Chapter 4

Zabie dropped the stones she was holding, amazed at what was so surprising.

“D-Did His Highness just say ‘meow’?”

Larima burst out laughing, looking at me with wide eyes.

“I heard it too… But, no, it can’t be.”

“Meow. Meow!”

Forget it. Take me too! Don’t just let them see the divine beast!

“Really sounded like ‘meow’…?”

“Yeah, I heard it that way too.”

Larima agreed with Zabie. It was a historic moment for our sworn enemies to be in agreement.

‘W-What? This isn’t right.’

Something was off, but what was the problem? I realized it when the nursemaid who was holding me spoke.

“To be imitating words at two months…”

Only then did I realize my mistake.

‘Why am I like this? Just because my body became a baby, did my mind become a baby too…?’

I was unfamiliar with this change. Clearly, the adult me was inside this small body, but my physical development was far from mature.

‘The impulsive changes are probably due to the body not growing.’

I vaguely guessed it might be related to the developmental process.

‘Anyway…’

The immediate problem I faced was different. Even though I couldn’t speak, babbling so accurately was too early compared to the average baby’s development.

‘Ugh, what should I do?’

While I was pondering how to fix it, Larima hugged me with an excited look.

“Of course, our Princess! You must be a genius! Already imitating words! Oh, how smart!”

“Mmmph!” (Can’t breathe!)

“Mmmph? What did you say just now? Say it again, Your Highness!”

Larima’s eyes sparkled, ready to interpret even the babbling I had just made.

‘No, no. That’s not it.’

I inadvertently glanced away and became even more flustered. Oscar looked as if he were hurt.

‘Why is he like that?’

After a moment, Oscar muttered weakly.

“To say ‘meow’ as the first word. Not ‘big brother,’ but ‘cat’…”

“…”

Was it because of that? Oscar kept muttering, “Losing to a cat,” as if the shock was quite significant.

‘What should I do with him? I’m in a bind.’

It wasn’t important enough to ask Oscar to carry me to the forest, but I lacked the ability to do so.

“Sigh…”

The life of a frustrated baby… Sighing, I flailed my arms.

“…Mabel?”

Toward Oscar’s direction. Since I was reborn, I had never expressed a desire to be held first.

‘I didn’t really want to be held.’

But seeing Oscar upset over such a trivial matter made me feel a bit uncomfortable.

“Prince, please hold the Princess.”

The nursemaid smiled, and Oscar, with a dazed look, pointed to himself.

“…Me?”

“Yes. Come on.”

Oscar approached stiffly, like someone taking their first steps, and extended his arms. It seemed his sword training wasn’t for nothing; he easily picked me up.

“…Mabel held me first.”

Oscar muttered, genuinely moved, but I had no time for that. I stretched my arm toward the forest entrance where Zabie had seen the divine beast.

“Meow!”

Since it’s out in the open, let’s go see the divine beast. How amazing, to have hatched on the same day I was born?

“Mabel, do you want to see the divine beast?”

Oscar, holding me properly, asked. I wanted to nod, but that was still too difficult for me. Instead, I opened my mouth again.

“Meow.”

“Alright, alright.”

Since it’s like this, let’s go with the concept that I can only say ‘meow.’

‘Then they won’t call me a genius.’

It was a brilliantly simple idea, even to me. Oscar slowly walked toward the forest.

“Prince, be careful not to drop the Princess.”

“It’s fine, Nursemaid. Don’t worry. Don’t you trust me?”

“Yes.”

The nursemaid’s sharp answer made Oscar close his mouth. From his expression, it seemed he couldn’t bring himself to say anything.

‘Of course. He once broke the Emperor’s favorite item.’

I turned my attention from Oscar and looked at the forest entrance. The nursemaid, Larima, and Zabie were standing around Oscar, gazing at the forest. But all I could see were dense trees and thick undergrowth. No sign of the cat or the divine beast.

“Zabie, you’re lying, right?”

Larima accused, and Zabie waved his hands in denial.

“No, no! I definitely saw it!”

“It’s not there! Come on, let’s fight. You need a few hits.”

Larima rolled up her sleeves, ready for a fight.

“Larima, Zabie. Don’t forget we’re in front of the Prince. Maintain your dignity.”

The nursemaid scolded them, but they either didn’t hear or pretended not to hear, running around the lake.

‘Youth. It’s youth.’

I looked at the lake again. Did Zabie really see something? No matter how long I looked, there was no sign of the divine beast.

“Looks like the servant was playing a trick. Let’s go sit down, Mabel.”

‘It’s a shame, but there’s nothing I can do.’

Sighing, I leaned comfortably against Oscar. Suddenly,

“…!”

Something flashed in the forest! Thinking it might be a reflection of sunlight, I blinked, but it wasn’t.

“Meow!”

“Meow? Yeah, yeah. I want to see the meow too…”

Oscar’s eyes slowly widened as he followed my gaze. A golden-furred cat was walking gracefully toward us. It was very small, as if it had just hatched, and on its forehead was a cute little horn.

‘Wow…’

I knew I was in a different world, but seeing the evidence directly was a new experience. The fur wasn’t just golden; it was truly golden, and it even emitted a faint glow, revealing its extraordinary nature.

“Really… a divine beast.”

The nursemaid added a brief comment. Larima and Zabie, who had forgotten their fight, watched the divine beast together. The divine beast didn’t come close, as if wary of us, but it wandered around, exploring. Zabie, who had been admiring the divine beast, suddenly spoke.

“It seems to be circling around the Princess….”

“Achoo!”

My sneeze cut Zabie off.

‘Oh, it’s leaving!’

Startled by the sneeze, the divine beast quickly disappeared into the forest. The nursemaid was startled and began to check on me.

“You’ve been out too long. Let’s go inside.”

The nursemaid, who had put me back in the baby carriage, covered me with a blanket and the Emperor’s coat, and then pulled the canopy over.

“Larima, Zabie. Finish cleaning up and come back.”

“Yes? But, Madam…!”

“Behave yourself.”

The nursemaid, who had turned away coldly, started pulling the baby carriage. Oscar, walking beside me, didn’t take his eyes off me.

“Let’s play again next time, Mabel.”

Perhaps because I had reached out to him first, Oscar acted more friendly.

‘Maybe I shouldn’t have done that.’

His eyes, shining with goodwill, were too burdensome. I pretended not to notice and leaned against the baby carriage, looking straight ahead. The scenery, which I saw every day, felt less suffocating today.

‘Seeing the divine beast was fun, at least.’

To return to the palace, we had to pass through several buildings. Oscar, glancing at me, casually asked the nursemaid.

“Nursemaid, is Mabel catching a cold?”

“She seems fine now, but I’m worried.”

“Being out too long—”

Oscar stopped mid-sentence, suddenly inhaling and stepping back.

‘Why is he like that?’

Oscar’s face turned pale, as if he had seen something he shouldn’t. What was it? Following his gaze, I saw a tall woman standing there. The brown-haired woman exuded an aura that was hard to approach. Her sharp green eyes, as if she had come out for a walk, were piercing.

“Oh. It’s the Duke of Donovan. I should go greet her.”

“N-Nursemaid.”

Oscar, trembling, grabbed the nursemaid’s sleeve. The Duke of Donovan seemed to scare him. Wait. The Duke of Donovan? I’ve heard that name before…

“But, Your Highness. The Duke of Donovan is your mother.”

“No, that’s not the issue.”

Ah! I remembered. Pacifica Donovan. She was Oscar’s biological mother. Let me briefly touch on the past of the Emperor, my biological father… The Emperor married twice. His first marriage, arranged by the previous Emperor, was to Pacifica Donovan of the Donovan family, and they had Oscar. They soon divorced by mutual agreement. After the divorce, Pacifica Donovan overcame numerous objections and gained support to become the Duke of Donovan. His second marriage was to my biological mother, Siana Gadenia, whom he married out of love. However, as you know, Siana died shortly after giving birth to me… About a month has passed since then.

“Mother is… scary…”

Oscar, with a pained expression, grabbed my baby carriage and slowly backed away. The carriage moved backward with me in it. Seeing Oscar, who usually acted shamelessly despite the Emperor’s cold treatment, so frightened made me feel scared too. As the child of the Emperor’s next wife, I was naturally a thorn in her side. I should be scared too… No matter how positively I tried to think, she wouldn’t look at me kindly. Especially since she was known as the Iron Duke, who had no emotions.

“Your Highness.”

The nursemaid, looking troubled, fidgeted, but Oscar pretended not to hear and pulled the baby carriage in another direction. Pacifica Donovan’s figure gradually faded away.

“Phew…”

“Sigh…”

Oscar and I let out a sigh of relief at the same time. *** As we were taking a roundabout way, a commotion was felt. The nursemaid and Oscar gradually stopped walking.

‘What is it this time?’

Following Oscar’s gaze, I saw a group of knights in white armor. It was the first time I had seen so many people since being reborn, let alone knights.

‘Is something happening?’

Trying to tilt my head, my body leaned to the side. Fortunately, the baby carriage wall supported me, so I didn’t fall. In this tilted view, the knights were clearly visible.

“Huh?”

They seemed busy, heading somewhere but unable to do as they wished.

‘What is holding back this large group of knights?’

Just as I was staring blankly, something caught my attention. Among the tall knights, an unusual presence stood out.

‘…A child?’

Though the black robe covering his head made it hard to see, it was definitely a young boy. More surprisingly, it was this presence that was holding back the knights. The young boy, enveloped in a dark and ominous aura, was resisting, and the knights were struggling to restrain him. Every time the boy swung his arm, the knights were flung away.

“Catch him!”

“Their defense is broken!”

The knights’ desperate cries were clearly audible. Fortunately, we were far enough away from the commotion that we wouldn’t be involved. Oscar, whose face had turned pale, quickly grabbed the nursemaid’s sleeve.

“Nursemaid, we need to take another route.”

At Oscar’s cry, the nursemaid nodded and quickly grabbed the baby carriage. As the carriage turned around, our eyes met.

‘Blood red.’

The moment I saw his eyes, as dark as freshly spilled blood, time seemed to stop.

It was a strange sensation. Despite the noise and the crowd, it felt like only the boy and I were left. But the moment our eyes met was fleeting.

“Hurry, Your Highness.”

Perhaps worried that I might get involved in the commotion, the nursemaid quickly started walking. But after just one step, a loud cry came from behind.

“Catch him!”

“Move him!”

‘What’s happening?’

Those cries echoed a few times, and soon the knights disappeared quickly. With nothing to see, I had no idea what had happened. The baby carriage didn’t move at all. Looking up, I saw Oscar with a serious expression, staring behind me. *** In front of the Emperor’s office, Advisor Gustav received an unexpected report.

“Could you repeat that…?”

“There was a small problem while moving the Demon of Devlin to the underground.”

“Well, it doesn’t seem small to me.”

In summary, that was it. Moving the so-called “Demon of Devlin” to the underground prison of the palace was not smooth. As expected, he resisted with all his might, and the knights were unexpectedly held up in the middle of the palace.

‘That’s fine so far.’

The problem was what happened next. They happened to encounter the precious Princess, who was on her first walk!

‘Sigh…’

Gustav covered his face with one hand in despair. Although nothing happened, he could clearly imagine how the Emperor would react upon hearing this news.

“Are you sure nothing happened to the Princess?”

“Yes. Fortunately, the hostage fainted at that moment, allowing us to move him safely.”

“He fainted?”

“The reason is unknown. Perhaps he used too much strength. He was emitting maximum magic power throughout the move to the palace.”

“I see.”

After hearing all the reports, Gustav, bracing for the worst, returned to the Emperor’s office. Esteban was handling official business. Gustav, who had been watching the scene with warm eyes, quickly regained his composure.

“Why.”

Feeling Gustav’s gaze, Esteban looked up. Gustav, with a nervous heart, began to speak.

“I have a report about the Princess.”

The Emperor’s somewhat lazy expression changed instantly. Gustav swallowed hard under the intense gaze that seemed to pierce through him.

“What is it?”

“While the Princess was on her walk, she encountered the hostage from the border being transported. They met ‘from a distance!’ ‘Without any trouble!’”

To avoid any misunderstanding, Gustav added these details with all his might. Thanks to his effort, Esteban’s fierce expression softened a bit.

‘It ended better than expected.’

Relieved, Gustav smiled and cleared his throat. It was something he had heard casually from a servant.

“Oh, and the Princess said ‘meow’ when she saw the divine beast.”

Gustav, intending to add that a two-month-old baby couldn’t possibly imitate words, couldn’t bring himself to speak. Clang! This was the sound of the teacup Esteban had been holding shattering on the floor. Gustav covered his face with one hand.

‘Ah, that teacup was incredibly expensive…’

The teacup, which had rolled on the floor, was not just expensive but a national treasure with a long history. But the Emperor wasn’t thinking about that. Gustav signaled a servant to clean up the teacup. Esteban, who had been frozen in shock, slowly raised his head.

“…Gustav.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“What did you just say?”

“While the Princess was on her walk, she encountered the knights transporting the hostage—”

“No, not that.”

“The Princess imitated the cat’s meow.”

Crash…! Something else broke. Gustav, eyes tightly shut, couldn’t bring himself to open them. He was too afraid to check what had broken.

‘Please, not the porcelain next to the teacup.’

The porcelain, a national treasure with over a thousand years of history, had been presented as a tribute. When Gustav opened his eyes, he sighed. The broken item was the porcelain…

‘Isn’t encountering the enemy hostage a bigger issue?’

He couldn’t understand at all. Esteban, in shock, muttered.

“…I should have been there.”

“Pardon?”

“It’s humiliating.”

Missing the moment his daughter imitated her first word was humiliating, but that was Gustav’s assessment, underestimating Esteban’s crazy love for his daughter. Esteban, who had been in a daze for a while, suddenly stood up.

“Your… Your Majesty?”

Gustav, startled again, thought he should quickly arrange a consultation with a royal physician for heart disease and bowed his head.

“I need to see Mabel. Follow me.”

Despite the many tasks left, pointing them out would likely result in Gustav not being able to stand on the ground. Following the Emperor obediently, Gustav tilted his head.

‘Still, can a two-month-old baby really imitate words?’

No matter how much of a genius, it seemed impossible.