Was there another child besides me in the palace?
I thought Delight only had me as a his child. Besides, he looks nothing like me.
Unlike Delight, his hair is black and his eyes are red.
Those red eyes are really striking. They resemble someone…
I was staring at the young boy without realizing it.
“I greet His Majesty, the Emperor of Promian. I am Serdin Talyon, Prince of the Ilnord Empire.”
The young boy, who was under Delight’s cold and icy gaze, calmly greeted without being intimidated.
“Okay.”
Delight responded indifferently, as if uninterested.
However, it was clear that he recognized this boy named Serdin from the start.
So, he is indeed the prince of Ilnord. Those pure, bright red eyes are a symbol of the Ilnord royal family. Moreover, the royal family of Ilnord no longer had such vividly red eyes.
When I was active as a grand mage, the eyes of the Ilnord Emperor had already faded to a watery red.
So, such vividly red eyes hadn’t appeared in the Ilnord royal family for some time.
Before I died, the crown prince’s eyes were so light they were almost orange. So, these vividly red eyes were new to me as well.
Why is the prince of the Ilnord Empire, which is at war with Promian, here?
“He replaced the crown prince. Has it been over a year since he arrived?”
“He came last winter during a temporary ceasefire, so it’s been just under a year,”
Zaire answered Delight’s question, and I could roughly grasp the situation.
It seems the crown prince was captured during the war, and instead of returning him, Ilnord sent a prince as a hostage.
There must have been other conditions as well.
As a result, this snotty kid in front of me is living as a hostage in an enemy country during an ongoing war. Delight is quite something.
I’ll have to reprimand him for this later.
“But why did you come all the way here?”
Delight asked coldly, even to the young prince.
“I was feeling suffocated and walked further than usual.”
The prince replied cautiously, looking down but not scared at all.
He’s still young, but it’s impressive.
As I admired him, Delight’s low voice echoed.
“You hadn’t been noticeable until now, and we just happened to meet here today.”
He smirked and passed by the prince indifferently, as if it didn’t matter what his intentions were.
***
Hugo, who had been watching the emperor’s entourage disappear, sighed heavily and muttered.
“Phew. My heart can’t take it.”
His legs were shaking.
Hugo spoke to Prince Serdin, who was still staring in the direction the emperor had gone.
“Why did you come here? You knew the emperor was here, didn’t you?”
“………”
“What if you got into trouble with the emperor?”
He really felt like he was going to faint.
It has been a year since he came to the Promian Empire.
He was only seven years old. It’s not easy for a child that young to live in an enemy country.
Fortunately, he wasn’t confined or harshly treated in the Promian Empire.
He was allowed a certain degree of freedom in the palace and could receive education if he wanted.
But it wasn’t as comfortable as being in his homeland.
Before coming to the Promian Empire as a hostage, he was a smart, playful, and innocent child.
Since arriving in Promian, Serdin had become a mysterious boy whose thoughts were unreadable.
The difficult life must have changed him.
That’s why he often found himself swayed by the prince out of pity.
“I was curious.”
Serdin muttered to himself.
“Curious about what the baby the emperor is so fond of looks like.”
His reason for coming here wasn’t the emperor but the baby in his arms.
Because of the emperor’s sharp gaze, he couldn’t see the baby properly, but he could recall the brief glimpse he had.
“Don’t show any interest in the baby princess. The emperor is extremely protective of her.”
Hugo said firmly, feeling it was his duty to advise in such situations.
Though he was a servant, he had the duty to appropriately assist the prince.
Serdin looked at Hugo and spoke.
“That’s why I’m interested.”
As if it was the most obvious thing.
“…What?”
Hugo replied in a deflated tone.
“It seems he does care about his child after all.”
Though he seemed devoid of any affection.
“I find it irritating.”
Because of whom do I have to be here alone?
Until recently, the existence of the emperor’s newfound daughter hadn’t piqued his interest.
After all, she was in a similar situation to him.
Ignored by her parents, the Emperor, she was practically abandoned.
However, when the Emperor returned, it was a completely different story.
Shortly after his return, there was no one in the palace who didn’t speak about the baby princess.
At first, he thought it couldn’t be true and suspected there might be another motive.
But as time passed, stories of how much the Emperor adored the baby spread more specifically.
When he heard whispers that he seemed like a different person, he felt resentful.
So, he resolved that he must see for himself.
“Please, don’t entertain any dangerous thoughts.”
Hugo stammered in his surprise. But he couldn’t give up like this.
Though the prince had maintained his composure and patience beyond his years, he was still just a child.
He could act impulsively and unpredictably at any moment.
Such an incident must be prevented at all costs…!
“This is a place where a single word or action can endanger your life. Didn’t you decide to endure until the day you can return?”
Despite feeling sorry for the prince, Hugo hoped he would continue to persevere as he had so far.
“Let’s just go back.”
Contrary to Hugo’s wish, Serdin had no intention of staying put.
Serdin’s patience had already worn thin. No matter how maturely he acted, he couldn’t control his childish emotions.
Seeing the princess, who was loved so differently from himself, only intensified his curiosity.
***
“Your Majesty. The baby is still too young and will cry frequently at night. It’s likely to disturb your rest…”
When Delight said he would sleep with me, the chamberlain expressed concern.
I agreed intensely. Yes, that’s right. I want to sleep peacefully, so take me back to where I was.
But Delight’s gaze never left my face.
“It doesn’t matter. I can soothe her when she cries.”
“But Your Majesty needs sufficient sleep.”
…So, it’s for the Emperor, not me?
The chamberlain genuinely worried about the Emperor’s sleep.
‘Hmph. At least someone cares about you.’
I felt a mix of disappointment and gratitude towards the chamberlain.
But that’s that… Please, move that face away!
I tried to push his face away with all my might, but it was futile.
“The baby likes me, so I think she’ll calm down faster if I soothe her.”
Fine. Do as you please.
When I finally gave up and relaxed, he enjoyed rubbing his face and stomach against me like a fish in water.
“How can everything be so soft? It’s amazing.”
Ugh, it’s annoying.
Come to think of it, this isn’t much different from when I was younger.
That guy used to sleep under my bed often. I would step on him when I woke up thirsty in the middle of the night.
Before I knew it, he had laid me down and was patting me gently.
“Daddy will put you to sleep.”
I’ll fall asleep on my own.
“Should I sing you a lullaby? It’s been a while since I sang, so I don’t know if I’ll be good.”
At that moment, I quickly shut my eyes.
If he starts singing, it’s a disaster. His singing… leaves a lasting impression for all the wrong reasons.
I have to pretend to sleep with all my might.
With my eyes closed, I could feel his touch more acutely.
Pat, pat.
Still, his touch isn’t bad.
It’s not too slow, not too fast, not too hard, with a rhythm that makes my fingers want to move… It feels nice.
As his gentle, warm touch continued, my eyelids grew heavier.
‘Hmm. I’m getting sleepy…’
I had just fallen asleep.
Seuush.
A chilling presence and a sharp, alert aura filled the room.
“Ugh…”
I’m so sleepy. What is it now?
Even as a baby, my old habit of waking up at any sign of danger kicked in.
When I looked around, Delight, who was supposed to be by my side all night, was gone, and the air in the bedroom felt different.
‘…Did someone break in?’
