Chapter 36
“The small light of the Empire… Ah. That greeting doesn’t apply anymore. I greet you, my Lord Duke.”
Leah, who had been smiling warmly at Kaylen and April, lowered her head and bowed to him. She was holding two heavy bags.
“Caspian.”
When Kaylen called him, Caspian quickly approached Leah and took her bags. Leah bowed in thanks, her face full of exhaustion.
“Let’s go to the carriage first.”
When they left the train station and got into the carriage waiting outside, April grabbed tightly onto Kaylen’s middle and ring fingers.
April, excited to see Kaylen after so long, chattered nonstop. But soon, maybe because the trip had been tiring, her small head drooped as she started to fall asleep.
When Leah tried to hold her, April, half-asleep, whined and clung even closer to Kaylen.
“Just leave her.”
Kaylen raised a hand to stop the apologetic Leah and gently laid April’s head on his lap. She quickly fell into a deep sleep.
“Now tell me. Why did April come all this way with you alone?”
Leah clasped her hands on her lap. She picked at a hangnail nervously before speaking with difficulty.
“The Princess overheard the palace maids talking.”
“What were they saying?”
“They said His Highness—no, the Grand Duke—got married and moved to a cold place. And… that he might never return to the capital again.”
Kaylen let out a soft curse and laughed bitterly at that.
Leah shrank her shoulders at the sound of his laughter.
“Go on.”
“When she asked me about it, I told her you would return soon, but she didn’t believe me.”
People thought April’s development was slow, but that wasn’t true. She only spoke a little clumsily for her age, but she was quick-witted and clever.
Smart April seemed to understand that Leah was lying.
After that day, she became sick and kept calling for Kaylen. As an ignored princess, she couldn’t even receive proper treatment from the palace doctors. With a burning fever, she kept asking for Kaylen, so Leah made her a promise.
“When your fever goes down, we’ll go see Kaylen.”
Even while half-conscious, April understood and nodded. Miraculously, her fever began to lower the next day.
And Leah had no choice but to keep her promise.
“Gaja! O-older brother, let’s go!”
As soon as April felt better, she said “let’s go” all day long. Leah kept delaying and making excuses, but finally went to the Empress.
“Hmm? You’re taking her to who?”
“Grand… Grand Duke Kaylen…”
“What a ridiculous child. Let her go. She may have come from my belly, but I really can’t understand her.”
The Empress blew out cigarette smoke as she said that.
And so, even though she was a princess, April came here without a single guard.
Kaylen clenched his teeth. The hand not stroking April’s hair trembled faintly with anger.
“I’m sorry.”
“You have nothing to be sorry about, Leah. If you had told me sooner, I would have sent guards to the capital in advance.”
“I never imagined that they truly would not assign even one guard to her until the day we left the palace.”
Yes. Of course she wouldn’t have imagined it.
Even if she was ignored by the Emperor and Empress, she was still a royal. No one would think they’d send out a young princess like that.
Kaylen gave a bitter smile and brushed aside April’s messy hair.
The carriage traveled slowly toward Winterford Castle. Because April was sleeping soundly, they moved slower than usual, arriving after more than four hours.
“Wow!”
April, who had woken up thirty minutes earlier, drew shapes on the foggy window. When she saw Winterford Castle, her mouth formed a perfect O.
“O-older brother home?”
“Yes. This is your big brother’s home.”
She clapped her little hands, saying it looked like a princess’s castle from a fairy tale. Watching a princess of the Empire admire the poorest land’s castle made Kaylen feel bitter.
When the carriage stopped, April tried to run outside at once, but Kaylen caught her.
“It’s cold outside. If you don’t dress warmly, you’ll catch a cold.”
“Icky. Too stuffy.”
“You still have to wear it.”
She pouted, but quietly let Kaylen dress her. Kaylen chuckled and gently pinched her small cherry-like lips.
“Ow!”
April covered her mouth with both hands. Kaylen kissed her forehead, then opened the carriage door.
The servants were waiting outside. Standing at the front was the Grand Duchess, Elliana. Her cheeks and nose had turned red from waiting in the cold for so long.
Kaylen quickly got off with April in his arms. Elliana, Isaiah, Greta, Benjamin, and all the Winterford servants kneeled.
“We greet the Empire’s Little Moon.”
Then—
“Hu… huff…”
April suddenly began to sob.
W-what?
Did I do something wrong?
I blinked quickly.
It wasn’t just me who panicked. Isaiah beside me, Greta behind him, Benjamin, and every servant looked confused.
Only Kaylen, holding April, didn’t panic.
He gently patted her back and whispered something to her. He seemed completely used to this situation.
Why is he… so good at holding a child?
Seeing Kaylen naturally carrying the princess April, I narrowed my eyes. Then I shook my head.
For a moment, I wondered if Kaylen had a secret child somewhere—but that was impossible.
I keep forgetting I transmigrated into a novel.
The male lead wouldn’t have a secret child!
While I tapped my head in frustration, Kaylen walked toward me carrying April.
“The Princess can’t greet anyone in this state. Let’s end things here for today.”
Up close, I saw April’s small body trembling as she clung to Kaylen’s neck.
Kaylen led the way inside the castle. I watched his back with concern until Isaiah spoke.
“She is probably just shy. I’ve seen her a few times, and every time she met unfamiliar people, she would cling to Kaylen and cry like that.”
My sister-in-law is shy. Great. The difficulty level of my in-law life just skyrocketed.
Walking behind Kaylen, I wondered how I could win Princess April’s heart.
In the original story, April didn’t appear many times. I only knew what Isaiah told me.
She was the Empress’s child, but had been very sick when young, small for her age, slow to develop, and ignored by her parents. The only one who cared for her was Kaylen.
I didn’t know what April liked, disliked, or what kind of personality she had.
I watched her small white hands gripping Kaylen’s shoulders tightly.
I still didn’t know exactly why she came all the way to this harsh place without a single guard, but seeing her arrive only with her nanny, I could imagine her situation.
I had to swallow down the curse rising inside me.
Because it was already late, we went straight to the dining room. Since April was shy, the number of servants was kept to a minimum.
Thankfully, she stopped crying on the way. After Kaylen placed her in a child’s chair prepared in advance, I was finally able to see her face clearly.
And I fell into deep thought for a moment.
