《The Emperor Reverses Time》 Chapter 4 *** In the carriage going to the duke¡¯s residence, the maids desperately pinched each other¡¯s backs and held back their laughter. The nanny has also barely endured with her might, but she made an indescribable expression at regular intervals. ¡°Just laugh.¡± His Highness said when he felt the situation. As soon as the people inside noticed little by little, they bowed their backs, and began to sway their shoulders. They can¡¯t laugh outright in front of a young royal family member with a white band-aid on his forehead, so they chose another way. The nanny chose a more sensible way than that. ¡°Your Highness, you¡¯ve been sick a lot, haven¡¯t you? Your Highness . ..You may have thought a lot about your fiance. We didn¡¯t think about it¡­so we may have shown rudeness. Come here. I¡¯ll hug you.¡± Leonhardt sighed and was held in the arms of the nanny. Instead of concealing her own expression, the nanny, who obscured her prince¡¯s view, stared up at the ceiling of the golden carriage and burst into laughter noiselessly. ¡®Because I¡¯m nervous when I think I¡¯m meeting someone who will be my lifelong partner.¡¯ The moment they heard that, the maids doubted their ears. ¡®What are you trying to gain by selling your child?¡¯, isn¡¯t that what he¡¯s been saying just until the day before? And the next moment they had to doubt from their ears to eyes. The crown prince, without insanity, placed his forehead on the solid wooden desk. Even if it¡¯s a desk for children, but the child is the prince of a country, it must be of the highest quality. Therefore, the desk was made of the finest wood and was invincible and durable. It was almost a miracle that Leonhardt, who had struck his forehead with such force on its surface, had not passed out. The maids who put a band-aid on the red-colored forehead and then skillfully lowered the bangs that had been raised to cover the band-aids at the end of the day. For a long time, the maids pinched each other¡¯s sides and forcibly held their laughter, thinking that if they laughed here, they wouldn¡¯t be fired the next day, but rather their heads might be cut off for insulting the royal family member. Leonhardt continued to recall his first meeting with the empress and repeated his regrets. ¡®You can¡¯t say spider web, you can¡¯t just say spider web. Yeah rather¡­ rather. . . What should I praise?¡¯ However, no matter how much he looked back on his memory, it¡¯s like a spider web. Nothing came to mind other than the heat because of being laughed at. Leonhardt considered it sincerely fortunate that he was burying his face in the warm arms of the nanny. Otherwise, this time the royal carriage window might have been broken by his head. If Leonhardt met her this time, instead of repeating the stupid things in the same way, he decided to admire how beautiful her silver hair was. And if he coaxed her out of the way as planned and made this engagement non-existent¡­. Can she really be happy? ¡°Look at his expression, is he expecting a little even though he¡¯s a child?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think so too? I think you can consider it that way even if it¡¯s not an expectation, but more like excitement.¡± ¡°Shh, his highness will wake up. Somehow, I feel like I¡¯ve never seen anything like today since I enlisted to serve his Highness.¡± It was a feeling that the maidens¡¯ chatter was gradually getting further away. Could the empress live a happy life if she really did not have this engagement? Can she meet someone who truly loves her and will devote everything for her? Only after taking the place of the emperor could he understand why his father had to make an uninteresting deal with the Duke of Elysium. As a family with a long-established dukedom that produced the imperial family and the first empress, there would be no awkward and uncomfortable relationship if they were put together in one place. The imperial family and the Elysium formed an alliance in order to maintain a friendly relationship, at least expressively, rather than just looking at each other¡¯s eyes. The easiest and most regrettable way for each other. It was a political marriage between the imperial family and the duke. How ridiculous and miserable it felt to him, who was supposed to succeed to the throne, to have them tied together onto the same boat ever since they were unborn. Maybe the attitude he showed to the empress was because that absurdness aggravated him. However, it is not the innocent empress that he should be angry with. It was his father and himself who couldn¡¯t strengthen the throne by themselves. The eyelids became heavier and heavier. Leonhardt rubbed his throbbing forehead against the shoulder of his nanny, closing his eyes. Regardless of whether the engagement was a part of the marriage proceeding or not, it seemed that getting used to the body of a child would be the most urgent task. Until he fell asleep completely, he questioned himself endlessly. What if the Empress was forced to sit in the Empress¡¯s seat again? What if she becomes an empress or queen of a country other than an empire? No, no, I don¡¯t need everything. In the end, what if she met someone other than me but wasn¡¯t happy? Unable to answer the last question, he changed his plans. ¡®Let¡¯s change the certain future. She is the fianc¨¦e of the Crown Prince, who will become the Crown Princess, and eventually become the Empress. Instead of forcibly changing that future, I just need to change myself. I just need to make her happy. but¡­ ¡® Leonhardt opened his eyes again, feeling his little heart beating jauntily. One side of his heart was filled with the conscience that had disappeared when he became grown up, was coming back. ¡®Do I deserve to make her happy?¡¯ Leonhardt, forcibly blinked his closing eyelids, in his mind he¡¯s asking for permission from the empress, whom he would soon meet. ¡°If you allow me, I swear I will do anything for you. Empress, my empress, can I love you? In this life only, may I make you happy?¡± Chapter 1 Once upon a time, there existed an emperor. His hair was golden like that of the moonlight, eyes filled with a rich violet colour. Such an emperor had a beautiful Empress. The Empress¡¯s skin was so clear and transparent that blue veins were visible, and she had silvery hair like white silk that seemed not to belong to anyone in the world, and sea-light eyes that crackled under the summer sun. The two were a perfect pair. Indeed, it was perfect. The empress was the perfect empress, The emperor completely hated such an empress¡­ Hate? No, that¡¯s not it The opposite of love is indifference, not hate. The emperor was completely indifferent to the empress. Even the moment when she was dying after drinking the poison in the emperor stead, he was staring down at her with a grim expression. ¡°Was I a great Empress?¡± However, the empress died like that without hearing the answer to her will. The perfect empress, who was kind and sweet to everyone, was the mother of all people. As if it¡¯s natural, the people gathered in the streets wearing black mourning clothes and watched her final goodbye. He was an emperor who had been indifferent to her all his life, but guess he couldn¡¯t help it at moments like this. The emperor, who appeared in front of the people with black ashes under his eyes, shed tears and prayed for how sad and grieving that he lost his beloved companion. And, like all high-ranking people, he put on such a wonderful performance that everyone fell for it. However, those who knew how he actually treated the empress hid in the shadows and criticized him in secret. The first words the emperor uttered on his return from the funeral were more heartless and cold than when his beloved dog died. ¡°It¡¯s a waste¡± Everyone in the room was appalled and felt goosebumps at the emperor¡¯s words. Is that really what someone would say to a person who played the role of the empress perfectly by his side for his whole life? ¡°How can they just put on a facade like that? A waste, a shame?! Before becoming the empress, she was your Majesty¡¯s wife. Your one and only companion!¡± The chancellor of the Empire and the emperor¡¯s best friend was outraged on behalf of everyone who was there. ¡°Companion?¡± The emperor tilted his head and made a puzzled expression, as if he had heard this word for the first time. What on earth was the empress to the emperor? And, like any other story, this story begins with the emperor, who was so heartless and indifferent toward the empress, started noticing her absence. Let¡¯s take a light example. Until her last breath, she decided to stand beside the emperor. ¡°It¡¯s just in time for the empress dowager¡¯s younger sister to reach a marriageable age¡­.¡± He is the parent of the empress, who is pleading with him while rubbing his hands together. Now the nobles are trying to fill the seat of the national mother of the country with their daughters since it is empty. He felt disgusted when he stood in front of the masses of Desire of those who were trying to establish bonds with the emperor by their daughters in order to obtain power. And for the first time, he realized her absence. At least, from the outside look, with her, they were a perfect match. And then one day, the emperor was in the library, while he was having a severe headache. Is it someone¡¯s curse? Or is it the empress¡¯s resentment?. Rumors that the emperor would complain of a headache whenever he entered the library quickly covered the entire imperial palace . Before long, rumors of the emperor had to find the cause spread through the Imperial Palace¡¯s heavy security and throughout the whole Empire. The empire¡¯s greatest wizards, priests, and sages, who were called to find the cause, came up with different reasons. ¡°The resentful curse of the Empress who died unfairly is obvious.¡± The priest said, pouring holy water on the emperor¡¯s body. However, the emperor only caught a cold, and he still felt a headache. ¡°Is it possible that the smell of a book that is too old caused this?¡± The sage, who was coveting the imperial ancient documents, said with bright eyes. But instead of giving the old books to the sages, the emperor built a new study and moved there. The headache still persisted though. Even after the cold is over. Afterwards, the sorceress at the clock tower touched the blossoms in his study and said, ¡° The flowers have changed, haven¡¯t they? Although they were pretty, they have a strong scent that isn¡¯t suitable for your study.¡± ¡± And who took care of the flowers in the library?¡± ¡°Did you forget that Her Majesty the Empress herself is the one who takes care of it?¡± The emperor frowned and searched through his memory. The flowers in the Imperial Palace seemed to have been managed by the Empress since the Emperor once said that they smelt nice and ordered her to keep on doing it. One day, when he was fed up with disgust toward people and the awful smell of flowers that filled the Imperial Palace, the servant presented an old diary to the emperor. ¡°I found this while sorting out the relics of the Empress.¡± The emperor opened the diary with a gloomy expression. There remained a part of the empress, written in elegant writing. Chapter 2 [The first time I met the Crown Prince, his Highness disliked my hair for being like a spider web. My mother consulted with my father, saying that they should hire a wizard to dye my hair.] The inscription, which was a bit clumsy, recorded the first day the emperor and the empress met. The emperor fixed his posture and sat down to read the diary with an extremely serious expression. But that was just the young empress¡¯s record. On the next page, the emperor could meet her the day before she became the crown princess. [Finally, I will become the Crown Prince tomorrow. Goodbye to the nasty Duke family. I have to become a crown princess who won¡¯t bring embarrassment to that person¡­] The nasty Dukedom. He also sympathized with her. Nowadays, they want to push the empress¡¯s sister into the position of royal concubine. [ His Majesty was not fond of talking, and i performed perfectly on my first official royal schedule. Will mother be pleased?] What was the first official schedule? The emperor went through his memory. However, even the first official schedule of the crown prince and princess was not that great, and there was nothing to remind him of when he looked back on it. It was a minor thing that he didn¡¯t even remember, but it must have been a happy moment for her after she became the crown princess. Lightly, the pages continued to flip. [I can¡¯t believe it. When Empress Dowager died , I lost the only person in the Imperial Family who was on my side. What should I do now?] [Afterwards, the Emperor followed the Empress and passed away, and I became the empress. From now on I must be the perfect empress.] The emperor continued to flip the diary with trembling hands. The word ¡®perfect empress¡¯ somehow caught his attention. [People praise me for being the perfect empress. I just did the natural thing, but I feel proud.¡± If I give birth to the successor of the imperial family, I can finally become the perfect Empress] It is natural? After giving birth to a successor and being perfect, then what¡¯s next? [I tried changing out the flowers in the vase for new ones. They¡¯re to help the Emperor concentrate, so I picked one without a heavy scent and focused more on delicate flowers.] Why? Why did she do something he didn¡¯t even tell her to do? Such a thing is enough to have the maids done. [Your Majesty said that the fragrance of the flowers was nice. He even allowed me to continue to take care of the flowers if I wanted to. I was glad that I was a little closer to being the perfect empress] Why the hell was she so obsessed with being a perfect empress? [His Majesty escorted me from the carriage. His Majesty¡¯s hands were so large and firm that I couldn¡¯t fall asleep because my heart kept pounding.] No, it¡¯s nothing. This is not it. [I suggested to your Majesty that he should bring in a second wife. I¡¯m okay, the imperial family needs a successor. If I¡¯m a perfect empress, I should be able to embrace even the concubine¡¯s child. I¡¯m alright, really, really alright¡­ No, none of them are okay. If i can¡¯t be the perfect empress, I want to be happy] The emperor faced the last page with a trembling gaze. The empress in the diary was nothing but debris, the part of human beings that have been ousted while trying to become perfect. [I met the clock tower witch. She gave me a magic to be happy. Will this magic really work?] Tears rolled down on the emperor¡¯s cheeks. And he only then realized how stupid he was. The empress was literally the perfect empress. Like an elaborate mechanical doll made by endlessly censoring, controlling and brainwashing herself. There wasn¡¯t a single part of hers that remained who she truly was. What expression she made when she laughed, what sound she made when she cried, what she liked, what she hated. The emperor knew nothing. With a very weary look, the emperor held his tense face for a long time. What did he do to the empress? A lot of things have happened. But let¡¯s talk about that story slowly in the future, and now let¡¯s focus on the Emperor, who is heading to the clock tower, unbeknownst to anybody, without a single escort late at night. ¡°Can you turn the time back?¡± The Witch of the clock tower laughed. This late at night, the Emperor came to the clock tower to tell her what had happened. He wants to turn back in time? With a snort, the witch made a remark to the emperor. ¡°Your Majesty, regret is regret, it is already irrevocable¡± she said. But the man once again begged the witch of the clock tower. ¡°If it¡¯s your power, isn¡¯t it possible. Please give me another chance, not for me, but for the empress.¡± The witch laughed at the emperor, who was resolving in his own guilt, glaring at him with a very dissatisfied face. If you didn¡¯t cherish when you have it, then don¡¯t regret when you lose it. And if the emperor had figured out a little sooner, then that tragedy would not have happened. The witch of the clock tower stopped laughing and anguished at the words ¡°For the Empress¡±, which protruded from the Emperor¡¯s mouth. ¡°Is it okay if all your future changes with little actions of yours?¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright even if the world perishes, as long as she is happy.¡± ¡°Is it okay if she doesn¡¯t love you in the alternative future?¡± ¡°If that makes her truly happy.¡± ¡°Do you really want her to be happy?¡± ¡°You can ask for my heart in return. It doesn¡¯t matter if it costs the rest of my life. Please give her a chance to be happy again.¡± Only then did the witch smile with a satisfied expression. ¡°Good. I¡¯ve already received the price. Lizzie will be happy.¡± The emperor, enchanted by the witch, found God after a very long time. ¡®God, please give me one more chance, a chance to turn back everything, please, for her, not for my foolish self.¡¯ And the clockwises on the clock tower began to turn backward. Chapter 3 Hmm.. Leonhardt stretched out his body, which is unusually languid today, and tried moving his body. The bed was well-organized with drapery, and the room was strangely spacious. Did the magic work properly? Leonhardt got up and sat on the bed and looked around slowly. It was a strangely familiar space. Leonhardt opened his eyes to the scenery, as if he had moved to the room where he had lived until his fifteenth year. ¡°Nonsense¡­ ¡± Is it really through magic? Or is it the witch¡¯s curse to punish the foolish me? Leonhardt held his face with his hands, as small as maple leaves. ¡°¡­Huh?¡± Leonhardt doubted his eyes. Where are his big hands, with his straight outstretched fingers, the one hand so big that he could barely hold three thick books, and all the scars left everywhere on them? In front of his eyes were immaculate hands, with no obvious scars that he had seen all his life-span, it¡®s like he had barely picked up any children¡¯s wooden swords til this point. ¡®what..This insignificant hand is ¡­?¡± Somehow he had an ominous premonition. Leonhardt touched his cheek in an anxious motion. Plump, soft. The face line, which was elegant, yet firm, he was looking for, went elsewhere and the cheeks were soft like a puffed bread dough. Leonhardt hurriedly descended from bed and felt a slight dizziness at the height of his sight, which had been weirdly lowered. If the magic had really succeeded in turning back the time, there would surely be a mark of his own under the side table. ¡®Oh My God . . .¡¯ Underneath it, there was a sign that he had carved with his clumsy skill when he was eight years old. ¡®Did the magic really succeed?¡¯ Leonhardt pulled a string to confirm the last time. If her magic really succeeded in turning the time back¡­ ¡°Your Highness the Prince! Did you cough? I will prepare the wash water right away.¡± The nanny who left the Crown Prince¡¯s Palace, where he was officially born, appeared. The hands of the nanny and the maids began to wash and dress him familiarly. His hair was thin and soft like silk thread reflected in the mirror, and his bright purple eyes were exactly how he remembered. However, the peculiar soft lines of a child, and the arms and legs that have only begun to stretch out now, the body that does not even show signs of revealing the muscles have been forgotten from his memory for a long time. The texture of the lips, which he felt as it opened and closed again, was also the soft skin characteristic of a child. Leonhardt, who was in a situation where he could hardly believe his own eyes, tried to clear up his thoughts. 1. Only after the Empress dies, he regrets late 2. He asked the Witch of the clock tower. 3. Returning to the past to make the Empress happy. The appearance of the room, the presence of the nanny, and the sign under the side table reveal that he has probably returned to his childhood when he was 10 years old. Leonhardt quickly summarized his thoughts and concluded. From now on, he had to break the marriage between the empress and him. If she did not become the empress, it would be easier to solve. ¡®If you meet a man who suits you well other than the prince and live like an ordinary noble woman, at least you will never die for me, and maybe you will live happily.¡¯ Leonhardt, who decided to go to the former emperor, who is now his father, to break off his engagement, looked at the formal suit brought by the maid. ¡®That suit, I remember seeing it somewhere¡­?¡¯ ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°Today is an important day. You should wear these clothes even if you don¡¯t like it.¡± ¡°An important day?¡± ¡°Your Highness ! I told you last night that today is the first time you meet your fianc¨¦e, the crown princess, the young lady who will be the Empress. Your Highness, do you remember the name of her ladyship? huh?¡± ¡°Lady Elysium?¡± Leonhardt voiced in amazement and uttered the empress¡¯s family name. His head turned fast enough to make a flat sound. Why, why today? Leonhardt narrowed his eyes and shook his head in front of the clothes that the nanny had brought. ¡°Elizabeth Isolde has silver hair and compound eyes. That color is better than this one.¡± With that being said, the suit that Leonhardt pointed out was a dark blue color. ¡°¡­I will bring it right away!¡± Until now, it was obvious that the prince was the one who had turned the Imperial Palace upside down in a mess. Somehow, today the atmosphere seems strange, but the maid was relieved to learn that he remembers the name of the girl and her appearance accurately. Leonhardt, dressed in a navy blue suit ,with his nanny brushing his hair, was clutching his golden hair. ¡®If it¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s that day! I couldn¡¯t even say goodbye to Lizzie¡¯s words, there is a saying that if people are worried, they don¡¯t even go to the graveyard! I¡¯m not ready yet, but this is the first day I meet the empress?¡¯ ¡°Your Highness. What did you say is her ladyship name?¡± ¡°¡­Elizabeth Isolde von Elysium.¡± ¡°Good job. Even if you don¡¯t know anything else, you must remember her ladyship¡¯s name!¡± The hand held by the nanny was so tingling. Leonhard nodded silently. He was confident that he would never forget her name even though he didn¡¯t know anything else. ¡°¡­ Did you have a hard time sleeping last night¡­.?¡± ¡°Ah, it¡¯s nothing, it¡¯s just¡­ I¡¯m nervous when I think of meeting the person who will be my lifelong companion.¡± To be precise, they meet again. Leonhardt turned casually as it came out of his mouth, with a low voice, he recalled the day he met her and what she had written in her diary. ¡°It¡¯s like a spider web¡± ¡°You are the prince¡¯s fianc¨¦e? The Crown Princess? The future empress?¡± ¡°Do whatever you want. I¡¯m curious about how long you can withstand.¡± [For the first time, I met his Highness the Crown Prince, he hated my hair, saying it was like a spider web. My mother consulted with my father that they should hire a sorcerer to dye my hair] You¡¯re like a human horse breed! (T/n: probably saying he¡¯s an a**hole) Leonhardt rubbed his hair, which was neatly combed by the nanny, and bang his forehead on the table. ¡°!¡± An adult, not yet familiar with the child¡¯s body, thrusted his soft skin onto the hard wood, Leonhardt¡¯s cries burst out before the nanny¡¯s screams. *** Chapter 5 The residence of the Duke of Elysium was quite far from the palace. Leonhardt, let out a sigh in his nanny¡¯s arms, looked out of the window with a bored expression and fell in thoughts. The clock tower witch was the greatest wizard in the history of the empire. Thanks to her, he has returned to the past. The evidence was the sign under the room¡¯s table from when he was a child, and the nanny who had left the Imperial Palace on the day he formally became an adult, who had turned away from him when he last greeted her. Even today, it is no other day but the first day he¡¯s going to meet the young lady of Elysium, who will become the future empress. The witch gave him one last chance. Or maybe the witch who considered her, who had not been loved all her life, had cursed him to love her for the rest of his life, but that he would not be loved back by her. Either way, it didn¡¯t matter. Looking back, there were two things he felt guilty for. His last remaining conscience could not allow him to love her, to make her happy, nor to apologize. ¡°haizz¡­¡± Leonhardt sighed and continued his thoughts. In any case, he has returned to the past. The future is set. The gamble of getting out of it has no guarantees of success and the risk of failure was too high. Then there is only one thing to do: repeat the same future, but not repeat anything stupid. ¡°What if she refuses to be engaged to me?¡± ¡°Your Highness?¡± Even for a guy like him to come back to the past, but there was no law that she had to be the empress. No, rather, the Empress was the one who died for him, she deserves to enjoy a new life. Leonhardt pledged to accept her will if she refused to be engaged to him. ¡°That kind of unpleasant thing won¡¯t happen.¡± ¡­The nanny is right. In his memory, the Duke of Elysium was the one who had the power to put his eldest daughter into his bedroom on behalf of his own daughter. However, he still bit his lips in a feeling of somewhat dissatisfaction. Whether the Duke¡¯s character was an adult or a dog, the most important thing about their first meeting today was affairs about the engagement. ¡°But¡­what if she doesn¡¯t like my first impression.-¡± ¡°No way!¡± The nanny shook her head. ¡°What kind of lady could dare to reject such a beautiful person?¡± ¡­That was also true. Leonhardt nodded inwardly, thinking of himself in the portrait drawn when he was 13 or 14 years old. The amethyst-colored eyes, which only featured the orthodox successor of the imperial family, and the platinum-hair, fine jawline and the tall nose, inherited from his mother, the plump chest, which have not yet been exposed. Apparently, he was going to grow up into this proud handsome man. ¡°If you¡¯re so worried, why don¡¯t you bring a small gift?¡± ¡°Gift..¡± Leonhardt looked up. That¡¯s it, a gift¡­ ¡°What does Her Ladyship like?¡± Leonhardt bit his tongue into it. No matter how much he recalled, he had never given her a flower, let alone a precious jewel. However, the crown that he put on her head on the day of the empress¡¯s coronation could not be called a gift. Shouldn¡¯t I go buy a big diamond ring or a rose made of ruby now? ¡°She¡¯s also 8 years old this year. If you¡¯re that age, wouldn¡¯t you usually like dolls or small toys?¡± Eight years old. At the end, Leonhardt didn¡¯t give the order to turn the carriage to a jeweler. Young lady of Elysium, who he is going to meet from now on, was not the lady with a remote, creepy appearance on the day they got married, but a child of a young age who had to laugh and play innocently in the flower garden. ¡°You don¡¯t even know what your future wife likes, you¡¯re disqualified as her husband¡­¡± Leonhardt clasped his head and muttered. Shall we go to the toy store? If you go to the fabric shop, there will be a lot to choose from.. Isn¡¯t the most expensive one the best? But what if her ladyship¡¯s taste is surprisingly unpretentious? So what if she took his gift as a burden and stigmatized it as a waste of money as the first impression? Anxious thoughts continued as ones followed by the others. Leonhardt, who was scared and frightened as he began to worry about what an eight-year-old might like. Leonhardt, feeling a strangely quiet atmosphere, turned his gaze. The nanny and other maids were urgently hiding their happy smiles, turning their heads, staring outside. ¡±.. What¡¯s wrong with everybody?¡± ¡°No¡­ Nothing¡­ Your Highness. Oh, would you like a doll? It¡¯s a white-skinned figure made of porcelain. Her eyes are made out of glass beads and wears a silk dress, sophisticated shoes made by craftsmen¡­¡± ¡°I wonder if there is one such thing in her room? Since dolls are boring, how about flowers? There is no woman who wouldn¡¯t want flowers..¡± ¡°Flowers wither quickly, so what about books?¡± ¡°If her ladyship wants to become an adult quickly, children¡¯s perfumes and high-quality shoes are not bad!¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather wear a dress¡­¡± ¡°No, it must be a doll!¡± ¡°It¡¯s flowers!¡± ¡°Books!¡± ¡°Everyone quiet ! !¡± The nanny, who at once silenced the maids who were beginning to fight over whether good dolls or good books, pulled Leonhardt, who was sitting in the corner of the carriage with a little tired look, to her side. ¡°If your Highness truly considers the honor and chooses carefully, even if it is a wild flower on the side of the road, the lady will be happy to accept it.¡± ¡°How do you guarantee that?¡± ¡°A gift from the heart is as important as the value of the object.¡± ¡°¡­is it.¡± Leonhardt fell into trouble again. He wanted to give her all the dolls, books, and flowers she liked. But he wanted to give something special other than those ordinary things. It was a reunion to himself, but it was the first time to her. He wanted to make the first impression as good as possible. Not for atonement, but purely for her happy smile. ¡® From the point of putting the band-aid on the forehead, the good first impression seems to have already blown away¡­ ¡® Leonhardt smiled bitterly and sighed once again. *** Chapter 6 *** ¡°We are now at the Elysium Mansion. We¡¯re just going to say hello today, so don¡¯t worry about not preparing a gift. Right! Rather, why don¡¯t you take this opportunity to ask her what she likes?¡± ¡°Me? Directly?¡± The heads of the maids, including the nanny, nodded up and down in harmony as if they¡¯re one. Leonhardt, with the help of the nanny, got off as soon as possible, hiding his messy expression. At the nanny¡¯s explanation,the place he thought was a forest road right now is actually just an entrance to the mansion, Leonhardt humed and pulled out information about the Elysium family from his memory. ¡°Well then, the first empress of the empire was also the honor of Elysium, right? In a way, it¡¯s like coming to a very distant relative¡¯s house. Your HIghness the Crown Prince, please be kind to the Lady. First impressions are the most important.¡± The residence of Elysium was a mansion made of pure white stone to the point that the word ¡®temple¡¯ would fit it. Leonhard refused the hand of the nanny and climbed down the marble staircase on his own. At the entrance to the main building, made entirely of white stone, the Duke and Duchess of Elysium and others were waiting for him. ¡°I greet the little sun of the empire.¡± Leonhardt looked up upon the Duke of Elysium. Beside was the duchess dressed in a fancy dress gracefully bent her knees to greet him. However, Leonhardt¡¯s gaze was already fixed on the future empress, who was standing next to him with a blue-stirred expression that seemed to be out of breath. ¡°Is her ladyship feeling uncomfortable anywhere?¡± Leonhardt said, looking straight into the eyes of Duke Elysium. The Duke, with silver hair passed down from the generations of Elysium, was visibly embarrassed by the unexpected question from the prince. ¡°It¡¯s her first time seeing your Highness, so she must be very nervous. I¡¯ll take you inside. Madam, would you mind rearranging Isolde¡¯s attire?¡± The duke forcibly lifted the corner of his mouth facing Leonhardt. ¡®Was the Duke this kind of person?¡¯ In his memory, the Duke of Elysium was more than this¡­ he seemed to be a good person, at least in hiding the expressions peculiar to nobles. It was easy to guess the reason why Isolde was named after her decent name Elizabeth. The name Isolde was like a declaration that he would make his daughter an empress no matter what. The Duke of Elysium himself opened the door and guided Leonhardt in. The Young miss and the duchess resigned first with a light greeting and stepped into the branch building. *** Elizabeth Isolde von Elysium. The only Young lady of Elysium, who is born the prince¡¯s fiancee, and would later become the empress, was pushed to the floor by her mother as soon as she returned to her room. ¡°kya-¡± ¡°I have warned you so much!¡± ¡°Mother! Wrong! The corset¡­ The corset is too stuffy, so¡­¡± ¡°How many times have I said that you should catch the Crown Prince¡¯s eye?! I said the first impression is important!¡± Elizabeth waited on her knees and clung onto the Duchess. ¡°Show your calf!¡± ¡°Mother! Please forgive me once, only this once!¡± However, the duchess grabbed the hem of her dress, and removed her begging little daughter roughly, as she¡¯s dealing with her daughter, she pulled out a dress from the dressing closet and a rod. ¡°hurry!¡± Elizabeth was almost out of breath. When she pulled out a new dress, it meant at least hitting her until she had blood on the hem of her dress. Moreover, the rod she took out today was none other than that made of wood. Elizabeth knelt down and begged for mercy. Her breathing gradually became faster. Even if she hadn¡¯t, she didn¡¯t know if she would really faint from crying or being hit while the corset was interfering with her breathing until the calf bone broke. ¡°Mother, please forgive me. Oh, or please allow me to loosen the corset¡­¡± ¡°Well, then, if you don¡¯t cry, wouldn¡¯t it be okay! How dare you to make up excuses! Hurry up and show your calves Why don¡¯t you understand that all these teachings are for your own good, Isolde. Huh?¡± Desperate, Elizabeth grabbed the chest of drawers and got up, she lifted the hem of her dress, grasped her breathing. She would be able to breathe if she didn¡¯t cry as her mother said. She¡¯s only eight years old. It¡¯s harsh for a young lady this age who is supposed to laugh innocently while playing in the flower garden, to wear a tight-fitting corset, high-heeled shoes, and a heavy dress. In order to correct the elegant steps beneath it, the marks of the wooden rod, which had added two hits at once, remained as deep scars on her as if it would never be able to recuperate. A whack flew over the wound that had not healed yet. The sound of whipping began to tear not only air but also the young skin. ¡°Ahh!¡± ¡°Why are you making such a fuss! Get up immediately! Isolde!¡± ¡°Mother!¡± Eventually, Elizabeth collapsed on the spot after three whips. There was no way that such a delicate body could withstand the heavy numerous hits all over the body as the duchess smacked down with all her strength. The duchess¡¯s footsteps are now right in front of Elizabeth¡¯s face. ¡°It¡¯s all for your sake. Why don¡¯t you realize that this mother¡¯s heart that beats you hurts more¡­¡± ¡°heung¡­heung¡­mother¡­wrong¡­please forgive¡­¡± The duke¡¯s wife, who was striking her daughter¡¯s calf without hesitation with a sullen face, lifted the chin of her still young daughter with a more compassionate face. The Duchess tenderly wiped the messed up face with tears and runny nose by a silk handkerchief with a gentle hand, then raised her body. Her tender touch that she¡¯d felt a while ago seemed to be an illusion as her face turned bitter again. ¡± Get up, look at what you¡¯re wearing! I¡¯ve said that you should always be neat! You still need education. When you become an empress, you¡¯ll be grateful to us. Huh? Isolde. Get up, come on!¡± ¡± ¡°Mother¡­ heug¡­ it hurts so much. Please¡­ please forgive me once. Yes? Till then, you can beat me twice as much, so please¡­!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mess with me!¡± knock knock knock. Elizabeth and the duchess¡¯s gaze simultaneously turned to the door. The Duchess¡¯s face turned pale. The only time the Duchess¡¯s face had ever turned pale was when the Duke of Elysium personally disciplined her. The rod used by the duke was seemingly an ordinary ebony rod, but the inside was filled with lead so it was very heavy. On the day her mother was ¡®educated¡¯, she raised her voice to the duke for the first time, asking him what he would do if Elizabeth¡¯s bones broke and she would be caught when she became an empress. Elizabeth prayed that it wasn¡¯t her father out there. ¡°Madam, can I come in?¡± ¡°Sleep, please wait for a while. Isolde¡¯s physical condition has rapidly deteriorated and she has just fallen asleep in her bed.¡± With a glance and a chin gesture, the Duchess ordered Elizabeth to go to bed. Elizabeth, who was not in a state of walking, crawled on her knees, lied on bed and closed her eyes tightly. After the day her father¡¯s cane broke. Her mother hadn¡¯t encountered her father¡¯s ¡®education¡¯, but it¡¯s more like good news to her. Please, may father be convinced and go back. Elizabeth prayed again. ¡°Then I at least have to look at her face for a moment.¡± A strange voice was heard. The duchess¡¯s face was even paler. Chapter 7 The Duke of Elysium was a mean, hypocritical, and ignorant man who was weak to the strong and strong to the weak. rod? corset? High-heeled shoes and harsh etiquette training? It was all for his daughter. To be precise, it¡¯s for the honor of the family and something more valuable that the daughter who became the empress would bring; it¡¯s a self-rationalization that he repeated on a daily basis. If someone gets angry with him, saying, ¡°You¡¯re playing a sword on a young child!¡±, he¡¯d pretend that he didn¡¯t know why the other person was angry. ¡®Wouldn¡¯t it be a good thing for it to be in the hands of parents, not that of others, since it would stimulate the daughter¡¯s feelings of guilt more and make sure that there is no such mistake in the future?¡¯ He would answer. Ironically, he was called the imperial libra in the social circle. Of course, it wasn¡¯t a good balance. A balance that placed his family on one plate , and everything else on the other side, and is forced to be balanced by exchanging a beautiful and perfectly made weight called ¡°daughter¡± whenever the scale tilted. Before him, the little sun of the empire, the Lord to be enshrined, and his son-in-law, was merely a heavy weight on the plate of the other side. The Duke wondered if his daughter, who had been married from the womb, would be worthy enough to tip the scales while there was a lord who is heavier than her. ¡°The young lady is late..¡± ¡°.. she¡¯s still a young child, so it takes a long time to change her clothes. There are many things she¡¯s still lacking that she needs to be educated so she won¡¯t be in the way of the imperial family¡¯s honor¡­¡± ¡°Education¡­¡± Leonhardt stopped the butler from pouring milk into his cup. Leonhardt, who had emptied his glass at once without blowing it, grinned, put his elbows on both knees, and clasped his hands underneath his chin. ¡®Damn, it¡¯s still hot and astringent on the child¡¯s tongue¡­.¡¯ Leonhardt wasn¡¯t satisfied with the taste of black tea in his mouth. Children¡¯s senses were much more sensitive than adults¡¯. For example, at this moment, the young miss, who said she had gone to change clothes, was crying her heart out, and the sound of her begging someone was vivid to the ears of young Leonhardt. ¡°I think the young lady is quite late, but if you excuse me, would it be okay to go to pick her up? She is the person who will be my companion in the near future anyway¡­ ¡± ¡° H-however¡­¡± ¡°I know that it takes a long time for a lady to get dressed, but if we have to wait long enough for the tea to be poured three times ¡­ ¡° Leonhardt sipped the black tea that the butler had filled his cup again. It was definitely the brand he was looking for, but it was terribly bitter, astringent, and hot. The Duke took him to his daughter¡¯s room, thinking that it would have been enough because it had been too long, as Leonhardt said, for a light education. In the Elysium mansion, the second largest room after the room of the duke and duchess was Elizabeth¡¯s room. In addition to the bedroom, the room is equipped with a library for learning etiquette and writing, a dressing room full of dresses tailored for each season, a bathroom and even a small kitchen and dining room for practicing dining etiquette. It was like a cage. Duke Elysium, knocking on a white door made of platinum, even the hinges connecting the doors, focused on the sound in the room. In any case, if the ¡®education¡¯ wasn¡¯t over, they would have to continue to enjoy a gritty teatime with the prince. ¡°Sleep, please wait a moment. Isolde¡¯s condition deteriorated dramatically and she has just fallen asleep in bed.¡± Beyond the door, a voice of embarrassment was heard. Duke Elysium glanced down at Leonhardt, feeling his heart pounding. The little imperial sun, still barely coming to his waist, was crossing his arms and smiling. Somehow, the smile seemed to mean ¡®I know everything.¡¯ Duke Elysium gulped. ¡°Unfortunately, Isolde has been a weak child since birth.¡­¡± ¡°Then I have to at least look at her face for a moment.¡± Duke Elysium was appalled at the sight from the Prince¡¯s back, the white door was opened all of a sudden. However, the meaning of the Duke¡¯s astonished expression was ¡®Even though you two will be married in the future, how dare you enter the Lady¡¯s room without permission? What if you¡¯re disappointed by Isolde¡¯s lack in appearance and insist on doing something about the engagement?¡¯ Leonhardt frowned at the bloody atmosphere that filled the room. Even If it wasn¡¯t for the child¡¯s sensitive senses, it was clearly the smell of blood. Elizabeth¡¯s room was a splendid room that seemed to have no shortcomings, it¡¯s truly the kind of room in which the daughter of the duke resided. The pure white bed is covered with a silk drapery like a mist of water, and the white cushion on the white sofa is raised in perfect shape as if it has never been used, the white rug, white wallpaper, white window sill, desk and¡­. ¡®Even the hospital¡¯s room will be less traumatic than this.¡¯ It was white all over. No matter how luxurious it is, if you live in a place like this every day, you must have gone crazy. Let alone, she¡¯s only eight years old, and at this age you have to touch a lot of things and engrave a variety of colours on your eyes, even the covers on the bookshelf is white¡­. Leonhardt kicks his tongue inwardly and turns to the bed, he suddenly discovered that the Duchess is hiding something behind her back. ¡°Madam.¡± ¡°¡­Ha, that¡¯s me.¡± Leonhardt stared at the Duchess inquiringly. The duchess couldn¡¯t look straight into his eyes, like someone who was uncomfortable somewhere, she bit her lips anxiously. She stared at the ceiling, then turned her gaze back to the carpet, repeatedly. He said, ¡°I heard she was uncomfortable, but she didn¡¯t even take off her shoes and lie straight on her bed. Would it be okay for her not to call the doctor?¡± Leonhardt intended to point out that she hadn¡¯t even removed the corset, but quickly replaced it with shoes. A ten-year-old didn¡¯t have to know about Lady¡¯s underwear yet. ¡°Ah¡­. You don¡¯t have to worry because we have a family doctor. More than that. As you can see, Isolde is not in a state where she can see her guest¡­.¡± Lies. The Duchess was hiding something. I¡¯m in the position of reigning on an only 10-year-old, right? The Duchess thought, as Leonhardt looked straight into her eyes again, she flinched without knowing. As soon as the prince entered the room, the atmosphere changed so quickly that the direction of the wind surrounding the boy took a different turn. Elizabeth, who was lying in bed, unable to make a sound, breathless. Through the conversation of her father and mother¡¯s embarrassed voice, and an unfamiliar voice she heard for the first time, she can roughly guess who was the master of that beautiful voice. And as soon as she noticed who the owner of the voice was, Elizabeth began to cry out breathlessly. ¡®I¡¯d rather have fainted.¡¯ she thought. She tried not to cry as much as she could, but her legs were so sore and, above all, it was painful as if a corner of her heart was torn. She wanted to say that she¡¯s here, that her leg hurts, but she couldn¡¯t stand. But if she did, it was clear that the lady would be considered to act frivolously and be scolded all night for making a fool out of herself. ¡°But since I¡¯m here, I want to see her face asleep¡­.¡± As the voice was getting closer, Elizabeth shut her eyes even tighter. ¡°Excuse me for a moment.¡± Chapter 8 A light breeze blew over her eyelids, and the fluffy bed shook. In the wind, Elizabeth opened her eyes unconsciously. A boy, beautiful like a doll, was sitting next to her, looking at her. His violet-colored eyes were full of sadness. Elizabeth defined it as sadness, but it was actually a more complex emotion. Leonhardt tried to put together the puzzles in his head through a tearful face, a slightly thicker scent of blood, and a glimpse of what that woman had just hid behind her back as he glanced past the Duchess. ¡®Yes¡­ it was like that¡­ ¡® How ironical. The day he first met her, he spat out an expletive toward a girl who was limping, struggling to walk on her own. He made fun of her barely combed hair as a spiderweb, and her pretense to be elegant and dignified while she¡¯s having a limp, and he began to talk nasty words. Actually, it wasn¡¯t like that. It was clear that her hair would have been sporadic, and that she would have been unable to walk properly because of those hits on both legs under her skirt, which was invisible to others. Leonhardt had to bite his tongue when the duke himself took off his daughter¡¯s shoes. For an eight-year-old, shoes with those heels did not seem to be easy to walk on, even if with fine legs. It was entirely his misunderstanding and grumpiness. There was nothing wrong with her. It was him who misunderstood her, and it was all his fault for taking his anger out at her and even hurt her. Leonhardt clenched his fists so tight that the white silk sheet was messed with wrinkles. Regret, grief and anger were mixed at the same time, his head was a mess. Meanwhile, Elizabeth thought that she really wanted to pass out this time. She showed the worst first impression of a face that was messed up by crying to someone who would become her companion in the future. She usually heard from her mother how wonderful His Highness was, but he was much more magnificent than the story of the Prince she heard. Growing up in an all-white dukedom, it was her first to see a bright purple as vivid as Leonhardt¡¯s eyes. But why was he looking so sad? Was he like that because she didn¡¯t match with his expectation? She should have acted a little more gracefully as her mother said, he must have been disappointed? ¡°Are¡­you alright?¡± Elizabeth blinked her big eyes. It was a practice that she learned when she memorized a book, and she did not remember any court language. ¡°Don¡¯t be sad¡­¡± Elizabeth, receiving worry from someone for the first time, was mistaken that Leonhardt was grieving. ¡®I¡¯m sure you don¡¯t like me¡­.¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m sad?! I? No, My lady, I¡¯m worried about you right now.¡± ¡°You are¡­worried¡­?¡± What is that? Elizabeth blinked again. Each time, the long, silvery eyelashes, wet with tears blurred her front. Leonhardt¡¯s eyes were not as visible anymore. It was a pretty violet that she¡¯s seen for the first time since she was born. She wanted to see it a little more¡­.. ¡°Worry is¡­ right. It¡¯s a heart that wants My lady¡¯s body and mind to be peaceful.¡± ¡°¡­! I am not sick!¡± He couldn¡¯t find a single sincerity in the answer that came out reflexively like a mechanical doll. Leonhardt sighed with a heavy heart. He wanted to show the lady the best first impression. Somehow, she was completely upset. ¡°Can you walk?¡± ¡°Sure!¡± lie. At that time, you were limping as if you were going to fall down anytime soon. Leonhardt stopped Elizabeth, who was trying to get up with a light gesture, and pointed to the duke, who belatedly removed her shoes. ¡°I think these shoes are too high-heeled for her ladyship to wear.. Are there no shoes a little more comfortable?¡± ¡°Yes, yes?¡± The Duke and Duchess looked confused at the same time. Her shoe cabinet was filled with all sorts of colorful shoes, from shoes with crystal ornaments on silk ribbons made by craftsmen, to shoes made of bent glass, but the comfortable shoes the Prince spoke of were nowhere to be found.. ¡°Unfortunately, Isolde was so stubborn that she wanted to become an adult as soon as possible¡­ ¡± ¡°is that so¡­¡± Seeing the Duke casually telling him blatant lies, Leonhardt put ¡°comfortable shoes¡± at the top of his list of gifts for her in his mind. ¡°What color does My lady like?¡± Leonhardt asked Elizabeth directly. ¡°Yes?¡± Elizabeth replied, with a dumbfounded look. ¡°Purple. Violet-like purple, like the eyes of his highness the Crown Prince¡­ No, no. I love white, white the most! Really!¡± ¡°Really?¡± Leonhardt was watching carefully where Elizabeth¡¯s eyes were rolling. She was clearly looking at the duke behind his back. Leonhardt changed his posture and completely blocked the duke out from Elizabeth¡¯s view. And he asked again. ¡°Do you really like white the most?¡± Elizabeth was a little anxious when she couldn¡¯t see her parents. Maybe it¡¯s a good thing? Should she answer that it is white? Chapter 9 ¡°¡­Do you know the moment when the sky is seen through the leaves in summer, it¡¯s so bright that it almost seems to be giving off light through the green layers?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve seen it.¡± ¡± I like that color the most, but this is a secret! My parents told me that I liked white the most, so I should like white.¡± ¡°¡­ Not from now on.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± What¡¯s not? I¡¯m not your Highness¡¯s fiancee? Or is it that I shouldn¡¯t like blue? ¡°The young miss likes the same blue color as her eyes, but it seems that this room is lacking that color.¡± Leonhardt stood up. That hard tone is a tone that you wouldn¡¯t see an eight-year-old kid use anywhere. It¡¯s just an opinion. Leonhardt laughed as he said so. However, the Duke understood the meaning behind those words, he clenched his fist. How dare he intervene with his in-law family¡¯s matters when they haven¡¯t even held an official engagement ceremony¡­.! But the Duke knew very well that his son-in-law, the Crown Prince was enraged. ¡°¡­Thank you for your thoughtful remark.¡± ¡°When her ladyship is well, I will come to see her again.¡± Elizabeth reached for Leonhardt¡¯s hem as she jumped out of her bed. But her hand slided past Leonhardt¡¯s hem. Instead, it was Leonhardt¡¯s hand that held hers. ¡°I hope you will have recovered next time I come.¡± Elizabeth nodded unconsciously. The hand of her fianc¨¦, whom she met for the first time, was very large, warm, and he was holding her hand firmly as if clinging onto something that would disappear any time. *** ¡°How was it?¡± As the nanny questioned, gazes of the maids focused on him. Leonhardt looked out of the window and scratched his cheek. ¡°¡­Buy a pair of shoes on the way back.¡± The maids¡¯ tumultuous chatter filled the wagon. Leonhardt left them be and wondered what could be done for Elizabeth. The first thing that seemed urgent is to get her out of the Dukedom. If he left her in that state until the betrothal and formally entered the palace as crown princess, then apparently the same tragedy would repeat. ¡®All I want to do right now is to get her out of the Duke¡¯s house, and bring her to my side¡­.¡¯ However, they both must be at least 10 years old to be officially engaged. Leonhardt sighed as he tried to calculate each other¡¯s age. In the meantime, the carriage arrived at the shoe workshop of the best craftsman in the Empire. ¡®Why do women have so many kinds of shoe to wear?¡¯ It was Leonhardt¡¯s first impression of arriving at the shop. For court banquets, spring outings, prom dinners, tea parties, dance practice shoes for the prom, traveling boots and boots for daily use. Boxes of shoes piled up like a tower on the table. ¡°High-heeled shoes are also popular among young ladies. To meet the demands of young ladies who want to look a little more adult-like, in our workshop, we don¡¯t make shoes that are uncomfortable even with high heels¡­¡± Leonhardt shook his head, interrupting the clerk¡¯s words and called the craftsman himself. The craftsman couldn¡¯t even have the chance to take off his work clothes when he heard that the prince had visited the workshop in person, and ran straight to him. ¡®Bring everything that suits an 8-year-old child.¡¯ The prideful boy was staring at the shoes in the box with a displeased expression. To deal with such a high-ranking person, the master craftsman patiently pulled out another box. Come to think of it, isn¡¯t his Highness the Crown Prince turning 10 this year? The craftsman smiled, thinking that he might have met a young miss he liked. Even his grandson, about the prince¡¯s age, was also unusual these days, looking at shoes for girls or consulting him about what kind of shoes would suit his lovable one, as if that would be a friend¡¯s job. Then the craftsman asked the most important thing, it could not be helped regardless of age and status. ¡°Do you know the size of the young miss¡¯s foot-wear?¡± ¡°Of course¡­¡± Of course¡­ he didn¡¯t know. Leonhardt spread his palm and tried to demonstrate it¡¯s ballpark figure, but he realized that it was too much to explain with a child¡¯s hand and fell into despair. ¡°If the lady has stopped by our workshop, there should be set up samples. If you excuse me, may I know the name of the young miss?¡± ¡°Elizabeth Isolde von Elysium.¡± The craftsman¡¯s eyes widened instantly, the Elysium family was also one of his guests, as it is the best workshop in the empire. One of the apprentices who made her shoes kicked his tongue, complaining how an 8-year-old child could walk in those things. Not only her parents but His Highness the Crown Prince also intend to get her that kind of shoes too? The craftsman brought out her shoe pattern, thinking that if it truly happened, he would somehow stop the prince. ¡°¡­ Small.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°They are ridiculously small, is this really the size of her feet? How can she walk with those tiny feet?¡± ¡°¡­.. Your Highness is also wearing a size that doesn¡¯t look so much different¡­.this is about the average size for the miss¡¯s age.¡± Leonhardt looked down at his feet and blushed. He was only ten himself. How funny it turned out to be to see a little boy say something small the moment he looked at his own shoes. Leonhardt coughed awkwardly then got back to requesting some conditions from the craftsman. ¡°It should be light, get rid of all the high heels.¡± ¡°But if you¡¯ve already worn high-heeled shoes at such a young age¡­. pardon?!¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m telling you to break all of those damn heels! Make them from comfortable materials so that child can walk and run freely, dragon skin or anything is fine, just so that she¡¯s able to walk properly!¡± The craftsman responded to the Prince¡¯s completely unexpected remark by blinking his eyes a beat late. ¡°Shoes without heels¡­..copy that.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need jewelry, so make it lighter, right, I¡¯d rather they had embroidery.¡± ¡°Embroidery? Embroidery on a silk background would be fine¡­ They will make lovely shoes suitable for spring. Do you have any patterns or phrases you want?¡± Leonhardt fell into trouble for a moment, the craftsman smiled looking down at him. The craftsman would be making them himself, so they had to be of the highest quality. But embroidery¡­hmm¡­ What is the best phrase or pattern that suits the finest materials? Leonhardt racked his little brain. ¡°¡­ embroider the blue forget-me-not flowers.¡± ¡°Forget-me-not¡­huh? Your Highness knows quite a bit of romance.¡± ¡°I-It not like that! Just¡­ because her ladyship said she likes the color blue¡­ ¡° ¡°If it¡¯s blue flowers, there are other flowers, and if you want, you could engrave a blue rose that doesn¡¯t exist in the world?¡± The craftsman continued to laugh while looking at Leonhardt. Leonhardt stared at the craftsman with murderous eyes stating that he would kill him if he went any further. Oh, how scary, the craftsman displayed an exaggeratedly scared attitude. Leonhardt frowned, cooling his hot face with the back of his hand. ¡®It¡¯s just because forget-me-not is the only blue flower that I remember. Never forget me¡­I didn¡¯t mean that, just that¡­ simply because she likes blue. That¡¯s why I did it.¡¯ Leonhardt made up an excuse for himself, somehow he felt like everyone was making fun of him, including the staff in the store. *** Chapter 10 Upon returning to the Imperial Palace, Leonhardt ran to his desk right away and took out a paper. [Life Plan] ¡®Holy shit! You can¡¯t even write properly with a child¡¯s hand?!¡¯ Leonhardt, crossed a line over the wrong spelling and took out a new paper and wrote it down again [The ¡®life¡¯ plan]. Even though he became an emperor at a young age and was able to manage his state¡¯s affairs well, he did not remember every single day of his childhood. Except for the date and places. He remembered what happened and why. ¡®You can¡¯t get caught by anyone.¡¯ Leonhardt pondered for a moment, then began to write down the big events that influenced his life while holding the pen in his left hand to invert the text. [X month X day, first meeting with the Empress.] [On X month X day, the wedding ceremony with the empress was held.] [X month X day, mother¡¯s death.] Leonhardt¡¯s pen paused. He agonized for a while in front of the incident that had pushed half of his life into the shadows. If this tragedy could be prevented, then things might have been happier not only for himself, but also for Father and Elizabeth. Leonhardt bit his lip and eventually continued to write down events in his memory. A few more ciphertexts had been completed by the clumsy peculiar handwriting of the child. It looks like graffiti that you can¡¯t understand unless you see it through a mirror. Leonhardt stared at it for a long time, after which sneaked underneath the desk drawer and hid the papers. The next day, the maid, who was in charge of the prince¡¯s room, found a stack of paper with sprawling lines drawn on it. ¡°Oh my goodness?¡± ¡°Look at this. It¡¯s called [Life Plan]?¡± ¡°Since when did our Prince have such a cute sider?¡± *** An invitation came from the Duke of Elysium. Leonhardt went straight to the Duke¡¯s residence instead of writing a reply. He still didn¡¯t know how much strength he should give his hands, so his strokes were often oblique. Except for that, he was now used to the small hands and feet and the face of a handsome nobleman to some extent. He was worried that somebody might be suspicious of the unconsciously protruding grown-ups or difficult words and speech that he used, but that was also a relief. People were having too much trouble raising the prince that they¡¯re relieved thinking he had finally matured. ? ¡®I used to be a little stupid as a child, but this is too much¡­.¡¯ On the day he went to the Elysium Duchy again, Leonhardt thought with an awkward smile at his nanny¡¯s praise for being unknowingly calm. The fact that he was going to see her again left Leonhardt unable to sleep all night, tossed and turned on his spacious bed. Would it be better to bring something other than the present he¡¯d prepared? Should he buy blue hydrangea on the way? Or should he buy a doll? Did the Duke really understand his advice? Worry and excitement, one followed another, made him hardly fall asleep. Thanks to that, when he woke up in his nanny¡¯s arms after a contented rest, he had already arrived at the Duke¡¯s residence. The second visit to Duke¡¯s residence, he was still greeted with a white and noble figure like a temple. This time, instead of the Duke, the butler faced him. Leonhardt exchanged formal greetings with the Duke and headed for Elizabeth¡¯s room. The duke or duchess should be left dealing with the nanny and maids.The only person he should focus on right now was Elizabeth. ¡°My lady, can I go in?¡± ¡°Co-come in!¡± Elizabeth replied with a trembling voice. After His Highness the Crown Prince left, her parents began to put one or two blue objects in that all-white room. It was like a dream. That was only the start, the shoeboxes started to be filled with low-heeled shoes one by one, and something incredible happened this morning. As usual, hold onto the bedpost, about to insanely scratch on it! Elizabeth, who had been mentally prepared to tighten the corset by the maid, looked back in dismay when the maid did not conduct that suffocating process. Her mother, who was watching the maid about to tighten the corset with a cold and elegant attitude, like a glass doll, prevented the maid by holding onto her arm. ¡°¡­ make sure you become a lady worthy of His HIghness the Crown Prince.¡± This was the first time since the day she first wore a corset. *** The door opened and she heard footsteps. Was he still worried about her that his eyes might look sad again? That was what Elizabeth was concerned about the most . The prince was holding a small box in his arms. Fortunately, there was no worry in his eyes. After lightly looking around the changed room, he placed the box on the table and beckoned her to come close. Elizabeth quietly approached him. It was a fluffy carpet, but her feet, in high-heeled shoes, were already throbbing. ¡°It¡¯s yours.¡± With that being said, Leonhardt opened the box. A white box tied with a blue ribbon on top was opened, followed by the rustling sound of paper. Elizabeth was wearing high-heeled shoes, which made the tip of her toes hurt. She looked like about to cry. ¡®I want to grow up quickly like His Highness¡­ ,¡¯ Until the period of full-fledged growth, Leonhardt who had been steadily shorter than his age, would make a bitter smile if he knew what she was thinking. Elizabeth quietly waited for him to take out the object he said was ¡®hers¡¯ from the box. What he took out was a pair of shoes. The unknown blue flowers embroidered on the white silk background were very beautiful. Leonhardt then flipped shoes over. ¡®huh?¡¯ ¡°Your Highness. Could it be that the shoemaker has made a mistake? These shoes have a flat base¡­¡± ¡°No.¡± With a blunt utterance, Leonhardt sat Elizabeth on the chair. ¡°Excuse me for a moment.¡± ¡°Kya! You-Your Highness!¡± Leonhardt knelt down in front of Elizabeth without hesitation. And she frowned for a moment at a pitch high scream. Her feet, wrapped in white silk socks, were wearing high-heeled shoes that would be eye-pricking to look at. ¡°Your Highness. You can¡¯t do this. Can you please let go? Your Highness the Crown Prince!¡± ¡°Shh, be quiet. If you stay calm, it will be over soon, alright?¡± Damn, why the hell was he talking like that with the body of a child. Leonhardt took off Elizabeth¡¯s shoes, swearing inwardly. He didn¡¯t like it because it reminded him of how unscrupulous her parents were . Elizabeth was completely distressed, she had no clue what to do. She told herself to stay calm, but her body was trembling nonstop. Elizabeth clenched her fists and somehow applied strength to her legs to calm her body. Prince Leonhardt took off her heavy shoes and put her feet over his knees. Elizabeth thought she was fortunate that the tights she wore today were thick enough. The high-heeled shoes drove her weight to the tips of her toes, and by that, her toes had been completely contorted. She did not want to show such an unsightly appearance to His Highness the Crown Prince. As Elizabeth could barely breathe, Leonhardt put on the shoes he had bought for her and tied the ribbons himself. Leonhardt, wearing the last shoe to the other foot, rose with a satisfied expression. ¡°Try standing up.¡± Elizabeth stepped down from her chair. She was amazed. Chapter 11 ¡®It¡¯s comfortable.¡¯ Low-heeled, no. Shoes without heels felt very awkward, but at the same time very comfortable. ¡®Is the carpet this soft? My toes don¡¯t hurt! It¡¯s not bulky and it¡¯s not heavy. Oh my God, do the winged shoes worn by the mythical gods look like this?¡¯ For the first time, Elizabeth realized how cramped the shoes she had been wearing were. She had to hold back the thought of wanting to walk around the room. She was an elegant lady, she¡¯d learned that she should not act frivolously under any circumstance. Her mother said that she would have tea time in the garden with His HIghness the Crown Prince today. Just imagining walking on the hard brick road in the garden with high-heeled shoes would be very painful. But wouldn¡¯t it be a little different with these comfortable shoes? Leonhardt glanced at Elizabeth. On the plain white carpet, she was walking with a light gait, as if stepping on a cloud. It was a sunny spring day. Green grass was growing all over the garden, as if a piece of freezing cloud in the winter had been removed, soaked in green paint, and tapped onto the brown ground. ¡°It¡¯s good for a young child to fool around carefreely like ordinary children.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± Just before heading out to the garden, Leonhardt muttered as he looked at Elizabeth, the desire to walk freely under the sun was written all over her face, which she was desperately holding back. Rustle. As Elizabeth stepped onto the lawn, startled at the unfamiliar sound she had never heard, she took a half step back. Rustle. Then, the sound she had heard a while ago continued again. Elizabeth later recognized that it was the sound of her footsteps. She didn¡¯t make any noise when she wore high-heeled shoes, but she¡¯s now making such loud footsteps! What if His Highness is disappointed? Before she could fully enjoy the texture of the soft grass, she started worrying about it. Elizabeth walked cautiously, staring only at the ground, so no footsteps could possibly be heard. Whenever there was a rustling sound, it was amazing to see the small grass that laid down by her body raised again. She could feel the soil that melted in the warm sun of spring beneath the soles of my feet. ¡®I thought dirt roads were more difficult to walk on than well-paved brick roads!¡¯ The spring soil was much softer than the white carpet in her room, and it was a strange smell that she¡¯d smelled for the first time. Leonhardt felt proud that he had done well by deciding to cross the lawn instead of the well-maintained trail. It might be a bit sad for the Duchy¡¯s gardeners if they saw this, but it¡¯s not his fault. A table prepared for two was seen in the distance. Leonhardt broke off, he let go of Elizabeth¡¯s hand, walked with strides, took a seat first, and sat down. Left alone, Elizabeth stood still with a puzzled expression. ¡°What are you doing? Come on.¡± At Leonhardt¡¯s blunt words, Elizabeth started running in haste. Seeing that, Leonhard gave a satisfied expression. Even though she had been wearing heeled shoes for a while, she didn¡¯t like the idea of walking in with those heels so as her footsteps wouldn¡¯t make a sound.. ¡®I can¡¯t do this. If her mother knows, I¡¯m definitely going to be scolded. However¡­ .¡¯ Patter, patter, patter, the sound of footsteps tickling in her ears was just as good to hear as the sound of streams flowing. The grass that she stepped on with her entire sole was much softer than when she walked with heels. At times, when the grass survived through the winter brushed her ankles, an appalling, ticklish sensation passed through her body to the point of giving her goosebumps. ¡®I want to walk a little more.¡¯ It was the first thought that flashed through her mind since she was able to walk on her own. How can walking be so much fun! She could walk on the lawn all day like this. ¡®I¡¯m totally obsessed.¡¯ *** Leonhardt rested his chin on the back of his hand and fixed his gaze on Elizabeth from over the table. Instead of sweet sweets that are perfect for a child¡¯s taste, he longed for cinnamon sweets with a unique salty taste that spread in his mouth. But Leonhardt, who had learned from several experiences what would happen if he ate such a thing with his young delicate body, quietly bit into a cookie full of sugar. Although Elizabeth fully understood that it was not just rude, but also blasphemy to Leonhardt, her partner on the other side of the table, the thought of wanting to walk on the lawn for another while filled her mind and she couldn¡¯t concentrate on tea time. Putting down her little teacup and secretly fidgeting her fingers under her table, Elizabeth let out a sigh. ¡°Isn¡¯t it fun?¡± Elizabeth, who had been holding back the desire to run around whilst nervously scratching her thumbs, raised her head. She looked just like a little rabbit peeking out from the bushes, and Leonhardt put on a broad smile. It was then that Elizabeth noticed that Leonhardt no longer had sad eyes. He was smiling. Why? What she did today was blasphemous and it¡¯s the only thing she shouldn¡¯t have done as a lady? ¡°Elysium, no. Elizabeth.¡± Without realizing it, Elizabeth sat back with her back straighten. Is it possible that the Crown Prince intended to rebuke her? Elizabeth was terrified and nervous. Leonhardt only called her name once, but Elizabeth looked like a frightened rabbit, he felt that bitter taste in his mouth again. The Duke¡¯d took his advice and brought non-white colored objects into her room. The Duke must have told the Duchess as well, as the dress she wore today was a dress that looked quite comfortable. And the shoes she was wearing, which he had put on himself, were heelless shoes with ribbons and embroidery on them. But still, he thought she was lacking something. She didn¡¯t know how to express her want, her desire for something. No, she didn¡¯t even know what she wanted. ¡°Yes, his highness the Crown Prince.¡± That calm figure is only an eight-year-old kid. Was this also trained and taught ¡®that way¡¯ ? Thinking about that, indignation swelled up. ¡°What do my lady usually play for fun?¡± ¡°Play¡­ you mean?¡± At Leonhardt¡¯s sudden words, Elizabeth¡¯s blue eyes blinked hard and quickly searched for something about ¡®play¡¯ in her head. ¡°Learning how to embroider, read poetry, appreciate paintings¡­ .¡± fun¡­ ? Her little girl, who was only eight years old, tilted her head as if it were the first time she had heard it. Seeing this, Leonhardt wanted to bang his forehead on the table. However, the band-aid on his forehead had only been removed the previous day, before the first visit to the duke¡¯s residence, so he drank warm tea and managed to control his mind instead of banging his head on the table. Suddenly, Leonhardt noticed that Elizabeth¡¯s head had turned towards the flower garden. Come to think of it, she also arranged all the flowers for decoration in his imperial palace. Did she learn anything about flowers, too, from those lessons for the future Empress? ¡°Have you ever sat in a flower garden?¡± ¡°That¡­ Such absurd behavior is not suitable for a lady.¡± ¡°Hmm, right¡­.¡± Leonhardt stood up from his seat, and headed to the flower garden. Contrary to what he saw with his own eyes, it was quite a distance to walk with a child¡¯s short legs to the flower garden. In the end, Leonhardt, who had finally arrived in the flower garden after running with all his might, uttered a soundless profanity in the air, then beckoned Elizabeth, who was sitting idly by, trying grasp the situation. ¡°Come on!¡± He didn¡¯t forget to urge her to run, just in case she walked on tiptoes as she did a while ago. Chapter 12 Just now, he suddenly kicked off the table, stood up, and ran towards the flower garden. Elizabeth, with her mouth wide open as she watched the Crown Prince, who had then settled down. She had to follow Leonhardt¡¯s orders to come quickly, but she still had her worries about whether she should really be doing this. But he told her to come, what should she do? Elizabeth got up from her seat and started walking at a brisk pace across the lawn. It¡¯s soft. She could feel the texture of soil and grass under the thin leather sole. Elizabeth walked slowly, savoring the sensation, and started running towards Leonhardt as ordered. Running was a much more enjoyable experience than I had vaguely imagined. As she accelerated, the sweet spring breeze ruffled her silver hair, as if whispering that she was doing well. Her breath rushed up to her chin, and she was a little overwhelmed, but she didn¡¯t mind. ¡°Your¡­Highness¡­haa¡­Crown¡­.haa¡­prince..?¡± As she ran, blood pressure rushed up to her face, making Elizabeth¡¯s slender face blush like a blooming flower. Seeing that, Leonhard felt a sting on one side of her chest. Elizabeth hesitated for a moment before she finally took her seat, cautiously settling down next to Leonhardt. Leonhardt was beside her, wiggling his fingers intently. What was he doing?! Elizabeth tilted her head, and Leonhardt, noticing it, held out his hand in front of her. The clover plant, which she had seen in a book, was rolled up and fixed into a ring of flowers. ¡°Wow, it¡¯s very beautiful. How did you do it?¡± ¡°Elizabeth.¡± ¡°Yes, his highness the Crown Prince.¡± ¡°¡­When it¡¯s just the two of us, call me Leon.¡± ¡°Your Highness?¡± Leonhardt pressed his lips. Crown Prince, or His Majesty the Emperor. In his whole lifetime, she¡¯d only called him by two titles. Now that he¡¯s turned back time, wouldn¡¯t it be okay to be greedy? Leonhardt thought and urged Elizabeth again. ¡°Come on. If you call Leon, I¡¯ll give you this. No, do you want me to teach you how to make it?¡± Elizabeth pondered for a while. Is it really okay? Could it be that her mother or father was trying to test her with the Crown Prince? But she wanted the flower ring. And she also wanted to call out Leonhardt¡¯s name. ¡°Le¡­ Leon¡­ .¡± ¡°Well done.¡± Leonhardt raised Elizabeth¡¯s hand with a broad smile. The moment he touched Elizabeth¡¯s hand, she flinched for a brief moment. How the hell did the duke and his wife raise their daughter? Leonhardt groaned inwardly and carefully grabbed Elizabeth¡¯s left hand and said to her. ¡°Right now, it¡¯s only a flower ring, but¡­ Lizzy, if you want, I¡¯ll bring you a ring that is passed down from generation to generation tomorrow. So, Elizabeth Isolde von Elysium, will you be my companion?¡± ¡®Isolde. You are destined to become an empress from birth. By that means the Crown Prince will not have to propose to you. No one will ever propose to you, so don¡¯t waste time day-dreaming and get to studying etiquette.¡¯ Upon reading the prince¡¯s proposal for a wedding in fairy tale books, she kept wondering if that would happen to her someday, her mother always said that it was natural for her to become the empress, so she would never receive a proposal from anyone. But it actually happened. She received a proposal from the Crown Prince himself! From the day he visited the duke¡¯s residence, miraculous things occurred endlessly. First, the corset then she received low-heeled shoes, and now she got a proposal. She¡¯s sure it was full of delightful things, but why did she feel like crying? ¡°Uh¡­ Le- Leon, Leon¡­ If I receive this ring, sniff¡­Will I¡­ really¡­ become..Leon¡¯s companion?¡± As the proposal was only made with a flower ring, Leonhardt was imprinted with the thought that she would definitely decline it. However, contrary to what Leonhardt had expected, Elizabeth seemed to have accepted it sincerely. Leonhardt began to appease Elizabeth while trying to hide his bewilderment. ¡°Of course! So don¡¯t cry¡­ Handkerchief, here is the handkerchief. Lizzie, Elizabeth, blow your nose, huh!¡± ¡°hic!¡± After a while, Elizabeth was able to stop crying and calm herself down. The princess who received the prince¡¯s proposal in fairy tales was always beautiful. Even though she didn¡¯t look in the mirror, she could tell how ugly she was now. She felt like she wanted to dig a hole to hide due to shame. However, whether or not he knew Elizabeth¡¯s feelings, Leonhardt placed a flower ring made of clover on the ring finger of her small white left hand with the utmost respect. ¡°Now you put one on mine.¡± At Leonhard¡¯s words, Elizabeth carefully placed the ring on the ring finger of the Crown Prince¡¯s left hand, just as he had done. It was an exceptionally warm spring day. The clouds that flowed through the sky were scattering softly like angel feathers. All kinds of colors that had disappeared from the ground in the cold winter, each one of them took up their seats once again, and filled the area with colors like that of a rainbow. The sound of buzzing bees and butterflies¡¯ flapping wings let them know that it was not a painting or a dream-like scene, but reality. On such a beautiful day, Elizabeth felt the corners of her chest throbbing and tickling. Could she possibly be ill? It rattled and she was terrified. What if she¡¯s got a fatal disease? ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Elizabeth¡¯s large eyes began to fill with tears again. ¡°It hurts here, here. It stings. It¡¯s tickling again, just¡­ .¡± ¡°Elizabeth.¡± Leonhardt hugged Elizabeth tightly. Other than that, he couldn¡¯t think of any other way to appease her. Other than that reason, he wanted to let her know. That he is also experiencing the same ¡®symptoms¡¯. ¡°If you allow me, can I love you? I promise. I will make you happy for the rest of your life.¡± The sound of thumping hearts pounded loudly between their breasts. Elizabeth nodded earnestly. She felt like she should. She didn¡¯t know what love is, but if she loved him, it seemed like this magical and indescribable day would last forever. Chapter 13 Isolde Elizabeth Isolde von Elysium was destined to become Empress even before she was born. ¡°The future Empress.¡± The Duke of Elysium whispered into the tiny red ear of his newborn daughter. Her name was taken after the crown prince. ¡°Tristan and Isolde, what a perfect pair.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a fairy tale name. You don¡¯t have to give much thought to it.¡± ¡°But everyone who sees our child¡¯s name in the history books will be impressed. Born an empress, together with the emperor, they even have a pair in their names!¡± ¡°¡­ Well, it¡¯s a family honor.¡± Duke Elysium coughed and stroked his beard. The Duchess carefully took over her deep asleep daughter from the nanny and kissed the child on the cheek. ¡°My dear daughter, my precious little girl. You will live a life abundant in love.¡± The Duke, who was watching the scene on the side, quickly corrected his expression when he realized that he was smiling unconsciously. Recalling the birth of a successor in the imperial family, he forcibly separated the child from her mother. To the confusing Duchess, the Duke handed the child over to the nanny and spoke in a cold, sober voice. ¡°You will not breastfeed her yourselves. This child was born in a ducal household, but she is already a member of the imperial family. She needs to get used to it from now on.¡± ¡°But honey¡­ .¡± ¡°Are you protesting my words now?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like that¡­ !¡± The Duchess looked at her wailing daughter in the nanny¡¯s arms with a somewhat perturbed expression. ¡°Everything is for Isolde. So you don¡¯t need to make that face.¡± The duke patted his wife on the back to appease her. At that, the Duchess nodded her head. He has never been wrong since she got married into the Duchy. So this time, he will also be right. ¡°¡­ My daughter is going to marry into the imperial family. So she must grow up to be a lady worthy of it.¡± ¡°I will leave it to you, my wife. If she needs anything, whatever it may be, will be provided.¡± The mistreatment under the guise of the duchess¡¯ education began the moment Elizabeth took her first steps and was only able to utter simple words. The duke overlooked it. As her father, he thought that it was enough to just give his daughter a materially prosperous life without any shortage. The servants were not allowed to see, hear, or speak of it. All the people who were kicked out of the duke¡¯s residence for gossiping got killed. And just like that, eight years have passed. *** I¡¯m glad I¡¯m their only daughter. That¡¯s what Elizabeth thought on the day she wore high-heeled shoes for the first time. There was gossip from the maids that the woman had done too much to a child who was barely walking, but all the noise ceased at once by the Duchess¡¯s gaze. ¡°Mother¡­ My feet hurt.¡± ¡°You have to pronounce it properly.¡± ¡°The feet¡­ hurt¡­ it hurts¡­ It hurts so bad.¡± ¡°again!¡± hic. Elizabeth wept as she glanced at the long wooden stick in her mother¡¯s hand. Looking around her, there was no one to help her. The maids were staring at the floor, heads bowed with hardened expressions. ¡°Stretch out your palm.¡± ¡°uh¡­ Mother¡­ !¡± The most soft-hearted maid eventually turned her head to the side, unbearable at the traumatic scene. What the Duchess was doing was clearly child abuse, not education. But no one in the mansion was brave enough to point it out. It was because someone had already become a dead corpse before being kicked out of the mansion for that kind of act. Along with the whipping sound, there was a faint voice, its owner seemed to be forcing herself to endure the pain. ¡®What the hell does the madam want from a child who can barely speak and has just started walking and running?¡¯ Someone among the maids whispered in a small voice. ¡°Tell me again.¡± ¡°The feet¡­ It hurts so much¡­ .¡± ¡°So?¡± Long, red lines were imprinted across the palm of the little girl¡¯s hand, making even the simplest movement of wiggling her fingers very painful. But she had to act like a lady. ¡°¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­ .¡± It was one of the few sentences that Elizabeth could pronounce most often and most clearly since she first spoke. ¡°Are your palms sore?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ .¡± ¡°A lady doesn¡¯t hang her hands in the air because her palms are hot or sore. No, it¡¯s something you¡¯re not allowed to do right in the first place.¡± Elizabeth stared at the white carpet on the floor without a word. Her mother was right. Belatedly, she gathered her hands neatly and placed them in front of her navel, and as she glimpsed at her mother¡¯s expression, a satisfied smile was drawn on her mother¡¯s coldly hardened face. Seeing that smile, Elizabeth was relieved. She was worried that she might get scolded again for being late. Her heart, which was beating wildly, felt a little calm. ¡°Try walking again.¡± But the very next moment there was disappointment evident on Elizabeth¡¯s small, shady face. It was so difficult for her to walk with her shoes on, and with two books on her head, that she could only stand to some extent. ¡®I¡¯m glad I¡¯m the only daughter. I¡¯m glad that my sister or brother didn¡¯t have to go through this.¡¯ Elizabeth bit her lip and began to take one step at a time. One of the maids quietly complained again,¡±I don¡¯t know what the hell this is all about when she¡¯s supposed to toddle around on the soft carpets barefoot.¡± Eight years had passed, but she was still not used to it. The Duchess glared at her, conveying that if she got on her nerves once again, she would make her look like the people who left the mansion a few days ago.. Besides high-heeled shoes, one of the things that bothered Elizabeth the most was the corset. Her mother said that she had to make her waist slender while her bones hadn¡¯t fully grown yet, and so the Duchess specially ordered a corset made of steel and whale tendon that even adults wouldn¡¯t want to wear. ¡®It¡¯s not good to wear a corset at such a young age. Even if she wears it after she¡¯s grown to a certain extent, she might be able to adapt to it, but that¡¯s because she¡¯s still young and her bones are fragile, it will be contorted.¡¯ The day that woman ordered the corset, the worried tone of the corset-maker filled with confusion rang vividly in her ears. Chapter 14 ¡°Exhale more!¡± ¡°Uh, urgh¡­ can¡¯t¡­ breathe¡­ ! hah, hah¡­.ahhh¡­.!¡± ¡°More, tighter!¡± ¡°Aaaah!¡± ¡°It may be painful now, but in the future you will thank me. A thin waist and a soft, slender body are one of the most important virtues of a lady. Got it? Isolde.¡± ¡°Mother¡­ breathe¡­ I can¡¯t breathe¡­ .¡± ¡°It was originally like that. get used to it. From now on, make sure you wear a corset when you sleep. Do you understand? Of all your peers, your waist should be the thinnest, your gait should be the most elegant, and your tone and pronunciation must be the most cultured!¡± ¡°¡­ Yes, mother.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t gasp, you¡¯re not a dog Isolde you are¡­ .¡± ¡°¡­ in the future¡­ I have to become the Empress¡­ I have to be the most dignified lady in the whole empire¡­ .¡± ¡°good job, my daughter.¡± The Duchess looked down at her daughter with an affectionate gaze and sweet voice, tenderly stroking her soft silver hair. She had to be the perfect empress. So the devastated Elysium could be revived. In other words, it was an investment. The Duke generously offered thousands of gold pieces just to educate Elizabeth. Whilst the Duchess taught her how to be a great lady strictly by all means. Fortunately, Elizabeth was a good, mature child who followed her education without rebelling. The Duchess stood with her back straight, chin up, contented expression was visible on her face, she patted Elizabeth¡¯s head with a grin. Elizabeth¡¯s pure and clear eyes were looking up at her, containing solid trust without a single glint of doubt. As soon as the Duchess left the room, the maids swamped around to help untying the corset as she staggered. Elizabeth was suffocated by the tightened corset to the point she felt dizzy and collapsed into the arms of her maids. But none of the maids reported it to the ma¡¯am. If the madam knew, she would be the first to make sure that there were no scars left on her body, if there were, she would be frustrated claiming that it¡¯s not ladylike, as well as scolding servants. It would have been better for them to help the lady secretly like this. Of course, they should never be caught by their masters. None of the people caught were kicked out with their necks intact. There was only once Elizabeth decided to run away from home back when she was barely used to the corsets and shoes. The nanny, who could not put up with the Ducal couple¡¯s abuse, held the girl¡¯s hands and whispered to her, ¡®Let¡¯s run away, no matter how many good things you think are around you, this is not it.¡¯ Even that day, the corset wick marks were clearly visible on Elizabeth¡¯s delicate skin, and her little toes were wrinkled and bleeding. ¡°Don¡¯t I need to wear a corset? shoes too? But am I a lady?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay to no longer be a Lady. A lady is not a doll. Even though we might be poor, I will let you know what true happiness is.¡± However, their plan to run away was caught by the duke before they even managed to escape the forest surrounding the mansion. Her nanny was dragged somewhere along the way, and Elizabeth was forced to confront her own father, who had a mancing expression at the time. The Duke of Elysium was holding an ebony staff, but it was filled with lead inside. Beside him, the Duchess was standing with an ice pack over her red, swollen cheeks, as she had been slapped by her husband, who blamed her for not having managed to educate her child properly. The Duke of Elysium raised his staff. ¡°It¡¯s been four years¡­¡± The poor girl muttered to herself. Eventually, Elizabeth was able to erase what had happened that day from her mind as her furious father lifted his heavy wooden cane up high in the air . She didn¡¯t even want to remember it, but whenever she forcibly recalled that day, there were a few things that came to mind as she was looking at it from a third party¡¯s perspective. Her own screams, begging for forgiveness, begging for help. The mother¡¯s voice, dissuading the duke, ¡®What if you leave a fatal scar on the child who will become the next empress?¡¯ And the terrible pain she felt the moment her bone broke. She thought she had forgotten, she thought that she had erased everything, hence, the memories buried deep beneath her subconscious often became nightmares and tormented her. Elizabeth, drenched in cold sweat, jumped up and only after groping with her hands and checking in front of the mirror to see if she had any broken bones or any left scars on her, was she assured to go back to bed. From that day onwards, every time she closed her eyes, the nightmare repeated. ¡®I was wrong. It was my fault for doing something not ladylike. Dad is always right. If I had followed mother¡¯s instructions, none of that would have happened. If¡­¡­If only I had been a little more ladylike¡­..¡¯ She was afraid to close her eyes. Even now, when she thinks about it again, she gets goosebumps all over her body and suddenly it becomes difficult to breathe. Would it be better if she left it in writing, or would she be relieved if she confided it on a pillow? But instead of opening her diary or weeping on her pillow, she vowed to conceal everything she had done, instead of telling how painful she was. If she didn¡¯t tell anyone and kept it all to herself, her daily life would go on as usual. Chapter 15 T/N: This chapter is told from Lizzie¡¯s POV ¡®You¡¯re going to be the empress. You have to learn to behave arrogantly, gracefully, dignified, and to speak with a well-cultured manner. Don¡¯t forget your compassion for being generous with people. That is the most basic virtue a perfect empress should possess.¡¯ Both mother and father. The people I¡¯ll be grateful to when I grow up. They always said that when they patted my head and hugged me, praising me that I was a good child. Whenever my mother hugged me, my breath choked and the tip of my nose tickled at the ominous scent. Every time my father raised his hand to caress me, I flinched and my heart pounded wildly. But as soon as the warmth touched me, that unpleasant palpitation disappeared in an instant. The two of you love me. If I grew up as a good child, a person worthy of becoming the empress, and a decent lady, would you hug me like that again? Would you stroke my hair tenderly? My father bought me shoes. The shoes on father¡¯s palms looked very small, like lavishly dazzling diamonds on white satin. But those shoes, with even higher heels than those in my mother¡¯s dressing room, fit my feet perfectly. Our good Isolde, our pretty daughter. Mother said so and made me stand up. My knees were shaking and the tips of my toes were so sore. Still, I had to walk. I put a book on my head, and if my posture was even a little distorted, I got hit with a stick. As I got used to the Lady¡¯s graceful gait, the toes were unsightly twisted, blistered, and heels were always peeling and oozing. My mother then brought me a corset. The corset made of precious whale bones and beards was specially ordered by my mother for me. A slender body is also one of the virtues of a lady, said my mother, but it took my breath away. It was hard to breathe, my vision was spinning and my stomach was so stuffy that even drinking the thin soup was very difficult, but I had to do it anyway. I had to be the perfect empress. Then one day he came into my life. Leonhard Tristan von Espedor. The person who will be my companion, who is bound to me by the relationship of the couple ever since I was inside mother¡¯s womb. He was a very beautiful person, whose name I learnt to spell and pronounce before my own name. Although his first impression of me was the worst, his Highness, with overflowing benevolence, forgave me generously. It was enjoyable to see his blond hair glittering under the sun. The violet from his eyes was a strange color that could not be found anywhere in my white room. None of my purple jewels would be as sparkle as his eyes. That¡¯s why I liked him a lot. When he came in my dream, everytime I opened my eyes, I would pull the blanket over my head again. Can I see him again if I fall asleep like this? There was a day when I closed my eyes again with that expectation. But instead of the beautiful Prince, my mother¡¯s harsh scolding came to me. I was bad. It¡¯s my fault for being greedy. So don¡¯t make such a scary face, mother. Please? Your Highness gave me shoes a few days ago. As a lady, it was a shame to show my ankle¡­but he¡¯s going to be my husband someday, so I put up with it even though I was shy. Then he took off my shoes and put on new shoes. I remembered the princess in the fairy tale book that my mother burned down, reasoning that I was too old to read it. The princess¡¯ glass shoes were worn by the prince as well. But he gave me shoes embroidered with blue flowers instead of glass shoes. And I spent a really dreamy day with him. That day was the first time I knew what color the sky is, how warm the spring sun is, what sound it makes when you walk on the lawn, and what scent it smells like in the flower garden. Leon. Late at night, just in case anyone heard, I tried to pronounce his name quietly with a blanket over me. Leon. Leon. Leon. That alone tickled my heart. What¡¯s this different feeling of tickling and pounding from when I face my father? I was curious and bewildered Although my cheek still throbbed from mother¡¯s slap, it was fine as long as I could call his name. Leon. It was amazing how I could smile whenever I called his name. Chapter 16 T/N: This chapter is told from Lizzie¡¯s POV *** (flashback) ¡°You didn¡¯t show any shame, did you?¡± ¡°Well, not at all. Your Highness escorted me himself. Also, he proposed to me in the flower garden!¡± ¡°What?¡± Why does mother look like that? I didn¡¯t do anything wrong though. My mother¡¯s eyes began to scan me from top to bottom. Upon seeing that, I checked my outfit and my face was burning. Oh, my God! The ladylike white dress was stained in brown and green. I couldn¡¯t lift my face because I was embarrassed to have shown Leon something like this. ¡°I¡¯m sorr-¡­ Ahhh!¡± My mother exploded before me.. At first, I didn¡¯t know what had happened, so I sat there blankly for a long time. Tears began to fall down and my cheeks stung. Oh, I¡¯ve been slapped by my mother. Instead of touching my burning cheeks, I crawled to my mother and begged for forgiveness. Even though I had been told that a lady in this outfit would be unforgivable. It was all my fault. ¡°¡­Isolde.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mother. I was wrong. I won¡¯t do it again.¡± ¡°For now, on the documents in your father¡¯s office, you and his highness are officially engaged, you don¡¯t want a marriage annulment, do you?¡± My mother started to say difficult things. I couldn¡¯t understand what it meant, but I got down on my knees and lowered my head to the floor. What if mother tightens the corset again? Will I have to wear high-heeled shoes again tomorrow? ¡°But our Isolde¡­is blessed with great honor that she was born as an empress. How can you not know how lucky you are, it¡¯s the greatest happiness you can have as a woman!¡± The only time my mother respected me was when she was really, really frustrated. It was a big deal. I inhaled and exhaled slowly to stop my body from shaking. My heart started beating and pounding uncontrollably again. ¡°How dare you show him such a disgraceful appearance, let alone winning his heart! All my education has been in vain! What¡¯s that weed thingy in your hand?! What are you going to do if you get grass poison on your finger? You are this old, yet¡­ !¡± ¡°Hi-his Highness gave it to me!¡± ¡°¡­ so now you¡¯re lying?!¡± That night I was whipped again. It was painful, but I endured it again and again when I heard that I would get hit twice as much if I cried. My heart ached. I was telling the truth, it¡¯s really Leon who gave it to me. Why didn¡¯t she believe me? My legs hurt so much. I couldn¡¯t feel anything more. I couldn¡¯t remember anything from some point on. I was lying in bed when I opened my eyes. My mother was next to me. Hiccups. I was so surprised that I had a hiccup. My mother gave me a glass of water. Hiccups, hiccups. I drank all the water, but the hiccups didn¡¯t stop. It¡¯s a shame that a Lady hiccups in front of others, but I was petrified once again because the hiccups didn¡¯t stop. ¡°¡­what on earth are you lacking?¡± But my mother gave me a deep sigh instead of scolding me. What should I do? My mother must be sad that I¡¯m not a great lady. ¡°Look at this room. This carpet is made from the fur of a white bear that lives only in that northern country, it¡¯s very precious. The wallpapers were all silk woven from cobwebs, the tables were made entirely of marble, and even the bookshelves were made of white wood, which is said to only grow one tree per forest. And that isn¡¯t all! Do you know how many people hang on to what you eat and what you wear? I made you live without any shortcomings, but why are you still lacking? you are¡­ .¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mother.¡± I don¡¯t need a marble table or a bear¡¯s fur carpet. I wanted to see my mother smile. I just want my mother to hug me. ¡°I won¡¯t make a mistake next time.¡± ¡°next time? Do you think there will be another chance? Listen carefully, Isolde. You are going to be the empress. Yet you have no idea how strict the royal etiquettes are! Everything I do is for you. Please understand this mother¡¯s heart. Huh?¡± Sadness emerged on my mother¡¯s face. I nodded. ¡°Okay, mother. I will never do that again.¡± So please smile again. please hug me. Please call me your good daughter. At that moment, my mother smiled at me and hugged me tightly. But, huh? Strange. It¡¯s a completely different feeling from when Leon hugged me. It felt suffocating. Fortunately, the flower ring he gave me took the place of the most precious ring in my jewelry box. It had already withered a bit, but I liked the flower ring more than the diamond, the sapphire or ruby ring. And I wanted to become an adult quickly. If I become the official Crown Princess, I can live in the Imperial Palace. If I go to the Imperial Palace, Leon will be there. Since Leon is the Crown Prince, he¡¯s very busy, so he can¡¯t always be with me. Still, it¡¯s nice to think that we could be in the same space. Oh and, maybe I won¡¯t be hit with a stick anymore! But at the same time, I was worried about Leon. Could it be that Leon¡¯s actually getting whipped, too? Would he also be practicing walking with a book on his head every day? So I wrote a letter to Leon. I wrote the seasonal greeting according to the etiquette and wrote ¡®Dear¡¯ at the bottom. But my letter couldn¡¯t reach Leon. ¡°Did your mother teach you that way?¡± It¡¯s impossible for a Lady to send a letter first. My father rebuked me and burned my letter with the entire envelope. It¡¯s sad, but Dad is always right, so probably I was wrong this time too. I¡¯m a lady who will be the empress in the future. I should be ashamed of myself. I have to grow up to be a great lady who is perfect at everything. Nonetheless, I secretly wrote a letter in my heart without my father and mother knowing and whispered to the star over the window. What a wonderful time I spent walking in the garden with you. How miraculous it was to have you in the spring scenery I saw. When I sat on the grass, it felt so cozy, and the wind had a sweet scent I had never smelled before, and everywhere I looked was filled with colors I had never seen before. The moment you put the ring on, did your heart pound like mine, did your face also felt like burning? I asked the stars to ask him for me whether he could teach me what joy is like and what happiness is. I don¡¯t know if sending a letter to the stars is something a good lady should do, but I prayed earnestly for my letter to reach Leon. Leon, you make me happy. Being by your side, let me know what happiness is. Chapter 17 ¡°Therefore, under the imperial law, in this case¡­.¡± Leonhardt yawned out of boredom behind his teacher¡¯s back, who was writing hard on the blackboard. Everything he was learning was what he had already known. It was obvious. Because it was exactly what he had learned a few decades ago at this exact same place. Leonhardt might have the body of an only small child, but the mind of an emperor, if he put some thought into it, he could have asked a question that would make his teacher regret being here in the first place. However, instead of making fun of the innocent teacher, Leonhardt began to devote himself to drawing graffiti on the corners of his books, pretending to be quietly concentrating on his class. ¡°Therefore, on this matter¡­ my lord, my lord? His Highness, Crown Prince Leonhardt Tristan von Espedor!¡± ¡°Huh? Ugh, what¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Did you hear what I¡¯ve just said? How did historians say they would rate this issue?¡± Leonhardt drew a line over the graffiti and only blinked. He gulped down a sip of milk with a sullen look, then grinned. ¡°¡­I can¡¯t help it. Let me explain again. Eh¡­ so¡­.¡± He knew it. As he remembered, the old teacher in front of him was a person weak to his smile. Leonhardt continued his scribbling, pretending to concentrate on the class again, picking up his teacher¡¯s words moderately. Elizabeth¡¯s face was painted at the end of every page. The reason why he didn¡¯t bother to reveal his adult learning was simple. He was not a genius. If a ten-year-old kid was suddenly able to recite things that even adults find difficult, reflect on the theory of monarchism, and was wise enough to be involved in the management of state affairs, it would have been a major disaster. The depth of his learning had already been determined, except for the wizards of the clock tower, who study himself like his father, would immediately start doubting him, or the priests would probably come with holy water and say that he might have contracted with the devil. If he happened to meet a real genius or the bottom of the problem was revealed, things would get complicated. That was the specification. Leonhardt drank up the rest of his milk and started studying with a light mind of reviewing what he had learned. Instead of becoming a genius academically, Leonhardt chose to practice martial arts. He had been on the verge of becoming a Sword Master in his past life, so he had the desire to start all over again with the young body he had gained¡­. ¡°Why do you want to learn swordsmanship, Your Highness?¡± ¡°I want to protect something.¡± In the training ground where the best knights of the Empire gathered, Leonhardt answered the knight¡¯s question with an open heart. ¡°What do you want to protect?¡± The knight commander narrowed his eyes and asked again. The knights who had completed their training were gathering one by one on the news that the Crown Prince had visited. ¡°I want to protect the future Empress with my own hands!¡± Oh, how he wanted to say these words! Last night, Leonhardt rolled over the wide bed as he thought to himself, and he was delighted with this strange thought. If only he had been a little bit stronger, if he had reached a point that no one else could surpass. He wouldn¡¯t have been threatened by an assassination only using sommething such as poison, and the Empress wouldn¡¯t have died in vain either. He wanted to protect Elizabeth. He wanted to see that small body grow up safely and stay happy for a long time. In order to do so, he had to be stronger. ¡°The future¡­ empress¡­you say?¡± A subtle expression appeared on the face of the knight commander. ¡°¡­Is there a problem?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing. Then, let¡¯s test whether your highness¡¯ pledge is sincere. Oh, this is something that anyone who learns swordsmanship has to do from day one, so you don¡¯t have to make that face.¡± Gulp. Leonhardt swallowed his saliva and made a firm commitment. He came here on his own even though he knew what the knight commander would do from now on. It¡¯s two years earlier! It¡¯s not that he didn¡¯t worry about whether it would be possible to go around that wide training ground 20 times with this small body. But he had to do it anyway. That way, at least he¡¯d get permission from the Knights Commander to hold the wooden sword. ¡°Hah¡­ Ugh¡­ Hahh¡­ .¡± ¡°¡­I really didn¡¯t think you¡¯d make it. That¡¯s great.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t, make me talk, Hahh¡­Ugh.¡± Leonhardt coughed with his about-to-burst-heart and eventually slumped to his seat. His whole body was soaked with sweat and it was unpleasant. The commander of the Knights personally handed him a wet towel, but LeonHardt shook his head. The commander¡¯s facial expression turned surprised. Leonhardt himself was most surprised when he succeeded in running 20 laps. He was afraid that his stamina at his current age in running and playing wouldn¡¯t be enough for him to last, but he didn¡¯t expect it to be this much¡­.He almost regretted not starting training a little earlier as a child. ¡°You can come here by 7 a.m from tomorrow. What a delightful surprise. His Majesty will be very pleased to know.¡± Leonhardt nodded his head hard. ¡°Seven in the morning? Then I¡¯ll come at 6 o¡¯clock and warm up first.¡± ¡°Tomorrow we will find out if it¡¯s a childish gimmick or not.¡± After the drenched Crown Prince returned to his residence saying he had to change his clothes, the knight commander shrugged his shoulders and asked for opinions from the knights around him. ¡°Do you think your Highness has any talents?¡± ¡°I do not know. If you give him a sword, I may have a better look, but at least in terms of physical strength and motivation, he¡¯s quite outstanding.¡± ¡°If I think that a sword master may be born in the Empire after all this time, am I expecting too much?¡± The commander muttered. *** ¡°Oh, no wonder you go to bed early today.¡± ¡°Give me another glass of milk. Please wake me up at 5:30 tomorrow morning.¡± ¡°Huh? So early?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to start practicing swordsmanship. I¡¯ll protect Lizzie with my own hands this time.¡± ¡°This time¡­?¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s just that the young lady was surprised by the sudden appearance of a frog on her last visit¡­.¡± ¡°Oh, are you saying you¡¯re going to protect her ladyship from the frogs? That¡¯s a great idea. But right now, rather than practicing swordsmanship, isn¡¯t it better to sleep well and grow up healthily? Please lie down. I¡¯ll bring you milk in a minute.¡± The nanny left his bedroom after covering Leonhardt with a blanket with a happy look. Rumors were already spreading throughout the palace. His Highness the Crown Prince fell in love with his fiancee at first glance and began to turn into someone else. Of course, the rumor was not exaggerated to some extent as it was delivered through the word-of-mouth of the maids¡­. At least, in the eyes of the nanny, his words to protect his fiancee seemed sincere. The nanny, returning to his bedroom with milk mixed with honey on her tray with the thought of offering a cookie as a reward to someone who knows how to value his fiancee, laughed briefly upon seeing his state. ¡°Oh my, your Highness the Crown Prince. You should brush your teeth before sleeping.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ No, I just dozed off for a second¡­ Milk, milk first¡­ .¡± The nanny wondered what to do with Leonhardt, whose eyelid was heavy from the drowsiness, but decided that he still had to brush his teeth. After flapping the blanket once, Leonhardt got up with annoyance on his face. ¡°I want to become an adult soon.¡± ¡°¡­ You¡¯re just a little slower than the other kids, but you¡¯ll eventually grow up soon. Did you say you will start swordsmanship training? If you eat nutritious food, exercise hard, and get a good night¡¯s sleep, you might grow taller than that tree over there in the garden.¡± That tree, he vaguely remembered cutting it down for some reason before he became an adult. Leonhardt nodded his sleepyhead with his tired eyes closed. The milk was exceptionally warm and savory, and it was sweet thanks to the honey secretly mixed by the nanny. *** Chapter 18 *** Albert, who is in charge of the Imperial Knights, saw Leonhardt, who was standing in the center of the front row with other knights and warming up, and thought his eyes were having hallucinations. ¡°I really didn¡¯t expect you at this hour.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not good for a man to go back on his words.¡± ¡°Man¡­right. Your Highness is also a man.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°No¡­ No, it¡¯s nothing, nothing at all. Please come this way. Today, we¡¯re going to learn how to use the sword lightly.¡± ¡®The morning breeze is still cold, why did that kid take off his shirt and throw it away, what if he catches a cold? Do I have to look at the bare skin of the pale little boy besides the dark knights?¡¯ It¡¯s true that he looked weak, if he grew his hair a little bit and put on a girl¡¯s clothes, wouldn¡¯t ninety-nine out of a hundred doubt that he¡¯s a boy? And the other one would be an old man with presbyopia. Albert took out a wooden sword with a deep sigh at the thought of having to become the Prince¡¯s swordsmanship teacher following the busy knight commander¡¯s work. ¡°How can you protect your fiance when you are struggling so hard yourself?¡± Said Touro Albert, full of intent to tease. Leonhardt was able to grasp his wooden sword only after running twenty laps on the ground with the knights all morning. Correction. Leonhardt was circling the field while all the knights neatly finished the morning run and started the morning match. He clenched his teeth and forced his shaky knees to move. Albert¡¯s eyes were as sharp as a hawk, so whenever he staggered or slowed down even the slightest bit, he recalled his fiancee and urged himself. Only until he managed to finish twenty laps did Albert give him the wooden sword. Leonhardt took the wooden sword with his trembling hands. ¡® Damn it¡­ Albert¡­ As soon as I became an emperor, you were no longer the knight leader¡­ Damn, didn¡¯t I make you¡­.the country¡¯s military minister?¡¯ Leonhardt took another deep breath and held the sword with his trembling hands with the pose as his soul remembered it. ¡®I can¡¯t believe I have to learn how to hold a wooden sword again at this age¡­.¡¯ Albert and the surrounding knights¡¯ faces were seen distorted. Some of them were pouring water into their nostrils, not their throats. Albert was closely monitoring Leonhardt¡¯s movements. The knights, too, rather than acting like adults watching the fights of the neighborhood kids initially, they were looking at him training seriously with an unbelievable gaze. ¡°¡­ Your Highness.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter Sir Albert?¡± ¡°Do you know about the Sword Master?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard of it, but¡­ .¡± ¡°I, Albert, with my sword, I assure you, Your Highness will surely attain the status of a sword master before becoming an adult.¡± ¡°What?¡± Leonhardt snorted. Sword Master. It couldn¡¯t be possible. He himself knew that better than anyone. ¡®For sure¡­ ?¡¯ Assure. What was he trying to say? Leonhardt suddenly felt dizzy for a moment and staggered. ¡°Your Highness, Your Highness!¡± Albert¡¯s voice gradually faded away. When the imperial doctor told them that they had gone too far for the first day, Albert and other knights were embarrassed. ¡°No, I¡­ I thought I could do it because I was a good runner yesterday.¡± ¡°You¡¯re still a child! You should¡¯ve been a little cautious! At this rate, you¡¯re putting your body at risk to become a knight! ¡°Huh! Well, none of us knights thinks he¡¯s risking his life.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing to brag about, so shut up. What¡¯s wrong with me, anyway?¡± ¡°On the surface, it¡¯s just exhaustion, so it¡¯s fine. But just in case, excessive exercise for the time being¡­.¡± ¡°No, I have to.¡± ¡°Your Highness!¡± Leonhardt forced himself up. Even the simple movement of raising his body felt difficult because his arms were shaking as he had barely swung the wooden sword. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re okay? Don¡¯t overdo it.¡± ¡°I said I have to. Don¡¯t make me say it twice.¡± Leonhardt clenched his fists tightly as if to tear the sheet apart. As for the fatigue of the body, he was still young, so if he gets a good night¡¯s sleep and wakes up, he would be fine. There was something more worrisome than that. The memories of his life were lost as if torn into pieces. Certainly, he was not sure of the whole sword master thing. Had he become a sword master? Didn¡¯t it work? It was the first time he had experienced the feeling of an empty memory, and it was a very unpleasant experience. ¡°But that¡¯s enough for today. I¡¯m speaking as your swordsmanship teacher following your doctor¡¯s opinion.¡± ¡°¡­ Shit.¡± Leonhardt pressed his forehead and pouted his lips. Albert took him to his bed. It was because Leonhardt¡¯s thin body fluttered and fell like a paper doll the moment he stood on the floor saying he would go alone. ¡°Put me down this instant! I can walk on my feet!¡± ¡°I won¡¯t stop you if you want to walk on all four instead of my two, but if you do, forgive me for being rude because there aren¡¯t only one or two people who will come running to me muttering about imperial dignity¡­ Ah, my lord!¡± Leonhardt, who had been held in Albert¡¯s arms like a princess, struggled and scratched the poor night¡¯s face with his nails. In the end, Albert, while pouring all kinds of abusive language inside, could only watch as Leonhardt walked on his own feet towards his bedroom. Upon returning to his bedroom, exhausted, Leonhardt ran to his desk instead of going straight to bed. And he opened the secret drawer that only he knew. Among the gleaming crystals and old coins that boys his age collected as treasure, a dried flower ring appeared. Leonhardt smiled, his face flushed red, and fell to his legs for a while, pondering for a long time before finally writing a letter with his trembling hands. He wanted to see Elizabeth¡¯s smiling face again. Leonhardt read the completed letter again, thinking that it was not normal to write a letter with proper spelling, without any errors, unlike a child. Are there any sentences that are too mature? Any difficult words? Would it be a child¡¯s mistake to misspell this much? [Dear Elysium The early morning air is still cold, and the day is continuing to remain dazling spring. It seems like yesterday that we had a great time in the gaden, but it¡¯s already been a week. How has your helth been? I send my regards with love and worrys. The reason I picked up the pen like this is no different¡­ Your one and only servant and love. With plenty of love and affection.] Perfect! Leonhardt, who sent the letter with a happy heart, took the cup of milk his nanny gave him on the spot, and then quietly laid down on the bed. Instead of continuing the boring history class, he planned on taking a nap according to the doctor¡¯s opinion. chapter 19 I can¡¯t sleep. Leonhardt tossed and turned on the wide bed for a long time, and finally got up. In order not to disturb the prince¡¯s nap, everyone had retreated. The quiet bedroom with no servants around him was a little unfamiliar. Leonhardt crossed his arms and fell into troubling thought. Why have I been so indifferent to the Empress? It was a question that had been ingrained in his heart for several days. He looked back on how many times he had met her before her first wedding. Once when he was a young child and acquainted her for the first time as her fianc¨¦e, once when he was a little older and they were formally engaged at the cathedral, and once when he had become a full-grown adult and married her as the Crown Prince. After that, the only moment he met her outside of her imperial court back then was when he had become the emperor and crowned her as his empress. Then Leonhardt recalled the impression he had from Elizabeth each time. She was¡­ She was like a well-made, elaborate doll. He remembered feeling chills crawling onto his spine when he saw that she was able to do her job perfectly as the Crown Prince¡¯s fiancee, the Crown Princess, and the Empress with a beautiful but somewhat unnatural smile, even when no one asked her to do it. Didn¡¯t people say that seeing a doll that is too well-made would give one goosebumps and a sense of resistance? He just felt that way. His faint but unpleasant feeling towards the perfect doll grew darker and more vivid with each encounter with her. Thanks to this, he continued to regard her as a nuisance throughout their adulthood, and as a result, even with her as his empress, he never once acknowledged her¡­ Wasn¡¯t he utter garbage? Leonhardt banged his head on the soft pillow just when he arrived at the conclusion. He knew that it would not be enough even if he slammed his head to the wall, not just a pillow, but if he did, he might not be able to practice swordsmanship tomorrow morning. That was not possible. He regretted letting the Duke be even though he had wondered where that perfection came from, and ignored her for the rest of his life. Leonhardt then lifted the pillow and started hitting it at his small head. Eventually, he was determined to dedicate his whole body, his whole life, to live only for Elizabeth¡¯s happiness. The first thing he wanted to do was to get all the high-heeled and corset out of her sight. He wanted her to grow like a normal eight-year-old child who could run and play in the flower garden freely and innocently like girls her age, and be loved by everyone. The Duke of Elysium¡­ The Ducal family, rumored to have mixed angelic blood, was a family with a long history listed on the first page of the imperial genealogy as the family that produced the empress. Although there was a slight difference from the Duke in his memory as there were side effects of turning back time, the Duke of Elysium now still looked like a man blinded by power and self-interest, corrupted as ever. After a long period, when the blood of Elysium flowing through the members of the imperial family began to fade, they were trying to make their daughter an empress again. She was the perfect empress, a doll that could carry out the duty as an empress silently and flawlessly even when she was treated like her existence was nothing, aside from that, she was a bridge to get those vicious people involved in the political affairs whenever they wanted to. That is not going to happen! Leonhardt clenched his fist as he made a plan with the highest probability of success for a ten-year-old Crown Prince. Meanwhile, Elizabeth tilted her head as she read the Prince¡¯s letter, which arrived in the late evening with her name on it. Difficult words were written all over it, and she also saw misspellings everywhere. ¡°Mother, what does this mean?¡± [How has your helth been?] [With love and worrys] The Duchess of Elysium rubbed her forehead contemplatively. ¡°Love and worries¡­Perhaps he made a mistake when he tried to express his affection and concern for you. It is a polite expression used to ask how the other person is doing, so take this opportunity to memorise it. And I see that the Crown Prince cares about you a lot. But don¡¯t ever be conceited! There are many beautiful women like flowers out there and you are just the prettiest of them all. Once a flower is picked, it withers. It¡¯s not strange for him to find another flower, so don¡¯t be proud of being loved by him now and keep yourself humble!¡± ¡°I will keep that in mind.¡± The Duchess raised her voice, forgetting that her daughter was still too young to talk about the love life between men and women. Elizabeth just nodded her head gently. ¡°Do you want me to write him back?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a document to an imperial member, so you know how to write it properly, right?¡± ¡°Yes, mother.¡± Then she hurriedly went outside and closed the door. Elizabeth fell asleep as she spent the whole night contemplating what kind of reply she should send. *** Elizabeth¡¯s day began with the imperial routine schedule. When the emperor opens his eyes, she also opens hers. When the empress dressed herself up, she also tightened the corset and put on a gown. Breakfast was always alone, during which the Duke and Duchess were enjoying a leisurely late sleep. But it was a little different today. Just as she had finished dressing her, an imperial carriage arrived. The Duke was still asleep at the time, but she could not leave the guest from the imperial family unattended, so Elizabeth, as the little host of the family, had to somehow buy time for her parents to prepare to welcome the guest. ¡®Oh, what do I do?¡¯ The large and heavy stone door opened and guests from the imperial family made their appearance. The guests stood with their backs against the morning sun, so she could not see their faces, but only their shadows, it was as if they were wrapped with black veils. Elizabeth bowed deeply to greet them out of courtesy. Even if these guests were not of the royal blood, they still served them, so she could at least do this much. ¡°Greetings from Elizabeth Isolde von Elysium, the eldest daughter of the Family of Elysium. Good morning.¡± ¡°¡­Where¡¯s the Duke?¡± It was the first that she had ever heard such a low and thick voice. His voice was as sharp as a beast that had just woken from hibernation, with that, the terrified Elizabeth unknowingly took a step back. ¡°You have scared your daughter-in-law!¡± The lady standing next to him gave him a light nudge. The context was undefined, but it was a beautiful voice that was so elegant, perfect to every syllable of pronunciation. ¡°Lizzy, did you sleep well?¡± And at the last voice she heard, Elizabeth was astonished that she almost fell back. It was Leonhardt¡¯s voice, it was the nostalgic voice of Leon whom she met in her dreams every night. ¡°Th¡­The¡­Em¡­Emperor!¡± A shrill voice could be heard from behind her back. Had there ever been a time when her father was so staggered like this? She did not think so. When she turned, Elizabeth slipped on the high-heel and spun around as if she was dancing. As she was losing her balance, she fell into an embrace with the scent as that of the spring and the warmth as that of the sunlight. ¡°Your Majesty the Empress!¡± Her father was rushing down the stairs, unaware that his Cravat was still loose. Following him, her mother also appeared with her long hair only half clipped up. Elizabeth¡¯s eyes widened even more. Who would have thought that her mother, who was always a perfect, neat and elegant lady, like a glass doll herself, also had that kind of appearance! Then, all of a sudden, Elizabeth belatedly realised the meaning of the phrases that had just escaped from her parents¡¯ mouth and why Leonhardt was here, her face turned pale. ¡°Lizzy, Lizzy? Elizabeth!¡± Eventually, Elizabeth fainted right before the emperor and the empress, her future father-in-law and mother-in-law. ________________ chapter 20 *** Emperor Isidore Aurum von Espedor, who was, as usual, in the arms of Empress Freya Javanna von Espedor, answered his urgent servant. ¡°Five more minutes¡­¡± ¡°Your Majesty the Emperor! His Highness the Crown Prince is- Your Highness!¡± ¡°What¡¯s with that kid¡­¡± ¡°Your Highness, it would be difficult for you to be like this in the morning¡­ Oh, uh¡­¡± ¡°Your Majesty, His Highness is urgently asking for an audience!¡± ¡°Tell him that we are busy making his brother. Freya, come here.¡± ¡°Pardon me?¡± The face of the servant who was waiting for the two of you to come out of the door burned. It happened every morning, but it was different today. The Crown Prince, who came rushing to the main palace from dawn, had arrived at the front of the Emperor¡¯s bedroom to ask for his audience. It was kind of awkward for the servant to prevent any inappropriate sounds beyond that door from the child¡¯s ears. ¡°Well, Your Highness, what he meant is umm¡­the thing is¡­¡± ¡°Uh, Your Majesty!¡± ¡°Yes Freya, my love. What is it?¡± ¡°Open the door.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°Open the door, dad. There¡¯s no chance of another baby being born between you two anyway, so open the door!¡± Leonhardt became enraged and began to urge. He himself had unintentionally witnessed the golden sights of his father and mother in person many times, at least his ears did not succeed in blocking out the sounds. Therefore, he did not really feel awkward or ashamed. No, the ten-year-old kid who heard would say ¡®My father is bullying my mother!¡¯, so it would be more appropriate for him to be a little confused as a child. Leonhardt stamped his feet, feeling pity for the servant who turned around to explain the situation to the thought-be-clueless ten-year-old. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to have a younger brother?¡± The door eventually swung open and the emperor, barely dressed in a silk robe, appeared. His father looked just like him as an adult, he was like a copied version of the grown-up him¡­ No, was it supposed to be the other way around? Anyway, his handsome face was full of irritation. ¡°Please make him tomorrow, not today. Thank you for allowing me to enter, father.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t given you permission yet. In the name of the Emperor, I command the Crown Prince to go away immediately and do what he has to do.¡± ¡°I oppose that order, in the name of the Empress. Leonhardt! Come here.¡± ¡°Mommy!¡± ¡°Freya!¡± Leonhardt slipped through his father¡¯s legs and rushed into the empress¡¯s arms. In the arms of his mother, who had a shawl over her silk robe, there was a sweet and warm scent that he wanted to bury deep in his heart for the rest of his life. ¡°What business does our beloved Crown Prince have with us at this early in the morning? Did you have a nightmare?¡± Leonhardt shook his head and smiled broadly. Seeing the Crown Prince acting all cute and lovable, she bursted into laughter when she recalled having received a report that her son had recently become more mature. The emperor, who had become helpless completely, scratched his head and approached the empress and their only son in her embrace with a desire to hear the story. ¡°It¡¯s my seat, so get out of there.¡± ¡°But I don¡¯t want to, father.¡± ¡°Why you¡­?¡± Leonhardt stuck his tongue out and buried his face a little more in his mother¡¯s arms. He felt a warm hand stroking his back and his hair, it was such a nostalgic feeling, which he thought that he had almost forgotten completely. ¡°So, why did his High Highness ask His Majesty for an audience today?¡± Oh right. Leonhardt, who nearly dozed off in his mother¡¯s arms, got up and knelt in front of the emperor and the empress as he proposed. ¡°Please save my wife!¡± The Emperor and Empress turned to look at each other and only blinked. Did their son, who was usually not cute at all, eat something wrong the day before? However, after hearing the explanation of the Crown Prince with his clumsy hand gestures, the two rulers jumped out of bed right the way and ordered the servants to get them ready for an outing. ¡°No, where are you going this early in the morning? Your Majesty?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to the Elysium Dukedom. Get a carriage ready now!¡± ¡°Oh dear! Your Majesty the Empress, please stop His Majesty.¡± ¡°Bring me the most gorgeous dress and jewels right now! To my daughter-in-laws¡­so that is how they have been educating her, how dare they?!¡± Leonhardt, with a satisfied expression on his face, walked out of the bedroom while the two of them were busy getting ready. As expected, his mother was the best. *** ¡°So what brought the two of you to this humble mansion so early this morning?¡± The Duke and Duchess were having a serious conversation with the Imperial couple. Meanwhile, Elizabeth began to regain her consciousness. When Elizabeth woke up, she was surprised to find out that the person next to her was Leonhardt. But the weirder thing was that this time she was lying on the pillow and was dressed in a light night gown, not her tight corsets, and stuffy, heavy dress, her high-heeled shoes were nowhere to be found either. However, Leonhardt was still worried, so he held Elizabeth¡¯s hand tightly to reassure her. ¡°Did the Duchess beat you again?¡± ¡°Well, umm¡­¡± Elizabeth¡¯s blue eyes could not look straight into Leonhardt¡¯s violet ones. Leonhardt sighed and pulled his chair a little closer to Elizabeth. Elisabeth was startled by Leonhardt¡¯s characteristic refreshing mint scent, which struck at her as he suddenly got closer, and pulled her blanket up to the tip of her nose out of bashfulness. Leonhardt reached for her silver hair and held it in his hand as if he were playing with it. After a moment of hesitance, he managed to utter the words he wanted to say, trying his best to appear casual. ¡°We need to get married.¡± ¡°Pardon me?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go to the palace. Let¡¯s have an engagement today, and officially be my fiance then live with me. Don¡¯t you like it?¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± ¡°My love, I am nothing but a sinner who does not deserve your love, but would you please show mercy and allow me to love you¡­¡± ¡°Your Highness, Crown Prince. I¡¯m sorry, but¡­It¡¯s too hard to say.¡± Haizz. Leonhardt sighed again. Till when would she be able to grow up peacefully and happily? ¡°Can you give me a chance to love and cherish you?¡± The duke¡¯s maid, who was bringing light refreshments, thought that it was not the right thing for children at the age of ten and eight to say or understand, let alone feeling love. chapter 21 The Elysium was said ¡®Descendants of Angels¡¯. The reason behind that was their ancestors¡¯ appearance recorded in the genealogy matched those of the angels who stayed on the earth until the last remaining in the Bible, but that was just a myth that even a 10-year-old prince would consider nonsense and overlook. However, the silver hair that shines like the Milky Way, which has been passed down from generation to generation, and the blue eyes like the sky at noon that touched the horizon of the midsummer sea in the distance, were beautiful enough to represent an angel. Starting with the first empress of the empire, the genealogy of the imperial members, which was noble and historic, had different roots, but there was one noticeable thing. That the names of the young girls of the last name Elysium were all written somewhere in the genealogy. The House of Elysium pushed their carefully created daughters into wedding ceremonies, citing reasons such as ¡°Producing the First Empress,¡± ¡°Descendants of Angels,¡± and ¡°No high-ranking nobles were not connected from a young age.¡± It was the power and wealth that they gained from those political ties. Naturally, at some point, the Dukes of Elysium¡¯s generations ought to do things that are duke-like, for example, to establish a political faction within the imperial palace, or, to stand at the peak of power and confront the emperor. But instead of confronting the emperor, Dukes of Elysium began to think about how to make his daughter a more beautiful and perfect bride. The Duke during this timeline was also such a man. One thing that sets him apart from the previous Dukes of Elysium is that he was an exceptionally ambitious person for politics. His arranging marriage with the Imperial family was also used as a foundation for his full-fledged entry into politics and as a final shield in case something were to go wrong. To do that, even if he did not like it, he still had to face the emperor with a sociable smile on his face. Even if his daughter were to become an empress in the future and his son-in-law was the soon-to-be emperor, the duke was only a shadow under the clouds in front of the imperial family. The Duke of Elysium, who fully understood that point, was just taking a peek into the political world little by little so as not to offend the ruler in any way. But why was the mentioned ruler directly visiting his mansion from this early morning? A thing of this sort was unprecedented. In a hurry, the duke bow to the emperor out of courtesy while inwardly questioned his presence at this hour. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. Please give your order.¡± ¡°Go and adjust your pants first¡±. The emperor ordered, waving his hand dismissively. Only then did the Duke blush as he noticed that he was wearing his pants backward. ¡°I¡­I will get back to you soon.¡± ¡°The young Miss welcomed us in perfect manner from early in the morning. Children are called their parents¡¯ mirrors, right? ¡°I¡¯m ashamed.¡± Your daughter welcomed us with a perfect appearance from this morning, but why do you ¡ª a parent, look like that? The emperor¡¯s profound hidden word rebuked him. The Duke and Duchess guided the emperor couple to the lounge and went back to their for change room without a break. ¡°The tea is ready to serve.¡± The emperor, who was sitting on the sofa in the lounge, clasped his hands neatly on his knees and stared blankly into the air, gestured the butler to stop pouring tea. The Elysium mansion had an elegant appearance like a unique temple. However, the seemingly beautiful manor, which was like a goddess¡¯s temple, turned cold like a stone tomb the moment they made their entrance. ¡®I didn¡¯t expect Leonhardt to kneel down and ask for a favor, but it is much worse here than I thought¡­¡¯ The butler, who was wary of the emperor, tried to fill the empty cup while the emperor was deep in thought. ¡°Since when did the butler of Elysium become so slow-witted? Do I have to repeat myself twice?¡± However, the emperor said without sparing a glance with a blunt expression. The butler flinched and bowed his head hurriedly. ¡°Go and help your master.¡± The emperor leaned back on the cushion as if he were his own house and spoke in a languid manner. In an instant, the butler ran to the room of the ducal couple at a fast pace. ¡°When we go back, would there once again be the three of us?¡± When asked by the empress, the emperor smiled softly and answered. ¡°No, all four of us will go back together.¡± Meanwhile, Duchess Elysium was struggling in front of her most gorgeous dress. She tightened the corset as hard as she could, but the dress simply did not fit her body. The duchess made up a dull excuse to appease herself. It went something along the line that because she had to use up all her stamina and intelligence whenever she taught Elizabeth, it was needed to soothe her stomach with sweet things. However, it was impossible to have an audience with the emperor and empress in an indoor outfit or even the second most glamourous dress. Eventually, the Duke rolled up his sleeves and put his foot on the Duchess¡¯ waist, telling her to breathe more as he tightened the corset for her. ¡°Ack, argh! A little more! Just a little more!¡± Seeing her duke¡¯s veins popping up clearly on her arms, the maids turned their faces to the side with confusion. ¡°Every day she tightens the corset to the point when it¡¯s even too much for a lady. Frankly, I don¡¯t feel sorry, do you?¡± ¡°Shh! What are you going to do if the madame hears it?¡± The Duchess eventually managed to get her dress on thanks to her husband¡¯s help. Following the Duke back to the living room, where the guests awaited, she tossed her glare towards the maids. In her mind, she wanted to kick out those quirky girls right away but now was not the time. ¡°I am really ashamed to keep you waiting as the host, Your Majesty the Emperor.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m thinking of going back soon anyway. Come and sit down. Empress, didn¡¯t you say you have something to talk to the Duchess?: The duke cast his gaze nervously to inspect the emperor¡¯s wits. Obviously, this was the lounge of the Elysium mansion, but at the words of the emperor, the lounge turned into a more suffocating place than the halls of the Imperial Palace, where the ministers were lined up on either side. Meanwhile, the Duchess was taken aback when she heard that the Empress wanted to have a few words with herself. ¡®The empress? With me? why?¡¯ She guided the empress to another lounge, and the duchess was bitterly regretful that she wore her high-heeled shoes in vain, for no one could see them anyway because they were obscured by the hem of her long dress. ¡°I have heard from the Crown Prince that the duchess is educating our daughter-in-law very well,¡± she said. ¡°The Crown Prince¡­ His Highness¡­ .¡± Seeing a proud smile could not help but form on the Duchess¡¯s face, the Empress struggled to resist the distortion of her expression. ¡®Education? That¡¯s too good of a word for it. It¡¯s even worse than disciplining circus animals!¡¯ The Empress was appalled at the news about the future daughter-in-law delivered by her only son. What was happening to the future imperial member here in the Elysium mansion, was way too horrific even for the adults, let alone a child! ¡°It is overrated. Elizabeth is a child who still lacks education. I mean, what would an eight-year-old know? Hoho¡­¡± The Empress smiled benevolently and looked straight into the duchess¡¯ eyes. The Empress, whom everyone praised as a gentle person, but the Duchess felt that her smile was somehow colder than the winter north wind. ¡°Yes. The time back when His Highness the Crown Prince was around the young Miss¡¯ age¡­still remains vividly in my mind. If he had something he wanted, he would lie down in the hallway of the Imperial Palace and threw a tantrum all day long. But after it has passed by, even those acts seem cute and lovely¡­ .¡± The empress deliberately paused a little and secretly took a glance at the duchess. ¡°After seeing your daughter, I wish to experience those lovely moments again..¡± ¡°What¡­.what is Your Majesty talking about?¡± In the duchess¡¯ head, thoughts began to shake like a storm. The empress was still staring at the duchess with a faint smile. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m just proud as her future mother-in-law. That girl has grown up so well. I¡¯m just thankful.¡± ¡°I am grateful that the Empress is thinking so highly of Isolde. It is an honour, Your Majesty.¡± ¡®She has indeed grown up well. She is a good child, in fact, too good for the likes of them. If it were me, I would have escaped long ago!¡¯ The empress tried to keep calm and brought up the main subject. ¡°It reminds me of Elizabeth¡¯s education¡­Duchess of Elysium.¡± ¡°Please, do tell, Your Majesty.¡± chapter 22 *** The emperor was also having a similar conversation with the Duke of Elysium. ¡°I want to raise Elizabeth in the imperial palace.¡± ¡°What? Your Majesty the Emperor!¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t she someday become a crown princess and come to the imperial family sooner or later?¡± I just want to speed up the process a bit. Is there any problem? ¡®Any problem he asked?!¡¯ Right at that moment, flashing before the duke¡¯s eyes were the scars and wounds left on the child¡¯s body by a rod under his wife¡¯s ¡®education¡¯. Just a few days ago, he locked himself up in the deepest part of his study rooms, frustrated by the headache caused by the cries of my daughter who was in pain after being beaten. No matter how quickly a young child¡¯s skin can heal, and how good the medicine is used, such wound marks could not disappear completely that quickly! ¡°Your Majesty, you cannot act however you pleased!¡± ¡°Of course. That¡¯s why I¡¯m asking for your consent.¡± How could he call that asking for his consent?! However, instead of confronting the emperor in protest, the duke contemplated quietly. ¡® No, let¡¯s stay calm and think it through. If the child enters the imperial family early, we will be able to visit the imperial palace a little more often under the pretext of seeing the child. Then, we will be able to build stronger relationships with many people. This is an opportunity! ¡¯ The Emperor kicked his tongue inwardly at the Duke of Elysium, who could be read like an open book. That was the descendant of an angel? He looked like a devil in form of a human, who was inwardly chuckling while plotting some sinister scheme. Suddenly, the emperor¡¯s body hardened, he felt as if he was having a cramp. For some reason, he felt disgusted even at the blood of the first empress, which was flowing somewhere in his body. ¡°Hmm,¡­I understand that Your Majesty means well. However, since she is our only daughter, the mother¡¯s opinion is also important, right? After consulting with my wife¡­.¡± Knock, knock, knock. ¡°Are you done talking?¡± ¡°Your Majesty the Empress!¡± The knocking sound along with the empress¡¯ voice interrupted the duke¡¯s words. As she pushed the door open and made her way in, the duke bent reflexively toward the empress entering. Following her was his wife. She was not in her right frame of mind, she looked completely dazed. What on earth had happened? ¡°W-wife¡­Don¡¯t tell me that the Empress¡­?¡± ¡°They are going to raise Elizabeth in the palace¡­¡± The duke felt his mind go blank at his wife¡¯s whisper. No matter how much he thought about it, there was no reason for these two high-ranking nobles to do so. ¡®Could it happen that His Highness the Crown Prince has¡­?!¡¯ The face of the duke, who had never shown interest in his daughter since her engagement was confirmed ¡ª ever since she was born, turned pale as he recalled the day when the Prince first visited the mansion and met his daughter. ¡°From what I heard from Leonhardt, Elizabeth is quite eager in taking classes for future Empress, but wouldn¡¯t it be better to learn royal etiquette directly in the imperial palace? What do you think, madame?¡± ¡°But Your Majesty the Empress¡­!¡± ¡°Not only that, but I am also thinking of bringing in children from noble families who are of Leonhardt¡¯s age to be friends, so maybe we might as well bring some aristocratic girls of Elizabeth¡¯s age. What do you say, my empress?¡± ¡°Oh my! That is a good idea. The imperial palace will be filled with laughter for the first time after a long period.¡± ¡°Right?¡± The emperor tilted his head toward the empress with a light smile like a large hound that wanted praise. The empress smiled gently and held the emperor¡¯s hands tightly and spoke again to further shook the ducal couple who were already pretty much restless and agitated. ¡°There is no better place for education than the Imperial Palace for a child who is to become the Empress.¡± ¡°About that¡­Isolde¡¯s body is still weak, so at least after spring¡­ .¡± ¡°Is it severe? Does not matter. The imperial palace is full of doctors who can cure even serious diseases.¡± ¡°It is not like that¡­ .¡± The Duke of Elysium and his wife were worried about how to hide their daughter¡¯s whipped marks. ¡°It is natural to guarantee an empress¡¯ class and early social debut, which is only possible in the royal family. And besides studying she also gets the chance to be close to her future husband. So what are you still hesitant about?¡± ¡°Are you trying to separate a child who is only eight years old now from her parents¡¯ arms?!¡± Stunned, the imperial couple turned their gazes back to the duchess at her high-pitch piercing scream. It was was truly shameless of her when she could still manage to spew that nonsense without reflecting on her past hideous actions. The Duchess¡¯ feet hurt so much that she could not walk, she crawled on her knees and grabbed the hem of the Empress¡¯s dress, and began to weep. She was wearing a corset and every time she shouted she felt like she was about to run out of breath at any moment soon. ¡°Just barely¡­ haa, eight years old! Such a child¡­ Is the Empress trying to separate our own flesh and blood while the child herself still needs her parents¡¯ warmth? How can you be so cold-hearted!¡± If Leonhard had seen it, he would immediately hit his forehead on the table and said, ¡®I had no idea the empress was brought up by those immodest things¡­¡¯ It would be a scene where he would regret it even more! ¡°Duchess Elysium! Calm down, calm down!¡± The duchess¡¯ grips were too tenacious. She felt like her dress was about to be ripped off! The empress was left momentarily speechless, she looked up at the emperor with her bewildered expression as if to ask him how to rectify the suddenly reversed situation. Even the emperor had not expected such an absurdity, his violet eyes were slightly wavering. The Duke of Elysium was a man who knew the right timing and to hit the right spot. And that moment was the perfect chance for him to strike. The duke also clasped his hand in front of his chest and cried with tears. There was a cracking sound from the duchess¡¯ waist, but now it was more important to escape from this without being detected that the future Empress¡¯ body was full of wounds. ¡°Your Majesty! Please consider this matter! She is our only daughter. If you think that the young child could live in an imperial palace without a mother or father¡­The heart of this old soul is torn apart!¡± ¡°Your Majesty the Empress, please¡­ Please reconsider your decision. I cannot live without Elizabeth, she is¡­ Urgh¡­my body. Anyway, Elizabeth also said goodbye to me every night¡­ Haa, without it, I cannot sleep, how could you take that child with you?!¡± The emperor and the empress looked at each other with puzzled expressions. Knock knock knock. In the midst of the exaggerated and ridiculous pleads of the Duke and Duchess with their crocodile tears, a polite and constant knock was heard. The four people turned to the door at once. ¡°Come in.¡± For a moment, the emperor forgot who the owner of the house was and allowed a stranger to visit. Duke Elysium looked at the emperor and the door alternately with an absurd look whilst raising his wife, who could not stand up properly because of the corset and almost tear the empress¡¯ dress. The door opened¡­ ¡°Isolde!¡± ¡°Leonhardt!¡± Behind the door stood a butler with an awkward expression and a little boy with a somewhat stubborn face. Behind the boy¡¯s back, fine silver hair was revealed. ¡°Then why don¡¯t you ask Lizzy directly? Why do adults not know such a simple thing?¡± ¡°Your Highness! You are in front of His Majesty right now. Please mind your words and actions.¡± The Empress warned Leonhardt with a stern look. Leonhard pouted her lips as something like that was not so much to his liking. Holding Elizabeth¡¯s hand behind him, he led her in. Subsequently, he knelt down on one knee in front of Elizabeth, who was in her nightgown with a shawl over it. The poor little girl was freaking out and seemed to be short of breath. She looked like she was about to faint again at any moment. Leonhardt said with the utmost seriousness. ¡°Lizzy, would you live with me?¡± Chapter 23 Elizabeth was afraid. She was scared when she saw anger present on Leonhardt¡¯s face as he held her hand and led her down the stairs. If she quietly followed her parents¡¯ instructions, her daily life would have stayed normal. But at Leon¡¯s fingertips, she then realised all her routines were now breaking down one by one because of him. ¡°Lizzy?¡± As she followed Leonhardt down the stairs, Elizabeth¡¯s heart sank, every step she took felt heavy. She had learned how to behave before the Emperor and Empress and what she should say and what she shouldn¡¯t, but with the sting tickling under her tongue and the astringent sensation she was feeling, no one had taught her what to do in this situation. Leonhardt, who had gone down three steps ahead of her, turned to look at her. Elizabeth¡¯s shoulders were shaking terribly, like she was soaked in the rain. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Are you alright?¡± Leon, Leon, Leon. Elizabeth tried to hold Leon¡¯s hand whilst wondering whether it was too discourteous of a lady to do it. Leonhardt grabbed her hands, which were continuously trembling. ¡°Shall we head back? If you don¡¯t like it, I won¡¯t do it.¡± The crown prince was trying to take her to the parlor, yet, he did not want to force her. However, the girl shook her head. Elizabeth was taught that she should obey the prince¡¯s words unconditionally. she must act accordingly to the prince¡¯s will under any circumstances. ¡°Elizabeth¡­¡± But her lips, barely opened, could only make ugly stuttering sounds. ¡®I can¡¯t have an audience with His Majesty the Emperor like this. What if the Empress is disappointed with my disheveled appearance and decides to cancel her engagement to Leon? But shouldn¡¯t I listen to the Crown Prince and enters the parlor,? Uh, what should I do?¡¯ Leonhardt shouted for the maids to get Elizabeth something to cover herself as her nightgown was too thin. The maids, who were watching on the side with a sad and pitiful expression, immediately jolted with anxiety and their halted footsteps moved busily again. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Lizzy. No one will hurt you. You can do whatever you want. You can go back to your room, or you can come down to the parlor with me. If you don¡¯t like either of them¡­¡± The blue shawl, placed under the spring morning sun, was now on her. It gave off a warm and cozy smell. Yet, to Elizabeth, the shawl, which she usually rubbed her cheeks on as a little child to seek comfort, now strangely felt like a rag, half-frozen in the winter sleet. ¡°You choose. Lizzy, it¡¯s your life.¡± ¡°My life¡­¡± Elizabeth looked up at Leonhardt, desperation in her eyes. She was like a devotee wishing for her God to save her. Leonhardt had sad look on his face. ¡°Leon, are you sad?¡± ¡°No, Lizzy. I¡¯m worried about you right now. Of course, I would be sad if¡­but¡­I can cancel my engagement with you if you wish¡­ ¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want it!¡± At Elizabeth¡¯s scream, her maids, as well as Leonhardt shuddered. As if she were a priest who heard the oracle that the world was ending, Elizabeth grabbed Leonhardt and clung to him, her body began shaking. ¡°No, I hate that. I want to be with Leon. I, I¡­!¡± ¡°Lizzy.¡± Leonhardt patted Elizabeth on the shoulder and gently placed his forehead against hers. ¡°Ye-yes,,¡­!¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s go to the parlor.¡± Leonhardt once again comforted her, carefully checking her to see if Elizabeth was reacting sensitively again. His young fianc¨¦e had once lived without knowing how to express her feelings. It felt like his stomach was being squeezed out. As he got to know her past, he could not possibly forgive his future self, which was now his past. Seeing Elizabeth slowly descend the stairs holding his hand, Leonhardt was touched. But he managed to endure the tingling at the tip of his nose as he made excuses to himself that a child¡¯s body was overly sensitive to others¡¯ emotions. As the drawing-room door got closer, the noise beyond the door grew louder. Elizabeth, who had been clinging to Leon¡¯s side, suddenly clung to his back and hid behind him. Leon thought to himself that if she wished, he would get the strongest magic barrier in the palace to surround her. Nonetheless, Leonhardt, though with his ten-year-old small stature, his status as the crown prince, and his willingness to protect his companion was stronger than any magic barrier. With that, he commanded the butler of the Elysium family: ¡°Open the door.¡± The conversation he could hear now through the cracks of the drawing-room door was so explicit that he found it pathetic to hear even as an adult. ¡®Shouldn¡¯t he open this door now?¡¯ ¡°I said open the door. Since when did the butler of Elysium need me to repeat my words twice?¡± Leon ordered the door to be opened as if it was his own house. The butler shed a cold sweat as he looked at Leonhardt, who reproached him, and Elizabeth alternately. ¡°Miss, may I open the door?¡± No matter how much he had to turn away from the lady at the order of the owner of this house, he was also one of the people who decorated the baby room with joy on the day Elizabeth was born. The butler knelt down and made eye contact with Elizabeth for the first time in years. Even if the Crown Prince came with the Imperial Guards, the owner of this house was still Elysium. It was Elizabeth, not Leonhard, whose orders he had to follow. Elizabeth was still confused, barely standing in a precarious position as if she could collapse at any moment. The butler stopped trying to reach out at the sight. ¡°¡­The¡­door¡­ please open it.¡± Elizabeth said, hiding behind Leonhard¡¯s back The butler, whose expression did not change when she was hit with her father¡¯s staff, was now kneeling to meet with her eyes level. His wrinkled face didn¡¯t bear any resemblance to Leonhardt¡¯s, but Elizabeth could tell that he was sad as well when she looked at him. She did not want anyone to be sad because of her. Elizabeth knew how pretty Leon was when he smiled. ¡®If the butler smiles, the wrinkles may disappear too.¡¯ she thought. ¡°All right.¡± The butler rose again. ¡®Was she this small?¡¯ Kneeling down on his knees, he was silently astonished. At the same time, he admired her sky-blue eyes. A colour of the highest and clearest sky he had ever seen. And eventually, ¡°P-please, do not be sad¡­because of me¡­¡± At her words, the butler had to go through the experience of his heart dropping to his feet and then bouncing back to the top of his head. At that very moment, the butler made a decision. No matter what happened, he would protect the young lady from the master and his wife. Why did he, the butler, only see this now? It was something anyone could see, especially for someone who had been looking after the Elysium for decades. He had been committing unforgivable mistakes for the past eight years. Polite, steady beats of knock were followed by a low, dignified voice that stunned Elizabeth. ¡°Come on in.¡± Leonhardt felt Elizabeth startled and reassured her by holding her hand tightly. The door opened. Leonhardt, who had a rough idea of ??what was going on behind the door while the butler asked Elizabeth for permission, greeted them in the most twisted tone a ten-year-old boy could use. ¡°Then why don¡¯t you ask Lizzy directly? Why don¡¯t adults know such simple things?¡± ¡°Your Highness! You are in front of His Majesty. Be careful with your words and actions.¡± Leonhard pouted. He could see his mother sighing and rubbing her forehead toward her son, who did not show any signs of remorse. Leonhardt, who unintentionally startled his mother¡¯s heart, ignored her warning as he decided that Elizabeth was more urgent. He then pulled Elizabeth from behind and knelt in front of her. ¡°Lizzy, would you like to live with me?¡± From the emperor, the empress, and the prince who was the party involved, to the duke and the duchess, everyone was silently waiting for her answer. Leonhardt knew how hard it was for Elizabeth when the pressure of going to the Imperial Palace weighed on her, but he still had to make this proposal. In order to get rid of a poison, a stronger poison was needed. Chapter 24 Elizabeth was frantic. ¡®Shouldn¡¯t I greet His Majesty the Emperor first? How should I address the Empress? What happened to the royal court etiquette? Why did Leon kneel down to me?¡¯ It was scary. She felt like all the eyes focused on her grew wildly like monsters¡¯ eyes. It started with ten, then twenty, forty, and soon, every pattern of the wallpaper turned into fierce eyes, staring at her. With those eyes watching, Leonhardt knelt before her and asked for her consent to live with him. Eventually, Elizabeth sank down to her knees and burst into tears. The unpleasant, sticky, lumpy mass within her that had not disappeared even after taking medicine was melting away in her tears gradually. Elizabeth sobbed and emptied out all the baffled feelings, unknown emotions, the urge to vomit, and even the tingling and throbbing of her heart. She really could not figure out what all of that was, she only felt suffocated. Why did he want her to choose? Why was he asking her this? ¡®Mother, what should I do? This has never happened. I¡¯ve always just known what I¡¯m told to do. Is this also in one of the classes I need to take to be an empress? How should a good lady behave in a situation like this?¡¯ ¡®I don¡¯t know, I really don¡¯t know, Leon. Help me, won¡¯t help me?¡¯ ¡°Lizzy, Elizabeth. Calm down, let¡¯s calm down, huh? Drink a glass of water first¡­okay? I¡¯m here. It¡¯s Leon.¡± ¡°Leon, Leon¡­wha-what should I do?¡­at times like this¡­ugh¡­ urk, what should I do?¡± ¡°You can do whatever you want. Lizzy¡­What do you want to do?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I really don¡¯t know. I¡­I am¡­I¡­uhhh¡­¡± ¡°Calm down¡­Calm down¡­Think carefully, no, let¡¯s breathe first! Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in¡­ good¡­¡± A sickening sensation emanating from the depths of her stomach struck her palate, invading her mouth in seconds. And before Elizabeth could figure out what that feeling was, she threw up in Leon¡¯s arms. Desperately, she grabbed Leonhardt¡¯s hem and clung to him. She closed her eyes and slowly inhaled and exhaled. After that, one by one, the freaky eyes that had been glued to the wallpaper began to disappear. Her mind went blank. Nothing came to her mind. She, as usual, would have been terrified at the unladylike behavior she had committed, or worried that her father would raise his staff at her, but now she didn¡¯t even have the strength to lift a finger. ¡®I want to rest.¡¯ Embracing Elizabeth, who had completely lost her strength, Leonhardt politely bowed his head toward the adults in the room. ¡°Father, mother, and your grace, Duke of Elysium. I apologise for being disrespectful by coming here early in the morning without even contacting you. Lizzy is more baffled at my sudden insistence than I thought. I was too reckless and stubborn.¡± ¡°No¡­No, Your Highness. Rather, our Isolde¡­ .¡± ¡°Lizzy has done nothing wrong!¡± ¡°Your Highness the Crown Prince, I have told you, you are in the presence of His Majesty.¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯m sorry, mother. But she really did nothing wrong. If you want to rebuke, rebuke me.¡± ¡°Ye- yes. Isol¡­ Lizzy was surprised¡­What isn¡¯t the butler sending Lizzy back to the room right this instant?¡± exclaimed the Duchess. As the butler was about to enter the drawing room belatedly, Leonhardt swept Elizabeth up in his arms. Of course, the next moment he had to hand over Elizabeth to an adult who was a little more capable and dependable. However, Leonhardt stood still long after the butler¡¯s footsteps were heard all the way up the stairs. Was a child¡¯s body always so small and light? The day he went to buy her a pair of shoes, the craftsman said she was of an average build. But Elizabeth, who had just been held in his arms, was too small, light, it was like she would vanish into thin air the moment he blinked. ¡°Leonhardt, I have something to discuss with the grown-ups for a while, so would you like to go up to the young lady?¡± ¡°¡­Yes, mother.¡± The Empress¡¯ voice was lower than her usual one. Leonhardt, who knew from experience what happened when his mother opened her mouth with that tone, quietly retreated from the drawing room. *** The stairs of the Duke¡¯s mansion were covered with soft carpets. But since she wore high heels, it must have been painful for her, as if she was walking on blades. ¡®Lizzy.¡¯ Her room was full of white and blue furniture and decorations. He began to feel a little more life compared to the bleak atmosphere of a hospital room when he first saw it. However, if it had not been for his words, the pure white room before the change would have erased Elizabeth¡¯s existence for good. ¡®Isolde¡¯ Leonhardt took one step at a time cautiously in case she would wake up. She used to walk behind him every moment, watching his every movement, without even making a sound. Like a shadow. ¡®My Empress.¡¯ Leonhardt knelt down on the carpet carefully so as not to wake Elizabeth, who had barely fallen asleep, and tapped the tip of her finger. Elizabeth only flinched, but she was still exhaling even breath. Even if she puts a dandelion puff in front of her small nose, would she be able to scatter its spores into the air with such a breath? Her breath was so soft, almost weak, that it made him worried. Holding her hand tightly like a holy treasure, Leonhardt begged and begged. ¡®I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry, my Empress. I was wrong. Please choose me again. Please give me one more chance, so that I don¡¯t do the same stupid thing again, so that you can be happy. Please grant me that qualification. I will give you back the long time you lost because of me. Even if I died tomorrow because of that, as long as I have the certainty that you will be happy, I would gladly walk towards hell on my own. So Elizabeth, please give me a chance to make atonement for you, to love you.¡¯ Chapter 25 After Leonhardt and Elizabeth had returned, it was a suffocating silence invaded the drawing room. The Duke of Elysium and his wife wanted nothing more than to hide away from this awkward situation. Belatedly, the Empress cleared her throat. ¡°I understand, madame. It¡¯s okay. Elizabeth did nothing wrong.¡± ¡®If you have something to say, say it. As soon as you speak up, I¡¯ll make sure to bend your ribs wide.¡¯ The Emperor¡¯s purple eyes were burning with flames at the Duke and Duchess. They did not dare say a word. The Duchess, who tried to reply with delight, was startled by the emperor¡¯s gaze staring at her, and quietly shut her mouth and waited for the Empress to continue. ¡°It was so sudden that it is natural for a child to be perplexed. Before being the Empress, I was a mother first, so I¡¯ll also withdraw all the imprudent remarks I¡¯ve made. Children must grow up being loved by their parents. That¡¯s natural. However¡­¡± The Duchess swallowed her saliva nervously. ¡®Did we buy enough time for Isolde¡¯s scars to heal?¡¯ ¡°I don¡¯t know if you deserve to be called parents anymore. We shall take Elizabeth to the Imperial Palace with us.¡± The Empress¡¯s tone was extremely calm and mellow, yet determined. ¡°The engagement ceremony should be arranged earlier. In the etiquette, the engagement ceremony of a young lady and a young lord is encouraged to be held after both have turned ten, but that is just to wait for their body and mind to grow enough so they can become partners. However, considering this was an arranged engagement from the beginning, etiquette is meaningless now. Duchess of Elysium, do you think Elizabeth is not good enough to be Leonhardt¡¯s fianc¨¦e?¡± ¡°I¡­I¡­¡± ¡°What about you, Your Majesty? What do you think?¡± ¡°¡­The empress¡¯s will is mine as well.¡± The Emperor intercepted the duchess¡¯ words and showed support for the Empress¡¯ will. The Duchess bit her lips, repeatedly clenching and unfolding her fists in helplessness. ¡°Good. Before spring passes and summer arrives, the children will exchange their futures with God watching.¡± ¡®Thank god. With that much time, Isolde¡¯s wounds can all be healed! Since it¡¯s an engagement¡­ Surely there will be people who can help our family come to the ceremony. On second thought, this might be an opportunity.¡¯ That was the only thought that resided in the Duke¡¯s mind for the moment. However, as soon as another condition was added by the Empress, the Duke¡¯s face turned pale. ¡°As of the time Elizabeth entered the palace, the Duke and Duchess of Elysium¡¯s any public or private meeting with the child, regardless of formality, is prohibited. You should never talk to Elizabeth unless Elizabeth seeks you first, and if you ever happen to be in the same place as her, please keep out of her sight.¡± ¡°Empress, what would you be worried about that when only those worthy enough could be invited to the place, where your precious daughter-in-law is brought up?¡± The meaning of the emperor¡¯s words was as clear as daylight. They should no longer appear at any grand royal ceremonies. Even if they were to participate, they had to stay quietly in a corner so as not to catch her daughter¡¯s eyes. The duke saw the vision of him entering the political world and chatting with his high-ranking officials shattered in front of his eyes. ¡°Do you have anything else to say?¡± The conversation ended with that. The Emperor and Empress rose with a firm attitude, they did not wish to be there for even a second longer. *** ¡°Oh right, we need to get Leon, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Right, I almost forgot something important.¡± ¡°An important ¡®thing¡¯?! Your Majesty!¡± The Empress pushed the Emperor¡¯s chest with a light gesture. The Emperor, following the Empress upstairs, faltered back half a step due to her light push. ¡°Oh, is the Empress trying to assassinate the Emperor?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not in the mood for a joke right now. Seriously¡­ If it wasn¡¯t for Leonhardt¡­¡± Could one really feel okay after seeing a child who behaved more like a well-made, elaborate doll than a human being? The Empress herself was honestly not confident about that. The Empress arrived at Elizabeth¡¯s room, guided by the maids. She gently knocked on the door. When there was no response, she gave the emperor a look and opened the door with carefully. The white and blue room was reminiscent of a sandy beach with fine white sand and the sea falling like a waterfall over the horizon. ¡®Come to think of it, the Crown Prince said that Elizabeth liked the colour blue, he even gave her shoes embroidered with blue forget-me-nots.¡¯ The Emperor leaned against the wall and looked around the room with his arms crossed. The Empress cautiously leaned Leonhardt, who had drifted off on Elizabeth¡¯s bed side, against herself. She could see traces of the tears had trickled down his chubby baby cheeks. ¡®Even as an adult, I¡¯m this heartbroken, but Leon¡­¡¯ Even though the boy had grown to the point where it would be difficult for her to walk ten steps with him in her arms, in the Empress¡¯ eyes, Leonhardt still looked the same as when he just started to walk. The Emperor beckoned the maids to carry them carefully so as to avoid awakening the sleeping Elizabeth and Leonhardt. Thereafter, they headed for the imperial carriage. ¡°I need to pack the young lady¡¯s clothes and valuables¡­¡± As the Empress added, the Duchess, who had caught up with her in a hurry, arrived just in time to hear it. ¡°We-well, because of the seasons change over the past few days, I have sent all her clothes to the laundry¡­¡± ¡°I should bring those leftover, then.¡± The Duchess¡¯ expression became even more contemplative. The Empress quietly walked across Elizabeth¡¯s room to her dressing room. ¡°¡­madame.¡± ¡°Yes¡­Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Is this for real¡­Elizabeth¡­Did the little girl wear something like this¡­?¡± Chapter 26 ¡°Is this for real¡­Elizabeth¡­Did the little girl wear something like this¡­?¡± The queen¡¯s voice was trembling. The walls of the spacious dressing room were hung with all gorgeous but uncomfortable dresses. However, what she pointed to was not something like a heavy dress even for adults. When the Duchess found the corset she had hurriedly removed from the fainted Elizabeth, she gave a light nod. ¡°You were just raising her, not educating her. How could you lock the child in a prison moulded like human body like that.¡± Of all her comfortable clothes she had just found, except for her pajamas, there were only three of them were acceptable for the small child to wear. They had a different sleeve length and were found slipped off a hanger or tucked away in a corner. ¡°Do you know what Elizabeth usually likes?¡± The Duchess only bowed her head and stood quiet. The Empress sighed deeply, rubbing her forehead. ¡°¡­jewels are not needed. If there is anything that the young lady has shown attachment to, even a little is fine, take it all.¡± Elizabeth¡¯s cherished items collected were only a few fairy tale books whose pages were missing as if someone had tore them on purpose, of course, except for the shoes and flower ring that Leon gave her. There was not a single doll nor a favourite cozy blanket that a girl her age would usually have. The empress bit her lip and suppressed her anger at the bleak result. After a long time, once the carriage with the imperial crest on it had completely passed through the forest surrounding the Duchy, the Empress spat out. ¡°You kept your promise.¡± ¡°Promise?¡± ¡°You said there would be four when we come back.¡± The Empress stared at the Emperor¡¯s side, as he was staring out the window. She could see the corner of his lips, which had been tightly shut, rising little by little. ¡°I am not the wind spirit beyond the window, Your Majesty.¡± Only then did the Emperor turn his head and took the Empress¡¯s hand in his. The Empress rested her head on the Emperor¡¯s shoulder and closed her eyes. On the other side, Leonhardt and Elizabeth were asleep with their heads on each other¡¯s. Leonhardt¡¯s eyes, which had been slightly opened, were shut again as a thought came to his mind. ¡®It¡¯s fortunate that Elizabeth is by my side.¡¯ *** ¡°Our family is now over. How did Elysium end up like this? How will I face my ancestors when I die?!¡± The duke had been circling around the same spot for a while, veins around his neck. ¡°Damn it! To think I have suffered such humiliation. The royal family would not have come this far if the blood of Elysium had not been mixed in with the royal family for generations..¡±¡± The Duchess was in agony. She was proud of her family, the representative for all her ancestors.She was confident that she was a good parent. Everything she did was for her daughter. No matter how good-natured the Empress was, the imperial family was a place where a small mistake could gnaw a child like a bruised wound. She did not want her to be found fault in such a place. The child acted perfectly, hoping that she would receive only praise. There was supposed to be no dust on her child¡¯s path until she sat safely in the Empress¡¯s place that no one could surpass. Until now, the child had never once complained and followed her instructions completely. Her daughter was a kind, sweet, understanding, and mature child who understood the saying, ¡°It¡¯s all for you.¡± ¡®Why was the Empress so angry when I raised her so well?¡¯ The Duchess could not understand the Empress¡¯ words about her keeping her child in a prison. *** Leonhardt, who had awoken from sleep, stared for a long time at his father, who was looking out the window, maintaining an uncomfortable posture in case his mother, who had fallen asleep, woke up. ¡°Father.¡± ¡°What is it, son?¡± ¡°¡­Please be nice to mother.¡± ¡°Take care of your girl. I was thinking about canceling your engagement and everything, but I was holding in all these time, hoping that those morons would not catch the child.¡± ¡°If that ever happens, I will take Lizzy¡¯s hand run away through the night.¡± ¡°Where else did you learn those words?¡± ¡°From a book.¡± The Emperor¡¯s well-shaped eyebrows slightly twitched. The empress¡¯s genes, which never manifested in his appearance, were perhaps revealed in his personality, but it must have been a whim of a moment for their son resembled his childhood self considerbly. ¡°Father.¡± ¡°What now, son?¡± ¡°Do you think mother is happy about this?¡± Purple eyes like those of Leonhardt stared at him. The son was also staring straight back at his father. The emperor felt that his son¡¯s gaze somehow mirrored his. It could have been thought as natural because he was his son. But the prince in front of him was only ten years old, he was too young to sit with such a pessimistic expression, as if it was saying he had seen everything he could in the world. ¡°¡­We are happy but at the same time we are cursed. The royal family is like that anyway. Being on top of everything isn¡¯t necessarily a good thing. I hope your generation will be better by the time you marry her and take the crown¡­¡± ¡°For some reason, you are finally thinking like a ¡®father¡¯ just now.¡± ¡°It seems the Crown Prince is walking back to the Imperial Palace, so stop the carriage for a moment.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± The Emperor then shifted slightly so that the Empress could lean on him a little more comfortably. That was the end of the father-son conversation. Leonhardt and the Emperor looked out the window in the same posture as if each other¡¯s reflections until they reached the Imperial Palace. ¡®At least I¡¯m not going to make rash decisions like father, or so I hope.¡¯ Leonhardt glanced up and down at the Emperor. ¡®I had a strange dream.¡¯ Elizabeth slowly opened her eyes and thought. Someone was holding her hand and begging for forgiveness. Fragmented words such as ¡®please¡¯, ¡®another chance¡¯, ¡®qualification¡¯, etc. swirled around in her head, were slowly dissipating like smoke. Elizabeth¡¯s eyes widened as she turned to her side, noticing that her own hand was wrapped in warmth. Chapter 27 Unfamiliar adults were sitting in front of her. Slowly blinking, she wondered who those people were, it seemed that she had seen them somewhere¡­ Elizabeth, who was lost in thought, was startled when she finally recognised their identities and leaped up of her seat. ¡°Y-your Majesty the Emperor! And the Empress! This¡­this foolish girl¡­has been disrespectful¡­ P-please, have mercy on me¡­¡± Her head began spinning and eyes shaking. Difficult words were floating around in my head, and her tongue was hardened, making it difficult to pronounce. ¡®Why are the two of them here? Where are we?¡¯ The Emperor raised his eyebrows and exchanged glances with the Empress. ¡°Elizabeth, sweetie.¡± ¡°Ye-yes! Your Majesty the Empress!¡± she gasped. In response to Elizabeth¡¯s frantic reply, the Empress burst out laughing. She found her cute and lovable, but on the other hand, she also felt sorry for how hard she had to learn to become like that. Elizabeth thought hard to grasp the meaning of the Empress¡¯ laugh. Her heart started pounding so wildly that even Leonhardt, who was sitting next to her, could hear it, and it felt like a cold sweat was pouring out of her palms. ¡°Have you ever come out of the Duke¡¯s house, dear?¡± ¡°Pardon¡­?¡± Elizabeth only blinked blankly when she heard that. The Empress, unaware of the loud thumping in her chest, tried to readjust the corner of her lips and tapped on the window of the carriage. At that, Elizabeth¡¯s eyes grew even wider. Through the transparent glass window, trees were swiping past like rough scribbles. ¡°A carriage¡­?¡± Elizabeth mumbled absent-mindedly and shook her head. She often had memories of her watching her father ride the carriage through the window in her room. She sometimes rode with her mother, it was rare for her to ride the carriage on her own. Even during those rare occasions when she got to go out, her mother said she should always draw the curtains so as not to get sunburnt. ¡°Looks like it¡¯s the first time you¡¯re coming out in a long time. How could they¡­¡± ¡°I will get used to it soon! I will practice every day! If I take a carriage every day¡­¡± ¡®I was meant to ask if Elizabeth have motion sickness, but it must have sounded different to Elizabeth.¡¯ The Empress waved her hand belatedly, signifying that was not what she meant. ¡°There is no need for that. Are you uncomfortable anywhere?¡± Elizabeth continued to shake her head vehemently. She then brought her face closer to the windshield of the carriage. The trees, the clouds, and the fields that were filled with early bloomed flowers disappeared behind her back as soon as she caught sight of them. ¡°Dear child must love the carriage ride. It wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea to build a new carriage for her. What do you think, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°The empress¡¯s will is my will.¡± ¡°Yo-Your, Your Majesty¡­!¡± Elizabeth, who was admiring the scenery by the window sill, turned to stammer upon remembering the situation she was in. For a moment, the carriage shook as if its wheel had caught on a large stone. ¡°Kya!¡± ¡°Lizzy!¡± Leonhardt freaked out almost instantly and quick-wittedly caught her. Thanks to that, Elizabeth was able to safely land on the fluffy red velvet cushions of the carriage with Leon. ¡°I- I¡¯m sorry, Leon! Your..Your Majesty..! I-I did not mean¡­¡± ¡°¡­Sweet child¡­She¡¯s going to run out of breath. Your Majesty, please smile more kindly!¡± Hearing the Empress¡¯s words, Leonhardt frowned and turned toward them. Smile? kindly? His father? He could never imagine that. However, the Emperor slowly began to raise both ends of his lips, obedient as the Empress said. Leonhardt doubted his own eyes. ¡°Child, If the Crown Prince doesn¡¯t listen to you, just tell me anytime. If you wish, I will drive him out of the border.¡± ¡°Father?!¡± Leonhardt called him out of astonishment, but the Emperor did not listen to him as he drew on his face the smile he had only shown to the empress to calm Elizabeth¡¯s tension. ¡°Starting from the moment you step foot into the Imperial Palace, you are no longer a member of Elysium, but a member of the Imperial Family. Just keep that in mind.¡± ¡°The Imperial Palace¡­? I am going to the Imperial Palace? What about my mother? Is my father coming too?¡± The faces of both the Empress and the Emperor crumpled at once. However, as Elizabeth blinked innocently, the two instantly fixed their expressions and returned to their initial composure. ¡°Dear, you will be living in the Imperial Palace from now on. It¡¯s the place you¡¯ll be living once you become the Crown Princess anyway, it just happens a little early. Sweetie¡­Do you want to live with your parents?¡± ¡°Yes¡­Your Majesty.¡± Elizabeth¡¯s eyes were flitting anxiously, unsure. Leonhardt, who was sitting next to her, pulled the hem of her dress and whispered. ¡°If you move into the Imperial Palace, you won¡¯t ever be beaten again. You also don¡¯t have to study boring subjects, Lizzy. Instead, you can do anything want, and you can be with me.¡± Leonhardt held Elizabeth¡¯s hand as if to tell her to believe in him. ¡®As the heir of this country, if he doesn¡¯t want to study, he just runs away. It¡¯s not like there¡¯s a law that determines one cannot be called Crown Prince if he does not study anyway. Lizzy, won¡¯t you tell them that we¡¯re going to live at the Imperial Palace together, huh?¡¯ Elizabeth still didn¡¯t know what he was trying to say. But she liked the idea that she could be with Leonhardt if she were to live in the Palace. Eventually, the girl shook her head as the final answer. The Empress swept a hand down her chest as she found it fortunate. The Emperor, who pretended to be indifferent, looked out of the window again with relief. ¡°Umm, Leon¡­¡± ¡°Yes?¡± The answer came from the Emperor, not Leonhardt. ¡°We still have a long way to go, so get some more sleep.¡± How could she dare to show such disrespect in front of His Majesty the Emperor! The inside of the carriage was warmed by the spring sunlight, and the red velvet cushions were too soft. ¡®Still, I can¡¯t sleep! I must act like a lady¡­¡¯ Elisabeth thought as she forced her heavy eyelids to stay open as the Emperor finished speaking. But the thought, in less than ten minutes, became hazy as exhaustion prevailed. Elizabeth was weary from all the fainting and waking up just to burst into tears again. Chapter 28 The Emperor and the Empress, who had gone to the Elysium Duchy early in the morning, returned only after the sunset. Officials waiting for the Emperor¡¯s approval watched through the window as the Imperial family get off the carriage. They were all relieved that they would not need to work overtime. ¡°¡­Who is that?¡± ¡°Who are you implying?¡± ¡°That white thing in the Empress¡¯ arms.¡± At the words of the Minister of Finance, officials gathered one by one, each taking out their glasses or squinting their eyes, trying to figure out what was going on beyond the window. ¡°They were said to have gone to the Elysium Duchy, so¡­ ah! It¡¯s probably her then.¡± ¡°Elysium? Ah, it must be the young lady who was engaged to the Crown Prince since birth.¡± ¡°When their family prestige declines, the pathetic family somehow got their daughter engaged to a member of the imperial family to maintain their relationships and power¡­¡± ¡°Our 6th great-grandmother was married into our family from Elysium, and she was trying to pretend that we¡¯re close by saying ¡®We are a family now!¡¯. Ha! How ridiculous!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not even funny.¡± Officials shook their heads in unity. ¡°But why is Her Majesty holding their daughter herself? Uh, oh, His Majesty is coming back to the main palace. Everyone stands in line¡­Don¡¯t cut in!¡± After seeing the three of them leaving the Emperor to enter the main palace alone, the ministers hurriedly gathered the documents and began struggling to get a seat as close to his office as possible. ¡°Well then, child, get some rest.¡± ¡°Ye-yes¡­Your Majesty the Emperor.¡± The Emperor smiled kindly and placed his hand on Elizabeth¡¯s head. Elizabeth¡¯s shoulders flinched, startled. But instead of shoving her away or grabbing her by the hair, the Emperor lightly stroked her silver hair as if he was dealing with a tiny, delicate ball of fluff. ¡°If the Crown Prince doesn¡¯t listen to you, tell me anytime. I¡¯m really going to send him to the border.¡± Though still puzzled, Elizabeth nodded. ¡°My love, see you in the evening.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to see me after dinner, right?¡± ¡°Of course. And the crown prince¡­¡± The person who smiled affectionately at Elizabeth and the Empress went back to being the usual father he was, demeanor as cold as ice. Leonhardt crossed his arms as if rebelling against him, arrogance vivid on his face. ¡°Take good care of your partner.¡± The Emperor threw solely those words at him and went into the main palace. Leonhardt grumbled inwardly about how he had such a father, and naturally grabbed the Empress¡¯ outstretched hand. ¡°Dear?¡± The Empress also extended her hand to Elizabeth. But Elizabeth was at a loss at what to do and panicked. ¡°Will you hold my hand?¡± ¡°Can I¡­?!¡­Is that okay¡­?¡± ¡°Of course. Even if it wasn¡¯t, I really wanted to walk while holding both of you children¡¯s little hands in mine.¡± Once she heard those words, the confused Elizabeth carefully placed her hand on her Empress¡¯s hand, face reddened. ¡®Her Majesty¡¯s fingers are thin and long and white. But mine? Chubby¡­ short¡­¡¯ Upset and ashamed, Elizabeth turned her head away. She did not know why, but she felt like she was about to burst into tears again. Upon arriving at the Crown Prince¡¯s residence with her two children, the Empress first whispered some instructions to the maids and planned on setting up a room for Elizabeth to live in. However, even after she had taken a full tour around the prince¡¯s residence, the Empress did not seem that satisfied. There are plenty of rooms in the Imperial Palace, but there wasn¡¯t a room she found suitable for the little girl. Eventually, the Empress gave Elizabeth a room that was cute and lovely with a lot of curves used in furniture and wall decoration. ¡°Sweetie, let¡¯s sleep in this room only for today and we¡¯ll find you another place tomorrow. Or would you prefer it if I build you a new palace?¡± ¡®Not a mansion, but a palace¡­?!¡¯ Elizabeth blinked, dumbfounded. She was already overwhelmed by the appearance of the imperial palace, which looked ten times or even a hundred times bigger than the duke¡¯s house. ¡°Oh and¡­ It would be better to change into something else while the maids prepare your room.¡± Elizabeth tilted her head and looked down. And she became contemplative and began to tremble. She was wearing a one-piece pajama and shoes that Leon gave her, not formal attire, which did not suit the imperial palace at all. Why did she only realise now that for a decent lady, she was committing a disgrace that she should never have committed! As if to appease Elizabeth, who was on the verge of crying, the Empress stroked her soft silver hair. ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much. The imperial seamstresses are very skilled, they will finish it in no time.¡± ¡°But now I¡¯m not even wearing a corset¡­¡± The Empress stroked Elizabeth¡¯s hair wordlessly. Moments later, she pulled her into a tight hug and gave her kind and warm words. ¡°It must have been very difficult. Thank you for staying strong and endurng it all these time, I¡¯m so proud of you. Corsets are no longer needed. Fashion trends are always changing, and our dear still have to grow up heathily.¡± ¡°Your Majesty¡­?¡± Elizabeth could only blink blankly in the Empress¡¯ arms. She wasn¡¯t sad, but she was about to cry again. ¡°Your Majesty. I brought the dress you ordered.¡± ¡°Look, I told you that they¡¯re very skilled at this.¡± Leonhardt was circling around the same place outside her room. He took three steps forward, turned his body and took another three steps forward. And repeated. ¡®Does it take that long to change a single piece of clothing?¡¯ After he had returned to being a child, he felt himself becoming more and more impatient. Finally, unable to bear it, Leonhardt politely knocked on the door as a gesture to ask how much longer he had to wait before he could enter the room. ¡°Doctor! Call the doctor right away!¡± But before his clenched fist could reach the door, the door swung open and a maid rushed out. Because of that, Leon¡¯s nose, which was close to door, bumped in it abruptly. Seconds later, the underside of his nose felt wet and red liquid was coming out it. A long trail of blood ran down the back of his hand as he swept through it. But more than that, a doctor? Why did Elizabeth need a doctor for changing her clothes? Did something happen? Leonhardt became anxious and started looking for someone to explain what was going on in the room. She saw the maid running out a little while ago from the distance and returning with a doctor of the imperial palace. Her arm hooked around his as she rushed him toward the room. ¡°Wait a moment! Lizzy¡­did something happen to Elizabeth?¡± ¡°Your Highness, what happen?¡± The maid, who was hurriedly going back into the room, took a glance at Leonhardt¡¯s face and was stunned. Despite the urge to point out that it was her fault, he held it in and quickly ask her what was going on in the room. ¡°That is¡­ Actually¡­¡± Chapter 29 ¡°The young lady¡¯s legs have terrible wounds¡­¡± That was enough for him to hear. Leonhardt grabbed the doctor¡¯s other arm, and together with the maid, they drag him into the room together. ¡°Oh my god¡­¡± ¡°What on earth has she done to the little girl¡­!¡± ¡°Really? Did the Duchess really do that? Oh My Goodness¡­How could a parent do this!¡± Elizabeth, lying on the bed, was surrounded by the maids. Leonhardt, who had been forced to dig through their gaps, felt a throbbing pain in his chest as he saw the scars on her thin, slender legs and the wounds that seemed to have just appeared. ¡°Your Highness! Please come this way!¡± ¡°But Lizzie¡­¡± The maid shook her head resolutely and forced him away from the bed. Leonhardt was unwillingly led away by the maid¡¯s hand, his worried gaze still lingered on her bed until completely out of sight. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t know what the maid meant. She only meant well. Even the adults were appalled by this, they wouldn¡¯t want a child to watch such a brutal scene. Though in his case, there had been times when he faced a cold corpse or a criminal with a distorted body due to torture. But now he was only a ten-year-old child. As the doctor¡¯s lamentation was followed by the maids murmuring, Elizabeth hugged her pillow tightly and began to shiver. The dress that the maids brought a while ago was a dress that did not require a corset at all. It was a long dress with puffy sleeves slightly wrapped around the shoulders, pearl ornament decorated at the bottom. Though the dress has five layers, it was made of chiffon so thin that it was quite light. It would flutter like waves with every move she made. Elizabeth, admiring the dress she had never seen before, with her mouth slightly agape, started to change her clothes with the help of the maids. And as the wounds on both legs, which she had forgotten for a moment, were revealed. The movements of the maids, who were excited at the thought of dressing up a lovely young lady, stopped at once. A shiver was sent down their spine the moment they met with that horror scene. The Empress also felt once she faced the wounds, her eyes darkened almost in seconds. What on earth happened to this eight-year-old child?! Eight years old¡­! The maids supported the empress, who staggered precariously. ¡° Bring the best medicine for her wounds! Hurry!¡± Settling down in a chair, the Empress ordered. And while she laid Elizabeth face-down on the bed, the fastest maid slipped out of the room. ¡°¡­ my dear.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Until the moment you take the place of Empress, no, until I close my eyes for good, they will never touch you again.¡± ¡°Umm¡­Are you talking about my mother and father?¡± The Empress nodded with exhaustion. Her young daughter-in-law looked like she had no idea why she was reacting this way. ¡°You are still young, so you will get better soon. I can assure you, even if it gets ugly, it will all be gone before spring next year.¡± ¡°Is that true?¡± Elizabeth flinched as she sense the cold cream on her legs. The old doctor carefully applied the medicine to the child¡¯s wound. The cold ointment soon melted soft and warm under the doctor¡¯s touch. Elizabeth let out a shaky breath involuntarily at the sensation of her legs, which had been throbbing and aching even when she was wearing thin silk stockings. At the sharp stings, her legs reflexively became tensed then slowly relaxed again. The doctor stood up only after meticulously wrapping the bandages in case her wounds might get worse. He finally left the room after putting soft cotton balls into Leonhardt¡¯s nose. ¡°Why are you still here, Your Highness?¡± ¡°Is there any reason not to?¡± ¡°The Lady is changing her clothes, so you don¡¯t want to watch it, do you?¡± Leonhardt hurriedly followed the doctor out of the room again. *** Those were not the only wounds on Elizabeth. It was fortunate enough that her delicate skin was not too severely damaged. Her maids were at a loss for words in front of the vivid corset marks left like a spider¡¯s web on Elizabeth¡¯s body. The Empress closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh as could no longer bear seeing this. She would never forgive those imbeciles. Even if she immediately stripped him of the title of duke, her resentment would not go away. ¡°It¡¯s over, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Huh? Uh right¡­ Oh my goodness! You are so pretty, dear.¡± Elizabeth, who wore her white chiffon skirt with the shoes Leonhardt had given her, and hair braided with blue ribbons into pigtails, looked like a water fairy born in the blue sea. ¡°It suits you well.¡± Elizabeth smiled shyly at the empress¡¯s praise. Good thing the hem of her voluminous dress partially covered the bandages around her legs. ¡°Um¡­Your Majesty¡­¡± ¡°What is the matter, child?¡± ¡°My heart aches. This is definitely a pleasure¡­I don¡¯t have to get whipped anymore, I can be with Leon, and¡­ do not have to meet my scary mother and father¡­It feels like a dream. But it hurts here and I feel like I¡¯m about to cry¡­so¡­¡± The Empress was rendered silent again at Elizabeth¡¯s words. Could the girl understand if she were to say that sometimes tears come out when people are too happy? Elizabeth showed up after a long time had passed, so long that Leonhardt, who had been sitting by the door, fell asleep during the wait. The moment he saw her, he sighed in relief. Instead of her stifling corset and starkly stuffy dress, Elizabeth smiled bashfully in her mist-like, yet heavenly beautiful dress and the shoes he had given her. ¡°Lizzie.¡± ¡°Yes, Leon.¡± ¡°You look¡­ really pretty, like a water spirit. No, you are a goddess yourself. Lovely, cute, and pretty¡­ Oh God. What on earth am I even, I¡­ I mean¡­¡± The moment Leonhardt saw Elizabeth, he had the urge to hug her, but he did everything he could to keep himself from kissing her. Cute, lovely, pretty. There were no words to describe her other than those three words. Within ten years, she would become the most beautiful woman in the Empire or even the most beautiful woman in the world. ¡®How have I been ignoring someone like that my entire life¡­?¡¯ Leonhardt took a deep breath as he tried to bang his head against the solid marble wall. A corner of his heart tickled, and he couldn¡¯t stand it. Elizabeth¡¯s head drooped at Leonhardt¡¯s words, ears reddened. She was praised for her beauty by not only the Empress but also the maids. But to hear it from Leon himself felt different. How should she describe the feeling? It was like a seed that had secretly been instilled in her chest and began to take its first roots, and then those roots gradually stretched out through her heart. It felt tickling the whole time. ¡°It takes a lot of time to make other dresses, so today I¡¯m just going to wear this simple piece. I think this outfit is enough for me¡­¡± ¡°Lizzy is the most beautiful in the world no matter what she wears. The prettiest, loveliest, cutest, most beautiful person I¡¯ve ever seen¡­¡± Each time Leonhardt continued with his boast, Elizabeth¡¯s face rose to another level of steaming. ¡°Lizzie, can I make you happy?¡± ¡°Leon?¡± Leonhardt looked at Elizabeth, anxious. ¡°No, never mind. You must be tired of coming to the Imperial Palace, aren¡¯t you? Get a good rest today and go to bed early.¡± ¡°¡­all right.¡± Leonhardt put his hand over Elizabeth¡¯s head with a gentle smile. Chapter 30 Knock, knock, knock. Leonhardt, who had been rolling around on the spacious bed happily as he recalled Elizabeth¡¯s lovely appearance, sat up abruptly. He opened the door and saw Elizabeth standing there, wearing her soft cotton lace one-piece pajamas with new bandages on her legs. She pursed her lips, it seemed that she had something to say, but she remained like that for a long time. ¡°Lizzie! What¡¯s wrong? Come on in for now.¡± Leonhardt, noticing that she was standing in the cold hallway with her bare feet, pulled her in so she could stand on the soft carpet of his room. ¡®Ugh¡­If only I had a little more power, I would do a better job than this¡­!¡¯ Elizabeth blinked at him with a troubled expression. ¡°Umm, Le-Leon.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Elizabeth¡¯s head slumped as her eyes were glued to the ground for a long time. She stood there, hands clutching on the hem of her nightgown, face solemn and lips twitching. Leonhardt admired and admired the way his cute little lips moved like a chick¡¯s beak. ¡®Cute¡­ so cute¡­ She¡¯ll be my future wife, but she¡¯s so cute¡­ !¡¯ Elizabeth could barely utter a word. ¡°Thank you! ¡­ Your Highness the Crown Prince.¡± Leonhardt blinked puzzledly. Sudden thank in the middle of the night? For what? Elizabeth¡¯s face was flushed. Leonhardt was worried that she might be sick, so he brought their foreheads against each other. ¡°Leon! ¡­Your¡­Your Highness¡­!¡± Instead, he found something unpleasant. ¡°Lizzie. When it¡¯s just the two of you, just call me Leon comfortably, as your fianc¨¦, not the Crown Prince. Even if I were to be strangled and cursed at, I will take responsibility. Stop that awkward way of talking, okay?¡± ¡°But Your Highness¡­!¡± ¡°Now¡­Let¡¯s try it. Repeat after me.¡¯Good night, Leon¡¯.¡± Elizabeth agonized for a long time with a look of uncertainty. But she soon followed him in a muffled voice. ¡°¡­ Good night, Leon.¡± Only then did Leonhardt smile contentedly, embracing Elizabeth once more and kissing her soft cheek. ¡°It¡¯s a goodnight kiss. Before I went to sleep, my nanny always did this to me. I¡¯ll do it for Lizzie today.¡± ¡°Goodnight kiss¡­¡± Elizabeth¡¯s head was tilted downward again. She wasn¡¯t sure she could raise her head again to look straight at Leonhardt. ¡°Lizzie, Lizzie?¡± ¡°Good¡­good night, Leon!¡± And Lizzy ran to the bed in front of her and crawled under the blanket. Leonhardt looked at her back proudly and contentedly, then shortly realised that the bed she was lying on was his. He was perplexed. Of course, he could give her his own bed, or even his room itself, if she wanted to¡­ In the middle of a large bed that could fit more than five children, Elizabeth, who had fallen asleep in an instant, was breathing evenly. After much agony, Leonhardt, who was about to climb into his bed, careful not to wake her from her sleep, halted when he put his knee on the bed. ¡®Wait, isn¡¯t their first time sleeping together? Is it okay to share a bed before the engagement? What did the etiquette say again? Nevermind, I just need to sleep on the floor.¡¯ Leonhardt came to a simple conclusion, curled himself up on the carpet, and shut his eyes. It was a little cold, but it wasn¡¯t to the point where he couldn¡¯t sleep. But less than ten minutes after closing his eyes, he got up again. ¡®How many times have I shared the same bed with the Empress?¡¯ A scene from the future that was now the past once again flashed through his mind. After the first night of their wedding, he never once shared the same bed with the Empress. ¡®You¡­you idiot! You jerk! You fool! You are the most foolish being in the world!¡¯ Leonhardt grieved in regret as he pounded his head on the floor, yet, still minding not to wake Elizabeth. The uncarpeted marble floor was cold enough to be felt even on the top of his head, hard enough to make his whole body tremble, and painful enough to make him cry. Holding back his tears, Leonhard rubbed the top of his head with his small palms. Once again, he silently lifted the edge of the blanket and slowly slid in, putting his feet in first. Like a wriggling worm or a crawling caterpillar, Leonhardt moved closer to Elizabeth. On one hand, he was inwardly complaining that his bed was too wide, on the other, his heart pounded wilder the closer he got to her. At last, after closing the gap enough to feel each other¡¯s breath, Leonhardt licked his dry lips as he nervously put his hand next to Elizabeth¡¯s. ¡®¡­It¡¯s very small.¡¯ Her hands, and his own. It would be fair to say that their hands were the size of a fern leave, or rather a maple leave. ¡®Can I protect her with these hands?¡¯ Leonhardt agonised with a disturbed look. Inches from him were Elizabeth¡¯s small face, small hands, small nose, small face, and her shut eyes with long, thick eyelashes. Underneath them were pupils of the most beautiful sky hue that he had ever seen. His appearance, as he last checked in the mirror, was somewhat close to what people called ¡®gracious¡¯. And after a few more seasons, he would grow up to look just like his father. ¡®Father¡­¡¯ Like the Emperor, he also used to feel the urge to be a great lord, his image was close perfection. But at the same time, he was an Emperor, so he never found the need or the time for a woman¡¯s companion. By the time he realised it, it was already too late, and the regret was irreversible. Leonhardt clenched his fist, reaffirming that he would never make such a choice ever again. He pursed his lips as he pondered about what Elizabeth was dreaming of. Leonhardt, holding his breath, had been observing her for a long while, dazed. Soon, he shifted to face the other edge of the bed. ¡®It would be nice if only the sound of laughter could be heard from those lips every day.¡¯ Could he really do that? Did he even deserve it? His eyes were getting heavy by the minute. Leonhardt yawned and let his eyes shut. A blanket warmly embraced his exhausted self. After hearing that the two had fallen asleep in the same bed, the nanny who came to check on them looked down at the bed with a happy smile. The young prince and his fianc¨¦e, lying comfortably on a pillow the size of themselves, were asleep with their backs pressed together as if seeking a little familiar warmth. Chapter 31 As usual, the nanny woke Leonhardt at the hour when the sky was still vividly blue at the gradual ascend of the sun. ¡°Your Highness, if you want to practice swordsmanship, you have to get up now.¡± ¡°Hum¡­already? Ugh¡­¡± ¡°If you are tired, how about taking a day off? I am worried about you these days.¡± ¡°Is that so¡­¡± The boy was still dozing off as he sat up The nanny shook her head helplessly and laid Leonhardt back down. ¡°No¡­go¡­ have to go¡­I have to go¡­¡± ¡°Shh, you will wake the young lady up.¡± As soon as he heard those words, Leonhardt flashed his eyes open and jolted up. He woke who? Shifting his gaze to his side, there was Elizabeth, clinging a little closer to himself in search of his warmth. Leonhardt quietly mouthed a rescue signal to the nanny. However, the nanny smiled at Leonhardt¡¯s earnest gaze and paid no mind to it. In the end, Leonhardt had to lie down and go back to sleep until Elizabeth woke up. ¡°Your Highness, Your Highness. You have to get up now.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ a little bit longer¡­¡± ¡°The young miss has already woken up. Why don¡¯t you two have breakfast together?¡± Leonhardt reflexively raised his body when he heard Elizabeth¡¯s name, though still half asleep. Drowsy, he grabbed the nanny by the hand and was dragged to the bathroom. ¡°¡­ does the Crown Prince tend to sleep a lot in the morning?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just that the Miss woke up too early. You even woke up on your own when no one wakes you up! There was an order from Her Majesty to take great care of the young Miss. In the future, Miss, please wake up as late as possible so that I can faithfully fulfill my duty.¡± ¡°Pardon¡­?¡± Elizabeth asked in confusion. The woman with a warm impression in front of her was said to be the Crown Prince¡¯s nanny. Elizabeth, who had forgotten that she had slept in Leonhardt¡¯s bed because of much embarrassment last night, opened her eyes and sat up just to harden like a statue when the nanny came to wake Leonhardt. But instead of scolding her or kicking her out of bed, the nanny said there was still plenty of time left until she could get up. She laid her little body back down and covered her with a cozy blanket up to the tip of her nose. According to the Duchess¡¯ education, the day began early in the morning for all members of the Imperial Family. That had become completely useless now. Unlike Elizabeth, who was awake even though she was still in pajamas, Leonhardt¡¯s eyes were still full of sleepiness despite having washed his face. Elizabeth has always thought Leon was perfect. The sight was somehow strange and cute to her. Elizabeth secretly smiled at it. ¡°Lizzy? Is something wrong¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing.¡± She was told that the clothes that were brought to her from the sewing room the previous day were all made in a haste. They were outfits that belonged to the Empress¡¯ younger self and were retailored to fit her. While Elizabeth ate breakfast in a cardigan made of warm wool over her pajamas with perfect manners, Leonhardt also prepared to start the day with the help of his nanny. Before leaving the room to begin his day, Leonhardt asked Elizabeth, who had finished her meal. ¡°Lizzy, is there anything you want to do?¡± ¡°¡­what in particular?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ is there anything you want to eat?¡± ¡°Uh¡­is there something that you want¡­ ?¡± Elizabeth again shook her head. Leonhardt scratched the back of his head and was about to try asking once again when she spoke up. ¡°¡­then¡­ May I go to the flower garden, Your Highness?¡± ¡°Flower garden?¡± Elizabeth noded. Leonhardt smiled broadly and was about to happily agree when he suddenly noticed that Elizabeth was wearing using honorifics again. He smiled mischievously. ¡°Hmm, I don¡¯t know, can you? If you say, ¡®Can I go to the flower garden?¡¯, I shall allow it.¡± ¡°¡­ Can I go to the flower garden?¡± ¡°As much as you like! The garden in my residence is a bit small though¡­ I¡¯ll show you mother¡¯s garden and greenhouse as well.¡± Elizabeth¡¯s expression brightened. ¡°Do you really want to go to the flower garden?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯d like to make something for Your¡­you.¡± Even if they were just maids around, it was still difficult for her to treat him infromally because he was, after all, a member of the imperial family. At that, Elizabeth awkwardly fiddled with her left ring finger for no reason. The maids once exchanged glances happily, led Elizabeth to the garden closest to Leonhardt¡¯s residence. The mperial lawn was as tall as Elizabeth¡¯s thumb. With the gardener¡¯s skillful workmanship, he took care of it without any error. Therefore, the grass could grow neatly on its own. But Elizabeth, unaware of it, chimed as she watched the grass tickling near her ankle. ¡°Do you have to grow up to be an adult too?¡± The grass shook slowly, laying down and rising wherever Elizabeth set foot on. The flower garden was full of flowers that she had never seen in the dukedom. The maids told Elizabeth that she was free to do anything she wanted. So that was what Elizabeth did. She sat among the flower beds. She inhaled as deeply as she could. Elizabeth¡¯s body was filled with the scent of spring, which was almost dizzying for a short moment. She saw many flowers for the first time. Among them, she wondered if there were any similar to the flowers embroidered on the shoes she was wearing. As she searched through the flower gardens, Elizabeth noticed that the dry soil from being exposed to the sun and the soil under the shade rocks smelled differently. The grass in the shadows still had a slightly darker shade even when brought under the sun. The withered leaves, which had not yet fallen to the ground, crumbled at the touch of her finger and dropped, mixing into the soil. ¡°Uh, what should I do? The leaves are gone because of me¡­¡± ¡°It just went back to where it started. The young Miss helped it with that, so you don¡¯t have to worry too much.¡± The maids kindly explained to Elizabeth as she turned around in tears. Chapter 32 With every step she took through the flower garden, her white dress began to blend into the green grass. But no one pointed it out. One of the maids taught her how to make a flower ring. It was a different shape from the flower ring Leonhardt had made. Elizabeth followed her eagerly with her little hands, but when it didn¡¯t end up in a shape she liked, she looked sullen. ¡®I want to give Leon the most beautiful ring¡­¡¯ No matter how many times she remade it, the result was the same. The maids exchanged glances, struggled to hide their giggle, and patiently waited for Elizabeth to create her pleasingly shaped flower ring. ¡°Miss Elizabeth! That looks great!¡± ¡°It¡¯s so pretty!¡± ¡°Wow, the Crown Prince would be very happy.¡± Elizabeth felt her shoulders rise proundly at the compliments of the maids. She did not know if that was a ladylike act, but right now, it was just her and the maids, so it must be fine, right? ¡°Then¡­ Shall I make each of you one, too?¡± The maids were ecstatic as they held out their hands to her. Not only Elizabeth¡¯s dress was painted with nature, but also her fingertips. And a spring fragrance had seeped into her heart. Despite being the Crown Prince, Leonhardt, who was still young, only had to study and practice swordsmanship at best. That being said, Leonhardt, who finished the task in a remarkably short time, instantly asked where his fianc¨¦e was. ¡°The flower garden?¡± ¡°Yes. It seems that the young lady is very keen on making flower rings with the maids.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Leonhard paused and pondered for a moment. ¡°What is the schedule after that?¡± ¡°There is nothing special.¡± ¡°Not me, Lizzy¡­ I mean, Elizabeth.¡± ¡°The Miss also needs to rest for a while, so there is no specific schedule.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Leonhardt continued with his steps again. ¡°Your Highness? Where are you going?¡± *** From the distance, he could see her outstanding glittering white dress among the maids¡¯ black uniforms. Leonhardt put a finger to his lips and hushed them every time the maids made eye contact with him, giving a muffling command. Perhaps, Leonhardt came up with a good idea and started making a small flower crown by weaving shamrocks under his feet. Contrary to his impatient mind, the child¡¯s hands did not dare move wildly. In the end, Leonhardt succeeded in making something that looked quite like a flower crown. ¡°Lizzie!¡± Surrounded by the maids and preoccupied with making flower rings, Elizabeth lifted her head up only when she heard a friendly, familiar voice. In Leonhard¡¯s hand, there was an object she had never seen before. She did not know how he made it, but the flowers were woven into a beautiful circle. Leonhardt reached out and placed it over Elizabeth¡¯s head. Wearing the fragrance of spring on her head, Elizabeth blinked blankly, not knowing how to react. ¡°Miss Elizabeth, you are so blessed.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± One of the maids clasped her hands together as she explained with ecstasy. ¡°The flower crown is a headdress that is only allowed for brides to wear in spring and summer. I would even refuse the royal crown to get to wear one of these.¡± ¡°¡­Only to¡­the brides?¡± Leonhardt coughed arkwardly, staring to the side for no reason. As Elizabeth belatedly understood the maid¡¯s words, her face flushed so red that it was as if a pop came out of her head with steams. ¡°¡­ I¡¯ll bring the veil next time.¡± At Leonhardt¡¯s words, the maids chimed in and made a fuss about it. Elizabeth sat in daze with her mouth slightly open. She picked the prettiest flower and made a ring as the maid taught her. It was worthwhile to practice so much that her fingertips have somehow turned pale. Elizabeth placed her delicately crafted flower ring on her hands and held it out to Leonhardt. ¡°Please¡­please accept this!¡± Leonhardt gazed at Elizabeth and the flower ring on her hands with surprise. ¡°¡­Can you put it on for me?¡± Leonhardt knelt down in front of Elizabeth and held out his left hand. Elizabeth¡¯s blue pupils moved nervously as she looked into the eyes of the maids. The maids took a step back to watched them, a pleased look was displayed on their faces. With utmost carefullness, Elizabeth grabbed Leonhardt¡¯s hand, and placed the flower ring on his ring finger. ¡°Thank you.¡± Leonhardt put a swift kiss on Elizabeth¡¯s forehead. Upon relising what he had done, his face flushed even redder than Elizabeth. ¡°That¡­well¡­umm¡­Anyway, is there anything here that you feel uncomfortable with?¡± Elizabeth nodded, clutching the hem of her dress with her small hands. ¡°¡­ I¡¯m scared.¡± ¡°You¡¯re scared?¡± Leonhardt¡¯s heart sank again. ¡°It¡¯s scary¡­ but I don¡¯t even know what I¡¯m scared of. Father¡­ Mother too¡­ I heard the maids talking. Will we never see each other again?¡± ¡°¡­ Lizzy, you can meet them again if you want. However¡­ .¡± ¡®Is it okay to meet with the people who ask me to take your younger sister in as a second wife once you die?¡¯ Leonhardt furrowed his eyebrows, his mind was complexed. Leonhardt clutched his chest in frustration. Lizzie¡¯s death was still more than twenty years away. ¡­ Wait, did that really happen? Leonhardt scrabled through his memories again. The moment Lizzies drank the poisoned liquor and vomited blood in bed, he was talking with the Duke and his wife. ¡®¡­ I can remember that, but what kind conversations did I have with them exactly?¡¯ His head was throbbing. But instead of throwing her into confusion over such a distant future that had not yet happened, Leonhardt concentrated on something more urgent, such as putting the slipped flower crown back onto Lizzy¡¯s head. Elizabeth looked at Leon¡¯s complexion worriedly. ¡°Leon, are you hurting?¡± ¡°Yes, it hurts so much because of you.¡± Leonhardt replied with a giggle. ¡°Because of me¡­? Why¡­?¡± Elizabeth¡¯s eyes widened even more and tears began to well up in her eyes. ¡°Uh, huh? No, it doesn¡¯t hurt at all! Don¡¯t worry, Lizzy. don¡¯t cry¡­ Oh, would you like to tie a ribbon to the flower crown and make it a wall decoration later on?¡± ¡°Really¡­ Are you really okay?¡± Elizabeth leaned her body closer to Leonhardt and asked again. Leonhardt picked up the crown that had fallen because of the wind blow and put it on her head, whispering. ¡°Lizzy, if you¡¯re happy, I¡¯m happy too. If you¡¯re hurt, I¡¯m hurt too. But I¡­I don¡¯t want you to be sad just because I¡¯m hurt.¡± Leonhardt took Elizabeth¡¯s hand and rose. And with a bright expression on his face, he asked her. ¡°Do you like puppies?¡± Chapter 33 ¡°Puppies?¡± Elizabeth tilted her head. The memory of her father heading to the hunting ground with a gun with a large dog during the hunting season remained vaguely in her mind. What did the dog she saw at that time look like? Elizabeth traced her memory. With pierced ears, black eyes, exposed red gums with sharp teeth, and a large body that reached up to her father¡¯s chest. It was more like a beast than a guard dog or a pet dog. ¡°Um¡­ I¡¯m not sure.¡± Thinking about it, Elizabeth knew that even scary animals also used to be small. However, no matter how much she tried to use her imagination, it was difficult to imagine that state of such a great beast. ¡°Is that so¡­ ?¡± Leonhardt¡¯s shoulders drooped down a little. ¡°There are puppies born recently.¡± ¡°Puppies?¡± ¡°The dogs were originally raised by nomads living beyond the northern border,¡­ I think they were sent for rapprochement purpose? Is it,¡­? Anyway! They sent me a pair of the loveliest and prettiest puppies, saying that we should not fight and remain in peace.¡± Lovely and pretty dogs? Elizabeth tried to recall the image of her father¡¯s hound in a picture book, but soon gave up. ¡°They gave birth to puppies this time. Their fur is white as a cloud, their eyes are black¡­ Don¡¯t they just sound cute?¡± ¡°Are there dogs like that?¡± Elizabeth, who only saw the dog at the duke¡¯s house, which was either a hound or a guard dog to protect the house, widened her eyes. Leonhardt nodded. He was sure that the puppy was to be Elizabeth¡¯s best friend. ¡°Would you like to go see them?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Elizabeth¡¯s expression brightened. Leonhardt again fixed the flower crown that was about to slip off Elizabeth¡¯s head, grabbed her hand, and headed towards the puppies. ¡°(whimper)¡­ ¡± ¡°Arrr¡­ .¡± ¡°woof!¡± As precious new lives were born, the small puppies were using the entire small hut located on the side of the garden of the Imperial Palace as their home. The cozy hut, laid with dry straw bales and soft blankets, was a little paradise for puppies. A veterinarian and maids were always present to take care of anything at any time. ¡°Wow¡­ ¡± Leonhardt looked at Elizabeth with quite a sense of pride. A little while ago, Elizabeth followed him trembling as if there were some monsters living in the hut. As soon as she heard the puppies¡¯ sounds, she ran to the white fence that separated the human area from the dog¡¯s space with awe. ¡°Is that dog their mother?¡± The veterinarian, bewildered by the unexpected visit of the Crown Prince and Elizabeth, along with the maids of the Crown Prince¡¯s palace who followed behind them, adjusted her glasses and gave a slight bow. The mother dog, lying on a side over the fence and feeding the puppies, was particularly gentle and friendly toward people. But she might react sensitively to the appearance of strangers. Also, if a little girl didn¡¯t know better and treated the puppy like a toy at will, it would a big deal, so the veterinarian clings to Elizabeth¡¯s side, unnerved. However, contrary to the veterinarian¡¯s concerns, Elizabeth held onto the fence tightly with her small two hands, her mouth slightly open, and she looked at the puppy quietly as if possessed. ¡®I can¡¯t believe there exist such animals in the world! Is that really a ¡®dog¡¯ like his father¡¯s hunting dog?¡¯ As Elizabeth thought so, she couldn¡¯t take her eyes off the puppies that squirmed in search of the world¡¯s warmest and most cuddly embrace. Those whining with their eyes open were noticeably more mature, while the puppies which were still young were struggling to get even a little closer to their mother. White fur that seemed like it would fly away like a dandelion spore when blown, black eyes that drooped down and looked gentle, adorable tiny teeth that appeared when yawning with their mouth wide open, and pink soles underneath their feet. Before long, Leonhard was also next to Elizabeth, observing the puppies. ¡®I didn¡¯t expect to see him again like this.¡¯ Leonhardt smiled bitterly as he saw the ribbon tied around a particular puppy¡¯s neck to distinguish between them. He didn¡¯t have any friends to share his feelings with. But when he had a secret he couldn¡¯t tell anyone, Leonhardt would hug his big white dog and tell him all about it. Then, that big and warm animal would bark as if to tell him ¡®don¡¯t worry about it anymore and just focus on playing with me right now!¡¯ He would ask for a wooden stick, and then in minutes, Leonhardt would forget all the troubles that had tormented him just a moment ago. ¡°Your Highness, Your Highness the Crown Prince.¡± Elizabeth whispered to Leonhardt. ¡°It hurts here.¡± The place she pointed with her fingertips was near her heart. Leonhardt felt his heart throb as well. ¡°Why-, why is that? Why is your heart hurting all of a sudden? Are you sick? Did you eat something wrong?¡± ¡°It just¡­ It just hurts here. It¡¯s tickling. It seems to be throbbing¡­ uh¡­¡± ¡°They¡¯re cute, right?¡± The veterinarian spoke with a benevolent smile, expressing Elizabeth¡¯s feelings. ¡°What is ¡®cute¡¯?¡± But Elizabeth blinked her rounded eyes and asked again. The veterinarian, who thought the girl would agree with her by nodding, turned bewildered and started reciting the dictionary meaning of ¡®cute¡¯. ¡°By being cute¡­ It means being lovable for it is endearing.¡± ¡°What is ¡®endearing¡¯?¡± ¡°Endearing¡­ well¡­ um¡­ .¡± The veterinarian began to ponder how to explain it from a child¡¯s point of view. ¡°Lizzy, being cute is¡­ It¡¯s the kind of thing that makes you feel lovable the moment it catches your eye, it makes you feel good, you want to protect it, and you want to hold it in your arms again.¡± Leonhardt explained the definition of cuteness in his own way to his young fianc¨¦e with a fairly confident attitude. In fact, that was the feeling he felt every time he saw Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard the answer, she blinked blankly a few more times and smiled shyly. ¡°Then, you are such a cute person.¡± ¡°I?¡± The veterinarian and the maids began pinching each other¡¯s sides, desperately trying not to laugh. It was also very cute to see the Crown Prince bewildered at the words of the adorable miss. ¡°It makes me feel better whenever I see Your Highness.¡± Leonhardt looked at her blankly, his mouth half agape. He froze on the spot like a statue. Elizabeth shifted her gaze back to the dog. When the puppies had eaten enough to make their stomachs plump, they became curious about the strangers and started rushing toward the fence. They tried to stand on two hind feet or hopped to reach them on the other side of the fence. ¡°Woof, woof, woof¡­ ¡± ¡°Do you like them?¡± Elizabeth nodded in response. The corners of her mouth went high enough to hurt her cheeks. ¡°Would you like to raise one?¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± Elizabeth turned around in surprise. As a result, one of her hands slipped off the fence, making her arm fall over to the other side of it. It was a little quicker for the white little beasts to jump at her than for the veterinarian and Leonhardt to take her away in panic. ¡°Kya! Ah? It-, it tickles! Whoa! What should I do? You guys, stay calm¡­ Whoa¡­ !¡± The creatures rushed to the stranger¡¯s arms, waving their short tails vigorously. They then brought their moist, black nose close to it to sniff it, licking it with their tongue to see if she had something delicious in her hand, or tapped it with their soft soles. Subsequently, the veterinarian moved Elizabeth to a safe place. ¡°Lizzie! Are you okay? You haven¡¯t been bitten, have you?¡± ¡°¡­ Can I have one?¡± As the maids wiped her arm with a wet towel, Elizabeth asked Leonhardt for his permission, as if she was enraptured. ¡°As long as Lizzie wants, you can even have a lion, not just a puppy.¡± At Leonhardt¡¯s words, a maid smiled briefly and crossed over the fence. She then pulled the sleeves of her long navy blue skirt up and carefully lifted the puppies one by one to show them to Elizabeth and Leonhardt. ¡°I will take good care of it so that it can grow up to be even better than a lion.¡± ¡°Lizzie, you choose for yourself. Which one do you think is the prettiest?¡± The puppies with ribbons of all colours, red, yellow, blue, green, purple, and white all had lovely and cute faces and thick paws as if predicted that they would soon grow to be as big as their mother dogs. Elizabeth pursed her lips slightly, the look on her face also turned a little more serious. She was troubled. ¡®All look pretty. Which one should I choose?¡¯ While Elizabeth was contemplating, Leonhardt, with the permission of the veterinarian and maids, crossed the fence and cuddled a puppy with blue ribbon. He was enjoying the joy of reunion with a friend whom he had not met for a long time. Seeing this, Elizabeth nodded as if she had made up her mind. ¡°That puppy with the blue ribbon.¡± Leonhardt came closer to Elizabeth with delight. At the same time, the puppy, relieved of his vigilance, followed after him. ¡°He is really pretty, isn¡¯t he?¡± The puppy who made eye contact with Elizabeth made a short cry. ¡°Do you want to hug it?¡± ¡°Is that okay?¡± Leonhardt turned to the veterinarian. Elizabeth, too, was looking at the veterinarian with glittering anticipation. The vet chuckled and bent her knees to sit down next to Elizabeth and taught her how to hold the puppy. Promptly, the puppy with blue ribbon was placed into Elizabeth¡¯s arms. ¡°Whoa¡­¡± ¡®Its fur is softer than the carpet in my room. Oh my gosh! I can even see my reflection in its eyes. And its pink tongue is so pretty!¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m going to take this one!¡± Elizabeth¡¯s cheeks, which had rubbed against the puppy¡¯s back, were dyed rosy. Leonhardt and Elizabeth left the hut only after hearing that they would bring the dog and other necessary items to Elizabeth¡¯s room. ¡°¡­ Lizzy?¡± But Elizabeth stood still right in front of the door, and she moistened her lips as if she had something to say. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ Uh, nothing.¡± ¡°If you have something you want to say, you can say it.¡± Leonhardt comforted and encouraged Elizabeth again. Only then did she part her lips, which had only been muttering for a while. ¡°¡­ Can we stay here a little longer?¡± ¡®Why not? Would you like me to bring a chair here too?¡¯ Leonhardt dragged the veterinarian¡¯s chair, which was larger than himself, to the front of the fence. ¡°As long as you want!¡± The veterinarian and the maids exchanged glances with each other. Rumours about how the Crown Prince fell in love with his young fianc¨¦e at first sight seemed to be true. Seeing the puppies growling at each other, refusing to let go of a doll stuffed with cotton, Elizabeth let out a laugh unknowingly. Leonhardt, who was just staring dazedly at the sight, unwittingly uttered his innermost thoughts. ¡°I want you to be happy here.¡± ¡°Pardon? What did you just say?¡± ¡°Huh? Oh no¡­ nothing. It¡¯s just¡­ Should I say that I am glad because the puppies seem to be playing happily, or should I say that I appreciate their hard work as the Crown Prince?¡± T/n: I think he meant hard work in making Lizzie happy ¡°Appreciate?¡± Elizabeth tilted her head as she sat in the adult chair, dangling her legs in the air. ¡®Leon is very good at using difficult words. He is so smart.¡¯ ¡°The Crown Prince is like a wizard.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡®Wizard? Clock Tower Wizard? What about those crazy idiots?¡¯ Leonhardt wondered what she meant by thinking of him as a wizard. ¡°When we are together, it always feels tickling here. You also showed me a lot of things I saw for the first time in my life, taught me what to do for the first time, and knew a lot of difficult words¡­¡± Elizabeth brought her fingers to her chest and murmured. Reassured that she didn¡¯t mean he was crazy, Leonhardt said proudly, sticking his chin up. ¡°Of course, I¡¯ve lived two years longer than you after all!¡± ¡°Then can I become a wizard like Your Highness two years from now?¡± Elizabeth asked with anticipation and excitement. At that, Leonhardt pondered for a long time about how he should respond to her. It was actually Elizabeth who could do magic, and he had already been enchanted by her for a long time. *** ¡°Ah! you were here Lady Elizabeth, it¡¯s time to go get your dress fitted.¡± ¡°Dress?¡± The door to the hut opened and a maid in the uniform of the empress¡¯ palace found Elizabeth. Leonhardt looked at Elizabeth and asked what was with the dress. ¡°¡­ It¡¯s something only between women. Men don¡¯t need to know!¡± For some reason, Elizabeth¡¯s face was a little more red. While Leonhardt did not understand her words, Elizabeth ran to the maid. She hugged the puppy with the blue ribbon tight one last time before finally returning. ¡°See you later.¡± With impeccable manners, Elizabeth left the hut with the maid. Left alone, Leonhardt held the puppy with the blue ribbon in his arms. The image of Elizabeth talking and laughing in a bubbly and clear voice till just now still remained vivid before his eyes. Elizabeth arrived at a temporary residence located across from Leonhardt¡¯s bedroom, not the Empress¡¯s palace. Overnight, her room had changed so much that it was notably different from the one she had the previous day. Once the tailor brought her a design sketch, Elizabeth fell into doubt. Chapter 34 A lovely girl was depicted in the design drawing. The child, who had wavy hair let loose down to her waist, eyes slightly drooping, chubby cheeks and an innocent smile, seemed likely to jump out of the picture at any moment and burst into laughter with a high and clear sound like the small bell in the church. What the child¡¯s wearing wasn¡¯t a corset or high-heeled shoes, but a very comfortable-looking dress. A small, dense lace was strung along the edge of the round collar embroidered with flowers, and a blue ribbon was tied neatly in the centre of it. The sleeves, pleated, took the form of bishop sleeves, so it¡¯s looser the closer it got to the wrist. And the buttons on the cuffs were rose-shaped. The tailor, who brought her some of her designs, smiled and began to explain them. ¡°Do you like it?¡± ¡°Pardon? Yes¡­¡± ¡°I was thinking about putting two pintucks in this part and embroidering the Miss¡¯ favorite flowers with a ribbon underneath it¡­ Or would you prefer a different design?¡± Elizabeth blinked her eyes blankly. It was very different from the clothes she wore at the back Duchy. ¡°Um¡­ Aren¡¯t there too few jewels or lace¡­ ?¡± ¡°Oh, do you find fancy dresses more preferable, Milady?¡± The tailor asked in surprise. At the tailor¡¯s question, Elizabeth also shook her head in amazement. The dress she was wearing was a dress that the maids of the Crown Prince¡¯s Palace had bought from the finest boutiques since early morning. A dress that didn¡¯t require a corset nor a pannier to make the dress look like a bell. Also, it was not laced with heavy jewels, which stung when it touched the skin, and was very mobile and light. Elizabeth liked this outfit so much that she would want to wear it forever if she could. She never wanted to wear a corset that tied her waist or high-heeled shoes ever again. ¡°If you want, there are designs like this, but¡­¡± The tailor quickly drew a dress of a design similar to that Elizabeth wore at her duke¡¯s residence. ¡°I don¡¯t like that¡­!¡± Elizabeth hurriedly shook her head. The tailor was puzzled by her reaction and presented the design that she had brought again. ¡®She asked for jewelry and lace, yet she doesn¡¯t like flashy things?¡¯ The tailor wondered if the young girl was trying to request something along the lines, ¡®It must be simple, but adorned with much jewelry and lace. The collar line must be cut deep enough to reveal my collarbone, but doesn¡¯t look vulgar. And it should make my waist look thinner, but please take care of it so that it doesn¡¯t feel uncomfortable when I wear it¡¯? The tailor looked at Elizabeth firmly. ¡°¡­ Can I wear clothes like this in the Imperial Palace¡­?¡± To Elizabeth¡¯s words, the tailor answered with a tone implying the obvious. ¡°Of course. Especially for young people like the Miss, flashy design doesn¡¯t really suit them.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Elizabeth¡¯s eyes widened. Astonished, her mouth was slightly agape. Seeing that, the tailor realised that she had somehow misunderstood her. ¡°By any chance¡­ Can the lady tell me what you usually wear?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ A corset over a chemise, with a pannier, and¡­¡± Oh my dear god. The tailor closed her eyes and touched her forehead. With just two words, a corset and a pannier, she could already guess what Elizabeth would normally wear. ¡°Did you always have jewels on your dress?¡± ¡°(Gasp)! How-, how did you know?¡± ¡°Were you always uncomfortable with the lace embroidered with silver hanging on the sleeves that came all the way down here?¡± The tailor pointed a little above her elbow. Elizabeth nodded vehemently with a truly shocking look. Seeing that, the tailor let out a deep sigh. The little girl in front of her didn¡¯t want a fancy dress with jewels and lace. Rather, she was worried she might have to wear something like that again. ¡°What¡¯s the use of lace woven with silver and splendid jewels? There is something here that sparkles more than the most beautiful jewels and gifts in the whole world.¡± ¡°Here?¡± The tailor smiled and held out a small hand mirror in front of Elizabeth. ¡°Sapphire, pure gold stone, no, even the rarest blue diamond in the world will not be as blue and gorgeous as the young Miss¡¯ eyes.¡± At the tailor¡¯s words, Elizabeth felt the tips of her ears burning. Glancing at Elizabeth as she slightly turned her body, smiling bashfully at the embarrassment, the tailor then patted her silver hair. ¡°The silk thread freshly made from the cocoon takes a little more work by the craftsmen to become the smooth, shiny white silk thread that is commonly thought of. Miss¡¯ hair is much thinner, softer, and shinier than the finest silk threads. They¡¯re like threads made out of a crystal.¡± The moment the tailor looked at her silver hair and blue eyes, she felt a bell ring in her head. The maid who came out of the Imperial Palace early in the morning said, ¡®She is an eight-year-old girl with silver hair and blue eyes. She likes the colour blue.¡¯ She didn¡¯t give any explanation other than so the tailor moderately brought the designs that were popular among young girls these days, but it seemed like she had to restart from scratch. ¡°Then¡­ Can I really wear these clothes as they are? Even in the Imperial Palace?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± A blush crept across Elizabeth¡¯s face. The tailor continued her explanation with a broad smile. ¡°The lace will only run along here, at the skirt¡¯s hem. It is a soft cotton lace that does not feel uncomfortable even when rubbed against Miss¡¯ skin.¡± Elizabeth imagined herself wearing the dress in the design. The tailor rose to her feet, watching Elizabeth¡¯s cheeks flush with excitement and anticipation. ¡°What kind of headdress would you like? A bonnet, a hairband, a ribbon would be nice, or a small mini hat would be nice too!¡± The tailor who met a guest who made her heart pound after a long time, also had a look of excitement on her face. Biting her lip so as not to be to accessive, the tailor put a bonnet decorated with blue flowers, a hairband laced with rosettes, a bow-shaped ribbon, and a small slanted hat over Elizabeth¡¯s head one by one. ¡°Um¡­ uh¡­¡± As she was sure that whatever the young lady chose would suit her, the tailor waited anxiously for her decision. ¡°¡­ I do not know.¡± Elizabeth replied in a feeble voice. All of a sudden, her little face was filled with fear, as if the tailor would get angry with her, shouting, ¡®Why can¡¯t you decide on such a small thing!¡¯ Contrary to Elizabeth¡¯s concerns, however, the tailor smiled widely, picked up the paper and pen again, and began to draw some other designs with quick hand movements. ¡°Then you can have it all! Bonnet, hairband, ribbon, mini hat¡­ A straw hat with a ribbon would be nice to keep your fair skin from getting tanned in the sun! You can decorate it with different flowers every day until summer, and in the fall you can put on it a branch full of ripe red berries or a brooch in the shape of a leaf.¡± Excitement began to show on Elizabeth¡¯s face again. With a proud face, the tailor left a short note next to the design and asked another question. ¡°What kind of shoes would you like?¡± ¡°Do I have to choose the shoes too?¡± The words coming out of the tailor¡¯s mouth were so enchanting that they sounded like a fairy song to her, who had to wear only the stuffy, heavy dress that her mother had chosen for her all her life. But Elizabeth sighed when the tailor told her that she had to choose the shoes, all the accessories, and even socks. The tailor, noticing that she was not accustomed to choosing her own clothes, quickly realised that she was already exhausted. She held out a catalog of her nearby partner, a shoe workshop, saying all that was left for her was to decide slowly. The catalog was full of low-heeled shoes and boots that a child would wear. Elizabeth looked at the shoes curiously. They were all designs she had never seen before. ¡®So there are shoes like these¡­ ! But why did mother only let me wear high-heeled shoes?¡¯ ¡°Is it hard?¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± The tailor, who had taken the design drawing and a piece of paper with Elizabeth¡¯s measuring, made eye contact with her again. ¡°I like beautiful people. And I like to see them become even more beautiful in the clothes I made. But do you know what I like the most?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± The tailor answered with a faint smile and in a somewhat shy tone. ¡°The moment when the person wearing that dress is smiling with satisfaction. I want the Miss to wear the clothes I made and smile the prettiest.¡± The tailor¡¯s eyes crinkled like a crescent moon as she smiled. Shortly after, she rose again. There was a lot of work to be done back in the studio. In addition to sending the clothes she had made in advance, the clothes she had to make and design from now on were endlessly popping up in her head. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since I last held a needle in my hand. I wish you all the best in the future, little muse.¡± The tailor opened the door to leave the room with a polite greeting. ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°Bowgh!¡± ¡°Kya!¡± ¡°Leon¡­ Your Highness the Prince?¡± When she opened the door, Leonhardt rolled into the room while cradling a white, fluffy puppy in his arms. ¡°Your Highness! Are you hurt anywhere?¡± The maids, who were watching the conversation between the tailor and Elizabeth with happy faces, ran to him at once. At the same time, the tailor¡¯s face turned pale. However, Leonhardt calmly got up and patted the dust off his clothes. ¡°¡­ It¡¯s the first time you meet with your master officially, so be polite!¡± ¡°Woof!¡± The puppy in Leonhardt¡¯s arms was struggling to get out of his arms. ¡°From now on, this is your home! Don¡¯t bite my sleeves, ah, seriously!¡± Shaking his sleeves covered in dog saliva, Leonhardt put the dog down. ¡°I¡¯ll-, I¡¯ll just go. Excuse me, then!¡± The tailor couldn¡¯t take her eyes off Elizabeth, the dog, and Leonhardt until the very end, as she forcibly moved her feet. *** ¡°Lizzie.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡± Leonhardt preferred that Elizabeth call him Leon rather than the strict title of the crown prince. He wished she could call him Leon in front of the maids as well. Leonhardt pouted inwardly, then stuck out his chest and ordered the maids in a dignified and solemn manner as his soul remembered. ¡°I have to talk to her for a moment, so all should get out of here for now.¡± The maids desperately bit their lips as they left the room in order not to laugh in front of the 10-year-old Crown Prince, who pretended to be dignified, solemn and mature as if he were the Emperor. ¡°Now¡­ Lizzie.¡± ¡°Yes, Leon.¡± ¡°¡­ You can call me Leon in front of other people.¡± ¡°But you told me to do it when we are alone, didn¡¯t you?¡± How could a kid be so inflexible? Leonhardt groaned inwardly and withdrew the order. ¡°Cancel that! Cancel. After all, we haven¡¯t even gotten engaged yet, so Lizzie is my friend. Isn¡¯t it weird that you meet your friend and say ¡®Your Highness, is your welfare functioning at its best state today?¡± (T/n: translating word-by-word since Leon is using hard korean words instead of a simple ¡®how r u¡¯ ) ¡°Welfare, function, best state¡­?¡± ¡°One way or another, same thing! Anyway¡­ I wish Lizzie could treat me a little more comfortably. Alright? Can you do that?¡± ¡®So that if I ever treat you badly, do feel free to grab a hold of me and kick me without hesitation!¡¯ Leonhardt prayed earnestly. ¡°But in etiquette¡­¡± ¡®Ugh etiquette!¡¯ Leonhardt sighed deeply, then grabbed the puppy who was interested in the hem of Elizabeth¡¯s dress and handed it over to her. ¡°It will protect you when I am away. So, give it a name.¡± ¡°A name?¡± ¡°Yes, anything is fine. Well, it¡¯s white, you can name it white stone. Or, since it was born in the Imperial Palace, so you can call it by elegant names like Sebastian, Benedict, Edwardian, Gregory, Franz¡­¡± ¡°Um¡­¡± Elizabeth was in trouble. White and soft fur, warm fluffy body, a round belly that rose and fell with every breath, slightly droopy eyes as if sleepy, a tail that can¡¯t still for a moment, and even the soft soles of the feet as if they could make no noise. There were too many other lovely things to call it white stone just because ¨ªt fur was white. Leonhardt then put his hand on his waist and smiled happily. ¡°I have work to do, so I¡¯ll go back. Tell me its name later, okay?¡± As soon as Leonhardt left the room, the maids returned. Elizabeth asked, holding the adorable puppy tightly in her arms. ¡°Would ¡®Leon¡¯ sound weird as a dog name?¡± Chapter 35 Leonhardt sighed deeply with each step he took. He was happy he brought Lizzy from the Duke¡¯s house, but he hadn¡¯t thought about the aftermath. Even his thought was getting more shallow as he got younger! With another sigh, Leonhardt headed to the Emperor¡¯s study, where his father would be waiting. At the age of ten, the biggest crisis of his life was about to come again. ¡°Your majesty, the Crown Prince has arrived.¡± ¡°Let him in.¡± The grand door of the large study opened. Leonhardt sighed one last time and settled down his heart before coming in. As soon as he entered the study, the door closed without a sound. Leonhardt greeted the figure in the study, which at first glance, was a little less old than in his memories. ¡°Crown Prince.¡± Leonhardt tensed up, straightening his back even more and pulling his chin up. The emperor¡¯s voice was so low that his hair stood on end at once. ¡°I sent a letter to the duke a while ago. What do you think was written in that letter?¡± ¡°¡­ Is it about title deprivation?¡± ¡°Unfortunately, you only got half of it right.¡± The emperor took off his glasses and rubbed his forehead. ¡°In addition, to express regret for the recklessness of going to the dukedom without contacting them beforehand in the morning, and as compensation for forcibly separating the young lady from her parents, as well as an early dowry, part of the territory confiscated from the ducal family several generations ago is returned. That was the content.¡± Leonhardt held his breath. In his memory, the ducal couple only had the title itself that was valuable, but if this happens, they would prosper rather than fall. ¡°They aren¡¯t going to force Lizzy back one day, are they?¡± ¡°Now is not the time to think about that child.¡± ¡°It was you, father, who taught me to protect your own woman as a man. The family has no other title than the Duchy itself. If they continue to threaten the imperial power using this as an excuse¡­¡± ¡°¡­ It¡¯s not something for a 10-year-old to worry about, Leonhardt.¡± Leonhardt huffed at that and quickly regained his composure. At the moment, he was not an emperor who ruled an empire, but a 10-year-old kid who was busy playing around. Leonhardt swallowed his saliva. ¡®But how could I act like a child at times like this?¡¯ ¡°The adults will take care of that, so don¡¯t overthink anything.¡± Fortunately, the emperor no longer rebuked him, but changed the topic. ¡°I¡¯m going to let this slide on because we have to save the child. But Leonhardt¡­¡± ¡°Yes, father.¡± ¡°You saved the child as a result, but do you really think the process was reasonable and righteous?¡± ¡°But if I hadn¡¯t done that, Lizzy¡­ No, Elizabeth would have continued to have rough days at the duke¡¯s residence.¡± ¡°There may have been another way. Even if it took a little longer, we could have issued an official imperial order and formally brought the child to the palace, or forced the duke and wife to change.¡± ¡°Father thinks they¡¯re going to change as soon as an imperial order is delivered, but if they could really change that much, they wouldn¡¯t have treated Elizabeth that way in the first place!¡± ¡°Keep your voice down, Crown Prince.¡± Leonhardt frowned. The Emperor took a deep breath as he collapsed his hands on his desk. ¡°Just because the outcome is right doesn¡¯t mean the process is too. The prince must heed my words. You are the heir to the throne of this empire. Always think twice before making a decision. There is a saying that it would already be too late when you regret it.¡± ¡®I know, father.¡¯ Leonhard bit his lip. He had personally experienced it to know it too well. ¡°¡­ I will act more carefully in the future.¡± The Emperor then relaxed his face, closed his eyes, and leaned back in his chair. ¡°Has she gotten used to the imperial palace?¡± ¡°I gave her a puppy.¡± ¡°Puppy? Ah, those puppies? It will be a good friend to the little girl.¡± The emperor¡¯s expression softened slightly. It was only then that Leonhardt was able to relax his body. ¡°Take care of your girl. But it¡¯s not good for people to change too much. You may go now.¡± ¡°Is father worrying about me?¡± Leonhardt asked back with a surprised tone. The Emperor rose from his seat, lifted Leonhardt, and put him down directly outside the door. ¡°Even if I worry about you¡­ I¡¯ll be busy making your brother for the time being, so don¡¯t come to my bedroom.¡± And with that, the door to the study closed again. Leonhardt smiled slightly at the absurdity. ¡®The younger brother he mentioned was never born anyway¡­ ¡® On the way back from the study, Leonhardt spotted a familiar blond. ¡°Sir Bern!¡± ¡°Your Highness?¡± Albert Dietrich Bern, the commander of the Imperial Knights Division, who was enjoying a leisure stroll under the pretext of patrolling the Imperial Palace, stopped in his track when he saw the Crown Prince come running towards him. ¡°How great. Just in time I have a young lady to introduce to you.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± Leonhardt, praising himself for the thoughts that had passed through his mind, grabbed Albert¡¯s hand and pulled him away. Albert was dragged away by the Crown Prince, dumbfounded by what was happening. No, precisely, he pretended to be dragged but walked by himself. ¡°Where are we going?¡± ¡°My place.¡± ¡°What do you mean to introduce a young lady?¡± ¡°Elizabeth.¡± ¡°Elizabeth¡­ Are you talking about lady Elysium?¡± ¡°Then who else is there beside her?¡± ¡°There are many other knights besides me, so may I ask why you are taking me?¡± He worked as the knight commander, followed by the role of the young prince¡¯s swordsmanship teacher, and now he wanted him to escort the young lady? His instincts somehow whispered that he should decline the offer. ¡°Since you have the best swordsmanship skill in the Imperial Palace. Isn¡¯t that right?¡± ¡°¡­ It¡¯s embarrassing to admit it, but denying it is like telling lies, so I don¡¯t know how to respond to this.¡± ¡°Father taught me that a real man would protect his own woman. But as you can see, I¡¯m currently weak. I can¡¯t protect Lizzie on my own.¡± ¡°I guess¡­ that¡¯s the natural? Unless Your Highness is a mythical hero¡­ ¡± ¡°But I have the authority to appoint Sir Albert as Lizzy¡¯s escort knight.¡± Upon hearing this, Albert bit his lip. He heard that lady Elysium was only eight years old now. But what about an eight-year-old girl¡­? As he traced his memories to the daughter of his friends, who got married early, Albert bit his lip even harder. Often, she cried hard, lay down and threw a tantrum whenever she¡¯s displeased. That¡¯s what happened when a young girl grew up being pampered with love in an aristocratic family. It might have been better for him to just bite his tongue and die here. ¡°Why do you look like you¡¯d rather die?¡± ¡°Um, what if the young miss doesn¡¯t like me once we meet?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, so rest assured.¡± ¡®Rest assured my a**!¡¯ Albert, lamenting inwardly, followed Leonhardt into the room where Elizabeth Isolde von Elysium was staying. ¡°Nice to meet you, lady Elysium. My name is Albert Dietrich Bern, Commander of the Imperial Knights.¡± As soon as the door opened, Albert closed his eyes tightly and bowed down deeply. He was earnestly wishing that she would just throw anything she could get her hand on and kick out the uninvited guest so he could get out of this quickly. ¡°Woof!¡± ¡°On the order of His Highness the Crown Prince, the lady¡¯s escort knight would be¡­ woof?¡± Albert reacted half a beat to a reply that was not at all like a nobleman¡¯s daughter. ¡°Bailey! No!¡± Albert Dietrich Bern, the commander of the Imperial Knights of the Espedor Empire and in charge of the security of the Imperial Palace, rolled aside with the Crown Prince, the heir of the Empire¡¯s throne, in his arms to avoid the beast rushing toward him. ¡°Your Highness! Are you all right?¡± Albert, drawing out his sword with a sharp movement, tried to figure out the identity of the ferocious beast that was about to attack him. It was then that he had a proper look at the beast in front of him. It had white fur, black sparkling round eyes and¡­ ¡°(whimper)¡­ ¡± He watched as the pink tongue licked Leon¡¯s cheek, who had been lying on the floor until then. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m truly sorry, Leon! Bailey! You shouldn¡¯t do that!¡± ¡°Bailey? It¡¯s a pretty name, suits him well.¡± ¡®What on earth is going on?¡¯ Albert stood up calmly and scratched the back of his head in a dumbfounded state. But all in all, the Crown Prince was safe. And when he looked closely, it was a white dog, not a beast that ran towards them. For some reason, Albert felt a sense of relief, so he first closed the door to prevent the dog from escaping. And what made the dog that bravely dared to show its teeth toward the heir of the Empire?¡­ His guess was the young lady of Elysium in question. ¡°Let me reintroduce myself. I am Albert Dietrich Bern, the commander of the Imperial Knights. And as of today, I have been given the honourable opportunity to escort and guard lady Elizabeth Isolde von Elysium¡­¡± ¡°Guard?¡± Elizabeth asked, holding Bailey, who was struggling to bite off Sir Bern¡¯s pants. ¡°I want to protect you myself, but¡­ I can¡¯t always be by your side. And Bailey? Bailey is still young. I think you should have at least one trustworthy person to help you¡­ Why, don¡¯t you like it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like that¡­ uh¡­ in that case¡­! Nice to meet you, I am Elizabeth Isolde von Elysium. Please take good care of me in the future, Sir Bern.¡± Elizabeth pondered for a moment about what to do with Bailey, and she finally bent her knees to greet him as she held the puppy with one hand and lifted the hem of her skirt with the other. ¡°You may call me Albert, lady Elysium.¡± Albert hastily and secretly canceled his wish when he first entered the room. The child with the puppy in her arms, looking up at him with blue eyes wide open like a frightened little rabbit. She was so small that he had to lean down to hold her hand, and her every move was so cautious and elegant. The spoiled and arrogant kind of kid that he mentioned earlier, the one that lay down and threw a tantrum at anything they found unpleasant, compared to the little miss, was different like earth and heaven. ¡°Albert¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, lady Elysium.¡± ¡°Lady¡­ you don¡¯t need to call me ¡®lady¡¯! Just call me Elizabeth! Like everyone else¡­¡± Elizabeth¡¯s face was strangely flushed. Leonhardt looked at Elizabeth and Albert alternately, his eyebrows twitched. ¡°As the commander of the Imperial Knights, and as a knight serving a lady, pardon me for I cannot do that.¡± Albert knelt down on one knee and raised his hand before his chest as if he was knighted before Elizabeth. Her child¡¯s hand was so small that it looked like it would crumble like a fallen leaf if he grabbed it. Albert lightly kissed the back of the young lady¡¯s hand. ¡°I swear by my sword, I, Albert, will protect milady no matter what happens.¡± Elizabeth had almost forgotten to breathe from the moment Albert held her hand. The white uniform suited the knight, who was so tall that she could only see his face once Elizabeth lifted her head high. Along with his sturdy stature were his sky-blue eyes and gorgeous blonde that seemed like threads made out of pure gold. His drooping eyes gave the first impression that he was quite friendly, but contrary to the eyes, the raised eyebrows were straight and distinct, as if proving that he was the most solemn and elite among the knights. With a different feeling than when she saw Leonhardt, her heart began to pound, and when he knelt down before her, kissed her on the back of her hand and treated her preciously, Elizabeth stiffened. No one had ever taught her how she should behave in a case like this. Elizabeth threw a look at Leonhardt asking for help. ¡®Leon?¡¯ However, Leonhardt was looking at Albert with his arms crossed and a sullen expression, full of dissatisfaction. Chapter 36 Albert reminded Leonhardt of a knight¡¯s swearing an oath upon kissing on the back of the hand of a beautiful lady. It was a scene that would come out of a fairy tale, but for some reason, he felt very uncomfortable, as if thorns were protruding out and pricking at his heart. ¡®Let¡¯s-, let¡¯s calm down. I can¡¯t be jealous of this, can I? It¡¯s only a knight making an oath to a lady. It was me who wanted Albert to be Lizzie¡¯s escort knight in the first place. Besides, Albert is much older than Lizzie and already has a fianc¨¦e! Most of all, in the future, all those blonde hair strands will fall off and those muscles will turn into belly fat!¡¯ Why was it so hard for children to hide their emotions? He could understand everything in his mind, but he didn¡¯t know why he could only pout his lips with dissatisfaction. Leonhardt¡¯s conscience was stabbed by Elizabeth¡¯s wandering eyes, asking for help. ¡®Do what you want to do.¡¯ Leonhardt mouthed those words silently. He didn¡¯t know if she understood, but even when she asked again, he would still have the same answer. Elizabeth contemplated briefly before nodding as if she had made up her mind and formally appointed him as her escort. Witnessing it, Leonhardt smiled happily. There was still minor absurd jealousy within him, but since Elizabeth succeeded in making her own choice, it was more than enough. And it was sure that Albert would be ready to do anything for her, even if he didn¡¯t have to say anything. ¡°Well then, now that got a reliable adult to protect you¡­¡± ¡°I do¡­? ¡± Albert again felt his instinct alarming. He didn¡¯t know what the Prince was up to, but it must be very irritating and bothersome. While he had to be faithful to both roles as the escort knight and the Knights Commander, he felt that with the time and stamina he had, it would be impossible for him to fulfill them. ¡°I¡¯ll take you on a tour around the Imperial Palace tomorrow!¡± ¡®Oh My God!¡¯ Deep down inside, Albert was screaming. He wondered why his ominous intuition could never be wrong for once. Of course, serving the Crown Prince and his fianc¨¦e was one of the honourable things he had to do as the Knight Commander and an escort knight. But besides that, he had a lot of work to do, starting with Leonhardt¡¯s sword training,¡­hold on. Swordsmanship¡­? He might be able to make use of it if he handled it well. ¡°Ahem, Your Highness.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Albert looked at Leonhardt with a strict expression. ¡°Recently, you have neglected your training.¡± ¡°That! ¡­ There is a good reason-¡­. ¡± Albert turned even sterner and Leonhardt¡¯s speech was cut off at that. ¡°Is the small sun of our empire now making excuses?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like that! Ugh¡­What do you want then? ¡± Leonhardt realised at once that Albert suddenly became like this because there was a condition he wanted. And Albert¡¯s tightly furrowed eyebrows were slightly softened, proving his prediction was right. ¡°If it¡¯s about guiding the lady around the Imperial Palace, you don¡¯t have to do it yourself. But if you want to guide her yourself, then¡­¡± ¡°Then¡­? ¡± Albert then drew a beautiful smile on his lips that could make any woman of the social world swoon. ¡°Why don¡¯t you do it with me after finishing your training session? If I accompany you two to places where you can¡¯t go alone, you will be able to enter and exit without difficulty. ¡± ¡°What, what place can the Crown Prince not access in the Imperial Palace!?¡± ¡°The Imperial Amory, Magic Research Laboratory. In addition to that¡­ as you may know, there are many dangerous places in the Imperial Palace that ban children without adults.¡± ¡®¡­He got me!¡¯ Leonhardt¡¯s expression hardened. He intended to drag Albert around in the name of Elizabeth¡¯s escort knight, and naturally get into the restricted areas of ??the Imperial Palace. But he couldn¡¯t believe it backfired. He had dug his own grave! Elizabeth looked alternately between the smiling Albert and Leonhardt. The young prince was staring at Albert with an angry face, as if he was about to bite him at any moment now. She then turned to Bailey to realise that Bailey in her arms was asleep. ¡°Of course I can do it! You¡¯ll see, I¡¯ll wake up at dawn from tomorrow. ¡± ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t have to do so. You just have to sleep early and get up early to grow tall.¡± Albert laughed in a pleasant mood. He was very excited to see if the boy would be able to get up early the following morning. Contrary to the nanny¡¯s words that Elizabeth would only be staying for a while, her temporary residence, which was prepared in a day, was even more carefully decorated than Leonhardt¡¯s room. He could already feel it when he first entered her temporary residence, but when he came into Elizabeth¡¯s bedroom, Leonhardt¡¯s room really felt like a guest room. ¡°Are not you tired?¡± ¡°A little¡­ . ¡± Elizabeth, who sat on the bed, smiled faintly at the deep asleep Bailey. ¡°Why does Bailey want to sleep there when his bed is over there?¡± ¡°It¡¯s only for a day. Wouldn¡¯t it be fine?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to lose to a puppy.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± Leonhardt pouted his lips, frustrated. ¡°Um, Lizzie.¡± ¡°Leon.¡± At the same time, the two called each other¡¯s names. Both were surprised and made eye contact, they then laughed it off altogether. ¡°Leon first.¡± ¡°Shall I? Well¡­Lizzie, I made a flower ring. Do you still remember? ¡± Elizabeth jumped out of bed and took out a small box from her drawer. In the box, there was an already withered flower ring. ¡°¡­ Can I borrow it for a while? ¡± Leonhardt said, suppressing his neck from getting choked with emotion. Elizabeth blinked in confusion but still handed over the box. ¡°Will you return it?¡± ¡°Of course. In fact, I¡¯ll lend it and then give it back with interest. ¡± ¡°Interest¡­?¡± Elizabeth tilted her head. But Leonhardt just shrugged. ¡°Well then¡­I just want to say that¡­thank you.¡± ¡°Thank you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m still new to things, but everyone is kind to me¡­ Now, I don¡¯t get beaten, nor do I have to wear corsets. I get to wear shoes comfortable, to have Bailey, and meet lord Bern¡­¡± What? Lord Bern? Leonhardt, who had been listening to Elizabeth¡¯s words, got his expression distorted instantly at the name. ¡°And above all, Leon always grabbed my hand, supported me from behind, and is always by my side. ¡± Elizabeth felt her hearting palpitating and her cheeks became warm. But she was no longer unfamiliar or frightened by this sensation. The tickling thing that she thought to be a seed in her chest, had rooted deep enough, and was now starting to show off the green cotyledon in earnest. ¡°Thank you, Leon.¡± Elizabeth beamed brightly. At that moment, Leonhardt saw the hallucination of a pair of white wings rising behind Elizabeth¡¯s back. It was just for a very short moment, but they were definitely wings. He thought it was just a rumour that the Elysium was an angel¡¯s descendant, but it might be true after all. ¡°Thank you, Lizzie.¡± ¡°Sorry?¡± ¡°Please¡­ Give me a chance. ¡± ¡°A chance?¡± Elizabeth once again tilted her head, perplexed. A chance? What chance? However, instead of answering, Leonhardt gave Elizabeth a quick good night kiss on the forehead. He then ran out of her bedroom before she could even react. It seemed that if he stayed there any longer, his current body of a child, which was not good at masking emotions, would burst into tears. Before going to bed, Leonhardt asked the nanny to call the best jewelry craftsman in the empire. ¡°Jewelry craftsman?¡± ¡°I want to give something to Lizzie.¡± The nanny covered him with a blanket with a smile on her face, as the young Leonhardt, who always thought of his fiancee, was adorable. ¡°Of course, I will call the most skillful person there is.¡± The following day, Leonhardt gave the box borrowed from Elizabeth to the jewelry craftsman. ¡°I want a flower that never withers. Can you make it? ¡± *** As expected, he didn¡¯t come. The place where Leonhardt trained with other knights was empty today. ¡®It¡¯s a great opportunity to escape from today¡¯s military meeting though¡­¡¯ He comforted himself by thinking that it would at least be better than overstraining himself, but at the same time, he was still a little upset and disappointed. ¡®I thought I met a child who showed the qualities of a Sword Master¡­¡¯ ¡°Sir Bern, it¡¯s time for the meeting.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be there soon.¡± Albert looked at the empty space with lingering eyes and headed into the building with his lieutenant. However, contrary to Albert¡¯s expectation that Leonhardt was asleep, he was roaming around the Imperial Palace, holding Elizabeth¡¯s hand as soon as he finished eating. Everyone they encountered was surprised to see Elizabeth, but they soon realised she was the girl of the rumour and greeted her with a smile. ¡°Good morning, Miss Elizabeth.¡± ¡°Did you sleep well? Is there anything that cause you discomfort last night?¡± ¡°I wondered if you have had breakfast? If there is any food you would like to eat, please let me know.¡± At first, Elizabeth was a little flustered at the kind greetings she had never once received in the Duke¡¯s house, but then she answered them one by one with a shy smile. ¡°Yes. I slept well. Did you have a good night sleep too, miss? Bailey took one of my pillows, but I had another one so it was fine. The eggs benedict I ate for breakfast was very delicious, and¡­¡± ¡°Lizzie. No need to use honorifics. Rather, they will be uncomfortable.¡± Leon sighed and whispered in Elizabeth¡¯s ear. Elizabeth then turned towards the maids. As Leonhardt said, they were astonished to hear that respectful way of addressing from the the Crown Prince¡¯s fiancee, the Crown Princess, and the future Empress. ¡°But these people live in the Imperial Palace¡­¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to use honorifics toward anyone in the imperial palace except for father and mother. So it¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°His Highness is right. Please make yourself as home, alright?¡± ¡°Is that¡­really¡­ okay?¡± ¡°Of course! Now, Miss Elizabeth. What was the last thing you were trying to say again?¡± ¡°Um¡­¡± Elizabeth slightly bit her finger as she traced her memory. What was she trying to say? ¡°¡­I forgot.¡± With her head down, Elizabeth smiled awkwardly. Before long, she added. ¡°Have a nice day.¡± Although she had forgotten what she was going to say, she remembered what she had to say. With those words, Elizabeth hid her body behind Leonhardt¡¯s back. Leonhardt looked at Elizabeth, who hid behind him, covering her cheeks with her hands. The maids found her adorable as she shied away from them, using Leonhardt as shield for her. *** ¡°Over there, Leon.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Elizabeth, taking Leonhardt¡¯s hand as they strolled through the garden, pointed her finger at the tower in the distance. Leonhardt shifted his gaze along the direct Elizabeth¡¯s fingertip was pointing to without much thought, and his expression crumpled at once. ¡°Leon?¡± ¡°Liz-, Lizzie, shall we go see something else other than that? Ah! You haven¡¯t seen Bailey¡¯s dad yet, have you?¡± ¡°Wow, there¡¯s a tower on the lake!¡± ¡°That¡­That¡¯s right. It¡¯s really weird, is it not? So other than that¡­¡± ¡°Can we go over there?¡± Leonhardt looked into Elizabeth¡¯s glittering eyes and wished, prayed, that the ¡®over there¡¯ she spoke of would be somewhere near the lake. But Elizabeth quickly rephraseed her intention bluntly, smartly and clearly. ¡°I want to go to that tower over there!¡± Chapter 37 What is the Clock Tower? A multi-storey or tall, pointed structure was commonly called a tower. If there was a bell at the top, it¡¯s called a bell tower, if there was a clock, it¡¯s called a clock tower, and if it was built to commemorate something, it¡¯s called a memorial tower. It was childlike and natural to want to go to the top of a tower that soared high in the sky or snoop out of curiosity¡­ For the same reason, Leonhardt simply couldn¡¯t stand Elizabeth¡¯s twinkling eyes and eventually nodded. ¡°That tower! What¡¯s at the top? I¡¯m very curious. Aren¡¯t you?¡± In the end, Leonhardt gave in, took Elizabeth¡¯s hand and went down the lake shore, while resenting his young body for not being good at acting. ¡°Wow¡­¡± The appearance of the waves on the surface of the water in the morning sunlight was just like the glittering scales of a large fish. The gentle spring breeze lightly swept through the lake, causing waves to ripple. Elizabeth muttered after watching it silently for a while. ¡°Pretty¡­ .¡± Leonhardt glanced at Elizabeth and also murmured. ¡°Your eyes are just like that, you know?¡± ¡°Really?¡± Leonhardt nodded. At first glance, Elizabeth¡¯s eyes were clear and blue like the sunny summer sky, but with a closer look, they had a deep blue colour like a calm lake. ¡°I think I like this place.¡± ¡°Why-¡­ why¡­ ?¡± Leonhardt stammered at her words. Elizabeth tilted her head at him, who reacted in a strangely sensitive way. ¡°Well, because Leon told me that this lake and my eyes are the same colour.¡± Leonhardt wanted to punch himself in the mouth. ¡°By the way¡­That tower is in the middle of the lake, and there¡¯s no way to get there. There is no boat¡­ so I figure we should just go back¡­¡± ¡°If it¡¯s a boat, is it over there?¡± Leonhardt, who was about to tell her to go back because there was no way to get to the tower, was startled by Elizabeth¡¯s words and turned his head. Men wrapped in black cloaks gathered one by one at the shore of the lake and were heading to the little island in small boats. Leonhardt, aware of their identities, once again wanted to rip his hair off. Of all days, this moment was that day! ¡®It must be the day they submitted their graduation thesis!¡¯ ¡°Leon, are you sick?¡± Elizabeth looked at Leonhardt worriedly, who suddenly began to pull his hair. ¡°Why are they going to the tower?¡± ¡°That¡­ uh¡­ That¡¯s the people who manage the tower! That¡¯s why they¡¯re going to the tower now.¡± ¡°The tower is so small, then why are there so many people? Is there some precious treasure inside?¡± ¡°Treasure¡­ uh yes, there is. There is precious treasure inside. It¡¯s very, very precious, so they¡¯re trying to protect it so that other people don¡¯t come in.¡± Elizabeth recalled her mother¡¯s diamond necklace and her dressing room full of all kinds of jewels. If it was a place full of such things, she could understand why so many people went in to protect it. ¡°But everyone¡¯s expressions look bad. Is it difficult to protect the treasure?¡± ¡°It¡¯s-¡­it¡¯s probably like that.¡± They were walking at a slower pace than Elizabeth, one at a time, with their hoods pressed down to the bottom of their noses. The two children watched with compassionate eyes at those who walked at a slower pace than them. ¡°Wow! There is no sailor, but the boat is moving! Leon, is it magic?¡± ¡°Well¡­ It¡¯s pretty much similar to that.¡± Leonhardt nodded, worried about what would happen if Elizabeth insisted on going to the tower. ¡°Can we go to the tower too?¡± ¡°Tow-¡­tower? why?¡± ¡°I want to see how precious it is.¡± ¡°Bu-but can we go? They¡¯re all wearing black cloaks, and they¡¯re all adults¡­ ¡± ¡°Leon is the Crown Prince¡­ Is it still not okay?¡± Elizabeth, whose eyes were filled with twinkling anticipation just a moment ago, drooped her eyebrows. Seeing that, Leonhardt was in agony. Would taking Lizzie to the clock tower be the right choice? ¡°Who is this! Aren¡¯t you the Crown Prince? Do you perhaps want to go to the clock tower, Your Highness?¡± One of the men, who had joined the group of black cloaks with slow steps, recognised Leonhardt and spoke to him happily. Leonhardt was genuinely perplexed by the completely unexpected encounter. ¡°No, I was-¡­¡± ¡°Can we go too?¡± Elizabeth asked the man with a bright smile. The man fixed his glasses and nodded as if it was natural. ¡°Of course. Anyone can see the treasure of the clock tower.¡± ¡°Really? That is great! Right, Leon?¡± ¡°That¡­ that¡¯s right¡­how¡­ how great¡­¡± Elizabeth smiled brightly, her eyes shining again. ¡®As expected, Leonhardt is amazing. As the Crown Prince, there was no place he has never been to. And he knew a lot about the Imperial Palace.¡¯ One side of her chest tickled again as she thought she could be with him in the future. Meanwhile, Leonhardt looked very reluctant. ¡°Leon? Could it be that you don¡¯t know how to swim?¡± Elizabeth was puzzled and pulled Leonhardt¡¯s sleeve lightly. ¡°No way! I¡¯m very good at swimming!¡± ¡°Then why are you making that face? Does Leon hate that tower?¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Leonhard pondered for a long while. He had already told her that there was a treasure in there, so he couldn¡¯t lie again that there was a terrifying monster. However, he didn¡¯t want to disappoint her by refusing to do what she had asked for, since Elizabeth had personally expressed her wishes. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Let¡¯s go, Lizzie.¡± In the end, Leonhardt took Elizabeth¡¯s hand and boarded the boat with the crowd of men in black, praying that nothing would happen to them. Elizabeth and Leonhardt were in completely opposite states. One was smiling peacefully and calmly like a wise man about to be enlightened, and the other was growling with annoyance, as if his stomach was about to overturn. As the people wearing cloaks got closer to the tower, each began muttering an unknown language or calling out the name of god. Finally, the ship arrived at the small island where the tower stood, and people started to get off one by one, led by Leonhardt and Elizabeth. ¡°These people work in the tower, so why do they look so afraid?¡± ¡°¡­ Right¡­ I wonder why.¡± Leonhardt then caught the face of the people who were like walking corpses, mumbling unclear words, seemingly praying for themselves to graduate. ¡°What time do the clock hands point today?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nine thirteen.¡± ¡°Thank you. I hope you pass.¡± ¡°Haha¡­ It¡¯s up to the owner of the clock tower whether I pass or not¡­¡± He disappeared among the crowd, leaving behind unknown words. ¡°More and more people are coming.¡± ¡°They must be submitting it a little earlier.¡± ¡°Submit?¡± ¡°Oh, nothing. Just in case, hold my hand.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± As more and more people in black coats were coming, Elizabeth grabbed Leonhardt¡¯s hand and followed him into the tower. *** ¡°A library¡­ ?¡± Lined up in the tower were large bookshelves that could only be seen in her father¡¯s study. Elizabeth, looking curiously at the titles she had seen for the first time, lost her interest and looked around again. ¡°It looked very narrow from the outside, but it is quite spacious on the inside.¡± ¡°I know. Oh, Lizzy. come here. We¡¯ll have to wait a bit for those people to get through before we can get out of the tower.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t we just come in? Leon, you¡¯ve been weird since earlier. Are you hiding something?¡± ¡°What¡­what do you mean hiding¡­ It¡¯s not like that. So¡­the thing is¡­ Ah! We can just wait in that room over there.¡± Leonhardt took Elizabeth¡¯s hand and pulled her away. Elizabeth tilted her head as she followed him. ¡®What is the precious treasure that so many people are required to manage and don¡¯t even want to show it to Leon?¡¯ Leonhardt, who managed to bypass those in black robes and entered the room, let out a deep sigh. The wizards of the Clock Tower had a bad reputation for being freaks, even if they weren¡¯t. He was the crown prince, so he was unlikely to be caught up in their terrible mischief, but Elizabeth¡­ ¡®I¡¯ll never let the wizards of the Clock Tower show interest in Lizzie!¡¯ He bet they were more interested in the ¡®blood of Elysium¡¯, the descendant of an angel, than the noble status of the Duchy¡¯s young miss, who was engaged to the Crown Prince from birth. And needless to say, they would definitely study Elizabeth. While Leonhardt locked the door tightly, Elizabeth slowly look around the room. One, two, three¡­ Ink and pens were placed on a desk large enough for eight people to sit at. Along with an empty bookshelf and a side table under a sunny window, those were all the furniture in the room. A vase and a clock were placed on the side table. Elizabeth walked over to the side table and looked at the vase and clock. There was nothing in the vase. And the watch had no hands. ¡®It¡¯s strange. Why does this watch have no hands?¡¯ Puzzled, Elizabeth asked Leonhardt. If it was Leonhardt, he would know why. ¡°Leon, why doesn¡¯t this watch have hands?¡± Leonhardt, leaning his ear against the door, concentrating on checking the situation outside, turned around at her call. ¡°It¡¯s probably just a broken watch.¡± ¡°Then can I play with it?¡± Leonhardt nodded. Guessing from the external sound, it would take a while for them to get out. He was rather glad that Elizabeth had a toy to play with in the meantime so she didn¡¯t get bored¡­Wait, what was playing with again? Elizabeth was holding the watch without hands while humming a song that the nanny in the Crown Prince¡¯s Palace had recently taught her. Leonhardt looked back with a startled expression. Elizabeth then picked up a pen soaked in ink and brought upon the clock without hands. ¡°Lizzie! You can¡¯t touch it!¡± Leonhardt tried to stop Elizabeth with his urgent voice. Elizabeth put the watch down as she turned to him with a bewildered look. However, three crooked lines were already drawn in a straight line on the clock. Elizabeth was so taken aback by Leonhardt¡¯s loud voice, which she had never heard before, that she immediately put the watch down. ¡°¡­ Huh?¡± But something was strange. Elizabeth looked around. Instead of the empty bookshelf, desk, side table, and the vase with no flowers, the room was now present with a bookshelf with books on them, a table with an unknown glass bottle, and a vase with withered flowers. ¡®Where am I?¡¯ ¡°Huh? Who is this? Looks like we have an unwelcomed guest.¡± Elizabeth backed away, tensed up like a frightened rabbit. Her back touched something and she looked back reflexively. Elizabeth then came to know that what she bumped into was a skeleton and fell back in surprise. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Lizzie! I¡¯ll clean that up soon. Um¡­ I am the witch of the clock tower.¡± The person who introduced herself as the witch of the clock tower rushed to help Elizabeth up. ¡°You-. you know my name? And a witch? Where am I anyway? Where is Leon?¡± The terrified Elizabeth tried to keep herself as calm as possible, but her body still quivered as she asked. She felt her eyes heat up with tears. The witch that Elizabeth knew of from reading books was a very, very terrifying being who always did evil things and tormented good people. But the witch in front of her didn¡¯t look like a bad person at all. She had fluttering red hair like flames, and her glasses were green eyes like that of a cat, along with neat eyebrows, and skin as white as a plaster figure. It was a witch she had never seen in a book. ¡°The witch of the clock tower knows everything. This is the top floor of the clock tower, and Leon is probably looking for you.¡± And she had never heard of a witch smiling with a sad expression on her face. The witch said as she flicked her fingers in the air. Then the mess around her disappeared in an instant. Instead, a table lined with white lace tablecloths, a large chair, a small chair fit for Elizabeth¡¯s physique, and a neat tea set appeared. ¡°Tea-¡­ No, nevermind, you¡¯re still young, so milk would be better. Would you like some milk? And you like rose macarons, right?¡± ¡°Uh! How did you know?¡± Rose macarons, with tropical fruit fillings and garnished with raspberries, between rose-scented macarons were Elizabeth¡¯s favorite dessert. ¡®I¡¯ve never told anyone at the palace!¡¯ ¡°The Witch of the Clock Tower knows everything.¡± The Witch of the Clock Tower said so and winked at her. ¡°Now! Come on, have a seat. We don¡¯t have much time.¡± Elizabeth pondered for a moment. On the table in front of her, there was black tea, sweetened milk with honey, and macarons with rose petals. ¡°Are you going to eat me after fattening me up?¡± Elizabeth stopped about a step from the chair. Of course, there were no windows made of melted sugar, chimneys made of ginger cookies, or brick stoves made of colourful candies, but her mother¡¯s words about being cautious with everything came to mind. ¡°Ugh, fairy tales ruined all the children. Lizzie, it¡¯s okay, I¡¯m a friend. Come and eat whatever you want.¡± ¡°¡­really?¡± The witch of the clock tower nodded. Elizabeth sat facing the witch, still suspected of her. ¡®I¡¯ll never, ever talk to you before I go! No matter how delicious that macaron is, I will never eat it!¡¯ The Witch of the Clock Tower, who could clearly read what she was thinking from Elizabeth¡¯s determined expression, smiled. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re not going to eat it? Should we just clean it up?¡± ¡°Oh, wait! Let me think a little more¡­ Oh, no!¡± As the macarons began to fog out in front of her, Elizabeth said with a tearful face. ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll eat! I want some!¡± ¡®The woman must have had a guest for the first time in a long time and was treating me with consideration. It¡¯s also against etiquette to ignore one¡¯s sincerity. So it can¡¯t be helped!¡¯ Thinking so, Elizabeth lifted a cute-looking silver tableware with a ribbon at the end of the handle before another shiny pink macaron could disappear again.