IWBAACTWITOS Chapter 5

"Miss, how about this one?"

When the nanny took out a white dress for going out that she had made not too long ago, I scrunched up my face completely. Good heavens, a white dress with a big pink ribbon. Whose taste is that supposed to be?

"I don't like it."

"Really? That's strange. The dressmaker said it was the most popular design for young ladies your age these days."

With my hand muscles not fully developed yet, I spill everything I eat, and they want me to wear white? If my mom had seen this, she would have fainted. Originally, children should wear clothes with childish patterns so that stains don't show easily when they get dirty.

Besides, today I was planning to beat up the sub male lead, so I preferred clothes that wouldn't stand out too much even if I rolled around on the dirt.

"How about this one?"

"It's childish."

After my back-and-forth with the nanny, what emerged was a purple velvet dress. The ruffles around the neck looked cumbersome, but it was the closest to my taste and seemed like it wouldn't get dirty easily.

'Since I usually just wear whatever they give me.'

After putting on the dress and trying to go out with the rabbit doll tucked under my arm, the nanny caught me and put a hat on my head. The purple hat that clearly matched the dress was nothing more or less than a decoration.

The nanny tied the securing ribbon under my chin and put the same hat on the rabbit's ears too. I don't know what the deal is with not dressing it but only putting a hat on the naked rabbit, but before I could comfort the bare rabbit, the nanny kissed my cheek.

"Have a good trip, Miss."

"I'll be back."

This was my second official outing since I became able to walk on my own feet. When I went downstairs, Roxana and Julian were waiting. Julian, who spotted me, lifted me up and spun me around.

"Oh my! Our goddess, why are you so pretty? Whose daughter are you?"

To that tiresome question that he never gets tired of asking, I answered in a listless voice.

"Mommy's daughter."

"Daddy's daughter, right? Right?"

Because Julian didn't even think of listening to what I said, I had to spin around dizzily several times in the air.

'Ugh, I'm getting dizzy.'

"Okay, okay. That's enough."

I almost threw up something unpleasant on Julian's handsome face that I've been finding useless lately, but at perfect timing, Roxana rescued me.

"Tilly is having a hard time."

After shaking my head briefly from the dizziness, I soon came to my senses and glared at Julian while nestled in Roxana's arms. Only then did Julian realize his actions were excessive and apologized to me.

"Sorry, Tilly. Were you dizzy?"

"......"

"Tilly?"

"I hate you."

For Julian, it was the most effective phrase. I turned my head away with a huff and didn't make eye contact with Julian the entire way to the imperial palace. Roxana seemed accustomed to this situation by now and didn't bother to intervene.

After all, she knew that before long, I would casually say "Daddy, what are you doing?" to Julian and make up with him. Unlike Roxana who was so calm, Julian kept glancing around, wondering when my anger would subside.

"We've arrived, Tilly. This is the imperial palace."

Roxana opened the window to show me outside. The tall imperial palace looked exactly like the imperial palace I had imagined.

'Well, that's just the appearance.'

"Thaleia."

"Hm?"

I immediately turned my head at Roxana's call as I was looking out the window. It was rare for her to call me by my name instead of a pet name.

"You learned how to greet Her Majesty the Empress, right?"

'Ah, so that's what this was about.'

"Yes, nanny taught me."

"Right, our Tilly is smart so she'll do well."

"Yes!"

Charlotte wasn't the type to be greatly displeased if a young child didn't properly follow etiquette. Rather, she felt sorry for her son who had been adult-like from too young an age and wanted a daughter, but after the sub male lead, she couldn't have more children, so she thought of Royna as a daughter and cherished her.

"Tilly."

Julian personally helped me down from the carriage, and after my feet touched the ground, I stared up at Julian before clinging to Roxana. My anger had already completely subsided, but I needed to put a bit more restraint on Julian's excessive behavior. Honestly, if he had spun me around any more, I definitely would have thrown up what I ate for breakfast.

"Tilly, do you still hate daddy?"

I could feel sincerity in Julian's expression and sense that he was waiting for my answer with an anxious heart. I smiled brightly and said to him decisively.

"Yes, I hate you!"

I took Roxana's hand and swung it as I entered the empress's palace. I could hear Julian sniffling behind me, but knowing that if I turned around at the sound of his crying, I'd get pulled into it, I looked straight ahead.

"I am Thaleia of Remetio."

Following Roxana and Julian, I held my skirt hem and greeted according to etiquette. When I raised my head, I saw two pairs of burdensome eyes. One was Julian's, which I was too familiar with to ignore, but the empress's gaze was confusingly intense.

Charlotte was looking down at me with both hands clasped together. When I tilted my head, her expression changed ominously. As her intertwined hands approached as if to capture me, I unconsciously stepped back.

'What, what is it? What's this?'

"Mother."

When the sub male lead, Aegis, called Charlotte, she finally came to her senses and hurriedly withdrew her hands that had been reaching toward me.

"Oh, oh my. I'm sorry, Princess. The princess was so small and cute and adorable and lovely that I unconsciously..."

Did she show this kind of reaction when she first saw Royna too? When I was writing, I only expressed that Charlotte had cherished Royna from a young age, so I didn't know she would be like this.

"Let's sit down for now."

The garden of the empress's palace was beautifully colored purple with lavender blooming prettily with a lovely fragrance.

"Do you like the garden?"

I was staring blankly at the garden when Charlotte spoke to me, so I nodded. Though she was calmer than when we first met, she was still looking only at me.

I pretended not to notice that burdensome gaze and focused on the desserts on the table. The colorful desserts looked so delicious. Charlotte looked at me and smiled as she personally placed strawberry cream cake on my plate.

When cake was distributed to everyone's plates, I didn't hesitate to pick up my fork and first poked the strawberry on top and put it in my mouth. After all, delicious things should be eaten first. I finished the strawberry in one bite and was licking the cream off my lips when Julian asked me.

"Is the strawberry delicious?"

"Yes, daddy's strawberry is mine too."

I naturally extended my fork and stole Julian's strawberry. Julian smiled and pushed his plate toward me. As I was eating the second strawberry, a new strawberry rolled onto my plate. The one who gave me the strawberry was Aegis, who had been quietly eating his cake.

'Wow...'

How can eyes be so blue? I disliked the typical prince character, but Ash had insane beauty that pierced through my preferences. If Julian had sacred beauty, then Ash had doll-like beauty. Like an expensive ball-jointed doll? I stared at him blankly for a moment before coming to my senses belatedly.

"Thank you."

At my gratitude, Ash smiled brightly and said.

"Eat a lot."

'Wow, the doll smiled.'

That guy grows up to be a 190cm tall big puppy later? No way. At the strange sense of disconnect, I shook my head vigorously and put the third strawberry in my mouth. Ash was still smiling brightly at me. Not caring about his own cake at all.

'What's this?'

Charlotte, who had been looking back and forth between me and Ash, let out a small sigh and brought up the topic.

"I understand that Philius brought up the engagement talk to you two last time."

"...Yes."

"I'm sorry. I did say first that it would be nice if the two became friends, but I didn't know Philius would suddenly propose an engagement."

At those words, Julian chuckled. His expression said he had expected it.

"I thought that would happen. Russ is that kind of guy. It's not Your Majesty the Empress's fault. And Russ isn't thinking about it seriously yet either."

"...But."

"It's still a distant story. Right now, I hope the two can get along as good friends. They're both lonely because they don't have friends."

'Oh ho, Julian.'

A polite and clean answer, very good. When Julian drew a clear line, Charlotte also showed a relieved expression. In contrast, Ash looked at the adults with a confused face.

"Aren't Thaleia and I getting married?"

At the word marriage, I choked and started coughing. Wait, when did the progress jump to marriage? Julian patted my back and looked at Ash with a subtle expression. Since he couldn't get angry at a clueless little kid, he was showing his displeasure in his own way as much as possible.

"Someday when Your Highness the Prince truly meets someone you love, you should marry them."

"But father said it would be good if the imperial family and the Remetio ducal family joined together."

At those words, I raised my head and looked at Ash. What the doll-like prince character was saying was pure in its own way, but not childlike at all.

'What's with this kid?'

"That's right, Ash. Marriage should be with someone you love. But if you worry too much about things like family status, you won't be able to meet someone you truly love."

"But people say..."

"Ash."

When Charlotte called his name affectionately, Ash seemed to think for a moment before changing the direction of his question.

"Then if I love Thaleia, can we get married?"

"No. Only when the princess also says she loves Ash can you do it."

At Charlotte's answer, Ash looked at me with expectant eyes. Because of the strange unpleasant feeling I'd been having, I had no choice but to answer sharply.

"You're not my type."

With just one sentence, everyone fell silent, but it wasn't particularly my concern. What I'm into is black-haired male leads. No matter how doll-like, prince characters weren't it.

"So I'll absolutely never marry you."

At my stubborn rejection, Ash, shocked, made a pitiful expression and said in a small voice, haltingly.

"But I, I gave you strawberries..."

So it was a proposal strawberry, crazy.

"Should I throw it back up?"