At that single word, Delight froze.
Simultaneously, a chill ran down my spine.
Who am I speaking to, and what am I saying?
‘………!’
Aagh!
The realization came a bit late.
I see.
Cause I am your daughter, and you are my father. Since you are my father, it’s only natural that…
The words spiraled around and around until they reached a single conclusion.
Da…d…?
I wasn’t unaware, but it wasn’t something I’d thought about because it wasn’t an immediate concern.
Delight had always habitually said ‘Dad,’ so why hadn’t I realized it sooner?
No one had deceived me, but it felt like I’d been struck in the back of the head.
Just the word ‘Dad’ alone was enough to make me lose my composure.
The noblewoman who had brought up the subject, however, continued to speak without backing down.
Delight was quietly listening to her without kicking her out.
It’s driving me crazy!
“Your Majesty, my daughter started speaking earlier than others. The day she called me ‘Mom’ for the first time was so emotional. We still celebrate her birthday and the day she first spoke as anniversaries.”
From that moment on, every noble began sharing stories about when their child first spoke.
They vividly recounted the overwhelming emotions of hearing ‘Dad’ for the first time, and a strange competitive atmosphere started forming among them.
Eventually, they began introducing their children and speaking proudly of them infront of Delight.
“My son not only learned to speak early but also learned to read and write quickly. It must be because we constantly spoke to him and taught him. Haha!”
“Does that really help?”
“Of course. Having a sibling or a companion certainly helps.”
Their aim was to please Delight and showcase their children.
“When the princess grows up, won’t she need friends to talk to?”
“……….”
“My child is not much older than the princess, so they could be good companions in the future.”
“……Is that so.”
Before I knew it, Delight was listening intently to their stories.
“Surely the princess’s first words to His Majesty will be ‘Dad.’ Since she takes after His Majesty, she’ll probably start speaking early.”
The more they spoke, the deeper I sank into the mire.
My birthday congratulations had now shifted to pre-celebrations and expectations for me to call Delight ‘Dad.’
Watching this, I resolved with anger.
I will remember all the children you have brought forward today!
I won’t be their friend or be a playmate of them!
I’ve been eager to speak quickly to escape this frustration.
Even now, while I can only babble, I keep practicing by moving my tongue.
Why turn the moment I’ve been looking forward to into something terrifying?
I hope Delight doesn’t take this too seriously.
“Well, my Ollia has been growing quickly, so she might start speaking soon.”
As expected, that didn’t happen.
Though I tried to speak calmly, the excitement was evident.
“Hmm. The day my Olia calls me ‘Dad.'”
Delight’s lips twitched ominously.
No, don’t smile!
“Of course. My Ollia is so bright-eyed… she’ll start speaking soon.”
Delight showed subtle expectations.
And being the object of those expectations… made me want to go crazy, so please stop talking!
I can’t meet those expectations!
Finally, Delight’s gaze rested on me.
I shut my eyes tightly.
I thought I’d adapted well to being Delight’s daughter.
But with just the word ‘Dad,’ I realized it had all been an illusion.
‘I can’t call Delight ‘Dad.’ I can’t get the words out…’
Though I was frustrated about not being able to speak, now the thought of being able to soon terrified me.
‘I wish time would just stop like this.’
***
Time passed neither too quickly nor too slowly.
And now, here I am.
Thud-thud-thud-!
Hop.
Ta-da-!
I leap over a puddle left by the morning rain with ease.
Haha. This is nothing now.
Look at this.
Long arms! Strong legs that can jump!
This is what crazy growth looks like.
I finally turned three!
Of course, my limbs still need to grow more and I need to get stronger, but it was a significant improvement.
Phew. That took a really long time.
There were times when I was frustrated and my patience ran thin, wondering when I would grow up, but looking back, it’s surprising that two years have already passed.
I was proud of myself for growing up so well.
I grew with a determination that no one could stop.
Moreover, the changes weren’t limited to just my growth.
My prediction on my first birthday was spot on.
Since that day, the shoes I wore became incredibly popular and sold out as soon as they were released.
For a while, the empire was filled with the sounds of children’s footsteps.
I even saw young maids in the palace playing during their breaks, wearing those shoes.
Now, the shoes I’m wearing have lights that sparkle.
They particularly shine when it’s dark.
‘Hehe. How did I end up wearing these?’
But now, I wasn’t wearing them because Delight forced me to.
On the contrary, as people began to send me all sorts of unreleased products as gifts for promotional purposes, Delight was the first to stop it.
“Get rid of anything that Ollia doesn’t need.”
At that moment, I checked the gifts myself.
I picked up a giant ribbon that I liked and smiled widely.
“Do you like it?”
It was a bit of whimsy and a momentary impulse.
At first, I felt humiliated wearing those weird, noisy shoes.
But later, seeing people like those shoes changed my mind a bit.
In the past, there had been a similar case.
However, it was an entirely different item back then.
The weapon worn by Archmage Sherina had sold incredibly well.
Not only the specific magical tools I used, but even the swords I hardly used sold out just because I had used them once.
Initially, I didn’t know that these items were being gifted to me for such purposes.
During the war, I thought they were just one of the many weapons I encountered.
But later, when I realized they were using me to sell weapons, I smashed those weapon shops one by one.
No matter how much I used those weapons in war, I didn’t want to contribute to glorifying weapons that kill people and misleading them.
‘Everything I’ve popularized has always been weapons.’
But now, people loved things that didn’t harm anyone.
So, it’s a bit… acceptable.
Now, I was even enjoying it a bit.
Instead, now I chose the items myself and only used what I liked.
Moreover, this time there was one more difference from the past!
“My Olia is so amazing that people are asking her to use their products just once. The profits from this will be managed as the princess’s personal assets.”
Delight spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Every time I used something, Zaire carefully calculated the profits generated from it and drafted contracts.
Thanks to that, my assets, which I hadn’t even thought about, were steadily increasing.
They were satisfying days.
…Except for one thing.
The most critical issue!
“Ollia seems to like her shoes, seeing how happy she’s running around in them.”
A soft yet somewhat annoying voice that had become all too familiar.
And… the burdensome gaze that followed me like a shadow, no matter how much I tried to avoid it.
‘Can you stop staring at me like that?!’
Even if I turned my head to the left or right, it was always there.
Sparkling.
I’d rather endure the scorching sun than that intense gaze.
It was Delight’s eyes, staring at me intently, shining right in front of me.
