The Villainess’ Kindergarten

“Sister-in-law!!”

Five children were waving their hands at me, sticking their faces into the small crystal ball.

All five of them looked healthy, without any problems.

“Good morning.”

The children seemed to have a lot to say at my words, so they all started talking about themselves without fail.

Sister-in-law, your dress is so pretty!”

“When are you coming?”

“I want to see you!!!”

I thought to myself as I watched the children talking so loudly that the crystal ball was about to break. They were not just healthy, they were full of energy.

I wondered if I should call this a blessing, but it was nice to see, but it was too much.

In the end, I pulled out my secret technique today as well.

“Everyone, let’s go!”

“Let’s go!”

The children became quiet at my words, and only then could I have a proper conversation with them.

“Thomas, one by one, speak.”

As soon as I finished speaking, Thomas shouted.

“When are you coming back?”

The children perked up their ears at Thomas’ question and looked at me with sparkling eyes.

I was grateful that the children were waiting for me, but also a little sorry.

I had to go back quickly.

“Today, there is a ceremony to be held. I will try to get back as quickly as possible.”

The children laughed brightly at my words and shouted.

“Wow! Sister-in-law, you are the best.”

“Come quickly, I miss you.”

My heart ached at the stronger reaction than I expected. I could feel through the crystal ball that the children were missing me a lot.

I nodded and smiled.

“I miss you too.”

While I was talking to the children, there was a knock.

When I opened the door, Baridas, dressed more than usual, came into the room. For some reason, he seemed to be more energetic today, and it was no wonder that he was putting his hair up.

Lima, who was the most concerned about the external appearance of the children, screamed as soon as he saw him through the crystal ball.

“Wow, big brother. Why are you so handsome!! Was it because you usually had your hair down like a dog poop but now you look so handsome?”

I held back a laugh at Lima’s comment that it was a dog poop.

I thought that Lima would get along better with Lilian than Ren. However, Baridas seemed to be shocked by the comment that it was a dog poop.

Yesterday, I gave him some strength because of that brat.

He didn’t really need to dress up and there was no reason to. That’s why I didn’t really do anything to his hair.

Was my hair that serious?

The reason I said that was because Lima really liked her hair down, but Baridas, who didn’t know that fact, was worried about his appearance for the first time in his life.

“It suits you well.”

It wasn’t an empty remark.

To Lima’s admiration, Baridas’s hair down suited him well.

I smiled, thinking that the rough impression definitely suited the bare head better than the covered one.

I used to smile when I saw something pretty.

“I guess I should do this often from now on.”

“No, always do it!!!”

Lima shouted after hearing his words, and I burst out laughing at her words that seemed sincere.

“I guess Lima really liked that haircut.”

At my words, Baridas pursed his lips as if he was going to say something.

“What about you…”

At that moment, the bell rang to signal one o’clock. Baridas pressed his lips together and stood up.

“Let’s go now.”

The children looked regretful at his words. However, their expressions immediately brightened at Baridas’s words that followed.

“I’ll be back as quickly as possible, so don’t get hurt.”

The children smiled brightly at his words and answered yes with one voice. As expected, Baridas seemed to be the best for the kids.

Today, feeling defeated by Baridas, I held his hand and went outside.

The emperor prepared a carriage for us again, and it was even more magnificent than before.

It was so much that it was burdensome to even ride it.

The investiture ceremony was supposed to be held at the Raimon Palace, but how far must it be?

It was a moment when I realized the size of the palace.

The Raimon Palace, which I arrived at after riding the carriage for about twenty minutes, was the most magnificent palace I had ever seen. Even the Palace of Versailles in France, famous for its grandeur, could not compare to this.

In front of the Raimon Palace stood a large lion statue symbolizing the imperial family. The lion was made of gold, and blue jewels sparkled where the eyes should be.

That must be gold-plated, right?

If it were all real gold, I could probably live off of just one lion claw for the rest of my life. Even if it was just a novel, this level of luxury was truly extraordinary.

As we entered the palace, most of the nobles had already arrived and were sitting.

As expected of a place where the class system was alive, the seats were prepared in order of rank.

Lilian was sitting in the place where the succession ceremony was taking place, and since she was across from me, most of the nobles were looking at her. However, she seemed to not care about people’s gazes, and with a bored expression, she stroked her hair.

When our eyes met, she smiled brightly and waved at me.

Then the other nobles’ eyes turned to me, and I froze in a moment of burden.

‘No, I appreciate you greeting me, but don’t greet me here!’

At that moment, the emperor, empress, and Rayan came in with the sound of a trumpet. Only then did I sigh in relief at the gazes turning away from me and turned my gaze to them.

Rayan had a serious expression on his face that was completely different from his usual self.

I thought it was fortunate that he had calmed down, and I cheered him on in my heart.

With their appearance, the orchestra began to play, and the curtain in the middle was lifted, revealing a stained glass window in the shape of a lion.

Then the empress sat down on the chair prepared next to Lilian, and the Pope, with a kind expression, walked in slowly, holding a crown.

When the emperor accepted the crown from him, Rayan knelt in front of him.

The sunlight coming through the stained glass illuminated them, and the singing that could be heard felt magnificent.

Inside, the emperor crowned Rayan, and he closed his eyes and accepted the crown.

Really, if I go back to my previous life, I think I won’t have to watch 18th century European movies for the rest of my life.

I exclaimed in admiration as I thought that.

The moment Rayan put on the crown and stood up from his seat, one of the priests who had been waiting shouted.

“I hereby declare that the First Prince of the Empire, Rayan Denfera de Crescent, has officially become the Crown Prince!”

At the same time, a loud applause filled the city, and I also clapped and thought,

The power of the emperor and the imperial family in this world is truly great.

After that, a few more speeches followed, and the trumpet sounded to announce the end of the investiture ceremony and the start of the banquet.

From now on, a banquet would be held in the capital for three days and nights, and the commoners would be served alcohol and meat. Of course, Baridas and I had no intention of attending.

No matter how much I thought about it, a noisy banquet didn’t seem to suit me. With that in mind, I sneaked out of the Raimon Palace with Baridas.

There were three carriages prepared in front of the Raimon Palace, all of which had the seal of the Child family engraved on them. But why are there three carriages prepared?

At the moment I tilted my head, Baridas opened his mouth.

“The preparations are complete, and we have obtained permission. Let’s go back right away.”

Did he mean to go back this quickly?

It’s not bad at all, it’s the best.

Oh, but what should I do with the gifts?

I thought it would be difficult to choose gifts in the capital with this many people right now.

I would just buy them next time.

As I thought that and grabbed Baridas’ hand, I heard a voice from behind.

“Princess!”

It was Afile calling me.

When I looked back, not only Afile, but also the imperial family was running towards us. Wa-was it okay for them to come out like this?

When I looked around, there was no one at the palace entrance except for a few knights, probably because the banquet had started. Was this the dark under the lamp?

“No, didn’t they say we’d go this quickly?”

Baridas responded to the emperor’s words with a calm voice.

“I told you I’d go back right away.”

“But you should give me time to say bye.”

At that moment, Afile approached me and handed me a small box.

I hesitated to accept it because of the box’s visual that looked expensive at first glance, and Afile opened her mouth.

“Thank you for playing with the kids and solving my problems. This is a thank you for that, so please don’t refuse.”

No, how could I refuse when you say something like that?

“I will gratefully accept it.”

A bright smile spread across Afile’s face at my words.

She hugged me and said.

“If you had lived in the capital, I think we would have been really good friends. Be careful on your way back, Princess.”

I actually liked her too. She was the first woman my age that I had met since I came here. But there was nothing I could do. She was the empress, and I had to protect Baridas and the kids.

I smiled and hugged her.

“I will contact you often.”

After I finished greeting her like that, Lilian and Rayan approached me.

Lilian held out a bouquet of blue roses to me, sobbing.

“Goodbye, I won’t forget that you invited me. I’ll be visiting the duke’s house, so wait for me.”

I smiled at her cute words and patted her head.

“Please come visit.”

It was only a short time, about two weeks, but the children seemed to have shown a lot of affection for me during that time.

I felt sorry that I couldn’t stay with them longer. When I turned my gaze to Rayan, he was looking at me with an expression that looked like he was about to cry at any moment.

“I will definitely be a good emperor. I will become a good emperor and be like the princess…”

However, Rayan hesitated for a moment, unable to continue speaking.

And then his fists tightened.

“I will make the country bigger and richer.”

Rayan opened his mouth, clenching his fist.

It was a small, innocent love of a young boy who was just starting to grow up.

Not knowing his feelings, I was amazed at the mature Rayan and just patted his head.

Baridas refused Achilles’ request to go a little later and got on the carriage, and I also held his hand.

After saying goodbye, the carriage departed. I felt a little bitter as I looked out the window at the palace moving away.

It was fun to be with the children, but I also wished I had a friend here who I could talk to.

When I opened the box that Afile gave me, there were five small rings and a necklace. Wasn’t that usually one ring and one necklace?

The moment I tilted my head, a letter fell out of the box.

When I opened the letter, the pretty handwriting caught my eye.

It was a new product made by Matap, and it was a set of a ring and a necklace. If a strong impact is transmitted to the ring or it breaks, it is transmitted to the necklace. It is usually used by lovers, but it seems to be popular with nobles with children. I think you would cherish the Duke’s younger siblings, so I am giving it to you as a gift.

It was a simple design that even Thomas, who practices swordsmanship, could wear without any problems, and yet it felt elegant and beautiful.

This was the best gift that made me feel Afile’s sense.

I thanked Afile inwardly.

 

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