RWMU 05

Chapter 05

When I arrived at the duchess’s office where my mother would be, I let out a sigh before knocking.

‘I don’t want to get scolded.’

But knowing my mom’s personality, I would get scolded even more if I went in late.

Right before opening the door, I put on a bright smile.

‘Operation: Smooth things over with cuteness.’

In my previous life, I had already mastered age-appropriate aegyo for every stage of life.

Unlike in my past life, where I used cute behavior appropriate to my age, now I had the mental age of over twenty-four while pretending to be a six-year-old acting cute. It was quite a blow to my dignity, but it had to be done.

“Mom—!”

I ran toward her calling out like a child who had slept well and played well.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my nanny standing there, avoiding my gaze like she felt guilty about something, but I didn’t stop.

My mom, who was an undeniable daughter-fool, beamed at my rare display of affection and pulled me into a hug.

“Miela, did you sleep well?”

“Yep!”

I buried my face in her arms and acted spoiled.

I could feel a faint vibration from her body as if she were quietly laughing.

At that moment, I was sure this might just pass without trouble.

“You also went to the imperial palace, right?”

The bait had been thrown.

After fiercely thinking it through, I answered just as I had planned.

“Yep!”

“Really?”

My mother slightly dragged out the end of her words at my cheerful reply.

“But you know…”

I wriggled out of her arms and started speaking.

“What interesting story is my daughter going to tell her mom?”

Mom lowered herself to meet my eyes, as if wanting to hear me better.

In her teal eyes—just like mine—there was affection she couldn’t hide, mixed with a bit of strictness.

I continued my act as a child who hadn’t developed much awareness yet.

“Earlier at the palace, there was a suuuper old palace building, so I went there…”

As I chattered as if something fascinating had happened—without even realizing I might get scolded—my mom’s brows briefly furrowed.

But since I had already begun what was practically a confession, she seemed to decide to hear the rest. Within seconds, her brows relaxed again.

“And then?”

Mom added encouragement to my story while lifting me into her arms.

I squealed and wrapped my arms around her neck.

She lightly patted my back a few times while heading toward the sofa.

It seemed she wanted to sit down and listen properly.

As she carried me, I thought to myself,

‘I should stop doing this when I turn seven.’

I liked being held by Mom, but unlike my knight father or my older brothers, Mom was just an ordinary person. Lifting over twenty kilos was probably a bit much for her.

If I was going to be carried, it should be by my sturdy dad or brothers.

Fortunately, we reached the sofa before she got tired.

Mom carefully set me down on the sofa and sat across from me.

Before I knew it, the nanny had approached and stood behind Mom like a shadow.

It was clearly the atmosphere of an interrogation, but I simply opened my mouth again as if focused only on continuing the story.

“There I saw someone who looked like a bunny—umm, the prince!”

I almost called him a little brat, but noticing the nanny’s glance, I quickly changed the title.

Mom and the nanny exchanged looks.

“So it seems you met the Second Prince.”

Mom accepted my words casually.

But she also looked like she was thinking about how to scold me for running off alone while leaving the nanny behind.

Seeing her expression gradually becoming stricter, I hurried to speak before the scolding started.

“But why does the prince live in such a dirty place?”

The expressions of both Mom and the nanny darkened.

Mom composed herself and answered,

“Well… maybe he didn’t have time to clean because Miela suddenly visited.”

Mom wanted me to remain unaware of the darker parts of the world for now, so she only told me a partial truth.

“Doesn’t your room get messy after you draw pictures, Miela? It will probably be clean again by tomorrow.”

She spoke with the tone of someone determined to make that happen.

Mom had once been the head maid of the Empress Dowager, the emperor’s mother, and the Empress Dowager still held considerable influence within the inner palace.

The head maid of the Empress Dowager could discreetly clean up the sort of negligence that happened out of the emperor’s sight.

‘Looks like Mom will take care of it.’

In my heart, I smugly took credit in front of Leonhardt.

“I see!”

Outwardly, I nodded as if Mom’s explanation was enough.

Relief briefly flashed across Mom and the nanny’s faces.

But cleaning the room alone wouldn’t make a child grow up well.

Since we were helping anyway, I decided to make sure the help was thorough and drove the point home once more.

“But the prince is really small. Maybe his dad doesn’t tell him to eat broccoli. I’m jealous! I don’t have to grow tall either.”

I didn’t mean that at all.

Ptooey, ptooey.

My slightly below-average height compared to the empire’s women had always been a complex.

‘Everyone around me is so tall.’

When I spoke like an immature child, the relief on Mom and the nanny’s faces disappeared instantly.

“Well…”

The nanny, who had been standing like Mom’s shadow, let out a sound without thinking.

This question involved the emperor, so they couldn’t brush it off like before.

Mom glanced back at the nanny once before speaking in a clearer voice than before.

“Sometimes children grow a little later. If he eats well and sleeps well, I’m sure he’ll grow quickly.”

Since I knew Leonhardt as an adult, it was a future I could be certain of.

“But…”

Mom suddenly changed the topic with a slightly ominous tone.

Since I had already addressed Leonhardt’s food, clothing, and shelter, it was finally time to get scolded.

“Miela, did you go to the annex palace without being invited?”

I wanted to argue that we weren’t the kind of people who needed invitations to visit each other’s homes, but at this point that wasn’t possible.

Pretending to look completely dejected, I answered,

“Well… it was the imperial palace, and the building looked old, so I was curious…”

Compared to the interior, Leonhardt’s annex actually looked a bit better from the outside.

Still, the overgrown weeds and faded paint stood out far too much in the otherwise glamorous and spotless imperial palace.

“And I thought no one was there.”

Even the etiquette-obsessed nanny had believed the place was empty before entering.

Perhaps my explanation sounded convincing, because Mom dropped the issue of entering the prince’s palace and instead scolded me for running off alone without the nanny.

“Mom knows you didn’t do it on purpose. But if you wanted to look around somewhere, you should have gone with the nanny.”

“I’m sorry…”

I apologized like a well-behaved child.

Mom might be the strictest person toward me in this household, but she was still a doting mother. Unable to resist, she came over and hugged me.

“You won’t do that again, right?”

“Yes!”

Thinking I might get away with it, I answered brightly.

But Mom wasn’t someone who would let things go so easily.

“Then for the next week, no snacks.”

Boom.

For someone with a child’s body and an adult’s mind like me, there weren’t many simple joys in life.

‘Dessert was the only thing that satisfied both.’

Without realizing it, I let out a sigh like an adult.

“Well… it can’t be helped.”

Since I had already accepted that saving Leonhardt a little earlier might come with some price, I gave up quickly.

But my gloomy expression didn’t improve.

A child’s facial muscles were more honest than an adult’s.

As I sat there looking completely devastated, Mom added in a soothing voice,

“Since Miela reflected on her mistake, Mom is only banning snacks for one week.”

“Okay…”

I puffed out my cheeks as I spoke, and Mom kissed them repeatedly.

“Whose daughter is this cute? Miela, you shouldn’t behave badly thinking Mom will let you off just because you’re cute.”

I hadn’t actually done anything, yet Mom acted as if I had used my ultimate charm attack.

The nanny nodded slightly as if agreeing with Mom.

‘What can I do if my very existence is cute?’

As if my eyes were saying exactly that, my face suddenly grew hot with embarrassment.

“Mom’s daughter!”

Still, if acting cute might help me get away with things, I might as well keep using it.