Chapter 4
Countess Sertua, who had been observing the situation, smiled and spoke.
"If you tell us who you wish to present the gift to, what kind of gift you have in mind, and why you wish to give it, we should be able to help you make a suitable choice."
As expected, she's quick to catch on!
Playing along, Riena innocently rolled her golden eyes.
"It's someone who gave me cookies! Oh, and she gave birth not too long ago."
"You wish to present a gift to Lady Trinia, Your Highness?"
It was the perfect answer.
Riena even shrugged her shoulders, pretending to be surprised.
The ladies-in-waiting smiled at her as affectionately as mothers watching their own children.
"There's no need to look so surprised, Your Highness. When it comes to cookies, Lady Trinia is naturally the first person who comes to mind."
"That's right! I almost thought Lady Trinia was the Imperial Palace's personal baker!"
The viscountess burst into laughter, only for the countess beside her to jab her sharply in the ribs.
A brief silence followed before the conversation continued.
"Anyway, I want to give her a gift to congratulate her. What do you think would be good?"
Riena asked the question smoothly, even adding a relaxed smile.
However...
"Your Highness, there is no need for you to present her with a gift."
Yes, I knew you'd object.
Thanks to the Emperor, who doted excessively on Trinia, she had already received more than enough gifts to celebrate the birth of her child.
Besides, what would a young princess know about presenting official gifts?
It was only natural that the ladies would try to discourage her.
But Riena couldn't afford to let this opportunity slip away.
"Isn't it also a princess's duty to give as generously as she receives? Just recommend something to me. Please?"
The ladies exchanged glances but kept their mouths firmly shut.
Finally, Countess Sertua, unable to watch any longer, offered a quiet suggestion.
"How about something for the baby? A simple item, such as a baby blanket."
"That sounds good! Do you think Lady Trinia will like it?"
"Of course! It's a gift from Your Highness herself. Naturally, she ought to be delighted!"
The countess jabbed the viscountess in the ribs once again.
The viscountess pursed her lips and grumbled under her breath.
"Did I say something wrong? Hmph."
"Then we'll prepare a baby blanket, Your Highness. If there's a particular design you'd like embroidered on it, please let me know. I'll embroider it myself."
"Now that I think about it, Countess Sertua is the finest embroiderer among us. That blanket will practically become a work of art!"
"I'm terribly jealous. You're always so good at absolutely everything!"
As compliments poured in from all directions, Countess Sertua smiled faintly.
"I'll use a deep blue fabric, the symbolic color of the Empire. All that's left is to choose the embroidery."
"Hmm... If it's too elaborate, the embroidery might feel rough against the baby's skin, right? I think a simple pattern would be better."
"Oh, my... How thoughtful of you."
"Your Highness, you're truly an angel!"
Clutching her chest, the viscountess continued showering Riena with admiration.
In response, Riena merely blinked her golden eyes with an innocent expression, as though she had absolutely no idea what they were talking about.
"In that case, I'll have it finished by tomorrow."
"...? Tomorrow?!"
"A simple design won't even take an hour to embroider, so there's no need to worry."
Wait, that wasn't what I intended!
Even simple embroidery should take at least three days, shouldn't it?
Besides, Riena knew perfectly well about Countess Sertua's health.
She hurriedly waved her hands.
"Just because you're feeling a little better doesn't mean you should overwork yourself!"
The countess's blue eyes widened at the princess's urgent words.
Then she smiled faintly and nodded.
"Thank you for worrying about me, Your Highness. In that case, shall I take plenty of rest and bring it to you in three days?"
"Whether it takes three days or five, you have to make sure you get enough rest while working on it. Understood?"
"Of course. I am truly overwhelmed by Your Highness's boundless generosity and kindness."
"...You don't have to speak so formally."
The ladies-in-waiting scrunched up their faces, struggling to endure just how adorable their princess was.
The moment the ladies-in-waiting left, Riena practically collapsed onto the small bed she used for her afternoon naps.
"Oh my, Your Highness! Are you feeling unwell? Shall I call a palace physician?"
"No, I'm fine. Oh, right! What about Lady Trinia?"
"She was taking a nap, so I had no choice but to come back."
"Well, if that's the case, there's nothing we can do."
How does she always manage to behave exactly as I expect?
Riena let out a quiet snort.
Then she instantly changed her expression, cupping her cheeks with both hands like a blooming flower as she looked at Romi.
"Romi, I have a favor to ask."
"Just say the word, Your Highness!"
Romi's bright, intelligent eyes shone with determination as she looked at Riena.
Her hands were clenched into little fists that seemed surprisingly powerful despite their size.
"Could you make a baby blanket using this fabric?"
It was an ordinary piece of deep blue fabric, the kind commonly found throughout the Empire.
"But didn't the countess already agree to make a baby blanket earlier...?"
"The more I think about it, the more I feel that just one won't be enough."
"Oh, come on! One is already more than enough. It's such a generous gift!"
"Hmph. Didn't you say you'd do anything I asked?"
"Ah."
Although she clearly wasn't happy about it, Romi reluctantly nodded.
"This is a secret between the two of us, all right? It'll be a surprise gift! You understand what I mean, don't you?"
"Yes! A secret just between Your Highness and me!"
Riena held out her tiny little finger.
When Romi hooked her pinkie around it, her eyes curved into a delighted smile.
The room was filled with the rich fragrance of roses, and the sound of a baby laughing could occasionally be heard.
"W-who's coming?"
A pair of wide, rose-colored eyes glared at the maid standing nearby.
"Her Highness the Imperial Princess is on her way!"
Trinia furrowed her fair, delicate brows and let out a deep sigh.
It had only been a few days since she had sent the princess away under the excuse of taking a nap.
Avoiding another visit so soon would be difficult.
But before she could even finish feeling irritated, Riena appeared through the slightly open doorway.
The frown that had been on Trinia's face just moments earlier vanished without a trace.
She greeted Riena with the most affectionate expression imaginable.
"Greetings, Your Highness!"
"Hello, Trinia!"
It was an adorable greeting, perfectly suited to a little child.
Riena's tiny lips curved into a cheerful smile, but there was something strangely cold about her golden eyes.
"I've been meaning to visit you for the past few days. I'm sorry it took me so long."
"What are you saying, Your Highness? I'm simply grateful that you came to visit me!"
"Romi?"
At Riena's call, Romi respectfully placed a wooden box made of chinaberry wood on the table.
Trinia's gaze immediately became fixed on it.
"What might this be...?"
When she carefully opened the box, she found a baby blanket made of luxurious, deep blue velvet.
A simple laurel pattern had been neatly embroidered around its edges.
The fabric itself was exceptionally expensive and difficult to obtain, but the embroidery was rather modest.
It was the blanket Riena had asked Countess Sertua to prepare a few days earlier.
Looking at the first blanket, Trinia forced herself to smile.
"Your Highness, thank you so much. I don't know how I could ever repay your generosity...!"
"What are you talking about? I've already received so much from you, Lady Trinia."
Her tone was light and cheerful, but the meaning behind her words carried a much heavier weight.
And it's not as though I've only received one or two things from you. Just the lives you've taken would be enough to count several people.
Trinia was visibly unsettled by the sharpness in Riena's gaze.
It wasn't the sort of expression a mere six-year-old should have been capable of making.
She quickly put on an even warmer smile than usual and spoke affectionately.
"It's an honor for me to bake cookies for Your Highness. I'll continue making sure you receive them regularly."
"No, you don't have to send me cookies anymore. Taking care of a baby must be exhausting enough as it is."
For a brief moment, Trinia's brows twitched.
"Oh, there's no need for that! Baking cookies is one of my greatest pleasures!"
"It's all right. You'll be so busy looking after my little brother that you won't have time to bake cookies anyway."
Trinia's lips twitched slightly before she gave a small nod.
"...As Your Highness wishes."
Satisfied with her answer, Riena nodded, making her soft, ivory-colored hair bounce.
"Our Empire is a cold place, so make sure you take good care of my little brother's health. All right?"
Little brother.
Trinia smiled slyly at the word.
It was such a delightful thing to hear that she almost wished someone else had been there to hear it, too.
As soon as the princess left the room, Trinia's only maid began moving busily.
"Did you hear that? She called my young master her little brother! I wonder what kind of expression the Empress would have made if she'd heard that!"
Trinia laughed so hard that tears gathered in her eyes.
But then her laughter suddenly stopped.
"Do you think the Empress told her to do it?"
"Would a princess who's only six years old really do something just because Her Majesty ordered her to? Besides, Her Majesty has already done more than enough to look after you."
"As if. Put this away."
Trinia tossed the first baby blanket toward her maid.
Then she gently stroked the Imperial Family's crest embroidered on the second blanket and smiled deeply.
Among all the Empire's grand festivals, few occasions were as joyful as the Harvest Festival.
It was a day when people displayed the fruits of their hard work throughout the year and offered one another comfort and encouragement.
That made it a warmer, more heartfelt celebration than most.
However, even during such a wonderful festival, the nobles could never truly relax.
Behind their smiling faces, they were far too busy exposing one another's true intentions.
"They really do have to work hard to keep themselves in the game."
"Y-Your Highness! Where on earth did you learn to speak like that?"
"H-huh? From a book?!"
The viscountess standing beside Riena shook her head.
"You should avoid reading books like that. Her Majesty the Empress will give you a dreadful scolding!"
"B-but! Isn't everyone going to the banquet hall?"
Riena hurriedly changed the subject for the sake of the ladies, whose faces had turned pale with alarm.
One of them responded smoothly.
"Oh, but we were waiting for you, Your Highness."
"Shall we help you get ready now? I'm so relieved you haven't thrown a tantrum like you did last year."
"Ha! That was during last year's Harvest Festival, wasn't it? I still have nightmares about running around the Imperial Palace searching for Her Highness."
"Was that what happened...? I don't really remember... Hahaha."
Riena immediately turned toward the window to escape their scolding.
From there, she had a clear view of the Imperial Palace's garden, where several large and small tea parties were taking place.
Everyone seemed to be waiting for the evening banquet.
"......"
When she saw the young noble boys laughing innocently among the guests, Riena placed a hand against her chest.
Kanter will probably be there, too.
Even thinking about his name was still painful, but removing him from her thoughts wasn't as easy as she had hoped.
"Will you marry me...? I know I'm not good enough, but I'll become your hands and feet. My angel...."
She remembered how his voice had cracked slightly with nervousness as he whispered those words to her.
He had been like a poisonous flower.
Beautiful, yet terribly addictive.
There had always been something strangely intoxicating about his affection, something that made it impossible for her to refuse him.
That was probably why she had kept him by her side, never realizing that his love was slowly destroying her.
"......"
As the memory of their final conversation resurfaced, her little body began to tremble.
