'E-Everything is going wrong! The princess will not have a positive opinion about our household at this rate. N-No! More importantly, what if this reaches his majesty's ears? He loves his younger sister too much! He will not let us live in peace ever again.'
The minister's mental health was in shambles.
The breakfast had been ruined before it started, and the minister knew he needed to do something fast.
"Oi! What are you all standing around for? Hurry up and bring an extra seat for the princess's guard. Also, bring out the food now."
The minister quickly ordered the rescue of the situation.
The servants were quick, and they handled the situation magnificently. Plates upon plates of food were piled out of the kitchen and put in front of the princess.
And yet, the princess did not even touch a single bite of that food.
The minister felt his heart sink, and his expression turned worried as he watched the princess not reach out to take a single bite of her food.
'Why is the princess not taking a bite out of our food? Is there something wrong with it? Or, was she offended too much by what happened before?'
The minister questioned in his mind, not even realizing he was bound
Sui looked at the mountain of food before her and felt an urge to sigh.
There was more food than Sui had ever seen placed in front of her (except Imperial Banquets. But Sui was not allowed access to that food until after everyone else was done.)
The mouth-watering aroma made Sui want to reach out and eat this food, but she waited for the princess to start first.
Minutes passed, then two but the princess did not reach out for this food.
'What the hell is the princess thinking? Is she going to waste all this fresh and tasty food? No way! That would be such a waste to do. I want to take a bite out of these trays.'
Sui whined inside her mind, and when she looked up, she noticed the princess looking back at her with an amused expression.
"Do you want to eat these foods, Sui? Are you sure you are not forgetting something?"
The princess asked in a teasing voice.
That voice indicated that Sui was forgetting something for sure, but knowing about this did not help Sui remember what she was supposed to.
"I see. This is disappointing. But since you want to eat this food, go ahead."
Sui was suspicious of the princess's intentions but knew she could not follow that order.
"I apologize, princess! However, my position demands me to wait before you start to take a bite out of this food."
'So, hurry your darn self-up and take a bite out of this platter already.'
Sui yelled in her mind, her mouthwatering at the aroma in front of her.
The princess chuckled and picked up her plate. The princess picked up a piece of dumpling and extended it toward Sui's lips.
It startled Sui, but she opened her mouth to quickly accept this offered food. But it never reached her mouth.
Before Sui could even bite into the dumpling, the princess pulled her hand back and gestured for the minister to pay attention.
"Minister Xiao, bring the food tester in here. You might be a loyal retainer of the royal family, but rules still need to be followed, right?"
The princess asked with a bright smile, and the minister felt his brain glitching before he flinched and realized what was missing.
Even Sui was shocked at her carelessness and the blunder that had almost occurred because of this.
'The poison-tester! Shit! How can I forget about it? A blunder almost happened because I was not attentive enough. I need to get out of this position as soon as possible before I end the princess killed because of my inattentiveness-'
"It's alright, Sui. Take in some deep breaths and calm yourself down. The only reason you were caught off guard is because you are not used to your post. Make sure to remember this for the next time."
The princess assured and the calm, confident voice made Sui feel even worse than before.
'How can the princess assure me in this manner when what happened is my fault? All this thinking is giving me a headache.'
Sui sighed and settled down.
The minister also came back with a young woman in tow.
The woman bowed in front of Sui and the imperial princess before she reached out to grab a dish from each plate.
Everything seemed alright until the woman reached for the dumplings and quickly scanned them all.
It seemed as if she was looking for a specific dumpling to eat and it became more and more apparent by the second.
"What's wrong? Are you not going to reach out and taste these dumplings for poison?"
The princess asked while picking up the plate.
The taste-tester had no choice but to reach for another dumpling and take a small bite.
The woman's face paled before she began to cough and her mouth foamed. They were all signs of being poisoned.
"W-What is going on here? This woman is-! Princess, please believe me when I say I do not know anything about anything happening here. I am a loyal retainer of the royal family and I-"
The princess stood up and Sui followed her as well.
The collapse of the servant as well as the poison accident caused her heart to thunder in her chest.
At the same time, Sui could not help but marvel at the princess's talent at recognizing the poison at first glance.
She had managed to pick out the exact dish that had the poison.
"Hmm, do you want mercy now? Well, I can spare your household. But only after I do a thorough investigation and see why I almost got poisoned. You all need to cooperate with me here. Any funny move and you can get locked up for treason."
The princess reminded the minister and he had nothing to say.
"Now then, guards. Please take our lovely minister and his family to their rooms. And keep an eye on them in the meantime."