I laid in bed and suffered from public illness even though I had a long sleep. I desperately hoped that today would not come, but the sun rose without fail.
I clung to Aiden who came to wake me up.
“Save me, Aiden. I don’t want to go!”
“I understand, I will remove Duchess Donovan.”
“……?”
“……?”
I think there’s a huge wall between us.
I looked up at Aiden because I thought he was joking, but his expression was as serious as ever.
‘What happened to…morality?’
Sometimes, whenever Aiden was like this, I got flustered. I was possessed by a moral teacher and nagged Aiden.
“This is just whining. And even if it’s an order, you can’t treat human lives as nothing.”
“But-.”
“No but’s. Never! You cannot ever kill a human. Okay?”
I thought I would get an immediate answer or response, but Aiden just looked at me quietly. A very burdensome look. After a while, Aiden asked.
“Why?”
“Uung?”
I frowned at the sudden question.
“What do you mean why. You just can’t.”
He was a man of short words. It wasn’t condescending, but Aiden’s way of lowering his speech was fresh.
Aiden spoke fairly to everyone except to me. Even to daddy. And Aiden gradually shortened his words to me. Although I don’t point it out.
Aiden sighed as I put my hands on my waist and gave him a stern look.
“I understand for now.”
“Fwor now?”
“If someone tries to hurt Your Majesty, then I also won’t be able to help it.”
Aiden’s low voice was serious. Whatever I should have said, I was speechless.
At then, Xavier’s voice came from outside.
“Your Majesty. You have to get ready now.”
“Uung. I’m coming!”
The conversation ended half-heartedly. I finished getting ready to go out with a lot of nervousness.
The nanny asked while touching up a ribbon on my head.
“Is this your first time going out to the shopping district?
“Ung. A few years ago, I went out to pick up Oscar, and I went out for the rain ritual.”
“Oh my. You have a good memory. How do you remember all that?”
“Ahaha.”
At this rate, I might be praised as a genius with extraordinary memory.
“Ah’ll be back!”
I waved my hand and quickly went out the palace.
There was still about ten minutes left for Duchess Donovan to arrive. I was so nervous to face the blunt and cold face.
Ba-thump ba-thump. I stomped nervously and called Aiden, who was standing next to me.
“Aiden. Your hand.”
“Yes.”
Grasp. I grabbed a hand much bigger than mine.
I felt Aiden flinch as if he was surprised I grasped him suddenly, but I didn’t think it was a big deal.
Holding someone’s hand seemed to let me relax a little. It was when Aiden’s hand was twitching.
Clack, clack.
The sound of horse hooves grew closer.
Soon after, a large carriage of the Donovan family stopped in front of me. The insignia of the hawk and shield symbolizing the Donovan family was dazzling.
Duchess Donovan greeted me with courtesy after getting off the carriage.
“I greet Her Majesty, the Emperor.”
“Welcwome, Duchess Donovan.”
I greeted her while trying to look mature, recalling Oscar’s information that she hates ignorant people.
On spite of my efforts, Duchess Donovan only looked around me.
“You have quite a lot of escorts.”
“Ahaha…”
Escorts, including Lissandro, filled the surrounding area.
Daddy, who willingly allowed me to go out, put thirty escorts on me.
At first, there were 100, but I worked hard to reduce the amount.
“Don’t worry, Your Majesty. I will take care of your safety.”
“Yes.”
“Please get in the carriage.”
I got on the wagon and gave Aiden a signal, who was waiting outside. Aiden nodded and hid his appearance in a flash.
As soon as the carriage departed, there was an awkward silence as if it was planned. I looked at Duchess Donovan and prayed that we would arrive to our destination soon. Like a year had passed, the carriage was moving slowly.
“We have arrived, Your Majesty. Your Excellency.”
The place we arrived was Ricabelli Street. A luxurious street where all the fashion in society was born and extinguished.
As soon as I got off the carriage, my eyes widened from the luxurious shops on both sides.
“Woah.”
Since I’ve only ever been within the Imperial grounds, I’ve never seen the outside. I had a few chances, but I was the one who refused repeatedly.
‘Just in case there might be another attack.’
In the meantime, I thought that I had lived in a cave by myself.
I felt the gaze of others glancing at me, so I felt like hiding somehow.
“There are a few bootiqueth I know about.”
“Yes. Let’s go there then.”
Duchess Donovan remained motionless even though she nodded and responded. When I looked up, Lissandro whispered to me.
“Your subjects cannot walk in front of the Emperor, Your Majesty.”
“Ah.”
I realized again that there were such manners. But there was a serious problem.
“However, I don’t know any of Ricabelli’th paths…”
As I was embarrassed, Lissandro lowered his face. His shoulders were shaking from laughter.
“What should I do? Your Majesty is so cute that it’s troubling.”
I stared at Lissandro who couldn’t read the stark atmosphere and continued to smile excitedly. Even without that, I was upset that Duchess Donvan would see me as a stupid child, but it was even sadder that he was teasing me.
After a while, Lissandro wiped away the tears around his eyes and turned to Duchess Donovan.
“There’s nothing we can do. For the sake of the directionally challenged Emperor, Sister must ignore the rules of etiquette.”
I protested.
“I’m not directionally challenged.”
“Yes. Your Majesty is not directionally challenged.”
“I said ah’m not.”
Duchess Donovan sighed and took the first step as I was arguing with Lissandro, who kept teasing me.
I quickly stood next to Duchess Donovan. I didn’t forget to glare at Lissandro.
The first place we stopped by was a large boutique not far away from the carriage. Entering the boutique, luxurious clothes were seen right away under the bright lights.
“I’ve been waiting for you after your message, Duchess Donovan. Please enjoy these.”
It was a neatly dressed woman who greeted us. She looked like the owner.
Her gaze, which greeted me with courtesy, lowered and made eye contact with me. She grinned.
“You’re a very cute one. Are you Her Excellency’s relative?”
“No…”
“Hm?”
Then Duchess Donovan’s voice, cooler than frost, fell upon her.
“Impertinent. Be respectful to Her Majesty, the Emperor.”
“…yes?”
Her face was soon lost in contemplation as she looked alternately between me and Duchess Donovan. Then, she fell onto her knees in front of me.
“Please forgive my rudeness, Your Majesty!”
Not only her, but everyone in the boutique kneeled and lowered their heads.
“We are guilty of death!”
“Please spare our lives!”
I sighed inwardly at the sight of the shivering people in the boutique.
‘Sigh. One thing after another.’
***
The time when Mabel was sighing at the people in the boutique, Aiden was walking in the back alley of the capital.
‘As expected, with this distance, there’s no problem.’
There was no problem when he was at the end of the capital, where a normal person would have to get to by carriage. Furthermore, Mabel’s divine power had increased, so even if he was further away, he didn’t explode.
Unlike Ricabelli street, dazzling no matter where you look, the back alley where Aiden was walking in was damp and dirty.
The left-over garbage smelled bad and dirt was everywhere.
The slobber area had nothing to be robbed of. But petty thieves robbed people of even their clothes.
Aiden thought it was fortunate that he was in the back alley instead of Mabel.
‘Her Majesty doesn’t belong in a dirty place like this.’
Always a forward and lovely child.
Mabel, who says she isn’t but always has a great sense of justice, has already become a great monarch.
But she’s too cute.
A bright and warm place suited Mabel.
Aiden, who was walking ahead without hesitation, was thinking about the conversation he had with Mabel in the morning.
“No but’s. Never! You cannot ever kill a human. Okay?”
You should never kill people. Mabel was the first person to tell him that. Everyone he’s served so far told him so.
To kill. To remove.
Get rid of the thorny disturbance.
Why did he think Mabel would be like them?
Even the classification of human beings was so different that she was a different being.
Aiden had been uncomfortable with Mabel recently. Especially when Mabel held his hands or hugged his legs without hesitation.
‘Maybe it’s because of the sudden contact with divine power.’
That’s probably why he’s surprised, but he felt strange.
It was the same for when Mabel held his hand earlier.
Meanwhile, Aiden arrived at his destination. A house of ordinary poverty on the outside.
Aiden opened the door without knocking.
Shoot-!
A dagger flew from the front. Aiden raised his hand lightly and grabbed the dagger.
Clap clap clap. Someone walked out of the house applauding. He was a man with dull green hair.
“You’re good at blocking, aren’t you?”
“Your attacks are always simple.”
Aiden threw the dagger back and went inside. The exterior of the house was old and looked like it was about to collapse, but the scenery inside was completely different. More than ten people were sitting in front of luxurious desks dealing with chores.
Instead of working, an employee who found Aiden greeted him nervously.
“Welcome, Master!”
“Yeah.”
Aiden’s second identity.
The master of the Informations Guild in the back alley, <Evil>, ‘Aedan.’
***
‘I wonder if Aiden is doing well.’
As soon as I was worrying about Aiden, the orders flooded in scarily.
“Your Majesty, raise your left arm.”
“Uung.”
“We have it ready.”
“Bring it.”
Soon after, dresses spread out in front of me.
“These three dresses are custom made dresses that Her Excellency mentioned, and the rest of the dresses are ones that have been designed ahead of time in the boutique. I brought them just in case Your Majesty might like them!”
It must have been yesterday that we decided to go out, but the dresses were already complete.
The prepared dresses were fancy as ever, but it didn’t have unnecessary shoulder accessories and the waist wasn’t small.
I raised my arm again at the staff’s orders. But how come.
When I took off my dress earlier, several people were attached, but now, only one person helped me with the dress.
“It’s very comfortable, Duchess Donovan.”
“That’s normal. Clothes aren’t candy shells.”
My eyes widened at the unexpected answer.
“Duchess Donovan’s words are correct.”
“Moreover, Your Majesty is still young, even if you are in a high position. You don’t have to follow the fashion for adults’ now.”
I nodded passionately at every word from Duchess Donovan. Everything was correct.
‘She’s scary but cool.’
That’s how I tried on all the prepared clothes.
It was well over 20 dresses, but I wasn’t very tired because it wasn’t uncomfortable to put on and off.
I changed back into my original clothes and took in front of Duchess Donovan. The Duchess, who was looking down at me expressionless, called the employee.
“We’ll take these.”
“Yes, Your Excellency. What dress did you fancy?”
The Duchess took turns looking at the dresses and me.