54. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠A Runaway Incident That Wasn't Really a Runaway (4)

[Episode 54] - A Runaway That Isn't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Really a Runaway (4)

"Ung-ak?"

Titania opened her eyes and stared blankly at the ceiling. It was a place filled with spiderwebs and thick layers of dust. Titania searched her hazy memory to recall why she was here.

"Eung-eung?"

No matter how much she searched her memory, she couldn't recall why she was in this place. Titania rubbed her sleepy eyes and looked around; it appeared to be a storage-like room in the royal palace.

Thinking it was strange, she tried to wake Ainsel, who was hanging around her neck, by slapping her, but Ainsel just groaned, likely still asleep, and didn't wake up. Why on earth was she sleeping here?

'I was definitely sleeping in my room...'

Titania tilted her head, brushed the dust off her bottom, stood up, and opened the storage room door to head out. It must have been afternoon when she fell asleep, but the window was pitch black.

Not knowing if it was night or dawn, she felt she had to return to her room quickly, so she started scurrying down the hallway. As she walked toward the hallway where there were many people.

She heard the maids making a fuss inside the hallway. It was the first time the hallway had been this noisy at such a dark hour, so Titania naturally headed toward the sound.

"What are you all doing here-"

The moment Titania, who had walked toward the sound without any suspicion, locked eyes with the maids, silence descended upon the hallway. No, should this be called silence? Surprise, confusion, bewilderment, and so on-

The maids were simply speechless from a variety of emotions. It wasn't until one maid, who had been gasping for air, burst into tears that the silence was broken, and the maids shouted in anger. A shout mixed with confusion.

"Princess-nim! Where on earth have you been until now...!"

"U, um...? That storage room...?"

"What on earth were you thinking, leaving a note like that?! Do you have any idea how much the Queen-nim...!"

"A, a note...?"

Titania couldn't give a proper answer to the storm of questions pouring down on her. While she was somehow explaining where she had been while surrounded by the maids, she heard the sound of someone running from the end of the hallway.

"Queen-nim, here...!"

A maid must have gone to call Vivian, and the maid who ran back with Vivian was busy catching her breath. All the maids who had been firing questions at Titania like a machine gun had no choice but to shut their mouths at Vivian's appearance.

After all, they had seen that face of Vivian's. Eyes red from crying, sharp enough to tear someone apart. An angry, huffing, frowning expression.

"Hik."

At the gaze looking at her as if she were about to shout at any moment, Titania swallowed a hiccup. She had never seen her Omma with such a scary face before.

She didn't know what the note the maids were talking about meant, and she didn't know why she was sleeping in that storage room, but Titania knew instinctively.

"You...!!!"

"O, Omma...?"

That she had done something wrong.

Otherwise, there was no way her Omma would be this angry. Thump. Thump. Vivian's footsteps grew faster. The sound of her footsteps also grew louder, to the point where anyone could tell it was the sound of someone saying, 'I am angry.'

At the sight of Vivian approaching right in front of her, Titania squeezed her eyes shut. She hunched her body, thinking a thunderous shout would be heard at any moment, but-

"...Are you not angry anymore? You're finally showing your face to me."

What she heard was a tearful voice.

The damp voice was so full of moisture that it felt like she was crying, even though she wasn't shedding tears. The emotion was conveyed directly to Titania, who was looking at Vivian's bitterly smiling face.

Vivian smiled faintly and stroked Titania's cheek. Titania flinched and trembled as she felt the hot heat of Vivian's hand touching her face.

"Did you hate me so much that you left a letter like that...?"

Vivian, who had crouched down to meet her gaze, hugged Titania. Then, she let out a hot sigh and swallowed the tears that seemed about to burst forth.

Titania couldn't say anything, as Vivian's emotions were conveyed through their touching skin. She just felt sorry and apologetic for avoiding her Omma all this time.

"I, I'm sorry..."

She buried her face in Vivian's shoulder and shed tears. She tried to calm down and hold it in, but once the tears started, they didn't stop easily. New tears overflowed and wet both her cheeks, no matter how much she wiped them.

Titania, who was clutching Vivian's clothes tightly, didn't know what to do and shed tears, unable to control her overwhelming emotions. Seeing that, Vivian let out a small sigh and slowly lifted Titania into her arms.

Thanks to Titania, who had thrown her arms around her neck and buried her face in her shoulder, Vivian could feel her nape getting damp with tears. Vivian patted Titania's back and looked at the maids standing nearby, smiling faintly.

"Tell everyone that the Princess has been found. Tell them they've all worked hard and should get some rest."

"Yes, Queen-nim."

Vivian, holding Titania in her arms, headed quietly to her room. Looking at Titania, who was still sobbing, Vivian smiled faintly.

When she found Titania, Vivian had been swept up in an emotion that made her want to yell immediately. She was furious that Titania had disappeared after writing a note telling her not to look for her, and had only just appeared...

But looking at Titania, who had fortunately been found without a single scratch, those emotions faded away, to the point of disappearing. All that remained were feelings of relief and an inexplicable urge to cry.

'Really, they say there's no parent who can beat their child... that's true.'

Vivian, who was patting the back of the sobbing Titania, let out a small sigh. She was just grateful that Titania was found without any incident, and Vivian gently hugged Titania, who was in her arms, with a little more strength.

"Let's sleep together today. We have a lot to talk about after ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠two months."

*

The Princess, whose eyes were red from crying, looked at me and shouted, puffing out her cheeks. She even patted my chest with both fists, saying I wouldn't believe her.

"That note, I really didn't write it!"

"Yes, yes. Let's say that's the case."

"Iik!!"

I giggled at the sight of the Princess fussing in my arms again. Yes, she must be embarrassed. She had written such a note and was found in less than a day; there was no way she wouldn't be embarrassed.

"Yes, this Omma knows everything~ So let's sleep now. It's already well past dawn."

"It's true... I didn't write it..."

As I poked the Princess's cheeks, which were puffed out sullenly, and urged her to sleep, the Princess puffed out her cheeks even more. When I reached out my arm at that sight, the Princess naturally lay down, using my arm as a pillow.

And she hugged me with both hands, burying her face in my chest. It meant she didn't want to see my face. When I patted the Princess's back, she peeked her head up and looked at me.

With very bright and clear eyes.

"...Can't you sleep?"

The Princess smiled bashfully and nodded. I was so tired that I felt like I would fall asleep the moment I closed my eyes... but this mischievous Princess, who had apparently been sleeping in the storage room where she was hiding, looked at me and said she couldn't sleep.

I glanced at Ainsel hanging on the wall with tired eyes. I had intended to dump this energetic Princess on Ainsel... but as soon as I saw Ainsel, who was fast asleep and even snoring, anger welled up.

That damn mirror.

I'll have to give her a real piece of my mind someday.

Patting the Princess's back, begging her to please fall asleep, I looked down at the Princess. The Princess, who was looking at me with sparkling eyes as if she had no intention of sleeping, seemed to be demanding something from me.

"You're at an age where you're past having fairy tales read to you..."

"The fairy tales Omma makes up are fun no matter when I hear them."

Was it a mistake to tell her the various fairy tales I knew since she was young? From the time I started sleeping with the Princess, I told her the various fairy tales I remembered.

Starting with Cinderella, I even told her folk tales because I had nothing left to read. Since there were no such fairy tales here, I lied and said I made them up...

Now, I had told her all the fairy tales I remembered, so I had no more fairy tales to tell the Princess. I let out a small sigh, then tilted my head down to look at the Princess.

I kissed the Princess's forehead lightly and slowly began to read a fairy tale that came to mind. It was a story she had heard countless times, starting with Cinderella, but the Princess listened intently, focusing on my story.

"Once upon a time, in a certain kingdom-"

Seeing the Princess listening to my story, I couldn't help but smile. Saying it was fortunate that things had returned to the way they were in the past, I gently patted the Princess's back and continued the story.

*

In the end, the morning of the day the Silverword Kingdom's delegation was to leave dawned. What on earth was Princess Fiona about back then? What happened with the previous Vivian?

...No matter how much I thought about it, there was nothing I could know. It was just that there was no particular reason why I had only slapped Princess Fiona's cheek and moved on.

Because the way she cursed at me somehow looked like she was desperately appealing for something. Seeing her curse at me so desperately, I didn't criticize her any further.

I thought that surely, she must have had something happen with Vivian too... so I didn't even feel like getting angry anymore.

An event to see off the delegation. As the ministers were talking with the delegation, Princess Fiona looked at me and smiled with her eyes.

I had told her never to show herself to me again, but the last moment of departure should be fine. I also smiled faintly and saw Princess Fiona off.

There was no farewell greeting between us.

Princess Fiona just boarded the carriage heading to the Silverword Kingdom silently and left. As if to keep the promise I made, that she should never show herself to me again.

The Princess, who had been staring blankly at the scene while holding my hand, asked the Minister of Foreign Affairs who was standing next to her.

"What kind of person is the second queen of the Silverword Kingdom?"

At the Princess's sudden question, the Minister of Foreign Affairs opened his eyes wide, let out a small groan, and laughed.

"Ho ho, it seems the Princess has been misinformed. There is no such person as a second queen in the Silverword Kingdom."

"Huh? But surely Princess Fiona..."

"The King and Queen over there are so happily married that they have five heirs. Even the subjects over there cannot even bring up the topic of a second wife to the King."

"Eung?"

The Princess tilted her head as if she didn't understand, with a question mark floating over her head. I, too, wondered what he was talking about, chuckled, and picked up the Princess to head to the royal castle.

"Let's go inside now. Since the big event is over... shouldn't you prepare for what's coming in the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠autumn?"

"Autumn?"

"That is correct. It is about time for the Princess to make her debut."

The Princess tilted her head at the mention of autumn. The Minister of Foreign Affairs laughed, saying the time had finally come, and looked at the Princess, but the Princess still seemed not to know what he was talking about.

I looked at the Princess and smiled faintly as I answered. Since the Princess had already turned ten, it was about time for her to meet other young noble ladies.

Invitations from them wanting to invite the Princess to the parties they were hosting were already pouring in. It seemed like it was finally time.

"It's your debut into the children's social circle in the autumn."