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~Chapter 10~
“World peace.”
At those words, the siblings looked at each other with blank faces.
“I see.”
“Miss Ria, your ambitions are very big.”
“Ambitions should always be big.”
“That’s true.”
When Dahlia replied calmly, Annie nodded in agreement.
Rayen smiled at the two as he drank his tea.
But inside, Dahlia’s thoughts were complicated.
The only person who knew about her seeing the future in her dreams was her older brother.
So, she only told the Hadran siblings half of the truth.
If she stopped the end of the world, there would be peace.
Her purpose for coming to the empire was clear.
She had to make the emperor get married to prevent the world from ending. And, as a bonus, she wanted to find out why the world would end unless the emperor got married.
Her plan to get the emperor married was short and simple.
First, her goal was to become friends with the emperor. Who would listen to a stranger nagging them about marriage?
Second, she would find out the emperor’s ideal type and naturally arrange for him to meet a woman who matched.
After all, when a handsome man and a beautiful woman meet, love happens naturally. She’d read so many romance novels that said so.
Suddenly, Dahlia noticed Lemon in the corner, calmly pecking at fruit.
Their eyes met, and Lemon chirped as if to ask why she was looking at him.
Lemon… yes, that garden.
It was obviously a place the emperor liked, so she needed to stay there.
Dahlia smiled at her perfect plan.
Annie, seeing that smile, thought, ‘The princess must be up to something strange again,’ and shook her head—but Dahlia didn’t notice.
Following Lemon’s fluttering wings, Dahlia was looking at the sky as she walked—then bumped into someone.
“Oh.”
It was a girl, only waist-high to Dahlia, with brown hair in neat braids.
The girl’s orange eyes were full of tears as she quickly wiped them and bowed.
“I’m sorry. I wasn’t watching where I was going.”
“It’s okay. I was looking at the sky while I walked. Sorry.”
The girl blinked quickly, her mouth open.
A noble lady as beautiful as a fairy was apologizing to a maid like her.
“Miss, I’m a palace maid. Please, don’t apologize. I’m really sorry.”
Looking flustered, the girl bowed her head.
Dahlia bent down to meet the girl’s orange eyes.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Yes, Miss.”
“What’s your name?”
“Mone.”
“That’s a pretty name. Are you busy?”
“Um, no.”
Mone looked around, then shook her head.
Dahlia took Mone’s hand and walked to the shade under a big tree.
When Dahlia sat down in front of the tree, Mone’s eyes widened.
“Miss, if you sit like that, your dress will get dirty.”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. Do you want to sit too?”
Dahlia patted the grass, and Mone quietly sat next to her.
“Do you want this?”
Dahlia pulled a candy from her pocket and held it out.
Mone’s eyes sparkled.
“Is it really okay for me to take this?”
“Yes. It’s a gift for you.”
“It’s really fine…”
Mone blushed and carefully took the candy.
She played with the wrapper, then held the candy tightly.
“Aren’t you going to eat it?”
“I want to save it.”
Dahlia looked at her with surprise.
Even if she was a maid, she worked in the palace.
But she treasured a single candy?
Seeing Dahlia’s look, Mone explained shyly.
“I’m working as a maid from the city orphanage, so I don’t get candy often.”
“I see.”
Dahlia was surprised inside, but kept a straight face.
She’d assumed all the palace maids were chosen carefully.
“Usually, kids from orphanages can’t work in the palace, but since His Majesty became emperor, he gave us a chance. I want to work hard for him.”
Mone’s eyes were full of respect for the emperor.
It reminded Dahlia of Cole. He’d first joined as a servant and became her knight after being noticed by the knight captain.
“I want to work hard for the queen, who gave me a chance to work at the palace.”
That was what Cole used to say all the time as a kid.
“He’s a good emperor.”
“Yes, he is! Our emperor is really great! Where are you from, Miss?”
“I’m from the Kingdom of Forevern.”
“Are you here to see the founding festival?”
Mone, now relaxed, asked with curiosity.
“Yes.”
Dahlia smiled brightly at her.
“Is it your first founding festival?”
“Yes. Actually, it’s my first time even leaving home.”
When she heard the secret, Mone’s eyes grew wide and she clenched her fists.
“I’ll keep your secret. Since it’s your first festival, you’ll have a lot of fun. I look forward to it every year. The emperor gives food to the poor. I had my first candy at last year’s festival. I hoped for candy this year too, and now you gave me one. I guess today is my lucky day.”
Mone laughed innocently.
“If it’s your lucky day, why were you crying?”
Dahlia gently stroked Mone’s brown bangs and asked.
Mone’s face fell, and she shared her feelings quietly.
“It doesn’t bother me when people look down on me for being from the orphanage. But the person I serve had to go through something hard because of me. I’m nothing special, but… it would have been over quickly… The person I serve is such a good person.”
“I see. You have a good heart, thinking about the person you serve.”
“No, not at all…”
The girl hung her head, full of guilt.
Dahlia wanted to help, but realized she couldn’t fix everything.
“Mone.”
“Yes?”
Mone looked up, still downhearted.
“I’ll bring you a candy here at this time every day, until the founding festival starts. I’ll be your lucky charm.”
It was the best way she could think of to comfort the little girl.
Mone’s eyes grew wide.
“No, Miss, you don’t have to…”
“So cheer up.”
“Uuh…”
Tears welled up in Mone’s eyes again.
“Thank you, Miss…”
Dahlia smiled gently and stroked Mone’s head.
Walking down the hall, Grey glanced out the window and saw a pink flowerbed. Deep and pale pink flowers were blooming together in harmony.
“Were there always so many pink flowers in the garden?”
“It’s spring, Your Majesty. Spring is pink.”
Oreon, walking behind, answered quickly.
“I see.”
As Grey looked away from the flowerbed, he saw another pink flowerbed.
This time, it wasn’t flowers, but the pink-haired young lady. She wasn’t wearing a green leaf in her hair today, but her color was as bright as any spring blossom.
She was bigger, and she moved—that was the only difference.
The pink-haired young lady was sitting under a tree, happily chatting with a young maid.
She’d slept on the ground before, and now she was sitting right on the grass with nothing under her. Anyone seeing her would think she was a commoner, not a noble.
So she really did grow up freely, since she’s from a distant branch?
He watched as she laughed brightly with the little maid.
She was… strangely distracting.
