episode_0009

[Episode 9] – Hoping to Become Close (2)

“How about now? Not scared anymore?”

As I smiled and patted the princess’s head, she suddenly noticed that she had emerged from behind the tree and her wide smile quickly turned into a frown.

Scrunch.

“Oh no.”

Seeing the crumpled expression on the princess’s face, I instinctively removed my hand from her head. There was something about the crumpled look on the princess’s face that felt more threatening than any warning or coercion.

Was it due to the diverse expressions of children?

After scrunching up her face, the princess stared at me as if she wanted to kill me. I raised both arms lightly in surrender, showing that I had no intention of touching her again.

“Sorry for patting you without permission. I won’t do it again if you didn’t like it. Will you forgive me?”

She didn’t run away like before, but standing there, she continued to glare at me. Her lips were protruding, and her eyebrows sharply raised.

It was the typical expression of a child throwing a tantrum.

Seems like one magic trick wasn’t enough after all.

I took out the flower stuck in the princess’s ear and placed it on my hand. As expected, the sharpness in the princess’s eyebrows softened as she couldn’t resist her curiosity.

“Watch closely, I’ll show you a different magic than before.”

Without realizing it, Ellie had come to the princess’s side and squatted down. The two of them, with eyes sparkling with curiosity, looked at the flower in my palm.

I hadn’t learned many magic tricks during my school days, but it seemed enough to satisfy the princess and Ellie. I clenched the hand with the flower, exerted force, and shivered my hand as if giving it all I had.

“Now, shall we begin? One, two—”

* * *

Thud, thud…

Bangcho walked through the vast corridor of the deserted palace with feeble steps. His destination was the secluded room where the king had withdrawn. Bangcho made it a point to go there once a day to check on His Majesty’s condition.

Upon the king’s withdrawal, one of Bangso’s duties was to replenish ‘it’ in the room once a day. Bangso sighed and relieved the guards stationed outside the king’s chamber.

Knock-knock.

“Your Highness, it’s Bangso. The weather today is exceptionally fine. They say the roses are in full bloom in the garden, filling the air with their fragrance.”

Bangso knew this conversation was meaningless, yet he continued. In a calm voice, he began recounting how the world outside was changing day by day.

“The princess seems to be struggling a lot with her studies. She may have been taught by Lady Hujak, who used to educate Queen Mother… but it seems a bit tough for the young princess.”

The door remained closed.

Bangso was aware of that.

“It seems like Your Highness has been using your brain a lot lately, searching for something sweet. Whenever you search for something sweet, it reminds me so much of Your Highness finding candies first. Hehe.”

No sound came from inside the room.

Bangso bit his lower lip hard.

With each passing day, along with his accumulating dissatisfaction towards the king and a poignant feeling of how difficult it must be for the king, Bangso, once again, quenched his emotions by biting his lip.

“Your Highness, I’ll leave ‘it’ in front of the door. Well then, I hope you have a good day today as well.”

Leaving ‘it’ in front of the door, Bangso proceeded down the corridor as usual. Standing far enough that no footsteps could be heard from “inside the room,” Bangso absentmindedly gazed at the room where the king had withdrawn.

As he stared blankly at the door, it creaked open just a tiny bit, and a slender arm cautiously slipped out. Who would think that arm belonged to an adult man?

Bangso felt a mix of joy at the sight of the king still being alive and a burning sensation in his chest, akin to being engulfed in hot flames.

The thin arm that had slipped out grabbed ‘it’ from in front of the door and swiftly disappeared back into the room. As the door closed, the guards resumed their positions, as if everything was familiar.

It’s been two years already.

For two years, I never stepped out of that room. From my days as a prince, caring for Her Majesty, to now, this situation was simply unbearable.

“Sigh…”

But there was no time to be engulfed in such sorrow. With Her Majesty stepping back from governing, it was now up to me, the Prime Minister, to govern in her place.

There was the Council, and there was the Second Queen… The Council was nothing more than hyenas eyeing Her Majesty’s power, and the Second Queen… Though people said she had changed, I couldn’t entirely trust her.

Exhausted from the endless power struggles with the Council, I hoped fervently for Her Majesty’s return. I was getting old and sickly, unable to fight on here much longer.

Brushing through his thinning hair, Bancho looked at his palm. The countless strands falling out seemed to mirror his grief.

“At this rate, I’ll truly go bald…”

He brushed off the hair from his palm and started walking down the corridor, recalling what needed to be done today, heading towards his office.

As he made his way there, he noticed someone at the end of the corridor, peering beneath the window. It was the elderly Lady Lorenzo, with sharp eyes and white hair.

“Lady Lorenzo, is that you?”

At Bancho’s call, the lady turned her head to look at him. She slightly bent her forelegs and bowed her head, an elegant greeting.

“Your Excellency, it’s an honor to see you.”

“Oh, I’ve told you before, you don’t need to be so formal, Lady Lorenzo.”

“No, such etiquette should always be upheld, regardless of where or when, even if no one is watching, Your Excellency.”

Ahem.

Bancho coughed firmly in response to Lady Lorenzo’s resolute words.

Time has passed, and though many years have gone by, she was still a difficult person. When she was young, Lady Lorenzo, the late King’s first queen’s guardian and educator, had experiences of being by Her Majesty’s side.

“She is currently in charge of the princess’s education…”

Naturally, due to her role as an “educator,” interactions were frequent, but due to her strict adherence to noble etiquette, she had been an awkward person to deal with since ancient times.

As the conversation stalled, Bangsoo was about to end it and make his farewells. Just then, he heard a commotion from below the window and instinctively looked in that direction.

“Hmm.”

It was a sight that left him speechless. It was pleasant to see the princess laughing and chatting in the garden, but upon seeing who she was playing with, Bangsoo couldn’t help but doubt his own eyes.

“Hmm, what an unexpected combination.”

The second queen, enjoying a conversation and laughter with the princess? The princess beside her showed no sign of fear towards the second queen. Seeing the princess laughing so brightly, Bangsoo felt an inexplicable surge of emotion. How long had it been since he had seen the princess like this?

Alongside this surge of emotion, a bitter feeling arose within him.

“Isn’t this the kind of sight Her Majesty should be showing? Instead of the second queen, her stepmother, shouldn’t it be Her Majesty, our father, who should be displaying such behavior?”

Bangsoo let out a small sigh and turned to Lady Lorenzo, who had been watching the scene alongside him. Surely Lady Lorenzo, who was in charge of the princess’s education, would find this sight heartwarming.

“What a truly heartwarming sight, isn’t it? I wonder how long it’s been since we’ve seen the princess laugh like that.”

However, contrary to Bangsoo’s expectations, Lady Lorenzo made a slight clicking sound with her tongue while gazing at the heartwarming scene. The etiquette-conscious Lady Lorenzo, making a clicking sound in front of others?

“…Even if a parrot speaks well, it is still a bird; even if a monkey imitates well, it is nothing more than a beast. No matter how splendidly a person acts, if they fail to exhibit the conduct expected of a human being, what would distinguish them from a parrot or a monkey?”

“…The Lady-in-waiting?”

“…I will take my leave now. There isn’t much time left for the princess’s lessons.”

With those words, Lady Lorenzo turned and disappeared down the corridor. Bangsyo stared blankly at the end of the hallway where Lady Lorenzo had vanished.

Whom was she addressing with those words just now?

Bangsyo quickly realized to whom Lady Lorenzo’s words were directed. Well, there was only one person who could have heard those words over there. Bangsyo stroked his beard and clicked his tongue.

“Could it be that Lady Lorenzo referred to Her Majesty the Second Queen as a ‘beast’?”

No matter how he thought about it, that remark was severe enough to constitute insult to royalty. It would not be unreasonable for Bangsyo to immediately question Lady Lorenzo about her offense. However, he did not. He found some degree of empathy in Lady Lorenzo’s words. Bangsyo was someone who believed that people do not change easily.

Lately, it was said that Her Majesty the Second Queen had been treating the maidservants well, and the maidservants had also become obedient to Her Majesty the Second Queen. However, Her Majesty the Second Queen had committed numerous atrocities in the past.

Can a person change after death and resurrection?

Bangsyo couldn’t know, as he had never seen anyone resurrected except for Her Majesty the Second Queen. Bangsyo sighed deeply as he listened to the princess’s laughter coming from the window.

“Soon, Lady Lorenzo and Her Majesty the Queen will clash.”

She was exceedingly strict when it came to manners and education. Seeing the princess, whom Lady Lorenzo taught, playing with the Queen, who had never once shown respect to others, was akin to a parent watching their own child playing with ruffians in the alley.

From the perspective of the Crown Princess, it must be something she absolutely shouldn’t do. Especially as she was the guardian of the former queen, “Grand Queen,” who was the first queen’s regent… inevitably, she would become fixated on the princess.

Bangsyo deeply sighed in the midst of a headache. If the Crown Princess and the Second Queen Consort were to clash, what should he do? Whose side should he take?

Watching the princess happily adorned with a flower crown by the window, Bangsyo formed a bitter smile. After all, this entire situation would resolve itself once Her Majesty came out of her chambers.

*

There was one thing I overlooked while playing with the princess.

“Is there nothing else now? Is it over?”

“Huff, hoo… Princess… Can’t we rest a bit…?”

It was stamina.

There existed an insurmountable difference between a child’s stamina and an adult’s. I showed her every magic trick I learned from my school days, even resorting to finger tricks when there was nothing else to show.

The princess started running towards Elli as if bored. Up until now, I had played with her until she was exhausted, but seeing her go to Elli as if she was tired of it made me feel a little bitter.

Eventually, worn out, I leaned against a tree and blankly gazed at the sky. As I absentmindedly stared at the sky, it was as if Einsel cheered from below the tree.

I instinctively directed my gaze toward where the voice came from.

– The princess wants to play! Gather your strength!

“Just a little… rest…”

Underneath the tree, a small mirror earring stood propped against a rock. Atop the mirror earring was a tiny crown that could fit a finger.

When Einsel slightly grumbled about not having her own crown while making crowns for the princess and Elli, I made a very small crown and placed it on Einsel’s head.

Though it was a visual of flowers on a very small mirror, Einsel seemed to quite like it. Setting aside Einsel’s grumbling for a moment, I sat blankly, watching the princess play with Elli.

The hair ornaments that were made suited me well, and it was nice to see everyone wearing the hair ornaments and making rings with the remaining flowers. This should prevent them from being afraid of me or anything like that.

Now, to avoid the princess feeling traumatized, it was enough to steer clear of topics like funerals. I closed my eyes, listening to Ellie and the princess chatting happily as sleep washed over me.

At that moment, when I thought it might be okay to just let out a sigh and doze off.

Rustle, rustle—

I heard the sound of someone walking on the garden’s grass. I peeked open one eye to confirm who was approaching.

An elderly woman with silvery white hair was making her way here with firm steps. Her face was heavily creased, as if she were extremely angry for some reason.

“That person is…”

“Your Highness, you are here.”

The elderly woman looked down at the princess playing in the garden with a cold gaze, then let out a long, exasperated sigh as if to say, “Listen to me.”

The princess, looking surprised, gulped audibly upon hearing the elderly woman’s words. The bright expression on the princess’s face, which had lit up at the woman’s first words, began to darken once again.

“You should return. It’s time for your lessons.”

“Ah, but… there’s still time until evening lessons…”

“Your Highness—”

Interrupting the princess, the elderly woman called her and let out a long sigh. As if to say there was no need to listen any further, the elderly woman spoke firmly.

“Have I not always told you? In order to become an outstanding person like the Queen, you must have a discerning eye for people.”

The elderly woman said this while looking directly at me. It seemed as though she was speaking not to the princess, but to me. I furrowed my brow, realizing what she meant by saying that.

“So, she’s warning me not to get too close to the princess right now?”

I knew exactly who that woman was.

In the game, she was also an NPC known as the “educator.” I knew she was the guardian of the first queen and had been the “grandmother” of the first queen as well.

“Lady Lorenzo Marquess.”

I slowly rose and approached Lady Marquess. We came so close that our noses almost touched, yet neither of us backed away. It was a battle of pride.

“Silver hair with an orange gaze. And eyes as piercing as Vivian’s.”

Indeed, she was the Lady Lorenzo Marquess I knew.

Arms folded, I looked down at Lady Marquess, tilting my head slightly. Apparently displeased, her eyes sharpened.

Regardless, I smirked as I looked down at Lady Marquess. Not having seen a mirror, I couldn’t be sure, but it must have been the same villainous smile as always.

Lady Marquess, as if unimpressed, nodded at me in greeting.

“…I greet Your Majesty, the Second Queen.”

…I had trained the princess over 300 times, except for once, without letting her receive education from Lady Marquess.

The reason being…

“Who does the old lady of the council appear to be now? Or is it better to put it this way?”

A princess receiving education from Lady Marquess always led straight to a “bad ending.”

All due to Lady Marquess’s twisted greed.

“What’s up with the first queen’s dog being here?”