RWMU 07

“I’m going to sleep, so no one is allowed to come in!”

I told the nanny and the maids that I was going to take a nap.
Just in case, I didn’t forget to stuff pillows under the blanket to make it look like someone was sleeping.

“Since it’s the first time, I’ll probably just say hello and come back, right?”

Fortunately, the duke’s residence was quite close to the imperial palace, so if things went well, I could go and return without being discovered.

I hurriedly packed the things I planned to give Leonhardt into my rabbit-shaped bag.
Once the now-bulging rabbit bag was slung over my shoulder, it felt like my already small height had shrunk even more.

“It’s too heavy.”

The strength of a six-year-old was pitiful.

But the willpower inside my soul belonged to an adult.

“Still… Leonhardt, who’s as cute as a rabbit, is waiting at the palace.”

I widened my eyes and took a step forward.

Taking the first step had been the hardest part, but gradually I got used to the weight.

“Hah, I’ll be late at this rate!”

After checking the time, I even started running—slowly, but still running.

“Hasn’t he come yet?”

After successfully making it to the stables without being seen by anyone, I looked around.

Neither Hans the coachman nor Lester were anywhere to be seen.

First, I tossed the rabbit bag into the carriage.

Then I took a few steps back, ran forward, and practically jumped onto the footboard of the carriage, which was quite high for someone my height.

“Phew… success.”

After that, things were easier.

I managed to climb over the carriage doorway and inside, picking up the rabbit bag first.

Looking around, I walked toward the seat near the coachman’s area.

Lester usually sits over there.

My goal was the hidden compartment under the carriage seat.

It was meant for storing supplies during long trips, but it was large enough for a six-year-old child and a bag.

I struggled to open the latch that kept the compartment closed so it wouldn’t pop open while the carriage was moving.

Because my fine motor skills hadn’t fully developed yet, it took quite a while.

“Huh? Why won’t this open?”

My fingertips tingled from all the effort.

Just then, I heard someone approaching.

“Why me when there’s an older brother!”

It was Lester.

In that instant, some kind of superhuman ability awakened in me.

The latch that wouldn’t budge no matter how many times I tried popped open immediately.

“Ah, got it!”

I cheered silently, then tossed the rabbit bag in first.

After that, I crawled into the space under the carriage seat and shut the door with all my strength.

Fortunately, the hinges must have been well-oiled because it didn’t make much noise.

I was twisting my body around, trying to find a slightly more comfortable position, when I heard Lester climb into the carriage.

It was such a close call that if I had been even a little later, I would have been caught.

Thump! Thump!

Because I was so close to the floor, Lester’s footsteps sounded unusually loud as he stomped around in a bad mood.

Startled, I widened my eyes and covered my mouth with both hands.

Fortunately, Lester’s sulking didn’t last long.

After sitting down on the seat opposite the one I was hiding under, he stayed quiet.

He’s probably just sitting there glowering out the window.

After Hans’s voice was heard, the carriage slowly began to move.

Only then did I notice the smell of wood and old dust.

Rattle, rattle.

The vibration from the floor.

The environment was enough to make me feel motion sick, so I reached out and grabbed one ear of the rabbit bag.

What hardships I’m going through because of you.

After kneading the rabbit bag’s ear hundreds of times instead of Leonhardt’s, we eventually arrived at the imperial palace.

“Nice to meet you, Young Lord Roderick. I am Andrew Rombran, the chief attendant of the Crown Prince’s palace.”

A middle-aged man’s low voice greeted them, as if he had come out to receive them.

“Nice to meet you as well.”

Lester replied.

“I’ll guide you.”

Perhaps noticing Lester’s bad mood, the Crown Prince’s chief attendant didn’t say much and quietly began leading the way.

Soft footsteps could barely be heard.

Then Lester whispered.

“I’ll be out soon, so don’t go far. Wait nearby.”

“Yes, Young Lord.”

After Hans replied, Lester’s footsteps moved away.

“Now’s the time.”

I rolled out from under the carriage seat.

After slinging the rabbit bag—its ear flattened from my grip—over my shoulder, I carefully opened the carriage door.

Lester had followed the attendant, and before Hans could drive the carriage to the imperial stables, the carriage was stopped and no one was around.

This was exactly the timing I had been waiting for.

Once again, I tossed the rabbit bag down first.

Then, clenching both fists for courage, I jumped down from the carriage.

A child’s body was light and surprisingly agile.

After landing fairly well, I grabbed the rabbit bag and hid between the hedges.

Once Hans’s carriage had gone far enough away, I ran with all my strength toward the annex palace where Leonhardt was.

Using a secret passage in the imperial palace that I had learned about when I was empress, I arrived at the annex and carefully inspected the outside first.

“It’s better than before.”

The moss that had been growing on the shaded wall had been removed, and the faded paint seemed to have been redone.

“Still, the inside matters more than the outside.”

Giving it a passing grade for now, I headed inside.

As before, there were no senior servants or attendants who usually served direct imperial family members.

They’re probably hiding somewhere and slacking off.

That was partly why I could come here in the first place.

“Still, they did clean.”

The last time I came, clumps of dust rolled across the hallway.

It had looked like an abandoned building—just as my nanny had said.

But this time, there was no visible dust.

Like a picky lady of the house, I inspected the cleaning with sharp eyes while heading toward Leonhardt’s room.

“Why is his room on the second floor?”

Walking on flat ground had been manageable, but climbing stairs while carrying the rabbit bag was exhausting.

Climbing three or four steps, resting ten seconds, and repeating the process, I finally reached Leonhardt’s room.

Just as expected, I didn’t run into anyone along the way.

Standing in front of his bedroom door, I knocked lightly.

Knock, knock.

It was quiet inside.

Maybe he was taking a nap.

Naps were important for babies, after all.

But I didn’t know when I’d be able to come again, so today he’d just have to wake up.

“It’s me, Miela. Leonhardt!”

I knocked again and called out to him.

After a moment, the bedroom door opened.

Just as I had guessed, he must have been sleeping.

Leonhardt peeked his face through the door, his hair sticking up in every direction like a bird’s nest.

“Miela?”

His eyes were still heavy with sleep as he called my name.

“Yep, hello. Have you been well?”

I pressed down on his soft-looking hair with my hand while greeting him.

Leonhardt poked my arm with his tiny index finger.

“It’s real?”

“What, do you think there’s a fake Miela?”

I chuckled and pressed down on the top of his head again.

No matter how strong Leonhardt was naturally, the two-year age difference at this stage was significant.

His neck shrank like a turtle retreating into its shell.

Seeing that, I giggled before asking,

“Can I come in?”

No matter how little the maids in the annex cared about Leonhardt, we couldn’t keep standing in the hallway like this.

Leonhardt looked around belatedly and then opened the bedroom door wide.

I adjusted the rabbit bag on my shoulder and stepped inside.

“Give me that.”

Following me in, Leonhardt seemed to notice that the rabbit bag I was carrying was quite heavy and held out his hand.

It was very gentlemanly behavior.

The problem was that he was four years old.

“It’s fine. I’ll carry it.”

I couldn’t exactly ask a kid the size of the rabbit bag to carry the rabbit bag.

I bravely carried it to the middle of the bedroom and placed it on the carpet.

Leonhardt approached me with his much shorter legs, taking what he probably thought were big strides.

“I said give it to me.”

His voice was childish, but his tone was exactly the same as when he was an adult.

Before my regression, I would have hated that unnecessarily serious tone.

But given the situation, it was just funny.

“You won’t be able to lift it.”

I knew the disconnect between mind and body better than Leonhardt.

This was my first regression, but I was already making excellent use of living as a child with an adult mind.

So I teased him provocatively.

Leonhardt tried to lift the rabbit bag like it was nothing.

But as expected, he failed.

“See?”

When I smugly teased him, Leonhardt pressed his lips together in dissatisfaction.

His chubby cheeks puffed out.

And I burst out laughing.