Chapter 5

She wondered out loud. In fact, she seemed quite taken aback by this. Not that I could blame her. I could understand how she was feeling right now. She’s absolutely right. Serira’s clothes were way too simple for a royal nurse. Now, when I said simple I was being nice. In fact, if someone called her out for being prude I would have nothing to say to defend her. I mean, I knew she hated unnecessary luxuries, but I felt like she tried too hard at being prudent that she made herself too simple. It actually backfired and diminished her beauty. Tsk.

The princess Faylene looked surprised for a moment then she started to come up with something to say. Well, all her thoughts were reflected on her face. I meant, it was pretty obvious to everyone that she was judging, no, tasting me. Was I a dish to be tasted? I felt so offended, I turned my head around. So what if she’s pretty? Even if she’s the prettiest woman on earth if she’s annoying then all those magnificence are for naught! I feel super annoyed right now!

“Is that child her royal highness?”

Yeah! That right I’m the royal princess. What I was saying was this princess she’s seeing was me. The royal highness part made my cheeks burn, but that proved I was on a higher standing than this other princess. However, why then did she had the audacity to gaze at me with such heated eyes? It felt burdensome. Look, was only a three-month-old wah-wah baby. I honestly don’t why you had to gaze at me with such feverish, glazed eyes. What’s wrong with this girl?

“Yes, this is her royal highness’ daughter”

Serira bit down on her lips and just barely replied. Looking at her made me realize how she really regretted revealing my identity to this princess.

Hmm, perhaos I knew now why. To reveal a defenseless baby to a hostile woman who had a deep grudge against the child’s father was quite the… thing to do. Yeah.

“Hand her over. I want to try holding her one time.”

What?!

I was so shocked I forgot to keep sucking on my pacifier. What did this crazy hag just said? Yes? Did you even know me? I think this was the first time we met, yes?

Hey! Even my own birth father never held me. The only one who could hold me was Serira!

“That…”

Serira clearly looked uncomfortable. Turn her down. Turn her down! If you would hand me over I would sulk. Boo hoo.

Damn it, I felt so bitter, how could I live?

Even I held babies before and it was an amazing feeling to do so, but now that I’m the one being carried, I felt nothing but hatred towards it. If it was a familiar face I saw at least a couple of times before, I would understand but this woman just saw me for the first time!

“Why? Do you think I will hurt her?”

The princess pressured my nanny. That damn…!

No. I didn’t want to go. I hate that woman! I grabbed onto Serira’s clothes. No Mommy. If you send me, I would cry. I would cry! In that woman’s eyes were nothing but animosity! This was not a lie I was making up because I didn’t want to go, but it’s true, in those green eyes of hers existed a different type of enmity. It was so blatant it felt burdensome. It was that kind of hostility! Damn it, Why did I have to get this kind of look because I was unlucky to get the wrong father?! My day started out well with my first time being outside, but how did it end up with me rolling down a cliff!?

Don’t hand me over! No, don’t hand me over!

“P, princess, stop twisting around.”

“Wahhhinnnn~”

Finally for the first time since I was born, I burst loudly into tears.

No! I hate this woman!

I didn’t know why she sprayed herself with this perfume, but I hated this strong rose scent and the thick make up she was wearing along with her long sharp nails she didn’t trim. I really hated everything about her.

“Shut up! Can’t you keep that mouth shut!?”

Had she ever heard of a baby shutting up because it was told to?! I hate her so much!

I wanted to cry. No. I was already crying. From my eyes, tears are running down.

It came to the point where I couldn’t see what’s in front of me anymore. I was just kicking up a fuss with all the energy I had with my open mouth, crying with all my might.

Ah, now I know why babies cry so vigorously. It was the only way they could display their displeasure. I was in such a weak existence. I couldn’t even crawl, so I couldn’t even escape her grasp by myself! Also, unlike Serira her body was so thin I couldn’t rub myself against her. Her body was too hard. I hated it here!

“Wahinnnn~”

“It so noisy! Why is it so loud?”

All infants are like this. Sigh, I was now hoping she wouldn’t raise any.

Serira fidgeted next to me and Elaine looked at me with surprised eyes. Yes, I know. You guys never saw me like this right? It’s the first for me too. I was crying like this for the first time. I hated it to the point that I cried!

“Wah!!!”

You think she was a normal person who would give up now, but, I didn’t know where she learned it, princess Faylene grabbed my body tightly and didn’t let go. In this way, my wrist and hips were in great pain.

It hurts! You had no clue how to hold a child!

“Whose attitude do you take after? If someone saw this they would think I was doing something bad to you!”

Your face is a horror, you old lady.

“Wahinnn!”

Damm, someone help me!

Seriously it looked like she would drop me soon with the way I was struggling about while giving it my all when I heard a familiar voice drop from above.

“What is going on?”

The voice was so familiar. I turned my face wet with tears from the origin of the voice and looked through it with my blurry eyes.

Ah, It’s da… daddy!

My eyes grew round like saucers, and at the same time, the body holding me grew stiff.

With the emperor’s entrance, the whole atmosphere immediately cooled down as if splashed with an ice cold water. Unfortunately, while the chaos was going on, it happened exactly right under the hallway he was passing by. I felt so taken aback that I shut my mouth tight. Of course, the hallway was away from this spot, but it wasn’t far enough for him not to see anything.

Princess Faylene paled and lifted her face. Caitel met her eyes and sneered. It was his usual grin he gave which suggested how he looked at everyone and considered them all nothing but bugs.

“I greet the one who has touched Evangelium.”

It meant to express the coming of good news, and to the emperor who has heard the voice of God, whether men or women must repeat this saying to the emperor of Agrigiant. It was quite a frightening sight to behold a blue-faced, blue-haired woman shaking with her head bowed down.

After my dad appeared, I stop crying, but I was still sniffling.

“May you reach Evangelium.”

I didn’t know if it was because Serira was a citizen, but her greeting was quite different. As I grew up, I will slowly learn all the small differences, but I wanted to know them right now. Why?

Unfortunately, this was not a good situation to satisfy my curiosity. Slowly, the emperor came down the stairs outside and gazed at us with a crooked posture. So far I just thought of my dad as the crazy bastard I had to put up with, so I was mistaken that the animosity he gave off was his normal self. I was wrong, the animosity he gave off now was much larger than what I felt in the room and weighted down the atmosphere significantly more than our usual chatting sessions.

“Can someone explain to me why my princess was crying?”

Who’s your princess? Oh yeah, I am.

I wanted to cry in protest, but I didn’t. He always called me as if he’s talking about someone else’s daughter. Why was he showing me off now? I wished he would please change the way he spoke to me.

As usual no one knew how I felt, so I just sniffled as I sucked on my thumb. When I was making myself busy crying my lovely pacifier went by itself somewhere. Where did it go, my pacifier?

Pacifier, big sister was sorry. Where did you go?

“Well… what happened was…”

The princess put more strength in her grip and my torso started hurting in pain. Ow! Seriously! I really wanted to cry out loud, but that madman was my dad so I couldn’t.

He would kill me if I cried.

The survival instinct I didn’t know I had was telling me this. That mean bastard. I had to satisfy myself with just burrowing my forehead and looking longingly at Serira. At that moment I met his eyes.

Huh? Why are you smiling?

I didn’t know what this crazy guy would do, so I made a face.

What? What going on?

The guy who always sneered at me was giving me a genuine smile. Wow, his beauty was to die for. It blatantly told me that God made a mistake when balancing his assets. How else could a person have everything except a good personality. Hey, could you tell me, God?

“Come here ”

Caitel spread his hands toward me. I was momentarily left at two crossroads.

This crazy woman or a crazy dad?

It was just a moment, but my thoughts really did fall into chaos.

Ah, well, he’s better than this woman gripping my torso so tightly, it felt like she was tearing it off. I quickly let out my hands towards him.

Since he was a crazy bastard, no, since he was the emperor, princess Faylene gave me up to him easily. What else could she do? Perhaps it was his first time holding me because his posture was awkward, but I was finally able to stop sniffling. Now that my torso was free from pulling, it felt so much better.

Ah. This was a real problem.

Just because I had seen you a couple of times I got really used to you. Sniff, sniff, sniff. Your scent seemed familiar. Damn it.

He watched me get comfortable in his arm. I raised my head and looked into his eyes then I smiled cheerfully.

I was not bribing you okay. I was not!

…I just wanted to survive.

I didn’t know if he understood my struggle to live, but he smiled back at me. It was as gentle as the spring breeze. Well, it instantly turned cold again.

Was he the man of a thousand mask? Seriously, did he really own a thousand mask? How could a person just suddenly switch emotions in a matter of seconds? We should break up! I can’t continue familial ties with a fickle guy like you!

However, I guess I couldn’t, right? Damn, I’m screwed.

Anyways, that fierce expression of his was not directed towards me, but towards the shivering princess Faylene. Ah, I feel like she looked pitiful now. Earlier I hated her to the bone, yet I didn’t want to throw her alive in front of a crazy bastard, so I felt complicated.

So who told you to hold me?

“Who are you?”

It was just one question. He was a man of few words, but he spoke fewer words in front of that princess. I guess it would be so. I mean what could he have to say to her that required longer sentences?

“I am princess Segista from Praezia, your grace”

“No, not that name.”

He twisted his lips. It was not a genuine smile from pleasure nor his usual sneer. Something twisted one’s insides, one that would make everyone’s skin rise from the bottom of their stomach.

“I wanted to know the name you received when I shoved you in the harem. I don’t care about the name you used in the past.”

Wow, what a sadist.

The princess who was gripping her dress paled. Now I’m starting to feel sorry for her. I was thinking I knew how she must be feeling.

Yeah, it was scary. I was scared too.

The princess was in that place now but there were no guarantees I wouldn’t be there in her place someday. I pulled his clothes back.

Hey, dad, with this I’m okay now so how about we just let her off now?

“Faylene”

At that moment the maid behind the princess broke the silence .

“It’s princess Faylene.”

Caitel’s face froze. His hostility doubled. In this atmosphere, it was hard to breathe, so I wanted to cry but damn!

Because of this dad in front of me, nothing was going well today. I finally just scrunched up my face and whimpered. Hgh, I hate this! Things like this!

“Who are you to step in front of me?”

They were unnecessarily aggressive words. I guess he didn’t know what mercy was.

“Do you think someone like you could interfere in a place like this?”

The maid immediately bent her knees. Then she screamed with all the voice she could muster. That pitiful sight shocked me.

“I committed a crime worthy of death! Please spare my life! I beg of you! I’m sorry!”

I had no connection to this incident, but even I felt sorry for the sobbing maid who was screeching. She just wanted to protect her mistress… If it was me I would have forgiven her no matter what, but unfortunately, the one who caught her was this crazy lunatic.

“Drag her away.”

Everyone held their breath at his cold words. Of course, I held my breath back too.

He didn’t have an ounce of mercy in him. I heard the only medicine for a crazy guy like him was a beating, but since there were no one around who would beat the emperor up there was no cure for him. There was no cure.

“This is the first time I saw our princess cry.”

So will you kill me?

“Where’s her toy ?”

What toy? Unfortunately, he wasn’t asking me, so I couldn’t answer.

“Yes?”

Serira looked surprised as he looked at her, however, he looked pretty calm in comparison.

“Toy. The one she was always chewing.”

That’s not a toy, that was a pacifier, my friend.

Also known as a binky. It even had a nickname, and it’s a friend to all babies. You’re a dad, and you didn’t know that? Ugh, seriously!

“Ah it…”

Serira who was baffled looked around and found it near the spot the princess stood. Ah, it’s dirty!

How could I put it back in my mouth!? The emperor must have agreed with me.

“Throw it away.”

As soon as she picked it up, he was ordering her to throw it away.

Serira couldn’t bring herself to throw it away on the floor so she tugged it away in her arms. Since I lacked a pacifier, I made do by sucking on my thumb. Suck, suck, suck.

Ah, it was my finger but it’s salty.

“She cried so vigorously ”

Yes, thank you for your acknowledgment. So can you let me go to my nanny now?

My wishes were ignored as usual, the emperor looked down at the princess Feylene while holding me.

She was quiet and still with her head lowered on the ground.

Ha, how pitiful!