I Was Just Having Fun With The Time Limit – Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Empress Serna looked at the father and daughter with the warmest eyes.

She could tell.

‘He’s holding her so preciously.’

She could see how carefully Ron was holding Isabel.

As she watched them, she felt as if the world was overflowing with abundance.

Then, Serna noticed something.

“Your Majesty?”

Ron’s eyes were bloodshot.

Even Serna was quite surprised.

She had been with Ron for 20 years, but he had only shed tears twice.

‘He doesn’t even realize that his eyes are welling up with tears, does he?’

Ron was just staring at his daughter endlessly.

As if he was possessed by something.

Serna carefully stood next to Ron.

She lightly grasped his arm.

Since there were no onlookers, she called the Emperor by his name.

“Ron, I remember your tears.”

When they were alone. It was a time when they could be husband and wife, not Emperor and Empress.

“Once, when Aide Viaton, whom we thought was dead, came back alive. And another time, when I accepted your proposal.”

Those were the two times the Emperor of the Sword Empire shed tears.

“Now it’s the third time.”

Serna wiped the corners of Ron’s eyes with her fingers.

Ron finally came to his senses.

In fact, he hadn’t even realized he was crying.

He was just completely captivated by the little life smiling brightly in his arms.

It echoed in his ears.

‘Daddy’s food is a pwesent.’

At that moment, this child seemed like sunshine.

He didn’t know why, but tears welled up.

He suddenly felt embarrassed.

‘Oh dear.’

Of all people, his wife had caught him in that state.

He always wanted to appear strong in front of Serna.

“Something just got in my eye.”

Serna smiled.

Serna was one step ahead of Ron.

“I find you admirable today.”

Ron flinched.

The only thing that could truly please Ron was Serna’s praise.

“I think the heart that can cherish something precious is the strongest heart.”

“……”

Ron couldn’t bear to meet Serna’s eyes, so he subtly avoided her gaze.

Isabel observed the scene calmly.

‘Hmm, I’m a baby who knows when to butt in and when to butt out.’

Butt in when appropriate, butt out when necessary.

Now was the time to butt out.

‘I’ll just suck on my pacifier and watch.’

Thump! Thump! Thump!

She could feel Ron’s heart pounding throughout her body.

‘Is it going to explode?’

She was a little worried.

However, she had no intention of interfering with their love affair.

‘Well then, you two lovebirds have fun, and I’ll take a nap.’

Isabel fell asleep soundly in Ron’s arms.

Ron continued to hold Isabel for a long time afterward.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

At dawn that day.

Ron headed to his office.

The image of the sleeping child kept coming to mind.

‘This feels strange.’

Was it because she was a girl not born in Bilotian? Was it because she resembled Serna so much?

He was confused.

‘That child will not be able to learn Bilotian swordsmanship.’

For the first time in 500 years, a ‘weak Bilotian’ was born.

A weak Bilotian would be eliminated.

She would be devoured in the succession competition between siblings and naturally fall behind in wars with external forces.

Then what about Isabel?

‘Can a Bilotian who cannot learn swordsmanship be called a Bilotian? Can she be called my child? Can she be called a successor? Can she be called a member of the Imperial Family?’

And.

‘She will die at 21.’

A jolt.

He felt a slight pang in his chest.

‘What kind of irrational and useless stray thoughts are these?’

Fate was already set.

Ron considered it a waste to expend much effort on ‘what was already decided.’

‘My head is a mess.’

At times like this, wielding a sword was the best solution.

Not many could handle the Emperor’s sword.

“Your Majesty, where do you get off waking someone up like this?”

“Sparring.”

“At this hour? I worked late again today!”

“That’s what you used to do every day 20 years ago.”

20 years ago, it was true.

Viaton was an assassin known as the Sword Demon and always engaged in this kind of sparring to maintain his sharp combat sense.

“Assassin was my previous job, not Your Majesty’s! Your Majesty is the just and fair Bilotian’s…… Ouch!”

Ron swung his sword at the lying Viaton.

It was a real sword with a gleaming blade.

The bed was split in two.

“You talk too much.”

“What kind of assassin attacks so loudly!”

Ron swung his sword again.

“Argh! You devil!”

Viaton hurriedly got up and opened the window.

He jumped out of the 6th-floor room.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

Time passed very quickly.

The year changed.

‘Already three years old.’

That meant that two years of the 21 years I had left had passed by relentlessly.

It might seem short, but in percentage terms, almost 10% of my time had gone.

Still, I think it was quite fulfilling.

‘I have to make the most of the remaining time.’

As befitting someone with Bilotian blood, my growth was remarkably fast.

‘I think it’s about the equivalent of a five-year-old in Korea.’

I’m not sure because I don’t have experience raising children, but it felt like that.

My pronunciation was still imperfect, but I could communicate with adults almost without difficulty.

I could now walk and run.

I occasionally stumbled, but my body was so strong that I rarely got hurt.

After finishing breakfast, my mother said.

“Sir Viaton will be visiting from today. He’s your first teacher, so don’t be disrespectful.”

I was told that I would start my education as a princess, or something like that.

“Sir Viaton? The Aide Ajusshi?”

“He’s not an aide anymore.”

I couldn’t quite understand how that happened.

Originally, the teacher who taught the Bilotian princes was Sir Moliab.

He was a scholar from the Serjo family, considered one of the best literary families.

And he had a 20-year exclusive contract with the Bilotian Imperial Family.

If things had gone as planned, Sir Moliab should have been my teacher as well.

“But, Mother.”

“Yes?”

“Why is it Sir Viaton for me?”

“Well, why don’t you ask Sir Viaton directly?”

“Okay.”

I really liked Sir Viaton.

He was a textbook example of an adult who knew how to handle children.

I always enjoyed spending time with him.

Moreover, he was a swordsman from a mage family, so he could use some magic. I especially liked his ‘flight magic.’

Knock, knock━━━

There was a knock.

It was Sir Viaton.

“I am Viaton, in charge of Her Highness’s education from today.”

“Sir Viaton!”

I held my skirt and curtsied.

Viaton showed his usual bright smile, and I burst into laughter.

Three years old was the age where you could burst into laughter just by seeing handsome features.

Mother also smiled at Viaton.

“Sir Viaton. Please take good care of the Princess.”

After my mother went out, I asked.

“Why is Sir Viaton my teacher?”

“Does Her Highness not like that?”

“But originally, Sir Moliab was supposed to be my teacher.”

“Aha, I see! Her Highness only likes Sir Moliab!”

Sir Viaton put on a heartbroken expression and covered his face with his hands.

He pretended to cry, and his acting was so sincere that it almost broke my heart.

“Don’t cwy.”

“I won’t cry if Her Highness pats me.”

“Stop!”

I patted Sir Viaton’s shoulder. Then Sir Viaton replied.

“Stop. I won’t cry anymore. My tears have stopped because Her Highness patted me.”

“Good. You did well. Don’t cwy.”

“Why? Do you feel bad when I cry?”

“I feel bad if you cwy for weal.”

In other words, I didn’t feel that bad since he was just pretending to cry now.

“Hahaha. Her Highness is truly intelligent. It’s not easy to see through my skilled acting.”

I put my hands on my hips.

I stood firmly with my body, which had now learned to maintain balance.

“Bad habit!”

“Pardon?”

“You used difficult words from the beginning, Sir Viaton is bad.”

“Th, that’s……”

“If you do that again, I’ll call you a bad beetle.”

“Be, beetle? Th, that’s too harsh, you know.”

It was a bit vague to call it a test, but anyway, Viaton had deliberately used words like ‘intelligent,’ ‘skilled,’ and ‘see through.’

He was subtly testing to see if I could understand such words.

I smiled brightly.

“Sir Viaton. I won’t live long and I’ll die. So don’t test me. I don’t like that.”

“……”

“I’ll take a writing test. I’ll get a hundred. Let’s get along.”

Sir Viaton looked as if he had been hit on the head.

“Your Highness. Do you understand death?”

His voice lowered slightly.

Sir Viaton turned to the nanny.

“Which careless fool……”

Sir Viaton’s aura was ominous.

I suddenly remembered Sir Viaton’s past epithet.

A ghost obsessed with the sword. Sword Demon.

“Did someone dare to mention the Mark of Narvidal to Her Highness?”

For some reason, a chilling coldness washed over me.

The nanny’s face turned pale.

It seemed he had pinned the blame on the nanny.