Chapter 23

Chapter 23

“Good, there you go. Bend your knee right there...”

My legs trembled as I kept my back straight and tried to curtsy as Shananet instructed.

“Just a little more,” she said.

Shananet was strict and would not give me any leeway.

“There you go. Good job. Just like that.”

“Whew! It’s so hard!”

I was really surprised. I did not expect that bowing in accordance with royal etiquette would be so difficult in a child’s body.

Despite my attempts to eat well, my young body was still much too small and weak, especially compared to others my age. I lacked muscle, so even simple movements made me unsteady.

“It’s harder now because you’re doing it slowly. Look at how I do it and try again, Tia.”

Shananet stood up and positioned herself in front of me. She bent her right arm to place her hand near her heart and used her left hand to lift her skirt slightly. Then she nodded her head while moving her right leg behind her left and bending both knees.

Shananet was teaching me the greeting used in royal etiquette when nobles met members of the royal family. It was a tradition from the early days of the kingdom, and etiquette had since become more flexible, so not all royals received this formal greeting.

Only the emperor, empress, crown prince, and crown princess were still entitled to such formal salutations.

“You look so elegant and impressive...” I said, applauding as Shananet straightened up.

Without any exaggeration, watching her perform a curtsy was like watching an elegant swan. The curve started from her long neck, slightly bowed, and extended to the fingertips lifting the hem of her dress. The overall impression resembled a regal bird spreading its wings.

“How do you do it so gracefully?”

I genuinely wanted to know. I wanted to know the secret behind Shananet’s incredible elegance.

Shananet tapped my nose with her index finger, smiled, and said, “Practice.”

“Aww...”

That was cliché. It was like saying you studied hard and got into Harvard.

I pouted.

“That isn’t a joke. There really is no other way but practice. Especially for someone like you, Tia, someone thin and lacking strength. You have to create muscle memory.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Shananet was right. Perhaps because I was born to quite a slim father, my body didn’t really change no matter how much I ate and slept.

“Are you done yet?”

“We want to play with Tia, Mommy.”

The twins rolled around on the sofa, whining. They had kept their promise to wait quietly while Shananet taught me to curtsy.

“Do you understand it now, Tia?”

“Yes. I’ll practice hard. Please check in with me again tomorrow.”

To avoid becoming a laughingstock in front of the emperor and empress, I had to master the greeting perfectly—especially since I couldn’t bear the thought of the first-born prince mocking me.

I clenched my fists, and Shananet gently patted my head.

“I wished for a daughter just like you.”

They were not empty words; her tone carried a genuine sense of regret.

“How did I end up with these mischievous twins...” Shananet said, wrinkling her nose and laughing as she gently pinched Mayron and Giliou’s chubby cheeks.

“You still can, right?” I blurted out, noticing how much Shananet truly wanted a daughter.

“What?”

Oh no. Maybe that isn’t something an eight-year-old without any sex education would say.

How do I smooth this over?

First, I laughed awkwardly.

“Hehehe...”

Then I diverted attention to the twins.

“You wish you could have a sister, right?”

I thought they would immediately say “yes.” The twins were always bored, and a new sibling could keep them busy. Or so I thought...

But Giliou and Mayron didn’t look excited.

“Hmm... Not really.”

“Me neither.”

“Huh. Why not?”

Giliou rolled his big eyes and answered, “We like playing with you, Tia.”

“Yeah. Just the three of us.”

“We don’t want another kid joining.”

Kids really say the darndest things.

“I have plenty of other people to play with besides you two.”

And there will be more in the future.

“Lies! If we don’t play with you, all you do is read books alone!”

“True... for now...”

These kids can be surprisingly perceptive sometimes.

I avoided their gaze, but they each grinned, grabbed one of my arms, and started to beg,

“Let’s play! Let’s play!”

“Let’s play hide-and-seek again!”

The mischievous beagles have been unleashed again.

“Alright. Well then...”

You can beg without holding onto me, you know.

I was struggling to pry the twins’ fingers off my arms when the front door opened and someone walked in.

“Daddy!”

The twins, who were much taller and larger than me, immediately let go. They ran to the handsome man who had just entered.

“Why are you home so early today?”

“Can you play with us until we go to bed?”

The man was Vestian Schulz, the twins’ father and Shananet’s husband. He was in his mid-thirties with neatly combed blonde hair and a tall, muscular build. Though he had married into the Lombardi family, he had kept his original surname.

“Oh, you little rascals!” Vestian said, laughing as he lifted each twin with one arm.

“You’re home?” Shananet asked, standing up as she greeted Vestian.

“I didn’t have much to do, so I came home early. How are you today, Shananet?”

Vestian gave his wife a warm smile and kissed her cheek. Their greetings were filled with such affection that I found myself staring.

Is this what an ideal couple looks like?

There was so much warmth in their exchanged glances.

“Oh? You’re here too, Firentia? How have you been?”

Who knew that such an ideal, normal human existed in this family!

When the handsome Vestian smiled, he brightened up the entire room.

“Hello,” I said, clasping my hands together and bowing my head politely.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t attend your birthday party. I was so busy with work that day,” he replied.

Though he wasn’t a direct descendent of the Lombardi family, he was quite a capable businessman and managed several of the family’s smaller businesses. Lately he had been focused on bringing resources back from mines discovered in the north.

I thought he would have had some free time, considering that particular source had dried up a few years ago. If I remembered correctly, they wouldn’t be searching for a new one until next year.

Am I wrong?

Vestian likely managed more than one business, so I didn’t dwell on the thought much longer.

“Shananet, shall we try for a daughter as lovely as Firentia? Not that I don’t think our boys are just as adorable...” Vestian qualified as he looked wistfully at me.

“Don’t talk like that in front of the children.”

Shananet blushed and pushed against Vestian’s chest as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

Oh my, oh my. Look at this lovely couple.

I deliberately stood up, grabbed a few cookies from the table, and offered them to the twins.

“Shall we go outside and play?”

Thankfully, the twins nodded eagerly and agreed, so we headed outside. As usual, I was always the seeker when we played hide-and-seek.

Why did such a perfect couple get divorced three years later?

And why did twins go with their father, leaving only Shananet behind to live in the outskirts of the Lombardi estates?

After that, the only time Shananet had been seen at the Lombardi estates was for Grandfather’s funeral.

I tilted my head, remembering the couple who I had just seen gazing so lovingly at each other.

***

As usual, I sat in my room beside the slightly open window, leaning on the windowsill and enjoying a moment of relaxation. A midday breeze warmed by the sun gently tickled my face.

In a few hours, Father would finish his morning duties and return home. Then we would head straight to the palace.

It would take about an hour by carriage to reach the border of the imperial district and another half hour to enter the palace itself. My father wanted to show me around the palace personally, since it was my first visit.

He promised to be home from work with time to spare. The empress’s banquet would begin at dusk.

While the evening was sure to be busy, the midday hours seemed to pass at a snail’s pace. Just as I was about to drift off to sleep, there was a knock at the door.

“Come in,” I answered.

The door opened cautiously as Estira entered.

“Hello, Estira!”

A welcome guest I’ve been waiting for!

I quickly dragged a chair over so Estira could sit.

“I brought what you asked for. The medicine was completed a few days ago, but you asked me to bring it today, so...”

“Yes, yes. Right. Thank you!”

“Here you go.”

Estira handed me a small package that fit perfectly in my hand. Its contents were placed inside a thick cloth pouch to keep it concealed.

I carefully untied the string and opened the pouch to find a small glass bottle filled with the golden melcon medicine.

“Great work, Estira. I knew I could trust you. Thank you!”

I carefully placed the bottle into a small handbag beside me. I intended to bring it to the palace.

“Um, Miss...”

“Hmm? What is it?”

Estira had been quietly watching me with a worried expression.

“Are you planning on using the melcon elixir as an antidote?” she asked.

I did not answer. I only stared straight into Estira’s eyes.

They were quite pure—so pure that I could see that she was truly concerned for me.

“It’s not for me, so don’t worry!” I assured her, smiling especially brightly.

“Well then...”

“Sorry, I can’t tell you anything further. But as you suspect, I will be taking this to the palace.”

The idea of my taking medicine that she made to the imperial clearly made her feel extra grim. For the average person, the palace was an endlessly daunting and intimidating place.

“There is someone there, someone who needs this. I’m going to give it to them.”

“Please be careful. I’m worried that you are taking on too much responsibility for someone so young.”

“Thank you for your concern, Esitra. Oh, and by the way...” I leaned in closer to Estira and whispered, “You know this has to stay between us, right?”

Estira nodded at the resolute expression behind the playful whisper.

Though I had mentioned it out of caution, I had no real doubts that Estira would have kept the secret regardless. In my previous life, I had seen the unwavering loyalty she had shown to her master.

“Oh, I hope Father comes back soon,” I murmured, staring at the empty road.

There were no carriages in sight.

***

“There’s nothing to be anxious about, Tia,” Gallahan repeated for the tenth time in the carriage.

“I’m fine, really,” she said.

“That’s good.”

Despite his daughter’s confident response, Gallahan could only barely smile.

“Are you alright? You look pale...” she asked.

“I’m okay. I guess I’m a little nervous.”

“Oh dear.”

His daughter gently patted Gallahan’s cold hand with her small one. That small gesture seemed to make him feel a bit more at ease.

Gallahan tried to distract himself from the thought of the banquet.

“What’s in your bag, Tia? It looks quite heavy. Do you want me to hold it for you?”

“It’s not heavy. Nothing to worry about.”

“You don’t usually carry a bag with you... What’s inside?”

The round, beige handbag that complemented Tia’s light green dress looked even cuter in her tiny hands.

“A gift!”

“‘A gift’?”

“Yes! For the prince!” Firentia said happily.

“A gift for the first-born prince?”

His daughter did not respond directly. Instead she giggled.

At the sight of her innocent face, Gallahan felt as if a heavy stone had dropped onto his chest.

“Right. She’s at that age now. I knew this day would come, but...” he muttered.

“No! That’s not it at all—” Firentia tried to say.

Suddenly the carriage came to a halt.

“What is it?” Gallahan asked the coachman.

“Um, well... The royal guards are demanding we stop the carriage for an inspection.”

“But why?”

He pulled back the curtain to look outside.

The father and daughter had traveled nonstop from the Lombardi estate to the palace. The carriage was also adorned with the Lombardi emblem.

Gallahan frowned and was attempting to analyze the situation when the carriage door suddenly swung open.

“We will need to conduct a brief search. Please step out of the carriage.”

Two royal guards stood there in their gleaming armor.

“This is a Lombardi carriage. I am Gallahan Lombardi, and I have come at the invitation of the empress herself…”

The guards, however, did not wait for Gallahan to finish his explanation. They opened the carriage door wider instead.

“We apologize. We would appreciate your cooperation.”

Something was wrong. However, if he caused a scene here, it could frighten his daughter. Gallahan glanced at Firentia, who remained silent in her seat.

He began to step out of the carriage alone.

“Will the young lady also step out?”

“Do you really mean to search a child?” Gallahan asked as he paused in the doorway, his voice clearly showing his anger.

“My apologies,” said the guard.

It seemed they were not willing participants in the matter.

Gallahan could not hide his displeasure. With the Lombardi emblem, he should have been able to pass without disturbance straight into the emperor’s office.

There was only one reason for a search: a display of dominance. The empress or emperor was trying to assert their dominance.

“Are your orders from the empress?” Gallahan asked directly.

The knight did not answer and simply averted his gaze.

Was there no other choice?

After a quick sigh, Gallahan said, “Leave the child be.”

His low, warning tone made the guards exchange glances before nodding.

Gallahan finally stepped out of the carriage. He looked around and noticed that the carriage had been stopped deep in the forest area of the empress’s palace. It was an ordinary, empty road without even so much as a guard post set up.

They had passed the main palace, where there would be many curious eyes, and had been stopped here for a search.

Should I have brought some of our own knights?

A guard approached to search Gallahan’s person.

“This will only be—”

Gallahan had never experienced such an insult. He struggled to keep his face from contorting with anger as he spoke.

“It would be a good idea to keep your hands off of me.”

The approaching guard flinched.

“You may very well lose your rank trying to go through the motions of searching me.”

“Ahem.”

The guard was clearly intimidated by Gallahan and took a step back. He glanced around nervously and then nodded.

“It seems like there’s nothing here, so we will conclude the search. Please feel free to get back into your carriage.”

It was a ridiculous and infuriating situation.

Gallahan gave the guards one last cold glare and stepped back into the carriage. Well, at least he planned to.

He froze in place when he saw that the other door was wide open, and the carriage was empty.

“Firentia?”

His daughter was missing.