By Zephyria 
Ruben used the excuse of tending to Titi’s meal to carry the child away, and my family and Lucilla followed after Titi like a trail of ducklings.
Left alone with Kate, I stood shoulder to shoulder with her, watching their retreating figures.
Standing with a neat and upright posture, my mother-in-law repeatedly clenched and unclenched her empty hands.
“If you’re feeling regretful, shall we follow them?”
“…No, having held her once is enough. She is a child who will become Emperor. If she becomes too accustomed to people’s touch,”
“Ahem.”
“…Right. Though it’s probably too late for that.”
“Yes. Titi is very good at acting cute, loves attention, and isn’t shy at all. She can’t even sleep unless someone kisses her cheek. Ruben raised her that way.”
“…”
“How did it feel to hold her?”
A faint smile played on the corners of Kate’s lips.
Ruben used to smile like that at first. Secretly and quietly, as if he were shy and wanted to hide his laughter.
But he isn’t like that anymore. Ruben is now a child who knows how to laugh out loud and who isn’t afraid to arch his eyebrows to show his face when he’s sulking. He shows it when he’s frustrated, and he shows it when he’s happy.
I placed one hand behind my back and offered my right arm. Kate naturally accepted my escort and joked,
“I wondered if she was my own daughter. Small, light, and fits right in one’s arms.”
“Don’t you already have a daughter, Mother?”
“I only have two sons.”
“Haha!”
Avoiding the naturally gathering gazes, we headed toward the balcony. Kate, knowing well why I was acting this way, gave me a playful sidelong glance but did not refuse.
She stood stiffly until all the balcony curtains were closed, and as soon as the eyes of others were blocked, she sank softly onto the long couch of the balcony. I could clearly tell she was fidgeting with her feet beneath the long hem of her skirt.
My mother-in-law was a woman who, in her life, had never lifted anything heavier than a fan. It was quite impressive that she endured holding a 17.4kg girl who clung to her for twenty minutes while wearing high-heeled shoes. While I was grateful that she comforted and adored the child without a change in expression, a part of me wondered if she really had to go that far.
How long had she—and Ruben—lived while pretending to be someone else?
No wonder they didn’t understand each other.
Following my mother-in-law’s gaze as she sat quietly without even massaging her feet and looked out past the balcony railing, I looked down at the garden. Hundreds of children from noble families, who had come to celebrate Titi’s fifth birthday, were receiving various instructions from their parents before entering the foyer.
After a long silence, my mother-in-law spoke.
“Do you think I was wrong?”
“As I told you around the time I received permission to marry, I don’t have any particular thoughts on it. Thanks to you treating Ruben coldly, I was able to obtain him for free. If anything, I should be grateful.”
“…”
“Ruben said so too. That if he had lived as you did in your position, he would have acted the same way. I simply think that mother and son share many similarities.”
Whether it’s the way they can’t manage a single apology and only observe each other from a distance, or the way they live while layering regret upon regret. Ruben and I are now practically one body, but there is some lingering resentment in the child that I cannot wipe away with my own strength.
I looked down at my mother-in-law’s face, which had fallen silent again, and then looked back toward the distance.
“I’m talking about the poison.”
“…”
“It seems you don’t want to hear it from his own mouth. Every time the subject comes up, he changes the topic. Since he dislikes it, I didn’t want to torment him, so I left it be.”
“…That child knows now. That’s why that precious daughter of his was so well-behaved even while clinging to me today.”
“You know well, Mother, how different it is to guess the truth and to hear it directly from the person’s own mouth. You should know this better than I do.”
“…”
“Shall I be honest with you?”
“Only half.”
“Ahaha! Yes. I will be only half honest.”
“…”
“From my perspective, I think now is the right time. Ruben has become much stronger. Through crying, laughing, getting angry, and overcoming it all because of Titi. He is playing the role of a wonderful father better than anyone.”
“…”
“I mean he has grown enough to understand his mother’s heart at that time. Even if it’s not today, we’ve now moved into the palace, so there will be many opportunities. Use the child as an excuse and visit often.”
“You’re just planning to dump her on me so you can go on a date.”
“Is it that obvious?”
“…Yes. You… it’s very obvious. And you’re quite greedy.”
“And here I thought you said Ruben was the greedy one before.”
“That’s because back then, I couldn’t imagine there was someone even worse than him.”
“What can I do? I want to give Ruben everything in the world. Now I just think this is what love is.”
“…”
Kate smiled silently again. Her fan rested on her thigh, and both her hands were placed atop it. I couldn’t help but laugh out loud at this quiet declaration of defeat.
A few people who spotted me from below the balcony bowed deeply in greeting, and I waved back to welcome them.
Kate waved me away with a flick of her hand.
“I’ll rest a bit longer, so go back to your family now.”
“You are also my family, Mother.”
“Are you going to pretend you don’t know me?”
“Of course not. Yes. I’ll take good care of you. Please rest. The gift-opening ceremony is scheduled for an hour from now, so don’t be late. Ruben cares a lot about things like that.”
“…Alright.”
I gave a polite bow and was about to leave, but as soon as I placed my hand on the balcony door handle, a slender voice drifted from behind me.
“Thank you.”
“…”
“For making that child smile. I… really wanted to say this at least once.”
Now I know well the reason why someone would go out of their way to say such words from behind.
Without turning around, I simply shrugged my shoulders with a laugh and left the balcony. I made sure to close the curtains and the door tightly.
Two Imperial Knights waiting in front of me greeted me with smiles and stood guard on either side of the balcony door.
Even though I knew I didn’t need to add a word, I patted their shoulders and requested,
“Please take good care of the Empress Dowager.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
My heart felt much lighter.
* * *
Titi’s pile of gifts contained an unusually large number of Mana Stones and gems.
No matter how much people tried to keep it quiet, the story of the incident the child caused six months ago was the kind of thing that couldn’t be hidden.
Still, it was a great relief that it had been blocked in time to prevent a major accident. The fact that the Imperial Princess of the Empire possessed a will and power strong enough to shake a 10-circle magic circle before even turning five seemed to be seen as a positive sign by those dreaming of a powerful Emperor.
A great deal of gems were needed to properly walk the path of a Wizard. Therefore, every time a gift box was opened, chunky gem jewelry—which could be detached and used as consumables or collected and exchanged for currency—appeared one after another.
My grandparents gifted her a heavy dress adorned with all sorts of sparkling gems from shoulder to toe. I wondered if such a young child should wear such heavy clothing, but Titi was no ordinary child.
She looked truly lovely and cute, giggling as she shook the dress, which weighed over ten kilograms, as if it were a handkerchief.
My parents gifted her a toy staff and a toy sword. They knew her talent lay somewhere, but since they didn’t know which path she would choose, they gave her both.
Titi preferred the sword over the staff. Because she kept poking my side with the shining sword, I was exhausted from pretending to be in pain.
“Daddy, Daddy! Look at this!”
“Hmm.”
“It’s such a pretty color. It’s like me.”
“Yes, it’s a very transparent and beautiful black, just like the color of your eyes.”
Among them, the one the child liked most was the gift from Kate: a life-sized foal carved from obsidian.
Without hesitation, the child placed her hands on the large foal’s waist and hopped up. Ruben and I, knowing she wouldn’t get hurt falling from this height, remained calm, but Michael, who was beside us, was anxious and didn’t know what to do.
Titi, adorned with all sorts of gems from head to toe, pretended to ride the horse, shouting “Giddy up!”
Then, all the relatives would put new gems on her or hold her dress. As I stood blankly watching that peaceful scene, Ruben leaned his shoulder against mine.
Unable to resist, I gave a light kiss to the corner of Ruben’s mouth. He squeezed my arm in protest. However, seeing his face full of smiles, I figured he liked it, so I played innocent and did it once more.
* * *
It was customary for the children to spend time with children and adults with adults after the gift-opening ceremony.
Titi, who had become very close with her second cousins in the meantime, hopped out into the garden. With many people to take her side and meeting peers for the first time in her life, Titi was currently the happiest puppy in the world. She sparkled with excitement, bumping shoulders and holding hands with various children while exchanging names.
The adults, who had been frazzled all morning assisting and tending to the noisy children, spent their time eating finger foods or chatting in small groups of intimates. Only after my blood kin had dispersed in exhaustion did familiar faces approach Ruben and me one by one.
“My sincerest congratulations on the Imperial Princess’s true birthday, Your Majesty.”
“Thank you, Theodore. You’ve worked hard so far, and I look forward to your continued support.”
“It is an honor. Will you be entering the Ruby Palace starting tomorrow?”
“Ruben has suffered through long commutes for the past five years, so now it is my turn.”
Theodore Grand and Ruben’s aides were the first to approach and offer their greetings. Theodore stepped back only after introducing several people who would assist me in the palace.
Next, Ruben’s friends flocked over, offering noisy congratulations. Even though they hadn’t seen her once while she was being raised, Mac Weaber and Justin Barret acted as friendly as if they had seen her the day before, laughing like mercenaries and celebrating with their whole bodies.
Only after they left did the familiar faces who had been quietly watching from a distance approach one by one. My comrades, whose childhood faces remained intact even after several years: Shayden, Jenny, and Ivan.
Ruben gripped my right arm, which was currently escorting him. Still? A laugh escaped me.
“Congratulations, Your Majesty. And congratulations. It’s been a while, Mikael.”
“Yes, Shayden. Have you been well?”
“Can you really say that looking at my face right now?”
“Has your appetite decreased lately? Your physique seems better than before.”
“Good grief…”
“I heard you’ve been hanging out with Bill lately. Did that guy not come?”
“No, I brought him. He said he was going to eat and then come, so he’ll be here soon.”
Neither the unusually dressed-up Shayden nor the exceptionally neat Ivan offered me a handshake. Instead, Jenny, who was beside them, beamed and energetically held out her hand. I readily took her hand and shook it up and down a couple of times.
Why on earth is Ruben more wary of boys than girls?
No matter how much I pondered, it wasn’t something I could figure out. I simply laughed it off.