/
[That child
]
[She’s my daughter. Please let me keep my child here, Father.]
With the Emperor’s arrangement, she succeeded in finding her place again, yet Seria’s life was different.
The center of her world has turned into this lovely lump of blood.
Although it’s because her position as prime minister isn’t as strong as this.
[Come in. never leave again There is no second time.]
Illode didn’t ask Seria any more.
Seria seemed to be doing well, raising a child who was the apple of her eye.
However, his daughter left Aika behind.
To a place she may never come back.
It was an accident.
Is it because of his words, saying there was no second time?
Like that, Illode buried the daughter, whom he’d never seen again, in his heart.
Still, his daughter left a hole for him to breathe.
“Baby, no matter what happens, I will always protect you.”
Illod lowered his head and kissed his granddaughter’s forehead, who was like his heart, briefly.
Then he carefully brushed the hair that clung to her small, thick forehead.
“
Please grow up healthy.”
This grandpa will do all the bad things.
It was a night full of thoughts.
Illode protected his granddaughter’s bed like that until morning.
***
“Grandpwaaa
”
I slowly approached Grandpa.
“Come here, my baby. Let’s really do everything Aika wants us to do today.”
I’ve been waiting for this day.
The day Grandpa would ask me where I wanted to go!
For today, I deliberately asked Zenda to get the key to the ancient library from Uncle in advance and keep it.
Grandpa originally said he would take me where I wanted to go yesterday, but suddenly something urgent happened and he couldn’t go.
“I want to go to the Imperial Palace with Grandpaaaa
”
Grandpa raised his eyebrows.
“You want to go to the Imperial Palace?”
“Yes, Grandpa. I want to go to the Imperial Palace. There, can’t I just stay quietly? I only want to read books in the ancient library.”
I must go today because I know that Uncle isn’t going to come.
“The Imperial Palace
 Baby.”
“Yes?”
“How about a place other than the Imperial Palace? There are too many people there and it’s complicated, we can’t do that. There are a lot of books here at Grandpa’s house too. There will also be books that our princess likes.”
Unbelievable.
I thought Grandpa would listen to me right away!
“I-I want to see the books in the ancient library other than those books. Can’t I go to see just a little bit
?”
I dozed off clinging to Grandpa’s arm.
“The ancient library’s books?”
“I’ll really, really, really see only a little bit! Grandpa, please?”
I exhaled my longing for the ancient library toward Grandpa with my eyes.
“Do you want to go that much?”
“Yes!”
I nodded my head to the extent my neck was sore.
Grandpa grunted.
After a while, Grandpa’s mouth opened again.
“
Then you must promise Grandpa to play only in the ancient library, mm?”
“Yes, Grandpa!”
I finally managed to change Grandpa’s mind.
Instead, it was on the condition that I only play in the ancient library.
Actually, I did that last time too, but well.
I made a promise with Grandpa that I would never disappear like the last time, so I decided to keep it.
Now that I know how to go back and forth, I can just go to Lepus and come back soon, can’t I!
As expected, my grandpa is the best.
As soon as Grandpa’s permission was given, I jumped out at Zenda.
I don’t want Grandpa to suddenly change his mind just in case.
“Zenda, we have to go to the Imperial Palace! Grandpa will take me there!”
As soon as I entered the room, I shouted loudly.
“Are you really going to go there?”
“Yep! Zenda, pick out pretty clothes.”
“If the Master finds out, I think there will be an uproar
”
Zenda’s face was full of worry.
“Y-You have to keep it a secret from my uncle. Even Grandpa will keep it a secret.”
“Even the Duke
? Whew, Miss. You’re really unstoppable.”
“Hihi.”
“Instead, you have to be where I can see you today, alright? You can’t hide secretly like last time, you know?”
“Mmhm, I’ll just read the books! I won’t hide at all.”
After several more promises, Zenda brought out a yellow dress.
It was the dress I picked out the other day.
“Now, how about this? These are the clothes the Miss said you would wear the next time you go to the Imperial Palace.”
“Nice! Zenda is the best!”
“Do you like anything with the thought of going to the Imperial Palace in mind?”
“Hihi, yep. But this one is so nice.”
However, after putting on the clothes, I couldn’t hide my disappointment when I saw the necklace hanging around my neck without fail.
Why did the golden necklace come here

“
Do we have to do this again?”
“Of course. Even though I don’t know anything else, we must do this.”
“Uncle isn’t even here.. Even if we keep it a secret from Uncle?”
“If he ever found out, he would be really upset. And also for safety. The difference between others knowing the name of the Marquis and not is huge.”
I’m not sure what she means, but if that’s the case, I can’t help it.
I quietly put the necklace around my neck.
Even though I hadn’t even gone out yet, it seemed like flashes of light were emanating from my neck.
“It’s too blinding-ing.”
Beside me, Ser muttered an ironic murmur.
***
“Now that Grandpa will spend a lot of time, let us go to a nice place to play.”
Grandpa said that he continued to work at the Imperial Palace while taking care of the rest of Mom’s work.
I think Uncle also said that Grandpa was taking over the prime minister’s business for a while.
He said that once a new prime minister is appointed, Grandpa will no longer have to come to the Imperial Palace often.
So, there was no place for Mom here anymore.
“Yes, Grandpa!”
It’s fine, though.
I have Grandpa and Uncle.
“Grandpa.”
“Hmm? What is it, Aika?”
“You
 can never, ever, tell Uncle, yeah?”
Before arriving at the Imperial Palace, I made several promises with Grandpa in the carriage.
He will never tell Uncle!
But I was still worried.
“Yeah. I will never, ever say it. Instead, you really should only read books here, hmm? You can’t make this old man worry again.”
“Yes, I will!”
When I stood in front of the ancient library door, where I wanted to come, my heart skipped a beat.
As I entered the Imperial Palace, I ran into people and stopped several times, but I was able to come here quickly with a few words from Grandpa.
I can finally meet Lepus again!
I had a lot to ask about the hunter, and I had a lot to say about what happened with Ser.
I snorted and handed the key to Grandpa.
Grandpa chuckled as I stamped my feet waiting for the locked door to open.
“Do you like it that much?”
“Yes, very, very much!”
“Come on, let’s take a look. Grandpa will be watching here too
”
“Your Grace the Duke.”
I was about to enter the open door when I heard a man’s voice from behind.
“Count Heilo, long time no see,”
I just heard, “damn it,” out of Grandpa’s mouth, though

“I get to see Your Grace when I visit at the right time. How have you been? This one is
”
“My granddaughter. Baby, come in first. This grandpa will come back soon. Zenda.”
“Yes, Your Grace the Duke. Miss, would you like to go inside?”
“Mm. Yes, Grandpa.”
I waved goodbye to Grandpa and went inside first.
As expected, Grandpa is busy too.
As soon as I entered, I turned to the stand.
“Miss, you should never go out secretly or something like that. You know that, don’t you?”
“Yes, I will never go out.”
Zenda and everyone else thought I had sneaked out of the ancient library.
That’s why no matter how much they searched, they couldn’t find me.
It’s not wrong, but

But I couldn’t help it, even if it was unfair.
I immediately walked towards the bookshelf where there was a hole where I could meet Lepus.
Feeling something strange, I turned around and saw Zenda standing there watching me.
“Heeㅡ”
I let Zenda smile reassuringly, and then hurried back inside.
“Is Zenda still watching?”
“Now not anymore-ing.”
When I turned my head again at Ser’s words, it was really after Zenda had gone back to the table.
“Nice, now it is.”