Chapter 3
<Mabel is Sick?>
Notes:
1. Mabel’s
nickname that I use in this story is ‘Princess or Princess Majesty’
2. ‘Your
Majesty’ is refer to the Emperor
3. ‘His
Highness or His Highness the Prince’ refer to the Prince Oscar
4. ‘ ’ represent the self-though.
Enjoy~ 😊
***
Mabel’s POV
"What's going on? .... is Mabel
sick?"
"Suddenly, she was sweating a lot, His
Highness. So I called the physician"
"Mabel!!"
Oscar, who
threw a towel on the chair next to him, hurriedly stood by the cradle.
"Don't be sick, Mabel."
"Eubuu..." (I'm not sick!)
"I feel pain to hear that her voice is
so weak, nanny... ..."
These people
really, listen only to what they want to hear. Oscar looked down at me and
stroked my head as if he was feel sorry.
'Ah, yes.. think whatever you want...'
When I just
gave up and turned my head, the reaction became more intense.
"Mabel! No, Mabel! Don't get lost!"
"His Highness, please be patient! Soon a
physician will come... ...!"
'Huuhh... ...'
I feel
embarrassed... why the hell this happen to me? Whether it's fortunate or
unfortunate, the outside became noisy as if a physician had arrived.
'Okay, please let me get medical examination
quickly and let they know I'm fine. That would be better.'
... ... but
as always, God didn't listen to my wishes.
BANG! The
door opened with a great sound.
"Mabel!"
The emperor
rushed toward the cradle with terrifying momentum.
"Greetings, Your Majesty."
"Mabel, are you okay?"
The emperor
immediately reached for me, passing by the nanny who bowed down to greet him.
"!"
I turned my
head and closed my eyes tightly. After a while, his hand touched me. It was a
very careful hand. As if he were afraid of breaking me. As I slowly opened my
eyes, I saw the emperor looking at me with a blurred expression. It such a
strange atmosphere to me.
"Physician!"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
A physician
who looked quite old looked carefully at me, and soon turned to the emperor.
"When I looked at it-"
"What?"
"The Princess's Majesty-"
"Is there any problem?"
"... ..."
As the
emperor continued to cut off before he could even speak, the physician seemed
to have lost his words to stop. Even me watching was absurd.
'Let him talk, for God's sake'
It was Oscar
standing without a sense of presence that mediated the situation in a
breathtaking atmosphere.
"Father, why don't you just calm down
and listen to the physician?"
"Why are you here?"
"... ... Ah?"
As if he
hadn't thought about it, Oscar burst into embarassing exclamation.
'How fool...'
The emperor
overpowered Oscar with his eyes and looked back at the physician.
"... ... tell me."
"In my opinion, the Princess is very
healthy. It's said she was sweating earlier, but I wonder if she was suddenly
feeling the heat."
Well, it was
hot from working out. Physician's examination was extremely accurate. However,
the emperor didn't look suspicious.
"There is something to feel the heat
suddenly. As you know, the temperature inside the Imperial Palace is kept
constant by magic."
"Well, I don't know that far. But, she
don't sweat right now, so she should be okay."
The
expression of the emperor who was terrifying earlier became softened after hear
that word.
"... ... glad then."
The emperor
put his hand on my armpit and lifted me up. Then he held me and patted me quite
skillfully.
'... ... what the....'
Again, I
felt strange. Of course, I had no idea that the emperor's arms, which should be
uncomfortable, would feel comfortable for a very short time.
.
.
.
10 minutes before Estevan heads to
Mabel's bedroom, he was
having regular meetings. The atmosphere calmly subsided. Not only the servants,
but also Estevan who sat in the upper seat had a serious expression.
“Most of the guards instructed in escort were
injured on the way, some also developed fevers, Your Majesty”
“How would you know? That the ‘Devlin’s
Devil’ is just a very young boy?!”
The topic of this meeting is none other than
a person known as ‘Devlin’s Devil’
‘Devlin’s Devil’ Estevan’s thought.
The youth was the one who rotted the
head of the Ermano Empire in recent year. That boy, dressed in black all over,
appeared without proper armor and weapons, and was famous for hiding himself
after committing a one-sided massacre. The nickname ‘Devlin’s Devil’ was given
by Ermano’s soldiers, who saw an alliance ruthlessly being cut into the hands
of no mercy by his hands. Nothing was known except that he was affiliated with
Devlin and his gender was male.
The
servants were surprised at once.
“To
think that he is caught!”
In the border war just a month ago, Ermano’s soldiers succeeded in
capturing that Devlin’s Devil. Estevan recalled a report describing the
situation at the time.
‘The
guy who slaughtered the soldier suddenly stopped all actions. Huh……’ Estevan
sighed.
It was said that when the black robe that covered his whole body
was took off, the appearance of the child revealed was gave a tremendous wave
of shock. None even notice his small figure due to his fast and sharp movement
when moving around from one target to another.
“When
did he come?” Estevan asked one of his servants.
“We
predicted he is arrive within a few days. However, if he suddenly attack, the
schedule will be delayed”
“Just
catch him again”
“He
is quite irrational though”
“We’ll
find out once he’s arrive. For now, make sure to watch closely and keep
security high so he doesn’t escape.”
When Estevan was talking so
seriously, one of his attendant approached him slowly and whispered to his
ears.
“What?
Mable is sick?”
Thump! Estevan slammed the conference table and hurriedly stepped
foot out of the conference hall.
“…
…?”
The eyes of the servants who lost the emperor was wandered around.
Ermano’s conference hall became noisy suddenly.
“If
it’s Mabel……”
“Isn’t
the Princess Majesty? Who was born not too long ago?”
“I
heard that the Holy City of Abelard is aimed to take her”
The important issue about the war on the border with the Devlinian
Empire suddenly being forgotten as the servants began to share information they
heard about Mabel.
“It
said that the Princess had the same cherry-colored hair as Her Majesty the
Empress.”
“I
heard that she inherited Your Majesty’s blue eyes.”
“I
heard that she’s so lovely”
“She’s
so cute that you want to bite her”
They all came to the conclusion that she was so lovely. The royal
family, who had not too long ago to be born, could not appear officially in the
public now, so many rumors about her circulated. The topic quickly moved to
another topic.
“But,
what should Your Majesty do right now? The princess is sick”
“It’s
a big deal”
“Yeah,
it’s a big deal……”
All of the servants began to worry about Mabel’s health. When the
imperial atmosphere was gloomy due to the Empress’s death, the presence of
Mabel could prevented a possibly troubling time for Empire, so the feelings of
the servants toward the Princess were special.
‘The
Princess is the only hope of the Empire’
.
.
.
And that night, a procession of gifts continued to Mabel’s palace.
They were all kinds of precious medicinal herbs that were produced from all
over the country.
‘Please,
grow up healthy and well-being, so that you may able to press down Your
Majesty’s fiery personality!’
Unfortunately, their wishes couldn’t reach Mabel, who was sleeping
peacefully without knowing the fuss.
***
Mabel’s
POV
This
commotion taught me a big lesson
‘From
now on, I’ll do exercise when everyone is asleep’
Since then, even if I sweat a little, there was no such anomaly.
The Emperor has come to look at me without any attempt.
‘Hey,
even though I’m a baby, don’t you think I can’t get sick from stress if you
come to see me too often?’
“Ababa……”
But, all I can do is mumble something that wasn’t even a word like
this. Now, Oscar come to see me as often as he could, he didn’t even care
whether being scolded by the Emperor for seeing me. In a leisurely afternoon,
Oscar came without fail today. He hung on the cradle and looked at me.
“Nanny,
when will Mabel be able to speak?”
“Well,
shouldn’t we have to wait at least two years? Even though that is the fastest”
“2
years?!”
Oscar opened his eyes wide as if he was surprised. Then, he smiled
for a moment and stabbed me in the cheek.
“Well,
the time will pass on by like the blink of an eye”
“……?”
Oh, my. You’re only six years old, yet you speaking like an old
man. I was in disbelief. The nanny smiled while watching my expression as if I
was cute. 2 years…, it fast enough to say. In fact, I would be able to talk
properly if I had teeth, but I didn’t want to show off and no need to hurry
myself from grew up. I really didn’t want to stand out. I wanted to get out of
the burdensome attention when I grew up like an ordinary baby.
‘When
Oscar and I grew up, his interest of me will disappear by itself, so it doesn’t
matter for now’
“His
Highness, stop touching the Princess Majesty’s face”
“Okay”
Hear the nanny’s words, Oscar removed his hand from my face. My
cheek was hot when I touched it.
‘When
he’ll leave?’
I turned my head and looked out the window. It was still daytime
when the sun was still in the middle of the sky.
“Mabel,
are you bored?”
“Au…”
(No)
“Nanny,
Mabel is bored”
‘…I
said no, boy’
Then, the nanny showed the sign of disapproval.
“But,
the Princess’s Majesty wasn’t particularly interest in toys, His Highness”
I’m not a real baby, and there’s no way I like when you shaking a
toy in front of me. I was wondering if I should pretend to like it from now on,
but suddenly Oscar arose.
“Let’s
go out!”
“Wiyeooo!”
(I don’t want to!)
I refused violently, but again my words were distorted.
“What
wrong, Mabel? You want it too, right? Nanny, Mabel seems want to go out right now!”
‘No!’
The eyes of salvation of me were sent to the nanny. Very
earnestly, I make eye contact with the nanny.
‘Nanny,
you know my feelings, right?’
The nanny smiled brightly as she looked at me.
“Then,
shall we go out once?”
‘……No
one knows my heart’
***
Despite
my opposition, the ‘first walk’ plan was implemented hastily.
“Walk?
Go on.”
Oscar quietly rejoiced at the permission of the Emperor who didn’t
worry about even a second.
“The
weather is still chilly, so let’s go out when the day gets better” Nanny said.
The nanny checked the temperature
every morning and then focused back on her knitting. It seemed that she was
making a hat for me when I went out. So a few days later, at the day when I
exactly 54 days old, the nanny who was feeding me a bottle looked out the
window and said,
“Shall
we go out today?”
The long awaited day had finally come. I hated it so much that
when I was frozen in place, showing my dislike from going outside, but as
always, people around would misinterpreted my action.
“I
think the Princess is looking forward to go outside.”
“Yeah,
of course. It’s her first time going out!”
Looks like today Larima and Xavier have a good conversation.
‘Whew,
think whatever you want’
No matter what I do, these humans will surely take me outside, so
I just decided to let it go. The nanny took out thick clothes and put on her
own hat. Even I didn’t do anything, I was sweat a little.
“Oh
my, Princess Majesty is still calm. Xavier, can you bring the baby cars from
the next room? Larima, pack those things we need to go”
“Yes,
Madame”
They started getting ready to go out. When Oscar heard the news,
he jumped in with a hard breathing.
“I’m
here, Mabel”
“Oh
my, His Highness. Isn’t time to your training, isn’t it?”
“Mabel
said she was going for a walk today, so I finished my training as soon as
possible”
The nanny smiling as if he was cute, she wiped Oscar’s sweat with
a handkerchief.
“If
you sweat in winter, you’ll catch a cold and you can’t go for a walk again, so
don’t overdo it, His Highness the Prince.”
“It’s
the first day Mabel goes for a walk, and I can’t miss it”
Oscar smiled brightly and took my hand. I felt a cool chill.
“This
is the first moment you goes outside, Mabel. I want to be together as your
brother.”
Of course, I was instantly dazed by the words of Oscar, who called
himself ‘Brother’. I never thought of the Emperor and Oscar as a family for a
single moment. I was just nobody. I was born here though, but I didn’t want
anything. So, I couldn’t figure out how to treat these people. I was somewhat
unwilling to behave like it was. Because I was born as family as if I wanted it
or not. It wasn’t these people’s fault.
After a while, Xavier, who had gone to get a baby car, returned.
What kind of national treasure the infant car was made by smashing it was very
brilliant. Why are the jewels and decorations in the horse infant car on an
iron ride? As I heard it, it seemed like a magical item. I opened my mouth, and
the nanny casually put me in the baby car. The nanny seemed satisfied only
after meticulously draping the awning of the baby car to block the wind and
covering me with a blanket.
‘It’s
so hot……’
“Now,
shall we go then?”
Armed with clothes and blankets, I was loaded into a baby car and
out into the hallway. The hallway I saw for the first time was much wider than
I had imagined. Is it because I’m still a baby, or is this imperial palace so
wide?
“Mabel,
is the hallway looks interesting?”
“Awuu……”
As I looked around with only my eyes rolled, Oscar’s question got
me speechless.
‘Well,
yes. Actually, I was a little curious’
I can’t remember the first month since I was born, but for the
rest of the month I couldn’t even step out of my bedroom.
“Is
it fun, Mabel?”
“Abuu…”
(No…)
“I
thought you would like it”
‘Yes,
think whatever you want…’
After a while, I got out of the
building. It was said that the temperature was being maintained by magic, and
as soon as I passed a certain point, I felt a tremendous cold.
“Auww!”
(Cold!)
Cancel
what you said that temperature is hot!
“Oh,
Princess Majesty must be very cold”
Xavier
was worried about me. Then Oscar took off his coat and put it on me.
“???”
As I was staring blankly at Oscar, suddenly Xavier took off his
robe and put it over me, Larima also covered me. Even the nanny I trusted took
off her coat.
‘I
can’t see…the front…’
“Awwuu….”
(I can’t see…)
“Is
it warm, Mabel? I’m glad”
I could hear Oscar’s voice in the
distance through the four layers of cloak that covered me. It’s definitely less
cold now, but is it really meaningful to me to go out without seeing anything?
Wasn’t I going out to take a look?. I was so confused that I was frozen without
moving, and the baby car suddenly stopped.
“Greetings,
Your Majesty”
“Where’s
Mabel?”
“The
Princess Majesty in a baby car”
As soon as the nanny finished
speaking, I felt a large hand slipped through the coat that covered me. The emperor
put his hand under my armpit and lifted me up. The cloaks that covered me fell
to the ground, but the emperor didn’t care.
“Come,
Mabel”
The blue eyes that met straight ahead were gently curved. I looked
at the emperor with a blank look. The emperor put me back in the baby car and
suddenly took off his coat.
“……Your
Majesty?!”
The aide who followed the emperor shouted in a somewhat startled
voice. The emperor didn’t care at all and covered me with his black robe.
“Let’s
go”
The emperor, stroking his hair, walked to the other side. When the
emperor’s appearance completely disappeared, Larima, who was holding her breath
and watching, opened her mouth.
“Madame,
madame, didn’t you say that Your Majesty’s clothes are all made of magic fabric?”
“Right……
It’s a very precious fabric, but I didn’t expect that Your Majesty would give
it to the Princess”
‘what…….?
Didn’t he just throw it away?’
I stared blankly at the robe that covering me. On the black robe,
the embroidered with gold thread was dazzling. It’s not that thick, but I didn’t
feel the cold at all. It was warmer that the four coats that covered me before.
I thought as I watched the four of them lift their coats from the ground and
shake them off. He didn’t childishly jealous of four of them because the coats covered
me, right?
‘It’s
warm……’
***
The surface of the lake in the sunlight shimmered like a
scattering of jewels. The flower hadn’t bloomed yet, but the buds, frozen in
frost, flew in the wind. The nanny lifted me up and sat me on the wrinkle-free
mat. As I lay down with my head tilted, Oscar sat me on his lap.
“Mabel,
is it good to go outside?”
I
blinked quietly at Oscar’s question.
‘Well,
neither good nor bad’
Larima sitting next to Oscar and watching us while the nanny cleans
things up. The nanny glanced at Larima with an anxious expression on her face.
“Larima,
you mustn’t look away”
“Don’t
worry, Madame. I’m watching closely! Anyway, doesn’t it look like Princess
having a trouble because of her head? Aww, why are you so cute, Princess?”
Xavier, who was cleaning the baby car, said a word as Larima made
a fuss by wrapping my cheeks.
“You
will crash it, Larima”
“Do
I know you?”
Today, these guys are ‘good friends’
like usual. I yawned, leaned against Oscar’s arms, and looked up at the sky.
‘so
blue…’
The last sky I saw was a black night sky with few stars. The sky I
saw from the roof. Even though it wasn’t long ago, it felt like couple years
ago, but I could never forget it. In a somewhat sentimental mood, Oscar
whispered at my eyes.
“Mabel
must be sleepy”
“Ughh……”
I’m
not sleepy, I’m depressed!
“Uhhh…”
I let out a small sigh. He don’t even give me time to be sad. There is nothing
else to do, so my eyes follow Xavier, who is busily tidying up the
surroundings, and observes by moving his eyes, but he suddenly shouts near the entrance
of the forest.
“….
Uh!”
What?
“It’s
the divine beast!”
Divine beast? It reminded me of an argument between Larima and
Xavier, saying that a golden divine beast had hatched from an egg in the north
forest. What it is? I heard it looks like a cat.
‘I
want to see that too!’
I stretched out my arms and expressed my wish to see that called
divine beast. But Oscar didn’t bother to saw me, and Larima got into a nerve
war with Xavier.
“Really?
Xavier, don’t you dare to lie. Why you so easy to deceived?”
“I
swear, there it is! Go there and see for yourself!”
“If
it’s not there, you wanna die?”
Larima stood up after said the threat.
“His
Highness, come check it out with us!”
“Alright
then”
At Larima words, the nanny reached out to me in Oscar’s arms.
‘What,
do you really want me to reached you out?’
I waved my arms and refused to be hugged by the nanny.
“Princess,
can you stay with me for a minute? His Highness the Prince wants to go to see
the Kitty”
“Euungg…”
The nanny smiled softly and hugged me, but I struggled and vehemently
refused.
‘Me
too! I want to see that Kitty too!’
“Euangg-!”
No matter how hard I tried, the nanny wouldn’t let me go, so I
couldn’t stand it and screamed. Of course, my pronunciation, who was two month
old, was quite immature. It’s not a cat or anything, but what is it? It was
only after one beat that I suddenly realized that the surroundings around me
became quiet. The first thing that struck me was Oscar’s voice.
“……Mabel?”
