Esteban did not hide his displeasure. When Mabel was first born, the Marquis Gadania had repeatedly requested to see her for three months, but Esteban had always refused. He knew the Marquis's intentions all too well. Just when things had quieted down, he was asking to meet again.
"It's already eight months. Don't you think it's time to let me see the Princess?"
"She's still too young—"
"She's walking, they say."
"His Majesty said it himself."
Esteban wanted to kick himself for boasting about Mabel walking. But what's done is done. He could refuse the Marquis's request using the Emperor's authority, but he had no reason to prevent the Marquis, her maternal grandfather, from meeting her indefinitely.
"Besides, isn't the Princess the future heir to the Gadania family?"
"…That's not certain yet."
Esteban rubbed his face in annoyance.
'Anyway, everyone is trying to take my daughter away.'
It's all because Mabel is so adorable. Of course, Esteban had no intention of letting Mabel be taken away by either Abellardo or the Marquis Gadania. He thought it might be less troublesome to let them meet once.
"Understood, Your Majesty."
Esteban frowned openly at the Marquis, who smiled kindly.
'Just looking at his face reminds me of when he went ballistic when I said I was marrying Sianna.'
'Anyway, I don't like this old man.'
When I finally came to my senses, the news that I had taken my first steps alone while holding the railing had already spread widely. It seemed the Emperor couldn't help but tell everyone.
"Your Highness is already walking…"
The nanny looked at me with awe.
"Your Highness! You're walking? Amazing!"
"Larima, be quiet. Your Highness doesn't like it."
"Your Highness, congratulations… I'm going, going!"
Lysandro, who was speaking from behind the door, hid himself and snapped. Oscar, who was busy, hadn't arrived yet, but he probably knew too. There are no secrets in the palace.
'Well, there's no point in hiding it now.'
So I started practicing walking without caring about others' gazes.
"Kyaa! Princess, you really got up. A little step. So cute…"
"Whoa! Be careful. I'll catch you, Your Highness."
Zabie, ignoring Larima's fuss, held my hand. It only took two fingers to hold my small, chubby hand.
"Okay, this way slowly—"
I took each step with difficulty, following Zabie's guidance. It was easier than when I had walked alone while holding the railing.
When I got too tired and fell down, everyone burst into laughter.
"You're not quite ready to walk yet. Larima, Zabie, take good care of Her Highness. I'll be back after a short while."
When the nanny left, Larima and Zabie sat around me.
"Your Highness, try walking again! I'll catch you this time."
Larima lifted me by my armpits.
I wanted to rest a bit, but they were so excited that I couldn't.
I alternated between Larima and Zabie while practicing walking. I thought my muscles were developing so well that I might soon be able to walk without holding onto anything.
I wanted to lie down. As I took a step and sighed, the door opened.
"What's this? Larima, Zabie, stand up and fix your clothes!"
The nanny, who never got angry about clothes, suddenly did. I tilted my head, and then I saw someone else behind her.
Blond hair with some white strands, golden eyes. It was a grandfather I had never seen before. He had a kind smile, and he looked like someone with a lot of money. I instinctively clung to Zabie. Zabie awkwardly smiled and picked me up. I clung tightly to Zabie's clothes and watched the stranger warily. Zabie and Larima greeted the grandfather.
"Meeting the Marquis Gadania."
Gadania? That's my last name…
'So, this grandfather is…'
Before I could finish my thought, the grandfather took a step closer.
"Nice to meet you, Princess Mabel. I am—"
The grandfather, taking a breath, continued.
Dun dun. I have a grandfather! No one told me!
Everyone was startled by my small murmur.
"Larima, did you just call him 'grandfather'?"
"Seems like it? Clearly, the Princess is a genius!"
'Sigh, whatever. Be a genius, be a genius.'
I had long given up on pretending to be an ordinary baby. As I stared blankly at the grandfather while being held by Zabie, he slowly approached.
"You can walk and even say 'huh.' I'm really—"
The grandfather suddenly covered his mouth with both hands, as if he had lost his words. What's this reaction? It feels familiar… Anxiety crept up on me. And then…
Suddenly, the grandfather started crying! Wait, this wasn't in my plan. I was flustered, and everyone else was too. Everyone except the grandfather was flustered.
"Already so grown… Sniff, grown up…"
The nanny tried to calm the grandfather, but he didn't stop crying.
I gave up. *** In the Emperor's office, Esteban couldn't concentrate on his paperwork and kept glancing at the door. His secretary, Gustav, sighed deeply.
'He might suddenly run out.'
It wasn't impossible. The Emperor would often abandon everything and rush out whenever he received a report about Mabel. Gustav always had to clean up the mess. What was the Emperor worried about today? The Princess's first meeting with her maternal grandfather.
'I shouldn't have let them meet.'
Esteban was already regretting his decision several times. Especially, the Marquis Gadania was the second most likely candidate to take his daughter away. The first was Abellardo's priests, of course. Because of his constant glances at the door, nothing was getting done. Gustav, unable to bear it, suggested,
"Would you like to go see them?"
"It would make me look overprotective."
'People already see you as the most overprotective father in the world…'
Gustav valued his life and decided to keep the truth to himself.
"Your Highness must miss you too. It's her first meeting with the Marquis Gadania."
Instead, Gustav carefully chose words that Esteban wanted to hear. It was the result of months of observation. As expected, Esteban's expression brightened.
"Really? Gustav, do you think so too?"
"Of course, Your Majesty. No matter what, Princess Mabel is your daughter! How much she loves her father, Your Majesty!"
Well, that's true. Gustav hadn't actually seen inside Mabel's mind, but Esteban smiled brightly at the flattery.
"Indeed, Gustav, you are a capable secretary. You know what to say. You're amazing. I can only trust you."
The reaction was too good. Suddenly afraid, Gustav tried to retract his flattery.
"But what about the work?"
Gustav stopped mid-sentence. What is this? This familiar feeling. This familiar pattern. It's like the moment before falling into a deep pit of despair. Realizing this, he tried to fix it, but it was too late. Esteban was already at the door, waving at Gustav.
"Alright, I'll leave it to you. Good luck, Gustav."
Bang. Seeing the door slam shut, Gustav slumped to the ground.
The Marquis Gadania's tears finally stopped, but a greater challenge awaited me. The grandfather sat me on his lap and poured out endless stories, like telling a fairy tale. The content was usually something like this:
"Your Highness's mother. My daughter, Sianna, was a beloved daughter."
"I didn't want to marry her off. If Sianna wanted to, it was fine, but I wanted her to stay with her father as much as possible… Sniff."
"Do you know how wicked the Emperor was? The Emperor's father. He was a heartless ruler."
In summary: My mother, Sianna Gadania, was the most beautiful woman in the empire, and Emperor Esteban, who had divorced the previous empress, immediately proposed to Sianna. The Emperor's reputation was not good.
'No, it was worse than bad. It was terrible.'
As a prince, he committed all sorts of atrocities and treated human lives as less valuable than flies. The previous emperor, unable to bear it, sent him to war, telling him to live or die as he pleased. So the grandfather strongly opposed the marriage. But the Emperor's courtship was so sincere that my mother eventually gave in.
"How could the Emperor be so heartless, cruelly separating me, her grandfather, from her at eight months! It took a week after my request to finally meet her, is this