The next day, as soon as I finished breakfast, I went to find Xavier.
"Outside? You want to go to the garden?"
"Not that outside, to the study."
'His study?' Xavier seemed to understand what I meant and nodded.
"Ah. Do you want to see the advisor? I'll call him for you."
There was no way I would be allowed to wander around the palace alone, so it was more convenient to have Xavier with me. I picked up the bag I had secretly prepared the night before, took Xavier's hand, and arrived at the study. Though it was the emperor's study, I had only been there a few times.
'Actually, it's more like Gustav's study.'
With that thought in mind, I knocked before entering. It's polite to knock before entering someone's room.
The door swung open, and Gustav's startled face appeared on the other side. I smiled at him.
"Wh-What are you doing here... No, this is the emperor's study, so...?"
Leaving the bewildered Gustav, I turned to Xavier.
"Xavier. Bring me a doll."
I quickly corrected myself, remembering that I didn't have a dog doll. Xavier, who was tilting his head, bowed to Gustav and disappeared to fetch the doll.
'I've dealt with one of them.'
I looked up at the other one I needed to deal with. Gustav sat in front of me, matching my eye level.
"Should I ask the maids to bring some ice cream?"
I closed my eyes and shook my head. I almost fell for the ice cream. The nanny rarely gave me snacks, so it was a rare opportunity, but I had to give up with tears in my eyes.
'These ministers owe me big time.'
I will definitely collect this debt. I sighed deeply and walked into the study, passing by Gustav. The study was a mess. Books were scattered on the floor, and the desk was a mountain of papers.
Gustav hurried in, perhaps afraid I might touch something. I pretended to look around the study and went deeper inside.
"No, this is... I've been too busy. I haven't had time to clean. I'm not lazy."
"I know, Gustav. You've been working hard, Gustav."
I answered half-heartedly while thinking hard.
'How can I get Gustav out of here?'
I walked around the study, watching his reactions. His eyes never left me. He really doesn't appreciate my help. It seemed that a simple method wouldn't work.
I pretended to be uninterested and sat in Gustav's chair. Fortunately, he hadn't noticed anything suspicious yet. But would he notice next time? I looked at the documents Gustav had been working on. Confidential. And documents from the Treasury, which was quite far from here.
I picked up the ink bottle with a pure smile, pretending to be innocent.
Gustav's expression turned pale.
Splash. The ink poured mercilessly onto the documents. Gustav, whose face had turned pale, stumbled over to me and started wiping the ink with a handkerchief. But it was no use.
"Black liquid. So black!"
I smiled with black ink on my palm, and Gustav sighed deeply, unable to say anything.
"Is there red liquid too?"
Pretending to be a real baby was hard. Gustav tried to revive the documents a few times but eventually gave up, dropping his head.
"Ha... Your Majesty, please stay here. I'll bring a wet towel. Do you understand?"
Gustav left the study with the ink-stained documents. He would probably go to the Treasury first before bringing the wet towel.
I apologized silently. The compensation for this huge accident depended on what I did next. I quickly started my plan. I had to finish everything before Xavier or Gustav returned, so time was short. I took out a piece of paper from my bag, which I had written beforehand. My handwriting was still clumsy, and I had used many sheets of paper to write like an adult.
'Be careful. No one should know I can read and write.'
For four months, I had pretended to be unable to read the documents during the regular meetings held every five days at a fixed time. That was enough time to learn to read. Just speaking was enough to be called a genius, and writing would cause even more chaos. There might be typos or grammatical errors, but it looked perfect to me.
I went to the emperor's desk on Gustav's left and brought the seal. Thump! I stamped it firmly and slipped my document among the completed ones. It was a perfect job.
I couldn't help but smile with pride. After returning the seal to its original place, it was a perfect crime. I finished everything and slipped out through the slightly open door.
I froze at the familiar voice above me.
*** Esteban looked down at Mabel, who had stiffened. She looked as if she had done something wrong.
"Why are you in the study?"
Mabel, who had been fidgeting with her fingers, took a step back. Esteban hesitated to grab her, fearing she might dislike him even more for getting too close.
Mabel's cautious behavior made Esteban frown.
Just standing there with her small body and height was adorable, and she even answered cautiously. He wanted to kiss her chubby cheeks, which still had baby fat, but he restrained himself.
Esteban realized something was off because Mabel was not usually this cautious.
'Mabel isn't usually this cautious.'
Mabel was usually firm, direct, and had clear likes and dislikes with Esteban. She would usually tell him to go away. As Esteban stared at her, Mabel pursed her lips and spoke.
Surprised by the sudden mention of the advisor, Esteban was puzzled for a moment.
Mabel's bombshell shocked Esteban.
He had always been bothered by it. When Mabel naturally leaned on Gustav instead of him, he had thought it was just a coincidence... But there might be another reason. Esteban asked in a tense voice.
'He's demoted. He's definitely demoted.'
Mabel's words sent Gustav's fate plummeting. Unaware of Esteban's plummeting mood, Mabel sighed in relief, glad she hadn't been caught.
'Phew, he didn't notice.'
Just then, Xavier, who had gone on an errand for Mabel, returned.
"Where did you go, leaving your master alone?"
Xavier tensed at the sharp tone. He could feel that Esteban was not in a good mood. One wrong word could mean death. Even as the nephew of the nanny, Count Lupe Arielli, he was not exempt. Xavier bowed deeply and stammered.
Mabel's cheerful voice interrupted Xavier.
'He's going to get himself killed.'
Feeling sorry for the trembling Xavier, Mabel couldn't just stand by. She laughed and called out again.
"Doll! Woof, no, rabbit doll!" (Doll! Woof, no, rabbit doll!)
She almost made another mistake. Mabel smiled even brighter, took the doll from Xavier, and hugged it.
'Damn. I don't even like dolls.'
"I like the doll. Thank you, Xavier."
"It's just my duty. Ha ha."
Mabel smiled at Xavier, as if saying, "We're such good friends," and looked up at Esteban. Unable to be angry at her smiling face, Esteban let Xavier off. He still looked unhappy. Mabel, who had been watching Esteban, offered the doll in her arms.
Esteban took the doll from Mabel, dazed. It felt like a dream. Mabel had never given him anything before.
'Mabel... giving me a doll. Her favorite doll.'
She didn't really like it. Mabel felt relieved to get rid of the annoying doll and waved.
She walked away confidently.
The father-daughter misunderstanding deepened. Esteban, stunned