41. My Child's Birthday Party (3)
41. My Child's Birthday Party (3)
[Episode 41] - My Child's Birthday Party (3)
Fairy Queen Titania.
The wife of the Fairy King Oberon, and a being called the Queen of the Fairies. It is said that she originally had no set name, but...
Once she appeared and became famous in Shakespeare's play 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', it is said the name became popularly used in other works as well.
Naturally, this popular name was used in the game 'Snow White Story', and a Fairy Queen named 'Titania' existed within the game as well.
For a princess who will contract with the 'Seven Dwarf Fairies', be served by those children, and become the 'Queen of this country', isn't 'Titania' a truly fitting name?
I think it's a good name, but there was a reason the Queen Dowager was worried. It is said that the royals of this country do not use the names of 'fairies or god-like beings'.
Of course, the names 'Fairy King Oberon and Fairy Queen Titania' were among them, weren't they.
Whether it's pressure from the temple, or simply the belief that humans shouldn't covet the names of gods. Or perhaps it's due to the custom of avoiding witches.
It is said that never once in history have the royals here borrowed the names of divine beings.
That is why the Queen Dowager was worried, saying that people would talk behind our backs and that those looking to nitpick would appear, claiming there was no precedent.
Even so, a nitpick is just a nitpick. It's not like a flying spark; it's just dust-like nitpicking that I can brush off with my own hands.
'I can just do that.'
I watched the princess slowly walking out into the party hall. Her eyes were red-rimmed as if she might burst into tears at any moment, and her fists, clutching her skirt, were trembling.
However, the princess's steps as she entered the party hall were dignified. She lifted her head high, looked down at the nobles below her, and waved.
At the sight of the princess waving her small hand at the nobles watching her from atop the high platform, several nobles looking up from below were busy covering their mouths with fans because their lips were curling up.
Everyone was busy staring intently at the princess, who had appeared at her first official event.
What will she say with that small mouth, how can she be so small even at seven years old, is she not scared of her first official appearance.
Noble ladies with children, in particular, didn't know what to do as they watched the princess. They looked at her with anxious eyes, thinking, 'It's fine if she makes a mistake, as long as she doesn't get hurt...'
"Ahem, hmph!"
The princess, having climbed onto the platform, cleared her throat and opened her mouth with a trembling voice. As everyone looked at her, the princess stumbled slightly due to her nerves.
Recalling the greeting she had prepared so diligently, the princess steadied her trembling heart and began to recite her greeting slowly.
The greeting that everyone had praised her for preparing well.
"I am, this time, the seventh birth-ack-!"
Crunch.
However, perhaps because she was nervous, the princess bit her tongue really hard—so hard that it looked painful to those watching.
The princess, having bitten her tongue so painfully that the sound of it echoed, welled up with tears and covered her mouth with both hands.
She tried to endure the pain and speak, but perhaps because the words wouldn't come out, the princess didn't know what to do and teared up.
As the nobles below began to murmur slightly, the Queen Dowager, who was sitting in the front row watching the princess, glared at me.
With a look that said, 'Hurry up and handle this situation so the princess isn't embarrassed.'
Having received the Queen Dowager's gaze, I slowly approached the princess standing on the platform. The princess looked up at me, her eyes red-rimmed.
Ahem.
I put my hands under the princess's armpits, lifted her up, and pulled her into my arms.
And, thinking it might add a bit of dignity, I lowered my voice and, without bowing my head, rolled my eyes to look down at the nobles below.
"Everyone, thank you for gathering here to celebrate the princess's birthday despite the difficult events of late."
As I commemorated the King's death, the nobles, unaware of the truth behind the incident, bowed their heads and briefly honored the King's passing.
I also finished a very brief silent bow, then lifted my head to look at the nobles again. I had expected it, but the gazes the nobles directed at me were not very kind.
Anxiety, avoidance, worry.
Various negative gazes were fixed upon me.
According to Ainsel, before Vivian became Queen, she was a beautiful and intelligent young lady, to the point of being called the flower of high society.
But what good did that do? Her personality was a total mess.
It was said that Vivian often used Ainsel to dig up the nobles' secrets and blackmail them with that information. That's why everyone avoided Vivian...
So, isn't that why Vivian hasn't even been invited to any social circles since becoming the Queen of the country?
I understood why everyone was looking at me with those gazes. However, that was the Vivian of the past, not the me of the present.
I didn't care about their negative gazes and declared this.
"Princess Titania is my treasure, and she will become the treasure of the kingdom in the future. No, I will make her so."
This was something like a slight declaration of war to the nobles. Telling them not to even dream of doing anything foolish to the princess who had just entered high society.
Because if they touch her, the royal family will move.
Because Vivian's blackmail involving the exposure of secrets will begin again.
It was like a minor check, telling them to be aware of that.
I hugged the princess, who was sitting on my arm as if it were a chair, even tighter so that everyone could see this scene even better.
As my cheek touched the princess, who was covering her mouth with both hands, she mumbled with her sore tongue that she was embarrassed to be doing this in front of everyone.
However, I hugged her even tighter and appealed to everyone watching that 'the princess and I are this close.'
"Please, may there be blessings in Princess Titania's future. I have no doubt that everyone will pray with the same heart as I do."
As I lightly kissed the princess's forehead as if literally blessing her, applause burst out from below.
Once the Queen Dowager started clapping first, all the nobles around her, who were reading the room, were busy clapping along with the Queen Dowager.
The princess's greeting unfortunately failed, but at least the congratulatory speech seemed to end not too badly, so I was able to let out a sigh of relief.
I smiled at the princess held in my arms and wiped away the tears welling in her eyes with my finger.
"Titania. From now on, this name is your name. How is it? I hope you like it-"
No sooner had I finished speaking than the princess, who had been covering her mouth with both hands, teared up again, reached out, and hugged my neck tightly. Then, she rubbed her face against mine and acted as if she were truly happy.
I patted the princess's back, and smiled truly happily, following the emotions I was feeling right now. I thought that surely, the princess must be making the same expression as I was.
"I sincerely wish you a happy seventh birthday. Titania. And, please take care of me for the rest of our lives. Just like the 'promise' we made together."
At those words, the princess, who had buried her face in my shoulder, nodded and whispered to me in a tearful voice.
"Yes...! Please take care of me too...!"
*
Having finished the congratulatory speech, the princess and I went down from the platform to greet the Queen Dowager, who had been watching us from the very front row.
When we went down to where the Queen Dowager was, she was, for whatever reason, in a foul mood again, holding strong liquor in one hand and folding and unfolding her fan with the other, making a tak-tak sound.
Watching that now-familiar sight, I ordered a passing servant to bring some suitable snacks.
I took the plate from the servant who had brought a few things from the abundance of food in the party hall, approached the Queen Dowager gently, and smiled as I handed her the snacks.
"Your Highness, it is harmful to your health to keep drinking on an empty stomach. Since Your Highness keeps doing this, I end up having to act like a maid, don't I."
When I said this in a worried tone mixed with a joke, the Queen Dowager's eyes widened as she glared at me. Just as she was about to pour out nagging, saying something like 'What on earth is with you-', I gently pushed the princess's back and brought her in front of the Queen Dowager.
"Titania, you have something to say to the Queen Dowager, don't you?"
At my words, the princess nodded, approached the Queen Dowager hesitantly, lifted the hem of her dress slightly, and spun around in a circle in front of the Queen Dowager.
Then, bowing her waist, the princess greeted the Queen Dowager and looked at her with a bashful smile.
"Thank you so much for the pretty dress gift! Gra, Grandmother...!"
"......What did you just say? Grandmother?"
The Queen Dowager, who had been looking at the princess with one eyebrow twitching, looked at me again and furrowed her brow deeply. Watching that, I covered my mouth and laughed with a kyo-kyo-kyo sound.
"Your granddaughter is expressing her gratitude, 'Mother'. You should hurry up and accept your granddaughter's greeting."
"......"
The Queen Dowager, who had been looking at me with an absurd expression, poured all sorts of curses at me with just her eyes. Then, she glanced down at the princess, mumbled her lips for a moment, and finally, as if defeated, let out a small sigh and smiled at the princess.
"...It's a small gift for my granddaughter, so whenever you need anything, tell me, not the Queen. This grandmother will grant it all."
"Yes, yes...! Grandmother...!"
Watching the princess, who was beaming at the Queen Dowager's answer, the Queen Dowager just gulped down her drink to hide an inexplicable shyness.
As I watched the Queen Dowager and the princess with a satisfied expression, the Queen Dowager furrowed her brow with the same expression she usually had when looking at me and waved her hand.
"Don't just stand there blankly, go quickly. You haven't forgotten that the first dance of the party is supposed to be performed by the royals, have you? Why are you standing here instead of going to your partner quickly."
"What are you talking about? My partner is right here."
"What?"
The Queen Dowager looked at me, asking what that meant, but I tried to ignore that gaze, turned to the side, bowed, and held out my hand to the princess.
In the typical posture of a man asking a woman to dance.
I smiled and invited the princess.
"Princess Titania, would you give me the honor of sharing your first dance?"
The Queen Dowager, the princess, and the nobles watching us from around us were all surprised by my words and couldn't say anything, just staring at me.
Originally, social dancing is something men and women do together.
Women could dance with each other, but that was strictly for unofficial events, dance lessons, or acts done in hiding away from others' gazes.
This was 'common sense' that even the princess, who had just turned seven, knew. So, the princess probably intended to ask me to dance in her room secretly after the party ended, but...
Hesitating for a moment at my unexpected invitation, the princess looked at me, puffed out her cheeks, made a pouting expression, and grabbed my hand as if she had no choice.
"I was going to ask first..."
"Hehe, in these things, the early bird gets the worm."
Holding the princess's hand, which was holding mine, tightly, I slowly led the princess toward the center of the party hall.
To share our first dance together.