One Day, I Found the Emperor's Niece

This was Calix’s office. In the center of the office, there were smooth leather sofas that could accommodate three people, facing each other.

 

“…”

 

Gulp.

 

I swallowed dry saliva and stared at the emperor sitting across from me. He was leisurely crossing his thighs and draping his arms across the sofa, his eyes scanning me contemplatively as if inspecting the quality of the product. I lowered my eyes like a criminal, afraid to meet his blood-red eyes. What on earth did this guy named Ken say about me that makes you look at me like that?

 

“Damn it!”

 

I turned my head to the sudden call. Rubelin was sitting next to me, stomping with her feet crossing the marble. She rubbed her head against my shoulder with her flushed face, causing static electricity to build up in her hair and make her float up. I unconsciously combed her hair with my hands to tidy it up.

 

“Woe, princess…”

 

Then, a man standing behind Carlix was startled and approached Rubelin. It was a man with long green hair that reached his waist, and the monocle he wore made him look rational and cool-headed. The man who approached Rubelin took out black gloves from his arms and put them on. Rubelin watched the scene with a dissatisfied look on her face.

 

“Princess, I will straighten your hair. And it’s dangerous to be close to strangers-”

 

“Nah!”

 

Rubelin whipped her head around with her clumsy face. The man who was immediately turned away winced as his complexion turned pale. He looked down at his hands and returned to his original position with a gloomy mood. Carlix stared at the man pitifully and waved his hand.

 

“Yukkar.”

 

Then the man called Yukar immediately made a straight face and took out a document from his pocket. He started listing them one after another with an expressionless expression.

 

“Lucina Langfort. 21 years old. She is the daughter of Viscount de Langport, and she is in debt to a moneylender. No physical abnormalities. No criminal record. significant. Selling medicinal herbs.”

 

I blinked in confusion. Isn’t that my personal information? Carlix held her hand back, her eyes fixed on me, and Yukar handed her the document as if she had been waiting. Only then did Carlix take his eyes off me and glance through the documents. After some time, he handed over the documents to Yukar without any hesitation. The emotionless red eyes returned to me.

 

“Lucina Langfort.”

 

“Yes-yes!”

 

I suddenly came to my senses while observing the unfolding situation.

 

“Let me make a suggestion.”

 

Suggestion? I swallowed dry saliva.

 

“What do you suggest to me…”

 

Instead of answering, Carlix blinked his eyes lazily. How long has it been? His mouth, which had been closed tightly as if a heavy stone had been placed on it, opened.

 

“Do you have any plans to become the princess’s mother?”

 

I crumpled my face.

 

“Yes? Oh my god?”

 

“…The princess’s mother.”

 

“Yes? Are you crazy?!”

 

When I was startled, Carlix frowned. It seems like my denial, which I hoped was not the case, came across as a play on words. As proof of this, Yukar was staring at me coldly. I was devastated by the strange direction the situation was taking. It was absurd to be misunderstood as a kidnapper, but to suddenly become the mother of a princess. What happened? I looked around the office out of the corner of my eye, but I couldn’t see the person named Ken who had created this situation. This human! What on earth did you say to the emperor? I held back my rising anger and hesitated for a moment before answering.

 

“Your Majesty, how dare I ask the princess’s mother…”

 

“To be exact, she is a nanny and ‘educator’ who played the role of the princess’s mother.”

 

“‘Education Center’?”

 

“From generation to generation, the royal family’s tutors have been referred to as educators. If you will become an instructor until the princess gains free control of her supernatural powers, she will promise you a monthly stipend of 100 gold and a comfortable life for the rest of her life.”

 

A ship, a hundred gold? My debt is 80 gold? It was a number that made my heart beat violently. Let’s calm down for now. I tried to keep my composure, holding on to my fading mind.

 

“But Your Majesty, you are an educational officer. As you know, I have little learning. I don’t have the ability to be the princess’s educator.”

 

“After listening to the vice-captain’s story, it seems that Rubelin only opens her heart to you.”

 

Carlix gestured somewhere. As she followed his gaze, I saw that her soft-skinned hand was holding my hand tightly. No way… Are you doing this because you heard from Ken that the princess’s superpowers don’t work on me? Because you think I’m the reason Rubelin succeeded in controlling her superpowers? This is it. I sighed deeply. A monthly salary of 100 gold pieces and a comfortable life for the rest of your life. It’s good. It’s too much. However, when Rubelin becomes an adult, the world will be destroyed, and she will not have a comfortable life for the rest of her life. Considering Rubelin, I naturally want to help her, but not only am I not capable of twisting her original story, but I’m not good enough to sacrifice my finite life for the others. Moreover, ‘until you succeed in controlling your super strength’… I don’t know when I’ll succeed, but I can’t spend the rest of my life here. Cancer, yes. However, the moment I inadvertently made eye contact with Rubelin, my resolve was easily shaken. Rubelin was swallowing her drool as she looked at her cake on her table. When her eyes met mine, she smiled brightly.

 

“Damn! Eat your cake and eat it! What about your butt?”

 

“…I’m fine. Princess, please eat.”

 

“Huh!”

 

I stroked her head with mixed feelings. Rubelin, whose only wish was to pat her head, will be sad if I leave… Meanwhile, Rubelin reached for her fork, which was lying on her table. The moment she picks up her fork. 

 

Clink-! 

 

The fork broke in two and fell. Rubelin looked at her fork with her tears in her eyes and stretched out her bare hand for her cake. The moment the cute hand that had been holding my hand until the end touches the cake plate. 

 

Crunch-. 

 

A crack appeared in the center of the table and it shattered. The golden table and round glass plate were split in two, and the cake was soggy and unrecognizable.

 

“…”

 

Everyone except Carlix watched with their mouths open.

 

“Right…”

 

Rubelin blinked her eyes in a daze, then she cried. Tears began to well up in her eyes. Yukar approached her hurriedly and circled around her.

 

“Woe, princess, don’t cry. I will bring you a new cake right away.”

 

Despite Yukar’s comfort, Rubelin was trembling and hugged me, probably because she was sad that she couldn’t eat the cake as she wanted.

 

“Damn it!”

 

I was dazed even as Rubelin hugged me, her mind flashing. The thought of my waist being hugged by Rubelin being split in two like that golden table sent a shiver down her spine. huh. Also refused. No matter how pitiful Rubelin is, rejection is the only way for her to survive.

 

“Lucina Langfort. What is the answer?”

 

Her shoulders trembled at the sound of her cold voice. Carlix was tapping her fingers on her own knees. The faint sound felt like the second hand of a clock urging me to answer. It was as if I could refuse such a good offer. An arrogant and confident face that seems to say. I stuttered and opened my mouth with a white face.

 

“Your Majesty, the offer is an honor, but I think I can become the princess’s instructor-”

 

“First of all, what about temporary jobs? I’ll give you time to think if you want.”

 

Carlix cut her off as if he had expected it. I shook my head strongly.

 

“No, Your Majesty, I plan to refuse, so you don’t have to give me time to think about it-”

 

“Should we start with detention for kidnapping the royal family?”

 

“But if you give it to me, I will be grateful.”

 

…That villain maker. I gritted my teeth and glared timidly at Carlix. Canceling feeling sorry for your childhood, canceling. Carlix made eye contact with me and raised one eyebrow coolly.

 

“What are those impure eyes?”

 

I immediately closed my eyes.

 

“Oh, no.”

 

“Ha.”

 

For a moment, I thought I heard Carlix laughing, but I guess I was mistaken. I sighed heavily and shook my head furiously. It’s a temporary job. When it comes out so forcefully, how can I refuse it? It must have been about a minute since I started worrying.

 

“So are your worries over?”

 

Yes? Only a minute has passed? I opened my eyes wide and stared at Calix with a dumbfounded expression. Despite my attitude, Carlix shamelessly nodded his head. It was a face that asked what was the problem. At that moment, I felt the warmth of his hand on my thigh.

 

“What?”

 

When I looked up and followed the small hand wrapped around mine, there was Rubelin. Her eyes were red from crying until the end of the war.

 

“Hey, what’s wrong? Is it because of me that you can’t have cake?”

 

Rubelin frowned, her face concerned. Even though he couldn’t understand the situation, he must have guessed from my stern face that it was serious. Feeling Rubelin’s warm touch in the chilly space, she closed her eyes tightly. In front, the emperor is threatening, and next to him, the princess is worried. In my past life and in my current life, I was just a small citizen with a strong sense of responsibility, so how did it end up like this? Actually I didn’t do anything. All I could do was pick up the fallen Rubelin and take care of him. I never imagined that such a small favor would receive such great affection in return. One reason why Carlix makes such a suggestion is because I am the only person who can control Rubelin’s superpower. Another reason would be because Rubelin follows me. She vaguely thinks of me, the person who saved her, as her ‘mother’, but it is like an imprint. Like a duck that recognizes and follows the first living creature it sees as its mother, it follows the person who gave it affection as its mother. Perhaps the reason that only I can control my superpowers is because I recognize her as a precious ‘mother’. When Rubelin’s hand touched me for the first time, she had already been recognized as ‘mother’. Yes, that was the only reason that could be inferred. In that case, there is only one way for me to safely escape the imperial palace. She changed her perception of herself as a ‘mother’ and became unable to control her strength, resulting in her being deprived of her qualifications as an education officer. Confirming to the emperor that he was not the right person was the only way to escape the palace. As long as I hold a temporary job, I will receive a salary, so I will be able to pay off my debt. I looked for the best solution and smiled in remorse. And took a deep breath.

 

“Has there been a conclusion?”

 

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

 

I placed both hands on her navel and bowed my head in greeting.

 

“Thank you for the opportunity, I will do my best to take on the temporary position of nanny and education director.”

 

When I raised my head, I was met with cold red eyes that seemed to suck my soul out. 

Even though the situation was going the way he wanted, Carlix showed no signs of satisfaction. He just looked at me with a stranger expression than before. I’m guessing you didn’t read his intention to use a trick to escape. I awkwardly avoided my eyes and held Rubelin in my arms.

 

“Princess, please take care of me from now on.”

 

Rubelin rubbed her plump cheek against my chest. When I hugged him, he seemed to sense that something good had happened. I smiled faintly and tapped her cheek with my fingertips. I loved the feel of her soft cheeks. Rubelin’s face and her sloppy pussy while I was her temporary instructor, whatever. Like an awl, she tried to ignore the sharp gaze and decided not to think anything of it.

 

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Translator Note: