33. A Promise with the Princess (1)
33. A Promise with the Princess (1)
[Chapter 33] - Promise with the Princess (1)
At the ridiculous news that the Princess had secluded herself, I immediately ran to the main palace. What on earth happened to the Princess that there's talk of her locking herself in her room?
"Who on earth did she learn such bad habits from...!"
A suspect who was already dead popped into my head, but since I couldn't exactly scold a dead person, I shook my head to shake off that face.
Arriving at the Princess's room at full speed, I found the maids and Vin Chaud already there, looking exhausted, trying to coax the Princess from outside the firmly closed door.
Because I had run until I was out of breath, my side was cramping. As I held my side and took deep breaths, huk-huk, Vin Chaud approached me and began to explain this chaotic situation.
"Your Majesty... The Princess says she is going to seclude herself."
"Huk, heu, what on earth, why."
"That is..."
Vin Chaud wiped his face with his palm as if truly exhausted, then looked at the maids kneeling on the floor. Seeing the maids sniffling with their hands raised above their heads, I could roughly guess the situation.
"...Did the Princess hear what the maids were saying about me?"
"Yes, the Princess happened to overhear them talking about how it was a pity that Your Majesty was leaving the royal palace. How shall you deal with the maids?"
Deal with them how...?
To begin with, I already knew the maids had loose lips.
There are even people who say that a true noble is someone who knows how to collect and use rumors through maids with loose lips.
And it wasn't like the maids were badmouthing me; I had no intention of scolding them for saying it was a pity I was leaving the palace. If anything, doesn't that mean 'Vivian's' reputation within the royal palace is gradually improving?
"It would be best to be a little more careful with your words from now on. You may lower your hands and return to your rooms. I won't punish you."
"Th-thank you...!"
Leaving the two maids who scurried back to their rooms like arrows, I took a deep breath and approached the Princess's room. The maids were already gathered there, busy trying to coax the Princess.
One of the maids had piled up a mountain of egg tarts and cakes in front of the firmly closed door, waiting for the Princess to come out. Those are definitely the snacks the Princess likes, but...
"...Haa, everyone, return to your rooms. I will handle the Princess."
Once I dispersed the maids, who were gathered like a chaotic marketplace, the area in front of the Princess's room finally became quiet. I picked up the plate of egg tarts on the tray and knocked on the door, ttok-ttok.
"Princess, let's talk for a moment."
"......"
When no reply came, I was reminded of the nightmarish memory of talking like a madwoman in front of the room where the King had secluded himself. For a moment, I wondered if seclusion was a family trait, but...
Having already learned a lot from the King who stayed in his room, I calmly placed the egg tarts in front of the door and whispered to the Princess in a soft voice.
"Won't you at least eat the egg tarts I brought? They'll surely taste bad if they get cold... I'll leave them in front of the door for now, so please take them later."
How much time had passed since I placed the plate on the floor?
One minute? Two minutes?
The firmly closed door began to open slightly. Through the small crack in the door, a single red eye blinked and spotted the delicious-looking egg tarts placed in front of the door.
The Princess, having discovered the sweet-looking egg tarts in front of the door, must have intended to quickly reach out and bring the snacks inside, but—
I didn't miss that moment and immediately shoved my foot into the crack of the door.
Tuk!
My speed in sticking my foot into the door crack was faster than the Princess's speed in closing the door. The Princess, unable to close the door because of my foot that had entered in an instant, looked up at me through the slightly open crack.
I made eye contact with the Princess, who lifted her head with a mechanical creak. Unable to close the door, the Princess turned pale and didn't know what to do.
She tried to push my foot out while struggling to close the door somehow, and tried to shut it, but no matter how strong a six-year-old girl is, she couldn't beat an adult.
Realizing that nothing would work, the Princess looked up at me, on the verge of tears, as if asking me to quickly remove my foot. But there's no way I'd let her close the door just like that, right?
"Gotcha, you little rascal!"
"Hiek!"
When I yanked the door open, the Princess, who had been gripping it tightly, fell cheol-peo-deok onto the floor and was dragged out of the room.
I didn't miss that moment and tried to quickly lift the Princess who had fallen to the floor, but she quickly curled her body into a ball to avoid my hand, scrambled up, and jumped into her bed.
Then she covered herself with the blanket up to the top of her head and hid completely.
"Tsk...!"
The agility of a child...!
Vin Chaud, who had been watching the Princess and me from behind, clapped his hands in admiration.
"You have become seasoned, Your Majesty."
"Save the compliments and you go on in. I'll handle the Princess."
"Hehe, then I leave the Princess in your care."
Leaving Vin Chaud, who was heading to his office, behind, I sighed, entered the Princess's room, and locked the door so no one could enter for now. It was because I didn't want to break the flow in the middle of our conversation for no reason.
As I approached the Princess, who had rolled herself up like a caterpillar and made that her secret base, she crawled kkum-teul-kkum-teul on the bed, trying to avoid me.
"Princess..."
I sat gently on the Princess's bed and stroked the Princess, who had curled her body like a caterpillar. Then, as if she had started crying, I began to hear sniffling sounds from inside the blanket as she squirmed.
...It's not that I don't understand the Princess's heart, closing the door after hearing the news that I was leaving. Even her real parents, whom she wanted to be loved by, had died, and the news that even I, the one she was closest to, was leaving—
...must have left a bitter and painful shock to the Princess.
I dragged the Princess, who was rolled up in the blanket, and lifted her onto my lap. It looked like I was holding a swaddled baby, but I gently found the exit of the blanket and dug out the Princess's face from inside.
After digging through the blanket a bit, the Princess's hair, messed up by the blanket, popped out. Her face was a mess with tear tracks, and her clothes were all wrinkled because she had gotten into the blanket without taking them off.
With only her body rolled up in the blanket and only her face peeking out, the Princess in my arms looked exactly like a swaddled baby. Does she not even want to make eye contact with me?
She turned her head away and avoided my gaze.
And what was even more shocking—
"Liar."
"L-liar?"
"They said the person who lies about snacks is the worst person in the world. I don't believe Your Majesty anymore. Because you're a liar and a bad person."
"Th-that is..."
At the sight of the Princess, shedding tears and calling me a liar, I felt a sudden pang of guilt piercing my heart. Just as I thought I should bring the snacks left outside even now—
The Princess shouted at me while crying.
"I told you not to come in! I told no one to come in! I said I wouldn't come out of here!"
"Pr-Princess..."
The Princess, who had taken her two hands out from inside the blanket, began to push my body. Sorrow was full in the Princess's touch as she clenched her small fists and hit my body, tu-dak-tu-dak.
"Why does no one listen to me! The maids! Ellie! Vin Chaud! Your Majesty! And, and..."
Ttuk, ttuk.
Large teardrops that had been pooling in the Princess's eyes fell, ttuk, ttuk, down her cheeks. The Princess, wiping her tears with the blanket wrapped around her body, continued in a sobbing voice.
"Mommy... Daddy too..."
The sobbing soon turned into sorrowful wailing.
The Princess, who had been crying sorrowfully with her face buried, poured out tears while calling for Mommy and Daddy in a hoarse voice. At that sight, all I could do was quietly hold the Princess in my arms.
"Mommy... Daddy..."
"......"
When the Princess's shoulders, which had been sobbing for a while, settled down, only then was I able to take out a handkerchief and wipe the Princess's face. Her eyes, reddened from rubbing her face roughly with the blanket, looked painful.
...How should I tell the Princess?
Should I tell her I won't leave until she becomes an adult? In the end, it's the same that I'm leaving the Princess's side, isn't it? Wouldn't saying that be a bigger wound to the Princess right now?
But......
"Princess, look at me."
Right now, I just want the Princess to stop being sad.
Just as there is a saying about white lies, it felt like I had to tell a lie right now, even if it was for the Princess's sake. No matter if this lie is exposed later, and she ends up disliking and hating me.
I didn't doubt that this was the right thing to do right now.
I wiped the tears from the Princess's eyes with my finger and tried to meet her gaze. Perhaps because she still dislikes me, she wouldn't meet my eyes.
"The maids have it wrong. Where would I go? Just as the Princess's home is here, my home is here too."
"......"
"...What must I do for the Princess to believe me...? Should I make a promise?"
At the mention of making a promise, the Princess nodded. When she glared at me with eyes like a stray cat, as if to say she wouldn't believe anyone anymore if I didn't, I smiled and stroked the Princess's hair.
"Princess, who am I?"
"Your Majesty..."
"No, before that, who did I say I was?"
The Princess thought hard, then opened her mouth as if something had occurred to her.
"A good? Witch..."
"Yes. A good witch. Do you know? Witches cannot break a 'promise' if they do this act."
I held out my pinky finger to the Princess. The Princess stared blankly at the pinky finger I held out, then tilted her head as if she didn't know what it was and looked at me.
Is there no promise involving hooking pinky fingers here? Thinking it was actually for the best, I told the Princess to hold out her pinky finger just like mine and made her finger match mine.
"Do you know why a witch cannot break a promise? It's because if you break a promise made by hooking pinky fingers, you receive a very, very scary punishment."
"P-punishment...?"
When I spoke as if to scare her a little, the Princess's shoulders flinched and trembled. I had to scare her at least this much so she would believe I wouldn't break the promise, so it couldn't be helped.
"Yes, if I break the promise after doing this much-"
"If, if you break it..."
"You have to swallow a thousand needles as punishment."
At the words that she would have to swallow a thousand needles if she broke the promise, the Princess's expression turned to shock. It's an idiomatic expression, but the Princess looked at me with a pale face, as if she believed it was real.
"Do you want to swallow a thousand needles, Princess?"
The Princess shook her head jeol-le-jeol-le-jeol-le-jeol-le.
"It's the same for me. If I break the promise and swallow a thousand needles, it would hurt a lot, right?"
The Princess nodded kkeu-deok-kkeu-deok-kkeu-deok-kkeu-deok.
The Princess's violent reaction was cute, so I laughed without realizing it. When I held out my pinky finger to the Princess, perhaps because the words about having to swallow a thousand needles were shocking, she tried to fold her pinky finger back, but—
"Now, promise. 'I will always be by the Princess's side!' Will you believe me a little now?"
I forcibly hooked my pinky finger onto the Princess's and shook it up and down. The Princess was shocked and tried to quickly pull her pinky finger out, but the entangled pinky fingers didn't come apart easily.
"B-but, if you break it... a thousand needles..."
The Princess looked at me as if she were truly worried. Fearing that I might really end up swallowing a thousand needles, the Princess forgot that she had been crying until just a moment ago and began to worry about me.
"You just have to not break the promise, right? Now, thumb too."
When I forcibly stamped her thumb with mine, the Princess didn't know what to do and was busy looking back and forth between our entangled fingers and my face. Then, in an instant, she welled up with tears as if she were about to cry again.
"...Really, you won't go anywhere...?"
"...Well, I even made a promise, didn't I? A scary witch's promise where I have to swallow a thousand needles if I break it."
At those words, the Princess buried her face in my chest and hugged me tightly. Isn't this the first time the Princess has hugged me like this? I patted the Princess's back, who was in my arms, to-dak-to-dak.
...Looking at the Princess sobbing in my arms, I felt as if guilt had become needles, pricking my heart. However, even so, I had no choice but to tell this lie.
If I really told the 'truth' here and said I had no choice but to leave the royal palace... the Princess might have really collapsed.
So, even if this lie is exposed someday and the Princess curses me as a liar, hates me, detests me, and loathes me.
I will not regret telling the 'white lie' to the Princess. Because I've made up my mind to do so.
I hugged the Princess, who was in my arms, tightly and gave a bitter smile.
As I was hugging the Princess like that, the kko-reu-reuk sound coming from the Princess's stomach, which was touching mine, resonated all the way to my stomach. Perhaps embarrassed that her stomach made a growling sound, the Princess buried her face in my chest and couldn't lift her head.
I stroked the head of the embarrassed Princess, chuckled, and made a suggestion to the Princess.
"It's a late hour, but shall we eat some snacks together?"
