They say the strongest person in the world is coming (2)
“Waaah! So, so, so! Eeeextremely cute, Princess Raphaeelll!”
“How can someone be this adorable, cute, beautiful, and mysterious all at once…!”
The attendants and the nanny had already been completely defeated by Raphaela’s cuteness, melting onto the floor.
In particular, Wilbur had already pooled on the ground like a liquid.
“L-Lady… am I strange?”
“No. Not even a little.”
The answer came instantly.
Since there was no allocated budget for Dalria Palace, Sanael and Raphaela had always been forced to wear outdated secondhand clothes whenever they could get them.
Occasionally, dresses and accessories would arrive enclosed with letters addressed to Raphaela. However, they never fit her size and were far too flashy—borderline tacky in design—so they were promptly discarded.
Instead, Sanael used the money gained from selling them to ask Kanna to make new clothes for Raphaela, adding her own personal taste into the design.
“I never thought the outfit Lady Sanael ordered would be used like this… Truly fortunate.”
Kanna let out a relieved sigh, and watching the nanny, Sanael thought to herself.
‘Because I deliberately timed it for the Grandel’s return.’
In the original story, Raphaela had been summoned in a shabby, unkempt state and became the target of ridicule from everyone.
‘I can’t let it follow the original path.’
To quickly deepen the relationship between Grandel and Raphaela, it was necessary for Raphaela to draw everyone’s attention at the banquet—in a positive way.
‘This should be more than enough to capture the attention of the entire world.’
Satisfied with the successful result, Sanael nodded firmly.
Meanwhile, Raphaela seemed uncomfortable in her new dress, fiddling with her sleeves before speaking softly.
“Lady?”
“Hm?”
“A new dress. Don’t you wear one?”
“A dress? Me?”
“You said it earlier… that we should look pretty for His Majesty the King…”
Raphaela looked up with round, innocent eyes, and Sanael swallowed a bitter smile.
‘I’m not exactly someone who benefits from dressing up anyway. And of course, I put all our limited funds into your clothes.’
Unable to reveal the truth, Sanael casually brushed it off as usual.
“You’re already so pretty, Raphaela. I’ll stand out just fine beside you. Don’t worry.”
“…But I wanted to see Lady in a new dress too.”
Raphaela pouted and muttered stubbornly.
“I’m not doing this.”
Suddenly, Raphaela tugged off the white ribbon on her head.
“Raphaela! Why are you taking that off…”
“Here, Lady. Your hair.”
And she began tying it onto Sanael’s head.
Rustle, rustle.
Her movements were clumsy, making strands of black hair stick out messily, but Raphaela looked very satisfied as she puffed her chest proudly.
“And this too!”
She removed her white cape and placed it over Sanael.
“Done!”
Now Sanael was wearing her plain dark-blue dress with a white cape draped over it, and a ribbon awkwardly placed in her hair.
“Now Lady and I are twins! Matching dresses! Hehe!”
Watching the happily smiling Raphaela, Sanael felt tears welling up for some reason.
“Raphaela…”
The same went for the attendants watching them.
“Sob sob… both of you are just too kind-hearted!”
“T-this is too much… I can’t stop crying…”
Before long, the entire scene had turned into a tearful mess.
Dugudug, dugudug.
In the early morning, when the sky was still dark but beginning to fade into blue, a small carriage moved along a road illuminated by glowing magical street lamps.
On the driver’s seat sat Kanna, the nanny, her reddish-brown hair neatly tied as she guided the horses.
Inside the carriage sat Wilbur and Kilie in neat formal attire, unlike usual.
Opposite them were Sanael and Raphaela.
Sanael pressed her hand against the window and stared outside excitedly.
“Woooow…!”
It was her first time leaving Dalria Palace, so her excitement was only natural.
‘It’s way bigger than I expected.’
The Skadi Royal Capital was enormous—so vast it made her eyes widen.
Magnificent buildings lined the streets, stretching so far that they disappeared beyond the horizon.
‘I could travel for a month and still not see everything. If I hadn’t been born as Sanael, I’d go sightseeing immediately.’
As the carriage moved toward the center of the capital, nobles and officials moving early in the morning began to appear.
‘All of these carriages must be nobles heading to meet Grandel.’
As she pressed her face against the window, Wilbur chuckled.
“Haha, Princess Sanael looks very excited. You seem happy.”
“Ah… cough, cough.”
Sanael straightened her posture awkwardly.
“Feel free to keep looking! Here, you can sit on my lap and watch together—Gyaah!”
“Please behave yourself, Wilbur.”
Kilie pinched Wilbur’s thigh sharply.
“Lady…”
At that moment, Raphaela tugged on Sanael’s sleeve.
Her expression didn’t look good.
“Are you nervous?”
Raphaela nodded silently, swallowing nervously.
Sanael gently held her hand.
“It’s okay. Don’t be nervous. We’re just going sightseeing for now.”
But Raphaela’s face remained pale, trembling slightly.
“W-what should I do…?”
“What do you mean? Wilbur, Kilie, and Kanna are all here. Nothing will—”
Before she could finish,
Raphaela suddenly grabbed Sanael’s arm tightly.
“What if bad guys are everywhere hurting you!”
“Eh?”
“What if assassins are swarming outside! What if you get hurt because of me…!”
“…Ah.”
So that’s what she was worried about.
From the beginning, all her trembling had been because of concern for Sanael.
Sanael smiled awkwardly and patted her head.
“No one can touch us.”
“Why?”
Recalling the original story, Sanael smirked faintly.
“Because nobles are actually super cowards.”
“Super cowards?”
In the original, all those who once sent assassins fled the moment Raphaela regained her royal status.
Meaning—if they could gain Grandel’s favor, no one would dare touch them.
‘Just wait, Raphaela. I’ll make Grandel a total daughter-lover.’
In the vast Grand Hall, the morning court session had been canceled for the first time in years.
The cold throne of the central palace, Aster Palace, had always been quiet—but not today.
Countless nobles and lords arrived via carriages and teleportation circles, filling the enormous hall.
‘To actually see His Majesty…!’
‘If he returned, does that mean the war is settling?’
‘Then the succession competition will resume.’
At the top floor of Aster Palace, hundreds of nobles gathered, yet the space still felt spacious.
Then more arrived.
“Well then…”
“Those children must be…”
“Yes. The candidates for the next ruler.”
Children ranging from five or six years old to young adults nearing twenty all wore a brooch shaped like the sun and moon.
All eyes turned toward them—
Then suddenly,
Thud-thud-thud!
A commotion echoed as two small girls rushed in.
“Lady, hurry!”
“If Wilbur hadn’t gotten lost…!”
Two little girls, around four or five years old, ran up to the top floor.
The moment the nobles saw them, they collectively gasped.
One girl had soft honey-colored hair and pink eyes, wearing a white dress like a little angel.
‘A… angel!’
And beside her—
They saw another girl they recognized instantly.
Black hair like the twilight sky, golden eyes shimmering with light.
‘T-That face… His Majesty Grandel?!’
The resemblance was so strong that the hall fell silent.
As expected.
Sanael inwardly sighed as she felt countless stares piercing her.
‘Do I really look that similar?’
She tilted her head slightly.
“Lady, there are so many people…”
Raphaela clung to her sleeve, nervous.
Sanael observed the surroundings.
‘At least this way, no one dares openly insult us like in the original.’
The nobles only whispered from a distance.
“Is that really them…?”
“They truly are His Majesty’s bloodline?”
“They’re so small… and cute… cough.”
But soon, their discussion shifted.
“Is it true they live in the palace?”
“I heard His Majesty doesn’t even call them princesses.”
“That prophecy… could it be real?”
On the top floor, only candidates and nobles were allowed—no attendants.
So Sanael and Raphaela stood alone under countless gazes.
Raphaela’s hand grew damp with sweat.
“Lady… are those people bad?”
“Not all of them.”
Sanael looked around.
Only a small faction were hostile. Most were simply curious or evaluating.
“B-but they all look like they hate us…”
Raphaela lowered her head.
Sanael gently reassured her.
“Like I said. Cowards don’t dare act openly here.”
“Hey! Ugly girl! Long time no see!”
“…Except idiots.”
