Chapter 17
“A dog… a dog… a dog…”
The child, who was repeating Ariel’s words with a shocked face, burst into tears.
“Aaaaaang!”
His throat was so loud that her eardrums were about to fall off.
Ariel, frowning, hurriedly ran over and covered the child’s mouth.
“So noisy! Be quiet!”
But the crying only grew louder.
“Aaaaaagh! Aaaaaang!”
“Why are you making so much noise! If you have any complaints, speak up, speak up!”
It was just then that Ariel screamed nervously.
“It’s because of you.”
Suddenly, another child also popped out of the grass on the right side.
‘…Hey, what?’
The child’s face resembled the one crying on the left.
Ariel looked left and right with a dumbfounded expression.
“Dog in the left, dog in the right…”
“Kyaaaaaa! A Fabioo!”
Ariel already heard about it once.
It was a monster with an identical face.
She heard that it rebelled against Akelon, got beaten up, and hid somewhere. But now, it’s in front of her.
‘Uh, what should I do?’
According to the other Gods, it possesses a very strong power.
It’s difficult to deal with even if several Gods attacked all at once.
In simple words, she’s no match for it.
‘Still, I can’t show that I’m scared!’
It was her pride as a goddess.
Ariel glared at the two monsters with her trembling body.
The kid on the right side circled around Ariel, pouring out questions.
“Who are you? Who dares enter the garden of nature? Are you a daughter of one of the aides?”
Just when Ariel didn’t know what to do…
“What are you doing here?”
A hand of salvation was stretched out.
“Brother!”
Ariel ran hurriedly to him and clung to Ahin’s leg like a cicada.
“What’s the matter?”
Ahin asked in a panicked voice, and only then did Ariel shed tears and stretch out her finger.
“Fabio, Fabio has appeared!”
“Fabio?”
What kind of nonsense is that?
Fabio is a monster that only appeared in old myths.
Ahin, who was making a puzzled expression, saw the two children pointed by the tip of Ariel’s finger and nodded his head.
“It’s not Fabio. These are your Royal Highnesses, the Princes.”
“…Your Royal Highness, the Prince?”
“Yes, Your Majesty’s sons.”
‘Your Majesty is the good person, right? Then these humans…’
Ariel tilted her head.
“But they look the same?”
“Because His Royal Highness Kellod and His Royal Highness Elvir are twins.”
“What are twins?”
“Twins born on the same day and at the same time.”
Ahin explained in detail so that Ariel could easily understand, and Ariel then brushed her chest in relief.
‘Ah, I’m glad. I was really surprised to see a Fabio showed up.’
After breathing a deep sigh of relief, shame came belatedly.
‘To show such weakness to humans!’
Ariel’s face was flushed, and she let out a growl.
“Why are you both born with the same dog breed?”
The first prince, Kellod, who circled around Ariel, looked at her, then to Ahin.
“What’s this, Ahin? Did you bring it?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Who’s this?”
“My sister.”
“Sister? Isn’t the Grand Duchess dead?”
Kellod, who was tilting his head, nodded as if he understood.
“Ah, so she’s a bastard?”
“Your Highness!”
Ahin looked at Ariel and shouted, but it was already too late.
Ariel’s eyes narrowed.
‘Bastard?’
She doesn’t know the exact meaning, but it was a word that came out of the mouth the marquis’ daughter before.
Therefore, she associated it with ill-intent.
‘Such a cheeky bastard!’
Ariel, who was gnashing her teeth, shouted out loud.
“I am the Grand Princess! I’m not a bastard!”
“The Grand Princess? What are you talking about?”
Kellod looked at Ahin as if seeking clarification, but he just shrugged it off.
“Since she is the daughter of the Grand Duke, it’s not particularly wrong.”
‘She’s an illegitimate child, so why is he so carefree?’
Kellod glared at Ariel with a disapproving expression.
“Anyway, she’s an illegitimate child. Just because she was accepted into the Grand Duke’s family doesn’t change her origin.”
“That’s right! She’s still and illegitimate child!”
Ariel’s eyes widened as the second prince, Elvir, chimed in.
It was laughable to see him arrogantly butting in after sticking to the sides all this time.
“How dare you raise your voice in front of anyone! You should just stick in the corner over there and weep!”
“Ariel!”
Ahin shouted in fright, and Kellod’s eyes went wild.
And Elvir…
“Aaaaaang!”
He cried again.
“I’m a prince, how, sniff, dare you say that to me, sniff.”
“How dare you treat the prince badly. Do you want to die?”
Although Kellod threatened her in cold voice…
“What’s that!”
Ariel questioned, not being frightened, but arrogantly raising her chin.
“Is that higher than me?”
She asked it very naturally.
Even if an illegitimate daughter became a Grand Princess and rose to the ranks of the imperial family, her status obviously could not be higher than that of the direct lineage, the Prince.
But seeing her ask such a question confidently, they were speechless for a moment.
“……”
Kellod, who cannot utter a word, regained his senses after a while.
“You cheeky fellow! How dare you show disrespect to the prince? I will never let this go!”
“What if I can get over this?”
“Are you asking because you don’t know? I’m going to tell father and I’ll hold you accountable!”
“What is father!”
“……”
Kellod smiled at the absurd question that she voiced out confidently.
‘Is she stupid?’
To argue with a stupid kid who didn’t even know what father means, somehow made him feel dispirited.
But seeing the little girl’s arrogant expression, he couldn’t help but open his mouth in a huff again.
“You don’t even know that, you fool! Father means father! My father is the Emperor of this empire!”
He even mentioned the word Emperor, but Ariel only snorted at him.
‘Did you mean dad? What else do I have to say? Does he think he’s the only one who has a father?’
Ariel stretched out her chest, placing her hands on her waist and said,
“I have a dad too!”
“Your father is a Grand Duke! My father is the Emperor… Your Majesty!”
It was then…
“What are you doing?”
A familiar voice came.
When she turned her head, she saw the Grand Duke and the Emperor looking their way with puzzled eyes.
Ariel ran to the Grand Duke with a happy expression and hugged him, and Kellod also ran to the Emperor.
“Dad! This kid suddenly crawls in!”
“Dad, look at this girl! How dare she disrespect the prince!”
“What the hell is going on?”
The Emperor asked, looking at his two son who was frantic.
Kellod talked about the day’s events, thinking that his father will be angry and would scold Ariel.
But what is this?
“I see!”
After hearing the story, the Emperor chuckled and nodded his head.
“So she said my kids looks like something, and it was dogs! Hahahaha”
Kellod was so bewildered that he froze.
***
The Grand Duke barely managed to calm Ariel, who went wild, and put her in her in the carriage.
The Emperor spoke with a regretful expression.
“Why are you taking her already? It would be nice if we could play some more.”
“That’s enough, I have a lot to do.”
The Grand Duke replied shortly.
He really didn’t like his older brother blocking Ariel’s registration for absurd reasons.
“Let’s get going.”
The Grand Duke calmly motioned to start the carriage and Ahin, who was watching him, asked.
“You didn’t get permission again?”
“Yeah.”
“Why is it again this time?”
Ahin asked in an annoyed tone, but there was no answer from the Grand Duke.
In the midst of a strange silence, Ahin closed his lips after a long time.
“It bothers me.”
“What do you mean?”
“Your Majesty’s attitude. Isn’t it a bit strange that she got away after being disrespectful to the prince and was even asked to get along with them?”
“Well, your cousins are also your brothers, so it’s not strange.”
“It still doesn’t feel right.”
“Hmm.”
The Grand Duke buried himself deeply into the back of his seat with his arms crossed.
“It seems that His Majesty’s heart for Ariel is a bit excessive.”
“Did father feel it too?”
The Grand Duke nodded his head.
“Is it because he really wanted a daughter?”
The Grand Duke, who muttered quietly, sighed deeply.
“Well, there’s no need to hurry. His Majesty said he would discuss it when the Empress came back, so we just have to wait…”
“Do you mean to wait for the Empress, who has gone to recuperation, without knowing when she will return?”
Ahin, who had been muttering in an annoyed voice, suddenly raised his head.
“Then why don’t you get permission from the temple first?”
“Temple?”
“Yes. Wouldn’t it be effective even if you obtained the temple’s permission?”
The Grand Duke laughed at Ahin’s words.
“You look very sweet.”
“Yes?”
“Seeing how you fret about losing your new little sister.”
Ahin’s face turned red.
“It’s not like that. It’s just because I also decided to let her in, so I don’t think it’s necessary to prolong it.”
“Hmm, is that so?”
When the Grand Duke smiled strangely, Ahin muttered, turning his face red.
“It’s also because I don’t like hearing them keep calling her an illegitimate child. After all, she’s still your daughter.”
The Grand Duke’s face hardened.
“What are you talking about? Who else said that to my daughter?”
Ahin talked about what happened with the princes a while ago which made the Grand Duke’s face harden.
“We need to give her a proper identity quickly so this won’t happen again.”
The Grand Duke quietly closed his eyes.
And after a while, the Grand Duke opened his again, and there was an unprecedented anger within.
“Ren, turn the carriage. Let’s go to the temple.”
