Reincarnated Princess Wishes To Avoid Death
chapter-540

Princess Mia knows her TPN

Finally, it was decided that the relief force for the Fire clan would depart the next day. Members of the Forest clan would be responsible for transportation, and Rafina would be escorted by Mia’s personal Imperial Guard.

Compared to having the Forest clan in charge of both transport and escort duty, the personnel was reduced by a third, and that’s how Aima was convinced.

‘So, that’s why Mia-san did not mention that she would go right from the beginning.’

Rafina was impressed with how Mia had successfully concluded the negotiation.

At the time, Rafina had found Mia’s behavior strange—how she didn’t say anything and left everything to the Equestrian Kingdom, or how, without agreeing with or following Rafina’s actions, she left the tent as if the matter didn’t concern her.

‘I see, this matter certainly did not concern Mia directly. But would Mia truly abandon someone who was in trouble? Moreover, considering everything, could she just leave Aima, who admired her as a friend, alone? Ask yourself, absolutely not! No way!! That’s impossible!!! ’

That was essentially the gist of what went through Rafina’s mind at that time, but Mia was thinking ahead. Well, not really, but at least that’s how Rafina perceived Mia to be thinking.

‘I will temporarily withdraw from that place. This should set the condition high, with soldiers from the Equestrian Kingdom tasked with being Rafina’s escorts. Later, I will lower the condition by proposing that my Imperial Guard serve as Rafina’s escorts. With that, Aima-san will be presented with an easy-to-understand compromise. That’s what she must have thought. As expected of Mia-san, truly impressive.’

Rafina was filled with admiration for Mia.

Meanwhile, Lin Malong was also surprised by Mia’s behaviour.

“I’m sorry. The discussion took so long.”

When he bowed his head, Mia gave a friendly smile and waved her hand.

“It’s not a big deal. I’m glad that our important discussion concluded without incident.”

“Ah, thanks to you Miss Mia. You were a big help. As a thank you, I’ll treat you to the exceptionally delicious Daigo sheep’s milk.”

Just as Malong was about to run, Mia stopped him.

“No. There’s no need for that.”

“Eh?”

Malong came to a halt, involuntarily tilting his head.

‘It is true that some nobles are not interested in the taste of milk, but it was different in Miss Mia’s case. On the way here, I noticed how she was genuinely looking forward to it.’

By the way, Malong also liked that aspect of Mia. Without putting on airs, she did not hesitate to declare something delicious and enjoyed it wholeheartedly. He found her natural attitude very likeable.

‘Why would that Mia refuse?’

Mia smiled calmly at the perplexed Malong.

“I will definitely have it again later. That’s right, after this matter is completely resolved.”

Mia added, “Ah, personally I don’t mind if the quantity of food for the banquet is a little less. But, of course, I would like the soldiers who accompanied me this far and my vassals to eat plenty.”

“Miss Mia…”

Malong involuntarily exhaled, he was deeply moved.

‘Perhaps Miss Mia sympathised with the Fire clan’s situation and therefore did not like the idea of enjoying a banquet meal here. Despite knowing that her friend Aima’s kin were suffering from hunger, she couldn’t forgive herself if she indulged in eating to her heart’s content in front of that very Aima. Miss Mia must be familiar with the concept of TPO – Time, Place and Occasion.’

“I suppose you mean fasting, in the hope that the Fire clan’s problems are resolved.” said Rafina.

In the Central Orthodox Church, there was a custom called ‘fasting’, where individuals would abstain from food to make a powerful request to God and utilise that time to offer prayers.

That definitely was not Mia’s point of view. When Malong turned to look at her, she seemed to panic a little and shook her head.

“No, no, it’s not that big of a deal. Really. Of course, I will eat the food. I just want to try to reduce the quantity.”

Malong felt like bursting into laughter when he looked at the flustered Mia.

‘Miss Mia was probably feeling embarrassed. She was genuinely worried about Aima and was working hard for her clan, even going on a fast to renew her determination for victory. Perhaps she felt embarrassed about being seen in that light. That’s why she appeared so flustered.’

It seemed that those feelings were somehow conveyed to Aima as well.

“For the sake of my clan, I am truly grateful. In that case, I will also refrain from eating.”

“No, that’s not good! Um, that’s right, if you don’t eat, you won’t have the strength, and you won’t be able to fulfil your duties. You must eat properly so that it doesn’t affect the journey starting tomorrow. That’s important too.”

When put in those words, even Aima wouldn’t be able to refute that.

‘Is that why she said that she would eat a little? Certainly, fasting in the midst of traveling is not wise. If she were to collapse, it would be all for nothing. In other words, Miss Mia had carefully assessed the limits of her abilities. She was truly impressive.’

Malong thought to himself and nodded in satisfaction.

‘If Miss Mia has this attitude, then Abel will probably be fine too.’

Not a single person there had noticed an important fact: Mia was subtly rubbing her stomach.

It was obvious, wasn’t it? The real reason why Mia abstained not only from the Daigo sheep’s milk but also from the banquet food was that she had drunk too much!

Mia’s stomach felt flabby from drinking too much hot milk during the discussion.

Mia, the gourmet princess of the Empire, always took into consideration her condition when deciding to indulge in something delicious, especially when savouring a culinary delight for the very first time.

‘Speaking of the exquisite milk, it wasn’t meant for today. Besides, I’m already quite full. I feel like I won’t be able to eat much at the banquet. Ugh, I made a mistake. If I had known things would turn out like this, I would have been more careful with the milk. It was so tasty that I ended up gulping it all.’

That’s right. For the gourmet Princess Mia, whether it’s tasty butter, bread, cake, or milk, everything is a drink meant to be gulped down!

Well, for most people milk would normally be considered a drink, anyway.

‘It’s a shame that I can’t eat the special banquet food, but when the stomach is so full, I can’t help it.’

Indeed, Mia was well aware of her TPN – Tummy Properly Nourished.

“If that’s the case, how about yogurt? It’s nutritious and said to be beneficial for a beautiful appearance. Also, it’s truly delicious when drizzled with honey.”

Mia smiled broadly at the words of the lady from the Forest clan who had been listening to their conversation.

“Thank you. I appreciate your consideration.”

Mia repeated what she had said earlier.

“Then, let’s have a feast sometime, when everything is resolved, together with everyone.”

It was a declaration made with heartfelt determination— a firm and resolute declaration to face the exquisite cuisine of the Equestrian Kingdom in peak condition.

By the way, the yogurt that she had later was so delicious that Mia was thoroughly satisfied.