It had been a while since I woke up, yet I lay in bed, groaning. I desperately wished that today wouldn't come, but the relentless sun rose as usual. I clung to Eidan, who had come to wake me up.
"Save me, Eidan. I don't want to go!"
"I will remove Duke Donovan as you commanded."
It felt like there was an enormous wall between us. I wondered if Eidan was joking, but his expression was dead serious.
‘Morality… what’s going on with it?’
I always felt awkward whenever Eidan acted like this. I scolded him like a moral teacher.
"This is just a tantrum. And even if it's my command, you can't just kill people."
"No buts. Absolutely! Absolutely, you can't kill people. Got it?"
I expected some kind of response, but there was none. Eidan just stared at me silently. His gaze was incredibly burdensome. After a while, Eidan asked me.
I frowned at his sudden question.
"Why? It's just not right."
Anyway, he's being unusually brief. Though not a stickler, Eidan's shortening of his speech felt strange. He spoke formally to everyone except me. Even to Dad. And sometimes, he spoke briefly to me too, though I never pointed it out. When I put on a stern face and placed my hands on my hips, Eidan let out a faint sigh.
"If someone tries to harm Your Majesty, then I have no choice."
Eidan's low, solemn voice left me speechless. Just then, Xavier's voice came from outside.
"Your Majesty, you need to get ready."
The conversation ended abruptly. I finished my preparations, feeling extremely tense. As I tied the ribbon in my hair, the nanny asked,
"Is this your first time going to the shopping district?"
"Yeah. I went once a few years ago to pick up Oscar, and once for a festival."
"My, what a good memory. How do you remember all that?"
I might be praised as a genius with an extraordinary memory.
I waved my hands and hurried out of the palace. Duke Donovan was still about ten minutes away, but the thought of facing his stern and cold expression made me nervous. Thump thump. I fidgeted and called out to Eidan, who was standing beside me.
Thump. I grabbed his much larger hand. Eidan flinched, seemingly surprised by the sudden grip, but I didn't think much of it. Holding someone's hand seemed to ease my tension a bit. Just as I was fidgeting with Eidan's hand, the sound of hooves grew closer. Soon, a large carriage of the Donovan family stopped in front of me. The eagle and shield emblem of the Donovan family was dazzling. Duke Donovan got out of the carriage and bowed respectfully.
Recalling the information that Oscar disliked ignorant people, I tried to appear mature. However, Duke Donovan only glanced around my surroundings.
"You have quite a number of guards."
Lysandro and the other guards surrounded me. Dad had readily allowed me to go out and assigned thirty guards to me. It was originally a hundred, but I had reduced it.
"Don't worry, Your Majesty. I will ensure your safety."
"Please get in the carriage."
I got into the carriage and signaled Eidan, who nodded and instantly disappeared. As soon as the carriage started, an awkward silence fell, as if by agreement. I glanced at Duke Donovan, wishing we would arrive at our destination soon. Time seemed to pass like a year, and the carriage gradually came to a stop.
"We have arrived, Your Majesty. Your Grace."
We had arrived at Ricavelli Street, the glamorous district where all the trends of high society were born and died. As soon as I got out of the carriage, I was amazed by the luxurious shops on both sides.
I had always been in the palace and had never seen the outside world. There were a few opportunities, but I had always refused them.
‘What if there’s another attack?’
I realized that I had been living like a prisoner in a cave. Feeling the gazes of others who were glancing at me, I suddenly felt like hiding.
"I know a few places for tailors."
I nodded, but Duke Donovan didn't move. When I tilted my head, Lysandro whispered to me.
"A subject cannot walk ahead of the emperor, Your Majesty."
I realized there was such a protocol. However, there was a significant problem.
"But I don't know the way in Ricavelli…"
As I fumbled, Lysandro bowed his head and laughed, shaking his shoulders.
"What to do? Your Majesty is so cute, it's a problem."
I glared at Lysandro, who was laughing without considering the serious atmosphere. I was already worried that Duke Donovan might think I was a foolish child, and now he was teasing me, which made me even more upset. After a moment, Lysandro wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes and turned to Duke Donovan.
"Can't help it. For the directionally challenged Your Majesty, our proper sister will have to break the protocol."
"I'm not directionally challenged."
"Right. Your Majesty is not directionally challenged."
As I argued with Lysandro, Duke Donovan sighed and took the lead.
"Let's go, Your Majesty."
I quickly stood beside Duke Donovan and didn't forget to glare at Lysandro. The first place we visited was a large tailor's shop just a few steps from where we got out of the carriage. As soon as we entered, the bright magical lights revealed the splendid dresses.
"I was waiting for you, Duke Donovan. Please come in."
A neatly dressed woman greeted us. She seemed to be the owner of the shop. After bowing respectfully, her gaze dropped and met mine. She smiled.
"What a cute person. Are you a relative of His Grace?"
Duke Donovan's voice, colder than ice, cut through her.
"Rude. Show respect to the emperor."
She alternated her gaze between me and Duke Donovan, and her face soon turned pale. Then she knelt in front of me.
"Please forgive my rudeness, Your Majesty!"
She wasn't the only one; everyone in the shop knelt and bowed their heads.
"We have committed a grave sin!"
"Please spare our lives!"
I sighed inwardly as I watched the trembling people in the shop.
‘Sigh. One mountain after another.’
While Mabel was sighing awkwardly at the shop people, Eidan was walking through the back alleys of the capital.
‘As expected, this distance is no problem.’
Even when we lived at opposite ends of the vast palace, it was never an issue. Now, with Mabel's divine power having increased, he could be even farther away without losing control. The back alleys he walked through were starkly different from the dazzling Ricavelli Street. They were damp and dirty, with garbage strewn everywhere, emitting a foul odor. Filth was scattered everywhere, and drunkards lay sprawled out, snoring without a care. Thieves had stripped them of their belongings. Eidan felt fortunate that he was walking these alleys instead of Mabel.
‘Such a place doesn't suit that Majesty.’
Always upright and lovable, Mabel, though he claimed otherwise, was always filled with a sense of justice. He was already a fine ruler. Just a bit too cute. Bright and warm places suited Mabel. Eidan's mind was filled with the conversation he had with Mabel that morning.
"Don't do that. Absolutely! Absolutely, you can't kill people. Got it?"
The absolute command not to kill. Mabel was the first to give him such an order. Those who had used him always said the same thing: kill, eliminate, remove the thorn in the eye. Why did Mabel think he would be the same? He was so different that even being categorized as a human felt unpleasant. Eidan found it awkward to deal with Mabel recently, especially when Mabel grabbed his hand or hugged his legs without hesitation.
‘Probably because of the sudden contact with divine power.’
He thought it was because of that, but it felt strange. When Mabel grabbed his hand earlier, it was the same. Soon, Eidan arrived at his destination. It looked like an ordinary poor household from the outside. Eidan opened the door without knocking. Swish. A dagger flew at him. Eidan easily caught it with his hand. Clap clap clap. Someone walked out of the house, clapping.
"Nice block, as expected."
"Your attacks are always so simple."
Eidan threw the dagger back and entered. The house, which looked dilapidated from the outside, had a completely different interior. Over ten people were seated at high-quality desks, handling various tasks. One of the employees, noticing Eidan, tensed up and greeted him.
Eidan's second identity was the master 'Ethan' of the information guild <Evil> in the back alleys. ***
Just as I was worried about Eidan, demands started pouring in.
"Your Majesty, please raise your left arm."
"Now, raise your right arm."
I was diligently raising and lowering my arms and legs as the tailor's staff requested. After a few times, a complicated dress was fitted to my body.
Why did they make children's clothes so hard to breathe in? The staff reported to Duke Donovan with polite hands.
"This is the latest style in the capital. It accentuates the waist to beautifully reveal the curves of the body."
Duke Donovan's cold eyes swept over me. I stood tense, forcing an awkward smile.
‘I am happy. I am happy…’
Even using self-hypnosis.
"How does it look, Your Majesty?"
Though uncomfortable, it was indeed beautiful. Duke Donovan, nodding in agreement, picked up a catalog and called the shop owner.
"What about the dress design I mentioned earlier?"
Soon, dresses were spread out in front of me.
"Three are the custom-made dresses you mentioned, and the rest are existing designs. I brought them in case any caught your eye."
It was strange that the dresses were ready today, even though we had only agreed to go out yesterday. The prepared dresses were still splendid but not unnecessarily revealing or tight. I raised and lowered my arms as the staff requested. However, this time, only one person helped me, unlike the many who had helped me earlier.
"Much more comfortable, Duke Donovan."
"That's normal. Clothes are not candy wrappers."
Surprised by his unexpected response, I opened my eyes wide.
"Exactly what Duke Donovan said."
"Moreover, though Your Majesty is in a high position, you are still young. There's no need to follow adult fashion trends yet."
I nodded enthusiastically at each of Duke Donovan's words. They were all true.
I tried on all the prepared clothes. There were more than twenty, but it wasn't too tiring because putting them on and taking them off wasn't that difficult. After changing back into my original clothes, I stood in front of Duke Donovan. The duke, with a blank expression, looked me over and called the staff.
"Handle the payment with this."
"Yes, Your Grace. Which dresses did you like?"
The duke glanced at the dresses, then at me, and spoke.
I gaped. I never thought I'd hear those words in my life!