Previously
Cecilia leaves the nursery for the first time to attend her first birthday baptism, an event meant to measure her Holy Power. To the shock of the Pope and the Imperial Family, Cecilia is revealed to possess no Holy Power at all, a historical anomaly for the dynasty.
As though it were inevitable, I caught a mild cold.
“A sudden chill set in on the day of the baptism. Since it coincided with her first outing, adjusting must have been too much for her.”
That was the palace physician’s diagnosis, but part of it seemed to stem from the sheer stress of letting my family down.
‘Is a simple cold this miserable just because I’m in a baby’s body…?’
Since my body lacked any resilience, even a mild fever was unbearable, leaving me in frequent tears.
Fortunately, the imperial palace was thrown into complete chaos.
Right after the baptism ceremony ended, before the various plans for ‘Cecil’s Overprotection Protocol’ could even be put into action, I collapsed as if on cue.
Naturally, I spent most of my time stuck in bed…
“Even if I cool her down, it’s only temporary; her fever won’t break.”
“Cecil’s Holy Power… No, even with Holy Power, it isn’t easy for a child as small as Cecil to restore her own energy.”
“Little one, it’s all right. You’ll be better soon. This will protect you.”
My brother Theodore tucked a well-worn stuffed animal into my arms. Naturally, this came only after Rebecca had swiftly purified it with her Holy Power.
“Little Cecil, let’s try swallowing just this one pill. It’s a tonic our trainees swear by.”
“Aaangh…!”
“Sister, I think it’s far too bitter for Cecil.”
“Sister, why don’t we melt it into this chocolate and feed it to her that way?”
In the end, Roselia even tried to feed me something potent enough to numb a toddler’s taste buds.
Discovering I had no Holy Power was shock enough, but falling ill right afterward sent my family’s worry through the roof.
Despite her official duties, Mother would stop by the nursery to check on me, and my siblings skipped meals just to sit by my side.
Rebecca in particular practically lived in my room, doing everything she could to bring my fever down.
‘It’s been so long since anyone worried over me when I was sick…’
A faint memory from my past life crept into my mind—how miserable it had felt falling ill while living alone after moving out.
‘Actually, even before I was on my own, the younger ones were always sicker, so it wasn’t much different when I was a kid.’
Back then, whenever I had a boyfriend, I’d remember them bringing over cold medicine or soup.
Yet the moment it became an obligation rather than affection, they would leave. Perhaps because I was starved for even that little warmth, I kept throwing myself into doomed relationships.
And in the end…
‘Whenever I’m sick, all these useless thoughts come rushing back. Not that any of it matters anymore.’
Without realizing it, tears silently spilled from the corners of my eyes, bringing a refreshing coolness to my skin.
“Oh, Cecil…”
Pained sighs escaped my family’s lips as they watched me weep.
For days on end, I drifted between deep newborn sleep and bouts of feverish delirium.
What differed from back then was that whenever I woke, the sheer pain kept me from ever truly regaining my senses.
Sad memories from my past life surfaced each time I opened my eyes, and pitch darkness swallowed me whenever I shut them—a cycle that repeated for days.
And then… I found myself somewhere entirely unfamiliar.
A space enclosed by canvas on every side.
A simple desk and chair stood to one side, while neatly arranged armor and swords lined the other.
It looked just like a military tent.
‘…What is this? A dream?’
As I blinked in confusion at the sudden change,
“Is that rumor true?”
“What do you mean, Knight Irina?”
“Keep your voice down, someone might hear.”
“What does it matter? Is she still hiding in there right now?”
Faint whispers—
Voices drifted in from outside the tent, until one of them suddenly rose.
“Hey, is Knight Irina inside?”
“Orders are to let no one in.”
The reply came from right at the tent flap. It sounded like the guard.
“See? I told you to keep it down.”
“Come on, man, what’s the big deal? If it isn’t true, they’ll say so. Did she really give birth to a kid out here?”
The voices gradually faded away.
Ah, so this was the tent of a knight named Irina?
It had to be a dream, yet it felt startlingly vivid.
Sparks crackled quietly from the burning brazier.
“…Hueng.”
“Hush now, little one…”
The soft cry of a baby drifted from somewhere. Without any effort at all, I turned toward the sound.
It was a swift, fluid movement I hadn’t managed once since being born into Cecilia’s body.
On a cot in the darkest corner of the tent lay a woman wearing a simple linen tunic.
‘So that’s Knight Irina…’
Beneath roughly tied reddish-brown hair, her shoulders and frame were thick with muscle. That alone made it obvious she was combat-trained.
And bundled in cloth against her chest was a tiny infant.
With pitch-black hair and skin pale as flour, the baby looked all the paler cradled against her sun-browned skin.
It seemed the men whispering outside weren’t mistaken after all.
“Looks even smaller than Cecil did when I first saw her in the mirror.”
The woman’s hand gently stroked the child’s hair. Damp with sweat, the strands parted easily to reveal a rounded forehead.
“It’s all right, it’s all right. You’ll be better soon.”
Her palm rested on the baby’s brow for a moment, and the soft whimpering began to settle.
‘Is that Holy Power?’
If Knight Irina belonged to this world, she had to be a Holy Knight capable of wielding Holy Power.
Still, why was this dream so realistic? It felt as though I were genuinely eavesdropping on someone.
Just as I wondered about it and considered waking up, I caught a glimpse of the baby’s half-opened eyes.
‘What a striking red.’
The knight who appeared to be the mother had ordinary blue eyes. Had the child inherited them from the father?
As the thought crossed my mind, the dream slipped away.
In the hush of dawn, my head felt clearer than it had in days.
After being sick for an entire week, I was finally pronounced fully recovered. About half a month later, the people assigned to look after me began arriving one after another.
“Your Highness, these are the maids who will attend you from today onward. Come now, pay your respects.”
“Your Highness, it is an absolute honor! I am Marie, second daughter of Marquis Granum. I am thirteen, but I have two younger sisters, so I can play with you very well! Oh, but you truly are dazzling…”
“Dazzling? That hardly does her justice! Her Highness looks just like an angel statue in a museum, doesn’t she? Your Highness, I am the fifth child of Count Beokin, and the second among the daughters. I will turn thirteen next month. I am very good at doing hair!”
‘What is with these two?’
And so… I found myself thoroughly bewildered by the unearned affection being showered on me.
Marie, who wore her black hair in two braids, and Patricia, who had her wavy brown hair gathered in a neat half-updo.
Both girls were young ladies from noble families loyal to the empire, handpicked by the nanny to serve as my personal maids.
It was an abundance of caution, meant to guard the state secret that I possessed no Holy Power.
‘Sure, the noble faction isn’t hostile to the imperial family yet, but they’re taking this so seriously… Even if the original story’s villains all come from the noble faction, that won’t happen for another twenty years.’
I pushed myself down from the wide couch that had been built so I could roll around freely, toddled over to them, and halted.
Putting on the most dignified expression I could muster, I held out my right hand.
“Da… p-pleasure.”
So much for dignity… Good grief! When am I ever going to get past this baby babble?
Having no idea I was bristling with annoyance, the two girls’ eyes lit up as they delicately took my hand.
“Do you mean to say you’re counting on us? Oh, how remarkably clever you are! The honor is entirely ours, Your Highness. We are the ones in your care!”
“No, it’s my honor! Wow, this is the very first handshake of my life.”
Wait, did ladies not shake hands here?
I needed to learn etiquette quickly if I was going to adjust to this world and live up to Cecil’s standing.
While I was thinking this over, the two dropped to their knees, leaning in as close as possible to get a better look at me.
“We must be careful not to tire Your Highness. Your health is still delicate.”
“It’s my first time seeing the jewel of the imperial family up close…”
“Those eyes, like green gold… Truly mesmerizing…”
My lack of Holy Power was kept secret even from the maids; they were simply told I was frail.
‘Even the priests who attended the baptism and the court painter had to swear oaths of secrecy.’
Since someone brimming with Holy Power couldn’t naturally be frail, the frailty itself became a cover story. It was a secret wrapped inside another secret…
‘Is this the classic strategy of burying the greatest secret under a mountain of lesser ones?’
That was why two exclusive maids had been assigned to me so early, framed to the outside world as nothing more than the doting overprotection of the youngest princess.
In truth, assigning two maids was hardly the half of it.
Knock, knock—
A rap sounded at the door, and two burly young men stepped inside.
“Sir Lancel and Sir Brandon.”
“Reporting to hand over our duties and take our leave.”
“Very well, thank you for your hard work.”
Lancel and Brandon were the knights appointed as my personal guard under Roselia’s ‘Cecil’s Overprotection Protocol.’
They belonged to an eight-knight squad under the command of the Holy Knights—specifically, the Fourth Princess’s Guard of the Holy Knights.
Operating in four pairs across three rotating shifts, the squad was composed entirely of promising young knights handpicked by Roselia herself.
In other words, eight elite young Holy Knights had been assigned to a one-year-old child who hadn’t even taken a step outside the nursery…
Considering my older brother Theodore only had three guards, this was utterly ridiculous.
Just how far was the imperial family willing to go in spoiling their youngest princess…?
“Your Highness, we shall take our leave now.”
“We will see you tomorrow on the night watch.”
“Da gaa.”
I waved Cecilia’s tiny hand toward the two young men standing solemnly, a full head taller than the nanny.
Their expressions stiffened ever so slightly.
‘Right. You became knights with grand ambitions, and now you’re babysitting at a nursery door… You must be dying inside.’
Off you go, off you go. Go get some proper training in. I flapped my hand dismissively, shooing them away.
Marie Jane and Patricia had looked somewhat guarded when they first met, as if feeling each other out.
And yet…
“Patty, what if we tied Her Highness’s hair with this ribbon today?”
“I think this deep green would match her eyes beautifully and give a cohesive look.”
“No, red would make a much better accent piece through color contrast.”
“Oh, you have wonderful taste, my lady! Then how about we match her socks to the same color?”
Any trace of their earlier caution had evaporated; they quickly hit it off and became fast friends.
The problem was that their newfound bond began and ended with dressing up Cecilia…
‘Looking at them, it hits me that the imperial family loves me despite my lack of Holy Power simply because Cecilia looks so cute.’
All this overwhelming affection from my family and everyone around me was a little embarrassing given my memories of my past life, but it certainly worked in my favor most of the time.
Though when Marie Jane and Patricia went overboard like this, it did get a bit annoying…
“Da tog ha!”
“Not just any outfit, Your Highness. Do you know how long it’s been since you last saw the Crown Princess?”
“T-two… two munce?”
“…That’s right, but that is a tenth of your entire life, Your Highness.”
“No poblem! I be two soon anyway!”
I’m turning two soon!
“Yes, yes. Your Highness is fine, Her Imperial Highness the Crown Princess is fine, Their Imperial Majesties are fine, and the rest of the imperial siblings are fine… But we are not fine.”
“Indeed, Your Highness. We want you to look your most beautiful today too.”
“Pfft.”
In the end, they were just using me as a dress-up doll.
If Cecilia hadn’t been this adorable, would they have doted on me at all?
I scowled with every feature on my face, but with zero majesty to back it up, it only coaxed delighted giggles out of the two girls.
…I really need to grow up fast.