Chapter 111 …
As soon as Jeusia appeared, the murmuring voices vanished as if they had never existed.
“Y-Your Majesty…”
The noblewomen and servants bowed obsequiously, as if they had never whispered and sneered at me before.
Regardless, Jeusia’s gaze was fixed entirely on me.
I couldn’t look away either, forgetting even the slight stiffness in my neck from looking up at her.
I had thought over and over how I would greet Jeusia upon her return.
I imagined scenes of joyfully exclaiming, “Welcome back!” or embracing her tightly, saying how much I missed her.
But when I finally faced the very Jeusia I had imagined, my body froze.
Not because I was nervous or afraid.
Strangely, it was because I felt a sense of relief, which somehow made me rigid.
Jeusia, too, showed no reaction upon seeing her daughter after such a long time.
“….”
Instead of speaking, she merely looked down at me with her eyes deeply furrowed.
After catching my breath, I mustered the courage to break the silence.
“Your Majesty…?”
When I called her gently, Jeusia’s brows furrowed even more harshly.
“Lira.”
Contrary to her eyes, which seemed to burn with restrained anger, the voice that called my name in response was surprisingly soft.
She slowly knelt, bringing herself down to my eye level.
Before I could even evade her penetrating purple eyes, Jeusia’s hand grasped my cheek.
“Unni?”
Her voice, somehow tender, almost made me tear up, but I instinctively pulled back.
“I-I’m not crying! I promised Your Majesty I wouldn’t!”
Even though she had said it would be fine if I cried in front of her, I couldn’t risk testing it recklessly—life is precious, after all.
Jeusia quietly muttered, staring at me as I waved my hands defensively.
“Yes, you promised.”
Perhaps because of my messy hair, part of her face seemed slightly obscured.
I tried blowing my hair away with a puff of air, but it didn’t work.
Jeusia, observing me, clicked her tongue.
“What were you planning to do with your hands?”
“…Ah!”
Embarrassed, I reached out my small hands to try and fix my disheveled hair.
Faster than me, her large, warm hands brushed aside my hair.
“Oh…”
It took me quite some time to realize it was Jeusia’s hands.
Though her touch lacked any delicacy, almost feeling like she was gripping my hair, it was clear she only wanted to tidy her daughter’s hair.
Jeusia herself—doing this directly.
Even experiencing it, I could hardly believe it.
“Wear it like this. The more I look at your face, the cuter I find it.”
“Huh?”
Blinking in confusion at her unexpected words, Jeusia smiled, showing her teeth.
“It means I wanted to see you.”
Her slightly curved lips seemed kind… or was that just my imagination?
After several adjustments, my messy hair was perfectly in place, and I opened my mouth with a grateful expression.
“Th-thank you so much!”
Jeusia responded with a languid smile.
“I’d like to think I ran out in such a flurry because I missed you so much… but it seems there was another reason.”
Muttering in a somber tone, Jeusia straightened her knees and rose.
“You.”
Her voice, cold enough to freeze, fell upon a maid standing next to a noblewoman.
“…H-Your Majesty? Are you referring to me?”
One of the maids who had loudly mocked me earlier.
Even a single syllable from her caused the maid to collapse, unable to respond.
“Who said it was acceptable to sit?”
The sheer menace in her voice stiffened me as well—imagine how terrified the maid must have been.
“I-I’m sorry. My legs… gave out…”
The maid began trembling violently, unable to stand.
Jeusia continued without paying attention.
“You were the one who said it was improper for the princess to run in the palace. You even claimed it was etiquette known to commoners.”
“I-I… I never intended to speak ill of the princess…”
“When did I ask you for excuses?”
“I-I’m sorry…”
“I’ll ask again. Is running in the palace against etiquette?”
“W-w-well… according to palace etiquette… inside the palace, one… one must walk… elegantly…”
“Is that so?” Jeusia snorted and turned her gaze to another noblewoman nearby.
“This time, I ask you. Did you say it was improper to appear in the corridor wearing indoor clothes?”
“…Y-yes?”
“Answer.”
“Y-yes. Within the palace, proper attire must be worn…”
“I see.”
Jeusia laughed softly and continued asking spine-chilling questions.
Did walking around with untidy hair break etiquette?
Was running barefoot improper?
All of these questions mirrored the mockery I had endured from them.
Even by the end of her interrogation, I couldn’t fathom why she asked such things.
“By your own accounts, my daughter has broken all the palace’s etiquette.”
Despite the reprimand, Jeusia’s voice carried a deep amusement.
“All faults lie with me, for failing to teach the princess proper etiquette.”
At the word “princess,” the servants’ faces turned pale, almost transparent.
Her piercing purple eyes and twisted smile revealed the truth: Jeusia was extremely angry.
“N-no! It’s our fault, Your Majesty!”
“P-please forgive us!”
“Your Majesty, mercy… just this once!”
The trembling noblewomen and attendants bowed toward us.
Whether their pleas for forgiveness were sincere or not, it was clear their fear was genuine.
“Forgive? The princess is the one at fault. Why are you asking for forgiveness?”
Jeusia raised her eyebrows in exaggerated disbelief, her lips twisting into a sharp smile.
The more her smile deepened, the louder the pleas for mercy became.
“I don’t know what you’re asking forgiveness for, but I see you wish to overlook the princess’s mistakes. Am I correct?”
“Y-yes!”
The noblewomen nodded like they had encountered a savior.
‘Good. Now they won’t dare mock me openly.’
But it was clear that their gathering in the palace at this moment was no coincidence.
The sudden appearance of a dog in the palace was suspicious as well, something I needed to confirm.
‘For now, I should properly greet my demon mother, whom I haven’t seen in so long!’
I wanted to ask how she had been, if anything had happened, if she truly missed me… so much I wanted to say.
Before I could suggest going to the bedroom, Jeusia spoke first.
“But what to do… Even though you said you’d forgive her, the princess seems overly timid.”
Huh? Me?
I wanted to shake my head in surprise, but Jeusia’s hand pressing gently on my head was faster.
“I think it would be good for you to show her that the mistakes she made today weren’t so serious.”
With a deadly serious smile that would allow no objections, the noblewomen almost reflexively agreed.
“How wonderful that everyone is cooperating.”
Jeusia, wearing a cruel smile, continued.
“From now on, you will do the same.”
“W-what…?”
“Remove your shawls, your outerwear, your shoes, and run around the palace with your hair in disarray. Until I say it’s enough.”
“W-what…?”
“So the princess won’t feel guilty, you will do the same.”
Jeusia gently drew the sword at her waist.
“If anyone slows down or stops, they will never walk again—so give it everything.”
Holding me in one arm, sword in the other, Jeusia bared her teeth in a smile.
“Shall we begin?”
