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~Chapter 3~
Annie softly brushed the princess’s thick, wavy pink hair with a large comb.
Her skin was so white it looked almost transparent, her eyes were big and round, her mysterious eyes were a mix of pale blue and purple, and her lips were plump and rosy.
The mirror reflected Princess Dahlia, as beautiful and lovely as a fairy in the forest.
For the first time in a while, the princess’s eyes were sparkling with life instead of worry.
Making her go out for a walk with the excuse about mold, and inviting Princess Rose to the palace, really was the right decision.
“Princess, why did you suddenly ask me to help you get dressed up?” Annie asked with her orange eyes full of curiosity.
“Annie, who in the empire is still single and has the name Grey?” Dahlia asked instead of answering.
“There’s only His Majesty the Emperor of the Ruu Sephon Empire.”
“There’s nobody else besides him?”
“No. But why do you ask?”
“The Emperor of the Ruu Sephon Empire must get married.”
Dahlia looked determined.
“Princess, are you saying you want to marry His Majesty the Emperor?” Annie stopped brushing and stared at Dahlia’s face in the mirror with wide eyes.
“What? Why would I do that?” Dahlia answered, surprised.
“You just said the Emperor should get married.”
“Yes, but not to me. The Emperor must get married!”
“Why are you worried about whether or not he gets married?”
“If not me, then who else is supposed to worry about it?”
“I think it’s the citizens of the Empire who should worry,” Annie replied honestly.
But Dahlia pretended not to hear her and repeated to herself, like a promise:
“I will make sure His Majesty the Emperor gets married as soon as possible!”
“Ah, yes…” Annie thought to herself that her lovely princess was sometimes odd—no, often odd. Maybe it was because she grew up meeting so few people and staying in the palace. Is my princess’s social life really okay like this? she wondered silently as she kept brushing.
“So make my hairstyle look more charismatic and smart, like people would trust every word I say.”
“There’s no such hairstyle,” Annie said, shaking her head.
“Why are you giving up before you even start? If you don’t give up, you’ll always find a way!”
Annie just nodded silently and focused on her work, deciding not to say anything more.
Dahlia walked to the king’s office, looking at the portraits on the wall.
On the left wall covered with red carpet were portraits of past kings, and on the right, portraits of past queens.
She stopped in front of the portrait at the very end.
Unlike the others, this painting showed both the king and queen sitting together.
‘Father. Mother.’
She hadn’t visited the main palace in a long time, so it had been a while since she saw their faces.
Her father was heartbroken after her mother’s sudden death and soon died from illness, leaving a will to have their portrait painted together.
Dahlia’s eyes rested on her mother’s face.
She felt like she could hear her mother’s words again, softly echoing in her mind:
“Dahlia. This is a secret, but the power you have is a blessing from God.”
Dahlia looked at the portrait and quietly moved her lips.
“Mother, that was a lie. I couldn’t protect you. But this time is different. This time, I will protect everyone.”
Dahlia made her vow to the portrait, then slowly walked away.
When Dahlia reached the king’s office, she saw the head servant waiting at the door.
“Princess Dahlia, it’s been a long time.”
He greeted her with a warm smile. The head servant looked kinder every time she saw him.
“It’s been a while, head servant. Are you healthy?”
“Yes, I’m always healthy. Please wait here. I’ll tell His Majesty right away.”
“Okay, please do.”
The head servant politely knocked on the door.
Hearing the knock, King Kain turned toward the door in the middle of talking with the foreign minister.
The heavy door quietly opened, and both the head servant and his younger sister Dahlia came into view.
Kain glanced at them and accidentally dropped his pen.
A cold breeze seemed to blow in his chest.
…Just like that day.
Knock, knock, knock.
A long time ago, Kain finished getting ready for bed when someone suddenly knocked on his door.
He looked down to see his young sister Dahlia in her blue pajamas, her face pale, standing at the door.
“Dahlia?”
Dahlia rushed inside, slammed the door shut, and leaned her back against it like she was trying to block it.
“What are you doing here so late? Did you sneak to the main palace without telling Mother again?”
He asked gently, but Dahlia shook her head, clearly scared.
“Dahlia?”
Seeing something was wrong, he called her carefully.
Dahlia slowly opened her tightly closed eyes, full of fear.
“O… Onii-sama (Big Brother)…”
“Yes, tell me. Did you have a scary dream?”
“Please… don’t let the head servant come.”
“What?”
“Please don’t let the head servant open this door.”
Tears filled Dahlia’s big eyes and fell onto the carpet.
Kain knelt down in front of Dahlia and gently patted her head.
“Dahlia, don’t worry. The head servant won’t come to my room at this time.”
“Really? Do you promise?”
“Yes.”
Relieved, Dahlia raised her pinky, asking for a promise.
Kain smiled gently and was about to hook his finger with hers, when—
Bang! Bang! Suddenly, there was a loud knock on the door.
“Prince! Prince!”
It was the head servant’s voice.
Kain looked at Dahlia. She had turned pale, covered her ears, and was trembling.
“…No. The head servant can’t come in. Big brother, don’t open the door. Please…”
“Prince, excuse me,”
The head servant didn’t wait for permission and entered.
When he saw Kain and Dahlia together, he bit his lip.
Dahlia looked up at the head servant with a lifeless face.
She spoke in a low whisper, only Kain, who was right next to her, could hear:
“Big brother, I had a dream. The head servant said… Mother died. I saw it… in my dream…”
“Prince, Princess… Her Majesty the Queen has passed away.”
The head servant’s voice was filled with sorrow as he delivered the news.
As Dahlia heard those words, she collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut.
“Your Majesty, Princess Dahlia has come to see you.”
“Let her in.”
“Yes.”
King Kain glanced at the foreign minister, Rayen, who was standing by his desk.
“We’ll finish this report later.”
“Yes, understood,” Rayen said, bowing.
Dahlia entered the office, bowed politely, and raised her head.
King Kain Forevern, with dark red hair and deep purple eyes, looked kind and handsome, with a gentle face.
He carefully watched Dahlia’s expression.
“Dahlia. Are you feeling well?”
“Yes. I’m sorry I haven’t visited you lately.”
“Princess, it’s good to see you after so long,” Rayen greeted her.
Dahlia smiled back at both men.
“It’s been a while, Foreign Minister. I’m glad both of you are here together. I want you both to hear what I have to say.”
At Dahlia’s determined look, Kain’s eyes shook with worry.
“Dahlia, is something wrong?” Kain looked at her, concerned.
Dahlia took a deep breath and slowly opened her rosy lips.
“This time, I want to join the delegation going to the Ruu Sephon Empire for their national founding festival.”
