Chapter 29
29
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"Huh? What do you mean... Rosa?"
When scaring a small child with untrue words, King Oblin would stroke his heavy chest once.
"If you two can't yield to each other amicably, one of you will have to be sent down to Gabriella's hometown."
"I don't wanna!"
Rosa screamed, but the King quietly uttered the last words.
"I haven't... decided who to send yet. Since you won't yield this time either... Mom will have to decide."
Rosa shook her head wildly.
"I, I absolutely don't wanna! I'm not going anywhere!"
King Oblin earnestly coaxed her.
"Rosa, my baby. If you switch lesson order with your sister this time, I'll switch it back around this time next year."
"Hic, she has... she has a bird she likes...!"
"The bird isn't Lilin's. Your father says there's a high probability that the bird is a Magical creature. He's going to Nigel this time to discuss the bird with the priests."
"Heeuuh..."
Rosa cried her eyes out for a while, but eventually stretched out her arms towards her mother.
"Then I... hic, I'll do what Mom says this time..."
"Good girl, my baby."
Rosa swallowed her tears and continued with difficulty.
"If... if someone has to be sent to the countryside, hic."
King Oblin quietly sighed and patted his daughter.
"Send Lilin. I'm... I'm... because I'm the First Princess."
The King's gaze, which had been looking down at Rosa with pity, wavered slightly.
'Where did she learn the term First Princess?'
From the start, they had acted as if there was only one princess, so there was no reason to teach her about First or Second Princess.
Still, he had finally obtained Rosa's concession.
'Has it only been a week?'
Lilin was truly sick, so if Rosa hadn't been feigning illness, this wouldn't have happened in the first place.
The King was startled and quickly erased the small resentment that briefly surfaced in his heart.
'It's not the children's fault.'
But he couldn't bring himself to resent God either.
If God was trying to find any use in the two children, then it was the duty of the Holy King to embrace that will with glory.
'Ea, help me.'
King Oblin laid his daughter in bed and patted her for a long time while praying.
'Either way, one of them has to become King.'
If so, then having a lot of greed can't be said to be a bad quality.
She defended her young daughter in her heart.
'May I be able to raise her into a better King...'
Even if God chooses one of them on the day of selection.
When I opened my eyes in the Main Palace, I saw Beatrice's worried face.
"Your Highness, you look even worse today..."
Beatrice was tearing up again, but I quickly snapped out of it and looked for Yan first.
Fortunately, Yan was dozing off at my bedside as usual.
'He doesn't seem as tired as he did last night...'
Maybe taking care of him while staying up late had helped in its own way.
"Yan..."
As I stroked Yan while calling him softly, Beatrice said with regret.
"It would have been nice to show His Majesty the King a healthy appearance on the day he departs."
Only then did I take my eyes off Yan and look at Beatrice.
"Papa, go... to Nigel today?"
"Yes, Your Highness. Originally, he should have left the day before yesterday. In fact, His Majesty has been reluctant to disturb Your Highness's rest for the past few days, so he would just wander around the hallway and then return."
In that moment, I fell into a brief dilemma.
Breaking Rosa's stubbornness and lightening my father's steps.
'Which is more important...'
As I sighed deeply, Beatrice carefully studied me as if she was reading my mind.
'I don't know which is more important. But...'
At this moment, what I wanted to do was clearly the latter.
"Tritz. Go say goodbye to Papa, get ready."
Beatrice gave a troubled smile.
"But Your Highness, you haven't recovered yet. You mustn't overexert yourself."
I quickly shook my head.
"My tummy doesn't hurt anymore. I woke up a lot while sleeping at night, so I'm just a little sleepy. Nothing hurts."
"...It doesn't seem like it."
Beatrice didn't seem to believe me very much, but when I got up on my own, she had no choice but to come and support me.
"Quickly. Get ready quickly."
Only after I urged her several times was I able to get Beatrice to move.
I washed my face, changed my clothes, and brushed my hair.
I always did a Bun hairstyle for Mom, but I don't know what Dad likes yet.
'I'll find out little by little...'
I calmed my disheartened heart and finished my morning preparations.
"Are you really going to be okay?"
Beatrice asked with doubt until she decorated the last ribbon on my hair, but I nodded firmly.
It would be a lie if I said I didn't regret it at all while being carried by Beatrice to the audience chamber.
'I don't want to lose to Rosa...'
But I didn't stop.
"Her Highness the Princess enters."
At the words of the guard, the audience chamber became noisy for a moment.
I got down from Beatrice's arms and walked into the audience chamber with small steps.
"Baby...?"
Unlike my mother's questioning gaze, my father seemed surprised and knelt down on one knee in front of me.
"Are, are you okay? Does it not hurt anymore?"
I smiled brightly and nodded.
'Even if I smile strangely on the day I recover, it's okay because I'm still four years old.'
Because Rosa had been cold to him, my father couldn't bring himself to reach out to me and said.
"Thank you, Rostel. I kept waiting for you to get better, but I have to leave today... It was hard to leave you when you're sick."
I reached out my short arms to my father and hugged his neck.
"...Baby?"
"Come quickly, Papa."
I heard a small laugh in my ear.
The dignified High Priest Baha was laughing out loud.
"You have to come quickly, then. Our baby is waiting."
My father replied like that and happily picked me up.
I made eye contact with my mother in my father's arms, and there was an unexpected smile on her face.
'I thought Mom was uncomfortable with me being close to Dad...'
Is she that happy that I stopped pretending to be sick?
As I gave an awkward smile, my mother said the same thing as my father.
"Thank you, Rostel."
Ah, am I a good daughter now instead of losing to my sister?
If so, well...
'I didn't completely lose out.'
We went to have breakfast together in such a good atmosphere.
The rain outside the window was heavy.
It was definitely weather that the Celestial Steed wouldn't want to travel in, but my father couldn't postpone his trip any longer.
"Don't come out to see me off, it's cold."
My father dissuaded me like that and held up his pinky finger.
"When I go to Nigel, I'll send you a gift that you'll like."
Huh?
What if Rosa gets the gift?
I was momentarily flustered, but soon added appropriately.
"Then, send it to Tritz."
On the day Beatrice is working, I'm also a princess, after all.
"To Beatrice?"
My father tilted his head, so I smiled like a villain plotting a scheme.
"Then I can brag about it a lot."
My father burst into laughter as if he couldn't help it.
"I'll send a picture in return."
I added that and waved my hand.
When I returned to my room, I was so relieved that I collapsed on the bed.
Beatrice pulled a chair and sat at my bedside, patting my chest.
"I'm so proud of Your Highness. There's not a single four-year-old lady like Your Highness in this kingdom, let alone the continent."
Of course.
'I'm not really four years old.'
I turned my head slightly while listening to the unbearable praise.
When I got up again and was mashing egg yolk for Yan, who was still weak, my mother came to visit.
"Mom...?"
It was an unexpected visit.
Soon the lesson would start, and my mother would be busy with national affairs in the morning.
'Moreover, I was next to Mom the whole time at the morning banquet...'
As if it wasn't a long story to share, my mother stood and looked down at me and Yan, opening her mouth.
"Baby, you've been sick, so let's start lessons and other schedules from tomorrow. Rest well today."
I didn't quite understand what I had heard.
I had been pretending to be sick for several days with a perfectly healthy body.
'Mom knows that fact better than anyone else.'
I was about to ask something, but I barely closed my mouth after seeing Beatrice behind my mother.
I opened my mouth again only after choosing my words for a long time.
"Um, but... it's been a long time since I studied..."
"You can do it from tomorrow."
My mother's answer was simple but kind.
I was so surprised that my mouth dropped open.
'So Mom is trying to switch the order of lessons between Rosa and me now?'
