Episode 46
Elonia, exhausted from their first outing, returned to her room.
Sarah was the first to greet her.
“Your Highness, welcome back. Did you have a good time?”
“Yes… But I’m dead tired.”
Judging from the mountain of packages piled up in the room, Sarah could easily guess what had transpired.
There was no way Elonia would have bought all this herself, so Artius must have dragged her from shop to shop, showering her with gifts.
Still, Elonia didn’t seem unhappy. In fact, she looked like she had enjoyed herself.
“Come on, Your Highness, let’s get you washed up and ready for bed. You won’t grow taller if you stay up late.”
Elonia, still feeling a bit sensitive about her height after their shopping trip, nodded obediently.
Too tired to move, she let the maids bathe her and tuck her into bed.
Her gaze fell on Philemon’s treasure chest, sitting on the nightstand.
“Come to think of it, I still haven’t opened that chest.”
“That’s right. Should we call a locksmith?”
“Even a locksmith couldn’t open it. We tried breaking it open before, remember?”
“Hmm…”
Sarah hummed thoughtfully.
They had even tried brute force, enlisting the help of Ricardo and Ethan, but the chest remained stubbornly locked.
‘And we tried every possible combination, too.’
They had attempted to open it using the classic, brute-force method of trying every possible combination, but Ricardo’s untimely interruption had foiled their plans.
Elonia had tried again later, of course.
Not personally, but by making Ricardo do it as punishment for interrupting her.
‘But it still didn’t open. Hmm, I don’t sense any magical interference.’
If there was some special mechanism, Elonia would have sensed it.
‘Oh well.’
She could always open it later. It wasn’t a priority right now.
She had already decided on a gift for Artius, and she had to start preparing for it tomorrow.
“Goodnight, Sarah.”
“Sweet dreams, Your Highness.”
Elonia wondered how Artius would react to her gift.
She was already excited, imagining his silly reaction.
***
Time flew by, and winter was coming to an end.
It was Artius’s birthday.
But for some reason, the birthday boy himself didn’t seem happy.
Because…
“Has Elonia arrived yet?”
“…That’s, uh, Your Majesty…”
Elonia hadn’t arrived yet.
The Emperor’s gloomy mood cast a shadow over the celebration.
Normally, Elonia being late wouldn’t be a cause for such dejection, but there was another reason for his somber mood.
Elonia had been avoiding him.
‘It started after our shopping trip… She’s been trying to avoid me ever since.’
Artius was hurt by her sudden coldness, but he couldn’t complain. He could only suffer in silence.
He was terrified that she had started hating him again.
As Artius sighed, lost in his worries, Aaron quickly tried to comfort him.
“She’ll be here soon, Your Majesty. Just be patient.”
“…It’s fine. I can’t force her to come if she doesn’t want to.”
“No, that’s not it.”
“I must have done something wrong. I went to her room that day because I heard she was there, but she just snapped at me.”
“That’s because—”
“It’s fine… You don’t have to say anything. I have a pretty good idea why she’s avoiding me.”
“…What do you mean?”
“Do you know what she said during our shopping trip? She remembers everything I said and did in the past. She might have called me ‘Dad’ for a while, but after remembering everything, she probably doesn’t even want to see my face…”
“…Ugh.”
Aaron desperately tried to stifle his laughter, pinching his thigh under his cloak.
Knowing the truth, he found Artius’s self-pitying delusion hilarious.
But no amount of pain could suppress his laughter.
‘Your Highness, I can’t take it anymore. This is too funny.’
He covered his mouth, but giggles still escaped.
Ah, he couldn’t hold it in any longer.
He had failed his mission, the important task entrusted to him by the princess.
Just as he was about to lose it,
“Announcing Her Imperial Highness, Princess Elonia Ainar Ravanta!”
The doors swung open with the herald’s grand announcement.
Elonia, slightly out of breath, finally arrived.
“Huff, huff… Dad!”
***
This is what had actually happened:
The day after Elonia decided on Artius’s gift,
A small committee was formed to prepare for his birthday.
Elonia gathered Sarah, Ricardo, and Aaron, repeatedly checking their surroundings to ensure their privacy before speaking.
“I’ve decided on Dad’s birthday gift.”
“A gift?”
“Yes, so…”
Elonia beckoned them closer, whispering the details of her plan.
Sarah was the first to express her admiration.
“That’s a wonderful idea, Your Highness!”
“Indeed. He’ll be overjoyed.”
“He might even cry.”
Ethan and Aaron agreed.
The Asta brothers and Lady Asta, who visited Elonia later, also praised her idea, offering their assistance.
Confident in her plan, Elonia immediately summoned the court painter through Sarah.
“I want to have it ready by Dad’s birthday. Is that possible?”
“Of course. It’s an order from the true power behind the throne. How could I refuse?”
The court painter, Michel, chuckled heartily, confidently patting his chest.
“What size should the painting be?”
“The bigger, the better, right?”
“Yes. Then I’ll paint it in the largest size possible within the given timeframe.”
“Okay. And this has to be a secret from Dad, so be careful not to let him see it.”
“Of course, Your Highness. I’ll be discreet.”
Michel and Elonia, united in their mischievous plan, grinned at each other.
But unfortunately, not long after their secret pact, Elonia bumped into Artius at the Main Palace.
Artius approached her, his face brightening with surprise.
“Elonia, what brings you to the Main Palace?”
“Uh? Oh, that’s…”
“That’s?”
“…I’m busy, talk to you later!”
They had all overlooked one crucial detail – Elonia was a terrible actress.
Her attempt at deception was so unconvincing that it was painful to watch.
To salvage the situation, Aaron, one of the members of the secret gift committee, smoothly intervened, asking Artius casually,
“Did you do something to upset Her Highness?”
“…”
Artius was caught off guard, his past transgressions suddenly brought to light.
And Elonia was also hurt, in her own way.
Because upon returning to the Imperial Princess’s Palace, she was met with criticism from her loyal knight.
“Your Highness, that was super suspicious.”
“…Was it that bad?”
“Yes, you’re a terrible actress.”
“…Does Sarah think so too?”
“Your Highness, no one is perfect. You have many other strengths.”
“So I’m bad at acting.”
“…”
Sarah turned away, avoiding her gaze.
Her attempt at kindness had backfired, unintentionally inflicting a deep wound.
‘It seemed to work on Lady Asta before, though. Strange.’
In the end, after a majority vote, it was decided that Elonia should give up on acting.
But she couldn’t avoid visiting the Main Palace, so she started avoiding Artius whenever she saw him.
“I apologize for the inconvenience, Your Highness. I need to see you in person for the portrait, unlike His Majesty…”
“Don’t apologize. It’s fine.”
“I’m grateful for your generosity.”
“I should be the one thanking you. Now hurry up! We don’t have much time, I can only spare three hours.”
Elonia, unusually anxious for her age, fidgeted restlessly.
There was an art studio in the Imperial Princess’s Palace, but they had to use the one in the Main Palace due to the size of the painting.
That was why Elonia had been avoiding Artius so diligently.
But her troubles didn’t end there.
“…Your Highness, it’s a bit late to say this, but about the portrait…”
“Yes?”
“Isn’t it a bit too big for his office?”
“…Is it?”
Ethan, the usually taciturn knight, finally voiced the concern they had all been too afraid to mention.
Elonia’s ears perked up.
‘Now that Ethan mentions it…’
Ethan’s quiet nature made her words carry more weight.
Elonia quickly confirmed with Aaron that Artius’s office was empty and called for Ricardo.
“Rica, come with me to the office.”
“Ugh, you always make me your errand boy.”
“No complaining.”
“Fine, fine.”
“Hey! Do as I say!”
“Your Highness, this isn’t the military anymore!”
Elonia, pacifying her grumpy disciple, teleported to the office with him.
She surveyed the room, then, after a moment of silence, asked Ricardo,
“…Rica, what do you think?”
“…It should fit. It might be a bit tight, though, not very aesthetically pleasing.”
“…It’s too late to start over, right?”
“Definitely. We’d have to order a new frame, too.”
Well, it wasn’t that much of a size difference. It should be fine.
They only had five days left.
There was no time to be picky.
And then,
“Your Highness, His Majesty is…!”
“Gasp!”
“Ouch!”
Aaron, who was keeping watch outside, shouted a warning, but before he could finish, the door burst open.
Elonia, startled, kicked Ricardo, sending him tumbling behind the guest sofa.
Artius, oblivious to the second intruder, his mind focused on the fact that Elonia was visiting his office, approached with a smile.
“Elonia, what brings you to my office—”
“Hey, don’t just barge in!”
“…Elonia?”
“Get out!”
“…?”
Elonia, acting purely on instinct, pushed Artius out of his own office.
Slam!
Artius, evicted from his own domain, was completely bewildered.
He wandered down the hallway, wondering if he had somehow ended up in the Imperial Princess’s Palace. Then, realizing he was still in the Main Palace, he turned back. Meanwhile, Ricardo, sprawled behind the sofa, slowly got up.
“Ow… Did you really have to kick me?”
“It was a reflex…”
Ricardo, grumbling, teleported back to the Imperial Princess’s Palace, and Elonia, after a while, emerged from the office, relinquishing control of the room to Artius.
She avoided speaking to him, let alone showing her face, afraid that her guilt would be evident in her expression.
Despite the numerous obstacles, the frame she had ordered from the art shop they visited arrived on time.
But the painting was a different story.
“Michel, hurry up!”
“No… Something’s not quite right…”
“It doesn’t have to be perfect! Just finish it!”
“I can’t do that! Her beauty isn’t fully captured yet!”
“This is driving me crazy!”
Thanks to Elonia’s relentless nagging, the painting was finally completed on the morning of Artius’s birthday celebration.
By the time Elonia finished getting ready with the help of her nimble maids, the celebration was almost over.
‘I’m counting on you, Aaron…!’
Praying that Aaron had managed to stall for time, Elonia rushed towards the banquet hall.
Ricardo and Ethan would bring the painting later.
The guards and heralds were surprised to see Elonia, out of breath and sweating profusely.
“Y-Your Highness? Why are you running—”
“The celebration! Huff, huff… It’s not over yet, right? Open the doors!”
“Y-yes…!”
“A-announcing Her Imperial Highness, Princess Elonia Ainar Ravanta!”
The herald, flustered, opened the doors to the banquet hall.
Elonia instinctively shut her eyes against the sudden burst of light.
But she quickly opened them again and shouted, her gaze fixed on Artius, who was sitting dejectedly on the throne,
“Dad!”