Daughter of the Emperor

Volume 1

Chapter 4

Maniac. I have no words. What in the world is this guy? He freaks me out. Of all things, he’s telling me to cry? This is so ridiculous. I’m speechless.

“Wah-waah.”

Pathetic man. There. Are you happy?

In this particular moment, I was actually grateful that I couldn’t speak the human language yet. If I weren’t babbling in some alien language and he actually understood what I was saying, I would already be long gone.

So why haven’t you left yet?

I was getting so worked up that I sucked harder on my binky. He looked down at me with intrigue. I can’t believe this dude is my father. There were things that I was having a harder time accepting as the days went by.

My life is ruined.

Anyway, so that was how I found out the second fact: this guy didn’t work at all! How else would an emperor have so much time? Do you not have any interest in ruling all the people who live in this vast land?

“Your Majesty.”

My eyes widened. I’d had no idea there was another person in here. I had heard no sound indicating so. Caitel wiped the smile off his face when he saw the change in my expression. It was what his face looked like on a regular basis, but his face looked drier and more withered as he looked up. All he did was turn his head to look, but the knight flinched at the gaze that landed on him.

I started to feel a little strange as I watched the knight with curious eyes while rocking in the cradle. So that look is enough to intimidate a knight? And he was giving that look to a baby that was barely just born? Ugh, what a fool.

“The captives from Izarta have arrived.”

“Have Perdel take care of it.”

Caitel was turning away from the knight, uninterested, when suddenly, he stopped.

“Ah, never mind.”

Then he smiled as if he had just thought of a great idea. Actually, it was more of a mocking smile, judging by the wicked way the ends of his lips curled upwards. Thanks to his beauty, it quickly became a creepy yet alluring smile.

“Throw them into the prison camps for now. I’ll get rid of them myself.”

“And Izarta’s king…” the knight continued, but Caitel seemed to have no further interest. Caitel looked at me again. I didn’t know what he was thinking about, but he reached out his hand toward me with that same smile still on his face.

Hey, hey, hey! You’re creepy. Go away.

“Set a date to have him executed.”

His voice was colder than ever. So cold that it gave me goosebumps. And yet, the touch of his hand on my cheek was incredibly affectionate. I quietly swallowed my fear as I watched him caress me with such sweetness and cruelty.

Caitel smiled. He had noticed. His eyes, curved like the crescent moon, were pointed toward me.

“I pity you for being born without knowing what your father is capable of.”

All right then. So you’re self-aware.

“Not that it would make a difference.”

Oh, sure, you pity me all right. You pity me and yet you say such things.

Infuriated, I frowned internally as he stroked my head. Stop touching me, I’m not your toy!

“I’m reminded of the woman who went to great lengths to have you.”

Oh, are you now? So you are a human being after all.

I looked up at Caitel. He smiled for a moment, then straightened his face. He looked at me with that emotionless, somehow even dejected face that he showed me every now and then. Was it because I was a baby?

“Cry.”

Oh, fuck me.

I’m not one to curse, but this guy really grinds my gears!!

“I heard babies are supposed to cry all the time.”

True, that would be normal. I nodded in agreement. Of course, he wouldn’t have recognized it as such, only that I was having fun. Waaah. Why am I a damn baby for Pete’s sake?!

I turned my head, unable to bear the sorrow, when I heard him say something in a very serious tone.

“Is she underdeveloped?”

Excuse me?! What a jackass!

***

“The weather’s so nice, isn’t it?”

Three months had already passed since I was born. A month and a half had gone by in a flash… Not. I remembered everything vividly, despite the fact that they were things I didn’t really want to remember.

Disappear! Be gone!

A soft voice spoke to me. “It’s always like this around this time of the year. Clear and sunny. But once autumn approaches and the crimson leaves fall, it will become cold again.” Serira talked to me a lot lately.

Supposedly, babies became sensitive to sound at this time. Of course, the crazed emperor talked to me a lot too, but that was more of him spewing idiotic nonsense to himself than talking to me.

Agh, thinking of the things I had to put up with for the past month and a half is getting me all worked up! Bastard. So many times I’d so desperately wanted to yell at him to go get educated on early childhood.

“Is something bothering you, Your Highness?” a kind voice asked. I looked up at Serira with narrowed eyes.

I had learned that Serira was not your ordinary nanny. Wait. Correction: she was an ordinary nanny, but she herself was not ordinary. Her official title was Countess Paistrille. That’s right. My nanny was a countess. I was shocked when I first learned of her status.

“What’s that look, Princess? So many interesting things outside, hmm?”

No. You’re interesting.

I was fascinated by the twenty-three-year-old countess. So, how do I put this… She wanted to protect her territory and title after the late count died in battle, so she entered the palace.

Actually, it was the emperor who proposed that she be a nanny, which was pretty unexpected. As such, she had to leave her own child in the care of her parents, but still, it seemed she was pretty content being my nanny.

“Our little princess is such a calm little lamb.”

A pitiful smile appeared on her face. Like I said before, I couldn’t help but always feel sorry for Serira, no matter what she did. I had wondered why, but now that I knew her backstory, my heart went out to her even more. Makes me want to cry.

“Waauu.”

“That’s right.”

“Oooah.”

I wanted to try calling her “Mother,” but my tongue wasn’t strong enough, so I wasn’t even close. It was easy to brush off the sounds that came out of my mouth as meaningless baby talk, but Serira sat down, met my gaze, and listened to me intently.

She’s so kind. So kind that I feel bad depending on her.

“Oh no, did something get in your eye, Princess?”

My eyes teared up. Seeing Serira suddenly reminded me of myself in my past life, despite the fact that there was no connection between the two whatsoever. My face turned glum.

How shocked my parents must have been.

It wasn’t even an accident. It was murder. And a random murder at that. I remembered the pain of being stabbed repeatedly with a knife. It hurt like hell, but it hurt more to think that I didn’t get to properly say goodbye to my mother and father.

Even if I were to concede a hundred times that it is my fate to live and die up until that moment, at the very least you should let me say my goodbyes, you wretched gods!

“It’s all right, Princess. Don’t cry!”

Serira eventually picked me up in her arms. I had gotten much bigger than I’d been two months ago. I had more hair and I was able to stay awake longer. I could also lift my head when Nanny laid me down on my stomach, and although it was still really hard, I could flip over.

Ah, it isn’t much. It’s pretty sad that that’s all I have to offer, but oh well. I won’t cry about it! I’m just a baby after all!

“Elene will be bringing your milk soon. Then we’ll go over to that bench so you can have your meal. Doesn’t that sound nice, Princess?”

Serira seemed quite excited about our first walk. And it really did feel good getting fresh outside air for the first time. I’d had the chance to step out briefly once or twice, but it was only to the terrace. This was the first time I had come out in a stroller to properly get some air.

Other, normal babies would have gone out to the hospital for vaccinations, visiting relatives, or when their mom would absolutely have to leave the house for whatever reason, but the environment I was growing up in was quite different.

I had doctors on standby at the palace twenty-four hours a day, and since I had no living relatives, there was no one to visit. And since Serira was personally responsible for me and me only, there was no reason for her to have something urgent to tend to, and even if she had to step out for whatever reason, there were always people on standby who would be able to watch me until her return.

This really is a tightly run ship. I refuse to believe you could be any more overprotective than this.

“Oh, looks like you really are happy about that, aren’t you, Princess?”

I smiled brightly when I met Serira’s gaze. I squealed and she beamed back at me. It suited her more when she smiled than when she looked to be full of sorrow.

She’s twenty-three now. If imperial law doesn’t prohibit remarriage, I think it would be worth it for her to try…

I thought to myself that one day, when I was older and Serira was able to listen and respect my words, I would suggest that she try. And with that thought, I closed my eyes.

“Lady Serira!!!”

Ah, Elene.

I know it’s her just by her voice. Genius.

I opened my eyes with a sigh. As Serira turned around, I caught the sight of Elene rambunctiously running over.

Ugh, would you look at that? She’s going to trip.

As I clicked my tongue and sucked on my binky, Elene made it almost all the way to us before she actually fell over. Oops. I wasn’t trying to curse her.

“Gaaah.”

But the problem was that she didn’t just trip on her own. Elene fell and bumped into someone else.

“Princess Faylene!”

I sensed something in my gut the moment I heard the sharp voice from behind us. The frail, slender woman who had just collided with Elene and fallen to the floor was the princess of an empire who had been forcibly offered to Caitel.

“What on earth?!”

And she was about to be very, very annoyed. I can’t put my hand on my forehead, but I would really love to put my hand on my forehead right now. A sigh escaped my lips.

Caitel had a number of wicked hobbies, but one of them was taking the princesses of the kingdoms he had seized and forced them into his harem so he could play with them as he pleased.

But strangely, it was hard to label it entirely as rape, for it wasn’t that he was using them as his sex toys or sexually abusing them.

“Are you all right, Princess?! Are you hurt?”

The name “Faylene” had to be her Agrigentian name. Surely she had her own original name.

I continued to suck on my binky. My binky, my pretty little binky. My binky was a pretty pink, the color of a nipple. It was nice and soft that it really felt like I was sucking on a mother’s breast.

“You wretched girl! How dare you? Do you know who this is?!”

The maids were going crazy. Serira sighed.

Yes, I know. I know exactly how you feel.

This incident was indeed sigh-worthy. Elene had picked herself up off the ground and was standing there helplessly.

Is that princess’s body made of shortbread or something? Why is she still on the ground? They hadn’t bumped into one another that hard, so naturally, I was curious.

But only for a moment. She lifted her head. And when she did I saw that she was quite… No, incredibly beautiful.

Her disheveled blue hair swayed in the wind. She grabbed the skirt of her blue dress, which matched her hair, and stood up with the help of her maids.

That she was still being addressed as “Princess” all the way in Agrigent must have meant that she was the princess of an empire at the least. A direct descendant had to have been sent to avoid being killed by Caitel. Either that or they would have sent any and all princesses that existed throughout the empire.

Regardless of where she was from, there was a mature air about her and her beauty looked to be blossoming into its prime.

She’s so pretty. Like a Hollywood star.

“What is your name, girl?”

The princess’s voice was sharp. She sounded fairly irked.

But Elene just stood there with her head hung low, unable to answer and on the verge of tears.

Hurry and answer the princess, you dummy! If you stand there like that it’ll only make her want to yell at you more!

I instinctively furrowed my brow in frustration. If I were the only one here, I would have just ignored her, but unfortunately, I was a baby and the one holding me was Serira, my nanny. Serira arrived at the scene in no time with her light footsteps.

“My apologies, Princess Faylene.”

Serira greeted the princess with impeccable manners, then lifted her head back up. Despite the inconvenience of having to carry me, her gestures and movements were perfectly polite.

Or, did that jerk of an emperor purposely make her my nanny so I could learn etiquette? N-no way…

“She is a lady-in-waiting under my watch. Please forgive her clumsiness.”

Thanks to the intervention of a third party, the princess’s temper momentarily relaxed. If not, it almost felt like she would have hit her. Elene let out a visible exhale.

Was she that scared?

For a maid who had to see the emperor every day, she was quite timid. What if she gets in trouble with my father one day? My father is not just any father after all.

“And you are?”

Princess Faylene looked Serira up and down condescendingly. Meanwhile, I was the one offended by the blatant gaze.

Who do you think you are to look at my nanny like that?

It seemed to be the same with all people of high rank. When their arrogant eyes swept over my body, I wanted to die. It felt like I was not a human being with rationale, intellect, and human rights, but a commodity to be priced and sold by others. It was no different in my previous life.

“Serira Ivillast. I am Countess Paistrille, who holds land south of Agrigent. I have entered the palace by order of His Imperial Majesty and am currently at the service of Princess Ariadna.”

“Ariadna?”