Chapter 13

Even after the 2nd Prince passed away, I sat on the floor and moved my brain for no reason.

Only then did the maids, who had been ordered by the prince to stay away, come close. She expressed subtle curiosity whether or not she had not heard the conversation.

“Don’t let others know what you’ve talked about. From now on, your words will draw a lot of attention.”

Ishina whispered in my ear as she lifted me up, but we were the only ones who felt the gaze of such maids.

She then gave me a gentle hug. No matter how small our bodies are, she held me so easily by herself that I just put my hands on her shoulders.

“P….please, let me down. It’ll be heavy.”

A knight with a sword also held Argen, but we both were struggling with increased visibility.

“Usually, all the young nobles are carried around, so don’t worry.”

“Then why did you…”

When Argen heard the explanation, he tried to complain, but Ishina intercepted him as if she had already expected it.

“I am the one who has been serving other imperial children since childhood. Considering the outstanding physical abilities and brains of the descendants of the imperial family from generation to generation, you two children have been growing very slowly.”

I was dissatisfied with Ishina’s behavior who had to pick up and talk about the reason for the slow growth.

‘If I grew up eating a lot of delicious food, I’d have grown up already.’

‘I know.’

Ishina brushed over my hair finely, as if knowing our discontent inside. It was also cool to see an old maid walking at the speed of the knights.

“In the future, you’ll be eating things like the meal His Majesty the Emperor eats. There is nothing good with a small body, so you need to grow quickly.”

It was incomparable to when we walked. A child’s body had many limitations, one of which was the speed of walking. It felt different because I had never been hugged by someone like this and moved at the speed of an adult.

Unlike the coolness outside, the perfect temperature welcomed us when we came into the palace.

My hands were sweaty, perhaps because of the difference in temperature inside and outside. I wiped my hands without realizing it on the heavy dress.

‘Are you comfortable?’

When Argen came to talk to me, I shook my head and conveyed my intention to deny it.

‘I’m comfortable, but I’m mentally uncomfortable.’

The same is true to being held by anyone or being in the center of a procession of strangers. I didn’t say anything because I felt better.

It seemed to be three times faster than when we walked on our feet.

In front of the imperial gate which I couldn’t get used to even after seeing it for a day, Ishina raised her head to the knight who was guarding in front.

As I watched the knight open the door, I discovered something I didn’t know because I couldn’t couldn’t see it yesterday. The luxuries that made the door open without a single noise as if it were well-oiled were real gems.

There was no way to use fake gems in the Imperial palace…..There were so many types of translucent red, yellow, black gems, and so on.

“Ah…?”

“Do you like it?”

I turned my gaze towards the door at the sound of Argen’s sighing and Ishina’s question and opened his mouth without realizing it.

‘What is this?’

‘… I don’t know.’

Ishina went into the room holding me in her arms. had to check the scenery in the room again while hanging on to her, but I couldn’t believe it.

On the two beds, there were cute dolls and children’s toy sets on one side.

There was a white tea table with a pink tablecloth and chairs small enough to fit my height. There was also a pile of cups and cakes that looked like they’ll fit into my hand.

In front of the mirror that looked like a vanity table, there were combs, jewelry boxes, and large amounts of hair accessories that were hard to count by hand.

The white drapery that covered the bed we slept in yesterday was gone and instead translucent pink and white drapes spread out. Ishina pulled up the veil to put me on the bed. The inside of the bed was also heavily decorated.

A thick blanket wrapped around me indicating to me how soft it was. Near the pillow, were two bear dolls and two rabbit dolls of different colors, much larger than my size.

The clothes worn by the doll had ribbons and jewelry as if a princess would play with it and when I reached out and touched it, my face naturally loosened with a soft touch.

“His Majesty told me to pay special attention since you were the first princess.”

I hugged the rabbit doll tightly because I liked it, but I frozed at Ishina’s words. Really…….? I had to ask her back.

“His Majesty prepared this?”

“His Majesty told me to prepare after you two came yesterday.”

The Emperor prepared it for us, but in the end, he must have ordered someone to do it.

I don’t know how long I’ll be staying in a pretty room, but I didn’t have any major complaints.

It was divided into pink and blue based on my bed and Argen’s bed. I thought it couldn’t be helped because that’s the standard of this era, but one of the dolls I had in my hand was so pleasing that I felt ashamed.

I never thought that I liked dolls, but I liked the softness of it being wrapped around my arms.

“Arien, Arien.”

When Argen spoke up with an excited voice, I grabbed one arm of the rabbit doll and one arm of the teddy bear and pushed my head out of the veil.

Argen, who saw dolls that were much bigger than my body, pointed out, “What’s this?” and I replied, “It’s just a doll.”

At our age, we don’t play with dolls, but we had a rough idea of how good it would be to hold them in my arms when I slept.

Argen reached out and touched the yellow rabbit I was holding and his eyes widened as if he had met a new culture and quickly moved his hands.

At first, he touched the bottom of the rabbit’s feet and soon mangled its ears with his other hand.

Leaving behind Argen’s constant exclamations and excitement at my bedside, I went to see the other side of the bed this time.

Argen’s side was also formidable. Wooden swords and jewels that I saw for the first time rolled around, and when I saw the jewelry box torn apart, it seemed like Argen scattered the jewelry inside onto the bed.

“I envy your side.”

I said as I was looking at the items scattered on the Argen’s side while holding the rabbit doll close behind me.

“Your’s and mine’s not here. It’s ours.”

I felt sorry for the servants who had a hard time decorating this room even though they said it was made by the emperor’s order.

After handing the rabbit doll to Argen, I hugged the teddy bear and squished my face on it.

“It’s soft.”

It’s hard to say that the man who prepared this is the emperor, but……It may have felt like he built a house for the stray cats he had picked up.

It was the first place created for just me and Argen.

******

It was unexpected.

A spacious and high-quality room, sufficient sleep time, and appetizing meals that will satisfy our taste buds. Blessed with luxurious clothing and a high-quality education that we have never received.

“…It’s exhausting.”

“That’s right, it’s hard.”

Although I felt good to suddenly have a high-quality education after five years of playing alone, such an imagination did not happen.

It’s already been a few days since I entered the emperor’s palace. I didn’t meet the royal family during that time, but……I had to keep meeting with a lot of teachers as if they were a substitute.

“My arm hurts.”

I wrote along the letters with my hands shaking. They are telling me to speak other languages when I can’t even speak the imperial language properly.

“What did you write?”

“Slavery was abolished 921 years ago….Thats what I wrote.”

It doesn’t mean that we just copy any text, it was ‘The History and Future of the Empire’. Before I learn a language properly, I’d have to put in my head the vast knowledge that only the ‘royals’ learn.

Why are you asking five-year-olds to do so much? I want to vomit only flames, but the first and second princes are said to have mastered everything at our age.

For a while, Argen and I were amazed by the enormous ability of the imperial family because the teachers who taught them gave us a similar level of education.

It’s a good thing I have a higher mental age, otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to keep up with this heavy class.

I clenched my teeth and put unfamiliar words into my head. The pen point in my hand moved smoothly on the paper and wrote down the letters.

“I thought it would be nice to start studying.”

“That’s nonsense.”

“That was only nonsense.”

Disgusted by Argen’s words, I put the pen down and shuddered. Ishina may have more fun toys or game consoles in the room, but she did not allow free time outside of playtime.

I couldn’t rebel against her, so I picked up my pen again, waiting for today’s break time to come quickly.

The room was quiet. Unlike earlier, when the maids lined up in a row from the beginning, no one was in this spacious room except Ishina and a couple of maids who assisted her.

It was the result of Argen and I begging and appealing to Ishina.

In a place further away from the burdensome gazes, I quietly discussed with Argen about when the homework would be finished.

I’m glad it’s an Imperial language, but It was difficult to read, write, or speak the languages of other countries.

About half an hour later, Argen tried to hang onto his desk saying that he was done writing, but Ishina, who had just approached, stopped Argen’s behavior.

“Your highness the Prince, it’s against etiquette.”

“….. Yes.”

Perhaps the next person I didn’t want to meet after the royal family was Ishina.

With a strict look, she put restrictions on our actions and managed all our schedules, it seemed like we were trapped in a cage even after coming here.

There was no freedom in every act of washing, eating and dressing. Except for the only freedom of sleep, I was monitored every moment and had no peace of mind.

I didn’t starve, slept soundly, and wore clothes I had never thought I’d wear in my life. But that was all. In the past few days, it wasn’t easy enough to be relieved that I hadn’t faced more of the royal family.

Argen straightened his back and picked up the pen again.