Chapter 27

As soon as the emperor said those words, all eyes were on me at once. I lowered my head with a smile on my face as I chewed back the swear words.

“I beg your pardon, Your Majesty. I’m still too immature to serve in your room.”

My words changed the look on the emperor’s face as she looked like lightning just struck her. She continued her gibberish.

“Do you not like poetry? Even if it’s a children’s book from the west? Even if it’s gorgeous and beautiful?”

The emperor tried very hard to persuade me. But I had nothing to give except an embarrassing smile. No matter how colorful and beautiful it is, it’s a fairytale book. Plus, whatever the content it will be, it’s just someone overcoming adversity and getting married while living happily ever after. What would I read that for…?

When I did not give in to her, the emperor looked sullen. Her expression put me in a tough position. I don’t want to add the sin of hurting the emperor’s feelings to my charges. But that doesn’t mean I will gladly accept her. What should I do?

“It hasn’t been long since Sanya has entered the palace.”

A soft voice said. I knew who it was, but still looked up to check. His face smiled at me. In any case, this is the end since Mirina intervened. Whatever those two do at night, I want to be in my cozy bedroom-

“So, how would you like me to help you settle down tonight?”

Wait a minute.

At that moment, my facial expression shook. I almost looked up in embarrassment, but lowered my head again. Hey. Why am I stuck in between those two.

“Are you close to Sanya?”

“We met not too long ago in the garden and had a pleasant chat.”

Mirina responded sweetly to the emperor’s words. I wanted to contradict that sentence head on. It wasn’t fun, you were the only one having fun.

“Sanya, is he right?”

The emperor questioned me. I had only one thing to say. I can’t deny Mirina’s words or ignore Her Majesty.

“…Yes.”

I wanted her to understand my hesitation in answering that, but she only smiled brightly.

“That’ll do!”

No, you’re being fooled. Mirina’s laugh grew deeper, and the other concubines are looking this way now. I was relieved when nothing happened during the lecture, but I didn’t expect this event at the end. Looks like I won’t be able to sleep tonight. I breathed a small sigh in a dark mood.

‘Earplugs… I need it.”

“… So, don’t come tonight.”

Go Woon blinked at my words. His gentle eyes had long eyelashes. Stop it, I’m sorry. Last night, he asked me very carefully if he could come tomorrow. I smiled then and accepted it. But now I feel bad because the day right after I told him he could come, this happened.

“I’m going to be with Her Majesty tonight, so you can’t come.”

Go Woon had his eyes wide opened and then they drooped down. I don’t know what to do with that look. I feel like I’m supposed to apologize because he looked like a puppy in the rain.

“Just for today. I’ll be sleeping here again tomorrow.”

Go Woon raised his head and his eyes looked sad.

‘I wish I can’t go.’

I closed my eyes tightly and opened them. I need to prepare myself. I reached out gently and patted his head.

“Just one day…”

He nodded a couple of times. Fortunately, he seems to understand. I breathed a deep sigh of relief.

“Good.”

“…”

He leaned more as I patted his head.

“If you stay…”

Maybe I should give him a reward for my request. In addition, he looked upset but still listened to me, so I felt guilty. I thought hard for a while and said with a smile.

“I’ll grant you a wish.”

He nodded at the words. I had more money than I thought for an eight-year-old. The head of the Yeoran family, who pretended to be a caring father, sent me quite a lot of garbage (she’s not saying it’s literally garbage), and I took it from that maid some time ago.

There were also a mountain of expensive gifts from the emperor, Mirina, and Garam. The presents continued to fill the warehouse from that day to today as well. They gave it to me anyways, so they probably won’t care too much even if I sell some of it.

I laughed at that thought. Not long ago, I couldn’t even use the gifts properly, and now I’m turning them into gold. I had a couple of imaginations that made me feel good just by thinking about it. When I looked back, Go Woon’s face had cleared up.

Yeah, it’s time to go. I looked at his hair.

“Miss.”

Seo Yeon then called me just in time. I gave one of my pins to Go Woon that I took out from my hair.

“I’ll be back.”

He nodded gently at my smiling face.

***

“This should be good. Children like to destroy things.”

… What am I hearing. I’m at the emperor’s palace. I almost burst out laughing in front of the bedroom door. Children like to destroy things. What is she doing?

“Your Majesty, what about this?”

Behind the emperor’s triumphant voice came Mirina, whose angry tone gave me goosebumps. What are they even choosing?

“Young children have a great sense of aesthetic, I think you like the rough touch.”

Nope. I retract my previous idea. I don’t want to understand. I pressed my foot to step back at any moment.

“… Go ahead.”

I muttered, telling the court lady, who had her mouth sealed in order to hear what the emperor was saying inside. As soon as those words fell, she informed the emperor of my arrival and the door was immediately opened before me. I could see a bed with a curtain in my sight, but the rest was quite empty.

‘…?’

As I turned my head to the side, I found two people with their eyes widened.

“…?”

Once again, I don’t understand the situation. Why are they sitting there looking at me with their hands behind their backs?

“Sanya, you’re here.”

It was the emperor who broke the silence. She greeted me with a clumsy smile, and her hands were still behind her back. Mirina also greeted me with a smile, but he also did not move his hands forward. At that moment, I heard something break. No, or something crumpled?

Twitch, teuk.

More sound followed, and I lowered my head. Then I found a brilliant book that was torn in the front dropped on the floor.

“That, this.”

What are they doing. I opened my mouth a couple of times and closed it again. I don’t know what’s happening and I felt a little sleepy. Eventually, the emperor sighed and put her hands on the table. Something that was decorated on the book fell apart to the ground, but I couldn’t figure out what it was.

“It’s from the West. I wanted to read this to you…”

With a sigh, she picked up the book and held it out to me. The cover of the fairy tale book, which is decorated with silk, gold and silver thread, and jewels, read . I didn’t know Hoffmann was in this era and the fairytale book originally had a brilliant cover like this.

I decided to push those thoughts to the side of my head. Right now it was more important to say something. Fortunately, I soothed the sullen emperor in advance.

“Your Majesty, there are many other fairy tale books.”

“But don’t children like to break something? This was the only fairy tale where something is broken.”

I really wanted to refute her sullen remarks. In what context do you argue for children’s violence, and what does the nutcracker have to do with it?

“But Your Majesty, Sanya has never broken anything.”

“Oh, right. But all the children I have read about in this book says that they break doors, crack windows, and lie on the floor.”

Those words made me feel strange goosebumps rising on my arms. Her words which seemed both right and wrong were clear.

…Should the windows be cracked once a month?