CH 3.21

The child was staring at Rosé in the mirror, and when their eyes met, Flitta cutely laughed.

She seemed to have no complaints whatsoever. Rosé looked at the yellow ribbon in her hand. The child said she was fine with it. So, it wouldn’t be a problem if she puts a yellow ribbon around her head.

But….

Rosé’s eyes turned to Flitta again. Flitta, who had been looking at Rosé, was looking at the ribbon box sneakily placed on the dressing table this time. She must have liked that one better. At that time, she inadvertently passed it on.

“Princess.”

Flitta, who was glancing at the ribbon box, raised her eyes again at Rose’s call. After tying her hair from behind, Rosé came over and knelt down next to her. Then, naturally, their eye level became the same, and the child’s gaze slightly went down.

“Would you like to wear a different ribbon?”

“Yes? Ah… no!”

Flitta seemed to open her light green eyes wide, and then she shook her head gently. However, Rosé quickly realized that the child did not mean what she said.

She doesn’t know what to do so she stared at Flitta.

Two hands of a child fidgeting in embarrassment.

Because all of that was saying something different to Rosé.

“Princess.”

‘Flitta.’

Rose silently called the child’s name in her mind. Then Flitta lowered her eyes, and she looked at Rosé again and hesitantly opened her mouth.

“I, uhm, really wanted to we, wear a yellow ribbon…”

“Thinking about it, I think a different ribbon would suit the princess today.”

Rosé spoke to Flitta, who was stuttering and trying to connect her words. At those words, Flitta silently opened her mouth and then nodded her head.

“Yes! I will I want another ribbon.”

“Which ribbon would you like to wear?”

“… Uh? Uh, that, ugh… that’s…”

The child’s light green eyes moved left and right at her. She could tell she was looking into her eyes. Rosé pressed both of her lips tightly.

She felt angry. She cried in her heart and became angry at the child’s inability to say what she liked. She wasn’t mad at Flitta. Because the child did nothing wrong. If anything was wrong, it was entirely up to the adults.

They made her kid like this!

She couldn’t even choose what ribbon she likes.

“Me too, Princess.”

Rosé suppressed her anger and smiled at Flitta who was watching her. Then she whispered in a low voice as if telling a secret story.

“Actually, today, I wanted to loosen my hair.”

“Uh? Th, then can’t it be…”

Flitta listened to Rosé and her eyes widened. The child’s eyes twitched as if she had heard a serious story. Rosé looked at the child and asked a question.

“Why not?”

“That…  The nanny, I have to tie my hair neatly. Otherwise, I will get scolded. I’m afraid of the nanny. Rosé will cry.”

Flitta’s eyes were about to cry as if she was genuinely worried about Rosé. Her fidgeting hands were also clasped tightly together. Rosé looked at the child’s fingertips, which had turned pure white, then reached out and grabbed her child’s small hand.

“You don’t like me getting scolded?”

“… Oh?”

Flitta stared down at Rosé’s hand, which was warmly covering the back of her hand, and she raised her gaze. Rosé asked the question again while looking into her child’s clear eyes.

“You don’t like me crying?”

“… Yes.”

Flitta gave a short answer to the series of questions and nodded. A smile spread across Rose’s lips.

It was strange, but at the same time sad. It was admirable that the child’s heart for others was so kind, and she felt sorry for her child because it seemed like she had grown up that early.

‘She is only five years old now.‘

It wasn’t like a five-year-old to be conscious of others’ eyes and afraid of being scolded. It was far better to grumble or get into trouble than to look cowardly.

“… I am very afraid of the nanny.”

Flitta rolled her eyes and murmured once more. Rosé listened to her words quietly, then forcibly raised the corners of her mouth. Then she wrapped her arms around the child. The child looked down at her hand with her round eyes. Flitta raises her gaze at her once again.

“Are you afraid of being scolded?”

“…”

“So, you didn’t even choose the ribbon yourself?”

Flitta blinked at Rosé’s question and then quietly avoided her gaze. She stared at her child’s pouting lips and her downcast eyes. Flitta nodded her head hesitantly.

She understood the child she had been seeing all week. The appearance of the child, who had always been timid and intimidated, was not her own illusion.

Rosé let go of Flitta. At the same time, Flitta raised her head and looked at her. She must have been startled by the sudden release of her hand, and the child’s eyes shook anxiously.

Ignoring her appearance, Rosé put her hands to the back of her head. Then she untied her hair neatly from its ponytail.

“…!”

Flitta’s small mouth opened wide. The child opened her eyes in horror, as if she had seen a dragon or a fairy right in front of her. Rosé grinned at Flitta like that. Like a naughty, funny woman.

“What if I get scolded?”

“Oh, n, no, no…”

Perhaps because she was so startled, Flitta’s small voice was lower than usual. Still, Flitta’s eyes were busy watching her brown hair, which cascaded down her rosé’s shoulders.

* * *

“Princess, I will go in.”

The nanny stood at the door and said, then put her hands together and lifted her chin slightly. Then she heard someone approaching from inside the door. She was probably the princess’s dedicated maid.

‘Having an exclusive maid made things like this easier.’

She muttered to herself. When her dedicated maid was not available, it was her responsibility to wake the princess in the morning and attend to this or that. A trifling chore, though the maids took turns doing it.

Nanny thought about that, and the moment she straightened her posture again, the door opened. She lifted her chin and took a step into the bedroom.

“…?”

The nanny’s brows furrowed. It was because of the appearance of the maid, Rosé, who opened the door and politely bowed her back.

“Why do you look… My God, princess!”

The nanny, who was trying to point out the figure of Rosé with her hair neatly untied, inadvertently turned her gaze to the princess, and she immediately widened her eyes in astonishment.

“Why did the princess’s hair turn like that?!”

The nanny almost unknowingly said something harsh, but she hurriedly corrected her words. Of course, that doesn’t mean she wasn’t sharp in her words, though.

As if she had been insulted, she shivered and stared at Rosé with sharp eyes. The moment Rosé put her hands together and tried to open her mouth, Flitta, who was sitting on the sofa, stood up and responded first.

“I… I asked her to do it! I want to wear a lot of ribbons.”

Flitta hesitated, then she voiced out loud. She was a timid child who mustered courage in her own way. The nanny’s eyes trembled, as if that appearance was unexpected.

“For just that reason, looking like this…”

The nanny clicked her tongue in amusement and looked at Flitta again.

Colorful ribbons adorning the ends of her braided hair.

It was a look that never looked like a princess. It looked like something a lowly commoner child would do. And the maid in charge was not without responsibility for the princess to look like this. No, it was entirely the maid’s fault.

“Let the princess’s hair be restyled right now! Untie the ribbon and be tidy.”

The nanny shouted at Rosé. Her voice was quite loud, so Flitta flinched and took a step back. Rosé held her hands tightly together and looked at Flitta. The child was very frightened and looked like she was about to cry and took a glimpse at Rosé.

It’s okay.

Rosé smiled silently, then opened her mouth to the nanny.

“I put the ribbons the Princess chose herself, Nanny.”

“Are you saying that now? If you think a child knows what she was seeing, and you don’t…”

“‘Princess’ chose it herself.”

Rosé intercepted the nanny’s words halfway through and said with force. The princess, as Rosé repeated her words in her mouth, the nanny realized her mistake and bit her lip.

She talked about the child’s preferences in front of the princess, so it was definitely the nanny’s fault.

Of course, it wasn’t the first time the nanny had said such cruel words in front of Flitta. She was a timid and well-behaved princess who would not tell her father no matter what she said, so the nanny spoke her words more and more outspokenly.

However, the problem was that she was accompanied by a maid chosen by the Grand Duke himself.

“… Yes. ‘Princess’ chose it. Ah! You’ll be late for breakfast at this rate. I’ll pass what happened this time… Let’s go to the dining room, Princess.”

Nanny forced herself to pretend to be calm and looked back at Flitta. Flitta looked back and forth between Rosé and Nanny. In the end, Flitta sighed and nodded her head.

* * *

“His Highness the Grand Duke.”

Haven’s eyebrows furrowed as she entered the dining room. Unlike usual, the atmosphere inside the room was somehow felt untidy. He looked at the head maid, who was making a strange expression, and then walked quickly to the table.

“….”

However, Haven stopped right in front of the table and stopped three or four steps away. A look of bewilderment flashed in his always deep blue eyes.

“… Ah, good morning, Father.”

It was a normal morning greeting. He whispered his daughter’s morning greetings so soft that he couldn’t even hear them if he wasn’t paying attention. But this morning’s greeting was by no means ordinary.

More precisely, it should be said that the appearance of his daughter hiding behind her maid after giving her shy morning greetings was not normal today.