Chapter 35. I Want More!
The surrounding area became so quiet that you could hear a crumb drop. The wide eyes of the aristocrats turned to me all at once.
Even at a glance, they looked perplexed.
‘Yes. This is exactly what I wanted!’
Everyone must have been sick and tired of my att.i.tude. I raised my head to look more annoying.
“Give mwore! Twoo whittle!” (Give more! Too little!)
I shouted vigorously and hit the arms of the throne.
Slam! Then the people’s eyes widened.
“Your Majesty…”
It was Marquis Gardenia who broke the silence.
I remembered what the Marquis gave me as a gift. It was the ownership of a building with a large store located in the center of the capital.
‘It’s an excessive gift.’
Even though I was given such a gift, I thought he would be angry if I said it’s too small and asked for more.
“Was the gift I gave Your Majesty too little…?”
“Ung. Ith bery small.” (Ung. It’s very little.)
Of course, none of them weren’t enough. When Marquis Gardenia didn’t look so good, my heart sank, but I held it in.
‘This process is inevitable for my big future.’
Marquis Gardenia sighed deeply.
“Ha… I see.”
“Yeth.” (Yes.)
Then the Marquis clenched his fist.
‘Wait, are you going to punch me?’
I suddenly felt anxious, but I didn’t think much of it. But…
“As I thought! It’s too small for Your Majesty to have only one building!”
“…ung?”
“I should have given you the whole district, it’s my fault. I was going to, but the aide misinterpreted it and made a mistake. I ran out of time to transfer the name…!”
“Euung?”
“Haa. As I thought, that’s not enough either. In that case, I will give Your Majesty the upper part of Gardenia!”
‘W-wait, Grandpa!’
Marquis Gardenia’s eyes were not normal.
If I don’t stop him now, who knows what he’ll give me. I struck the throne hard again with an angry look.
“Nwo. I dwon’t need it! (No. I don’t need it!)
“Your Majesty-!”
Thud!
Marquis Gardenia suddenly started sobbing and kneeling. I was surprised that I became a child who made her grandpa kneel.
‘No, this grandpa is trying to make me into a troublemaker!’
“Gwet up!” (Get up!)
“I’ve prepared a gift that’s lacking and I’ve put Your Majesty in trouble! Sob…!”
‘Ahk!’
What should I do with this grandfather? I suddenly got a headache and wrapped my hands around my head.
I didn’t expect this development at all. I felt like hitting my past self.
“I-ith nwot lwacking. I like it! Ahh, I like!” (I-it’s not lacking. I like it! Ahh, I like it!)
“Sob, how is our Majesty’s heart so beautiful? I can’t believe you covered for your ugly grandfather’s mistake…”
“Gwandpa, pwease gwet up…” (Grandpa, please get up…)
“This ugly grandfather is shameful, sob.”
I asked desperately, but Marquis Gardenia never removed the stigma of me becoming a child who made her grandpa kneel.
Only Marquis Gardenia was making me fl.u.s.tered. The rest of the aristocrats stood frozen in the hall.
I waited for Marquis Gardenia to regain his reason. Then I believed that I would be able to settle the situation.
I did, but…
Suddenly, a ma.s.s of aristocrats started to kneel and bow next to Marquis Gardenia.
“I apologize for giving you a humble gift!”
“I’m sorry!”
“…”
Never mind settling, the situation was deteriorating smoothly.
The aristocrats, of course, asked me for forgiveness, confessing the inadequacy of the gifts they had prepared.
“We will also grant you a patent for the technology to cut jewels that has been pa.s.sed down for generations…!”
“I will also give you all the seedlings of the fantastic trees imported from the Kingdom of Ioleka!”
They were rushing to offer additional gifts. I sat absentmindedly in front of the scene that was beyond control.
“Whatever it is! Her Majesty is asking for more gifts!”
“Take everything out!”
How should I put this?
‘…organizational boss?’
I felt as if I had become the boss of the underworld who was collecting unpaid bills.
The atmosphere of the solemn birthday party disappeared long ago.
I looked at the hall that had become almost like a market floor and turned my head slightly. It was because I was 10% sure that the stand-in-Emperor would resolve the situation.
“Why are you looking at me like that, Mabel?”
“Hwow?”
“Ahh. My present?”
Why are we suddenly talking about presents?
The stand-in-Emperor’s beautiful smile fl.u.s.tered me while he handed me-.
[Orphe Kingdom surrenders.]
…a doc.u.ment of surrender.
“Since I gave you this country last year, it’s the neighboring country this year.”
“…keub.”
“Hm, as I thought, it’s lacking.”
My face staring at the stand-in-Emperor with the surrendering doc.u.ment was probably more serious.
Marquis Gardenia, still sobbing with the other subjects, grabbed the back of his neck and looked at the stand-in-Emperor with the meaning of ‘which country should I hit?’ in his eyes.
‘I surrender, I surrender.’
***
When the banquet was over, I returned to my bedroom, exhausted and was helplessly embraced by Xavier.
After lying on the bed, that’s when I felt like I was going to live.
Oscar was following me, smiling like a horse and stroked my head.
“Mabel. Happy birthday.”
“Thw.a.n.k you.” (Thank you.)
“And now my birthday present-.”
“Euang!”
When I heard the word ‘birthday present,’ I screamed and hid myself under the blanket.
‘I’m so scared of birthday presents. I think I’ve got a trauma…!’
Just listening to it made my hands and feet cold and made my heart thump.
Of course it did, I’ve only had two birthdays, but every time I got ridiculous birthday presents.
On my first birthday, I got a country.
On my second birthday, I got another country.
“…”
No matter how much I thought about it, the gifts were too extravagant and serious.
On top of that, the gifts the n.o.bles suddenly said they would add while crying made me dizzy.
‘In the end, only a few gifts were blocked…’
No matter how much you wanted power, wasn’t this too much flattery?
I got gooseb.u.mps when I recalled the n.o.bles who looked at me with eyes of madmen, who were competing to give me the best gift.
As I was wriggling under the covers, I suddenly realized that it was quiet outside.
‘Did Oscar leave?’
I pulled the blanket down to my neck and poked out my head. I met eyes with Oscar immediately, who had his chin supported in both of his hands.
“Mabel, I found you.”
‘Wow…’
I was amazed for a moment. Oscar’s face with a flower cup was so pretty and handsome. How did he look like this? I realized that his genes were amazing.
“What’s wrong, Mabel?”
“Eung.”
“You’re not going to accept my gift?”
At the moment when I heard the word ‘gift,’ my heart thunderd nervously, but I endured it with difficulty. I didn’t want to disappoint Oscar.
“Wat ith it?” (What is it?)
“Can you give me your hand?”
I stretched out my hand. My arms, which had no wrists yet, were chubby. Oscar took a small box out and wriggled something over my wrist.
“Done.”
“Wah.”
Oscar gave me a silver bracelet with a green jewel hanging. The shiny bracelet under the light was beautiful.
‘Looking at it, I think I’ve seen it a lot somewhere…ah!’
On my birthday last year, Oscar gave me a necklace with the same design.
“It’s a bracelet that changes size depending on its wearer. It’s cool, isn’t it?”
“Ung.”
It was much better than the gift of a country. When I was relieved and laughed, Oscar brought something out again.
I was startled.
‘A-another gift?’
Even the Oscar I believed in betrayed me! Oscar put the things down in front of me whether he noticed I was shaking or not.
It was a letter and a box.
“This is from Enrique.”
“Phew.”
I was glad it wasn’t an extra gift. But I was a little surprised Enrique sent me a present.
‘It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a boy, though, because of the off-limits order.’
I reached out to the letter first because I thought it would be polite to read before opening, but Oscar was faster.
“Mabel, you’re really. You don’t even know how to write yet, so how will you read?”
“Eung?”
“I’ll read it.”
“E-eung!”
I rubbed my chest secretly. I almost made the mistake of reading in front of Oscar.
“Then, I’ll read it now. Dear Emperor-.”
The contents of the letter were ordinary.
I miss you because I haven’t seen you for a long time and I wonder how you are doing. Congratulations on your second birthday. I can’t get into the Imperial Fortress, so I sent a gift with Oscar. I’ll be looking forward to seeing you again, was what was written.
“Now, open the gift now.”
“Ung.”
I wriggled the ribbon off of the box. Only after Oscar loosened the knot was I able to untie it completely.
When I opened the lid of the box, there was a pretty chocolate inside.
“Chwoco…!”
“He said it’s from a famous dessert shop in the capital city that’s hard to get or something like that.”
“I lwike chwoco.” (I like choco.)
I looked at the chocolate with a big smile. I got a peace of mind from receiving a present that’s like a present.
‘Yeah. This is what a gift is supposed to be like.’
Of course, I was excited because I couldn’t eat a lot of chocolate. But Oscar’s reaction was somewhat strange.
“Mabel…?”
“Ung?”
“Chocolate… you like it that much?”
“Uung?”
Nod nod. Oscar’s face grew darker as I nodded.
“I see… You like Enrique’s gift…”
“H-huh?”
“So you like Enrique’s gift better than mine?”
“N-nwo!” (N-no!)
“Then you like my gift more?”
This was like the question, ‘do you like your mom, or your dad?’
If I choose Oscar, I ignore Enrique’s sincerity in sending me a gift, and it was obvious that Oscar would be disappointed if I were to choose Enrique.
In the end, the answer I had to choose was obvious.
“I lwike both.” (I like both.)
“…I see.”
Oscar was visibly sullen.
Confused, I clasped Oscar’s hand.
“Twis ith a secwet, but I lwike Othcar’s pwesent a wittle mwore.” (This is a secret, but I like Oscar’s present a little more.)
“Really?”
Only then did Oscar smile broadly. I thought while smiling at him ‘Childcare is hard.’
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***
Esteban’s office was busy taking care of the Emperor’s affairs today.
Gustav’s face darkened as he was arranging Mabel’s gifts.
“Your Majesty. A gift for Her Majesty has arrived from Abelardo.”
“I see they won’t get out.”
Esteban, who rubbed his face as if he was annoyed, made an irked expression. Gustav smiled awkwardly.
“In any case, her Majesty is the subject of the oracle, so they will not give up so easily.”
“Tch.”
He managed to make Mabel Emperor, but it wasn’t completely safe.
For G.o.d’s sake, they, who live by G.o.d blindly, wanted Mabel called the seed of G.o.d. So he expected all kinds of tricks.
The gift from Abelardo was the sacred property of the Holy Empire. Although its use had not been revealed, the amount of inherent divine power was enormous.
“What a useless stone. Throw it away.”
Esteban’s a.s.sessment of the properties was relentless. Gustav shuddered.
“C-can we? It’s of nature.”
He agreed with the opinion that it’s useless, but he couldn’t rule out the symbolic meaning of the gift.
Esteban shook his hand irritably.
“Or send it back. Anyway, get rid of it.”
“Yes. Then I’ll do that.”
Gustav closed Abelardo’s gift box and put it in the corner.
“Aiden is not moving today, too.”
“What about those who try to get in contact with him?”
“None.”
“It can’t be like that forever.”
Devlin’s Devil, the bow who identifies himself as Aiden, resided in a separate palace.
Despite the tight surveillance, there hadn’t been any complaints.
‘Is what you said before really true?’
If he was near Mabel, the restraints would loosen.
Even if Mabel was the only way to restrain Veron’s magic, Esteban’s decision remained unchanged.
“Never let him meet Mabel.”
“I understand.”
***
That night, the mice made a surprise visit. I apologized in surprise from their sudden visit.
“Sowwy. I dwon’t have cheethe…” (Sorry. I don’t have cheese…)
Getting cheese from the kitchen was in a day or two, but now I couldn’t go often because I was conscious.
But the mice looked up at me as if they didn’t care about cheese.
[This. The male told me to give it to you, squeak.]
“Huh?”
[Spit, squeak.]
Another mouse next to me spit out something from his mouth. I was startled by its att.i.tude. It was quite nervous and very temperamental.
‘Scared mice…’
I picked up what the mouse spit out. A very small paper.
When I opened it, something was written.
[From dawn today to dawn tomorrow. Balcony.]
“Huh?”
It was clearly Aiden who the mice were talking about. Why are you writing to me? And what does this mean?
“Thith ith it?” (This is it?)
[Yeah. Squeak.]
“Reawwy?”
[Give cheese if you want more, squeak.]
“…”
I looked down at the note with a disturbed mind.
After monitoring, it was clear that he had no contact with Devlin. However, if he knew about the existence of the mice in advance, the story would change.
‘Because these easy mice might have been bought by bigger cheese and cheated me.’
What is your intention to write to me? Is he asking me to meet him? And secretly at that?
What should I do?
‘…How did he know I have a lot of mice behind me?!’