Chapter 20
“Ah, I guess it’s time for me to leave. Kkakkung, Daddy will come again tomorrow. Stay healthy until then.”
I left the Garden of the Gods on Karus’s back, feeling a bit irritated for some reason.
Even outside, I kept my lips tightly sealed, which made Margaret look puzzled.
Karus, worried he might have made some mistake while we were inside, anxiously glanced at me.
I ignored him and simply returned to my father’s palace.
‘What am I even doing here alone?’
That night, I dreamed of a past memory I had long forgotten.
‘Wasn’t there supposed to be a tea gathering at the Third Prince’s palace today?’
This was during my second possession, at age ten.
That day, the princes and princesses had a tea gathering—a key episode for increasing their favorability.
But having learned from my first possession’s failure, I decided to ignore the half-brothers’ strategies and skipped the gathering.
Still, one thing nagged at me. So, in the middle of the tea gathering, I eventually headed to the Third Prince’s palace.
Sure enough, a lone child stood outside the palace, as if being punished.
It was pouring rain that day, and the boy had no attendants with him, soaking in the downpour.
I had seen this scene in the novel, and I had experienced it in my first possession as well.
Even for the second time, the boy exuded a strangely calm and composed aura.
I put an umbrella over him, and the small boy with messy black hair flinched and looked up.
Beautiful scarlet eyes.
But he quickly lowered his gaze again, unable to meet mine for long.
“Ah… I was told to stand outside until the Third Prince gives permission…”
At this time, I was also keeping a proper distance from the Fourth Prince.
After the bitter experience in the first possession, I had decided not to get close or affectionate with Asphodel’s other siblings.
Of course, if the Fourth Prince wasn’t properly guided, he could fall into the hands of the villainous forces later.
So this time, I planned to completely eliminate the villains before that could happen.
Then the Fourth Prince wouldn’t need to get close to the other royals anyway.
For that reason, unlike in the previous possession, my attitude toward him was cold, and it seemed that in this life, he also felt distant toward me.
Anyway, the reason the Fourth Prince was standing outside in this rain was clearly a scheme by the Third Prince, not reflecting the wishes of the other princes and princesses.
They weren’t the kind to cruelly punish a child in such weather.
Even the Second Prince Rubellio despised such actions.
Of course, Rubellio was a mid-level villain, but normally he despised impolite behavior, only being rude to me when dealing with me.
‘Do you… want to go to the tea gathering?’
‘I…’
In Rozantina, they counted age from the moment one became a fruit in the Garden of the Gods.
Including the three years spent in the Rosarium before blooming, the Fourth Prince was now eight years old.
But his growth was slow, and he was so small and frail that he looked far younger than his age.
His black hair and pale white skin made him look like a sickly little bird.
The Fourth Prince hesitated to answer my question.
‘It’s getting late and the gathering might be ending soon… But if you want to go, would you like to come with me now?’
Honestly, I had kept noticing him in my mind.
So this time, I thought I might take him to the tea gathering, just like in the novel.
At the same time, I could annoy the Third Prince and let the Fourth Prince get acquainted with his half-brothers.
It wasn’t a question with special meaning—it just happened to coincide with the tea gathering episode.
Secretly, I also calculated that if the Fourth Prince became friendly with the other half-brothers, he might not later join the villains even if I didn’t personally guide him.
‘With the Third Princess… together?’
Hearing my words, the Fourth Prince stared at me.
His eyes, partially hidden by his hair, became fully visible.
They held a fierce and intense light.
‘…May I accompany the Third Princess?’
Up to this point, his lines hadn’t changed much from the novel or my first possession.
But my response was different this time.
‘Yes. I’ll just take you there and come back right away.’
I assumed he would naturally accept.
As described in the novel, the Fourth Prince suffered from a lack of affection and always wanted to be close to his half-brothers.
‘Then I won’t go in either.’
But unexpectedly, he answered without hesitation, which surprised me.
I looked from the Third Prince’s palace back at him.
‘If you weren’t planning to attend the tea gathering, where were you going, Third Princess?’
‘I was just out for a short walk before heading back to my palace.’
‘Um… then may I follow you, Third Princess?’
His unexpected words made me smile slightly.
The boy hurriedly added excuses, saying he would just follow me to the path leading to my palace, wouldn’t make noise, and wouldn’t be bothersome.
I casually said he could do as he wished and turned around.
Seeing my gesture, Margaret gave the Fourth Prince one of the spare umbrellas he was holding.
Soon, I heard footsteps quietly following behind me.
The Fourth Prince didn’t do a single annoying thing and walked quietly behind me.
Strangely, the silence wasn’t uncomfortable.
I think I had quietly decided in my heart that I would somehow take responsibility for him in this life as well.
Chirp chirp.
“….”
I opened my eyes—it was morning.
‘Ugh, what a stupid dream.’
Recalling the events of the dream only worsened my mood.
What kind of awful dream is that?
Was it because I had seen that fruit yesterday?
Anyway, it was a frustrating morning.
“Sleepyhead Princess, time to wake up… oh, you’re already awake?”
“Margaret, I need salt!”
“Eh? Salt?”
After sprinkling the salt Margaret brought outside to cleanse the air, I finally felt well enough to eat breakfast.
Chapter 7
Early talent scouting for the future
“Really, what an unlucky dream.”
Muttering about last night’s dream, I went about my morning.
Dreams can be so unsettling sometimes.
When do they dig up old, long-forgotten events to show you?
“Chirp chirp?”
“Squeak squeak!”
Suddenly, something white and round wriggled in front of me.
“Coo!”
Ah. I had paused for a moment, lost in thought, and the baby creatures in front of me began calling out.
Little spirit beasts with heart-shaped ears and tails clustered in front of me, tilting their heads.
“Ugh, so cute. Alright, toys are here~!”
My heart racing, I waved the pink reeds I was holding more energetically.
I was in the royal spirit beast nest within the palace, where my father Roxhan worked.
Although someone else handled basic care like feeding the spirit beasts, my father personally oversaw the parts requiring careful management.
‘Father with the spirit beasts… still as beautiful as ever.’
Haha, I replayed the scene in my mind, marveling.
‘My mood was sour, but this really cheers me up.’
Plus, the baby spirit beasts were adorable.
Yes, I’ve always loved cute, fluffy things.
Seeing small, soft lives warms the heart and blows away the day’s fatigue.
‘Not those huge, terrifying demonic birds…’
Thinking of the white mounted beast finally delivered yesterday, my eyes unintentionally glistened.
Of course, I couldn’t disobey Empress La Bellarica, so the taxidermied beast was proudly displayed in my playroom.
Every time Margaret and I saw it, we flinched.
Also, it seemed like the dew in my eyes grew day by day.
“Hey! You have to check every corner of the nest carefully!”
But actually, I hadn’t come just to play today.
My hand holding the reeds slowed as I spotted something in the distance.
My gaze followed the sound.
