Episode 44
Elonia, flanked by Ethan and Ricardo, arrived at Artius’s office.
Just as they approached, Aaron emerged from the room.
“Ah, Your Highness.”
Aaron spotted Elonia immediately, bowing respectfully with a welcoming smile.
Elonia went straight to the point.
“Aaron, is Dad busy?”
“No, he’s just taking a break.”
“I see.”
“Even if he was busy, he wouldn’t keep working when you’re here.”
Aaron chuckled.
He had always looked stressed because of his lazy superior, but lately, his face had brightened considerably.
He claimed that Elonia had saved his life by bringing Artius back to his senses.
“Please, come in, Your Highness.”
Aaron opened the heavy door to the office.
“Dad.”
“Elonia?”
Artius, assuming it was still Aaron, was about to snap at him. But when he saw Elonia, his eyes widened in surprise, and he immediately rose from his chair.
‘Hmm, not bad. The taste of power, making the Emperor nervous.’
Elonia, her hands clasped behind her back, surveyed the office.
Apart from the addition of a small sofa and table for Elonia after her birthday, nothing much had changed.
Philemon’s large portrait still hung on the wall, and the desk was covered in framed photos.
In fact, there were even more photos now.
Elonia strode towards the sofa and plopped down.
Artius served her tea personally, taking a seat diagonally across from her.
“It’s unusual for you to visit my office.”
‘Oh, milk tea.’
Elonia took a sip of the milk tea Artius had made for her and swung her feet back and forth.
During the war, sweets had been a luxury, so she had assumed she disliked them, finding them too sweet for her palate.
But lately, she had grown accustomed to the comfortable life in the Imperial Palace, and her tastes had changed. She found herself enjoying sweet treats quite a bit.
Elonia, after finishing half her tea, spoke.
“I need something from you.”
“From me?”
“Yes.”
She spoke with such confidence, as if he owed her something.
Artius, accustomed to her boldness, replied gently,
“Anything at all.”
“I want to go shopping tomorrow.”
“Shopping?”
Artius looked surprised, but then a warm smile spread across his face.
“Of course. I’ll summon the best merchant in the Empire tomorrow.”
“No, that’s not necessary.”
“…?”
“I want to go to the capital with you.”
Artius tilted his head, confused.
Even though Artius had once been a benevolent ruler, he was still royalty.
Shopping, for him, was something done within the confines of his palace, not out in the city.
‘I knew he would say that.’
Elonia herself had never actually gone shopping in the city.
Before the war, she had been too busy trying to survive with her mother in the royal palace. And after that, the war had made it impossible.
This was a good opportunity for her as well.
“So, clear your schedule for tomorrow. I’m taking you shopping.”
The world’s smallest and cutest robber had come to steal the Emperor’s precious time.
***
The next morning,
Elonia woke up and immediately began preparing for their outing.
She had just changed into a bright pink dress she had chosen with Ethan and Sarah.
“Elonia, may I come in?”
‘It’s way too early. What’s he doing here?’
Artius knocked on the door.
They had agreed to leave in the late afternoon, but it was still lunchtime.
‘He must be really excited.’
But Elonia herself had woken up early, eager to visit the city, so she decided to put aside her desire to tease him.
‘This is perfect timing, actually.’
Ethan and Sarah’s gazes instinctively darted towards the door at the sound of Artius’s voice.
Elonia seized the opportunity and quickly hid the dagger under her skirt.
She had been carrying the dagger Artius had given her everywhere, out of habit, but Sarah and Ethan constantly nagged her about it.
They said it was dangerous, that she might get hurt, but she had wanted a dagger specifically so she could carry it with her at all times.
“Your Highness?”
Damn it, Ethan was too observant.
His suspicious tone caught Sarah’s attention, and she turned to Elonia with a questioning look.
Elonia, pretending she hadn’t done anything, called out casually,
“Come in.”
“Excuse me.”
Artius entered the room.
He usually wore a simple shirt and trousers with a fur cloak, but today, he had donned a proper jacket and removed his cloak.
They were going to the capital, where nobles frequented, and while disguising themselves as commoners was impossible, they could at least blend in as nobles.
Artius immediately recognized the dress Elonia was wearing as one he had recently gifted her.
“It suits you.”
“Well, I got my good looks from Mother.”
Elonia had become bolder since their reconciliation.
She hadn’t had time to care about her appearance in the past, but now that she had the leisure, she found herself enjoying looking in the mirror.
Artius chuckled at her confident statement.
“I’m not done with my hair yet. Wait.”
“Take your time.”
Artius started to sit down on the guest sofa but hesitated, turning to Elonia.
“…Would you mind if I styled your hair?”
“You?”
He wanted to style her hair?
She doubted his ability, considering he probably hadn’t touched anything other than swords and pens his entire life.
She wasn’t willing to risk her precious hair, especially with Sarah, the master stylist, right there.
Artius quickly added,
“I’m not that bad.”
“…”
Elonia narrowed her eyes.
She didn’t believe him, but there was no harm in letting him play dad for once.
‘We have plenty of time, and Sarah’s here to fix any disasters.’
With Sarah, the miracle worker, by her side, she felt reassured.
“Fine. But if you mess up my hair, I’ll pull out yours while you’re sleeping.”
Despite her threat, Artius’s eyes lit up like a puppy’s as he grabbed a comb and approached her.
He began brushing her hair gently.
But then…
‘Oh, wow…’
He was actually good?
She had expected him to be clumsy, but his touch was surprisingly skillful, and Elonia found herself relaxing under his care.
Artius chuckled softly.
His laughter annoyed her for some reason, so she asked,
“Why are you laughing?”
“Just because.”
He continued to smile.
Sarah and Ethan, who had been observing them quietly, exchanged amused glances.
Artius had started braiding her hair into two loose pigtails.
He had only finished one side, but it already looked quite good.
In fact, it was almost as good as Sarah’s work.
“…Not bad, I guess.”
She grumbled, trying to hide her surprise, and Artius smiled wistfully, as if reminiscing about a fond memory.
“Before you were born, I was the one who usually styled your mother’s hair.”
“When you were newlyweds?”
“Even when we were dating.”
Surprisingly, Artius and Philemon had had a love marriage, a rarity among royalty.
And Artius had been four years younger than her.
‘He got married really young.’
He had married as soon as he reached adulthood.
Come to think of it, there hadn’t been much of an age gap between her and Artius when she was Chelon.
But Artius and Philemon had gotten married just a year before the war with Heilan.
He hadn’t even had time to enjoy his newlywed life before being sent to war.
‘And then, after the war, the Empress died giving birth to me.’
The thought filled her with guilt.
She knew it wasn’t her fault.
But if she had made her decision sooner, Artius might have heard Philemon’s dying wish himself.
The thought would always haunt her.
Artius, misinterpreting her somber expression, chuckled and reassured her.
“It’s okay. It was a short time, but we were happy. And now I have you.”
“…Really?”
Philemon’s absence no longer seemed to be a source of pain for Artius.
Elonia nodded, trying to appear nonchalant, as Artius finished braiding her hair.
“There, all done. Tell me if you don’t like it.”
“It’s not bad.”
Elonia’s simple nod made Artius beam.
Sarah, bringing over a bonnet that matched the dress, spoke cautiously,
“Um… Now that you’ve styled her hair, it’s a bit late to say this, but we should probably cover it up, right?”
“Ah, right.”
Elonia realized her mistake.
She had forgotten about concealing her hair.
‘It can’t be helped. Mint green hair isn’t exactly common.’
Most nobles wouldn’t recognize her face unless they frequented the Imperial Palace, so she wasn’t worried about being recognized by commoners.
But her hair was a different story.
It was common knowledge that the Imperial Princess had bright mint green hair.
She wasn’t the only one with that hair color, but it was still very distinctive.
‘But I already styled my hair. How do I cover it up? Should I use magic?’
She was reluctant to use magic so blatantly, but she actually liked her current hairstyle.
She just wanted to conceal the color, but the bonnet wouldn’t be enough.
‘I could just change my hair color with magic.’
Everyone knew she was a mage, but transformation magic was beyond the capabilities of a five-year-old.
Just as Elonia was racking her brains for a solution,
“How about changing the color?”
Artius, seemingly having the same thought, asked.
Elonia, assuming he meant dyeing her hair, shook her head.
“We don’t have time for that.”
“We can use magic to change the color.”
“Magic?”
Did he actually want her to use magic? Before Elonia could voice her confusion, Artius gestured towards the door.
“That’s what he’s here for. Why else would I hire him?”
‘Ah.’
Right, Ricardo.
She had forgotten about her magic lackey, since things had been so peaceful lately.
Sarah and Ethan already knew that Ricardo was a Sword Mage, so the discussion was brief.
“W-what’s going on?”
“Let’s change her hair color to black. It’s less conspicuous.”
“W-what?”
Ricardo, dragged into the room without any explanation, was quickly drained of his magic and kicked out again.
“…What was that about?”
He grumbled from behind the door.
But his voice didn’t reach them, and Elonia, unfazed, thought,
‘It’s nice having a disciple who’s good at everyday magic.’
She disliked using others’ magic, but it was still better than doing it herself.
She specialized in combat magic and wasn’t very good at these subtle spells.
‘Rica can handle it for a day.’
Elonia examined her now-black hair in the mirror.
It felt strange.
‘…It kind of looks like Artius’s hair.’
She had always thought she resembled Philemon, but with black hair, she looked more like Artius’s daughter.
“Elonia.”
Artius took the bonnet from Sarah and gently placed it on Elonia’s head.
He tied the ribbons neatly, his face beaming with satisfaction.
Elonia, embarrassed by his enthusiasm, held out her hand.
Artius took it, his large hand engulfing her small one.
“Let’s go.”
“Okay.”
It was finally time for their first outing as father and daughter.