IWBAACTWITOS Chapter 7

I watched Ash read the fairy tale book carefully, paying attention to his pronunciation and speaking clearly.

It had already been two months since Ash and I became friends, and I had been coming to the imperial palace once a week to play with him.

Until now, whenever they tried to make friends for me, I would do my best to escape, but now that I was voluntarily going to the imperial palace regularly, the people at the duke's house were extremely pleased.

Even today, when I return home, they'll probably interrogate me about what I did and played with Ash.

Just thinking about it was annoying. Moreover, playing with Ash was seriously boring.

All we did when we met was eat snacks, take walks, and read fairy tale books. Other than that, we played hide-and-seek exactly once.

'Who was it that set Ash as a boring prince character?'

It was me, damn it. There was no point in blaming anyone since it was ultimately useless. When I let out a deep sigh, Ash closed the fairy tale book he was reading and asked me.

"Is it boring?"

"Huh? No. Keep reading."

At my request to continue reading, Ash puffed out both his cheeks to show his dissatisfaction.

"But Tilly, you know how to read fairy tale books by yourself."

"I don't know how?"

At my nonchalant lie, Ash puffed out both his cheeks. This was because last time when he was reading a fairy tale book and stumbled over a part, I had taught him, which revealed that I could read.

But I pretended not to know until the end and urged him to read again.

"Cinderella wore glass slippers and danced with the prince."

Aegis continued reading the fairy tale book, but when he reached the part where the prince and Cinderella danced, he hesitated with his lips. Noticing that he was choosing his words, I shrugged my shoulders as if to say 'speak up if you have something to say.'

"I want to dance with Tilly too."

"Dance?"

"Yeah, dance. I started learning to dance recently, and my teacher praised me for doing well."

"I see, but I don't know how to dance."

"Should I teach you?"

"Hmm... okay."

When I said okay, Ash's face lit up completely. I couldn't really understand why he was so happy about it, but his bright smile was still very cute.

Ash closed the fairy tale book again and went to tell the maid waiting outside the room that he wanted to dance. I reopened the fairy tale book that Ash had left behind.

'I can't believe Cinderella exists here too.'

It was one of the fairy tales I hated the most. I liked it when I was young, but as I grew up, I realized it was nothing but a cruel fairy tale.

'Well, it's a folk tale from the old days made into a fairy tale, so naturally it's messed up from beginning to end.'

I was flustered when he brought out Cinderella today, saying he had studied reading it in advance. I didn't know Cinderella would exist in this world. It seemed like I hadn't set the types of fairy tale books in this world in detail.

'But why this one of all things? I guess it was because he wanted to dance.'

His thoughts were so transparent it was cute. It wasn't my taste, but since he was my kid, it was natural that he was lovable.

'Alright. I'll show you what a dancing king is.'

Even though I looked like this, I was someone who had mastered all kinds of dances while fangirling over idols in high school. I had even performed knife-like group dances with friends, so a ballroom dance for little kids wouldn't be difficult.

'Of course, I couldn't dance when I was in my late twenties.'

I remembered struggling with poor health due to lack of exercise in my late twenties because I had been running through university and graduate school for a year without rest, overusing my lifespan. I also remembered my dancing friends laughing and saying that if we danced like that now, our knee joints would give out.

"Tilly! Everything's ready!"

At Ash's call, I had no choice but to get up from my seat before I could fall deep into thought. When I took his small hand and went out to the garden, a large piano and quite a few people were waiting. Charlotte in particular had spread out a mat and snacks and was sitting in the shade.

"...Aren't we just dancing?"

"That's right."

"But what's all this?"

"Well... I told the dance teacher to prepare the piano and everything, but Mother said she wanted to watch us dance."

For just watching, there was even a painter waiting with an easel set up on one side. When I looked around with a perplexed expression, Charlotte approached me.

"Sorry, Tilly. Were you surprised?"

"No, it's just..."

"Actually, I bragged about watching Tilly and Ash dance, and the dads complained it was unfair."

At those words, I grimaced. Seeing Charlotte's smile as she felt both troubled and amused, it was clear that not only Julian but also the emperor had thrown a tantrum. I couldn't understand why the embarrassment was my share.

Charlotte tried to persuade me somehow, interpreting my reaction in some way.

"So we're thinking of capturing the scene of you two dancing in a painting. Would that be okay? You don't need to stay in one pose for long. It won't be stuffy."

"......"

'So that's why they dragged a piano all the way to the garden.'

I couldn't tell whether to call it dedication or say it was too excessive. But since I was the one who set up these doting fools, there was nothing I could say about it.

"It's fine."

At my permission, Charlotte happily signaled to the painter and piano player. As the music began slowly, Ash, who must have learned etiquette in advance, extended his hand to me.

Only then did I notice the intention behind the white formal wear Ash was wearing and the gold ribbon around his neck.

'Miss, look at this. It's new clothes and a ribbon. Do you like them?'

I remembered the nanny's usual fuss, to which I always replied soullessly, 'Yes, yes. Very pretty.' Realizing that everyone had conspired together, I let out a hollow laugh and began dancing with Ash.

Dancing to the music as Ash taught me, I accidentally stepped on his small foot. However, Ash showed no sign of it and just smiled brightly.

"......"

Ash's smile was so beautiful, but that doll-like smile made my mood plummet.

At first it was a mistake, but when I deliberately stepped on his foot several times, Ash looked at me with a surprised face and then skillfully began dodging my feet.

No matter how much I stepped on his feet, Ash wouldn't say anything out of consideration for me. Because that's the kind of kid Ash was.

The heavy feeling of floating that I had felt at the duke's house since Royna was born swallowed me up again.

I had used Ash as an excuse to escape to the imperial palace, but it was the same there as here. I was just a small child at the duke's house and at the imperial palace.

'I want to go home.'

Aegis looked at Thalia, who was holding a rabbit doll and looking out the window. Since they danced together in the garden last time, Thalia had been strangely tormenting Aegis.

Torments like pulling his cheeks or snatching away and eating his snacks. When Aegis smiled brightly despite such torments, Thalia would scrunch up her face as if something displeased her greatly.

'I can give up all the snacks, and she can pull my cheeks as much as she wants.'

Aegis was trying to get Thalia's attention somehow, but Thalia only occasionally tormented him and showed no great interest in Aegis.

Sometimes she would look very frustrated, then suddenly fall asleep.

'Like now.'

"Should we go for a walk in the garden?"

Aegis spoke urgently, worried that Thalia might suddenly fall asleep again. At those words, Thalia turned her gaze from the window to Aegis.

Every time he met those beautiful purple eyes, his heart would pound. They were much more beautiful and mysterious than the color of the lavender blooming in the Empress's garden.

Despite her cute appearance, her eyes and words were cold, but Aegis still liked Thalia.

"I don't want to walk. It's too much trouble."

"I'll carry you on my back."

At Aegis's offer to carry her, Thalia seemed to think for a moment, then nodded. When Aegis turned his back to Thalia, she climbed on without hesitation.

The rabbit doll she always carried dangled below his neck. Feeling a bit happy, Aegis stepped forward energetically.

All the servants of the Empress's palace they encountered while walking down the corridor smiled warmly.

"Tilly, it's stairs, so you need to hold on tight."

"...Yeah."

Thalia's arms around his neck tightened, and her soft platinum hair tickled his cheek. He liked the panting breath behind him and the weight that wasn't too heavy.

Aegis kept talking, worried that Thalia might fall asleep while being carried.

"Tilly."

"Yeah?"

"You said you have a younger sister, right?"

"...Yeah, you mean Royna?"

"What kind of kid is your sister?"

"She's still a baby who can only roll over."

"Is she cute?"

"She's cute."

"What does she look like?"

"She has platinum hair and purple eyes just like me."

"If she looks like Tilly, she must be cute, right?"

"She looks more like Mom than Dad, I think."

"I hope she looks like Tilly."

Finding it too troublesome to argue with Aegis who was being stubborn about something pointless, Thalia moderately agreed that the baby resembled her too.

"I wanted to have a younger sister too. It seems like Mother and Father want a pretty girl like Tilly."

"I know. But you said 'wanted to have,' not 'want to have'?"

"I wished I had a younger sister, but now I have Tilly."

"I'm not your younger sister."

"You're younger than me."

"In just a little while, I'll be five years old just like you."

"In just a little while, I'll be six years old though?"

Displeased with Aegis's rebuttal that left her speechless, Thalia grabbed Aegis's shoulders and shook them.

"Ow!"

Aegis, who had been holding on so Thalia wouldn't fall, ended up dropping her. Thalia fell and landed on her bottom. Startled, Aegis helped Thalia up and brushed off her clothes. Thalia glared at Aegis with displeased eyes and asked.

"Do you smile like an idiot because I seem like a younger sister to you?"

"...Half of it?"

"Then pick some suitable kid from your other friends and make them your younger sister."

By other friends, she meant the noble children that Aegis met separately. At those words, Aegis shook his head vigorously.

"Half like a younger sister means half, not that I want to make you my younger sister. I like Tilly, not my other friends. Only Tilly smiles at me like an idiot. No, I do smile in front of my friends, but... so that's..."

As Aegis rambled unusually, Thalia looked at him with a complex expression.

"You only like me?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"Because Tilly is the same as me."

"How are we the same?"

"Well, Tilly is... a Remetio."

"Because we're children of the three families that receive people's expectations?"

When Thalia spoke what Aegis couldn't explain in words, he smiled and nodded.

'So Thalia is the same as me too. She was looking at the same thing as me.' Aegis thought this and smiled brightly.

"...Then why do you meet other friends?"

"Because I have to."

"Like taking lessons and studying hard?"

When Aegis nodded again at Thalia's question, Thalia let out a deep sigh and shook her head.

Thalia was making that frustrated expression again. Mistaking that all this frustration was because of him, Aegis grabbed Thalia's arm.

"Do you hate me, Tilly?"

"...I don't hate you."

"Then why are you like this?"

"I'm like this because I don't hate you. Because I don't know what to do with you."

At the words whose meaning he couldn't understand, Aegis tilted his head. Thalia picked up the rabbit doll that had fallen to the ground and said.

"You're too young to understand."