Episode 17
How much time had passed?
A voice from not far away pulled me back to consciousness.
“Marquess, there were poisons in that little chest earlier, weren’t there? The princess isn’t poisoned, is she?”
My mother asked anxiously, and the Marquess of Hestia stammered in reply.
“Absolutely not, Your Majesty. Every vial was tightly sealed, and Her Highness the Princess shows no signs of poisoning.”
“Then how could she suddenly faint? She has been healthy since birth—I thought Eah might be preparing to grant her even stronger healing power in the future…!”
Ah, so Mother expected me to have healing powers.
*She wished for it that early… Yet I was incompetent my whole life. How disappointed she must have been.*
The realization pricked painfully in my chest.
A familiar voice—the royal physician—spoke.
“Your Majesty, Marquess. Her Highness merely lost consciousness briefly. Her physical indicators resemble that of someone sleeping; she is perfectly stable. She will awaken soon, so please allow her to rest—”
Mother’s cold voice cut him off.
“If the princess is harmed while I am away, I will never forgive you.”
“…Yes, Your Majesty.”
Footsteps slowly retreated.
Only after the surroundings fell completely silent did I carefully crack open my eyes.
Before I could even make a sound, I locked eyes with Beatrice.
“Your Highness! Are you all right?”
At her voice, the royal physician hurried over, checked my temperature, and examined me.
“Your Highness, can you hear me?”
— *Beep—beep…*
A faint squeak sounded near my ear.
I alternated glances between the physician and Beatrice, then gave a small nod.
He continued.
“Do you feel any discomfort?”
I needed a reason for why I suddenly collapsed, yet no explanation came to mind.
Just as the Marquess said, the poisons had all been sealed.
*And a child my age shouldn’t even understand what those were.*
I had no choice but to shake my head. Beatrice sniffled.
“What in the world is happening…?”
The physician cautiously asked,
“If you feel up to it, should we summon His Majesty the King?”
At that moment—
Voices and hurried footsteps approached from outside. Someone burst through the door.
He rushed toward me and pulled me into a tight embrace.
“My baby…!”
“Dad…”
He released me only to touch my forehead, lift my eyelids, check every little thing.
The physician explained,
“Your Majesty, the princess briefly lost consciousness during the banquet, but her body shows no abnormalities.”
“No abnormalities…?”
Father’s violet eyes turned freezing cold as he stared at the physician.
“Starting now, we will investigate everything the princess did, everyone she met, everything she ate since yesterday. Call for investigators.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
After the attendant left, Mother appeared at the doorway.
“Dear, the physician says the princess needs to rest…”
“…Teresia.”
The way Father spoke her name made everyone—including me—freeze.
Normally, Father spoke to Mother like she was half his superior.
*But now… he called her by name, in front of others.*
Even Mother, startled, hesitated. Father murmured as if speaking to himself.
“She is my daughter as well. I will not overlook this.”
Mother didn’t answer. Instead, she approached and gently touched my forehead.
“It’s all right, darling. You’re awake. That’s what matters.”
Ignoring her entirely, Father ordered the chamberlain,
“Bring in every servant who worked yesterday.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
…Great.
This was spiraling out of control.
—
Because I collapsed during breakfast, every schedule for the day fell apart.
Teacher Silvia came instead of class to check on me.
“Heavens, Your Highness… You were perfectly fine yesterday. What in the world happened?”
Well, I *was* fine yesterday. Just—she met **Rosa**, not me.
“I’m o–tay, teachur… Daddy worri too much. I warry mor.”
I answered sincerely, but she shook her head firmly—almost like Father.
“I completely agree with His Majesty, Your Highness. A healthy princess does not collapse for no reason.”
Only then did I recall the balance of power within the palace.
Ruela was a Holy Kingdom, and royal authority was absolute.
But my mother had married a duke—and a High Priest—from another duchy.
*Thus, the political structure shifted slightly.*
Father’s position was the problem—unclear and precarious.
He had sworn loyalty to Mother and offered his land to the kingdom.
Yet he was **a High Priest first**, Duke Nigel second.
*The divine authority sometimes rivals that of the crown.*
Despite the sudden marriage, most of Nigel’s nobles remained loyal to Father.
After all, a High Priest who was also a ruling duke was exceedingly rare.
*Some nobles even relocate every two weeks to follow him around.*
Within Ruela, certain devout noble families quietly leaned toward Father as well—
*such as Teacher Silvia’s family, the Pavels.*
Perhaps that’s why she said, with absolute conviction,
“His Majesty serves the Sky God. Nothing escapes his sight.”
…My father didn’t even know he had **two daughters** for fifteen years.
Sure, I’d planned to tell him earlier than before, but not *yet*.
*There’s still so much preparation to do…!*
But I couldn’t say that aloud. I just sighed.
“But I reawy am okay…”
— *Beep—beep.*
Beside Teacher Silvia’s bright smile, the squeaky mouse whined as if agreeing with my frustration.
I stroked Squeaky and sighed again.
—
After Silvia left, Beatrice returned from briefly stepping out.
“Your Highness, you weren’t looking for me, were you? His Majesty ordered me to meet the investigator first.”
“Inves–t’gater?”
I pretended ignorance, as a four-year-old would. Beatrice gently explained,
“They’re investigating why you collapsed. They even questioned me about breakfast in detail. But everyone ate the same dishes—including His Majesty and the nobles. What could this possibly mean?”
Then she suddenly remembered something.
“Oh, and the maid assigned yesterday—Lady Chelsea—has arrived.”
“Chel—si is hewe?”
I forced a calm face, though my heart pounded.
Beatrice continued, oblivious.
“Yes. It’s the first time I’ve met her. Since Your Highness fainted in the morning, her questioning will take longer than mine.”
Even though **whatever Rosa did yesterday has nothing to do with me at all**.
I lay down and tried not to sigh too loudly.
Mother arrived soon after.
“Beatrice, may we have a moment?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Once we were alone, Mother lowered her voice.
“Chelsea wished to see you, but I refused on grounds that you need rest. I know it is difficult to understand, but this situation is troublesome.”
It was far too easy for me to understand. *Which was the problem.*
Mother continued,
“The problem is that Chelsea testified that the princess seemed distraught because she wanted her cat back. Of course, children change their minds quickly, so no one will find that strange. But having you two raise different animals is… unwise.”
I instinctively turned to look at Squeaky.
*Not keep him?*
Just the thought stung. Tears welled in my eyes.
“But he’s sick…”
“Beatrice said he’s much better now.”
Mother smiled, but her lips were set with firmness.
“My darling, you cannot save every injured bird in the garden, nor every citizen of this kingdom. You will learn that someday.”
I finally voiced the plea I had been holding back, and a teardrop fell.
“Then Mommy… fix him…”
I shouldn’t have said it.
I used my four-year-old appearance as a shield for something I knew would be rejected.
Mother’s lips tightened faintly.
“Rilin, my little jewel.”
I used to love hearing my secret name—one only a handful of people knew.
*But when Mother spoke it like that, it was never a good sign.*
As expected—she refused at once.
“The queen cannot use sacred power for an injured animal. If my power were limitless, perhaps. But Eah did not grant me that much.”
Just because my body was four again didn’t mean I could behave like a child and wound her.
I quietly held Mother’s hand.
“…I know. Sowwy.”
