To use 'that method,' it was most important to lay the groundwork well in advance. And the opportunity came sooner than expected.
"Your Majesty. Prince Consort has requested that you dine with him."
The chamberlain, who relayed Prince Consort's message, had a face devoid of any hope. This was because, despite coming every other day to invite him to dine, Prince Consort had never once accepted. He thought that today would be no different, and that he would be turned down as usual.
To his surprise, Mabel nodded her head readily! The chamberlain's eyes widened in astonishment.
"Yep. Tell him I will." (Yes, tell him I will.)
The chamberlain's mouth dropped open. Just thinking about how delighted Prince Consort would be upon hearing this news made his heart soar.
With a broad smile, the chamberlain ran off energetically. The wet nurse, however, was puzzled by this unexpected acceptance.
"What's going on, Your Majesty?"
Mabel laughed awkwardly and brushed it off. Fortunately, Madame Lufa didn't press for more details and prepared for the dinner. Thus, the evening meal arrived. After holding hands with Xavier and walking the short distance with difficulty, they finally reached the dining room. Esteban, who had arrived an hour early due to excitement, jumped up to greet Mabel.
"Come in. I missed you so much this morning."
'If I saw you this morning, that should be enough. Why would you miss me so much?'
Mabel nodded indifferently and sat next to Esteban. Esteban smiled brightly, watching Mabel's every move as if he were about to lick them.
'…He should have invited Oscar too.'
Regret washed over her like a flood, but it was too late. Mabel endured the uncomfortable gaze and looked straight ahead. Soon, a sumptuous feast was laid out on the table.
Mabel clumsily held the spoon and ate the mushroom soup. It was savory, salty, and slightly sweet, making it a truly exquisite dish.
"Delicious!" (It's delicious!)
Mabel diligently moved the spoon, finishing the bowl without spilling a single drop. Esteban, who didn't touch his own meal, watched the scene with a pleased expression.
"How can you be so adorable while eating? Eat more, Mabel. You're such a cute kid."
Esteban's flattery made Mabel slightly raise her head, her cheeks full of bread.
"Father, eat too." (Father, eat too.)
"Sure, sure. I'll eat too."
Even as he said this, Esteban barely touched his food, watching Mabel eat with a dazed look.
'Why isn't he eating when it's so delicious?'
Though Mabel couldn't understand her father's behavior, she ignored it and happily continued eating. The baby food prepared for Mabel was a bit bland and finely chopped, but it was still delicious.
'Grr. I love potatoes so much.'
Munch. Mabel's cheeks puffed up as she put the spoon in her mouth. Chewing slowly, she soon finished the plate.
"Ah, it was delicious." (Ah, it was delicious.)
Satisfied, Mabel put down the spoon, and the royal chef, watching from a distance, shed tears.
"Your Majesty finished the meal so cleanly today…!"
"What a joy for the family!"
"Hehehe. Thank you, thank you!"
Unaware of the commotion in the kitchen, Mabel sipped the orange juice served as dessert. It was noisy, but she didn't think much of it.
'As expected, 100% pure orange juice is the best.'
Now that the meal was over, it was time to execute today's plan. Although Esteban's meal was still untouched, he didn't seem to want to eat. Mabel shook her head secretly.
'He doesn't know how precious food is.'
Perhaps those born with a silver spoon are just different.
Clang! The knife fell from Esteban's hand. His eyes, filled with shock, were fixed on Mabel.
'Mabel, Mabel, calling me first…!'
Overwhelmed with emotion, Esteban couldn't speak. Mabel thought to herself,
But since her father had been acting strangely for a while, Mabel just shrugged it off.
"I have a favor to ask." (I have a favor to ask.)
"What is it? Just say it. Do you want a fief? A country is fine too. I can conquer a country for you!"
Just mentioning a favor made Esteban so emotional that he offered to conquer a country and present it to her.
The scale of the request made Mabel's face pale.
"No, no, it's not necessary." (No, no, it's not necessary.)
"Then what do you need? Just say it. I'll grant it."
The atmosphere suddenly turned cold. Mabel inwardly cheered. This was exactly the reaction she wanted.
It didn't matter if Esteban showed any displeasure. Mabel smiled and pressed on.
"Free Oscar." (Free Oscar.)
"You said I could ask for anything." (You said I could ask for anything.)
Esteban cursed himself for a few seconds earlier. But once spoken, words couldn't be taken back.
"…Alright. Anyway, it wasn't feasible to keep him there indefinitely."
Mabel was more surprised by the quick approval. She expected a firm refusal. The sense of anticlimax was overwhelming.
'I was going to act stubborn and throw a tantrum to make him hate me, but I was wrong.'
Still, since she could get Oscar out of prison, one of her goals was achieved. With a lighter heart, Mabel took a big bite of the pudding served as dessert.
'So, should I move on to the second plan?'
As usual, the regular meeting time arrived. Mabel, with her hair neatly braided, waddled in. The eyes of the ministers, who were already waiting, sparkled with hearts.
"Today, Your Majesty has two braids. So cute!"
"The red ribbon suits you perfectly. Of course, everything suits Your Majesty!"
The ministers showered Mabel with flattery. Initially, Mabel found it burdensome, but now she could handle it without batting an eye.
'Anyway, they're all blinded by power. They fawn on me every day like this.'
Mabel's and the ministers' differing perceptions of the situation continued as usual. Esteban lifted Mabel and placed her on the throne.
"Let's start the meeting."
Just as the ministers were picking up their meeting materials, Mabel, who had been sitting quietly on the throne, suddenly started fidgeting.
Everyone focused on Mabel's actions. Unaware that all eyes were on her, Mabel concentrated on what she was doing. What Mabel did was… Thump. She lay down on the throne!
Mabel's sudden behavior surprised not only Esteban but also the ministers. But Mabel went even further, rolling around on the throne. It was her first act of defiance, despite regularly attending meetings and sitting quietly on the throne. The shock was even greater.
Mabel lay down contentedly, listening to the ministers' murmurs of surprise.
There would be no more well-behaved Mabel at regular meetings! Her ultimate goal was to undermine the ministers' trust by being irresponsible.
'It seems to be going smoothly.'
Hehe. The thought of being deposed made her smile.
'I've been too diligent all this time.'
It was time to start rebelling. As she rolled around on the throne, Mabel suddenly realized the murmurs had died down.
Why did she feel so uneasy? The reason soon became clear.
"Your Majesty has finally opened her heart to the gods!"
"How wonderful… Seeing such an undignified sight, I don't know where to put myself!"
"Even lying down, Your Majesty is so adorable! It's fine to hold meetings while lying down from now on!"
"Sure, sure. Let's turn the meeting into a feast!"
All sorts of ridiculous flattery started pouring in. Mabel sat up, startled.
She expected to be scolded or even kicked out of the meeting. But what was this situation?
'Turn the meeting into a feast? Are they in their right minds?'
Speechless with shock, Mabel looked at Esteban, who had been silent. She hoped he would guide the ministers back to the right path. But.
"Turning the meeting into a feast, what a novel idea."
There was no miracle… ***
"Deposition is really difficult." (Deposition is really difficult.)
With this realization, my second birthday arrived. On the day I turned 24 months old.
I sighed repeatedly as I let the wet nurse tend to me. Her gentle touch made me drowsy.
"Why are you sighing on such a happy day, Your Majesty?"