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Chapter 2




The sudden opening of the door caused someone unsteady to let out a single scream.
“Oscar.”
At Esteban’s low voice, Oscar subtly averted his gaze. The one loitering in front of the Emperor’s office was none other than the First Prince of the Hermann Empire, ‘Oscar Ale Hermann.’ Since he was caught, Oscar decided to walk in confidently and entered the office.
“Father. When do you plan to give your permission?”
Even at the age of six, Oscar’s tone was precocious. His silver hair, the same as Esteban’s, shimmered in the sunlight. His green eyes, inherited from the late empress, sparkled with intelligence. Esteban, however, looked at Oscar with a cold, indifferent gaze, unlike when he looked at Mabel. Permission. The permission Oscar was talking about was to allow him to meet Mabel. While it wouldn’t be difficult to let him see the baby’s face for a moment, Esteban firmly refused.
“No.”
“Why not? You said it would be allowed after a month.”
“You’re the one who insisted on holding her and would drop her, Oscar.”
“Ugh...”
It wasn’t an unfounded rejection. Oscar had once dropped and broken one of Esteban’s prized possessions while admiring it. Oscar visibly became dejected.
‘Not today again. I couldn’t sleep all night, waiting for the day she turned one month old...’
He had even finished his swordsmanship class early, but it was all in vain. Watching his son, who looked like a wet puppy, Esteban finished tearing the letter from the Holy Kingdom and stood up.
“Can’t be helped. Follow me, Oscar.”
Oscar’s expression brightened at Esteban’s words. Esteban chuckled softly and roughly ruffled his son’s hair before leaving the office. Since he was about to see Mabel anyway, it would be a good opportunity to introduce her to her half-brother.
‘Besides, she’s too young to remember anyway.’
*** Who ever said a baby’s life was easy? It was nothing more than a foolish statement made by those who had no memory. Humans are creatures of forgetfulness! The itching was unbearable, and I couldn’t stand it at all. I couldn’t roll over, and I couldn’t lie on my stomach, so it felt like I was performing a ritual. The only thing I could do was lie straight and watch the nurse and the maids.
‘Ah. Boring...’
As I stared blankly at them, the nurse approached with a smile.
“Come, Your Highness. It’s time for your milk.”
“Ugh...”
The only fortunate thing was that I didn’t have to drink breast milk directly. The nurse checked the temperature of the liquid in the bottle and glared fiercely at the maid who had prepared the formula.
“Larima! It’s too hot!”
“Ah, I’m sorry. I’ll make it again!”
Larima hurriedly disappeared to prepare the formula again. The nurse sighed deeply as she watched Larima’s back and then turned to the attendant, Xavier.
“She always makes mistakes. I wonder if she’ll ever get married...”
“Larima doesn’t seem to have any plans to get married.”
“Then there’s nothing to be done. Xavier, you’ll have to marry Larima.”
“Eek? Why me?”
Xavier was taken aback, and the nurse chuckled. Listening to their conversation, I could tell how close they were. The nurse in charge of my care was Madame Lupé, who I vaguely remembered had been a close maid to my mother when she was alive. Larima, the maid, was brought in by the nurse at the request of an acquaintance, and Xavier, the attendant, was the nurse’s nephew. It was amusing to listen to their conversations, especially when Larima and Xavier bickered. They usually ended up dating after such arguments.
“Sigh...”
As I lay staring at the ceiling, I suddenly felt drowsy. The mobile above me was slowly spinning.
‘Did they prepare the formula from scratch...?’
My eyelids felt incredibly heavy. I nodded off, and my head tilted to the side. Just as I was about to give in to sleep—
“Mabel?”
A low voice echoed. I was instantly awake. My eyes snapped open, and I immediately regretted it.
“You were just resting your eyes, weren’t you? Such a cute little one.”
I had made eye contact with the man, my father.
‘Ah, I should have pretended to be asleep.’
I frowned and blinked, and the nurse hurried over.
“Oh no. You shouldn’t be sleeping. It’s not time for your meal yet.”
“Meal?”
The man stared at me intently. Feeling uncomfortable, I subtly averted my gaze. Then, I noticed a face I hadn’t seen before in a place where there shouldn’t have been anything. It was a boy with a flushed face, looking excitedly at me.
“Father. The baby is looking at me...!”
He tried to hide his emotions, but his red cheeks betrayed his excitement. I squinted slightly and observed the boy carefully. I had already gathered some information from the nurse’s chatter.
‘So... this boy is my half-brother, then?’
Oscar Ale Hermann. Yes, that was his name. His hair color and appearance were similar to the man, confirming it. The boy couldn’t take his green eyes off me.
“Your vision isn’t fully developed yet, Oscar. You’re not really seeing him. Don’t misunderstand.”
His tone was too firm, making me even more flustered.
‘Didn’t he say before that I was looking at him? That I seemed to be making eye contact with him!’
I felt awkward at his different attitude. Why did he call me ‘my Mabel’ but tell him not to misunderstand and act coldly? Even more absurd was that Oscar didn’t seem disappointed at all. He continued to stare at me as if entranced, ignoring his father’s words.
“So cute...”
“Ugh...”
I wanted to say something, but with no teeth, the best I could manage was a babble.
“Ugh? Could it be... ‘Brother’? Father, Mabel was about to call me ‘Brother’...!”
“Don’t jump to conclusions, Oscar.”
The man, who had coldly replied, then smiled softly and looked at me.
“She was about to call me ‘Father.’”
“...”
Both of them were wrong. I was trying to tell them to be quiet and stop talking so much...
‘Someone, please do something about these two people!’
I looked at the nurse pleadingly. She tilted her head at my gaze and then exclaimed.
“Oh. Your Highness must be very hungry. Larima, are you ready?”
“Done!”
My attempt to communicate through my gaze failed miserably.
‘Even the nurse has abandoned me.’
The nurse picked up the limp me and dropped a few drops on her hand to check. The Emperor and Oscar watched the scene closely. I took the bottle into my mouth under their intense gaze and started to suck vigorously.
“Your Highness must be very hungry.”
‘No, Nurse.’
I wanted to finish eating quickly to get rid of these people from my sight. After drinking halfway, I was exhausted and took a deep breath. The Emperor, who had approached, extended his hand to the nurse.
“?”
The nurse blinked, and the Emperor glanced at me.
“Give her to me.”
‘Wh-what...?’
The nipple, which was half in my mouth, fell out. I opened my mouth wide, trying to understand this absurd situation. But the Emperor was faster. He had already taken a seat and received me from the nurse.
“Come, Mabel. Father will feed you.”
“Eh...”
‘I don’t need it!’
I tried to resist by pulling my head back, but the Emperor, a strong adult, easily held my neck and pushed the bottle into my mouth.
“Ugh!”
No matter how much I resisted, I couldn’t overpower a strong adult. I gave up and started to suck the nipple.
“Good. You’re eating well.”
‘Ah. Why am I a baby?’
I felt so helpless, unable to express my dissatisfaction. The Emperor’s loving gaze was incredibly burdensome. So, I just closed my eyes. I could still drink the formula with my eyes closed.
“Almost done.”
After drinking hard, my mouth was full of formula, and I opened my eyes slightly. Then—
“Pfft!”
I spat out the formula.
‘Why is he leaning in so close? ’
It was normal to be surprised at the Emperor’s face right in front of me when I opened my eyes.
“Oh, oh! Are you alright, Your Majesty?”
The nurse hurriedly handed a handkerchief to the Emperor. He smiled warmly, showing no signs of displeasure.
“I’m fine. The formula Mabel spat out is holy water.”
‘...What did I just hear?’
I was so bewildered that I didn’t know how to react. The Emperor, instead of wiping his face with the handkerchief, gently wiped the corners of my mouth. Only after my mouth was clean did he wipe his own face.
“Anyway, it feels good to see you eat well.”
The Emperor patted my cheek and held me, patting my back. I looked at the nurse, who was in his arms, pleadingly.
‘Please, someone, save me...!’
But the nurse only looked at us with a contented smile. Oscar, who had been watching the Emperor enviously, clenched his fist and took a step forward.
“Father.”
“What is it?”
“Can I hold her...? I know, I know.”
“Enough with that.”
The Emperor chuckled and started to soothe me again. Oscar looked at me with a sticky gaze. I felt like my head was spinning. Couldn’t everyone just leave me alone? *** There is definitely no God. Otherwise, He wouldn’t ignore my wishes so cruelly. I had been desperately praying for them to leave me alone, but instead, their attention only intensified. The Emperor and Oscar visited me almost every day. The Emperor came once in the morning and once in the evening, while Oscar came unexpectedly. It seemed the Emperor didn’t allow him to visit, so he came secretly.
“Sigh.”
It was annoying, so I prayed again while staring at the ceiling. The mobile was spinning. I had always thought it was an extraordinary object, and it turned out to be a truly remarkable mobile. It was made from the treasures of the royal family, which were broken from the royal treasury. The Emperor had broken them himself, saying that beautiful things were good for a child’s emotional development. The fragments hanging from it sparkled and shone brilliantly.
“Ugh...” (They’re crazy...)
I couldn’t understand. I glanced to the side. The nurse was focused on knitting, and the other two were bickering.
“Larima, did you hear? The egg of the divine beast in the northern forest hatched. And it happened on the day the princess was born!”
“What are you talking about? Wasn’t it just a decoration? Where did you hear such a rumor?”
“If you don’t believe me, go ask the knights. They were rushing there in a frenzy. It’s a cat-like creature with golden fur!”
“How can a cat be golden? Anyway, how do you plan to survive in this harsh world being so naive? Huh?”
“No, it’s true...”
Listening to Larima and Xavier’s conversation, I smacked my lips.
‘A divine beast’s egg... It must be delicious. I want to eat a boiled egg.’
The topic of their conversation had changed. I stared blankly at the ceiling. The expensive mobile was spinning.
‘Good.’
While they were distracted, I wriggled and moved my body slightly. I turned my neck and wiggled my fingers. Thanks to my secret practice, I could easily stretch out my hand and grab a toy. Doing a victory sign wasn’t difficult either.
‘Then, should I try something more challenging today?’
Lifting my head! It was a necessary step before rolling over.
“Ugh!”
I put in effort and strained my neck, but it only rose slightly before I lost strength.
“Ughh!”
I tried again with renewed determination, but the result was the same.
‘Aaah! At this rate, when will I grow up! I can’t even talk! And I can’t walk either!’
I tried to kick in anger, but even that failed. Just then—
“Mabel.”
I stopped my tantrum and turned my gaze towards the voice.
“You’re not sleeping today. Good.”
Oscar, who had sneaked in again, was covered in dirt and leaves, hanging over my crib. The nurse, who had been knitting, hurried over.
“Your Highness, don’t touch the princess with your dirty hands!”
‘Dirty hands...’
Even though he was royalty, could she really say that? But neither the nurse nor Oscar seemed to care.
“Ugh.”
Oscar looked at his hands and my face, then scratched his cheek.
“Nurse, can I borrow the bathroom? As you know, I can’t go back and wash up.”
“What if His Majesty finds out?”
“Probably already knows?”
The nurse couldn’t answer immediately. Oscar chuckled and walked towards the bathroom. I lay still, pretending to have been resting, and stared at the mobile.
“Oh?”
The nurse, who was tidying up my crib, suddenly touched my forehead.
“Why are you sweating so much?”
It’s just sweat, not cold sweat.
‘Could they have noticed my secret exercise?’
“Oh no! Do you have a fever? Larima, Larima!”
The nurse’s urgent call made Larima rush over.
“What is it?”
“Call the doctor. The princess is sweating a lot.”
“Ugh!” (That’s not it!)
I waved my arms and cried out to the nurse, but they ignored me, and Larima ran out of the room.
“Your Highness, please wait a moment.”
The nurse, worried, wiped my face, but the more she did, the more sweat appeared. I felt a wave of guilt.
“Nurse, why is it so noisy all of a sudden?”
Oscar, who had just finished his bath, walked over, shaking the water from his hair with a towel.
“What’s going on... Mabel is sick?”