Chapter 73
“Who’s that?”
“Isn’t that Oscar down there?”
“What’s he doing?”
“And who’s the one on top of him—ah! I know! That’s the girl His Majesty made his goddaughter…”
The knights behind the Emperor looked at me and Oscar with curious faces. Even the great Swordmaster, Lord Radd, was staring at us with wide eyes.
I felt embarrassed but acted like everything was normal and decided to greet them politely.
I was good at pretending to be calm.
“G-Greetings, Your Majesty!”
“Wait, Izana! If you bow like that—!”
…I’ll fall!
But luckily, we didn’t fall over. The Emperor quickly slipped his arm under mine and lifted me up.
“Hehe… Hello, Your Majesty!”
He gently set me down and looked at me with a strange expression.
“I ate all my food this morning, not a single bite left.”
“……”
“I came here because I had something to tell you, but I’m sorry for interrupting—”
“Daughter.”
The Emperor mumbled softly.
“What did you say earlier?”
I blinked and wiggled my feet a little, then answered.
“Uh… All-mighty Your Majestyyyy…?”
“Before that.”
“D-Dairy-skin Your Majestyyy…?”
“Before that.”
“First strike victory Your Majestyyy…?”
“……”
“Your Majesty! Stay strong~ We’re… here for you…”
The Emperor’s eyes narrowed as he listened to my voice grow quieter with every word.
I glanced at Oscar, hoping he’d save me—but he couldn’t.
He was being shaken back and forth by Lord Radd like a ragdoll.
Luckily, the Emperor moved like he was about to let me down. But instead of setting me on the ground, he sat me on his shoulder—just like Oscar did earlier!
“Oh my gosh… I can’t. Who is this person?!”
“Y-Your Majesty!”
Now, everyone in the training ground was staring at us in shock.
Lord Radd wiped his glasses with his already messy sleeve, then put them back on and froze in place with wide eyes.
They all had one thing in common: their faces had turned pale in fear after seeing the Emperor’s actions.
Sitting on his shoulders, I couldn’t see what expression the Emperor was making.
And honestly, I didn’t even want to know.
“Wow…”
This is crazy.
I closed my eyes tightly.
“You all heard it. This is Izana Monica Rohia, my daughter.”
What’s it like riding on the Emperor’s shoulders while nobles’ kids line up to greet you?
“G-Greetings, Lady!”
“It’s an honor to meet you, Lady!”
I pretended to bow politely while whispering quickly to the Emperor.
“Your Majesty, I’m your goddaughter, not your daughter…”
“There’s not much difference. Especially not when you’re my goddaughter. You’ll understand one day. For now, just enjoy it.”
“Please let me down… Please.”
When I started squirming, he finally let me down.
I quickly fixed my skirt and gave a small curtsy to the curious knights staring at me.
“My name is Izana Monica Rohia.”
“Wow… she’s really small.”
One knight mumbled, and others nodded in agreement.
“That’s right. I’m feeding her and letting her rest so she can grow faster.”
“Your Majesty, eating is important for kids to grow, but they need to exercise too.”
One knight bent slightly to match my height and smiled brightly.
“Lady, I’m Baron Aeger Sudden. Looks like you’ll be living in the palace now, so you’ll probably see me a lot. I have the best chance of becoming your escort.”
“Hello, Sir Sudden!”
I tried to speak confidently so I wouldn’t be overwhelmed by the knights.
They chuckled at my effort.
“Lady, what brings you to this rough and sweaty place? Of course, we’ve all been curious about you, but we didn’t expect you to come here yourself.”
“Ah, well…”
I looked around to find Oscar.
“You fool! Carrying a small girl like that so recklessly! What if you hurt her?!”
Oh no.
Oscar was in a corner of the training ground, being scolded hard by the strict-looking Swordmaster Lord Radd.
Because he was the strongest person here, no one dared to stop him.
Feeling guilty seeing Oscar’s sulky face, I hurried over and stood in front of Lord Radd, who had one monocle over his eye.
He flinched when he saw me, and I quickly bowed and spoke up.
“My name is Izana Monica Rohia! Lord Radd, I think there’s been a misunderstanding!”
“What misunderstanding…?”
“Oscar only brought me here because I asked him to. Even the shoulder ride—it was because I begged him to see His Majesty with a sword!”
“Ahem…”
Maybe he was overwhelmed by my energy.
Lord Radd cleared his throat and looked me up and down.
Then Oscar spoke weakly from behind me.
“Izana, thanks… but you probably shouldn’t have said that…”
“Huh?”
I understood why right after.
“Then both of you need to be scolded.”
…What?
A long shadow fell over us.
“You just recovered from being sick. You shouldn’t push yourself like that. And look at those guys’ bodies. If one of them had accidentally hit you while swinging a sword, what would you have done? They’re careless enough to hit each other by mistake…”
Lord Radd’s lecture was long and full of concern.
“Ah…”
“Oscar, you! Trying to impress a little girl without thinking about the risks! You always go too far because people let you off easy!”
“Ugh…”
His lecture was very fair.
Oscar and I both stood still, lips pressed together, getting thoroughly scolded.
“Lord Radd, maybe that’s enough.”
Finally, the Emperor stepped in. Only then did Lord Radd calm down.
He looked me over again, then bowed to the Emperor.
“Your Majesty, congratulations on your adorable goddaughter. I was worried when I first heard the news, but now I see why you brought her here.”
But then his eyes turned sharp.
“But even if she’s weak and has her reasons, she still needs discipline.”
“Lord Radd, that’s enough.”
“And she needs exercise too. I heard you’re trying to raise her like a little pig by feeding and letting her sleep all the time. That’s dangerous. She needs muscles as well as fat.”
Even the Emperor wasn’t safe from his nagging.
He suddenly looked tired.
Oh right, they’re teacher and student. This must’ve happened a lot before.
“…If you really plan to raise her like your own child, then give her proper exercise.”
“Fine, fine. Just stop. At your age, can’t you talk less already?”
Hearing “exercise,” I looked at my arms.
I tried to flex… but there was no muscle at all.
‘I guess I do need to work out if I want to stay healthy.’
Besides, staying in my room all day was making me go crazy.
I made up my mind and walked up to Lord Radd.
“Lord Radd, thank you for worrying about me. I think you’re right. I should exercise to get healthier.”
“You absolutely should. Muscles are important for health.”
“In that case, what if I start training here in the training ground?”
His face lit up right away.
“That’s a great idea. If you exercise, you’ll eat better and absorb nutrients more easily.”
I looked to the Emperor to ask for permission.
He stroked his chin, then nodded reluctantly.
“It’s decided then. Let’s do this.”
Lord Radd clapped his hands.
“As a former Royal Guard Captain, I’m always in the palace. I usually stay in the training ground, so I can help Lady Izana with her exercise. These lazy boys bore me anyway.”
“That would be so helpful—mmph!”
Someone suddenly covered my mouth just as I was happily agreeing.
