chapter 9
Beris’s expression changed the moment he saw the paper boat.
As if he had just received a huge shock, he murmured quietly, “Ah…”
“Your Highness… the boat… why does it look like this? It’s strange.”
Beris leaned in close to the table and tilted his head.
Well, compared to the others’ attempts, the paper boat I made was terrible.
It was crumpled here and there—anyone could see it looked shabby.
“That’s rude to say.”
Meanwhile, Ronowe stepped between Beris and me.
“Even if it looks like a shipwreck, you shouldn’t say that. Her Highness worked hard on it.”
Ronowe pointed out Beris’s mistake.
What? Even ‘shipwreck’ isn’t exactly a word a child would casually use.
I flinched, then remembered I was currently in the body of a three-year-old and decided to quietly observe.
“But… the boat… it’s all broken.”
Beris didn’t change his mind.
With an innocent face, he emphasized how messy my paper boat was.
“Stop it!”
Ronowe finally turned to glare at Beris.
“Her Highness already knows the boat is broken!”
Trying to stop Beris, Ronowe raised his voice.
Both of you, stop. I know already, you brats.
Watching the scene made me feel embarrassed and complicated.
Instead of feeling grateful for Ronowe’s defense, I just became more painfully aware of my lack of skill.
“It’s hard because it’s your first time.”
That’s when—
“The Marquis said that everyone is clumsy at first.”
Just as I was feeling discouraged by my poor skills, Carlisle spoke. He picked up the paper boat in front of me and gently smoothed it.
“Thank you for saying that.”
As expected, he’s the most decent one—fit to be a general. I thanked Carlisle.
“Next time, I’ll teach you in an easier way.”
Carlisle smiled faintly as he met my eyes.
“I’m not doing origami anymore. It’s not fun.”
Meanwhile, as if they hadn’t just been arguing, Beris—one of the Fleur siblings—suddenly got bored while playing with paper.
“I’m hungry.”
Ronowe suddenly plopped down on the floor, clutching his stomach.
“Me too.”
Beris dropped the paper and said he was hungry as well.
“I wanna eat something.”
Soon, he picked up a paper boat from the floor and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing.
“Ah—no! That’s not food!”
Startled, Carlisle rushed over and pulled the paper out of Beris’s mouth.
He looked flustered, as if he hadn’t expected someone to try eating paper no matter how hungry they were.
“If you’re hungry, let’s clean up and go eat.”
Calm again, Carlisle suggested tidying up and going to eat.
“I’m too hungry to clean!”
For some reason, Beris puffed up his cheeks and ran off.
“Ah…”
It all happened so quickly that Carlisle hesitated, while Ronowe stared blankly at Beris running away before standing up.
“Meat~”
“Meat~ meat~”
Before long, the Fleur siblings were scooped up by a maid waiting nearby.
I watched Beris for a moment, then started picking up the scattered paper on the floor.
“Your Highness, please go eat first. I’ll clean this up.”
Carlisle said he could handle it alone, but I couldn’t just leave him, so I helped.
“No, let’s do it together.”
While picking up paper, our hands accidentally touched.
“Your Highness!”
Carlisle’s eyes widened in shock.
“You could get a paper cut.”
Though surprised by his reaction, I stayed still. Instead of pulling away, he gently held my hand with both of his.
“I’m sorry…!”
Then, realizing what he had done, he quickly let go and apologized.
After that, we silently finished cleaning up.
“Good work.”
After looking around the now tidy area, I handed Carlisle the paper boat I had made.
“Take this. It seemed like you liked boats.”
It was still shabby and ugly, but Carlisle received it respectfully with both hands.
“Thank you.”
His cheeks even turned slightly red, though I didn’t think it was a big deal.
“Let’s go.”
Soon, accompanied by my maid, I left the study with Carlisle escorting me.
A little later, contrary to expectations, I ended up separated from the others and Carlisle during mealtime. That was because I would be eating with Jeff and someone else.
The dining hall we gathered in had recently changed luxurious brown curtains that shimmered with golden dust. The chandelier on the ceiling sparkled under the sunlight streaming through the windows.
The table was filled with all kinds of exquisite dishes.
Juicy meat, salads, seafood—some dishes were so beautiful they felt almost too precious to touch.
The variety alone made my appetite surge like boiling water, and my mouth watered.
Choosing a picky chef was worth it.
I wanted to try everything, so I took small portions of each dish and put them on my plate, then twirled some noodles around my fork.
I carefully opened my mouth and lifted the fork—
But the noodles slipped off.
What’s the point of speaking like an adult!
I frowned in frustration.
“My daughter~”
Just as I was glaring at my plate, Jeff called me.
“Will you look over here? I brought someone to help with Dazzling’s studies.”
I had wondered why we were quietly eating with a stranger—Jeff finally introduced the red-haired boy sitting across from me.
“The children from the Fleur family are still young, so I thought Sasha would be better at helping with academics.”
“Yes…”
The others were clearly not suited for anything beyond companionship.
Anyway, Jeff called the boy Sasha and had us greet each other.
I’m hungry.
I responded half-heartedly. Food mattered more than new friends right now.
Sasha placed a hand over his chest, greeted politely, then focused on eating.
I watched him for a moment before picking up my fork again.
Why does he suddenly need to help with education?
Turns out, there was a reason he was here.
It’s tiring enough dealing with those troublemakers.
From Jeff’s perspective, he just wanted his only daughter to have many friends—but honestly, I wasn’t thrilled. It was annoying.
I need time to adjust to this body, and there’s already so much to deal with.
I tried twirling noodles again—
They slipped.
Again…
I gave up and ate something else.
“Our Dazzling eats so well~”
Jeff watched me with sparkling eyes.
Why is he staring like that? So burdensome…
I grumbled internally.
“Just watching you eat makes me full. Eat a lot.”
He smiled warmly, completely unaware of my thoughts.
A perfect doting father.
I’m going to starve at this rate.
How could I eat properly with him staring like that?
I poked at my food.
“There’s still a little left.”
“Potatoes…”
Only potatoes and salad remained. For some reason, just looking at the potatoes made me feel nauseous.
“It seems you don’t like potatoes.”
Sasha spoke.
“Don’t you want to eat them? Do they taste bad?”
“I don’t like them.”
At this rate, I’ll turn into a potato.
I hesitated, spearing a piece.
Why does he like potatoes so much?
A memory surfaced—
He used to steal sacks of potatoes… even ate them during war…
I recalled a young Jeff happily eating a big boiled potato.
“No~ Even if you don’t like it, you must eat it.”
When I stopped eating, Jeff panicked.
“Dazzling, ah~”
He brought a forkful of potato toward me.
Horrified, I shook my head.
I can’t refuse…
As I hesitated, Jeff looked like he might cry.
Reluctantly, I let him feed me.
A long time ago… I acted beyond my age and was accused of being a witch… and killed.
The painful memory resurfaced.
I need to be careful.
I thought of that brutal end.
I want to grow up quickly and live freely.
I picked up my fork again.
“I’ll eat by myself.”
I didn’t want to be fed.
“Look at our Dazzling.”
Jeff was impressed.
“She’s already trying to do things on her own.”
He stood proudly.
“Isn’t she smart and admirable?”
Then he started bragging like a dramatic actor.
“My daughter is a genius. The other day she drew something—it was amazing.”
Why are you telling him that?!
It was just a messy drawing.
“Like His Majesty, Her Highness is very intelligent.”
Sasha praised me.
“Your Majesty, it’s time for your duties.”
A servant interrupted.
“Alright, we’ll end the meal here.”
Jeff stood up.
“Have a nice chat with my daughter.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“But if you try anything inappropriate…”
His expression turned cold.
“I won’t let it slide.”
“I understand.”
Sasha responded calmly.
“Daddy will go work now, my cute Dazzling.”
Jeff hugged me and kissed my cheek.
I stopped thinking altogether.
Then he left.
…
…
Silence fell between Sasha and me.
After a while—
“Noona.”
Sasha finally broke the silence with a smiling gaze.
