Chapter 44
44
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"Of course, it's the same. That's why I don't take anyone's side."
Gabriella slowly peeled an almond flake from her face as she replied.
"The Thanksgiving Festival is every year. This year, Princess Lilin is attending, but next year..."
"I don't wanna hear it!"
Rosa screamed and continued to cry loudly.
"Only I have hard lessons, waaaaah! She gets all the good stuff! Does she even have a new dress today?"
"...Your Highness. Princess Lilin also took the same lessons until just a few days ago. And Princess Lilin conceded so that Your Highness could choose all three dresses."
"That's because I'm her older sister! I know better! She doesn't even know that!"
Gabriella couldn't bring herself to say that as the older sister, she could concede more, and stopped.
She had to tell her that Lilin already knew numbers up to ten and could read perfectly, but she hadn't been able to open her mouth for days.
"...I'll bring you breakfast again. If you keep not eating, Princess Lilin might get bigger than Your Highness."
"Don't lie! How can she get bigger when I'm the older sister!"
Gabriella left the room without answering.
The garden visible through the hallway window was filled with the heat of the festival.
'It's a relief that it's a week without lessons, at least.'
Princess Rosa's stubbornness had been remarkable since she couldn't even speak.
If she had to make her study when she was bound to be angry all day, it would have been really difficult.
As she was preparing the princess's food again, she saw the teacup that Lilin had prepared the day before, saying it was a Thanksgiving banquet.
'...How adorable.'
Serving two princesses, it was definitely a blessing to have even one so kind.
When I was sick, Lilin would play Royal physician games and try to heal me somehow.
'She has a lot of compassion.'
It would be nice if she received Healing Power like His Majesty the King...
'She's cherished her subordinates like that since she was a baby, so if she becomes the Sacred King, surely...'
Gabriella stopped thinking there.
'Let's not think too much.'
Still, she couldn't help but feel sorry that she couldn't see the Second Princess's first march.
'How lovely she must be.'
At that moment, the sound of crying grew louder from the room across the hall.
"Hwaaaaaa!"
Gabriella hurriedly picked up the plate.
No matter how admirable and lovely the Second Princess was, she had to maintain her balance.
'Today's best for today.'
She thought with determination and returned to Rosa.
* * *
"I Invoke that Ea's life force richly soaks this land."
The Thanksgiving Festival, presided over by the High Priest, ended.
Flowers of various colors, dried since summer for this day, poured down like heavy snow over the white chapel.
―Beep beep.
As Yan rejoiced, a Cleric stepped forward to introduce the next order.
"Next is the Time of Blessing, where His Highness Oblin Terezia La Perca, the Sacred King of Ruelle, chosen by Ea, represents God."
Turning to Gray, who was sitting right next to me, I saw him swallowing hard, looking nervous.
"Don't worry, Gray."
When I reached out my hand, Gray grabbed it tightly, unlike him.
"Your Highness..."
"It's an honor for everyone, not just you, that the eldest son of Hestia represents the people of Ruelle."
"Yes...?"
As Gray was so flustered, the Cleric said.
"This year, a child between the ages of five and seven will represent all the people of Ruelle. Gray Knight of Hestia, please come forward."
I took my hand out of Gray's and clapped loudly.
Victory, sitting in the back row, giggled and shouted.
"Gray oppa!"
Amid the still-floating flower petals, my friend took careful steps.
His mother stood on the podium and smiled slightly at Gray.
"It's nice to see you again, Gray."
Then she immediately raised one hand over Gray's head.
"May Ea's blessing illuminate all your days."
The Clerics lined up on both sides of the podium repeated in small voices.
"May Ea's blessing illuminate all your days."
"May you illuminate this land with every step you take."
I also repeated in a low voice.
"May you illuminate this land with every step you take..."
It was the one day of the year when my mother showed the King's power to the entire nation.
"May it be brightened by you."
A faint ray of light emanated from my mother's palm as she said that.
Marquis Hestia, sitting in the back row, sobbed and repeated.
"...May it be brightened by you."
If there was a wound somewhere on Gray's body, it probably would have healed.
Unlike the great Kings who healed patients during the Thanksgiving Festival, my mother's Divinity was only that much.
However, the presence of the visible Sacred King made the people excited as on any other day.
"Ea's blessing!"
"Long live His Majesty the King!"
Amid the cheers, Gray bowed deeply.
"...I will definitely do so."
I chuckled at the sight.
'Originally, the 'Child of Blessing' doesn't have any lines...'
Although the child of Hestia happened to receive the role this year, any child of the right age can take on the 'Child of Blessing' role.
Sometimes they even pick the first child they meet in the market about a week ago, so it's difficult to make those children answer.
'Some children were so nervous that they even collapsed before getting on the podium.'
But Gray Knight would definitely be able to answer.
My mother's smile deepened as if satisfied.
The Thanksgiving Festival was completely finished like that.
* * *
As we went outside the Temple, the Celestial Steed in question was waiting for us.
My father took my hand and asked my mother.
"To commemorate our daughter riding the Celestial Steed, will you ride it this year too?"
My mother immediately shook her head.
"I prefer to see even one more of my people up close. But our daughter will want to ride the Celestial Steed, so I'll concede."
"Thank you."
My father smiled kindly at my mother and led me towards the Celestial Steed.
We greeted the Celestial Steed and went to the carriage.
Nigel Grand Duke's golden carriage had its roof separated for the procession.
"Shall we get on?"
I took my father's hand and boarded the golden carriage for the first time.
―Heeheehing!
The Celestial Steeds neighed happily, and Yan sang beep-beep above my head.
My father also said in a cheerful voice.
"It's the best Thanksgiving Festival. I hope I can take our daughter to the Baha Festival someday."
Surprised by the unexpected suggestion, I turned to look at my father.
In the life I remember, my father didn't even know he had two daughters and wanted a second for a long time.
'Although it was absorbed into Ruelle, Nigel still has autonomy.'
Therefore, my father also needed an heir.
'But my mother couldn't have any more children...'
The Nigel nobles would never agree to the complete integration of Nigel and Ruelle.
So my father had to make a relative's child his heir instead of us.
'Since he has a separate heir there, he has less reason to take us to Nigel.'
Not just less, but it almost never happened.
In fact, I had never been to Nigel, and Rosa had been there about twice.
'That father is now saying he wants to take his only daughter to the Baha Festival?'
I was so happy that I jumped up from my seat.
"Good! I'll go! I wanna go to Nigel too!"
"Really?"
My father laughed out loud and sat me back down.
"Okay, Rostel. But you shouldn't suddenly get up now. You might get dizzy when the Celestial Steed starts flying."
At that moment, the Celestial Steed seemed to understand and began to flap its wings.
"Wow...!"
The royal carriage running ahead quickly moved away.
People became smaller, trees became lower, and later, the Spring of Ea looked like a washbasin.
When I burst into laughter, my father asked.
"Is it fun? Aren't you scared?"
"It's fun!"
I answered excitedly and looked down.
"Waaaaah!"
The cheers of the people buzzed in my ears.
The Celestial Steeds went up and down, circling the square several times.
Although I gradually became dizzy and my vision spun later, I successfully completed my first march with my father.
As a Princess of Ruelle.
* * *
"Teacher, is that what they call a Celestial Steed?"
A silver-haired boy standing by the window on the top floor of a tall stone building overlooking Ruelle Square asked.
An elderly man standing by the wall revealed himself in front of the window and replied.
"Yes, Your Highness. I've never seen one up close either, but the Celestial Steed is a famous Magical creature that has been passed down through generations in the Baha Temple of Nigel."
"And that Baha High Priest is the Nigel Grand Duke who married the King of Ruelle?"
The boy asked intelligently, but he couldn't take his eyes off the scene outside the window for a moment.
It was the seven-year-old boy's first trip outside the Empire.
The flight of the Celestial Steed was imprinted like a fantasy in his gray-blue eyes, which were fascinated even by unfamiliar wildflowers.
"Yes, Your Highness. The man in Clerical robes in the carriage is the Nigel Grand Duke, and the small child next to him is probably the Princess of Ruelle."
The boy's gaze frantically followed the golden carriage.
"She's a very small child. How can she not be scared of that carriage when she's such a baby?"