“Grandfather!”
As soon as Asha burst through the door, the chamberlain quietly ushered people out. Asha, who came in confidently, quickly took a deep breath and exchanged nods with them. Carrying documents, the individuals nodded gently to Asha with soft expressions before leaving the emperor’s office. Watching their retreating figures, Asha sighed in frustration.
“Oh my. Why did they hang the blue bell? There were people here.”
“It’s not urgent. What’s the matter that made you rush here again?”
“Still, if there are people, they should just hang the red bell…”
Having arrived at the emperor’s office only to find people present, and having turned away several times before, Asha made a simple agreement with the emperor. When busy, a red bell would hang outside the office; when not, or when there were no guests, a blue bell would hang.
But Asha had never seen the red bell before.
<Haha. The little peach is making unreasonable requests of the old peach tree.>
<Huh. Our kid wants to see him that badly, so I’ll let him see her for a bit.>
The chick, sitting on Asha’s shoulder, snapped as it flew toward the best seat by the window of the office. The breeze blew in, gently ruffling Asha’s hair.
“So, what brings you rushing in again?”
Mikhail’s tone sounded like he wanted to hear the business first, the golden hues of his fingertips, arranging documents and handing them to the chamberlain, shimmering with an amethyst glow. Mikhail questioned again before Asha had said anything.
“You went out and came back. Did something happen outside? Did somebody…”
“No, nothing happened! I went with Karnov. Any issues happened after we got back to the palace.”
“What kind of issue could possibly arise inside the palace?”
Mikhail relaxed his shoulders. Asha put her hand on her waist and sighed.
“I heard I was having a birthday party all of a sudden.”
“So? What’s wrong with that? I thought something serious had happened, but you rushed here to say that?”
“You said you’d also invite the Kirelete Kingdom!”
“Is it a neighboring country? If we’re throwing a grand party, it’s only proper to extend an invitation.”
Asha opened her mouth. The Kingdom of Kirelete was located in the southern part of the empire. The last time she had seen an envoy from that country was at Alexei’s coming-of-age ceremony several years ago.
“Why are you suddenly making it so grand?”
Since she came to the palace at the age of ten, she had always had birthday parties, but it was always with a small cake made by Asha, a simple occasion for family and friends. The emperor folded his arms.
“They didn’t even know how old you were in that magazine.”
“What?”
Suddenly, there was a gust of wind in the office. It was the sound of Shamal’s loud laughter. Startled, Phoebe fluttered up, scolding Shamal before nodding off again. Asha, trying to straighten her disheveled hair, asked cautiously.
“Maga… Magazine? What are you talking about?”
“Those arrogant kids don’t seem to know your age. Your birthday hasn’t passed yet, but they called you seventeen years old!”
Asha noticed that the emperor was referring to an article in the now-defunct <Weekly Vichegda>.
“So…?”
“Since they seem to be unaware of your age, it’s time to set the record straight.”
“But that magazine is now defun… defunct!”
“Didn’t you plan to sell it to Baroness Saratov and bring it back as a novel serialization magazine, and keep it a secret from me?”
“Since the reporters said it wasn’t an article that they wanted to write… The owner was that kind of person, so there was no choice.”
“So, how old are you?”
“Yes?”
“How old are you?”
“Teen*…”
[TN & EN: It uses 열, which is 10, then she trails off before saying the number after – it doesn’t really translate as in English we would say the six or seven of sixteen/seventeen first.]
“Your birthday hasn’t passed yet, so you’re sixteen. Whatever.”
So, to let the world know exactly how old Asha was, he planned to throw a grand ‘seventeenth birthday party.’ Asha opened her mouth.
“Grandfather!”
“I know I’m your grandfather even if you don’t call me that. Why do you dislike it so much?”
“Just because I was born into this world, do I have to endure so many people coming as if they’ve been anticipating my birth since their previous lives!”
“…Is that how you’ve been thinking of my birthday parties?”
“Alyosha’s birthday parties, too.”
The emperor sighed deeply at Asha’s remark. In the meantime, Shamal, who burst into laughter, swept away Asha’s hair and whispered so that it could only be heard by her.
<Don’t be too cold-hearted. The old oak tree wants to show off its cutest acorn.>
“Shamal, what nonsense are you talking about there?”
Shamal raised his voice this time, causing everyone to hear.
<I’m helping you. When have you taken a single step without my help?>
Asha pursed her lips. She couldn’t be too stern when she heard these kinds of things.
“I… I just don’t want it to be too… too flashy. Got it?”
“Hmm.”
There was a slight movement in Mikhail’s lips. It was a sign that he wouldn’t express his good mood too much. Asha pretended not to notice the almost cartoonish display of lights spreading behind Mikhail’s back and repeated her words.
“Just keep it moderate.”
“Moderate. Good. That’s a word this body really likes.”
“People always seek what they don’t have…”
Mikhail pretended not to hear Asha’s words. In the end, Asha could only shrug her shoulders and smile.
━━━✦❘༻༺❘✦━━━
“Princess, what’s all this?”
Baroness Saratov asked in surprise as she entered with documents in her arms. Asha, who was carefully examining dress designs with her arms crossed, looked up.
“Oh, Olga. You’re here? I’m choosing a dress for the birthday party this time. I’m debating where to use this fabric.”
Upon hearing that, Baroness Saratov also looked at the dress designs with a serious expression before speaking.
“His Highness the Crown Prince came up with a farmers’ social security system this time, right?”
“Yeah. It’s to provide living allowances in case of natural disasters or accidents affecting the harvest. And also to fast-track the deployment of fire marshals directly under the royal household.”
“I heard Count Dharannez pledged support funds for this policy.”
Since other nobles were strongly opposed to the proposal, Asha was aware of this fact as well.
“Olga pledged support too, didn’t she?”
Asha glanced at Baroness Saratov with a nonchalant gaze. Baroness Saratov often contributed to Alexei’s policies just to gain favor with Asha. Baroness Saratov quickly waved her hand at that gaze.
“My case is different. You could say it’s like a tribute.”
“If it’s a tribute, it should be given to the temple.”
“It’s like a tribute of my heart. Surprisingly, it brings peace to my mind and things tend to work out well.”
“You have a way with words.”
“You’re talking about looking in the mirror, right?”
“You really have a way with words!”
Asha burst into laughter, then neatly arranged the various dress designs, leaving only a few with Dharannez silk designs.
“This area has always been famous for its silk production. I’m very excited about Your Highness’s dress this time.”
“It seems like Joel will do his best. But Olga, I was surprised you came so suddenly. What’s the matter?”
“Well… I have something to ask you as part of my regular report. Did you happen to visit Cafe Grindel recently when you went out?”
“Uh? Uh-huh.”
When Asha looked embarrassed, Olga’s expression turned worried.
“The owner of Cafe Grindel said he was looking for the Asha Byshovets that had booked at the time… May I ask what happened?”
“Huh? No… Nothing really happened. It’s just that it’s a big cafe, so making the cake is also a big task… We only talked about that a little bit.”
“Your Highness must have told him something else.”
“I didn’t tell him anything, I just… talked a little. Did he seem upset to you?”
“Does he feel bad? No, somehow he looked like he was seeing a talking spirit and was searching for it. Well, I’ll sort this out accordingly.”
Baroness Saratov responded with a tone that implied she knew what she was talking about, quickly finishing her notes and letting out a sigh.
“You should have received a consultation fee.”
“Haha. What kind of consultation fee… I just talked about it. He seems like someone who puts a lot of effort into making cakes.”
“Well, he has to put in effort. That’s all he cares about. His idea of cultural activities is at best buying a few famous posters.”
“Do you know him well?”
As Asha turned around, Baroness Saratov nodded with an expression that said it was obvious.
“He’s one of my big buyers of chocolate. I looked into it in advance. If it’s about to fail, I should quickly look to another client.”
After saying that, Baroness Saratov selected a few reports from the folder she brought and handed them to Asha. It was the profit report for the last quarter.
“By the way, it seems like His Highness is really planning to throw a grand party this time… What’s wrong with your expression?”
“No. I think my grandfather is really pursuing things that don’t exist… Olga, are you going too?”
“It would be an honor for the family to be invited.”
“Then come and enjoy some delicious food.”
Baroness Saratov’s eyes sparkled as Asha said with a bashful smile.
“Will Your Highness make it?”
“I thought about it, but my kitchen is under renovation. It might be tough this time.”
“Ah! You’ve grown a little this time.”
“Wasn’t it okay to not say ‘a little’?”
Baroness Saratov chuckled heartily and replied.
“The chefs must feel quite burdened.”
“It’s not like I scolded them…”
“They graduated from the Vichegda Magisterium Academy. When professors stare at your answer sheets, it puts pressure on you even if they don’t say anything. Since you’re a spirit, you might not know, Your Highness.”
With that, after receiving Asha’s glare, Baroness Saratov left the room, only saying she would wait for the invitation to the reception.
