“Did the Empress introduce that child?”
For the former empress, who was always looking for a means to keep the Empress in check, this child Blanche naturally caught her eye.
“Yes. At the tea party attended by all the peace envoys, she audaciously demanded the seat next to Her Majesty the Empress.”
“The child demanded that first?”
Of course, the former empress had not forgotten the commanding aura Riana exuded.
How many noble parents had tried to introduce their children to Riana, only to have them end up crying?
And this child not only demanded to sit next to such a Riana but also became Melchizedek’s playmate after rejecting all others, then gathered the noble children and made them cry all at once?
TL/N: LMAO.
“Her Majesty the Empress is not particularly strong-hearted. The child must have taken advantage of that.”
If a three-year-old could plan that and hold back tears while sitting next to Riana, then that in itself was quite something. Other nobles surely knew they could gain much by ingratiating themselves with the Empress, but they hadn’t approached her due to the overwhelming fear outweighing the benefits.
“Indeed, she must be a very scheming child.”
But there was no need to reprimand her. So, the former empress lightly nodded outwardly while deciding internally to see Blanche for herself.
In the former empress’s opinion, the type of child Riana would adore, Melchizedek would favor, and one who could make all the noble children cry were three different things.
Could a three-year-old truly have three faces? Who exactly is the real Blanche Roa Vandaluin?
Even the former empress, who had raised both Berken and Melchizedek herself, found it hard to imagine.
* * *
“…Today? Right now?”
“Don’t you have everything finished anyway? Dragging things out will only make you worry more.”
The Grand Duke was really efficient.
As he said, all the post-tea party arrangements were done. We had just finished redistributing the additional staff hired and trained solely for the tea party over the past two weeks, restoring the palace’s discipline and order, and other such tasks just yesterday.
This morning, I only had to check if the kids were following their instructions properly.
TL/N: KIDS=PALACE STAFF
Just when I thought I could take a breather, he barged in and suggested going to buy a horse.
It wasn’t likely a five-year-old had planted any spies, so the information must have flowed through the Empress. This meant the Empress was contacted at least yesterday, who then informed the Grand Duke this morning, and upon hearing it, he immediately came over.
Considering this, you could say his decisiveness was like that of a rhinoceros. That’s fine, but it was also a bit tiring to be caught up in it. I usually prefer planning ahead and sticking to the plan, making this even more tiring for me.
“…I’ll have lunch prepared, so why don’t you eat before we go?”
However, the barrier of status was strict. Or in this case, it might be a matter of power. After all, Blanche is royalty.
In any case, I couldn’t refuse even if it was just to play around, and even more so if it was to give a reward. I prepared myself mentally while eating lunch.
What kind of preparation, you ask?
Obviously, the preparation to flatter.
—I’m not bad at flattery. There were years when I acted like a tongue in His Majesty’s mouth; surely, I can manage a bit of flattery.
The problem was, it had been too long since I last did it.
What I said to the Empress was mere lip service, not even worthy of being called flattery, so excluding that, it had been at least three years. Even in the last days of the Yi Baek-ryeon era, there was no need for flattery. After the Crown Prince passed away, I didn’t flatter His Majesty either.
Therefore, I needed to recall my old memories and mentally prepare myself to adopt a sycophant’s mindset again. The problem was that the Grand Duke wasn’t cooperating.
He practically drank down his meal and kept urging me to hurry up and finish my meal. Eventually, I swallowed my tears and finished eating, only to see him rise from his seat without even having tea.
Luckily, my current body is more vigorous now than it was before, otherwise, I would surely be bedridden after today’s schedule.
“Do you know anything about horses?”
Despite feeling as though I was crying blood inside, I maintained a bright smile on the outside. I may not cherish this body like adults do, but at least it’s better to smile than to sulk.
“No, I don’t know much.”
Of course, it was a lie. Horses? I’m a military officer who spent half my life on the battlefield. Although people often get confused about my final title as Grand General, it’s clear in biographies.
I’ve seen tens of thousands of horses, and the ones I rode were all famous steeds. I knew very well which horses were good and which ones should not be sent to war.
However, higher-ups generally enjoy teaching clueless kids. Anyway, since Tula was just starting horseback riding, she didn’t need a famous steed, so I thought I’d just accept whatever the Grand Duke chose.
“What about you, Your Highness?”
“Well, I’ve never chosen a horse myself either…”
The Grand Duke ran his still chubby hand over his still baby-fat-ridden chin.
TL/N: LOL, IT’S TOO FUNNY JUST IMAGINING IT >_<
Not that I’m one to talk, but what the hell is really going on inside that head of his? He really was an old soul in a young body. Was I like that during the Yi Baek-ryeon era too? Trying to recall those long-forgotten days, the Grand Duke glanced at me.
“But what can we do? My sister-in-law asked me so earnestly. I’ll do my best.”
I couldn’t tell if it was just a polite comment or genuine. Maybe he just casually mentioned it, telling me to do well since I was accompanying him.
But being straightforward here wouldn’t be very sycophantic of me. I put on a teary-eyed, grateful face.
Hoping the expression was convincing enough, I thought the Grand Duke might say something nice to the Empress about me.
“I am overwhelmed by the Empress’s boundless grace.”
If the Empress had seen it, she would have found it endearing, but since the Grand Duke was just a kid, he only furrowed his brow lightly at my face.
“Don’t use difficult words. It makes your pronunciation unclear.”
TL/N: LOL.
It wasn’t even that unclear. I also dislike poor pronunciation, but this Grand Duke really couldn’t stand it.
Well, considering it, his pronunciation is very clear for a five-year-old. Thanks to practicing with a pen in my mouth, my pronunciation was quite good for a three-year-old, so I can imagine how intolerable it must be for him.
I wonder how he spoke when he was even younger. He couldn’t have kept his mouth shut until he could speak properly.
“And you don’t seem to believe it, but my sister-in-law really cares about you. She was so disappointed she couldn’t come with us today.”
Even if I didn’t fully believe it, hearing that someone cared about me was enough to make me happy. I smiled genuinely, unlike earlier.
“The Empress has her own schedule.”
“Well, there’s that too─”
The Grand Duke sighed lightly.
“It’s also because if she comes, it’s hard to pick out the unruly horses, which can be dangerous.”
“What?”
“The horses get scared. In front of her, they all act like gentle lambs, so it’s hard to tell which ones are unruly or have a bad temperament. If we choose horses with her, it could lead to accidents later.”
Is it really to that extent? I tilted my head in confusion.
The Empress’s hands, unlike her beautiful face, were calloused and rough. They were the hands of a knight.
So I knew she wasn’t to be taken lightly, but for it to affect even animals? The Grand Duke, sensing my puzzlement, gave me a slightly exasperated look.
“I was puzzled when I heard you smiled at her so brightly. Do you not have any survival instincts? Didn’t you feel how terrifying my sister-in-law is?”
“Maybe not. I just thought she was kind and caring.”
Well, looking back, I spent half my life on the battlefield. Living so close to death every day, it wasn’t surprising my self-preservation instincts might be dulled.
Still, if it meant gaining the Empress’s favor, it was an advantage. Even if it’s another country, it wasn’t like I’d get stabbed in the palace.
So I thought it didn’t matter, but the Grand Duke seemed to have a different opinion.
“You really are… ”
Just as the Grand Duke was about to start scolding me, the carriage stopped.
“Alright, fine. It’s good that my sister-in-law is happy.”
The Grand Duke eventually gave up, shaking his head and getting up from his seat. As the carriage door opened and the guard helped him down, he turned around swiftly.
“Here.”
In front of me was his small hand. He was probably offering to escort me.
I could easily have been lifted and carried by an adult right next to me, but seeing this child doing this was honestly a bit cute.
“Thank you.”
So I smiled brightly and took his hand. Despite being a small hand, it was about a hand span bigger than mine, enveloping my hand.
Since the horse market was crowded, the Grand Duke didn’t let go of my hand even after we got off the carriage.
Honestly, two children holding hands would just end up being swept away by the crowd. But the Grand Duke seemed to feel a significant age difference between us, so it seemed best to just hold his hand obediently. It wasn’t a difficult thing to do anyway.
“By the way, you said the horse is for the nanny?”
“Yes.”
“It’s surprising that the nanny can ride a horse. Is that common in the Kingdom of Lamore?”
How would I know if that was common? I’m three years old. But this was a good opportunity. If I planned to use Tula as my representative in the future, it would be best for her status to be as high as possible.
“They said they specially chose an excellent person to accompany me to the Empire.”
It wasn’t entirely a lie. I would make sure she became an excellent person. I’d teach her riding skills and more.
* * * *
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