Chapter 14. I will give you this country2020.03.21.
Today is the one year anniversary of my birth.
‘A day like this will come.’
I was so moved that I felt like I was about to burst into tears. The hardships of tears I had been through so far passed through my mind like a panorama. If you were born as a baby, your memories of your previous life would be erased as well. Thanks to this, this and that (?) shameful things happened to me. When I was just born, I thought I was dying of frustration because I couldn’t even move. I couldn’t speak or move, how sad it was…
“Whew.”
Still, thanks to my hard work for a year, my situation has gotten much better. To list what I’ve achieved so far. Take your first steps! After taking a few steps, I sat down because it was hard, but now I can walk without holding anything. The second thing is that he started to use babbling more like a horse than before. I still had a hard time pronouncing it because I only had 4 baby teeth, the upper and lower teeth. Maybe it was because the emperor was talking about me as a genius, so I was a little surprised and took it for granted when I said words or sentences that I hadn’t been taught. Even the excuse of being a genius is useful. It’s still a long way from becoming a human…
‘Anyway, where is this?’
I watched people busy fidgeting with toys.
“Oh, Larimar. You can’t throw it away!”
“Is this scribbled by Her Highness?”
“That means you shouldn’t throw it away.”
The things Larima was trying to throw away were scribbles I had scribbled on paper as if I had been studying letters.
‘Why don’t you throw that away? It must be trash.’
Xavier took the box full of papers from Larimar’s hand and spoke solemnly.
“His Majesty ordered it. Keep everything related to Her Highness for now.”
Uh uh… let’s pretend I didn’t hear. He said that since today is the one year anniversary of my birth, there will be a party to celebrate my birthday. Delegates from all over the world as well as from Ermano said they would come and congratulate me, but I was already afraid.
“I will give you a huge present, so look forward to it, Mabel.”
It’s because of what the emperor said yesterday. How bizarre would it be to say that this person who gave the duchy a chin tuck was ‘amazing’? I prayed fervently. Please let today pass safely….
“Now, Your Highness. Shall we prepare now?”
A nanny suddenly appeared and lifted me up. Then he sat me down on a chair with a high cushion. I slowly raised my head and opened my eyes wide. My reflection was reflected in the mirror. Surprisingly, I saw myself for the first time today. The cherry-colored hair, which was not tied but had grown quite a bit, was still thin because it was bunny. The two pupils were slightly lighter blue than the emperor’s. Oscar and Emperor have silver hair, but I’m the only one with light pink hair. Was it influenced by her birth mother? As he tilted his head, the baby in the mirror tilted his head as well. I covered my pale, plump cheeks with both hands. It’s a bit embarrassing to say this with my own mouth, but…
‘…so cute!’
It was a bit understandable that everyone was making a fuss when they saw me. I was staring blankly at myself in the mirror when Xavier and Larima stopped working and approached me.
“Your Highness, is it the first time you look in the mirror today?”
“I put all the mirrors away just in case they could break. You said you almost died while carrying that?”
“Oh, what a shame.”
You put the mirror away on purpose. I kept wanting to see my face, but I never had a chance. It was difficult to confirm that it was reflected on the surface of the water while taking a bath.
“Does His Highness know? How cute, cute, and lovely you are!”
“Larima. Stop chatting and go clean up. There is no time. When you’re done, come right over here.”
After stopping Larima from making a fuss, the nanny approached with something. It was a pure white dress. However, the design was not simple at all by placing gold thread throughout the fabric. It was so embarrassing just to wear it, to the point where I wondered if I should bow before wearing it.
“Isn’t it pretty? This is a dress specially prepared for today.”
“Ugh.”
I wouldn’t be able to wear it anyway when I grow up, so I think it’s a waste of money. It’s something I always think about, but to me, who was poor, the scale of consumption in Hwangseong was too much for me to handle. I’m not sure about the price, but I know it’s not normal…
“Now, are you nice? I’ll put it on right away.”
Unfortunately, the work of art, which must have been embroidered stitch by stitch by the artisan, was draped over my humble body.
‘I feel like I’ve committed a great sin.’
The dress was much more comfortable than it seemed. Apparently, the wearer was 1 year old, so it seemed like he made it comfortable on purpose. After I got dressed, the next thing was to get my hair done. With her skilful touch, the nanny gently brushed my long-grown hair.
“How can you have such a pretty hair color? You look exactly like Her Majesty the Empress.”
The nanny smiled bitterly, probably thinking of her dead mother. He often smiled like that when he saw me. I don’t know what to say because I don’t remember my mother, but I still didn’t feel good.
“Now I’m done with this.”
Finally, the nurse put on a lace bonnet and tied a ribbon under her chin. Perhaps because the bonnet was thin, my light pink hair showed through slightly.
“Oh, Your Highness…!”
When I came to my senses, even Xavier and Larima, who were working, were huddled together around me.
“So cute!”
As soon as Larimar opened her arms to embrace me, Xavier hurriedly stopped in front of me.
“Your Highness is forbidden, Larimar!”
“Eh? why?!”
“Because the dress is wrinkled.”
At Xavier’s firm words, Larima seemed to be angry, but she didn’t say anything. Knock- The sudden knock sound startled the nanny and checked the time.
“Look at my mind. The time has already come to this.”
The nanny, taking care not to wrinkle my dress, opened the door in a hurry. Beyond that, of course, stood the emperor. The appearance of the emperor in formal attire, which was not usually seen, was quite unfamiliar. In addition, I was embarrassed because he was so young and handsome that I couldn’t even think of him as a father.
‘No matter how you look at it, it doesn’t look like a son or a daughter.’
“Meet Your Majesty the Emperor.”
The emperor waved his hand at the nurse’s greeting and handed me over.
“Happy birthday Mabel.”
I just blinked at the emperor’s surprise attack. Today is my birthday, but it was the first time I heard someone say happy birthday. In my previous life, when I received a present on my birthday, I had to reciprocate it, so I deliberately didn’t say it. I was lucky because my birthday was on vacation. So I rarely heard that I wished a happy birthday.
“Ugh…”
This is how it feels to have someone congratulate me on my birth. It was a strange feeling.
***
The emperor asked the aide who was following him as he headed towards the banquet hall.
“What about Oscar?”
“You entered first with His Excellency Duke Donovan.”
I wondered why I couldn’t see it, but he already entered. I wanted to see Oscar, who must have been as well-decorated as the party. Anyway, for some reason, I was concerned about the aide walking a few steps behind me. He was a skinny and skinny man who looked like he would die soon. Is there a fluke in the family…? Watching it hurt my heart. I glanced at her, and then our eyes met. The aide raised an eyebrow and smiled awkwardly. Then the shade under her eyes made her look even more tired. I sent a message of support to the man.
“Him!”
“yes?”
Cheer up. Feeling the emperor’s gaze looking down at me, I took my eyes off the aide. It was understandable that he looked so tired, thinking that he was right next to the emperor. I am a human being out of control. The emperor was a person who did not know that it was enough.
“Looking at a guy like that isn’t good for your eyesight, Mabel.”
“Ugh?”
“Now everyone is here.”
The sound of an orchestra playing came from not far away. All of a sudden, my heart started beating like crazy. It’s a party, so there must be a lot of people, right? For almost a year, the number of people I met regularly was less than ten. Maybe that’s why I was afraid to go out in front of a lot of people. Being a baby, I know you don’t expect anything from me, but I still couldn’t ignore the pressure.
“Your expression is not good. Mabel?”
I grabbed the emperor’s hem and buried my face. Then the Emperor gently stroked my back. It was a hand full of concern.
“You have nothing to be afraid of, Mabel. Now, all the people you will meet are people you should see well, not people you should see well.”
“…Eh?”
Hey, is that something you would say to a one-year-old now? What’s even more absurd is that the expression on the emperor’s face after he finished speaking was extremely serious. Mysteriously, thanks to the emperor’s words, a lot of the fear of the unspecified people disappeared and the tension was relieved. The emperor gently touched my hair, which was tousled from rubbing, and then winked at the attendant waiting in front of the door.
“His Majesty the Sun Emperor of the Empire and Mabel Win-.”
“for a moment.”
The emperor mercilessly cut off the words of the attendant who made his position. Then he ordered with a stern face.
“Except winter.”
The attendant was taken aback by the bloody spirit, but quickly grasped what the emperor wanted.
“Yes yes! It is eaten by Her Majesty the Sun Emperor of the Empire and Her Highness Princess Ermano of Mabel Gardenia!”
The Emperor passed through the dark passage and walked toward the bright banquet hall. I was dazzled by the chandelier light shining brightly, and I closed my eyes tightly. The surroundings were as quiet as a rat. There was no music from the orchestra that I had heard until recently. When I slowly opened my eyes, the scenery of the gorgeous banquet hall greeted me. Many people were bowing their heads at once. The emperor walked leisurely between them and headed for the most prestigious throne. Seeing that there were two chairs to the left of the throne, it seemed to be the seat for Oscar and me. Of course I thought I’d sit there…
“Let’s sit down.”
“…?”
Why am I sitting on the throne? I looked again to see if I had made a mistake, but as expected, the throne was right. I tried to stare at them for clarification, but the emperor did not recognize them and turned his gaze to the audience while standing.
“Raise your head.”
“!”
I had to see People who see me widen their eyes.
‘Then why did you put me on the throne? This is not my place!’
It’s not too late to fix it now. I moved slowly to get off the chair, but it got stuck.
“Be calm, Mabel. Aren’t you nice?”
Forced to be kind, I had no choice but to sit on the throne uncomfortably.
‘okay. If they had heads, they’d know I didn’t sit here because I wanted to.’
I felt all the eyes of the people in the large banquet hall turn to me. Ugh, it’s embarrassing. I hope it ends soon, but since this is my birthday party, it’s impossible. The emperor, who gently stroked my cheek, looked down at the audience again.
“Welcome to all of you who have come today to celebrate the first birthday of Jim’s sweet daughter, Mabel.”
Being introduced as a ‘lovely daughter’ in front of so many people was quite embarrassing and embarrassing. The emperor’s words continued.
“By the way, Mabel is a genius who flipped at 3 months and started walking at 8 months. For your reference.”
‘What are you talking about?’
With a proud face, the emperor was releasing information that no one had asked. People seemed to be thinking the same as me, but they were also making dumb faces, but among them, there were those who enthusiastically nodded as if they sympathized. There were four in total: my nanny, Count Lupe Alielli, my half brother, Prince Oscar, my maternal grandfather, the Marquis of Gardenia, and finally Lisandro Donovan, who was hiding behind a pillar.
“Haa…”
I let out a deep sigh. I want to die because of shame… Fortunately, the emperor’s infusion didn’t last long.
“Welcome to the envoys who visited to celebrate the princess’s birthday, and I hope they enjoy the banquet.”
The emperor’s gaze was fixed somewhere. When I saw it inadvertently, I was stunned for a moment. People in pure white robes, like Montego, gathered in one place. I was afraid because I thought Montego was there, but fortunately I didn’t see his face. Did you see me feeling anxious?
“It’s okay Mabel. At that time, the bad guy who tried to take you was expelled from crossing the border of Ermano again.”
The emperor’s words put my mind at ease. I was the only one at that time, but they wouldn’t try to kidnap me in a place where there are a lot of people watching. I observed the priests with a much more relaxed mind. But somehow, there was something special that caught my eye. The ranks of priests seemed to surround one person as if to protect them. And in the middle, there was one person whose face was not visible because the robe was pressed down tightly. I couldn’t tell her gender or age other than that she was quite tall.
“Please skip the greetings. Because it’s annoying.”
The emperor gave a small order to his aide, and soon the atmosphere became noisy again. After the emperor sat me on his lap, he himself sat on the throne. The band started playing again, and the couples held hands and started dancing.
“Mabel. You are really cute today.”
Oscar approached me, shook my hand and gave me compliments. But Oscar was also cute without a joke. Oscar, who is 7 years old, has also grown taller than before. It was much simpler than the emperor’s clothes, but the appearance in the formal attire was cool and cute.
“Oh dear.” (You are cute.)
“You know? Yes, Mabel knew too.”
Today, too, my babbling was perverted. hey don’t say As if Oscar was not interested in the party, he sat down next to me and started fiddling with my hand.
“Oh right. Happy Birthday Mabel.”
“yes?”
“My father gave an imperial decree to say congratulations first and said no mention… No, nothing.”
As Oscar looked behind me, his expression became more and more contemplative, and then he hurriedly finished his words. Behind me was the emperor… I could tell what the situation was without looking. To be the first to say happy birthday to me, even to ban it by the imperial order. It was really childish.
“Instead, the birthday present will be the first thing I give you.”
“Oscar.”
The emperor called Oscar’s name softly, but he neatly ignored it and took something out of his pocket. Something slipped and dripped from her little hand. It was a necklace with a green gem hanging from a silver string.
“
Morgai?”
“that’s right. it’s a necklace I didn’t even teach you the word necklace, so how did you know this time?”
Oscar laughed and put the necklace around my neck. The necklace stretched out as if it wasn’t for babies. The green jewel reminded me of Oscar’s green eyes. I fiddled with the necklace and stared at it. No matter how much I received the gift, I couldn’t adapt. Because I’ve never received one…
“…Don’t you like it?”
I shook my head in shock at Oscar’s words, which seemed somehow heartbroken.
“It’s not. I don’t think I like it… Do you really like it?”
“yes. (Yeah. I like the necklace!)
When I finally said that I liked it, Oscar’s expression relaxed.
“I’m glad you like it.”
“Ugh…”
Oscar looks happy, so that’s good. I let out a sigh of relief.
‘It’s hard to play with a 7-year-old.’
Oscar, who was chattering about things next to me, pointed to one place.
“Mabel. Everything over there is a gift from you. Too many?” “
Hummu ?”
I thought it was the interior because there were a lot of boxes, but those are all my gifts? I don’t know how to react to the gift Oscar gives me, but it was too burdensome to say that it was a gift from people I didn’t even know. It won’t be given as a favor. I’m sure you’re offering a gift because you want something. I didn’t have the confidence to repay it. As I stared at the presents, the emperor placed his hand on my head.
“You seem disappointed with the few presents, Mabel.”
no. no. It’s not! I shook my head vigorously, but my flirting was neatly ignored.
“Don’t worry Mabel. This dad has prepared a nice present for you.”
I forgot. You must have prepared a huge gift yesterday. Will it finally be revealed? The emperor rose from his seat and seated me back on the throne, drawing people’s attention. Everyone in the banquet hall looked at this place. The soft music also stopped. As I looked around, I felt a certain stare staring at me. A place where the priests of Abelardo gather. Among them, the man who had been wearing a robe all the time… seemed to meet his eyes. It was such a beautiful red eyes that I was fascinated for a moment. But when I closed my eyes again, the afterimage quickly disappeared.
“On the occasion of the princess’s first birthday, I have something to tell you.”
Meanwhile, the Emperor was out of luck. to inform? It’s a gift…? The Emperor looked down at me and lowered himself. And whispered softly in my ear.
“Mabel. I will give you this country.”
“…?”
What did I just hear…? It was nonsense, so I immediately denied reality.
‘It must be a dream, it must be a dream.’
However, despite my wishes, the emperor loudly announced.
“Leave the throne to Mabel Gardenia Ermano.”
oh my god.
