

"Yes, yes!"

"Wait! This human man is in love with you!"

"Don't you love this human man in return?"

I nodded in response to the fairies' questions.

"Yes, and that's why I want to break the curse."

"Then try to love him back! Though he doesn't deserve someone as precious as you, we'll support you anyway."

"Oh! I have an even better idea. Let's make this human woman drink fairy tears too!"

"That's brilliant! Then their love can bloom."

The fairies clapped in delight.

"But what if she drinks the fairy tears and sees that other human man first?" A fairy with blue hair twirled around, pointing at Lord Dale who stood frozen in the distance.

Another fairy giggled, baring their teeth.

"Then we'll just kill that human man. With him gone, she'll have no choice but to love this one!"

How can something so tiny and cute be so extreme? Never judge by appearances, indeed.

"Never mind that. I need an antidote for the fairy tears. You know how to neutralize them, don't you?"

"Of course! We created the fairy tears, after all."

"But just like that?"

"What's the price?"

"Yes, there must be a price."

"The fairy folk never give anything without compensation."

"That's right, that's right."

The fairies nodded in unison.

Remembering how they had coveted my hair earlier, I made an offer.

"Fine. I'll give you my hair. How's that?"

The fairies spoke in chorus.

"How much will you give?"

"How much do you need?"

At my question, the fairies huddled together, whispering in tiny voices before announcing in harmony:

"All of it."

"We need everything."

Are they insane?

"What? You want me to live as a bald woman?"

"Yes. Is that a problem?"

"What's wrong with being bald?"

The fairies tilted their heads in confusion. Though their gestures were adorable, their words were anything but.

While I wasn't particularly vain about my appearance, going bald was absolutely not an option.

"Then how about I pluck out all of your hair?"

The fairies responded in perfect unison:

"Absolutely not!!!"

"But you'll be fine! You'd still be pretty even bald."

Hmph! At least they have good taste.

Should I really give them all my hair?

The image of my brother cackling at my bald head flashed through my mind.

'No, giving everything is definitely not an option.'

"For a human woman, becoming bald is extremely traumatic. So, giving you everything is out of the question."

But the fairies were persistent.

"But to divide your hair fairly among us, we need all of it!"

I crossed my arms, deep in thought. While hair would eventually grow back, missing this chance might mean the Crown Prince would never be free from the curse.

Just then, the Crown Prince, who had been listening to our exchange, cut in coldly.

"Enough. We don't need the antidote. Let's just go back. There's no need to go this far for it."

The fairies became excited at his words.

"The human man is blind with love!"

"He's gone mad with love!"

"Our power is truly remarkable, making a human man crazy with love!"

This argument seemed endless.

I drew my dagger and cut off a portion of my hair.

"Violetta!"

The Crown Prince called out my name in alarm, but my hair was already severed.

"Here. This is all you get."

One fairy spoke in a prim voice.

"It's a bit less than we wanted, but this should suffice."

"Yes, considering your sincerity, we can provide the antidote."

The fairies scattered in all directions with my hair.

They returned with a small blue gem which they placed in my palm.

It resembled the gem I'd glimpsed in Ayla's ring, though different in color.

"Will eating this neutralize the fairy tears?"

"No, no, not quite."

These fairies! They're toying with me.

Seeing my expression darken, the fairies quickly waved their hands.

"Don't be angry!"

They fluttered near my ears, twisting their bodies as they whispered:

"After eating this, he must kiss the person he's fallen in love with. Only then will the curse break."

Ah.

Well, that's doable! What's the problem?

It's not like I'm the one who has to do it anyway.

Wait... who did the Crown Prince fall in love with again?

Suddenly my mind felt foggy, and I couldn't quite grasp the thought.

'Wait!'

The person the Crown Prince fell in love with is...

Violetta Estrisen.

Me!!

I have to kiss His Highness?

This is insane!

***

Having achieved our goal of obtaining the antidote, the Crown Prince, Lord Dale, and I returned to the palace.

Taking a special day off, I sat in my mansion, staring at the small glass vial containing the antidote, lost in thought.

‘They say there’s always another mountain to climb. Why is life never simple?’

After obtaining the antidote, an even bigger mountain awaited me – I had to kiss the Crown Prince.

The mere thought was driving me crazy.

‘Is this even possible? How can I kiss Crown Prince Friedrich!’

Should I just let him continue loving me?

But too many people already knew about the Crown Prince's infatuation with me.

I couldn't even properly silence Lord Dale and Secretary Derek, so it wouldn't be long before the Empress heard about this.

I needed to resolve this situation before the Empress found out.

There was only one solution.

Sacrificing my lips.

Yes. Let's do it!

‘It’s not like they’ll wear out. How hard can one kiss with His Highness be?’

No. Impossible!

'How could I do such a thing with Crown Prince Friedrich!'

What's the big deal?

'Just close your eyes and do it! It's just lips touching lips, nothing more.'

Are you crazy? Absolutely not!

I buried my face in my pillow repeatedly.

It had been three hours already. For three hours, I had changed my mind hundreds of times.

Finally, I reached a conclusion.

Sacrificing my lips once was far better than sacrificing my entire future life.

‘It’s not like my lips will wear out from one kiss.’

Yes! When you've made up your mind, you just have to do it.

I immediately headed to the palace to meet the Crown Prince.

He readily accepted my request for a moment of his time.

I promptly held out the antidote to him.

"Your Highness, this is the antidote. If you take this, you'll be freed from the curse that made you fall for me."

"So you've decided to make me take it after all."

"Yes."

"Even if I take the antidote, my feelings for you won't change. Are you okay with that?"

Won't change? I'd bet my wrist that he won't even look at me once he takes the antidote.

"Let's talk after you take it first."

"Very well."

The Crown Prince accepted the antidote I offered.

I deliberately didn't mention the need for a kiss.

‘What if His Highness refuses?’

It would be better to seize the opportunity when it presents itself.

After steeling my resolve, clenching my fists, I asked His Highness:

"Your Highness, are you ready?"

The Crown Prince smiled at my question.

"Why so serious? Are you worried my feelings might change?"

As if that would happen!

‘I’m just preparing myself mentally for having to kiss you, there’s no other intention at all!’

I gestured toward the glass vial in his hand and said:

"Just take the antidote quickly."

The Crown Prince slowly tilted the vial toward his mouth.

The small sky-blue gem rolled from the glass vial and disappeared into his mouth.

After swallowing the antidote, the Crown Prince smiled at me.

"There, I took it. See? I was right. Even after taking the antidote, I still lo—"

The Crown Prince couldn't finish his sentence.

Because I had risen on my tiptoes and grabbed his collar.0