Annette wondered if she was still dreaming and quickly pinched her cheek with her finger.
“Ouch!”
Even though she was not in good physical condition, her cheeks burned from the incredible grip strength. Annette, stroking her cheek and frowning, was confused when she found a full-length mirror placed on one side of the room. She couldn’t tell if the bed was high or if she was too short, so she finally got off the bed and stood in front of the mirror.
“…!”
In the mirror, she saw a small child with red hair that fell down to her buttocks. White and transparent skin, large, round eyes located under a straight forehead, and a cute, tall nose. And even the slightly opened bright red small lips. Even though her cheeks were thin due to lack of nutrition, her well-defined features were very pretty. As Annette could not take her eyes off the red-eyed child in the mirror, her long eyelashes fluttering like butterflies, a face suddenly appeared in her mind. It was the queen in the portrait that Franz treasured.
〈It’s not a lie. The princess really looks just like the queen.〉
‘Now that I think about it, I think the nanny often said that.’
When Annette was young, the only mirror in the villa she stayed in was a small, broken one. Annette looked into the small mirror for a long time to see if she really looked as creepy as a demonic beast as the maids had said. And in the mirror, only a strange, distorted red mass was always reflected.
‘So I thought the nanny was a liar…’
Annette, who inadvertently placed her dainty maple leaf hand on the mirror, was startled and took a step back. Her rabbit-red eyes trembled wildly.
“What on earth is this…?”
“Oh my goodness.”
And then, she heard an unfamiliar female voice from behind her.
* * *
Annette stared blankly at the woman in front of her. The woman with her pale purple hair and bright purple eyes was extremely beautiful. Bridget, who was revered as the most beautiful woman in the Hayworth Kingdom, was incomparable.
“Are you awake already? I was told it would take a while for you to come to your senses!”
A woman with a pure and clear voice met Annette’s eyes. Annette, startled, quickly lowered her head.
‘You idiot. Everyone hates these eyes.’
It was the moment when the woman was taken aback and was about to say what she was saying, as everyone was avoiding her gaze. Hurried footsteps were heard outside, and the bedroom door flew open.
“…!”
Annette’s eyes widened as she unconsciously raised her head and saw a man with neat features. Before she came to the Empire, she briefly heard them explain about the Arkhan Imperial Family.
‘It is said that the direct royal family members have blonde hair that looks like melted gold.’
And the man in front of her now had beautiful blonde hair that no one could deny.
‘I heard the emperor is in his mid-30s.’
No matter how she looked at the man who opened the door, she thought he was only in his 20s. However, there was no chance that it was Grand Duke Hargent. It was said that he wore a mask because of his hideous appearance.
‘Then is he really the emperor…?’
Annette couldn’t do this or that because she wasn’t quite sure. The Emperor of Arkhan, Lucius, was speechless in shock, having never thought that Annette would wake up. At that time, the woman shouted at him.
“Your Majesty, you dare enter the room where a woman is staying!”
“I thought nothing of it because the Empress was here…”
At Lucius’s inadvertently muttered words, Annette, who came to her senses, fell to one knee on the floor with a thud.
“Annette Hayworth, Princess of Hayworth, meets His Majesty the Emperor and Empress of the Arkhan Empire.”
Annette, who hastily greeted him politely, distorted her face. Her knees and wrists throbbed and ached as they touched the marble floor, but that wasn’t the cause of the pain. It was because she realized later that she was polite like a knight, not a princess. Annette had learned all the etiquette by eyeballing her, except for a few things Sarah had taught her a long time ago, so he was not very confident in etiquette, and even old habits came out of her.
“Oh my god, stand up!”
Empress Charlotte saw this and screamed in surprise. It was when Annette, who thought she was criticizing her, lamented her foolishness and chewed the delicate flesh inside her cheek.
“No matter how serious the condition was, it’s okay to wear that body.”
“…yes?”
While she blinked at her unexpectedly kind words, Charlotte grabbed Annette’s arm with her careful hands, as if handling her glass, and lifted her up. Annette was so embarrassed that she didn’t know what expression to make for a moment. The warmth of his body was so unfamiliar. Someone’s touch without hesitation, too.
“This is all because of Your Majesty.”
“I am truly sorry.”
Lucius quickly apologized to his wife. His speech was as polite as his neat features. Annette was even more surprised because the emperor of the empire did not know how to use honorifics toward her. Moreover, instead of looking directly at Annette, he was looking at her wall with her body half-turned. Tilting her head, Annette recalled Charlotte’s words and looked down at her quickly getting dressed. She was wearing an off-white one-piece nightgown that covered her ankles, but the outline of her body was barely visible, perhaps due to the slightly large size of her clothes. Moreover, she didn’t know why, but she turned into a child and had nothing to be ashamed of. But Lucius continued to make excuses and apologize as if he had made a really big mistake.
“I heard that the imperial court doctor would definitely not come to his senses until evening… No, even so, it is wrong to come in without permission. I’m sorry, princess.”
And he added something strange.
“This is Cardin, that guy… So, I hope you keep it a secret from Grand Duke Harzent.”
“What?”
“If I knew, I would definitely emit light…”
“Your majesty.”
Charlotte urgently cut off Lucius’ words and whispered to Annette, squinting her eyes.
“Keep this a secret too.”
Annette, who nodded her head absentmindedly, swallowed her saliva.
“Well, but…”
‘Don’t you two, your majesties, see me as a child?’
Annette was trying to ask if the Emperor and Empress’s polite attitude made them look like this to her own eyes, but she interrupted his words. Her mind may have been blurred by the blood of the demon beast, and she may be subject to hallucinations, because he suddenly had the thought that he might be treated as a crazy person if he said something unnecessary. She was more worried about problems with the alliance than about her own condition. Fortunately, the two people had no clue what Annette was trying to say.
‘So, is it possible to suddenly turn into a child?’
It was at this point that she guessed that Annette might be hallucinating as an extension of a dream she had had a while ago.
“By the way, it really was Lord Hayworth. I was skeptical when I saw her hair color, but no one could tell that she was a child…”
“…!”
Annette opened her eyes wide at Charlotte’s words. Among the Hayworth royal family, she was the only knight, so it was clear that ‘Lord Hayworth’ was referring to Annette herself.
‘But to be called a child!’
When I looked at him in shock, Charlotte smiled and asked.
“Can you explain what happened?”
* * *
“You can come this way, princess.”
Annette nodded and moved to follow the maids that Charlotte had given her. She couldn’t be washed without consent, so she hurriedly wiped away at least the blood of the demon beast, but since she would feel uncomfortable with dirt and other things, she had just agreed to the Empress’s words to wash first and then talk carefully again. Annette followed the maids into the bathroom and her eyes widened when she saw the steamy bathtub.
‘Warm water!’
Even after becoming the head of the Royal Knights, the condition of the villa where Annette lived did not improve. She was not very dissatisfied with the number of days she stayed in the palace to subdue demonic beasts, but there was one thing. Even Annette, who was not picky, wanted to experience washing her body by soaking in warm water. Even in the middle of winter, it was quite painful for her to jump into a frozen lake in the middle of the night to avoid the eyes of her subordinates.
“Then I will help you take a bath.”
Annette took a step back when she saw the maids who poured perfume into the bathtub and made bubbles to help her take off her clothes.
“It’s okay.”
“But…”
“I can do it alone.”
As a child, Annette had never had a bather, except when she had a nanny. The maids were worried when they heard that she was comfortable being alone, but since she had been informed of her true identity in advance, they had to follow her firm words in the end. As soon as the maids left the bathroom, Annette jumped into the bathtub. Was it because her body became that of a child? Somehow she felt like she was acting younger, but she stopped thinking because of the fluffy bubbles and the temperature of the water that made her feel tired. But the peaceful time was short-lived. As she hurriedly washed her body and came out, thinking that the emperor and his wife were waiting for her, she was met with a tremendous hardship.
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Translator Note:
Hello there! This is RJR. I hope you liked it <3
If you like my work please support me with Ko-fi or Patreon. Next post will be released on May, 15.
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