Chapter 45.
Emperor Otto furrowed his brow.
“You’re mistaken about something. Who would criticize me for neglecting an illegitimate child?”
“I would.”
“What?”
“That was too much, Your Majesty. That child is your offspring too. How could you ignore her until she reached such a state?”
There was no way to discuss this matter without criticizing Emperor Otto.
Because he was the original perpetrator, not just Lady Noivan to blame.
But before Joachim could foam at the mouth, I should back off around here.
I let out a short sigh and changed the subject.
“Don’t worry. From now on, I’ll take care of Princess Mari.”
“Why would you go that far!”
“She’s my little sister. You’ll allow it, right?”
As I stared at Emperor Otto intently, he flinched, his lips twitching before he finally sighed.
“Do as you please, Princess. I’ll punish Lady Noivan as such.”
“Thank you.”
“You seem different lately.”
As I turned to leave, the words from behind halted my steps.
“Marrying a prince who was to be executed, bringing in an illegitimate child you never cared about before.”
“….”
“It’s like my daughter has become someone else.”
“Have I become a bit kinder?”
I turned my head and countered with a casual grin.
“I told you. I’ve changed a little lately. I prefer the simple countryside over the glamorous capital, and tiaras encrusted with jewels feel burdensome now.”
“….”
“My words about having no interest in the throne still stand, Your Majesty.”
“You can’t mean because of that…!”
Only then did the Emperor’s expression show realization.
Finally! He seemed to understand that I was doing this on purpose to drop out of the throne competition—though not the part about Mari—and it nearly brought tears to my eyes.
“Of course, it’s true my husband is too handsome, and Mari was too pitiful.”
With those words, I left a bright smile and exited Solara Palace.
In any case, unlike Joachim’s worries, things wrapped up smoothly—thank goodness.
As soon as I returned to Rene Palace, I gave the order.
“It would be good to change Princess Mari’s room. To the one right next to mine.”
Joachim, who had come out to greet me, asked with a surprised expression.
“Did His Majesty permit it?”
“Yes.”
“…Even so, the room next door is a bit.”
Isn’t that too much, I heard him mutter. Friedrich, standing beside him, nudged him and gave him a look.
Joachim finally closed his mouth, but his envious demeanor remained unchanged.
“That room gets good sunlight.”
At my nonchalant murmur, both immediately wore expressions of understanding.
I wanted to compensate as much as possible for the time Mari had spent without seeing sunlight.
For however long I stayed at Rene Palace, as much as I could.
Upon hearing the news, Mari moved rooms in a daze but obediently, and she began to recover gradually.
“Oh, look at how thin your wrist is. Here, open wide.”
“I can eat by myself…”
“You’re a patient, so let me feed you. Come on, ah.”
Since I had nothing else to do anyway, I spent quite a bit of time in Mari’s room. Thanks to that(?), Mari’s recovery sped up.
She even…
“Mari, what’s the matter?”
Started coming to find me first! I was delighted, but worry hit me belatedly.
“Are you hurting somewhere? Did something happen?”
“N-No. It’s just…”
Mari fidgeted as she answered.
“I-I missed Your Highness.”
“Oh my, but I was just about to take a nap. Want to join me?”
Belatedly realizing that naps might not be a good memory for Mari, I thought uh-oh.
Unexpectedly, Mari nodded with a flushed face, and I smiled brightly, opening my arms wide for her.
“Come here.”
Mari scampered over and burrowed into my embrace.
Unlike Friedrich, whose head or neck barely fit when hugged, Mari’s body was small enough for me to envelop completely.
I patted her and gauged her size.
“You seem to have gained a little weight since last week.”
“I-Is it unsightly? I’ll eat less from now on.”
“What are you saying? You need to gain more. Are you eating well?”
As I met her eyes and asked, Mari’s gaze wavered slightly before she nodded.
I stroked her hair, praised her, and then we went to bed together.
“How’s the room? Good sunlight?”
“Yes, I love it.”
Mari added shyly.
“Thank you.”
Aww, so cute. I grinned and kissed her cheek once before saying,
“I’m thinking of assigning you a tutor once you’re better. You need to learn to read, palace etiquette and manners… There’s a mountain to learn.”
Would Mari receive proper treatment without me?
Just in case, I needed to educate her as much as possible so she could survive on her own if needed.
“No need to be scared. We’ll start once you’re fully recovered.”
“I’ll work hard. To not embarrass Your Highness…”
Mari paused briefly before carefully concluding.
“I want to be a good little sister.”
“Oh my, you’re not embarrassing at all now.”
I startled and corrected her.
“I’m teaching you for your sake. So you can live well on your own without me.”
At those words, Mari’s gaze froze. As I realized my slip and hurried to fix it.
“I…”
Mari spoke first.
“Could I be Your Highness’s maid instead?”
“A maid?”
“Elsa said being a maid is an honorable position only nobles can hold.”
As she said, unlike servants, maids were quite prestigious roles. They had many advantages for marriage later, making them popular.
Rene’s maids were an extreme job, so most didn’t last long, but…
“Then couldn’t I do it too? Of course, I’m still lacking to serve Your Highness…”
“It’s not impossible, but I’d prefer if you just relaxed at Rene Palace without doing anything.”
“I just want to do something for Your Highness.”
Mari smiled cautiously, as if sincere.
I gazed contentedly at her sparkling smile for a moment, then lightly stroked the child’s cheek.
“Even if not an official maid, you could attend to me by my side.”
“That’s what I want.”
“Fine. But I don’t keep idle maids. That means you need to get healthy soon. Understand?”
Mari nodded quickly, and after a brief hesitation, I decided to let the child do as she wished.
Having a goal might help her recover faster.
“Anything else you need? Don’t hesitate to say.”
“…Then, um.”
Mari opened her mouth cautiously.
“There’s something I want for my room.”
***
Joachim Rommel hadn’t been in a great mood lately.
Becoming the princess’s consort instead of the slave prince—well, he ended up serving by Her Highness’s side in second place, so that was fine.
‘…But lately, it feels like I’ve been pushed to third.’
He gazed enviously at Mari, who was painting a portrait with Rene.
He’d heard that Princess Mari had asked Rene to paint her portrait to hang in her room.
“Why mine?”
“So I can see Your Highness’s face whenever I want…”
Hearing that from Her Highness, Joachim let out a sigh.
Damn, I should have said that first.
“Isn’t she so cute and clever? Thankfully, she seems to have let down her guard around me a bit.”
Rene’s talk about Mari had increased noticeably.
Joachim thought it was better than talk about Friedrich, at least.
“I suggested we paint together since we’re doing it anyway, and she was so happy.”
In the end, eliciting such words from Her Highness.
‘If Princess Mari had been born a boy, she’d be a huge rival—good thing she’s not.’
Joachim thought he should learn a thing or two from Princess Mari and imitated her.
“Then give me one too. A portrait of Your Highness.”
“Why you?”
“I’m the one who can’t see Your Highness’s face whenever I want.”
“Oh, fine.”
He was delighted by the ready agreement for a moment.
When the expected words didn’t come, he glanced at Rene subtly, and she pointed out with a baffled expression,
“…You haven’t forgotten that was the day my wedding portrait was painted, have you, Duke?”
Well, that’s true. Acknowledging his greed had gone too far, but recalling the slave prince smiling silently like a victor from the side still made his blood boil.
