We were just having a leisurely walk, but the moment I saw that little boy, my vibe got ruined. I couldn’t kick that thing out. Of course, Caitel said he was not his son, but I felt uncomfortable since he also said they wouldn’t need a paternity test.

  “So…… what will happen to him?”


  “Well, he probably won’t become part of the royal family.”


  “Why not?”


  “Because that is not what the Emperor desires.”


  That’s it? Well…… it sort of sounded like a joke, but it was a fair excuse. Ugh, whatever. I shouldn’t worry about this anymore. I had been too sensitive lately.

  I turned around to go back, but the boy ran towards me.

  “Here!”


  Zayland, who came running at me with something in his hands, smiled brightly.

  “You can have these!”


  He gave me a pretty pebble. The garden had a lot of stones, but each one of them was all too beautiful, so I used to collect a lot when I was young.

  Zayland smiled shyly as I looked down at the stone. His smile was so fresh that it made me casually lament over it.

  “Thank you.”


  The boy smiled at my greeting. Then he ran away quickly.

  Was he leaving me just like that? How dull.

  That boy and I were quite pitiable. We were both born into such a troublesome family. Well…… at least it seemed like his mother loved him a lot.

  Right, a child should receive plenty of love from their parents. Meanwhile, here I was…… I should stop. It was only making me sad.

  Now that I had come to think of it, it had been a while since I last saw the twins. Perhaps Ferdel’s giving me a break after all this other trouble. Maybe they were just busy with their own family affairs…… Their family was so big and chaotic all the time that it’s fascinating. At least their family wasn’t as troublesome as ours……

  I came into the palace to take the pebbles that Zayland gave me to my room, and I met dad as soon as I stepped inside. I was in a panic for a second.

  “Hi, Dad?”


  Nonetheless, I should say hello to him. Why was he here, though?

  I tilted my head in wonder, but I didn’t care. I didn’t know what’s going on, but my father’s expression was fierce. I was terrified to see the attendants fidgeting behind him.

  “Don’t you have anything to tell me?”


  “Huh?”


  What would I have to tell you? As I tilted my head again, Caitel asked me the same thing again.

  “You really don’t have anything to say to me?”


  What was going on right now?

  He seemed grumpy…… but I hadn’t done anything wrong. I proudly nodded my head, but I guessed that I shouldn’t have.

  “I thought I specifically told you not to see those two.”