IBYSRHML | Chapter 25

#.25

“Liliana, is violence good or bad?”

“Bad…”

“Was what you did wrong or right?”

“…Right.”

Even as my eldest unnie scolded me, forcing me to lower my head, I couldn’t bring myself to admit that I had done anything wrong.

“They were the bad ones. They said horrible things about Edgar.”

“That doesn’t mean you should resort to violence.”

“But…”

I couldn’t agree with my sister’s reprimand, so I pouted.

Just as one of the maids who had insulted Edgar was about to hit me, the door to a nearby room suddenly burst open, and Edgar appeared.

“Who dares cause such a commotion in this palace?”

Although I knew we were the same age, Edgar, shouting at the two maids, seemed far older than me.

“Y-Young Marquis.”

“You’re working in the imperial palace, yet you dare try to strike a precious guest from Trovancha? Don’t you know who you should be serving? People like you deserve to be punished. State your names.”

It was such a strange sight to see the adults who had been so mean to me trembling in fear.

“Young Marquis, we only…”

“Do you think this is something you can explain away?”

“N-no, we apologize for causing a disturbance.”

“We overstepped and committed a grave mistake. We’re sorry, Young Marquis. It won’t happen again. Please forgive us.”

The maids knelt and bowed, nervously watching Edgar’s reaction. Edgar accepted their apologies as if it were only natural.

Born and raised in Trovancha, I found it hard to understand what was happening, leaving me a bit dumbfounded.

“I saw you trying to hit His Majesty’s guest. You know the consequences of such actions, don’t you?”

Just as the maids hesitated to answer Edgar, my eldest unnie’s voice rang out.

“Liliana!”

She came running from the other side, her face filled with worry.

At that moment, the maids’ expressions froze in a different way than they had when Edgar scolded them.

My unnie helped me up from the floor and checked me over.

“I thought you might be playing with the young marquis… Are you hurt badly?”

Other than a slight scrape on my palm from falling, I was fine, but my sister seemed to think otherwise.

Her gaze quickly turned to the maids, and I could see sparks flying in her eyes.

One of the maids shouted defensively.

“The child attacked us first, hitting us unexpectedly! I just reacted out of shock!”

“Hitting? Are you saying Liliana hit you?”

“They said bad things about you and Edgar! They were the bad ones!”

“Even if a child rushed at you, isn’t it shameful for an adult to push her so hard that she fell?”

“How were we supposed to know a child was hiding there? Teaching her not to eavesdrop or act out should be your priority!”

“You ladies should watch your words! Unnie, they called me a barbarian!”

As I argued back, the air around my sister seemed to grow icy.

Her stern expression, sharp gaze, and the firm grip on my hand all conveyed how angry she was.

“Young Marquis Rundballenieu. If you don’t mind, could you take Liliana away for now?”

But my sister quickly shifted her demeanor, speaking smoothly as she turned to Edgar.

Edgar, as if entranced, nodded and gently tugged on my sleeve.

“Liliana. Go to your room. I’ll see you later.”

“Okay.”

Honestly, I wasn’t sure if Edgar was leading me to my room or if I was the one pulling him along. Either way, we headed back to the palace where I was staying.

After walking for a while, Edgar suddenly asked me, as though he’d forgotten we’d been in a tense situation moments ago.

“Is your sister good at fighting?”

“Yeah! Unnie is super strong! She wins every time. She could even defeat a sea monster on her own.”

Of course, there were no sea monsters, but I boasted proudly nonetheless.

“Is she good with a sword too?”

“Of course! My sister is unbeatable.”

“Hmph. She’s probably no match for Leopold hyung.”

“She is! Unnie could beat Uncle Leo too!”

“What? Don’t be ridiculous. Hyung is the strongest in the world.”

“No, he’s not! Edgar, you’re an idiot!”

“You’re the idiot. You couldn’t even argue back properly and just resorted to punching.”

As we walked, Edgar glanced at my face.

I answered absentmindedly, imagining unnie and Leopold sparring with swords.

“They were the bad ones. They said mean things about you, so they deserved it.”

“…”

When Edgar didn’t respond, I frowned and turned my head sharply.

I noticed that his cheeks were slightly flushed—just a little.

Was he embarrassed that I’d overheard the maids badmouthing him?

I pondered for a while, and before I knew it, we had reached my room.

I suddenly remembered how, a few days ago, Edgar had left a pumpkin on my bed and laughed about it.

I debated whether I should be angry since I still hadn’t received a proper apology.

But I decided to be the mature one and let it go.

“Do you want to come in and play? I’ll introduce you to my siblings.”

“Siblings? You have siblings?”

“Yeah. They’re really cute!”

I nodded and invited Edgar into my room.

I proudly showed him Cookie and Jelly, which I had placed neatly on my bed.

“This is Cookie, and this is Jelly. Jelly became my sibling just recently.”

“That’s not a sibling. It’s a doll.”

“It’s a doll, but it’s also my sibling.”

“You’re still playing with dolls and pretending they’re your siblings? You’re such a kid.”

As Edgar scoffed, it felt as if a thunderbolt struck my head. A child? Me?

Sure, I might only be six years old, but that doesn’t mean I’m a child.

I’ve graduated from being a kid long ago, thanks to my higher mental age compared to others my age!

“This…”

I glared at Edgar. While I was seriously contemplating how to get the upper hand against him, he suddenly reached out to tidy my hair.

It had likely gotten messy when I had headbutted the maids earlier.

Unlike my sisters, his hands were clumsy, making it hard to tell whether he was fixing my hair or pulling it.

However, I didn’t push his hand away and quietly let him do his thing.

“No matter how young you are, I can’t yield when it comes to hyung. Leopold is mine.”

Leopold belonged to my second unnie, though.

Still, correcting that would probably lead to another fight with Edgar, so I kept my mouth shut and flopped down onto the bed.

“Edgar, you’re really an idiot.”

“What? Why am I an idiot?”

“Because you don’t know anything, that’s why.”

“You’re the idiot. You just charge in recklessly when you’re mad… But you did good. By tomorrow, Marius will handle them all. It’s about time someone took charge anyway—he’s been too focused on politics, letting the palace fall into chaos.”

Mumbling things I couldn’t understand, Edgar lay down beside me.

“This is my bed. Why are you lying here?”

“The palace is my house too, you know.”

“Go back to your room.”

“Nope. I’m staying here. You’re the one who invited me to play.”

“Then how about playing hospital with Cookie, Jelly, and the four of us? Or we could do pretend cooking in the garden?”

“How childish. I’m not doing that.”

This time, thunder rumbled furiously in my mind. Childish? Childish?!

No matter how friendly I tried to be, he always had to say something infuriating.

I glared at Edgar, debating the best way to teach him a lesson.

But before I could make my move, the door burst open, and my eldest unnie returned.

As soon as unnie came back into my room, she started scolding me. And she hadn’t stopped since.

“Liliana, under no circumstances is violence acceptable. Never. Do you understand?”

“Yes. I won’t hit anyone recklessly anymore.”

Reluctantly nodding, I finally got a hug from my sister.

Her embrace wrapped around me, and warmth filled my chest.

It was even cozier than crawling under a blanket fort.

Even if mean adults called me a barbarian, I felt safe knowing that my big sister could protect me from anything.

I clung tightly to Alice.

“The commotion earlier today was entirely my fault. Alice, I truly feel ashamed and sorry.”

“Apologize to Liliana as well.”

“Of course. I’ll personally apologize to her.”

Right after dinner, as soon as he had the chance to sit with Alice for tea, Marius immediately apologized.

According to his report, Alice had been furious at the maids and had summoned the person in charge to administer proper punishment.

“I must apologize as well. Although I’m not officially married yet, I still disciplined them as I saw fit.”

“You’re my fiancée. That gives you every right.”

Marius waved his hand dismissively, indicating she shouldn’t worry, and observed Alice deep in thought.

What had happened today with the court maids was a clear reflection of the Empire’s prejudice and discrimination against Trovancha.

If Trovancha mocked the Empire as nouveau riche or warmongers, the Empire retaliated by calling them barbarians.

It was a slur born from Trovancha’s freer atmosphere and their use of unusual ingredients like shrimp and lobster in their cuisine.

Even knowing Alice was to be the future Empress, they must have acted that way because they habitually looked down on Trovancha.

Feeling the weight of the long road ahead, Marius pressed his temples.

“The language may be similar, but the cultural differences are vast. It must be challenging for you, Alice.”

Coming from a country without a nobility system, they might look down on Alice as inferior.

Even after her coronation as Empress, they would likely refuse to acknowledge her.

Even with Marius supporting her, the nobles would find ways to undermine Alice.

“While I was busy consolidating power and dealing with my siblings, I’ve neglected the palace’s internal affairs. What happened today was entirely my fault. I’ll pay closer attention from now on, but I can’t promise such incidents won’t happen again. I deeply regret that, Alice.”

“I understand. I was prepared for this when I came here. However, order must be firmly established. The incident with Marquis.Rundballenieu’s son is a case in point.”

“I never imagined anyone would dare insult Edgar like that. But Alice, are you alright? You must have been furious today.”

“I administered the appropriate punishment and set an example for others, so I’m fine.”

Marius nodded at Alice’s calm and even reply.

He stared into her serene eyes, then chuckled faintly.

Despite her composed demeanor now, he had heard how she had taken deep breaths outside Liliana’s room earlier to suppress her emotions after chastising the maids.

Her words and actions might make her seem unreadable, but her demeanor shifted instantly when it came to Liliana.

‘That’s part of her charm, though.’

As his contractual partner and someone who would be his companion for the next decade as his wife, such traits were desirable.

Sipping his tea, Marius resolved to shake things up in the palace soon, even if it meant stirring a bloody storm.