Chapter 61
61
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“Ta-da!”
I turned toward the voice and saw Beatrice waving a small flag.
“What’s that?”
“This is!”
She quickly spread the flag on the table, revealing the picture.
“Look, Your Highness! What does it look like?”
“Goodness, Tris…”
The flag depicted my father and me, of course, riding in the Golden Carriage pulled by the Celestial Steed.
In the past two years, I had grown quite a bit, and my head now reached my father’s waist.
‘My hair has also grown long enough to make Mother’s favorite Bun hairstyle even bigger.’
As I observed the picture anew, Beatrice began to complain.
“I just don’t understand why you didn’t ride the Celestial Steed during last year’s festival parade. The people love it so much!”
Ibiza, that stubborn thing, refused to let Rosa ride, so what could I do?
I internally chided her and asked, “Where did you even get something like this?”
“I bought it! At a stall during the Thanksgiving Festival!”
She was by my side the whole time, yet she stopped by a souvenir shop?
I stared at her in disbelief, and Beatrice explained with a very proud face.
“The gold-plated design is the most expensive. But the Golden Carriage must be gold!”
“…Tris.”
I called my maid’s name with a skeptical tone.
“Yes, Your Highness?”
“Those kinds of flags are usually bought by commoners who don’t get to see the Princess except during the Thanksgiving Festival, aren’t they?”
“What do you mean?”
Beatrice puffed up her shoulders unnecessarily and replied, “I’m going to hang it next to my mailbox at home. Of course, many others will hang them too, but I’m Your Highness’s maid, so I’m the most qualified. Qualified to hang the flag.”
“Uh-huh. Tris is qualified…”
It wasn’t exactly pure agreement, but Beatrice smiled brightly.
“I knew you’d acknowledge it.”
Just then, a knock was heard. Knock, knock.
“It’s time, it’s time.”
Beatrice whispered and giggled, then quickly ran to open the door.
“You’ve arrived, Your Highness.”
Outside the door stood my father with a bright smile, accompanied by the Chamberlain.
* * *
“So, what Her Highness the Princess desires as a Thanksgiving gift is…”
The Chamberlain repeated the same words for the umpteenth time, and I interjected, feeling frustrated.
“Three-shift work for the servants, I said.”
My father found it so amusing that he was almost laughing out loud.
Yet, he opened his mouth to help me.
“Ah… Just to clarify, the Princess clearly knows what three-shift work is.”
“Yes…”
The Chamberlain seemed embarrassed and paused for a moment before asking my father, “So, His Majesty the King is aware of this matter…”
My father finally burst into laughter.
“Pfft, of course. It was a gift requested from His Majesty the King in the first place. It became our responsibility because he couldn’t resolve it.”
“Yes…”
My father attempted to mediate for the troubled Chamberlain.
“Um… Honey. To implement sudden three-shift work, even hiring hundreds more servants wouldn’t be enough. I understand your intention, so how about gradually reducing the working hours…”
“Then, at least have the servants in the main palace work that way.”
My father’s smile seemed a bit strained.
“Immediately?”
“At least from next year.”
“From next year, starting with the main palace servants and gradually expanding it?”
I nodded, but the Chamberlain shook his head with a pale face.
So, I decided to step back further.
“Then, starting with the main palace maids. Then the main palace servants. Then Veslan Palace. Then Glorian Palace.”
The Chamberlain reluctantly offered an alternative.
“Then, we will apply it to the main palace maids on a trial basis from next year. If the results show it’s sustainable, how about gradually expanding it?”
My father greeted him on my behalf.
“Thank you for your efforts.”
The Chamberlain said with a sullen face.
“A great ruler must be different from the start…”
Hahaha, my father laughed again.
“Quite different, indeed.”
The Chamberlain hid a sigh and retreated.
Once my father and I were alone, he smiled meaningfully.
“I helped you, didn’t I?”
“There are no more secrets left, Father.”
Actually, there were still many, but I glossed over it.
As expected, my father didn’t quite believe me and tilted his head.
“Um… Lilin?”
Here we go again, here we go again.
It started two years ago when I couldn’t bear it any longer and blurted out my name to my father.
For a while, my father was flustered and avoided me, but at some point, he started swearing to Baha and tried to dig up our secrets whenever he had the chance.
‘So, what happened?’
‘Tears of Baha’ became something only I could monopolize, and my father turned a blind eye.
In fact, it was a dramatic development.
‘In other words…’
My father became aware of the existence of Rosa and me.
Conversely, only my mother remained unaware of the fact, constantly worrying.
It was really hard to get here, but I did it.
‘But now, it’s the limit…’
No words could ever persuade my mother.
So, my mother still keeps the secret Divination and tries every day to raise Rosa and me equally.
But now, the seven-year-old Divination was just around the corner.
‘Three months.’
Only three months left.
I brought up the question I had been repeating like brainwashing.
“Father. More than that, do you remember? The three most important things to Mother in this world.”
My father chuckled and nodded.
“Family, country, and God, but the greatest of these is God?”
“Actually, it’s the same for you, Father.”
“But I’ve already chosen your mother over the country.”
It was a valid point, but I couldn’t back down.
“There was never a choice between God and Mother.”
“God only gives trials that can be endured.”
“Then God is severely overestimating Mother to the point of being cruel.”
After saying that, my father laughed again.
“Our honey’s vocabulary is growing too frighteningly; I might have to give Teacher Pavel a special gift.”
Anyway, I had been effectively brainwashing my father so far.
‘Mother’s secret is God’s will.’
And my father clearly understood what I meant.
“So, the reason for suddenly requesting three-shift work for the servants is ultimately a secret?”
I sighed deeply.
‘The reason for requesting three-shift work for the servants?’
That, of course, I couldn’t reveal.
Um… Father, actually, I’ve lived to be twenty-two years old before, you know?
And at that time…
Gabriella got sick and died, and Icarus took care of us, but it was completely hopeless.
So, Mother, Mother…
‘She told us to take turns being maids and working every other day…’
That was the only way to keep both of us in the royal palace.
That’s when I first learned what it felt like to want to die.
I also realized how happy I was being confined in Sei Palace.
Above all…
‘I knew how hard the maids worked!’
Of course, I realized my Healing Power early, so Gabriella is healthy.
Also, my Divinity has manifested, so we’ll soon be able to announce that we’re twins.
So, the chances of becoming a maid again are probably low.
‘But I have to prepare for the worst…’
I can’t stand becoming a maid again, no matter what…!
Among my struggles to avoid repeating the past, some things were deliberately repeated.
For example, the reappearance of Joey Terajev, which made Yan so angry.
“Child of Blessing? That ♪♬♪ showed up claiming to be the Child of Blessing?”
Come to think of it, my memory wasn’t very reliable either.
‘Strangely, memories related to Joey are blurry…’
I clearly remembered that he had lingered around Rosa for a long time, but I had completely forgotten how he appeared to us.
‘Child of Blessing…’
Even though it was such a grand entrance.
However, because Yan hated him so much, Joey Terajev couldn’t stay in the royal palace as before.
Because my father respects Yan’s wishes a lot.
‘But he often visits Rosa…’
What’s still surprising even after experiencing it again is that Rosa accepted a child who was just a Temple Page as a friend.
‘She even gave him a house to stay in the capital.’
Just looking at that, Joey Terajev’s existence is somehow strange.
‘Yan hates him so much, but he doesn’t tell me the details…’
Anyway, I had to answer my father around this point.
“Father doesn’t know how hard the maids work. Do you know what time the laundry maids wake up?”
Only then did my father smile gently.
“I know that our daughter wakes up even earlier than that.”
So, my father was pointing out without hesitation that we were going back and forth from Sei Palace.
It’s almost a miracle that he doesn’t say daughter‘s’ out loud now.
I had no choice but to change the subject.
“Instead, I’ll tell you another secret.”