Although I felt a bit disappointed, it wasn't my business, so I struggled to pull myself together.
'I'll find out later.'
I was also curious about what kind of man Xavier met that made him oppose so strongly. I arrived at Dad's study to do what I had to do.
"Dad!"
"Come in. Oscar, Mabel."
"Are you busy?"
"Busy, indeed."
Clearly, there were piles of documents on Dad's desk, yet he lied about it. He even picked me up and sat me on his knee. Feeling guilty for interrupting his work, I decided to interfere even more.
"Dad, listen."
"Yes?"
"At the tea party, a kid named Steven Minerv called our lamb mean names."
"Shall I scold him?"
He pretended not to have already done so. The Minerv family was already in ruins before I could do anything, so there was no need to scold him.
"No, that's fine."
"Then what can I do?"
"Enact an animal protection law."
"..."
"..."
"..."
Not only Dad, but Oscar and Gustav, who were working hard, also looked up at me.
'Did I ask for something too sudden and unreasonable?'
It was understandable that they were taken aback, given that the concept of animal welfare wasn't established yet. I flailed my arms and legs, explaining how pitiful the animals were.
"Animals can't speak, so people can't just torment them. Besides, the nobles show off and abuse rare animals as pets. How can they do that! Animals can think and feel pain."
This wasn't just because I could communicate with nature.
"Protecting animals is a given. But since people don't think it's important, I think it should be made into a law!"
That was the end of my briefing on the animal protection law. I thought I had a good chance of persuading them, but the three men still looked strange.
"Why? Are you all against my idea?"
"No, it's not that..."
Oscar opened his mouth, looking awkward. Then Gustav suddenly clapped his hands.
"Amazing!"
"Huh?"
"Indeed, His Majesty is a genius. How can you have such a warm heart at such a young age? And to propose an animal protection law, how perfect! You will be a great ruler in the future!"
Gustav suddenly started praising me, and I felt embarrassed, even though I had only said what was obvious.
"Protecting animals is a given, you know."
"But how many trashy people don't even do that? Not just Steven Minerv, but it's a good way to warn the nasty hobbies of the nobles who can't resist trends."
Fortunately, Gustav's reaction was positive. Now, all that was left was Dad.
"What do you think, Dad?"
"I..."
Dad looked at me seriously. I wondered what he was taking so long to say, and everyone was tense when—
"I want to commission a statue to commemorate my daughter's genius."
"..."
—Dad's mind was only on the statue.
***
Lady Deverill arrived at the shaded playground she had created for her pet dog, Devi. She instructed the chef to place the carefully prepared nourishing food in front of Devi.
"Devi, here's your favorite snack. Try it."
"Whimper..."
"Still no energy today, huh."
Lady Deverill knew in her head that Devi was old and it was time to go. But Devi was more than just a pet; she was like family.
"Whimper, whimper."
Seeing Devi whining as if she had something to say, Lady Deverill sighed.
"If only I could understand you for a moment."
"Whimper..."
"What could you possibly have so much to say about?"
Looking at her own reflection in Devi's black eyes, Lady Deverill slowly stood up.
"Whimper."
"I'll come back later, Devi."
It was time to receive a long-awaited guest. Lady Deverill entered the parlor and sat across from Lady Countess Krahau, known as a socialite. They weren't particularly close, but they occasionally had tea together.
"Have you been well, Lady Deverill?"
"I'm fine, thank you."
"Hehe. I heard you attended the Emperor's tea party recently. Unfortunately, I couldn't join because of business in my territory."
"That's right."
"Hehe. I remember seeing His Majesty from a distance a few years ago. He was about five years old then, and he was very adorable. Ohoho."
"That's right."
Lady Countess Krahau wasn't the best conversationalist, but she was easy to handle because she didn't bring up unnecessary topics and just chatted about social events.
"By the way, I heard an interesting story from a relative of my husband's friend today."
"What story?"
"Well, the relative of my husband's friend is a member of the parliament, and apparently, His Majesty formally submitted a legislative bill today!"
"The Emperor's age this year is..."
"Nine. Isn't that surprising? Moreover, the content of the bill is very interesting. It's an animal protection law!"
Lady Deverill was inwardly surprised. What surprised her wasn't the Emperor's age but the content of the law.
'An animal protection law?'
No one had ever paid attention to such a topic. It was a rather radical and neglected bill to propose in a parliament that mainly focused on the poor, relief, and tax policies.
"Everyone was surprised. The Emperor's first bill is about animal welfare! Many people say it's targeting the unpleasant incident at the tea party."
"..."
Lady Deverill quietly lifted her teacup. She remembered the impressive little Emperor from the tea party.
"Animals can't speak, but that doesn't mean they can't feel pain. They're not your toys. If you torment animals lightly, you'll regret it."
The way he warned Young Sik, who was much taller than him, was impressive.
"Tell me if you need any help, Lady!"
His smile, offering help without expecting anything in return, was pure. A small crack appeared in the wall of her heart, which had never sought help from anyone.
'Maybe... just once, it might be okay.'
***
"What?! What came?"
"An invitation from Lady Deverill."
"Ahhh!"
Surprised by the unexpected invitation, I pulled my hair. When Larima pulled my hand away, I rolled around on the bed.
'Wait, did I expect it?'
I thought I might be called if Devi's condition worsened, but I hadn't received any urgent calls from Casey.
"What's changed her mind?"
I hadn't seen her since the tea party, and I hadn't even approached Lady Deverill yet. It was too sudden to receive a call like this. But when you're thirsty, you dig a well. A few days later, I arrived at Lady Deverill's capital residence with the huge guard of knights Dad had assigned me.
"Aidan, how do I look today?"
"..."
"How do I look? Do I look kind?"
"I don't know."
"Ch."
After giving Aidan a sidelong glance at his vague answer, I entered the mansion. A polite man hurried out to greet us.
"His Majesty, I am Pogo, the butler of the Deverill mansion. It's an honor to serve you."
"I'm pleased to meet you as well."
"Hehe. As I've heard, you are very wise. Please come in."
The butler, with a kind face, led us inside. Soon, we arrived at a tea table set up outdoors. Lady Deverill, who had been waiting, stood up.
"His Majesty, thank you for accepting my invitation."
"I said to tell me if you needed help."
I smiled and tried to appear kind to the lady.
'For world peace...!'
I had to get the essence of the World Tree for that. Lady Deverill maintained a stoic expression despite my capitalist smile.
"The reason I invited you to the mansion today is because I have a request."
"Yes, what is it?"
"Would you come this way for a moment?"
As we followed Lady Deverill a few steps, the guards followed closely. Lady Deverill stopped and looked at the guards.
"You have many guards."
"Well, my father is worried..."
"I understand. You have been attacked, haven't you? However, I think it's unnecessary for all of them to move."
I understood what she was trying to do. I nodded to the guards, and they reluctantly stepped back. I followed Lady Deverill with Aidan.
A short distance from the tea table, a spacious open area appeared. A large canopy provided thick shade over a well-maintained area for playing. Under the shade, an old dog lay weakly on a blanket, panting intermittently, which made me feel sorry for her.
"Devi."
When Lady Deverill called her name, Devi wagged her tail, but she couldn't get up.
"I would like you to examine this dog. As I mentioned before, she hasn't been well recently, and I'm worried. Moreover, she whimpers every day."
"Yes, Lady."
I approached and squatted opposite Devi.
"Hello, Devi."
Devi lifted her head with effort and then lowered it again.