Chapter 10
“Miela Selin Rodrigue.”
Someone once said that a middle name exists to show just how angry your parents are.
I flinched with my face buried in my mother’s arms.
Mom’s angry.
Even if I pretended not to hear, the tension I felt must have been conveyed to the mother who was holding me.
Reluctantly, I gave up trying to avoid it and lifted my head.
“Yees…”
My voice sounded nasal because my nose was stuffed from crying so much.
My eyes were swollen too, so you would think she might take pity on me—but Mother remained firm.
As if she had been waiting, her cold question was directed at me.
“Why were you in the carriage when you were supposed to be sleeping in your room?”
“Th-that’s…”
Overwhelmed by Mother’s pressure, I almost told the truth.
Absolutely not.
I quickly shut my mouth.
I can’t say that I snuck into the carriage to meet Leonhardt.
I had already prepared myself to be scolded for causing trouble, but it would be extremely troublesome if the connection between Leonhardt and me became known.
Pretending that I was too intimidated to speak, I rolled my eyes around while desperately thinking.
However, no suitable excuse came to mind, and Mother’s gaze was becoming colder and colder.
“Miela.”
“Th-that’s…”
As I kept repeating the same words, my gaze turned toward Father.
“My dear.”
When I sent him a desperate look asking for help, my soft-hearted father called out to Mother with a sympathetic expression.
But of course, it didn’t work.
In the House of Rodrigue, the number one authority was Mother.
Still, thanks to Father buying me some time, I managed to calm down and come up with an excuse.
“Lester said he was going to the Imperial Palace, so I hid under the seat because I wanted to follow him… but I fell asleep.”
Although a few parts were omitted, it was still a description close to the truth.
If I lie, Mother will definitely find out.
I looked at Mother with wide, pleading eyes like the Puss in Boots cat, hoping to be scolded a little less.
The effect, however, appeared on Father instead.
“You must have been very frightened. Miela, blow your nose. Hmm!”
Carefully watching Mother’s reaction, Father handed me a handkerchief.
“Dad.”
I immediately seized the opportunity and threw myself into Father’s arms.
Of course, I only pretended to blow my nose.
Seeing me naturally move out of Mother’s line of sight, Mother let out a deflated laugh.
The corners of her mouth, which had been stiff the whole time, finally softened.
Still held in Father’s arms, I turned toward Mother and giggled.
“Goodness.”
Mother shook her head as if she couldn’t help it, then wrapped both of us in her arms.
“Waaah, it’s stuffy.”
When I whined about being trapped between Mom and Dad, Mother suddenly bit my ear.
“Wasn’t it stuffy under the carriage seat?”
I had nothing to say to that, so my complaints disappeared immediately.
All I could do was grin sheepishly.
This time, Mother lightly bit my cheek.
“Ow.”
I exaggerated my pain dramatically.
Mother rubbed my cheek gently with the back of her hand.
“Do you know how worried your father and I were?”
By this point, it basically meant the worst had already passed.
“I didn’t knooow.”
Putting on my most repentant face, I answered.
Mother asked in a deliberately stern tone,
“You won’t do that again, right?”
I carefully replied without showing how relieved I was.
“Yes.”
“But you still need to be punished. For the next month, no outings and no snacks.”
I had expected it, but that didn’t mean I liked it.
“Eeeh…”
I drooped my eyebrows and made the most pitiful expression I could, hoping she might shorten the punishment.
But Mother remained firm.
“And you’re not allowed to ask Lionel to share his snacks with you either.”
With my only hope taken away, I was truly devastated.
* * *
“Duke Rodrigue. Welcome.”
The Emperor greeted Duke Rodrigue with a bright smile.
“It has been some time, Your Majesty.”
After finishing the formal greeting, Duke Rodrigue sat down across from the Emperor.
Even for a duke, sitting so casually before the Emperor might have seemed disrespectful, but neither of them cared.
Their relationship went back to when the Emperor had still been a prince.
Such familiarity was more than acceptable between the two.
Once they were both seated, the Emperor’s chamberlain personally served tea.
A teacup was placed in front of each of them.
After the chamberlain withdrew, the Emperor lifted his cup, took a sip, and asked,
“By the way, I heard your daughter enjoyed her tour of the Imperial Palace.”
It was almost a casual remark, but he had actually been curious.
After all, it was the first time Duke Rodrigue had ever asked him for a favor.
The duke usually maintained a stiff expression during casual talk, but perhaps because the topic was his beloved daughter, his expression wasn’t unpleasant.
“She did enjoy it. Thank you for Your Majesty’s generosity.”
Seeing Duke Rodrigue bow more politely than he had ever seen before, the Emperor felt secretly pleased.
After all, he had received much from the duke but had done very little in return.
It had always felt like a debt in his heart.
Feeling generous, the Emperor said,
“It may seem ordinary once you’ve seen it many times, but the Imperial Palace must be fascinating for children. I’ll invite her more often.”
Duke Rodrigue accepted the Emperor’s kindness gladly.
“Thank you.”
When a faint smile appeared on the face of the duke—who rarely smiled—the Emperor found himself staring.
“Should I have a daughter even now?”
At the Emperor’s joking remark, Duke Rodrigue replied in a rare teasing tone.
“If the Empress permits it. Though finding a daughter as lovely as Miela would be difficult.”
The Emperor laughed at the duke’s blatant doting.
Then he murmured as if speaking to himself,
“It must hurt to marry off a daughter you’ve raised so dearly.”
Lately, there had been many discussions about the Crown Prince’s engagement, so his thoughts drifted there.
“My daughter is only six years old!”
Though the Emperor had spoken jokingly, Duke Rodrigue reacted quite fiercely.
“The Crown Prince is already eleven and looking for a fiancée.”
Amused by the duke losing his composure, the Emperor added teasingly,
“So that means five years left.”
Realizing the Emperor was deliberately provoking him, Duke Rodrigue quickly regained his composure.
However, he still looked slightly displeased.
Come to think of it…
After a moment’s thought, the Emperor said,
“The Crown Prince and your daughter are five years apart in age.”
At the obvious implication, Duke Rodrigue’s face twisted.
“Anyone who can do basic arithmetic could figure that out.”
The Emperor laughed off the gruff reply and continued in a casual tone.
“I’m not suggesting anything immediate. I’m just saying the Crown Prince would be an excellent husband for someone her age.”
Pausing to observe the duke’s expression, the Emperor dropped the bait.
“They’re children of similar status. Feelings could naturally develop between them, don’t you think?”
Since it was phrased so vaguely, it was difficult to object.
Duke Rodrigue simply remained silent, clearly displeased.
The Emperor burst out laughing.
The duke’s expression grew colder.
Before Duke Rodrigue could truly become angry, the Emperor quickly changed the subject.
“Enough small talk. I heard there was unrest along the border?”
Back to matters of state.
However, the Emperor did not abandon the good idea that had occurred to him.
* * *
As soon as my art lesson ended, a maid hurried into the study as if she had been waiting.
“My Lady! The Duchess has summoned you to the reception room!”
“Mom?”
Holding the maid’s hand, I hurried down the stairs to the reception room.
When we arrived, Mother was staring at an invitation with a serious expression.
“Mom?”
I let go of the maid’s hand and ran to her.
“Miela.”
Mother set the invitation down on the side table, picked me up, and kissed my cheek.
Still holding me, she opened the invitation and showed it to me.
The first thing I noticed was the seal at the bottom.
The Crown Prince’s seal.
Why is he inviting me at this point?
This was an invitation from the Crown Prince that had never existed in my previous life.
