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Chapter 5
As soon as I left the Crown Prince’s palace, I was practically lifted and carried by the Emperor’s knight and moved to the imperial palace.
It was because the Emperor was curious about what had happened during my first meeting with the Crown Prince.
“…And then, I showed His Highness the notebook.”
I proudly held up the notebook in front of the Emperor.
It was the same notebook as before, just decorated with a different ribbon.
I had brought two copies from the beginning because I planned to present one to the Emperor as well.
“This is…”
The Emperor took the notebook and looked at it like it was something unfamiliar.
Seeing it in the hands of the Emperor—who looked like a black lion—made the lace and ribbon look completely out of place.
The head maid, who was standing nearby to assist during tea time, seemed amused and smiled with half-moon eyes.
“You made this yourself, right? You’re such a cute young lady.”
From what I heard, the head maid of the imperial palace was a duchess.
So she was able to freely speak in the Emperor’s presence.
Unlike the Demonis Duke family, which Uncle Gregory tried to connect with, she belonged to the Emperor’s faction—the Erbon Duke family.
The Erbon family traditionally served the imperial palace: the Duke as chief steward, and the Duchess as head maid.
A real power figure who will manage my future palace life…!
I clenched my fists under my skirt and decided to win Sophia, the head maid’s favor.
Time to make a good first impression.
“Really? Thank you!”
I bowed politely.
My twin ponytails swayed as I did.
The head maid smiled warmly.
“This is quite good.”
“…Really?”
The Emperor flipped through my notebook and let out a long hum.
“Until you read it in words, it’s hard to understand—but this way, information leakage is reduced and focus increases.”
I had basically made it like a PowerPoint presentation, replacing long paragraphs with simple visuals.
The Emperor, who was used to long written reports, seemed to find it refreshing.
He praised me…!
I giggled.
Please pick me as your smart daughter-in-law!
I kept looking at the Emperor with that feeling as I reported my first meeting with Kadelos.
As a mere noble child, I normally would never have been allowed to meet the Emperor privately.
This only happened because he was worried about his son.
“So, what will you do next, young lady?”
“I’ll keep visiting him.”
“Oh? You will come again?”
Of course, father and son really were alike.
The Emperor was calmer and more gentle, while Kadelos was like a sharp black panther.
“Of course. One visit isn’t enough to win His Highness’s heart. I’ll come a hundred times if I have to!”
At first I had succeeded in leaving an impression, but over time his heart would harden again.
Before that happened, I intended to soften him completely.
“Ho…”
The Emperor’s expression changed slightly.
His eyes widened a little in surprise.
I tilted my head.
Did I say something wrong?
But instead of explaining, the Emperor murmured to himself:
“…I see. I should have knocked hundreds or thousands of times instead…”
The head maid whispered something beside him.
“Um… did I do something wrong?”
I asked nervously, suddenly a little scared.
“In that case, I will grant you permission to enter the palace whenever you wish. You may return now.”
With that, I was dismissed.
Did I really make a mistake? I couldn’t tell.
This father and son are really difficult…
I stood up and bowed, complaining internally as I left.
The head maid spoke softly in front of the Emperor.
“She is a very determined child.”
Emperor Theodore looked down at the cute little notebook in his hand.
The handwriting was clearly that of a child—uneven, unpolished, but readable.
Alicia was ten years old.
Two years younger than Kadelos, whose handwriting was neat and mature.
Yet Alicia’s writing didn’t feel lacking.
A strange child.
Sometimes she seemed completely childlike, and other times unusually intelligent.
Like this strange handwriting, she felt like someone who would bring something unusual into the imperial palace.
“…I’ll come a hundred times if I have to.”
The Emperor remembered her words.
It kept echoing in his mind.
“Head maid… did I perhaps let Kadel too easily go?”
“…The first child is always difficult. For me and William too.”
The head maid tried to comfort him.
The Emperor sighed.
Kadelos was his first and only child.
A child born from the love he shared with his beloved Empress.
He had been overjoyed at birth—so much that the entire empire celebrated.
But due to a mistake in the invitation to the Black Dragon, the child was cursed.
The shock weakened the Empress, and she died after four years of illness.
By the time Theodore came to his senses, his son had already shut himself away from the world.
My son…
The Emperor had not neglected him.
But the child was too intelligent.
Kadelos understood the sorrow hanging over the palace even at age four—and realized it was because of him.
After his mother’s death eight years ago, he refused to even see his father.
Whenever Kadelos screamed in pain from the curse behind closed doors, Theodore felt like he was going mad.
He wanted to take his son’s pain himself.
What kind of parent cannot even carry their child’s burden?
Perhaps sensing this sorrow—or simply by nature—Kadelos became extremely quiet.
He rarely spoke, always wore a dark expression, and trusted no one.
Even dressing himself was something he refused to let others do.
Meeting Alicia at all was already a huge concession.
Without the Emperor’s report…
“A child who says she will lift your curse has come.”
Kadelos would have ignored it completely.
“I just want that child to live with a smile.”
Theodore covered his face with one hand.
The loyal head maid quietly poured more tea.
“I want to trust her… even if it’s impossible.”
And then—
Alicia’s words came back to him:
“If it doesn’t work, I’ll just create a terrifying potion to erase the Black Dragon instead!”
A completely unheard-of idea.
In that moment, Alicia became hope itself.
And he wished she could become hope for his son as well.
As soon as I returned to the mansion, I called the newly hired servant and ordered a carriage.
“What happened with what I asked you to do?”
“He has already been brought.”
“Ah! He’s in the reception room!”
I rushed there immediately without even changing clothes.
When I opened the door, I saw an elderly man with gray hair and a middle-aged woman.
“Oh my goodness… is that really our young lady?! Our little Risha!”
The woman stood up immediately, then burst into tears and sat back down.
“You look just like the master and mistress…”
The old man also looked at me with tearful eyes.
“I’m sorry… I don’t really remember them. I was too young.”
In my past life, all I could recall was warmth and a gentle scent.
Naturally, they felt the same way.
“That’s understandable. You were only four when we last saw you.”
The old man spoke kindly.
The woman reached out, still crying.
“Can I… hug you?”
I nodded.
For some reason, I felt like I might cry too.
These two were the butler and head maid of this mansion, once expelled unfairly by my uncle.
Now that the uncle was gone and I had taken control, they had returned immediately.
I had asked my newly hired servants to find the people who once served this house.
These two were the first to arrive.
The nanny had chosen another child to serve and could not come, but these two responded immediately.
“Um… I’m sorry about before.”
“Pardon?”
“I couldn’t protect you…”
My words moved them deeply.
“And I’m not a baby. I’m ten years old…”
But they clearly didn’t understand what “baby” meant.
“No. We will keep calling you baby. We couldn’t before, so now we must.”
The head maid Linda said firmly.
But her face was already melting with emotion.
“We were so worried about how you survived after being expelled…”
“Look at how thin you are!”
“That horrible family…”
They muttered in anger, unable to continue speaking properly.
“I have a request.”
I clasped my hands tightly and looked at them.
