Episode 3
The officials began murmuring among themselves. Some clicked their tongues in disapproval, as if dissatisfied with the attempt to divert the Emperor’s anger toward an unknown guard.
‘Is he doing this for me? Trying to protect someone he’s just met today?’
Etern was genuinely surprised.
This rookie guard, who barely even knew who she was, had made an instant decision to protect her.
A decision that might cost him his life.
‘This person… I thought he was just a hot-headed rookie, but maybe he’s better than I expected.’
It was rare to find someone who, in a life-threatening moment, would choose others over themselves.
Even more so within the palace, where everyone sought to look out only for themselves.
‘I can’t let him die. I’ll definitely need someone like him in the future.’
Etern inhaled sharply as she looked at Lance, who had his eyes tightly shut as if bracing for death.
“That’s not true!”
Her clear, sharp voice echoed through the silent audience chamber.
The murmuring officials went quiet, and the Emperor’s brows furrowed, dark as storm clouds.
“What do you mean by that?”
“This person didn’t do anything wrong. I just…”
The moment had come. Etern bit her dry lips.
She had never imagined herself saying this out loud…
“I just wanted to see… Daddy!”
She said it.
She actually said it!
‘Ugh, this is so cringeworthy! I can’t believe a day has come where I say something like this in front of Father!’
Although she had prepared herself for this, it was entirely different from when she practiced with Dora.
It was beyond awkward—it was chilling—but Etern forced herself not to show it.
Surely, no one in the world would dislike hearing their cute daughter call them ‘Daddy.’
… Probably?
‘Could he really coldly reject his young daughter trying to act cute? Well, with Father’s personality, it wouldn’t be surprising if he did…’
Taking a determined breath, Etern suddenly smiled.
At the moment Wintier flinched, Etern sent a thankful glance toward Lance and then ran toward her father with her arms wide open.
“Your Highness…!”
Lance gasped in shock, swallowing hard.
But Etern, who had already wrapped her arms around the Emperor’s knees, simply looked up at her father’s face with an innocent expression, as if she didn’t understand the situation at all.
‘What a shame for someone to go down in history as a mad tyrant with looks like this. Even if Mother only married him for his face, I wouldn’t blame her.’
His jet-black hair and dark eyes, the sharp corners of his intense gaze, and his firm, defined lips.
Combined with an aura that seemed perpetually steeped in melancholy and fury, it was an appearance unmatched across the continent.
In terms of looks alone, there was likely no one on the continent who could rival Emperor Wintier.
“… What are you doing?”
The Emperor’s calm yet heavy voice made the officials quickly shrink back and lower their heads.
But Etern, the one who caused the commotion, tilted her head with an innocent expression and blinked her large eyes as if she didn’t know anything.
“I wanted to see Daddy.”
Then, without hesitation, she formed a small circle with her fingers and placed it over her left eye.
— Wintier Sergel Rislumon
The Emperor, Age 31
1. These stupid salary thieves. One day, I’ll cut off all their heads.
2. [Expletive] If only I could throw it all away and just take a walk.
3. …….
‘What kind of terrible curses did he mutter that they can’t even show them? And why can’t I read all of his thoughts?’
As Etern removed her fingers, Wintier spoke with a cold, rigid expression.
“Leave. This is an important state affair. And you.”
The Emperor’s finger pointed at Lance, whose shoulders visibly flinched even from a distance.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Using my daughter to pull some kind of scheme? I’ll slowly hear what this is all about. Right now…”
“Daddy! I want to go for a walk with you!”
Etern shouted again, and Wintier looked down at her with a face unable to hide his disbelief.
It wasn’t the gaze one would give an eight-year-old daughter; it was the look one would give a con artist. But rather than being intimidated, Etern boldly stood her ground.
“The weather outside is amazing! I want to take a walk with you. Can’t we? Please?”
“Glych!”
Unable to hold back any longer, the Emperor bellowed, and Glych, his flustered secretary, rushed over.
“Y-Your Highness, the Emperor is currently handling a very important matter. Please don’t do this. You can—”
Etern, firmly clutching the Emperor’s robe, pouted her lips.
“You’re always saying you’re busy, and you never come to see Mom…”
In an instant, the atmosphere in the audience chamber turned as cold as the depths of hell.
Mentioning Empress Meikellen’s name carelessly in this palace was akin to saying, ‘I have extra necks—please chop a few off.’
Everyone assumed that, even as the princess, she would at least be slapped. That was when—
“If Mom were awake, she’d tell you to take a walk with me! So, let’s go for a walk. Please, Daddy. Ah… Father! Your Majesty!”
“Your Highness, please…!”
Glych, drenched in cold sweat, tried to forcibly separate Etern. But before he could, the Emperor raised a hand.
“That’s enough. Leave her be.”
Swallowing his dry throat, Glych released Etern and stepped back a few paces.
Looking down at his daughter, who was staring up at him with sparkling eyes, Wintier spoke with an exasperated tone.
“Who taught you to behave so disrespectfully?”
Etern tilted her head and answered in a bright voice.
“You did, Daddy!”
Without a moment’s hesitation, her response made one of the officials let out a sound resembling a hiccup.
The Emperor glared at the source of the noise as if ready to devour them, then coldly continued.
“I did not teach you to act so poorly.”
“Oh, but I take after you, Daddy. That’s why I’m stubborn and all.”
This time, three officials covered their mouths with their hands. One of them, trembling, even stuffed their fist into their mouth.
“Daddy, working all the time must be exhausting. I think Mom would love to see you taking a walk.”
Once again, the casual mention of ‘Mom’ caused Wintier’s eyebrow to twitch.
After a suffocating silence that weighed on everyone except Etern, the Emperor finally let out a heavy sigh.
“Fine. But not right now.”
“Then I’ll wait here!”
What a headache. Suppressing a groan, the Emperor turned his gaze behind him.
“Bring a chair for the princess to sit…”
“I want to sit on Daddy’s lap!”
At Etern’s outburst, the Emperor’s eyes widened in shock. His expression grew even more menacing, but Etern didn’t care.
‘This is so embarrassing!’
… At least, she tried not to care.
“Daddy’s lap is comfy.”
Caught off guard, Wintier let his daughter sit on his lap, his eyes narrowing in tension. Rarely unsure of himself, he eventually gave up trying to put her down and stared straight ahead with a sharp gaze.
“How long do you intend to loiter in front of me? Get out of my sight.”
This was directed at Lance. For someone who had been ready to lose his head just moments ago, this was an unexpected turn.
“I will withdraw, Your Majesty! Thank you for your grace!”
The officials, who hadn’t expected Lance to leave this place alive, looked like their eyes might pop out.
Then Etern spoke in a cheerful voice.
“Daddy, why is that lying on the floor over there?”
It was the report from the Ministry of Finance that the Emperor had angrily thrown before Etern entered.
‘Hmm, the taxes don’t add up. There’s a gap somewhere. Looks like someone’s been embezzling.’
Quickly scanning the scattered contents, Etern looked up at the Emperor.
“Oh, I know! Someone secretly took the palace’s piggy bank, didn’t they? Daddy, is that why you’re mad?”
The precise remark from the young princess made not only Wintier but also the chancellor in charge of the Ministry of Finance flinch and look at her.
Wintier’s piercing gaze turned to the chancellor.
“You heard her just now.”
The chancellor’s face turned ghostly pale.
“Find out who’s responsible for this. If you don’t, I’ll…”
“Daddy! Look at this! If you do this, it becomes a dog!”
Under the light of the chandelier, Etern interrupted Wintier, creating a shadow puppet with her hands.
“If someone did something bad, a big dog could bite them, right?”
