abcnovels
Chapter 23
Chapter 23
Chapter 23
“Now, Bend your knees like this...... .”
In an upright posture, my legs fluttered as I bent my knees as Shananet said.
"A little more."
However, Shananet said sternly without any hesitation.
“...Okay. Well done. That’s how it is."
"Hua! It’s so hard!"
In fact, I was really surprised.
It would be so difficult to say hello with the body of a child according to Imperial courtesy.
Even though I ate a lot these days, my young body was much smaller and weaker than my peers.
So, maybe it’s because the body lacks muscle, or even though it’s a simple movement, the body keeps staggering.
“It will be harder now by slowing down. Will you do what I show you, Tia.”
She got up from the seat where Shananet was sitting and stood in front of me.
And the right arm is bent and the hand is brought to the heart, and the left-hand grabs the skirt and lifts it slightly.
And at the same time raising her head, she bends her knees while sending her right leg back.
This is the greeting method used in Imperial courtesy and is used by nobles when meeting the Imperial family.
That was the etiquette in the early days of the founding of the country, but these days, etiquette itself is so flexible that not all Royal families are greeted in this way.
The Emperor and the Empress, and the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess are eligible to receive such formal greetings.
“It’s so elegant, it’s cool....”
I clapped as I watched Shananet stand upright after saying hello.
Shananet, who said hello according to the Imperial courtesy without adding any exaggeration, was like a graceful swan.
Looking down, the curve starting from the slightly bowed long neck extends to the fingertips that grabbed the skirt of the dress and lifted it slightly, as if a swan spreading its wings.
"How do you do that?"
I sincerely wanted to know.
The secret of Shananet’s crazy elegance.
Shananet laughed and said, tapping my nose, with her index finger.
"Practice."
"a......."
What is different from saying that I went to Seoul National University after studying mainly in textbooks.
I pouted my lips.
"I’m not a peasant. There is really no way except practice. Especially, if you don’t have the strength yet because your body is dry like a branch, you have no choice but to put it on your body."
“Yes.......”
Shananet was right.
Originally, I care about whether I resemble my father’s thin line, so I eat well and sleep well, but there is no big change in my body.
“Are you still far?”
"I want to play with Tia, mom."
The twins cried as they rolled around on the sofa.
While I was learning the Imperial courtesy from Shananet, they kept the promise to wait quietly by my side.
“Now how much do you know how to say hello, Tia?”
"Yes. I will practice hard. Please see you again tomorrow."
Anyway, in order not to be laughing stock in front of the Emperor and the Empress, I had to fully understand how to say hello.
In particular, I can’t see the First Prince laughing at me even when he dies.
Shananet gently stroked my head, clenching my fists.
"I just wanted to have a daughter like you."
As if it weren’t just saying, Shananet’s words were regretful.
"How can I accidentally became the mother of these naughty twins..."
Shananet frowned and laughed, pinching the chubby cheeks of Mayon and Gilliu.
"Is it not too late?"
Shananet, who seemed to really want a daughter, spit out without knowing.
"....What?"
Oh, the words just come out of the mouth of an 8-year-old who didn’t know anything yet because she hadn’t received sex education.
How to mess with it. First I laughed.
"Ehehe.........."
Then she turned the arrow to the twins.
"I wish they had a younger sister too, right?"
If you ask like this, you will be greeted immediately. I knew how to answer.
The two were always bored and thought they would think that if they had a younger brother, they would be able to play together.
However, the reaction between Gilliu and Mayron is baffling.
"Hmm. Not really."
"I don’t like it either."
"Why, why?"
At my question, Gilliu replied with one big eye-rolled.
“We love playing with Tia.”
"Yeah. I like playing with only three people like this."
"I don’t like having other kids."
These guys are making a real big deal.
"I have a lot of people to play with, not two people."
Will there be a lot more in the future?
"Lie! Tia always reads books alone if we don’t play?"
"Ji, although it is now."
I mean, there is a secretly sharp corner.
I avoided the twins’ gaze.
Then the two grinned, grabbed my arms one by one, and started forming a group.
"Let’s play! Let’s play!"
"Let’s play hide and seek again!"
Eventually the trapped beagles escaped.
"Okay, then First."
Let’s talk about this, talk.
The fingers of the two people holding me were struggling one by one, and the door of Shananet’s residence opened and someone came in.
"Father!"
The twins, which were much taller and taller than me, hung from my arms, quickly fell apart.
Then, when his father just stepped inside, they ran to a handsome man.
"Why did you come in so early today?"
"Now can you keep playing with us until you sleep?"
A man in his mid-thirties with a tall and sturdy physique brushed off his dark blond hair, is Vestian Schulst, the father of twins and Shananet’s husband.
He entered the son-in-law of Lombardy but did not change his surname to Lombardy and maintained his pre-marriage surname.
"Geez, these guys!"
Vestian laughed, lifting the twins one by one in each arm.
"Came?"
Shananet got up and said hello to Vestian.
"I didn’t have much work today, so I came in early. How are you with the kids, Shananet?"
Vestian smiled gently and kissed Shananet’s cheek.
At that greeting full of affection, I looked up at the couple who seemed happy.
Is this an ideal couple?
A tenderness overflowed in my eyes coming and going.
"Oh? Florentia is here? How are you?"
Such an ideal and normal greeting in my family!
It seems that the surroundings light up when Vestian, who has a good-looking face, smiles kindly.
"Hello."
I put my hands together and said goodbye.
"I’m sorry I couldn’t go to your birthday party last time. I was busy that day."
Although not from Lombardy, Vestian is competent in many ways and runs several small businesses in the family.
The hottest thing these days is the business of bringing minerals from the mines owned by Lombardy in the north to the central region and selling them.
But since all the mines he discovered a few years ago were all dry, I thought he would be unemployed until he found a new mine next year, right?
Vestian’s business isn’t the only one, so I didn’t think deeply.
"Shananet, shall we have a pretty daughter like Florentia? Of course, boys are also cute..."
Vestian looked at me sadly and said.
"......I’m listening to children, but don’t say that."
The blushed Shananet said, pushing the chest of Vestian holding her waist.
Oh my, you two look good.
I woke up deliberately, grabbed some of the cookies in front of me, and handed them out to the twins.
"Shall we go out and play?"
Fortunately, the twins nodded immediately and asked to do so, and we went outside.
Whenever I played hide-and-seek, I was always the trick, so I was seeing Gilliu and Mayron running away while bursting out of laughter.
Why does such a close couple divorced three years later?1
In addition, the twins are taken by his father, and Shananet lived alone on the outskirts of the Empire until Lombardy’s fall.
After that, it was only at grandfather’s funeral that Shananet returned to his Lombardy residence.
I tilted my head as I remembered the couple looking at each other holding hands.
* * *
As always, I had the windows slightly open and leaned against the windowsill, and enjoyed the time.
The wind filled with the warm noon sunlight tickled my face.
A few hours later, when my father returns from the morning work, we immediately leave for the Imperial Palace.
From here, it took about an hour by carriage to the border with the Emperor’s direct command, and about half an hour to enter the Palace again.
And my father said that he would take a little more time and start, saying that he would show me the inside of the Palace for the First time in the Imperial Palace.
And at sunset, the Empress’s dinner begins.
But no matter how busy tonight was going to be back, the hours of the day were slowly flowing.
As I was about to fall asleep, I heard a knock-knock on the door.
"Come in....."
As I answered, the door carefully opened and Estira entered.
"Hello, Estira!"
It was a nice guest waiting.
I quickly pulled a nearby chair and made Estira sit down.
"I brought what you asked for. The medicine was already completed a few days ago, but I told you to bring it today..."
"Yes, yes. That’s right! Thank you!"
"Here you are."
What Estira brought out was a small glass bottle the size of a circle in my hand.
The glass bottle was in a pocket made of a thick cloth so that the inside could not be seen, but when I carefully unwrapped the string and opened it, I could see that it was filled with golden Melcon medicine.
"Of course, it’s Estira. As I asked, they all prepared perfectly. Thank you!"
I carefully put it in the little pocket I had aside.
It was to be taken when entering the Imperial Palace.
"My lady..."
"Yes, why?"
Estira, who was still watching what I was doing, called me with anxiety.
"Are you trying to use Melcon medicine as an antidote?"
"..."
I did not answer.
I just looked into Estira’s eyes.
It was really clear snow.
I can see that the reason you are asking me this question is pure because you are worried about me.
"It’s not for me, don’t worry too much!"
I deliberately smiled brighter.
"If so... ."
"I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you that far. But it’s right to bring it to the Imperial Palace as Estira expected."
When the word ’Imperial Palace’ came out, Estira’s complexion became even darker.
It would be an infinitely difficult and scary space for ordinary people.
"Because there is someone there. Anyone who needs this medicine. I will pass it on to that person."
"...... Be careful, lady. I’m worried that a young lady is trying to do something too big."
"Thank you for worrying, Estira. Oh, and..·.."
I leaned over to Estira and whispered.
"Do you know this is a secret for the two of us?"
In my whisper with a little playfulness, Estira nodded with a face with a firm determination.
In fact, I have spoken to the old woman, but I don’t doubt that Estira will tell anyone about me.
Estira was a woman who kept his promises.
In my previous life, I knew the blinding trust she had shown to her master.
"Ah, I hope my dad will come soon."
I muttered as I looked at the empty road because no carriage was going around.
* * *
"Don’t be too nervous, Tia."
Gallahan spoke to Tia the tenth time in the swaying carriage.
"I’m okay?"
"Yes, that’s fortunate... "
The daughter answered energetically, but Gallahan only laughed dimly.
"Dad, are you okay? Your face is white ...."
"It’s okay. Dad is just a little nervous."
"Oooo......."
Tia patted Gallahan’s cold hand with her small hand.
With that little touch, Gallahan felt a little relaxed.
"But what is that bag, Tia? It looks pretty heavy, but your dad will listen?"
Gallahan deliberately turned his attention not to think of the Empress’s dinner.
"It’s not heavy, it’s okay."
"You don’t usually carry your bag well, so what’s in it?"
The brown round handbag that goes well with Tia’s light green dress was even cuter because it was held in the child’s small hand.
"A gift!"
"Gift?"
"Yes! I will give it to The Prince!"
Florentia replied in a bright voice.
"You give it to the First Prince?"
The daughter didn’t answer the questions but laughed.
And on that clear face, Gallahan felt like a big rock thumping over his chest.
"That’s right, Tia is also that old, now. I knew that someday like this would come, but......."
"No, not like that......."
It was just the moment Florentia was about to say something.
The carriage that was going well suddenly stopped.
"What is it?"
Gallahan asked the coachman.
"Well, it’s the Imperial Palace guard that will check the gate, so stop the wagon... "
"No way."
I pulled the curtain of the carriage and looked outside.
The carriage moves to the Lombardy mansion with the interior of the Imperial Palace will not be stopped.
The carriages with the Lombardy pattern were originally the same wherever they went.
When Gallahan was frowning on his eyebrows and grasping the situation, the carriage door burst open.
"I’ll check for a moment. Please get off."
Two Imperial knights were wearing flashing armor.
"Lombardy’s carriage. I Gallahan Lombardy comes at the invitation of the Empress."
However, the knight opened the carriage door wider without listening to all of Gallahan’s explanations.
"I’m sorry. I’ll ask for your cooperation."
Something was weird.
However, if there is a conflict here, the daughter may be greatly surprised.
Gallahan looked around at Florentia, who was sitting quietly with her eyes open widely and tried to get off the wagon by herself.
"Young lady also comes down."
"Do you mean even the child will search for it?"
Now Gallahan’s voice raised, as if completely angry.
"...Sorry."
Gallahan did not hide his displeasure.
There was only one reason to suddenly go out to search like this in the Imperial Palace, where even the office of the Emperor directly passed the Lombardy pattern.
Overpower.
The Empress or Emperor who gave the order is trying to break the flag.
"Is this the Empress’s order?"
Gallahan asked straightforwardly.
"..."
The knight could not answer anything and avoided his gaze.
He can’t help it?
Gallahan said after sighing.
"Leave the child."
In a low warning voice, the knight exchanged glances with his colleague for a moment and nodded.
Gallahan got off the wagon.
Looking around, the place where the carriage was built seemed to be deep inside the Imperial Palace, where the Empress’s Palace was located.
It was a normal, empty street that was not properly equipped with guards or knights.
From the starting point that had already passed through the central Palace with many eyes to see, he stopped the carriage that had been running fine, saying that he would come and search.
’How many knights of the family should I have brought.’
Gallahan had a belated regret.
"Then, for a moment... ... ."
The driver approached and tried to check Gallahan’s arms.
Gallahan said, trying not to distort his face in shame that he had never been born with.
"It would be better not to touch my body."
The knight who was approaching at the moment flinched.
"If you have a miscellaneous check on me, you will lose your title."
"Hmm.........."
The knight, who was pushed back by Gallahan’s momentum, noticed for a moment, coughed, and nodded.
"There seems to be nothing, so I’ll finish the check. Let’s get on the wagon again."
It was an overwhelming and absurd situation.
Gallahan finally looked at the knights with his eyes and got on the carriage.
No, he was going to do that.
However, when he saw the door on the other side of the wagon that was open and the inside of the wagon, it empty as it was.
"Florentia?"+
His daughter was gone.