Chapter 59
59
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My mother continued her story.
"I'm so sorry to burden you with this. But the day of the Divination isn't that far off now."
No, the Divination was still more than two years away.
'Is Mother still planning to keep the twins' secret until the Divination?'
The Divination my mother had received...
'You must raise them both as Princesses.'
'You may reveal the existence of the Divination after the child's Divinity manifests.'
But my Divinity had already manifested, in effect...
'So, even if you can't announce it publicly, you can at least tell Father the contents of the Divination.'
That we were born as twins.
But that we must be protected because we are children chosen by God.
'You could share Mother's burden by telling him that.'
However, my mother's plan was grander than I expected.
"Not only that, darling. Your sister may manifest her Divinity, just a little later than you."
I stared blankly at my mother as she continued with words that weren't exactly welcome.
"If she has the ability, it will probably manifest around the time of the seven-year Divination. Then, both of you will be fully recognized. All the people will love you and cheer for you."
Ah, Mother was such a fair person.
Just as she loved me without discriminating against me for having no abilities, it was the same for Rosa.
'She wants everyone who didn't know about the twins' existence to welcome us equally.'
It was only natural, but my mouth felt bitter for some reason.
'Mother, Rosa doesn't want to be equal to me.'
She can't stand the thought of both of us being recognized.
'So, do you know what she's been doing for the past 15 years?'
But there was still no way to reveal what I knew about Rosa.
My mother smiled brightly.
"Maybe it's not that far off. If Rosa's Divinity manifests, Father will have two daughters who can become Sacred King."
No, that's too optimistic.
Rosa won't manifest before she turns seven.
That's why she hated me for manifesting early and offered me a bag of Poisonous herb.
"Darling, can you wait just a little longer for your mother and sister?"
Since I couldn't prove my memories of my past life, it was difficult to refuse my mother's request.
I nodded with difficulty, and my mother responded happily.
"Thank you, Rostel. I don't know how proud I am of you."
"Um... Gabi?"
The next morning, Rosa woke up late and blinked.
Gabriella quickly approached the bedside.
"Yes, Your Highness."
Rosa groggily got up and then asked, bewildered.
"Is it morning? Aren't we going to the Main Palace?"
Gabriella took a deep breath.
It was Gabriella's choice not to explain the situation to the Princess in advance.
The King had worried that it would be better to explain it the day before, but Gabriella saw no reason to do so.
'She won't accept it willingly anyway.'
Gabriella took out the letter from her bosom and gave it to the Princess.
"It's a letter from His Majesty the King. Would you like to read it as a study?"
Princess Rosa had been studying very enthusiastically lately, so she was able to read the letter haltingly.
"Rosa, my, darling... Re...cently? The, courtiers... are, suspicious about the Sei Palace... For the time, being, Icarus can't come to pick you up...?"
Rosa stopped reading there and put down the letter.
Then she looked at Gabriella.
"If Icarus can't come to pick us up, can't we go to the Main Palace?"
Gabriella quietly lowered her gaze.
'To confine the Princess in a building under construction, even if it's for less than a month...'
This was the most excessive of the choices the King had made after his decision to hide and raise the twins, and Gabriella felt it was unfair.
'She can't take classes here, and she can't play outside...'
Rosa asked again, as if she couldn't believe it.
"Mommy said we are the same Princess, so one of us can't leave the palace. Because that's not fair. So now, Lilin is in the Main Palace?"
Gabriella sighed and replied.
"It's only for a short time, Your Highness. The construction will be finished after you sleep ten nights."
In fact, the scheduled construction period was about twice as long as ten days.
However, Princess Rosa didn't know numbers well yet, so Gabriella told a suitable lie.
Gabriella imagined what would happen next.
'She'll throw pillows, overturn the table, and shout at the window.'
She even locked the door from the outside in advance, in case she suddenly opened the door and ran out.
But Princess Rosa didn't show any reaction, as if she had frozen for a moment.
"Your Highness...?"
The next moment, silent tears fell from Rosa's eyes.
"Did Mommy abandon Rosa?"
"Yes, Your Highness?"
"Is it because Rosa can't ride the Celestial Steed? Does Lilin, does she have Divinity? Not me?"
It would have been less pitiful if she had shouted and cried.
Rosa didn't make a single loud noise and only shed tears.
"...Mommy abandoned me."
"No, Your Highness. Absolutely not. You only have to sleep ten nights. Okay?"
In the room with even the windows tightly closed, Rosa's small voice echoed.
"...She abandoned me."
It was the day after I revealed my Healing Power to my father.
Yan, who had gone out in the afternoon, returned and said.
"Some of the nobles that the Baha High Priest brought from Nigel have already returned."
"Really? What about... Marquess Norbon?"
Yan nodded.
"He's gone back too. It seems like the surveillance on Icarus Chenelli has disappeared as well. This is just my opinion, but..."
Yan's voice continued slowly.
"Thanks to you showing your Healing Power, it seems like the Baha High Priest's heart has softened a bit. Even though the Sei Palace would be suspicious because of the sudden construction, it feels like he's giving the King time."
Giving Mother time?
But when I thought about it a little, Father was definitely capable of that.
'But Mother's determination is firm...'
Mother intended to keep the twins' secret until Rosa manifested.
Just like before.
'But I don't think Father will wait for Mother until the Divination...'
Besides that, the problems were only increasing.
Since I showed my Healing Power, Father had been visiting me several times a day.
"Do you want some cookies, darling?"
"Shall I read you a book?"
"Shall we go for a walk?"
His excuses were so varied that Beatrice couldn't help but laugh and say.
"I wonder if His Majesty the King knows that he shouldn't visit Your Highness without a reason."
Even so, Father no longer glanced at my bracelet, and he didn't show any more interest in my abilities than necessary.
Even though he couldn't have found out anything about the bracelet incident.
All Father had learned was...
'Mother's intention to hide my Healing Power, and my desire not to hide it from Father, even so.'
Of course, I wanted to get along with Father, but I couldn't act rashly.
Since Rosa and I had such different personalities, Father would eventually feel the difference between us.
'It's only a matter of time.'
Moreover, Father had only been seeing me all this month.
Rosa would only return after the construction was finished, so wouldn't he feel the difference between us even more then?
'But I don't want to hurt or disappoint Father either...'
I often spent time with Father without any particular purpose, and ten days passed in the blink of an eye.
And on the eleventh day, Father came with a pack of cards.
"Ta-da."
"What is this?"
Father smiled playfully.
"I'm going to show you something fun with this."
"What?"
"Magic."
The High Priest, my father, said absurdly.
"Magic."
I was so dumbfounded that I laughed.
Even though I was a four-year-old Princess, I couldn't help but laugh if the High Priest was going to use magic.
"I'm serious. From now on, I'm going to guess what's on our darling's mind."
He was going to read my mind?
Even the magic tower of the Empire couldn't do that without using drugs!
"Okay, try it!"
I said confidently, and Father began to lay out the cards.
"Pick a card you like from these. But don't tell me. I can guess without you telling me."
"Ehhh."
"I'm serious."
There were too many cards laid out just to look at.
'Is he trying to use some kind of trick?'
Even that didn't seem like something Father would do.
I chuckled and asked.
"What if you can't guess?"
Then Father asked back.
"What if I guess right? If I really guess right, what will darling do for me?"
"Um..."
As I was thinking about it, he made a suggestion.
"If I guess right, grant me one wish!"
But Father's wishes were too easy to read now.
'It's a kiss, a kiss.'
I concluded so easily and nodded.
"Okay!"