Chapter 6
A small baby’s handprint was neatly stamped onto Sir Baumann’s brownish face.
I smiled with a sense of pride as I looked at the nicely printed handprint.
“Hoihoy.”
From today on, you shall become my escort knight.
I placed my short, chubby arm on my straight torso and babbled toward Sir Baumann.
“…….”
“Oh my!”
“Your Highness!”
“How am I supposed to interpret this behavior?”
However, the two of them, completely failing to understand my intention, let out voices filled with shock and barely concealed displeasure.
“Ah-taa!”
Of course you should take it as an honor. I’m personally choosing you as my escort!
“Your Highness, why on earth did you do that?”
Leni spoke in a scolding tone as she handed Sir Baumann the handkerchief she had used to wipe my nosebleed.
“…Thank you, nanny.”
Sir Baumann stared blankly at the handkerchief Leni handed him, then blushed and carefully accepted it.
He folded the handkerchief neatly and tucked it into his pocket with great care.
“……”
‘Is that person really okay…?’
I looked at Sir Baumann with a cool, detached gaze.
Still, if he truly was the Sir Baumann from my previous life, his skills were beyond doubt.
I had declared that I would live as a jobless princess, but that didn’t mean I didn’t need an escort.
I looked at the knight holding the handkerchief as if it were something precious, while thinking thoughts that would never reach him.
“Do you understand Your Highness’s behavior, nanny?”
After putting away the handkerchief, Sir Baumann turned to Leni and asked again about my behavior.
“…Your Highness, shall we return to the room?”
Unable to understand my intention either, Leni avoided answering Sir Baumann’s question and instead gathered me into her arms.
“Hoihoy. Tata.”
Since the knight would now be my escort, we should go together.
I hurriedly tapped Leni’s arm as she looked ready to leave.
“It seems Your Highness is telling the knight to follow along. Let’s go together.”
Leni, as if she understood me, tilted her head and suggested this to Sir Baumann.
Satisfied that her interpretation aligned fairly well with my intention, I looked at Sir Baumann.
“No, that won’t be necessary.”
Sir Baumann turned away as if he had no interest in me at all, yet he looked at Leni—who was holding me—with eyes that clearly showed lingering regret.
Honestly, he had just said he would escort us to the room earlier, so why act reluctant now? He could just follow along.
Was I the one who had to take initiative again?
“Ah-taa!”
“It seems Your Highness wants you to come along with us, so please just join us.”
“If the nanny says so… then I suppose I should.”
After expecting him to resist a bit more, he immediately agreed when Leni asked again.
My bewildered gaze met Sir Baumann’s in midair, but he casually avoided my eyes.
“Naara tata.”
“Given Your Highness’s appearance and her babbling, she looks exactly like a bean bug.”
Who looks like a bean bug? As cute as me, there’s no one!
I glared at him sharply, and Sir Baumann quickly shut his mouth.
“Sir, you’ve been very rude to Her Highness since earlier!”
Yes, Leni, don’t hold back—give him a proper scolding! The world isn’t just about looks and voice!
“Our princess is far cuter than any bean bug!”
“……”
I was the fool for trusting Leni.
“Indeed. Your Highness must be very pleased to have defeated a bean bug.”
Sir Baumann looked at me and let out a small laugh.
Huh, he’s laughing? Is he mocking me right now?
“No, I mean that sincerely because she’s cute.”
“……”
Why is he talking as if he can read my thoughts? I was only thinking that to myself—why is he answering out loud?
Leni, I’m scared of that man.
I burrowed into Leni’s arms, wanting to disappear from Sir Baumann’s sight.
“Your Highness is quite transparent. You cannot even hide your expressions.”
He slightly lowered his head to meet my eyes and added,
“Though I regret that we cannot go together, I must take my leave now. I will visit the Princess Palace separately at a later time.”
It seemed Sir Baumann was quite busy, as a servant from the Imperial Palace was already waiting behind him.
“In that case, it cannot be helped. I hope we meet again next time.”
“I will make sure that opportunity arises.”
As Leni conveyed my greetings in my place, Sir Baumann smiled for the first time and gently kissed the back of Leni’s hand.
“Th-then, please do.”
Leni blushed at his sudden gesture and responded.
Several days passed after my first meeting with Sir Baumann.
Although I had expected him to visit the Princess Palace occasionally, he never showed up again after that first encounter.
Later, when I heard from Leni and Sylvia, it turned out he had simply taken a wrong turn, as he usually only frequented the Emperor’s Palace.
‘Is he more careless than expected?’
As I pondered this, a maid entered the room carrying a large box.
“Your Highness, Sir Baumann has sent another gift.”
At the same time every day, a gift arrived in Sir Baumann’s name.
Though he never appeared in person, he continued sending a variety of desserts to the Princess Palace daily under his name.
“Today as well, he’s sent a lot of delicious-looking desserts.”
Leni said as she placed the dessert box on the table after receiving it from the maid.
“He must have recognized Your Highness’s cuteness. But why does he keep sending desserts that Your Highness cannot even eat? Perhaps I should tell him to stop.”
Leni tilted her head and began taking out the desserts one by one onto the table.
Why would Sir Baumann send so many desserts for someone who couldn’t even eat them?
“Wow, a fig cake. Sir Baumann really has great taste.”
Fig cake was something Leni enjoyed at dessert cafés.
‘Why would he go out of his way to send something like that, Leni?’
“Ta-ta, taaa!”
I called out to Leni and shook my head.
“Huh? Your Highness, what’s wrong?”
Did Sir Baumann know that the person he was devoting so much effort to was completely unaware of his feelings?
In any case, judging by the daily desserts, Sir Baumann would surely become mine in this life.
After many eventful days, the morning of the first anniversary of Lucas and my birth arrived.
For me, it was just an ordinary morning, but it seemed to be a special day for the people of the Imperial Palace.
Twins—and two with different-colored eyes.
Since the founding of the empire, it had never happened before that two heterochromatic individuals were born in the same generation.
Because of that, I had heard that our first birthday banquet in my previous life had been quite the gossip.
It was even featured prominently in newspapers distributed throughout the empire.
In truth, it was little more than a spectacle to gauge who might become the emperor.
I looked at the maids bustling early in the morning as they busily organized the gifts delivered to the Princess Palace.
“Your Highness! Today, I’ll make you the most beautiful you’ve ever been since birth!”
As I watched the maids absentmindedly, Leni lifted me into her arms, brimming with determination.
Humming softly, Leni entered the dressing room and brought out a newly tailored dress for the banquet.
The pure white dress featured a large ribbon at the waist as an accent, and on my still-short, chestnut-like hair, she placed a white floral headband that matched the dress.
“Oh my.”
“Ahh…”
“How adorable.”
The maids assisting Leni let out sighs of admiration as they looked at me.
Honestly, how dramatic they are. I’m just a baby who hasn’t even been weaned yet.
“Your Highness, would you like to look in the mirror?”
“Taa.”
I looked into the mirror Leni held up.
Without expecting much, I gazed into it—but almost lost myself.
“Wow…”
A gasp escaped my lips as I absentmindedly touched my reflection.
“Are you satisfied, Your Highness?”
“She must have fallen for her own reflection. How adorable!”
“Your Highness, look this way!”
“Please look here first!”
The maids were vying for even a single glance from me.
“Kyaa.”
I cupped my cheeks with both hands and admired my own beauty anew.
Seeing this, the maids smiled happily as they finished preparing me.
The banquet began in the early afternoon, since Lucas and I were still infants.
It was held in the empire’s largest central hall.
As it was our first birthday banquet, everything was lavishly and splendidly arranged.
“The Emperor and Empress, along with Princess Aileen and Prince Lucas, have arrived.”
My father, holding my brother Lucas, entered the elegantly decorated banquet hall hand in hand with my mother.
The herald’s voice echoed at the entrance, and all the nobles in the hall turned their attention toward us.
The hall was already filled with nobles who had arrived early.
After surveying the hall, my parents walked to the main seats and sat down, placing us on their laps.
Sitting on my mother’s lap, I looked around at the nobles.
Some faces I recognized from my previous life, and others I was seeing for the first time.
As I scanned the hall, I felt my mother’s body trembling slightly.
“Mm-ma.”
“Your Highness looks very beautiful today.”
My mother gave me a gentle smile, her voice sounding as if it might fade away at any moment.
Until now, Lucas and I had not been able to meet her.
My father had prohibited contact, fearing it might strain her.
As far as I could remember, this was the first time seeing my mother alive in both this life and my previous one.
Seeing her in person—far more beautiful than in portraits—I thought my looks must have taken after her.
Her chestnut hair flowed like autumn leaves, and her pale green eyes shimmered like fresh sprouts.
Yet the deep illness underlying her appearance could not be concealed even by her elegant adornments.
