#.28
“Lilliana, you sweated a lot all morning and afternoon. Do you feel sick or lightheaded?”
My eldest unnie asked while brushing my hair.
I twisted Cookie’s long ears around my fingers as I answered.
“Nope! I’m not sick at all.”
Since I tend to get fevers and collapse even with a little strain, my eldest unnie was always sensitive about my health.
Honestly, after spending ten days on a ship traveling to the empire, I thought I’d get sick from exhaustion. But for some reason, I was still perfectly fine.
“Can I ask Uncle Leo to give me a piggyback ride after dinner?”
“You want a piggyback ride?”
“Uncle Leo is really tall, so I can breathe the air up high.”
“Alright, then. You should ask him.”
“Yay!”
Tonight, Marius and Leopold were supposed to join us for dinner.
According to my eldest unnie, it was meant to subtly signal that the emperor was paying close attention to the esteemed guests from Trovancha.
“They sure act fast.”
My second unnie sarcastically mocked Marius’s choice.
In any case, with that in mind, I held my eldest unnie’s hand and headed to the dining hall.
“When can I see my youngest unnie?”
Instead of answering, my eldest unnie placed Cookie on the seat next to me.
Honestly, even my sisters seemed unsure about what our youngest sister was up to outside.
The three of us sat in order—eldest, second, and me—waiting for the others to arrive.
“You look pretty today, second unnie.”
Since she kept touching her hair, I gave her a thumbs-up.
“Oh really? Do I look pretty to you today?”
“Yeah. The prettiest in the world… No, the second prettiest.”
“Then who’s first?”
“That’s, um…”
I couldn’t bring myself to say it was our eldest unnie.
“Me! I’m the prettiest!”
I grinned mischievously, and my second unnie stroked my cheek, agreeing with my words.
As we kept chatting back and forth, Marius, Leopold, and Edgar entered the dining hall at the same time.
Marius had the same unfamiliar expression he wore when I first saw him in front of the hotel.
He felt quite different in the imperial palace compared to how he was in Trovancia.
There, he had been playful and carefree, but now, he was exuding an air of sharp coldness.
‘Come to think of it, he was the ‘Bloody Emperor’ in the original story.’
In the original, he had taken the throne at a young age and brutally eliminated his siblings and relatives to secure his position.
That’s why he never hesitated to stain his hands with blood to get what he wanted.
Even his war against Trovancha had been because of his obsession with the heroine, Rebecca—he wanted her love.
If François was a man who could be endlessly cruel to the woman he loved, Marius was the type who would destroy the world for love.
“Hm? Kid, are you staring at me because I’m too handsome?”
Even now, he kept spouting nonsense the moment he opened his mouth.
I pretended not to hear him and turned my head away.
Then, I saw Edgar, who had run away from me earlier.
Since I was still upset that he left me behind, I glared at him with all my might.
But for some reason, his eyes were swollen and red.
Startled, I pointed at him and asked,
“Edgar, were you crying?”
“Wh-What? Who said I was crying?!”
“But you were. I can tell.”
“I wasn’t crying!”
Edgar shouted at me, but then his face paled as he seemed to realize his rudeness.
His lips trembled as he glanced at my eldest and second unnie, gauging their reactions.
“Let’s sit down and start eating. The young duke must be hungry too.”
N/ I will change it from young marquis to younge duke according to his position
My eldest unnie didn’t seem to mind that we were bickering. She probably thought kids playing together would naturally end up like that.
Instead of sitting across from me, Edgar pulled out a chair right next to mine.
Scrape.
He frowned when he saw Cookie sitting there.
“Move this.”
“Why?”
“I want to sit here.”
“No way. That’s Cookie’s seat. You sit over there.”
There were three of us on one side and three of them on the other, so sitting opposite each other made perfect sense.
Why was he bothering to sit here?
I couldn’t understand him at all.
“This is just a doll. It doesn’t even eat.”
“Even if it doesn’t eat, Cookie is my little sibling.”
“How can a doll be a sibling? A doll is just a doll. So, obviously, I should sit there.”
“Cookie is special to me. You’re not special, so go sit over there.”
“What? You…!”
When I didn’t budge, Edgar glared at me before punching Cookie out of frustration. Then, he stomped over to the seat across from me.
I scowled at him, and my second unnie chuckled softly beside me.
She then turned to Leopold, who had seated Edgar beside him.
“Leopold, how was your day?”
“As usual. I handled the knights’ affairs and attended some meetings…”
Leopold, recounting his day to my sister, looked utterly distracted.
His honey-sweet gaze, melting voice, and slightly reddened ears—
Perfect. Everything’s going according to plan.
Leopold was definitely capable of making my second unnie happy.
While I was thinking about all that—and still locked in a silent staring contest with Edgar—the food arrived.
Marius cut up his steak into small pieces and swapped plates with me, apologizing.
“Kid, I have a lot to apologize to you for.”
“Huh? For what?”
“Because I didn’t manage things properly, you heard things from the maids that you shouldn’t have. Edgar, I’m sorry to you too. I should have paid more attention.”
“You already apologized, so you don’t need to do it again. Besides, I’ve already given out the proper punishment, so it’s fine now.”
Edgar replied while stabbing his steak with his fork.
“Uncle, cut mine into smaller pieces too. So it’s easier to eat.”
As Marius complied, I watched and spoke up.
“Besides, I don’t get why you’re apologizing when those mean maids should be the ones doing it. But it’s okay—I forgive you. Even though I fell backward, it didn’t hurt at all.”
“You’re not mad at them for being mean to you?”
“I am. But a hero must be merciful and brave. So I can forgive them.”
I lifted my chin proudly, but Edgar immediately retorted.
“A hero? You’re still talking about that nonsense?”
“Being a hero is awesome! And don’t talk when you ran away during our kitchen play.”
“That wasn’t running away…! Whatever. You’re too weak to be a hero.”
“No, I’m going to grow up and have fists as strong as hammers! I’ll beat up all the bad guys!”
“Sounds impossible.”
Edgar scoffed.
Frustrated, I kicked my legs furiously under the table.
Since my height hadn’t increased even a centimeter since last time, my legs still dangled uselessly.
Noticing this, Edgar peeked under the table, then stuck out his tongue at me.
My temper flared even more.
I wanted to call him “asparagus” right then and there, but I had to finish my conversation with Marius first, so I held back.
“And since you cut my steak for me, I’ll let your mistakes slide.”
“Pfft. Where did you even learn the word ‘mistakes’?”
“Hmph. Of course I know it! It was in The Adventures of Red Sheep Cocobomb.”
“You’re still reading fairy tales?”
Edgar butted in again, smirking like I was stupid.
Even though he was also six years old, he dared to say “still”?
Fed up, I gave up on talking to Marius and used all my energy to bicker with Edgar.
Thus, the Second Dinner Table War began.
***
Marius smiled as he watched the two little troublemakers, now covered in lemon juice and sauce from their food fight.
During the meal, the two continued bickering but still managed to finish their desserts before falling asleep on the sofa in the living room.
Liliana seemed particularly upset that Edgar had asked if she still read fairy tales. But in truth, Edgar himself still read them occasionally. It seemed he had deliberately provoked Liliana because he was sulking over not being able to sit next to her at dinner.
***
“Since the engagement has been officially announced today, Edgar’s birthday party next week will be the first time Lady Alice is introduced to the nobles.”
“That’s right. I’ll attend alone. I think it would be better for my younger siblings to make their public appearance after the wedding.”
“Yes, I think that’s a good idea. Still, I’d like Liliana to attend with us. Edgar seems genuinely happy to have made a friend.”
Liliana, asleep, looked as adorable as an angel.
Her chubby little fingers and baby-soft cheeks, still carrying the scent of childhood, were nothing short of lovable.
“I can’t shield Lady Alice from every attack that comes her way. Not because she’s a foreigner, but because there are burdens a future empress must bear and prove herself worthy of. However, this is one promise I can make.”
Marius reached out and gently stroked Liliana’s head.
She was such a tiny child—so small that it made the heart ache.
“I will make sure Liliana is protected.”
And he would spare no effort to ensure she reached adulthood safely.
That was the ‘contract.’
The terrifying darkness in his gaze was wiped away by his following gentle smile, but Alice didn’t miss that brief moment of change.
Still, not knowing Marius well enough yet, she assumed he was merely acting out of duty to the contract.
“Don’t be too tense. No matter how prestigious their families are, when you get close, you’ll see they’re nothing special.”
Marius shrugged as he added this remark.
It was a statement exuding the composure of the Blood Emperor, a man who had ruthlessly executed rebels who had attempted to take his life.
***
While Alice and Marius were discussing their future plans, Regina and Leopold were strolling through the garden, where Liliana had previously been forbidden entry.
‘It’s not the kind of weather for this, yet it feels so stifling.’
It was still spring, but to Leopold, the evening air felt unbearably warm.
It was likely because of Regina, who chattered beside him.
Every time her high-pitched voice tickled his ears, his heart pounded, and whenever their eyes met, his face heated up.
“I wanted to celebrate the young Duke of Lunbolenyu’s birthday as well, so I prepared a small gift, but I’m not sure if he’ll like it.”
“A gift? He will be truly happy, no matter what it is.”
“Even so…”
Regina trailed off, glancing around hurriedly.
After confirming that no one else was nearby, she gestured for Leopold to lower his head.
When he bent down, she rose on her tiptoes and whispered into his ear.
“…Wouldn’t that be a bit much?”
The warm breath grazing his ear and her soft whisper made it impossible for Leopold to process what she was saying.
His mind was heating up to the point where it felt like it would explode.
No, at this rate, his heart might stop first.
“Th-That’s…”
He needed to respond, but his entire body froze stiff, and his voice trembled, making it impossible to speak.
Just as he struggled to stammer out a reply, a sigh was heard.
• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Esraa• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
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