My Fiance Keeps Trying To Raise Me

“Really I…”

She tried to stay calm, but her voice was clearly trembling, so her words became blurred.

After a while, a command was given to raise her head, and Annette slowly raised her gaze.

The Empress Dowager sitting on the sofa looked so young that it was hard to believe she had a grown son and grandson.

She must have been five or six years older than the King of Hayworth, but she looked even younger than him.

‘Are the Alkhan royal family naturally this baby-faced?’

No, the Empress and Empress Dowager were not of direct lineage, so perhaps a youthful face was a prerequisite for royal family companions.

Annette, who had inadvertently wondered if she might also fit that requirement, shook her head inwardly.

‘I don’t look young, I’m just a kid.’

She was so nervous that all her thoughts were meaningless.

Meanwhile, the Empress Dowager, with her back straight and her light sky blue hair combed behind her without any mess, was examining Annette with cool, sharp eyes. The intimidating feeling that swept over her from head to toe was so great that Annette swallowed her saliva and noticed the Empress Dowager’s eyebrows rising sharply.

As she quickly lowered my gaze without realizing it, a stinging gaze landed on her cheek.

“Ha, I’m really speechless.”

Finally, a voice of exasperation came out again.

Annette lowered her head and for some reason felt a chill in his chest.

Actually, she knew it too. This was not Bridget, who grew up beautifully in the royal palace, but the woman who rolled around with the knights while subduing magical beasts, and who was also called the seed of a magical beast, and the Empress Dowager wouldn’t like her as a mate for her precious son. There was no way.

But something happened that she couldn’t understand, so she couldn’t help but feel even more undeserving.

When she first came to the empire, she took this kind of reaction for granted, but she guessed she expected it without even realizing it, as she was relieved by the friendly attitude of the Emperor and Empress.

It was a time when she took a deep breath, fearing that there would actually be talk of changing the bride.

“Does Cardin know too?”

“I contacted him right away, but they said the Grand Duke was out to subdue the demonic beasts. So, I wonder if the news was delivered…”

“Hmm.”

At Charlotte’s words, the Empress sighed and nodded her head.

Looking at that scene, Annette suddenly realized that her future fiancé, Grand Duke Hargent, was a very loved person.

‘Maybe it’s the Alkhan Imperial Family’s sore finger.’

Therefore, it was clear that the Emperor personally made the negotiations and arranged a marriage of convenience, taking the risk of losing out of fear that he might not be able to find a proper wife.

‘I guess that’s why he treated me so kindly.’

Because she was the one who would become the wife of Grand Duke Hargent.

For some reason, Annette felt a little envious of the Grand Duke, whose face she had never seen.

She lived by holding on to not only her parents, but also Franz, who was her only family. If it had not been for her, Franz would not have lost his mother or father’s favor. Maybe he would have become crown prince long ago. He’s not competing with his older brother to be twenty-seven…

“You will soon be part of the family, so you can talk comfortably.”

At that time, the Empress Dowager suddenly spoke.

Annette was surprised and said, “Yes, of course.” After answering, she made a puzzled expression.

The story itself was not surprising because the Empress Dowager did not need to treat her with respect, regardless of whether she was a princess or a Grand Duchess, but it sounded strange to describe her as ‘a person who will soon become part of the family’ so naturally.

Meanwhile, following the Empress Dowager’s gesture, the maids quickly set up everything from sweet desserts to antique teapots and teacups.

Annette was excited without even realizing it as she looked at the cutely decorated table. In fact, instead of eating dried beef jerky in the barracks built by her subordinates, she once thought that she would like to participate in tea time and enjoy tea and cookies leisurely like Bridget, or at least like an ordinary noble lady rather than a princess. Of course, she neatly gave up that thought as she saw the ladies running away after seeing her.

“Oh my, I don’t think some of them were made in the imperial palace?”

At that time, Charlotte, who was looking at the table, asked in a surprised voice.

She answered as the Empress cleared her throat.

“The Empress does not enjoy sweets, but she did not know what the new person’s taste would be, so she told me to prepare.”

“I see. It looked familiar because it was a product of a famous dessert restaurant in the capital.”

Charlotte laughed, saying that sometimes noble ladies who didn’t know her tastes gave her gifts.

Annette was amazed to see cookies studded with almonds, colorful macarons, custard cream filled with tarts, and fresh strawberries sparkling like jewels on top, but was surprised to hear the conversation between the two.

She naturally thought that the Empress Dowager would disapprove of her, but seeing that she had prepared her desserts so separately made her think that she might not dislike her so much. Of course, it was a thought without any basis, but Annette relaxed a little without realizing it.

Then suddenly she felt hungry and her appetite arose.

In fact, she had not been able to eat lunch properly because she suddenly felt sick when she heard the Empress Dowager’s message to have tea time in the afternoon. Moreover, she had no experience attending such events, let alone her speaking skills, so she was not confident in how she could lead the conversation skillfully.

‘Don’t ruin the mood by opening your mouth, let’s eat instead.’

She clearly remembered Sarah telling her when she was young that adults liked children who ate well. She didn’t know if that applies to them too but…

Annette, who rationalized that it would be better than not eating the food she had prepared, looked at the dessert with brighter eyes than before.

Meanwhile, the maid began pouring the tea she had brought from her kettle into the tea cup. The scent of fruits and flowers spread throughout the surroundings.

Annette, who unconsciously had an ecstatic expression on her face, stopped when she saw the glass in front of her at the sound of clattering. She slowly blinked her eyes and looked at the teacups of the Empress opposite her and the Empress sitting next to her.

Unlike the two people’s glasses filled with clear crimson tea water, her own glass was filled with cloudy brown liquid with white bubbles bubbling up.

‘…Is it really bullying this time?’

When she was young, naughty maids sometimes mixed pebbles or dirt into her food.

‘There’s no way this color would come out unless it’s dirt…’

Annette, who instantly became sullen, was at a loss as she couldn’t tell whether this drink was simply the maid’s prank or the Empress Dowager’s order.

‘I want to move on quietly… Can I really drink this?’

It was a time when she was so worried.

“Your Majesty, no matter how young Lady Hayworth’s body has become, isn’t it true that her taste buds have also become childlike? She can only have hot chocolate herself.”

Annette lifted her head at Charlotte’s words.

Her heart, which had plummeted to the floor, began to flutter again.

“Is this hot chocolate?”

“Is this your first time seeing it?”

“Yes!”

Annette, knowing that she wasn’t just playing a prank on her drink, answered excitedly, but then paused. And she added awkwardly:

“Chocolate is not common in Hayworth…”

It wasn’t a lie. It was difficult to find chocolate in the Hayworth Kingdom, so it was considered a very luxurious item, and she heard that Bridget and Laon also had it imported from the empire and only ate it occasionally.

However, as a princess, she was embarrassed that she proudly revealed that she had seen this for the first time.

Of course, there were very few people in Hayworth who didn’t know what her situation was, and she tried not to worry about what others thought of her, but… Strangely enough, she didn’t want it to be revealed here.

“Then you don’t know yet whether it will suit her or not.”

Fortunately, the Empress Dowager did not think Annette’s added story was unusual. And she looked at Annette gently, as if telling her to hurry up and have a taste.

The Empress Dowager’s expression was still so hard that it seemed cold.

But Annette kept thinking that maybe she didn’t hate her that much, either.

‘If you look at the attention paid to this and that…’

“Greatness.”

Annette, who had inadvertently thought that the Empress might be kind to her, suddenly became embarrassed and quickly reached for her glass.

A sweet scent that she had not smelled before when she thought of mud in the water reached her nose. And gulp.

“…!”

Annette’s eyes widened as soon as she took a sip down her throat.

The ecstatically sweet taste filled her mouth and she couldn’t come to her senses. Feeling the utmost happiness, Annette held the glass tightly with both hands and emptied all of the hot chocolate in an instant.

And as she barely placed her glass, which had long since been empty, on the table and savored her appetite, she suddenly noticed the Empress Dowager’s gaze as she stared at her.

“Wow, it was really delicious! Thank you.”

Annette, who lowered her head as if she couldn’t just suddenly express her sentiments, slowly raised her gaze and said, “Oops.”

The Empress Dowager, who made eye contact with her, suddenly fanned her hand, and she suddenly asked:

“Aren’t the clothes uncomfortable?”

“…yes?”

“No, nothing.”

Annette tilted her head, but the Empress Dowager said nothing more.

Meanwhile, Charlotte held out one of the cookies.

“Since you drank hot chocolate, it would be better to eat a light cookie rather than cake or macaroons.”

“Okay!”

Annette, who was about to rush straight into the strawberry tart, admired her Empress’s advice and took the cookie from her and stuffed it into her mouth.

She felt the deep flavor of chewy almonds and savory butter. Then, without saying a word, the Empress Dowager pushed a bowl full of strawberry tarts in front of Annette. Although Annette was dumbfounded, she nodded again and gratefully picked up her fork.

As she ate as much food as the Empress Dowager and the Empress recommended, time passed quickly and she felt a little full.

“…!”

Annette belatedly discovered the table she had ruined and her upper abdomen noticeably protruding. She was embarrassed and quickly covered her teeth, but her dainty hands could not hide her bulging tadpole belly at all.

‘Oh, no!’

It was a moment when Annette’s eyes, who had decided to show her true self as a princess and future daughter-in-law, were stained with despair.

 

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Translator Note: