Chapter 16

The maid is of a fallen aristocrat, and the knight next to her is from the common people. The guys next to the monstrous crown prince, were as expected trash of poor quality.

He can’t believe this mere maid had admonished him!

“How dare you a mere maid, speak in the presence of the Crown Princess’s father?”

Gilbert lashed out at Melissa.

He needs to educate not only Ancia but also the arrogant servants and knights.

Suddenly, Ancia spat out coldly.

“Don’t talk recklessly to my people.”

“What?!”

“If you’re going to be a bully, please just go.”

“You bitch! I am the one who let you be a Crown Princess!”

Count Bellacian raised his hand high. But Ancia didn’t even blink.

“Have you heard of the Marquis Hamel incident?”

Gilbert was forced to pause for a moment.

Ancia didn’t call him ‘father.’ She called him as if he was a servant.

Didn’t the Marquis of Hamel get his wrist cut and lose his title when he tried to slap Ancia?

She’s warning Gilbert now.

Gilbert slid his hand down. Ancia has changed; she was no longer the gloomy child that is hungry for his affection.

A foolish girl, who was longing for her father’s affection, had disappeared, and the crown princess, was before his eyes.

“An, Ancia, I got a little excited and made a mistake. But do you have to be so cold to your father?”

Gilbert smiled obsequiously and tried to patch things up. But Ancia ruthlessly knocked him out.

“Get out of here right now! Don’t ever come near the Crown Prince’s palace again. Let’s forget today, but I won’t forgive you if it happens again!”

“Ancia!”

But just because Ancia throws him out, he couldn’t just do so. If he go back now, the chance to make Diana an empress will disappear.

“Ancia!”

Gilbert tried not to go out. But in the end, Edon dragged him away.

***

I met Count Bellacian. It was the same man I saw in my dream.

[You need to be useful to the family. If you receive a gift, you should send it to your family. You’re so selfish!]

He came to see me in person after sending me such letter, so I wondered if there was anything important, but it was all nonsense until the end.

Because the story of the emperor and me had circulated these days, he’s just trying to intimidate me and use me his way.

What a scumbag.

Even after his expulsion, the count kept sending letters. It was not worth reading one by one. I didn’t even open it up anymore.

Besides, I didn’t have time to worry about the problems of Bellacians now.

I must participate in the sealing festival as the crown princess.

I was so busy learning about the manners of the ball and preparing for the party. The biggest problem was dancing.

I’ve never danced before. I did a light dance when I was in elementary school, but it wasn’t a real dance.

“Your Highness, right foot!”

“Ah!”

I was wrong from the start, and the smile disappeared from the mouth of Countess Chardin, who taught me the dance.

Countess Chardin, who was known for her gentle character in society, seems to have reached her limit.

I’ve been struggling at the intro for ten days, so it’s impressive that she has endured this far.

“I’m sorry…”

“No, you can do it!”

Countess Chardin took a deep breath and smiled.

“Come, put your legs together, right foot and left foot.

Good! You’re doing great. Now, turn!”

“Ah!”

At that moment I fell to the floor. My legs are twisted, and I fell alone.

“Ancia!”

“Your Highness, are you okay?”

“Oh my, Your Highness!”

“Meow!”

Blake, Countess Chardin, Melissa, and the black cat all went and surrounded me.

Thank you for your concern, but I’m so embarrassed right now…

“I’ m-, I’m okay.”

I jumped to my feet, waving my hands.

“Your Highness, let’s stop here for today.”

“Yes, I think that would be good.”

Today, the dance practice ended without much success.

***

“Kitty. Come here.”

I went into the room and called the Black Cat. The black cat came to me and ran around me.

“Meow.”

When I called, the cat crept in and hugged me. There is no such thing as a cat like this. He’s gentle and charming, and look how pretty he is.

I rubbed the kitty’s hair. I didn’t give it a name because it looked like a cat with an owner.

“Did you see me fall today, kitty?”

“Meow.”

The kitty nodded, no matter how much I thought about it, the kitty was brilliant.

Hans said it seemed like the palace’s wizard raised this cat. I think that’s right.

“I guess I’m not good at dancing.”

“Meow.”

“No?”

“Meow!”

“Can you dance as well?”

“Meow!”

The kitty nodded vigorously. I didn’t know if the cat really understood, or it was just me interpreting what he said.

“Since kitty supported this older sister, I’ll give you Sungneung.”

As Blake said, the cat was indeed a male. Since then, I have corrected my title from unnie to nuna.*

*TL note : Unnie and noona meant the same thing, older sister. But unnie addresses an ‘older sister’ of a female speaker. And nuna addresses an ‘older sister’ of a male speaker.

“Meow, Meow!”

The cat was strangely fond of Sungneung.

When I checked his gender, I didn’t know why, but the kitty was very embarrassed. However, when I gave him the sungneung, he seemed to calm down.

I carried the kitty outside.

“Melissa, please give me some Sungneung.”

“I’ve prepared it in advance.”

Melissa laid the Sungneung on the floor. Then the kitty came down from my arms and began to eat the Sungneung.

“Eat slowly.”

When I saw the little cat, I smiled at him. Then Blake came inside.

After Blake declared that he would build abs, he began to learn swordsmanship from Edon.

“Your Highness, have you learned a lot?”

“Yea. He hasn’t go yet?”

Blake glared as soon as he saw the kitty.

“Your Highness, why are you doing this to the kitty? You have to love animals, too.

He trudged along and looked at the kitty.

“I don’t like it .”

“Your Highness, you can’t do that.”

“But he doesn’t look like a real animal.”

“Pardon?”

What do you mean, it doesn’t look like an animal? I was puzzled by his words, and the kitty, who was eating the Sungneung, flinched.

“Somehow I feel strange seeing it.”

Blake reached for the kitty. But the kitty dodged his hand and disappeared out of the window.

“Meow!”

I was trying to catch a kitty, but Blake grabbed me by the wrist.

“Don’t chase him.”

“Your Highness.”

“Why do you keep paying attention to other males?”

Blake pouted his lips. When I heard that, I laughed.

“It’s a cat.”

“I still don’t like it. It’s a male.”

He looked up at me. A male? A little question rises in my head, and Blake put his hands above his head to the shape of the rabbit ears.

“You don’t like rabbits anymore?”

“No!”

“Do you like cats? Meow?”

“I’d love it more if it was my husband instead of animals!”

He’s still so pretty, cute, but how great it would be if he grew up. If the curse is lifted, he will capture the hearts of many women of the Empire.

“Hehehe.”

“Your Highness, could you do me a favor?”

“Yes!”

He nodded at once.

“Why would you answer so easily? What if I ask you a weird favor?”

“I don’t care. I can do whatever my wife asks.”

He was only eight years old, but he is a reliable husband.

“Then help me practice dancing!”

“Dancing?”

“Yes, I don’t think I should do it alone. I need a partner!”

“I don’t know much about dancing either…”

“It’s okay if you can’t dance.”

I pulled his hand into the hall on the third floor. It was the place where I usually practice dancing.

“Isn’t Edon better than me? He’s about the same height as His Majesty.”

I was going to do my first dance with the emperor at the ball.

It was a ball to commemorate the Emperor sealing the Dark Door.

I was supposed to attend with the emperor in the place of the Crown Prince, because Blake, the successor to the curse, could not go to the ball.

Blake showed no sign of sadness about it.

It would have been a little easier if he’d beg to go to a party like an eight-year-old child.

“I want my first dance to be with you.”

Although it is not a ballroom but a small room, I want my first dance to be with Blake.

“Ancia…”