Chapter 30
…But this wasn’t the Anna I once loved. And if things continued like this, Anna would only deteriorate further—not improve. No, actually… what should I even do about her?
While I was lost in thought without replying, Anna’s expression suddenly twisted with anger. She must’ve misunderstood my silence as contempt.
“You—! Are you ignoring me right now?! Do you even know who I am? I’m the Emperor’s daughter! My decisions are the Emperor’s decisions!”
What?
I sharply inhaled as soon as I heard those words. I couldn’t believe what I had just heard. Even someone like me, who wasn’t raised as a noble, could understand how dangerously arrogant that statement was. The Emperor held absolute authority in the Otern Empire—he was the sole legal and political authority. So for a royal to equate her words with his was no different from using imperial authority for personal gain.
That was blatant overreach. She could easily be accused of rebellion or treason.
I instinctively looked around at the maids surrounding us. They kept their eyes averted with emotionless faces, but I didn’t trust their silence. I had a gut feeling—Anna couldn’t be allowed to say anything more reckless.
Sure, she probably didn’t know better. But if those words got out, not just Anna and her mother, the Fourth Empress, but even me and Mayra—who were here with her—could be dragged into danger.
The atmosphere was growing heavier.
“A-ah, Your Highness! Your Highness!”
Suddenly, Mayra stepped between us, nearly falling over in her haste. Standing between me and Anna, she gave a clumsy, awkward smile and offered up the gift she had brought.
“This is a present! Um, Lady Sylecar and I thought… maybe you’d like to take a walk to the flower field in front of the house? You were planning to go on a picnic, remember? Please accept this gift… and let’s play together! No one will be able to tell who’s the real flower here!”
“What kind of game?”
Anna asked with a sour expression.
“A fairy game!”
Mayra quickly shouted.
A fairy… game? I struggled not to grimace. Had I ever played such a sappy game back in the back alleys? Not once. I hadn’t even played house.
Then suddenly, Anna snorted.
“Fine! A fairy game must be played in a garden, of course. Let’s go to the garden. You there! Prepare for the picnic! Oh, and maids, you’re not allowed to come! This will be a picnic just for us!”
Wait—this actually worked?
While I stood there stunned, the maids all jumped up at Anna’s command.
A moment later…
I realized something important.
When Anna said “the maids aren’t coming,” what she really meant was—we’d be carrying everything ourselves.
Sure enough, the maids soon returned with rolled-up mats and a giant picnic basket and handed them to me and Mayra.
Both were enormous and heavy. Especially the basket—it was nearly as big as Mayra herself. Anna, meanwhile, strolled casually across the grass ahead of us, completely unconcerned about who was carrying the load. Of course, why would royalty care?
“Give it to me. I’ll carry it.”
I took the basket from Mayra and held both loads myself.
The maids were unbelievable. How could they make kids like me and Mayra carry all this? If I wasn’t unusually strong, there’s no way I could’ve managed it.
“Sis, don’t do it all yourself. Let me help.”
Mayra whispered, looking tearful. What a sweet kid. Really, it’s strange. Anna used to be just as kind.
I glanced at Anna walking ahead, then shook my head firmly at Mayra.
“No. You’re too small to carry something your own size.”
“What do you mean? There’s not that much difference between our sizes! You’re carrying everything!”
Mayra stomped her feet in protest.
Sure, I’m small too. But I’ve got strength on my side.
“It’s fine. I can manage.”
I answered nonchalantly. Mayra glanced at Anna with a pout.
“Her Highness… she’s too much. Did she really have to ban the maids? Now we have to play pack mule, too.”
“Isn’t it actually kind of lucky?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“There’s no one else around.”
I said brightly. To be honest, I much preferred this—no maids watching meant I could have a real talk with Anna. That was going to be hard if their eyes and ears were always on us.
“Wait… wait, what are you saying? Sis. Don’t tell me…”
“This spot looks good!”
Anna suddenly shouted, pointing at a shaded patch of grass beside a flowerbed. It was a picturesque location. I walked ahead to where she pointed and placed the basket in the center.
“Sis!”
Mayra rushed over to me with a shocked expression and whispered urgently.
“Sis, you’re not seriously planning to hit the princess, are you?”
“…”
“Sis…?”
She asked again, but I didn’t answer. Who knew what might happen?
“Sis, seriously, don’t do it. If you—”
“You go keep watch. If you see any maids coming this way, whistle.”
“What?! Sis—no way—”
“What are you doing? Hurry up and set things up already!”
Anna had suddenly returned and barked the order. She stood with arms crossed, looking down at me like this was my assigned task. Ugh. This little brat. Back in the alleyways, she used to cry so much.
I glanced at Anna but said nothing. I quietly finished setting everything up. Mayra muttered nonstop beside me, but I didn’t pay her any attention.
Once I unpacked all the food in the basket—
“Everything’s ready, right?!”
Anna shouted excitedly, her cheeks flushed. She looked eager to start playing. But… there was something I had to say first.
“Your Highness. Before we start playing, I need to say something.”
“What?”
“Mayra.”
I motioned to Mayra with my chin. She sighed and drooped her shoulders before trudging off toward the bushes. Sweet girl—looked like she really was going to keep watch.
“…What is this? Are you messing with me?”
Anna frowned.
Oh. That face. I knew that face. It was the same look Anna used to get when she was so angry she couldn’t control herself. The face she made right before she stormed out of the house after Mayra accidentally said she couldn’t read. That same mixture of humiliation, fury, and imminent meltdown. In moments like this, she really did feel like the Anna I used to know—my friend, my sister.
I sighed and finally spoke.
“I’m not joking. I’ll get straight to the point. You really need to stop mentioning His Majesty the Emperor like that.”
I met her eyes directly.
“What?”
Anna’s face froze for a moment. Then she started breathing heavily and glared at me.
“You arrogant little—! You’ve been acting all high and mighty, even saying my name like it’s nothing—and now you’re criticizing what I say?! What did I even say that was wrong?! My decisions are the Emperor’s—”
“Ugh, shut that mouth.”
“Mmph!”
I slapped her across the mouth before she could finish.
Her eyes went wide with shock. So did Mayra’s, who looked like she was about to faint. She stared at us both with a face that screamed “She’s lost her mind!”
And yet, Anna simply held her mouth with both hands, blinking in stunned silence.
Honestly… this was probably the better outcome.
