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HEL SCANS
[Translator - Angel Dust]
[Proofreader - Prototype]
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Side Stories 35
The Crown Princess loved her maternal family's home, the Friedrich County.
She had her grandparents, her aunts, and her uncle, who was as good as her parents.
And now, she had many younger siblings too, which she loved very much.
She also had siblings of her own, Carlia and Oliver.
But it wasn't enough. Two siblings didn't feel like enough.
Moreover, Oliver was too quiet, so she had no one to play with except Carlia.
On the other hand, there were eight siblings here at her grandparents' house.
Of course, her younger brothers were too young to play with her properly.
The youngest had just started walking.
But it was okay. She still had many siblings.
"Marien!"
"Coming!"
Smack!—
The ball, thrown with all the might of the Crown Princess, hit Marien's bat and flew far away.
It was an unbelievable distance for a girl who wasn't even ten years old yet.
Anne, who was waiting with her glove on, could only stare blankly at the scene.
"Ah! Why didn't you catch it, Anne!"
"Marien, are you telling me to catch that? If you want me to catch it, you should hit it properly."
"There's no such thing as 'properly' in sports! Dad said to always do your best!"
"Doesn't that mean you should do your best in your studies too?"
"No! It doesn't!"
Lately, the Crown Princess had been completely absorbed in the game of ‘baseball’ that Karl had introduced.
Karl said that the Empire needed something new as it entered a period of stability.
Soon after, he came up with several ideas, along with the term ‘sports.’
Among them was a refined version of football, which already existed in the Empire.
Then came baseball, using a smaller ball, a bat, and gloves.
Originally, the game required more players.
Maybe they could play it later when Carlia, Oliver, and some of her younger cousins grew up a bit more.
The Crown Princess was already getting excited about it.
"Your Highness."
Luen, who was playing catcher today, quietly called out.
"Can we talk for a moment?"
"Why? Was there a problem with the signs?"
While Marien and Anne were bickering again, and Stella was trying to mediate, Luen took the Crown Princess and sat down on a bench in the garden.
"Lily."
Once they were alone, Luen reverted to calling her name. It was more comfortable this way. For both her and the Crown Princess. They were still children, after all.
"Oh? Calling me 'Lily' again?"
"That's what sisters do."
"Hmm. Whenever you say that, it always means you're about to lecture me about being a good role model."
"..."
"So, what's bothering you this time?"
She might only be ten years old, but she's still the Crown Princess of this Empire, the next in line for the throne.
She's developed a keen eye for people and can roughly understand their intentions.
Being at the center of politics, she's learned to see through things even before reaching maturity.
"You promised me before that you wouldn't get too close to our dad."
"Yeah, I did. And I'm keeping my promise, aren't I? I'm not asking to marry Uncle like I used to, am I? So it's fine, right?"
"But today, you've been clinging to Dad the whole time."
"Ugh. I haven't seen Uncle in a month! I can do that much, can't I?!"
It's so frustrating. If only I were Uncle's daughter, I could hug him every day.
But I'm just his niece, so I'm holding back, and Luen doesn't even appreciate it.
"I haven't gotten a hug from Dad in a long time either."
"It hasn't been that long!"
"Yes, it has."
Uh, huh? The Crown Princess looked at Luen, her younger sister, in surprise.
"Lately, my little brothers have been acting up. Mom and my aunts are struggling, so Dad has to be there for them. That's why he doesn't hug me."
"..."
"And Anne and Stella are still young. I'm the eldest, so Dad hugs my siblings more than me."
With each word Luen spoke, the Crown Princess felt a pang of guilt.
She finally understood why her sister had been sulking lately.
"Uncle... was a little wrong."
"But you're the Crown Princess, so he hugs you when you ask. But not me."
"Oh dear. Un-Uncle was very wrong!"
The Crown Princess glanced at Luen. She looked like she was about to cry.
Having many siblings herself, the Crown Princess was very sensitive to such things.
And like any young child, she was very weak to the tears of others.
"D-Don't cry! I understand! I was wrong!"
"...Really?"
"I'll only ask Uncle for hugs a little bit. Okay?"
"Really?"
"Luen is having a hard time too. I know what it's like to be an older sister with many siblings. You can trust me."
Luen asked, ‘You promise?’ in response to the Crown Princess's answer.
Her eyes were sparkling more than usual.
The Crown Princess should have sensed something strange, but she wasn't that perceptive yet.
The Crown Princess held out her pinky finger, and Luen smiled.
Her cousin probably didn't know that this was all part of her plan.
It was true that Karl paid more attention to the younger children.
So it was impossible for Luen to monopolize Karl's embrace.
But she was the eldest, the first child. Her parents' love could never fade.
Whenever Luen asked for a hug, Karl would quickly embrace his eldest daughter.
It was a lie that he hadn't hugged her in a long time, as she had told the Crown Princess!
'I'm sorry, Sister. But I have to protect Dad.'
She had finally succeeded. She had saved her father from her sister!
Her sister was the Crown Princess, so she wouldn't break a promise so easily!
Luen clenched her fists and praised herself.
* * *
This seemingly minor deception would have far-reaching consequences, its effects rippling through the years to come.
And the one who discovered this was, of course...
"Hey!"
Crown Princess Lily Ragnar, eighteen years old and turning nineteen next year.
The woman hailed as the most beautiful in the Empire was scowling today.
Her maids tried to calm her down, but to no avail.
"I'm going to kill you today!"
She took after her mother, the Empress. If her uncle was involved, she had a temper that would explode before thinking twice.
"Oh my goodness, Your Highness. Is that something a Crown Princess should say?"
"Who cares! Because of you, because of that damn promise! Do you know I only got to hug Uncle once a month for the past eight years?!"
Another woman sat across from the Crown Princess, leisurely sipping tea.
Although there was a slight age difference, it wasn't significant, so they looked like friends.
"And?"
"What do you mean 'and'? Luen!"
"I was protecting Dad. From the Crown Princess. And honestly, it doesn't look good for a grown woman to be clinging to a man so much older than her. Thanks to me, it was reduced to once a month."
Luen spoke so confidently that the Crown Princess clutched the back of her neck.
"What's wrong with a niece hugging her uncle! And you're the same! You're almost an adult, yet you're still clinging to your Dad every day and giggling!!"
"No, it's different. I'm his daughter, so it's fine."
"It's fine for me too! He's my uncle!"
"He's my dad!"
The maids, who had been watching cautiously, lowered their heads and quietly stepped back.
There was nothing they could do here.
Even the Head Maid wouldn't be able to handle this.
Perhaps even the Empress herself would struggle to intervene.
"Can you believe how she's talking to me?"
"Hey, it's fine, you’re family!"
"Family or not, I'm still the Crown Princess! Show some respect!"
"Oh, really? Well, Your Highness, maybe you should try acting like one."
"Ugh, you little brat!"
The Crown Princess was frustrated. She had refrained from hugging her uncle as much as possible for her sister's sake.
To think it was all a lie. She had been tricked! And if she hadn't found out, she would have continued to believe it forever!
"Well, that's it then. The promise is over. You started this whole mess by lying."
"Your Highness, please calm down."
"Don't call me 'Your Highness'! It's giving me the creeps!"
"Fine, fine, Lily."
It was unbelievable. How could such a wicked daughter come from such a good uncle?
Even her aunt was a good person! This was just a mutation!
"Just you wait. From now on, I'm going to summon Uncle to the palace every day by imperial decree."
"Oh no, you can't do that!"
"Yes, I can. As you said, I'm the Crown Princess, right? There's nothing I can't do."
"Ugh! If you keep doing that, I'll tell Aunt!"
"Go ahead and tell her. Do you think I'm a little kid? I'm not scared of Mom anymore!"
And so, the two women bickered, losing track of time.
"Should I just marry Uncle? Huh? By imperial decree?"
"Just try it. I'll start a rebellion all by myself."
"Wow. Look at you, talking about rebellion in front of the Crown Princess? Are you crazy?"
"You're the crazy one! Where in the world is there a niece who marries her uncle?!"
"It happened in the history of the Empire!"
"That was over a hundred years ago!!"
The reason, as always, was Karl.
* * *
"Alright then! Now that we've made up, you'll be nice to your sister from now on, right?"
"Okay, okay!"
Blissfully unaware of the future that awaited them, the two girls, the Crown Princess and Luen, held hands tightly and ran towards their siblings.
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HEL SCANS
[Translator - Angel Dust]
[Proofreader - Prototype]
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