"What? ...Is Mabel sick?"
"Her sudden sweating made me call the doctor."
Oscar, who had been standing next to a chair, threw the towel aside and hurried to the crib.
"From the sound of her voice, she seems to be quite unwell, nurse..."
These people really only hear what they want to hear. Oscar looked down at me with a sympathetic expression and stroked my head.
'Sigh, fine. Think whatever you want.'
When I just gave up and turned my head away, the reaction became even more intense.
"Mabel. No, Mabel! Don't lose consciousness!"
"Your Highness, please hold on! The doctor will be here soon..."
I felt so embarrassed... Why must I endure such trials? Fortunately or unfortunately, the outside became noisy as if the doctor had arrived.
'Well, might as well get a quick check-up and let them know I'm fine. That would be better.'
...But as always, God didn't grant my wish.
Bang! The door opened with a loud noise, and the Emperor rushed towards the crib with a terrifying presence.
"Mabel, are you alright?"
The Emperor, passing by the nurse who bowed, immediately reached out to me.
I turned my head and tightly closed my eyes. After a moment, a gentle touch reached me. It was a very careful touch, as if afraid I might break. Slowly opening my eyes, I saw the Emperor looking at me with a deeply concerned expression. It felt strange.
The doctor, who looked quite old, carefully examined me and then turned to the Emperor.
"Could there be something wrong?"
Before the doctor could speak, the Emperor kept interrupting, and the doctor seemed to lose his words. Even I, watching, felt exasperated.
In the stifling atmosphere, Oscar, who had been standing unobtrusively, stepped in to mediate.
"Father. Why don't you calm down and listen to what the doctor has to say?"
Oscar let out a surprised exclamation, as if he hadn't thought about that.
The Emperor suppressed Oscar with a glare and then turned back to the doctor.
"From my examination, Your Highness is in perfect health. You mentioned she was sweating, but it seems she might have suddenly felt hot."
I was hot from exercising. The doctor's diagnosis was spot on. But the Emperor didn't let go of his suspicious look.
"What could have made her suddenly feel hot? As you know, the temperature inside the palace is maintained by magic."
"That, I cannot determine. But since she is not sweating now, she should be fine."
At those words, the Emperor's fierce expression softened.
The Emperor lifted me by my armpits and cradled me, patting me gently. It was a rather skilled move.
This time, too, it felt strange. I never expected that the Emperor's embrace, which should have been uncomfortable, would feel so comfortable, even if only for a moment.
...Just ten minutes before Esteban headed to Mabel's bedroom, he was in the middle of a regular meeting. The atmosphere was solemn, and even Esteban, seated at the head of the table, looked serious.
"There are already over ten injured during the transport, Your Majesty."
"How could anyone have known? That 'Devlin's Demon' turned out to be a very young boy."
The topic was about the so-called 'Devlin's Demon.'
He was a recent thorn in the side of the Ermanno Empire. Dressed entirely in black, this man appeared without proper armor or weapons, carried out one-sided massacres, and then disappeared. The nickname 'Devlin's Demon' was given by Ermanno's soldiers, who witnessed his merciless killings. Apart from being from Devlin and male, nothing else was known about him. The ministers were all shocked.
Just over a month ago, during a border battle, Ermanno's soldiers successfully captured Devlin's Demon. Esteban recalled the report describing the situation at the time.
'The one who was butchering soldiers suddenly stopped all his actions...'
When they removed the robe covering his entire body, the shock was immense upon seeing the young child. His movements were so fast that no one had noticed his small stature.
"He is expected to arrive within a few days. However, if he continues to act erratically, the schedule may be delayed."
"He seems to lack reason."
"Still, we'll know once we bring him in. Ensure he is not taken as a hostage and monitor him closely."
While they were having this serious conversation, a servant approached the Emperor and whispered something to him...
Esteban slammed his fist on the meeting table and rushed out of the room.
The ministers, suddenly without their Emperor, exchanged confused glances. The room became noisy with whispers.
"Isn't that the princess who was born recently?"
"They say Abellardo is after her."
The important matters regarding the border battle with the Devlin Empire were long forgotten. The ministers began to share the information they had heard about Mabel.
"She has the same cherry blossom-colored hair as the Empress."
"They say she inherited the Emperor's blue eyes."
"I heard she is adorable."
"They say she is so cute, she makes you want to bite her..."
The conclusion was clear: the princess is adorable. Since a royal infant could not yet appear in public, Mabel was surrounded by endless rumors. The topic quickly shifted to something else.
"Didn't the Emperor say the princess was unwell?"
The ministers all began to worry about Mabel's health. When the Empress passed away, the palace atmosphere was grim, and Mabel's presence had prevented a major crisis. The ministers' feelings towards the princess were special.
'The empire's only hope.'
...And that night, a procession of gifts arrived at Mabel's palace. They were all precious medicinal herbs from across the country.
'Please grow up healthy and calm the Emperor's fiery temper!'
Unfortunately, their wishes did not reach the soundly sleeping Mabel.
*** From this incident, I learned a valuable lesson.
'From now on, I'll exercise only when everyone is asleep.'
Sweating a little shouldn't have caused such a fuss. After that, the Emperor kept checking on me at all times. Hey, don't you think coming too often might stress me out and make me sick?
But all I could do was make incoherent sounds. Oscar, now in full 'caring mode,' came to see me whether the Emperor was there or not. On a leisurely afternoon, Oscar, as usual, came to visit. He hung over the crib, observing me.
"Nurse, when will Mabel be able to speak?"
"Hmm. We should wait at least two years, right? Even that is quite early."
Oscar's eyes widened in surprise but then he chuckled and poked my cheek.
"Well, that's just a blink of an eye."
Hey, you're six years old. I was taken aback, and the nurse laughed, finding me cute. Two years. That's considered early for speaking. Actually, I could speak now, but there was no need to reveal it. I didn't want to stand out. I just wanted to grow up like a normal baby and avoid unwanted attention.
'Anyway, people will naturally lose interest as I grow up, so it's fine.'
"Prince, stop touching the princess's face."
The nurse's words made Oscar remove his hand from my face. My cheeks were still warm from all the touching.
'When is he planning to leave?'
I subtly turned my head to look out the window. But it was still broad daylight, not even close to evening.
"Nurse, Mabel seems bored."
The nurse looked hesitant.
"But the princess doesn't seem interested in toys."
I'm not a real baby; I won't be excited by just a toy. I wondered if I should pretend to be interested. Suddenly, Oscar jumped up.
I strongly refused, but my words were misinterpreted again.
"What? Mabel, you want to go too? Nurse, Mabel says she wants to."
I sent a pleading look to the nurse. Desperately. Very desperately. Our eyes met.
'Nurse, do you understand my feelings?'
The nurse smiled brightly at me.
...No one understands me. *** Despite my objections, the 'first outing' plan was carried out with great fanfare.
"Outing? Have a good time."
The Emperor's immediate approval made Oscar silently rejoice.
"It's still a bit chilly, so let's wait until the weather warms up a bit."
The nurse checked the temperature every morning and continued knitting. She seemed to be making a hat for me to wear outside. A few days later, on the exact 54th day since my birth, the nurse, while feeding me a bottle, looked out the window and said,
The big day had finally arrived. I was so reluctant that I froze, and people started to read meaning into my actions.
"Her Highness must be very excited."
"Of course. It's her first time going out!"
Larima and Zabier seemed to be in perfect sync today.
'Sigh. Whatever happens, happens.'
No matter what I did, these people were determined to take me outside, so I decided not to waste my energy. The nurse dressed me in thick clothes and put on the hat she had knitted. I was sweating just from standing still.
"Oh, you're so well-behaved. Zabier, bring the baby carriage from the next room. Larima, you take care of those things."
They began to prepare for the outing in an organized manner. Oscar, who had heard the news, came in, breathing heavily.
"Oh, Your Highness. Isn't it time for your training?"
"I heard Mabel is going for a walk today, so I finished as quickly as possible."
The nurse smiled and wiped the sweat from Oscar's forehead with a handkerchief.
"You'll catch a cold if you walk around sweating in the cold. You can go for a walk another time, Prince."
"But it's Mabel's first time going out, I can't miss it."
Oscar smiled and took my hand. I felt a chill.
"Mabel, it's your first time outside. I want to be with you. I'm your big brother, after all."
I was momentarily stunned by Oscar's casual use of 'big brother.' I had never thought of the Emperor and Oscar as family. They were just strangers. I had ended up being born here and didn't expect anything, so I didn't know how to deal with these people. I didn't feel like being cruel, even though I hadn't wanted to be born into this family... It wasn't their fault. A short while later, Zabier returned with the baby carriage. It was adorned with jewels and decorations, as if it were a national treasure. I gaped, and the nurse, without a second thought, placed me in the carriage. She even put up a sunshade and covered me with a blanket up to my neck before she seemed satisfied.
Dressed in thick clothes and a blanket, I was carried out in the baby carriage. The corridor was much wider than I had imagined. Was it because I was still a baby, or was the palace just that big?
"Mabel, are you curious about the corridor?"
I rolled my eyes around, taking in the surroundings, and was at a loss for words when Oscar asked.
'Well, I was a bit curious.'
I had no memories of the first month after birth, but for the rest of the month, I hadn't stepped outside my bedroom...
"I knew you would like it."
'Well, think what you want...'
We had already left the building, and the cold hit me as soon as we passed a certain point.
Forget it, I take back the hot part!
"The princess seems very cold."
Zabier was worried. Oscar took off his coat and covered me with it.
As I stared at Oscar, Zabier suddenly took off his coat and covered me with it. Larima did the same, and even the nurse took off her coat.
"Warm, right? That's good."
Oscar's voice came from beyond the four coats covering me. I was definitely less cold, but not being able to see made the outing meaningless. I was supposed to be enjoying the outdoors...
I was so confused that I froze, and suddenly the baby carriage stopped.
"She's in the baby carriage."
As soon as the nurse finished speaking, a large hand pushed aside the coats and reached in. The Emperor lifted me by my armpits and held me up. The coats fell to the floor, but the Emperor didn't seem to care.
His blue eyes, which met mine, softened. I stared at the Emperor, who placed me back in the carriage and then suddenly took off his coat.
The advisor, who was following the Emperor, exclaimed in shock. The Emperor, ignoring him, covered me with his black coat.
The Emperor, after patting my head, walked away. When he was completely out of sight, Larima, who had been watching quietly, spoke up.
"Ma'am, didn't you say the Emperor's clothes are all made of magical fabric?"
"Yes... I didn't expect him to give it to the princess."
'Give...? He just threw it at me, didn't he?'
I stared at the coat covering me. The black coat was embroidered with gold thread. Despite its thinness, it felt warm, warmer than the four coats combined. I watched as the four people shook off their coats.
Could he have been jealous of them covering me and decided to do it himself...?
*** The surface of the lake, reflecting the sunlight, sparkled like scattered jewels. The flowers hadn't bloomed yet, but the frost-covered buds were scattered by the wind. The nurse placed me on a neatly spread blanket. When I kept rolling over, Oscar sat me on his lap.
"Mabel, isn't it nice to be outside?"
In response to Oscar's question, I blinked.
'Hmm. It's neither good nor bad.'
Larima sat next to Oscar, keeping an eye on us while the nurse tidied up. The nurse looked worried and glanced at Larima.
"Larima, don't let your guard down."
"Don't worry, ma'am. I'm watching closely! By the way, your head must be heavy. Oh, how cute!"
Larima cupped my cheeks and gushed, and Zabier, who was tidying up the baby carriage, commented.
"You'll cause an accident if you keep that up."
Today, these two are getting along well. I yawned and leaned against Oscar, looking up at the sky.
The last sky I saw was a nearly starless, pitch-black night sky. The sky I saw as I fell from the rooftop. It felt like years ago, even though it wasn't. But I could never forget it. Feeling a bit sentimental, I closed my eyes, and Oscar whispered,
I'm not sleepy, I'm sad! Sigh. I let out a small sigh. They don't even give me a chance to be sad. With nothing else to do, I followed Zabier's movements with my eyes as he busily tidied up. Suddenly, he shouted near the entrance to the forest.
A divine cat? I remembered a conversation between Larima and Zabier about a golden divine cat hatching from an egg in the northern forest of the palace. What exactly is a divine cat? I heard it looks like a cat.
I stretched out my arms to express my desire to see it. But Oscar ignored me, and Larima and Zabier continued their argument.
"Really? Zabier, don't lie. I won't fall for it."
"It's real. It's right there! Come and see for yourself!"
"If it's not there, you're dead?"
Larima stood up, looking threatening.
"Prince, let's go check it out together!"
At Larima's words, the nurse reached out to me, who was in Oscar's arms.
'What? Are you going to see it without me?'
I flailed my arms, refusing to be taken by the nurse.
"Your Highness, will you stay with me for a moment? The Prince is going to see the cat."