Chapter 5
When I arrived at the Duchess’s office—where my mother would be—I let out a sigh before even knocking.
I don’t want to get scolded.
But knowing my mother’s personality, arriving late would only make it worse.
Right before opening the door, I put on a bright smile.
Operation: smooth things over with cuteness.
In my previous life, I had already mastered age-appropriate aegyo for every stage of life.
Unlike back then, however, I now had to act cute like a six-year-old while possessing the mental age of someone over twenty-four. It was an act that inflicted considerable psychological damage—but it had to be done.
“Mom—!”
Calling out cheerfully like a child who had slept well and played happily, I ran toward her.
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the nanny standing there, avoiding my gaze as if she felt guilty about something. But I didn’t stop.
My mother, an undeniable daughter-fool, beamed at my rare display of affection and pulled me into her arms.
“Miela, did you sleep well?”
“Yes!”
I buried my face in her embrace and acted spoiled.
Inside her arms, I felt a faint vibration—she must have been laughing quietly.
At that moment, I was convinced I might actually get away with this.
“You went to the Imperial Palace safely too, right?”
The bait had been thrown.
After a brief but fierce moment of deliberation, I answered according to the plan I had prepared.
“Yes!”
“Really?”
My mother’s tone stretched slightly at my brisk reply.
“Well, you see…”
I wriggled out of her arms and began speaking.
“What interesting story is my daughter going to tell her mother?”
My mother bent down to meet my gaze, as if wanting to hear me better.
Her teal eyes—identical to mine—held unmistakable affection along with a hint of strictness.
I continued my act as a child who hadn’t yet learned how to read the room.
“Earlier at the palace, there was a reaaally old palace building, so I went there…”
As I chattered as though something fascinating had happened—without even realizing I might be scolded—my mother’s brow briefly furrowed.
But since I had already begun what was essentially a confession, she seemed to decide to listen a little longer. Within seconds, the crease between her brows smoothed out again.
“And then?”
She added encouragement to my story and lifted me up.
I squealed and wrapped my arms around her neck.
She lightly patted my back a few times while walking toward the sofa.
It seemed she intended to sit down and listen properly.
As I was carried in her arms, a thought crossed my mind.
I should stop doing this once I turn seven.
Being held by my mother felt nice, but unlike my knight father or my brothers, she was an ordinary person. Lifting someone who weighed over twenty kilograms was quite a burden.
I should save the carrying for my strong father or brothers.
Fortunately, we reached the sofa before she grew tired.
My mother gently set me down, then sat across from me.
The nanny, who had approached at some point, stood behind my mother like a shadow.
The atmosphere clearly resembled an interrogation, but I simply continued my story as if I hadn’t noticed.
“There, I saw the—um—Second Prince! He looked like a rabbit!”
I almost called him a little squirt but changed the title after noticing the nanny’s gaze.
My mother and the nanny exchanged glances.
“So it seems you met the Second Prince.”
My mother accepted my words calmly.
She appeared to be thinking about how exactly to scold me for running off alone and leaving the nanny behind.
Seeing her expression gradually grow stricter, I hurried to continue before the scolding began.
“But why does the Prince live in such a dirty place?”
Both my mother and the nanny’s expressions darkened.
My mother composed her face and answered,
“Well… perhaps because you visited suddenly, they didn’t have time to clean.”
She only told me a small piece of the truth. She still wanted me to remain unaware of the darker sides of the world for now.
“Doesn’t your room get messy when you finish drawing pictures, Miela? I’m sure the palace will be nice and clean by tomorrow.”
There was determination in her voice—as though she intended to make that happen.
My mother had once been the chief lady-in-waiting to the Empress Dowager, the Emperor’s mother. Even now, the Empress Dowager still held significant influence within the inner palace.
As the former chief lady-in-waiting, my mother had enough authority to quietly clean up the misconduct of someone like the Empress Dowager’s head maid without attracting attention.
Looks like Mom will handle it.
Inwardly, I took credit for helping Leonhardt.
“I see!”
Outwardly, I nodded as though her answer was perfectly satisfying.
For a brief moment, relief flickered across both my mother’s and the nanny’s faces.
But cleaning the room alone wouldn’t ensure the child grew up properly.
Since we were helping anyway, I decided to drive the point home once more.
“But the Prince is really tiny. Maybe his dad doesn’t tell him to eat broccoli. I’m jealous! I don’t mind not getting taller either.”
That wasn’t sincere at all.
Pfft.
Being slightly shorter than the average woman of the Empire was one of my complexes.
Everyone around me is just so tall.
When I spoke like a thoughtless child, the brief relief on their faces vanished instantly.
“Well…”
The nanny, who usually remained silent behind my mother like her shadow, unconsciously let out a sound.
This time the question involved the Emperor, so it couldn’t be brushed aside like before.
My mother glanced at the nanny once before replying in a clearer voice than before.
“Sometimes children simply grow a little later than others. If he eats well and sleeps well, I’m sure he’ll grow quickly.”
Since I knew Leonhardt as an adult, it was a future I could confidently guarantee.
“But…”
My mother suddenly changed the topic with an ominous tone.
Now that the Prince’s food, clothing, and shelter had been addressed, it was time for my punishment.
“Miela, did you go to that palace on your own without being invited?”
I wanted to protest that we weren’t exactly strangers who needed formal invitations to visit each other’s homes—but that wasn’t something I could say at this point.
So I answered while pretending to be completely dejected.
“Well… it was inside the Imperial Palace, and the building looked so old that I got curious…”
From the outside, Leonhardt’s palace actually looked better than the interior.
But the overgrown weeds and faded walls stood out starkly in the otherwise pristine Imperial Palace.
“And I thought no one lived there.”
Even the nanny—who valued etiquette above all else—had assumed it was an empty palace.
Perhaps my explanation sounded reasonable, because my mother dropped the issue of entering the palace and instead focused on scolding me for running off alone without the nanny.
“I know you didn’t do it on purpose, Miela. But if you wanted to explore somewhere, you should have gone with the nanny.”
“I’m sorry…”
I apologized like a good child asking for forgiveness.
My mother was the strictest person toward me in this house, but she was still a devoted mother. Unable to stay stern, she came over and pulled me into another hug.
“You won’t do that again, right?”
“Yes!”
Thinking I might get away with it, I answered enthusiastically.
But my mother wasn’t someone who would let it go that easily.
“Then there will be no snacks for a week.”
Boom.
For someone with a child’s body and an adult’s mind, the small joys of life were already limited.
Desserts were the only thing that satisfied both sides.
I let out a sigh like a grown adult.
“Well… I guess it can’t be helped.”
I had already prepared myself to accept some consequences for saving Leonhardt earlier than in my previous life.
Even so, my gloomy expression didn’t improve.
A child’s facial muscles were far more honest than an adult’s.
Seeing me so dejected, my mother added gently,
“Since Miela reflected on her mistake, Mommy is being generous by making it only one week without snacks.”
“Okaaaay…”
I puffed out my cheeks as I replied.
My mother kissed my cheeks repeatedly.
“Whose daughter is this adorable? Miela, you shouldn’t think Mommy will let you off just because you’re cute.”
I hadn’t done anything, yet my mother acted as if I had unleashed some ultimate charm attack.
The nanny nodded faintly beside her, as though agreeing with everything she said.
What can I do if my very existence is cute?
That was the kind of thing her eyes seemed to say.
My face suddenly grew hot.
“Mom’s daughter!”
Still, if acting cute might make her go easy on me, it was worth trying.
