Chapter 5

The long-awaited day has finally arrived.

I practiced whenever I had time for this day.

“Mommy, look!”

I was lying on my stomach on the cradle, my chest and belly pressed against it.

Now was the time to show off what I’ve been working on.

‘Put strength into your arms!’

My upper body gradually rose.

Mother’s and Ruruka’s eyes widened.

“Ma, Mama! The, the Princess is……!”

“It looks like she’s doing push-ups.”

I lifted my upper body using only my arm strength.

My display of physical prowess didn’t end there.

I lifted my left arm in that position.

I supported my entire 6kg weight with only my right arm.

‘Wow, I couldn’t even do this when I was twenty, but I’m doing it at two years old.’

The ten-year-old princes can even split rocks with swords.

Considering that, it wasn’t that surprising.

Soon,

Thud! I collapsed.

Ouch!

My nose hit the cradle first, and it hurt, but I didn’t scream, maintaining my last shred of dignity.

“Mama! I think the Princess just did a one-arm push-up.”

To be honest, it wasn’t a push-up, just holding the position.

But it seemed quite exaggerated in the nanny’s eyes.

“Even though she inherited the blood of the Bilotian Imperial Family, how can she be like this? As expected, the Princess is a genius.”

Ruruka seemed to be sincere.

“It was like a performance art by a great artist. Seeing that she has a deep appreciation for art, she really takes after Mama.”

Pe, performance art?

Those were absurd compliments.

Performance art, you say……

‘……Not bad.’

Strangely, I liked the compliment so much that I became happy.

‘It can’t be helped, it’s a baby’s body.’

A baby’s body was very vulnerable to compliments from its mother or nanny.

I was actually in a good mood.

However, there was one humiliating thing.

‘I wish my b*tt would just stay still.’

Wiggle, wiggle.

My b*tt moved again.

Whenever I felt proud or extremely happy, this body would do the wiggle dance.

Even if I wanted to hide my emotions, my b*tt kept giving me away.

‘Well, I’m still a baby.’

I decided to ignore the minor humiliation of my b*tt doing the wiggle dance.

It was just a matter of enduring a little embarrassment.

‘I might as well get some more compliments.’

I wanted to hear compliments from my mother, which I never heard in my past life.

‘Alright.’

Confidence welled up inside me.

My attention-seeking side exploded.

“One more time!”

Mother and the nanny focused on me.

As always, this attention was thrilling.

“This time with this arm.”

This time, I supported myself with my left arm.

Then, I collapsed again.

Mother and the nanny clapped and enjoyed themselves.

Their faces and smiles were so lovely.

Thanks to them, I became happy too.

But at that moment, the door opened and a voice was heard.

“Serna. What are you so happy about?”

Suddenly, the air in the room froze.

It was a voice filled with tension.

‘Father?’

It was the first time I heard Father’s voice since the Selection Ceremony.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

Father’s voice was cold.

Like a sharp north wind.

It was a voice with a magic that could freeze its surroundings.

Mother replied.

“Your Majesty, you should knock.”

“……”

Father followed Mother’s instructions and went out of the room.

Then, a knocking sound was heard.

Knock, knock.

Then, Mother asked in a warm voice.

“Is that my love, His Majesty the Emperor?”

“……I knocked this time.”

Mother left me with the nanny and went to open the door herself.

“Thank you. I love you.”

Father’s face was stiff.

I know. That’s him being shy.

Father has never loved his children, but the setting is that he loves Mother very much.

I don’t quite understand how it’s so clearly divided, but anyway, that’s how it is.

Mother continued.

“Your Majesty, your voice was very harsh. Why was that?”

“Empress. It’s not that……”

Ruruka laid me down in the crib. Then, she tactfully left, saying she would go get some tea.

“If Your Majesty speaks like that, I’m very upset and heartbroken.”

“……”

Although he was the strongest in the world in swordsmanship, Father was always at a loss with Mother.

Father rarely made mistakes with Mother, but the only time he did was probably when I was born.

He acted coldly, saying that after all the trouble Mother went through to give birth, it was a useless child that was born.

Although it wasn’t directly described in the novel, Father probably spent the whole night comforting Mother that day.

‘Well, it’s a curse for a girl to be born in the Bilotian Imperial Family.’

Mother went through so much trouble, and the result was a problem child like me. He must have really hated the sight of me.

……Thinking about it, even though I was in a good mood then, it was a very hurtful thing to say, wasn’t it?

‘But I’ll think of it positively!’

Even Mother said she was sorry for giving birth to me, so it was a situation where extenuating circumstances could be considered.

Anyway, Father seemed very flustered.

He had a straight face, but his Adam’s apple just moved significantly.

“……I’m sorry.”

“Then, please tell me why you spoke so harshly. If I’ve done something wrong, I’ll try to fix it.”

Just listening to her, it sounded like Mother was in a subordinate position, but it was Father who was sweating bullets.

Suck, suck.

I sucked on my pacifier.

The sunlight was warm and the breeze was pleasant.

It was perfect pacifier-sucking weather.

‘Well, if I were to guess, he was looking for his beloved Mother because he missed her, and…… he heard her voice sounding like she was having a lot of fun by herself, so he got jealous and came in…… something like that?’

I looked at Mother and Father and felt satisfied.

‘Ah, good times.’

Father is one of the strongest in the world, rivaling the male lead.

Mother was Father’s almost only weakness.

The decisive reason why Father would be defeated by the male lead in the future was also because of Mother.

‘Mother’s body and mind are both worn out from taking care of me. In the end, she becomes ill and dies prematurely……’

After Mother’s death, Father stopped eating and drinking.

「The world without the Empress is truly empty.」

Ron, who had dedicated his entire life to the revival and prosperity of the Empire, lamented and wept like that.

「Ron merely survived each day as if he had lost his tomorrow.」

And as he gradually lost his strength, he was defeated by the male lead, and the Empire fell.

The fact that he was a sweet guy who was outwardly blunt and harsh but actually only cared about Mother made my heart feel warm and fuzzy.

‘I want to see Father’s face one more time.’

I couldn’t see Father’s face because I was lying down.

It couldn’t be helped.

I got up.

Why is this diaper so heavy today?

Father’s gaze fell upon me.

I tried giving him a strong look.

“Daddy.”

I pointed at Father with my finger.

I stood up with a grunt. My legs wobbled, and I lost my balance.

“Daddy!”

“What is this child doing?”

“She’s calling you.”

I barely managed to stand with my trembling legs.

Obsidian-like black eyes were staring at me.

I felt like I was going to be sucked into those eyes.

I instinctively blurted out.

“I love you.”

I don’t know why I said that.

Just. Just because.

“……”

Thump, thump.

Father approached me.

His face looked slightly angry.

“Say that again.”

My voice naturally became quieter.

“Love…… you.”

An awkward silence followed.

At that moment, I was a little scared.

I thought I might get scolded for saying something unnecessary.

Even though we were father and daughter, we didn’t have a very close emotional connection.

‘Did I go too far?’

I asked cautiously.

“Daddy…… are you mad?”

His expression was clearly angry.

Mother chimed in from the side.

“He’s not angry.”

Mother’s words put my mind at ease. Her words were like magic.

“Your father is more shy than he looks.”

“Empress.”

“You can be honest in front of your daughter. You don’t have to be the Iron Blood even in front of your family.”

“……”

“The people may want the Iron Blood Emperor, but the family wants a kind husband and father. I love the kind you.”

Mother smiled gently and said to me.

“Isabel. What does Isabel say to Mother every day?”

“Love you?”

“Not that.”

“Hug me?”

“Yes. Try that with Father.”

Father took two steps back, as if this situation was very unfamiliar to him.

He looked like he had encountered something frightening.

I looked back and forth between Mother and Father.

Mother smiled and said, ‘Go on,’ as if urging me.

I gathered my courage and extended my hands.

“Daddy.”

The beginning was difficult, that’s all.

Now that I had mustered up my courage, I started to get greedy.

“Can you hug me?”

Father’s face was colored with embarrassment.

“Isabel, do you want Daddy to hug you?”

“Yes!”

“Why?”

“Because……”

I hesitated for a moment, then made up my mind.

A baby’s self-control was too weak to hide its instinctive desires.

I only had 21 years anyway.

I decided to just follow my heart.

“Because I love you.”

“……”

“I would like it if you hugged me.”

Father said.

“You’re quite bothersome. Do you think acting spoiled suits the Princess of Bilotian?”

I was still standing unsteadily with my arms outstretched.

And I had a feeling.

Ah, I’m going to fall on my b*tt again.

But my super shock-absorbing diaper will protect my precious b*tt…… Huh?

I didn’t fall?

My body floated in the air.

“Yay! I’m being hugged.”

Just before I fell, Father had hugged me.

It wasn’t a half-hearted hug like at the Selection Ceremony.

“I’m being hugged!”

He really hugged me.

I could feel his warmth.

I felt like I was being protected under the shade of my family.

Father’s gaze met mine.

The original me didn’t even know Father’s face.

That b*stard in Korea abandoned me without even looking at my face.

But now it was different.

All of this felt like a gift.

“Daddy is a gift.”

Strangely, I felt like crying.

But what was even stranger was what happened next.