[The beautiful peach forest south of the Vichegda River!]
[The owner of that forest is making an appearance~!]
[Precious, beautiful!]
Asha tried to keep her expression as peaceful as possible, but she could not completely hide her shame. The healers were also biting their lips hard. The only people fully enjoying this moment were the young singer who was singing smoothly and the string quartet playing the music in sync with the lyrics.
Asha glanced at Arten, who was playing the harp to the lively beat, and then met eyes with Niki—the only son of opera singer Zoya, who had grown into a wonderful young singer like his mother—and quickly smiled awkwardly.
After that, Asha let the healers handle her body like a marionette on a string, while listening to the song about herself in real-time.
Niki sang the same song with slightly different lyrics two more times, then bowed with a flushed face and retreated with the orchestra.
The healers gulped down their dry saliva and opened their mouths.
“Hwa… There’s nothing wrong with the princess, however, the bruises on the wrists and ankles…”
“There are bruises on the ankles too?”
The Emperor, who had been watching the scene from his wing chair, suddenly stood up.
At that moment, a beam of light shot out from Asha’s indigo eyes towards the healers. The healers quickly said,
“Th-They are almost healed! Almost completely healed, but there are slight traces left.”
The emperor squinted at the healers and Asha and sat down slowly.
“…Hmm, is everything all right except that?”
“Yes, yes. She is as healthy as usual.”
The Emperor gestured, and the healers quickly retreated. The chamberlain brought out tea. Finally, Asha had the chance to speak.
But as she looked into the Emperor’s eyes, she couldn’t bring herself to say what she wanted to.
“Ni… Niki is at the palace.”
It was clear to anyone that she was avoiding the main topic. The Emperor, resting his chin on the armrest, said,
“Zoya Asmus’s son is also very talented in music, just like his mother. He is staying at the palace to practice for the upcoming Empire’s Protection Day event. I called him to sing for you as well.”
“Aha…”
Asha nodded. What else could she say?
Suddenly, she remembered Carno on the first day they returned to the capital. That day, Carno was immediately summoned by Alexei and returned with a face that looked like his soul had been drained. Since then, he had also been busy preparing for the Empire’s Protection Day event, and they hadn’t seen each other for a few days…
The Emperor was also silent. After a long silence, Asha quickly said,
“I’m really sorry! I tried to come back quickly!”
“…”
“But the world has been saved! The Noctis Elves are free. But they’ll be in the North for a while.”
The emperor still looked at her with a hardened expression in silence. Asha broke out in a cold sweat. The Emperor’s expression wasn’t just because she had returned late.
From Tarjei to Karnov, they had confessed everything about her dealings with the Noctis Elves at Uve Whison. In other words, he has heard of her bold behavior and the number of cases in which it went wrong.
Seeing the emperor waiting for her in front of the imperial palace on the day she returned to the capital, Asha thought it was like a bolt from the blue on a sunny late summer day.
“So, it’s all completely over now?”
<Yes, it’s over! Our child…! Even though she caused some worry! She worked hard, so why aren’t you giving her the birthday present quickly!>
“Some?”
The emperor furrowed his eyebrows and looked down at the shrunken Phoebe. Phoebe chirped bravely and defiantly.
<Hmph! If you were so worried, you should have come with us!>
At that moment, a soft breeze filled the room. It was Shamal. But instead of his usual quick transformation, blue, semi-transparent leaves floated like waves.
<The Great Spirit is tormenting my oak tree too much.>
<Who do you think made you so clear! Huh? It’s because our child worked so hard!>
Phoebe flew up and pecked at the leaves, but for every one she pecked, two more appeared. Asha quickly cupped Phoebe in her hands to stop her.
“…”
“…”
The Emperor finally sighed in defeat. Asha smiled brightly and approached the Emperor’s wing chair.
“It’s really over now. Really, there won’t be any more worries. It’s over. Right, Phoebe? Shamal?”
<Over? What if you go swimming and your boat capsizes…>
“Phoebe! Phoebe!”
Asha hurriedly wrapped her hands around Phoebe’s beak.
“…”
“…”
rubbed his temples as if he had a headache and looked at Asha with an expression that said he couldn’t do anything about her.
“A soon-to-be adult princess shouldn’t be so lacking in dignity.”
“Isn’t she too cute?”
“Yes. Adorably maddening.”
“…”
Asha, who did not expect this reaction, turned red to her neck and coughed in vain.
“So there’s nothing wrong?”
“No, Your Majesty the Emperor. I am fully recovered.”
Asha replied in a theatrical tone. Since the day she arrived in the capital, she had been visited by five healers, and every day for a week after that, a healer had come to check on her. There was no way she couldn’t be perfectly fine.
Yet, the Emperor wanted to confirm her well-being in front of him today as well.
“Then let’s go out.”
“What?”
Asha’s eyes widened. As the Emperor stood up and gestured, the chamberlain, who had been standing at a distance, quickly approached with a thin coat already prepared. A following attendant brought Asha’s coat as well.
Asha looked around, but no one gave her an answer. Shamal just gently smiled and stroked her hair.
━━━✦❘༻༺❘✦━━━
As the carriage rode along, Asha asked the Emperor many questions. Where are we going? Do you have time for this? The weather is nice… But the Emperor just looked at her without saying a word.
It was only when the carriage began to slow down that the Emperor finally spoke.
“Originally, the children of the Emperor are granted the title of Grand Duke. Did you know that?”
Asha rolled her eyes. After Yuriev left the Emperor in his youth, refusing to accept anything from him, the princes were only granted the title of Marquis. Maxim was granted the title of Marquis of Serenetev, and Valery was granted the title of Marquis of Shapiroqin. After that, no one discussed the titles of the princes or grandchildren.
“But none of my uncles have received… anything yet?”
“That’s right. Is it reasonable to receive the title of Grand Duke just because they are my blood, without having achieved anything?”
Asha just swallowed. She couldn’t agree or disagree; it wasn’t entirely wrong. The Emperor continued, sitting upright.
“But Alexei said it is right to reward those who have merit.”
Asha couldn’t figure out what the Emperor was trying to say and just tilted her head. The Emperor seemed to be in a very good mood…
At that moment, the fresh scent of damp earth, the slight smell of rapidly growing leaves, and the sweet aroma of ripening fruits all rushed in from outside the carriage.
As the carriage slowly came to a stop, a few accompanying knights opened the door. It was a not-so-high hill. Below the hill, a dense forest of peach trees stretched out as far as the eye could see.
“This place is…”
“Outside the capital, south of the Vichegda River. You can’t see it from here, but the river flows above.”
At the Emperor’s words, Asha just blinked, looking back and forth between the peach forest below and the Emperor. The Emperor smiled.
“You usually see through people’s hearts, but you still don’t understand? I’m saying I’m giving you that forest. It’s a belated birthday present.”
Asha just opened and closed her mouth, pointing at the forest below.
“The whole forest? For me?”
“All of it.”
“Um… How long have you been preparing this?”
A forest isn’t something that can be created overnight, is it? It didn’t seem so…
“A few years. It takes time for peach trees to bear fruit.”
“Grandfather…”
Asha suddenly remembered the song she heard when she left the capital and when she returned.
– The beautiful peach forest south of the Vichegda River… The owner of that forest is making an appearance…
The Emperor looked at her as if to say, “You finally understand,” and slowly scanned the not-so-large peach forest from left to right.
“I didn’t expect you to be this late. Fortunately, the fruits are still delicious.”
“Grandfather…”
“And the name of that place is Pesheranskaya Peach Orchard.”
As Asha rolled the name around in her mouth, the Emperor turned to look at her.
“From now on, you are the Grand Duchess of Pesheranskaya.”
“Yes?”
Asha opened her eyes wide. The conversation about the title of Grand Duke in the carriage had been leading to this.
“Since you have achieved something, it is only right that you receive a fitting reward… But I thought you wouldn’t be pleased even if I granted you a large estate.”
Asha tried to say something, but the Emperor shook his head sternly.
“Didn’t you say you were going to save the world? Was that a lie?”
“That was true, but…”
“Since you saved it, you deserve a reward. People will accept it. Didn’t you bring back the eternal peace treaty with the Nox Elves? Grand Duchess Pesheranskaya.”
At the Emperor’s playful words, Asha blushed and touched her cheek.
“Take good care of your estate from now on.”
Looking down from above, it was a small peach forest that could fit comfortably within one’s arms. Despite saving the world, the place named and given to her as an estate was no more than a large garden. There was a reason for this.
He had hoped that his granddaughter would never know the responsibility he had carried on his back and shoulders for the empire and its people all his life. He wished that her responsibilities would be as simple as worrying about flowers wilting early.
The Emperor wondered why his granddaughter always seemed to understand everything, even though his unexpressed feelings would surely not reach her.
Receiving a small piece of land without a single gold mine, she could have been angry, but there was no sign of that on his granddaughter’s face. Instead, she tugged at his arm, eager to go down to the forest.
The peach forest was not just a place with trees planted; there was a stone path running through the center of the forest, and near a small spring deep within the forest, there were chairs and a small table set up.
As she happily clapped her hands and looked around the beautifully arranged place, his granddaughter, who was about to turn twenty, reached up and picked a ripe peach, handing it to him. She was as innocent as the day they first met when she was ten, or perhaps even more so.
The sunlight filtering through the peach leaves shimmered beautifully on her face, adorning her smile like a jewel. He realized how much the girl had been a pillar of support for them with her strong heart.
“Grandfather! This peach smells amazing!”
Seeing her smiling face with her eyes crinkled, he finally felt that everything was complete. The wind that had been blowing through the entire peach forest finally reached him and whispered.
<If you hadn’t made her smile, you would have greatly regretted it now, wouldn’t you?>
The Emperor closed his eyes and smiled faintly.
Thank you for the update, just in time for Christmas!