Chapter 6
Some of them tilted their heads curiously toward me as soon as they looked up, seeing me cradled in Grandpapa’s arms. And as Grandpapa strode the length of the elongated grand hall toward the dragon throne, they whispered furtively among themselves.
“His Highness…”
“Why on earth…?”
The murmuring ceased the moment Grandpapa took his seat on the throne.
From my perch on Grandpapa’s lap, gazing down, the grand hall seemed endlessly long and vast.
Soon, Grandpapa spoke.
“Today, I intend to make a momentous decision.”
Everyone must already know what the Emperor plans to do today. Volter has been so excited, spreading rumors everywhere—there’s no way they wouldn’t know. The Empress has likely already rallied allies through her own family.
“We cannot leave the position of Crown Prince vacant, can we? What are your thoughts, my lords?”
His tone was as if to say, Just say ‘yes.’ The answer is already decided. Speak the wrong one, and your head will roll. At that, the nobles bowed their heads toward the throne.
“Your words are most wise, Your Majesty!”
“So, then, I’m truly troubled over whom to place in the Crown Prince’s seat. What are your thoughts, my lords?”
The answer was already set on my great-aunt, yet Grandpapa deliberately asked.
Then, from somewhere in the middle, someone spoke.
“After all, in this imperial family, the only prince is His Highness Prince Volter.”
In that instant, I felt a murderous intent from above my head. Lifting my gaze to Grandpapa’s jawline and the eyes looking down from above, I saw obsession and madness in them.
‘How dare you be the first to voice an opinion completely opposite to mine? You’re dead now.’
“The legitimate heir of the imperial family is Eonel.”
At the Emperor’s words, the nobles stirred.
“But Your Highness Eonel is not a prince, but a princess…”
“And so?”
“Your Majesty! Throughout the history of the Empire, there has never been a case where a princess became Emperor. We beseech you to reconsider.”
“Oh? Then our Eonel will be the first? This will go down in history forever. Heh heh heh!”
As the Emperor laughed heartily, as if thoroughly amused, the current Empress Kiyen’s father—and Volter’s maternal grandfather—the Marquis of Cherie openly wore an expression like he’d bitten into something foul.
The grand hall grew noisy with murmurs. Then, unfortunately, right in the midst of this quiet lull, a voice—whose, I couldn’t tell—rang out clearly.
You know how it happens sometimes: the noise is at its peak, then suddenly, for no reason at all, it goes silent. Among the common folk, they say it’s like ‘a fairy shouted for everyone to be quiet.’
This was exactly one of those moments.
Because of that, a voice that would normally have been drowned out in the general hubbub echoed unusually loud.
“Are we really going to seat a barren woman on the throne?”
The nobles quickly began exchanging glances. This was a sure death sentence if caught. Everyone clamped their mouths shut, as if to insist it wasn’t them, and cautiously scanned their surroundings.
“Who was that? Which bastard was it! Barren woman? Have you ever seen such an insolent wretch! What damned fool was it!”
Grandpapa leaped to his feet, jabbing a finger toward where the voice had come from. Abruptly handed off to the attendant standing beside him, I stared blankly at the scene.
Veins bulged in Grandpapa’s neck.
“You scum! Drag out that wretch who dared insult the imperial family at once!”
“F-Forgive me! Your Majesty! Your Majestyyy!”
After confirming that the man was being dragged away, Grandpapa sat back down, huffing angrily. The attendant beside him swiftly returned me to Grandpapa’s arms. In any case, today too, I was being bounced up and down endlessly in Grandpapa’s hands.
Due to the grand hall meetings that dragged on for days, I accompanied Grandpapa to them every day at the same time.
And only after Grandpapa was scolded by my great-aunt—asking what on earth he was trying to teach a child who wouldn’t remember anyway by bringing me to the grand hall every day—did he finally grant me my freedom.
The repertoire of the grand hall meetings was the same every day, making it unbearably boring.
Grandpapa’s meetings proceeded in his usual ‘the answer is already decided’ style. Then, Duke Croizen would step in to articulate points on his behalf. And the nobles from the Marquis of Cherie’s faction would desperately try to sway Grandpapa’s mind. This repeated endlessly.
In any case, the Crown Prince position would go to Great-Aunt Eonel, and as a young child, there was nothing I could do, nor much to worry about. Above all, there was no reason for me to get involved. If I just stayed quiet, the future wouldn’t change.
So, like a proper child, shouldn’t I just eat well, sleep well, and grow up well?
Moreover, this life of lounging and indulging would end in a few years when various etiquette lessons began. Therefore, until Great-Aunt becomes Emperor, I vowed to thoroughly enjoy the imperial life I truly couldn’t savor in my past life!
With that in mind, as the days began to warm, I decided to go on an outing to the grand garden on the south side of the imperial palace.
“Nanny. Wanna go out. Uh-uh- let’s go.”
“Shall we? The weather’s warmed up nicely—shall we take some treats and uh-uh- go?”
I jumped up and hurriedly put on a loose, comfortable outing dress before leaving the room. Behind me, Nanny, Jeanne, and the maids followed in a flurry.
I toddled along, running outside, crossing the small garden of my palace, passing through several gates and flower gardens, until I finally arrived at the palace’s grand garden.
The trees with freshly sprouted leaves were a vibrant green, and the splendid spring flowers were just beginning to bloom, making the garden incredibly fresh and lively. Scattered throughout were tea tables arranged like secret gardens.
Lifting my head, I could see the First South Gate in the distance. Through it, nobles and officials were entering the palace one after another from early morning.
The atmosphere and view are perfect.
I settled at a tea table in a sunny spot. Now, shall I photosynthesize and laze about with a nice nap?
Just as I was thinking that, Nanny exclaimed brightly.
“Come on! Children need to run around and play to grow tall and strong.”
“……”
Uh… But my mental age is already eighteen… I hate giggling and running around, sweating buckets and panting! This isn’t the outing I imagined!
But oblivious to my feelings, Nanny squatted down with a beaming smile, meeting my eyes.
“What game shall we play? How about tag? ‘Catch our little princess!’?”
N-No, I hate that! Shake shake shake!
“Hmm, or should I be the one to run away instead?”
That’s not what I mean! Whether running away or chasing, I hate running at all!
But Nanny’s eyes already gleamed with determination to make me run no matter what. Ah, a life of lounging, eating, and sleeping as a baby? Yeah right! Life is really too hard.
Nanny always says childcare requires stamina, but looking at her expression now, somehow that stamina… feels like something I need to build to take care of myself.
To break out of this situation, I furrowed my brows and racked my brain furiously.
Yes! Find a game that involves as little movement as possible but looks active at a glance! Something that satisfies Nanny and keeps me comfortable. That’s the only way I’ll survive.
Then, something flashed through my mind like a spark…
“Hide and seek!”
It was hide-and-seek.
From others’ perspectives, how well could a kid like me hide anyway? So Nanny would probably pretend to wander a bit, then find me, and suggest I run around hiding everywhere again. Of course, I had no intention of being found that easily.
Heh! I’m so smart!
Soon, Nanny took the bait I’d dangled.
“Shall we play hide-and-seek?”
She cooed at me affectionately. Afraid she’d change her mind, I nodded vigorously.
“Then I’ll hide! I’ll hide really good!”
Grinning widely, I quickly dashed away from the scene. Nanny turned around and started counting loudly, and meanwhile, Jeanne’s eyes followed me. To Jeanne and the maids, I shot a pretend stern command as I scampered off.
“Don’t follow me!”
I ran just far enough that Jeanne wouldn’t worry, but it would be quite hard for Nanny to find me. Then I entered the terrace with the tea table in the center.
Nanny and Jeanne would probably think a kid like me is at best hiding under the table, covered by the tablecloth. With a triumphant smile, I crawled on all fours through the flowerbed on the opposite side of the terrace entrance.
My outing dress got dirty with soil and leaves, but I didn’t care as I pushed through the flower bushes and emerged on the other side. There, an open expanse of the opposite garden greeted me.
It was a spot with a great view of those entering the palace. I’ll lie down here, enjoy a lazy morning, and head back just before Nanny and the maids start worrying.
As I settled in that blind spot from Nanny and the maids’ view, feeling the warm sunlight, something suddenly grabbed my ankle tightly.
What? Already caught?
“Eek! N-Nannyyyy!”
I flipped over abruptly, clutching handfuls of grass. But something felt off. The hand gripping my ankle was different from Nanny’s usual touch. It was much rougher and more forceful.
As I flailed, the hand dragged me sliding out of the flowerbed. With my skirt flipped up, I was sprawled face-down, being pulled along the ground.
What in the world? A bolt from the blue! And I’m the Emperor’s—our Grandpapa’s—most beloved imperial grandchild!
“Waaah!”
As I screamed, a strange woman’s voice suddenly rang out.
“Ah, miss! Y-You can’t do this! You can’t…”
“She looked at me earlier but didn’t greet me!”
By now dragged out onto the path, I lifted my head in a daze while still sprawled. Blades of grass fluttered down from my forehead. It was so absurd that it still didn’t feel real.
I hesitantly got up. My appearance must be a total mess. Nanny and the maids would be shocked.
Should I just burst into tears? Then Grandpapa wouldn’t let it slide. It was a thought only possible because I was a child. When else could I threaten someone with my crying if not at this age!
But it was so ridiculous that even fake tears wouldn’t come.
I turned around to check the face of this rude culprit. In that moment, my breath nearly stopped.
Curly, flamboyant scarlet red hair and eyes. The signature colors of the House of Cherie.
I know who this is. Mintia de Cherie.
In the future, with a face identical to her aunt, Empress Kiyen, she would dominate high society as the Empress’s proxy. She was called the Marquis’s daughter more often than by her name, Mintia.
That was because her pride in her family was immense, and among the young ladies her age, no one had the influence to rival her. Moreover, across all the ducal houses in the Empire, there were no ducal daughters, so she naturally filled that role. Of course, being the Empress’s niece was a big part of it too.
Anyway, two years older than me, she was five this year. I hadn’t realized it in my previous life, but seeing her now, she looked so much bigger. The difference between three and five suddenly felt enormous.
Soon, the five-year-old brat in front of me placed her hands on her hips, furrowed her brows deeply, and glared at me. Then she abruptly shouted.
“You wench!”
My, what a shrill voice.
The maid behind Mintia paled.
“Miss! Do you know who this is? How could you just…”
As if not hearing the maid stamping her feet behind her, Mintia scowled.
“Hmph! Greet me properly. I am Mintia Cherie of the House of Marquis Cherie! The Empress’s…”
As Mintia trailed off, the maid whispered in her ear.
“Niece, miss.”
All the while, she stamped her feet and scanned the surroundings, apparently trying to figure out which family’s daughter I was and where my maids were.
“Yes! That’s right. I’m the Empress’s niece!”
