Chapter 6 (2/2)

“Valk? Who’s Puffy?”

“Puffy’s my teddy bear. Valk is someone I don’t know.”

How would I describe the guard captain. I ended up just writing Valk, the guy who brings me lots of firewood off as someone I didn’t know. If he disagrees with my description, he can show up in front of me with firewood right now.

Valk would still bring me a lot of firewood after that, but didn’t come see me; perhaps his conscience wouldn’t let me. Instead, raspberry pies were occasionally sent in but Ante had been eating all of those.

Damn it.

“How can your friend be someone you don’t……”

As he was about to refute me, he froze up. His eyes were fixated in a single direction.

‘What is it?’

I drew close to his face and followed his sight to find a group of men. Judging from their fine clothing, they seemed to be nobles.

“Valk? Misters?”

The word mister unfroze his body and he let out a snicker. He seemed to find my words funny.

Soon, his red eyes had sunk deep. I did not know what it was that was swaying inside his eyes.

He told me in a hushed voice who the people were.

“The Duke, Premier, Minister of Military, who is also the queen’s younger brother.”

“Yeah?”

“And……”

“And?”

“The King.”

My body also froze up upon hearing his words.

The mister with the most majestic clothing was looking toward us with eyes as cold as ice.

Euphil let out a calm laugh. It was such a cold laugh in a voice that I had never heard from him since I had met him that I felt a chill going through my bones.

“Yes, it’s the person who abandoned us.”

That’s the first time I had seen my father.

A solemn man with glistening silver hair and green eyes.

* * *

“Prince Euphil, how are you?”

High officials approached him and politely extended their courtesies. It was unthinkable not to formally greet a prince in front of the king, even if the prince was an abandoned one.

But, they all seemed confused regarding me who was standing there hanging on to Euphil’s hand.

I was blinking my eyes with a firm resolve to never let go of the hand that I was holding.

One of the aristocrats met my eyes. I shyly took my other hand and bit my finger. I felt the aristocrat’s face relax.

That moment.

One of them seemed startled looking at my eyes.

“Purple……? Princess Mirthy?”

“Princess Mirthy?”

In just a moment, there was a commotion amongst them.

Wow, even the king’s closest associates don’t recognize my face? They really didn’t pay much attention to my existence after all.

Then the belated pleasantries began.

“Princess Mirthy.”

“Princess Mirthy. It is a fine afternoon.”

A princess that they have never seen before and an appearance that apparently did not take on that of my mother’s.

Even so, the officials could not keep their eyes off of me. The flustered expression on their faces when I gave them a big smile was identical to Valk’s.

It was an expression that said, ‘she’s adorable but I have to keep a straight face here.’

‘Oh whatever.’

Charge!

I put on my most innocent expression and waved my hand softly, whether the king was looking or not. It was to show that I was glad to meet them as well.

“Haha.”

The premier finally let out a laugh. I secretly put on a triumphant smile looking at his soften eyes akin to a pair of eyes looking at a baby animal.

Until I met the king’s eyes.

Contrastingly, the king’s eyes were cold.

His gaze toward me and Euphil, both were eyes completely devoid of any emotions.

‘How can he look at his own children like that?’

Euphil and I must really be abandoned children. I shivered a little and Euphil squeezed my hand that was holding his for the first time.

The king spoke towards him:

“Euphil.”

“Your Majesty.”

It was an extremely short conversation.

He treated the king with the utmost respect, one that is difficult to be expected from a ten year old boy. Looking at this, I felt that I could understand why a ten year old child was trying so hard to act mature.

To tell the truth, I actually knew this king. It was because I was someone who read the book.

He was a king who had several children but was cold to all of them. He had four queens and three of them had already passed away. If I had just read the book, I might have thought maybe that was the reason he turned into such a cold person, but this was directly related to me. If that king had just taken good care of Euphil, I wouldn’t have to try this hard to evade murder.

In other words, I was sure that he was a terrible father. It doesn’t take a person who’s read the book to realize this. I could count the number of times that he even looked at me when I came across him.

After refusing to give me any attention for a while, he turned his head slightly and gave me a glance. No, I couldn’t even call it a glance. This rotten king, he just ran his eyes over me like I was some insignificant insect and turned to Euphil.

“You’re wasting your time with silly play, just like your mother.”

The current queen’s younger brother took a deep breath. The premier did the same.

The King nonchalantly started a conversation with Euphil.