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The large ribbon attached to the waist looked lovelier and cuter.
It matched Fletta’s dark hair very well.
“It looks good. What do you think?”
As the eyes of many were focused on her, Fletta twisted her body, perhaps being shy. Her cheeks were stained with red.
“…I, I like what the Princess likes.”
Cezanne took a step closer to Fletta, placed a hand on her shoulder, and turned the child to face the mirror.
“Fletta is going to wear it, so what you like comes first. See for yourself, how cute you are.”
Cezanne wanted to teach Fletta, who was not even used to looking in the mirror.
Fletta blinked several times and looked at her face carefully in the mirror for the first time.
“…Wow. I look like a lady from a precious house.”
She saw a cute child with big round black eyes, a small nose and lips.
She just took a clean bath and changed her clothes, but the dirty Fletta could no longer be seen anywhere.
“What do you think? Don’t you look cute even in your own eyes?”
Cezanne approached, lowered her height to match Fletta’s eye level, and asked.
Fletta nodded.
This was all magic. Magic created by the person in front of her.
She couldn’t open her eyes properly.
Rather than her surprising appearance, the image of the Princess smiling at her was so dazzling.
“I like it very much.”
When Fletta answered with a bright smile, Cezanne thought she really liked it.
“Then, how many more outfits will you wear with that design?”
“N, no. One dress is enough.”
Fletta shook her head. Cezanne spoke, looking around at the other clothes.
“Choose another one. You need something to wear on a daily basis.”
“It’s okay, Fletta likes this the most.”
Fletta touched the dress she was wearing as if they were the most precious thing.
“Then, there’s nothing I can do.”
When Fletta hesitated because she didn’t choose her clothes properly, Cezanne picked out a cute outfit and put it on Fletta’s body.
Fletta’s skin was exceptionally white and petite, so a brightly-colored cute dress would look good on her.
Cezanne spoke very seriously, tilting her head.
“This green cloak is cute too, and the pink petal dress… It’s so cute! I don’t think there’s anything that doesn’t suit you, so let’s just buy everything, okay?”
Cezanne patted her on the back, and the surprised Fletta replied.
“Yes? N, no!”
“I’ll refuse your refusal. Count Violet, you heard that, right?”
“Yes? Oh, yes. That’s a wise decision, 2nd Princess.”
“Next, show me your hair ornaments and hats. The cutest ones.”
When Cezanne gave the order with a smile, Count Violet, the designer who was following from behind, became busy.
* * *
After confirming that Fletta was fast asleep, Cezanne quietly called Mel to her study.
Mel knew what she was going to bring up, thanks to the faint smile on Cezanne’s lips. It’s probably about Fletta.
“About Fletta, I’d like you to teach her basic table manners and etiquette.”
“Oh… If that’s the case, why don’t you look for a tutor?”
But Cezanne shook her head.
Mel was her nanny and the lady of a prestigious noble family. She was more reliable than any of her followers in the palace.
In addition, even the shy Fletta showed little signs of ‘that’ in front of Mel, which was a relief.
“Mel, teach her. I think it’s better than letting outsiders in.”
“I understand. It was also something I wanted to talk about one day.”
Cezanne’s lips gently curved at Mel’s words.
* * *
Charles, who was preoccupied for a moment, beckoned to the attendant, Bael.
“Give me an order, Your Majesty.”
“I’m going to take a walk in the Hall of Fame. Get ready.”
“Yes.”
The place he went to, along with his servants and a group of escort knights, was the Hall of Fame adorned close to the Emperor’s office.
This was originally the place where portraits of the first emperors of the imperial family were hung, but by the order of the current Emperor, Charles, now portraits of others were also hung.
The main character of the portrait was none other than his second imperial daughter, Cezanne.
In the Hall of Fame, portraits of Cezanne growing up in the order of her age were hung, allowing one to see her growth process.
But Cezanne herself was terribly embarrassed to pass by this corridor.
Charles, who was walking with his hand behind him, stopped in front of the portrait of a 5-year-old Cezanne with a solemn face and spoke.
“On that day, several mages were mobilized to attract Cezanne’s attention. When she saw magic, she was fascinated, her eyes sparkling.”
The emperor’s green eyes, looking at the portrait, seemed to soften.
She was still pretty and lovely, but Cezanne’s cuteness at this time was at its peak to the point he wanted to bite her.
Her plump, red cheeks and big green eyes that filled her small face were that of an angel.
“Cezanne’s beauty is incomparable since birth. This is the beauty of a 5-year-old! She looks just like me. Don’t you think so?”
The servants following the emperor paused for a moment, but soon began to answer simultaneously as if they already knew the answer.
“Of course, Your Majesty. From the top of your head to the tip of your toes, the emperor and princess are very much alike.”
“Haha, that’s right. Both of you truly have dazzling beauty.”
Bael and his servants always experienced it, but they still doubted whether the man in front of them was the same person as their original master.
Whether he saw only Cezanne in Charles’ eyes or not, he looked around the Hall of Fame with a happy face.
While Cezanne was away for class, Fletta was also learning basic etiquette, including table manners, from Mel, her personal lady-in-waiting.
The etiquette and greetings that Mrs. Milla taught were mostly those that the maids learned.
The etiquette Cezanne wanted to teach Fletta was greetings shared by the members of the same imperial family.
“Welcome!”
Instead of lying flat, Fletta bent her knees and head slightly and spread the hem of her dress. She straightened her back and tried to make elegant movements, but her body was so small that it only looked cute.
Thanks to Mel being her tutor, Fletta was able to learn etiquette easily.
“Did I do it right?”
“You are doing very well.”
Once taught, Fletta executed it accordingly, so it felt rewarding for Mel to teach her. Fletta smiled shyly at the compliment.
“Do you have any questions?”
“Oh, you know, what do you usually do at banquets?”
“Don’t be too scared. Enjoy the sights, listen to music, and eat delicious food at the prepared seats. It’s a celebration of Princess Cezanne’s birthday, so please give her a congratulatory message.”
“…Oh, the Princess’s birthday! But what is a birthday?”
Mel hesitated to answer Fletta’s question.
“It’s your first good day upon coming into this world.”
“Oh…”
Fletta first learned that the banquet was for Cezanne.
‘On her special day, I want to make the Princess happy.’
Fletta had that thought in her mind.
Suddenly, she realized that she had nothing.
There was nothing she was good at, and she had nothing precious.
Suddenly, what Mrs. Milla said lingered in her head.
– You were born cursed to kill your mother, and bring misfortune.
It was a painful word like a thorn. That might have been true.
A cursed sinister child.
The Imperial Princess was letting her stay now, but she didn’t know until when.
When that happens, Mrs. Milla will come back and hit her again.
‘I don’t want to…!’
Fletta bit her little lip hard. The bite was so hard that drops of blood were on her lips.
“Are you okay?”
Fletta saw Mel’s worried face and asked with an uneasy look.
“…well.”
“Yes, you may speak comfortably.”
Encouraged by the words, Fletta vaguely spoke.
“W, when will I go back to where I used to be?”
When Fletta asked with eyes that looked like she was about to cry, Mel thought for a moment before answering.
“Do you want to go back?”
Fletta, hesitating, shook her head.
“No, I’m just… I’m scared.”
“You mean the nanny who bullied Miss Fletta?”
“…yes.”
“Don’t worry. Princess Cezanne fired Mrs. Milla on that very day. She’s no longer your nanny.”
Not believing Mel’s words, Fletta asked to confirm.
“R…Really?”
“Yes, Princess Cezanne said she didn’t deserve her position. So you can rest assured now.”
At Mel’s words, Fletta’s tears flowed down her cheeks.
She felt a sense of relief that the closest person, who gave her a hard time, had finally disappeared. Thanks to Cezanne.
All those hard and sad days. They all seemed to gather together and flow into tears.
“The 2nd Princess has arrived.”
Hearing the maid’s announcement, Fletta quickly wiped away the flowing tears.
Cezanne was back. She seemed to have been caught up in the middle of the maids’ greetings.
After receiving the maids’ greetings, Fletta also approached Cezanne and greeted her. This time, as Mel taught her, with a greeting between the imperial family.
Despite only learning it today, Fletta performed the greeting well with a small body. Seeing that she didn’t forget to put a smile on her lips, Cezanne became proud of Fletta.
It was a polite greeting for a child.
“Welcome, Prin…cess.”
“That’s a good greeting.”
She couldn’t keep her head upright, but it was a big improvement to get this far in just one day.
Cezanne, who looked at Fletta with a pleased face, stroked the child’s hair.
“You’re smart, Fletta.”
“……”
Fletta’s cheeks flushed at the unexpected praise. Fletta was becoming lovely day by day because she gained weight as she had eaten well.
Cezanne decided to wait when Fletta hesitated as if she had something to say, her lips twitching.
She looked at Fletta and gave her a friendly look as if encouraging her.
“Yes?”
Then the child’s lips opened.
“Thank you, really.”
“What?”
“It’s just… for everything. Also, just now, I was very happy that you called me by name for the first time.”