If Donovan is Oscar's uncle, then Sir Donovan must be either the Duke of Donovan's older or younger brother. No wonder the atmosphere was tense. Sir Donovan, who had been looking at me with a sly smile just a moment ago, now stared at Oscar with a cold gaze, making me doubt if it was the same person.
"Oscar. Why are you here? Isn't it time for you to study imperial science?"
Even his voice had changed. It was so cold that even I felt a chill. Oscar, who was the target of the conversation, looked utterly dejected and bowed his head deeply.
"I have completed all the assignments you gave me, Uncle."
"Look at you, running out to play as soon as you finish the assignments I gave you. Who would see you as the heir to an empire? I'm disappointed, Oscar Ale Ermano. Aren't you ashamed of the Ermano name?"
It seems Sir Donovan is Oscar's teacher.
'Could this person be the one who made Oscar read about the flaws of the Bordos Doctrine as advocated by Algorth Chekhov?'
Oscar is still young. Even if he is the next emperor, it's too early for him to read such a difficult book. After all, six years old is still the age to run and play. He should be reading fairy tales. No matter how much he is an uncle, he's pushing the child too hard. Glancing up, I saw that the nanny's expression was not bright, as if she was thinking the same thing.
I can't do much, but I can help Oscar.
"Do not disgrace the royal family and the House of Donovan, Oscar. If you have nothing to do, it would be better to go back and practice."
Sir Donovan coldly shot at Oscar. The emperor doesn't treat his son Oscar this strictly, so why is the uncle stepping in to discipline the child? Oscar, who was thoroughly deflated, turned and walked slowly toward the door. I felt uneasy.
I took a deep breath and clenched my fist. Then,
I cried. Very loudly. Everyone in the room turned to look at me. I cried even more pitifully.
"Oh my. You never cry, why suddenly..."
The nanny started to check on me. But I wasn't wet or hungry. No matter how good a nanny she is, she couldn't figure out why I was crying. It was a forced, fake cry! I cried endlessly and reached out my hand to Oscar. Oscar, who came closer, firmly held my hand. His face, which now wore a gentle smile, no longer showed fear of his uncle.
Oscar calmly comforted me. When I reached out both arms to him, the nanny, who hesitated for a moment, handed me to Oscar.
Oscar, now in a familiar position, comforted and soothed me. I clung to Oscar and stopped crying, sniffing. I was surprised that I could cry so well.
'Maybe I'm a natural actor.'
While I was still feeling the aftereffects of my crying, a large hand suddenly appeared in front of my eyes. Looking up, I saw Sir Donovan reaching out both hands to me.
"Oscar, give me the little princess. She might be hurt."
"Quickly. You might drop the princess."
Sir Donovan sternly scolded and extended his hands even more. I glared at Sir Donovan and clung tightly to Oscar. Then I shouted sharply.
Sir Donovan looked puzzled by my "Baa" attack. I glared at him even more.
'Go away. You cruel child abuser!'
The nanny, who had been watching the situation, awkwardly laughed and intervened between Oscar and Sir Donovan.
"Her Highness seems to be shy. It looks like she needs to be guarded outside the bedroom for a while."
"The princess likes the prince very much, so he comes to visit every day. If he doesn't come, she keeps asking for him."
I never asked for Oscar, but I welcomed such a lie.
Sir Donovan's gaze fell on Oscar. He sighed lightly and ruffled Oscar's hair.
"Play well with the little princess."
Sir Donovan, who sent a lingering look at me, left.
'Successfully driven away!'
Oscar, who confirmed the closed door, smiled brightly and looked down at me.
"It's okay, Mabel. Uncle is gone."
Yeah, yeah. I chased him away, so he left.
"But Mabel, do you really look for me every day?"
I smiled weakly at Oscar's bright face. Think what you want.
'Sigh. Taking care of a child is hard.'
At someone's call, Lysandro stopped and turned around. The one who called him was his sister, the Duchess of Donovan, Pacifica Donovan.
"I heard you volunteered to guard the princess."
"There was no one else to do it. And you know how much I love babies, right?"
Even though Lysandro said it jokingly, the Duchess didn't even crack a smile.
"Since you're so stiff, I have to be silly."
The Duchess clicked her tongue at his grinning face and asked,
"So, how was the princess when you met her?"
At that question, Lysandro's eyes softened.
"Ah... I've never seen such a lovely and cute baby. Pink hair, light blue eyes... Really, really cute! She's definitely an angel!"
Just thinking about it made his lips curl up. Her tiny, wriggling hands were so cute that he wanted to hold them. But what was most adorable was her chubby cheeks that hadn't lost their baby fat!
Despite Lysandro's excitement, the Duchess nodded unenthusiastically. Seeing her expression, Lysandro nodded as if he understood everything.
"Don't worry, sister. I already know you don't like babies very much. That's why you're so strict with Oscar, right? I'm also being strict with Oscar, following your lead..."
In the past, Lysandro often played with Oscar as his uncle. Oscar, who was separated from his mother and living alone in the palace, seemed lonely. Even though Siana, the next empress, took good care of him, Lysandro felt a sense of duty to take care of his niece. However, his sister was always strict with Oscar. She told the small, adorable child to grow up. Recently, she even entrusted Lysandro with the role of teaching Oscar imperial science, swordsmanship, and other subjects, instructing him not to be too lenient.
"Sister, isn't it too much for Oscar? He's only six-."
The Duchess cut Lysandro off. She stared at him sharply and turned away without hesitation.
"This conversation has gone on long enough. Return to your post, Rit."
Without waiting for a response, the Duchess walked away. Lysandro, who was suddenly stopped and then abandoned, scratched the back of his head.
'Was there something to talk about... or not?'
She called him for no reason. More importantly, her expression when she heard about the princess was concerning.
"The little princess is in trouble for making the Duchess dislike her..."
Mabel will have many encounters with her sister, the Duchess, as she grows up. How will it turn out then?
'If the Duchess treats her like Oscar, the little princess will be hurt.'
Lysandro, worried about the future, sighed deeply and covered his face.
"......Sigh. I need to worry about myself."
I need to think about how not to be disliked by the little princess. *** Time passed very slowly. If I didn't remember my past life, this period would have passed quickly, but unfortunately, I remembered everything. However, even in this boring peace, I did what I could.
'First, master the belly crawl perfectly!'
Now I can lift my head while lying on my stomach.
Rolling over and back is a bit difficult and tiring, but it's possible. I practice secretly when no one is around, so no one knows I can roll over. After I learned to roll over, I stopped doing it in front of people during the day. This made the nanny very worried.
"You don't seem to want to move at all lately... Are you feeling unwell?"
I felt guilty, but I pretended not to notice and ate the baby food the nanny fed me. I still alternate between formula and baby food, but eating baby food made me feel like I was becoming a real person.
'I want to eat real food soon.'
As a royal, I should be able to eat a lot of delicious things, right?
'In my past life, I couldn't eat what I wanted.'
Even ordering a whole chicken was a huge burden, and I rarely did it. The best I could do was the convenience store chicken I bought as a meal during my part-time job.
'...Let's stop thinking about it. It makes me sad.'
I pushed away the memories of my past life.
"You ate everything nicely today. You're such a good girl."
The nanny patted my cheek and wiped my mouth with a bib before taking the bowl away. With a full stomach, I felt sleepy. While blinking my drowsy eyes at the ceiling, I felt a strong gaze from somewhere. I turned my head and met it. The person standing at the door was Lysandro Donovan, Oscar's uncle and swordsmanship teacher, as well as a tutor for other studies. He's a teacher, in a fancy way of saying it.
'Actually, he's a child abuser.'
I glared at him, and Lysandro pretended to wipe away tears and looked at me pitifully. Even though he acts like a fool now, his attitude changes when Oscar is around... I had to do something to keep him away from me. Since I knew that Oscar only breathes freely when I'm around, I decided to keep Lysandro away as much as possible.
Lysandro, who usually disappears when I glare at him, was unusually persistent today. I hit the crib with my palm and shouted with authority.
...It's all about the concept. Really.
Lysandro left, leaving a lingering voice. Zavier, who watched the whole scene, laughed awkwardly.
"I can't get used to it. The way Her Highness dislikes someone like this."
"Right. You should be the one she dislikes, not Sir Donovan."
Larima replied indifferently, and Zavier, smiling, got angry.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Judging by looks, you know."
Another chase began. It seems they have a disease that makes them fight once an hour. I wish it would be night soon.
'I want to practice holding my breath.'
While staring out the window, the nanny, who had brought embroidery, came to me.
"You seem very bored, Your Highness. The weather is warm, shall we go on a picnic by the lake?"
"If we go to the northern forest, we might see the 'meow' you like."
"Yes. Would you like that?"
How can I correct this misunderstanding? Because I keep saying "Baa," everyone thinks I'm obsessed with the cat deity. It's not that, I'm just sticking to the concept. If I could speak, I would definitely tell them and stop them.
'I'm not obsessed with the cat deity!'
Of course, I like cats...!
"Your eyes are sparkling. You like it, don't you?"
...I won't be able to get out of this misunderstanding anytime soon. The nanny, misinterpreting my opinion, quickly finished the preparations for the outing. Since I had gone out before, it wasn't as exciting as the first time. The baby carriage was comfortable, and I was satisfied that Lysandro, who secretly followed, was not visible to me. However, there was one big problem.
I didn't notice it inside the building where the temperature was maintained by magic, but it was already full summer outside.
The nanny extended the canopy of the baby carriage as much as possible at my whining. It was still hot.
"This is what summer is, Your Highness. It's much hotter than the last time we went out, isn't it?"
...Are you taking me out to feel the summer?!
If it's for educational purposes, I can't whine.
I decided to endure it to reduce the nanny's stress. As we passed through the garden, the scent of fresh flowers filled the air. Brightly colored flowers were in full bloom everywhere. When I stared at the flowers, the nanny picked a flower that had fallen and was still in good condition, brushed it off, and placed it on my lap.
"This is a flower. Isn't it pretty?"
I carefully lifted the flower.
It was slightly wilted at the tip but still fresh and beautiful. Receiving a flower was one of the luxurious things. Bouquets are very expensive and are usually only received on special occasions.
'For example, at a school entrance or graduation ceremony... or when receiving an award.'
No one came to my school entrance or graduation ceremony, so I had never received a flower. So, when I saw other children taking pictures with their parents and bouquets...
'What am I thinking about? It's already over.'
But the fresh red petals were beautiful, so I carefully placed the flower back on my lap.
"It seems you like the flower. How cute! Shall we pick some more flowers?"
Larima clapped her cheeks in excitement. The nanny, unusually gentle, nodded.
"Then pick a few to decorate the vase."
By the time they were picking flowers, we had already arrived at the lakeside at the entrance to the northern forest.