“Is This Perhaps a Childcare Story?” – Chapter 54
It was then that a knock came and the door opened—Istein entered.
“Miela, I’ve decided to use the room right next to yours here too.”
“That’s great for me! But Titi, come here quickly and look out the window!”
“…Is there something special out there?”
Istein couldn’t understand why Miela was making such a fuss. To him, it was just an ordinary cityscape.
Sure, the capital was a little livelier with the founding festival only a few days away, but overall, it wasn’t all that different.
Still, to Miela, it must have looked new—no, beautiful.
“That must be a park! There’s a huge fountain! And look over there! Those people must be from the city guard, right? Aren’t they so cool?”
It was quite different from the relaxed atmosphere of the Baluar Duchy. The dense buildings of the city gave off a unique kind of vibrancy.
While blankly staring out at the scenery that didn’t move him much, Istein asked suddenly:
“Hmm, cool, huh? Then how does this compare to the Baluar territory? Do you still think the capital’s better?”
“W-Well, not exactly! Of course Baluar is better. Haha…”
But the reason Miela liked this place wasn’t just because of the outside view. In the original novel, this townhouse was the main setting. Living here felt like romantic, novel-like events might happen every day!
“You can look out the window anytime. Come on, let’s go down. The dresses we ordered for the social gathering just arrived.”
“Huh? Social gathering? What do you mean? I thought you had to be 17 to officially debut into society?”
Miela recalled what she’d learned from her governess and tilted her head in confusion.
Istein shrugged.
“You’re exactly right. The official debut is at 17. But that’s just the official debut. There are plenty of informal gatherings before that.”
“Really? I had no idea!”
Miela’s eyes sparkled. She’d been wondering what she would do in the townhouse while the adults attended the Imperial banquet—but it turned out she had her own schedule, too!
‘No wonder Lady Regina told me to be careful of the Sybil family…’
She’d likely run into members of the Sybil family if she went to the Imperial Palace.
“Wow…!”
As soon as they reached the lobby, Miela’s eyes widened. Several dresses were laid out, even more splendid than those she’d worn at the duke’s estate—fit for a princess.
“Miela, just in time. Do any of these dresses catch your eye? Pick one you like,”
the Duchess asked kindly.
After some very serious deliberation, Miela chose one.
“Hmm… I like this one.”
“Oh? Why that one?”
“When I look at it, it reminds me of a bright sky. The white lace and ribbons look like fluffy clouds floating around.”
Regina chuckled at Miela’s whimsical way of tying the dress to a scenic image. She was nothing like Regina herself—unpredictable and utterly charming.
“That’s a lovely interpretation. Alright, that’ll be your dress. And we’ll have to change Istein’s shirt to sky blue so you match.”
“Yay! But Lady Regina, Titi told me I’ll be attending a social gathering. Is that true?”
At her question, Regina nodded. She had planned to explain it anyway.
“So he told you already. Yes, it’s true. During the founding festival, the Imperial family holds informal gatherings for young lords and ladies who haven’t yet debuted. It’s not official, but children of influential families usually attend.”
“I-Is it really okay for me to go to something that important?”
Miela hugged herself nervously. Regina clicked her tongue and reassured her.
“Oh, Miela. You’re the future duchess of Baluar. Not only do you have the right to attend—you absolutely should. And you’re not going alone. Istein will be with you.”
“…Whew, that’s a relief!”
As long as she wasn’t alone, she could handle it. With Titi by her side, she wasn’t afraid anymore.
To help Miela, who was still new to high society, Regina continued her explanation.
“After the founding festival, the formal social season begins with the debutantes. The Baluar family has kept a low profile for a while, but now that we have a daughter-in-law, it’s time to re-enter society.”
“The social season! That means we’ll be staying in the townhouse longer, right?”
“Most likely, yes. We’ll be staying in the capital for some time. But don’t worry—if anything urgent comes up, we can always return to the duchy via the teleportation circle.”
In truth, the one really worried wasn’t Miela—it was likely Regina. Sending innocent, sweet Miela into the harsh world of high society worried her. But there was no avoiding it.
‘Even if we wait until she’s an adult and married to send her into society, other nobles won’t easily accept a commoner-born future duchess who suddenly appeared.’
And with many families, including the Sybil family, already watching Baluar closely, Regina had discussed it with Yurhan and made a decision.
‘It may be better to start exposing her gradually—let them get used to her face now.’
They might look down on her at first, but if Miela made it clear that she was under the Baluar family’s strong protection, they wouldn’t dare mistreat her. That’s why Regina decided to push forward her social debut.
“The gatherings will start regularly from tomorrow, so get a good night’s rest.”
“I will!”
But that night, Miela couldn’t fall asleep easily. Was it the unfamiliar bed? Or was it nerves and excitement for the next day? She wasn’t sure.
* * *
Finally, the founding festival began. In the capital square, flower petals and small fireworks exploded joyfully while festive music filled the air. The tightly closed palace gates opened, and the carriages of noble families lined up to enter.
Miela was in one of those carriages.
“What do I do, Titi? I’m so nervous. What if I meet His Majesty? What was the greeting again? ‘I greet the sun of the Empire, His Majesty the Emperor…’ And then I give my name, right?”
She was so flustered that her words were tumbling over one another.
Istein calmed her.
“You remembered it perfectly. But usually, only nobles who’ve debuted as adults get to meet the Emperor. Don’t worry too much.”
“R-Really? But you said ‘usually.’ That means there are exceptions, right?”
“Ah… I can’t hide anything from you, huh. Yes, there are exceptions—but very rare ones. For example…”
Istein smirked. There had been a few boys or girls who, after achieving something extraordinary or displaying mystical powers, were granted an audience with the Emperor. But in the long history of the Empire, those cases could be counted on one hand.
“Aside from a Saintess who awakened holy power at age 12 and a young viscount who became a Sword Master at 15, there’s almost no record of pre-debut nobles having an audience with His Majesty.”
Only after hearing the real-life examples did Miela breathe a sigh of relief.
“Whew, then I definitely won’t be one of them. Thank goodness.”
“You never know. What if you suddenly awaken some divine power?”
“What? Don’t be ridiculous. That’s impossible!”
Miela jumped and denied it firmly. After all, she knew Arzelin, the female lead, was the one who’d become a saintess.
It had just been a joke, but Miela’s strong reaction surprised Istein, who scrambled to cover it up.
“Just kidding. Honestly, becoming a prophet would suit you more. You’ve inherited the blood of a seer, after all. Don’t you think?”
