Golden sunlight touched the surface of the water, breaking into a thousand pieces.
The exceptionally blue summer sky beautifully illuminated the Duke of McKinnon's mansion. The lake beside it was no different. The clear water sparkled like jewels.
"Oops!"
"Ouch, cold!"
Giggles. Little children laughed, touching the water with clumsy hands. The clothes they wore were white linen, suitable for playing in the water, but their craftsmanship was extraordinary.
"Be careful!"
"Goodness! Master, be careful not to fall!"
The nannies, at least one for each child, were frantic.
The oldest girl was seven years old, and the youngest was so young that his running still looked clumsy.
Children that age were prone to accidents every hour. Especially since they were playing in the water by the lake, if even one of them got too excited, who knew what the consequences would be?
Could they guarantee their lives, not their own bodies, but the bodies of the masters they served, if they caught a cold or something worse?
The nannies trusted the character of the employer who had entrusted their children to them, but they didn't know what the law would say. After all, the children gathered here were the most noble in the Empire of Amitelia.
Splash! Splat, splat, splat!
"Hahaha!"
The waves turned over once with a strong force, turning the nannies' composure upside down. The culprit was Princess Arbyone, the most senior and lively of the seven-year-olds.
"Your Highness!"
The nanny cried out in distress.
A grassy patch about twelve steps away from the water's edge. Edward Ganiello, sitting among the adults, opened his mouth, his eyes sparkling.
"Princess Arbyone is very lively. Did His Majesty the Emperor have a similar feel when he was young?"
Cledwyn shook his head.
"No."
Everyone's gaze turned to Neris. She was wearing a white dress with a floral pattern, suitable for a lakeside tea time, and a bonnet decorated with summer flowers. Even though she was holding her baby, who was about to turn one year old, her posture was impeccable, making her look incredibly elegant.
It didn't seem like she had a childhood similar to the lively princess who was now effortlessly controlling seven children – the children of the Grand Duke Ganiello, the Duke of McKinnon, and the Earl of Wirtam, including her own firstborn. Joan, the Grand Duke's daughter-in-law, nodded as if she understood.
"It must be like the Duchess of Trude. Children sometimes resemble other relatives more than their parents. My second sibling is said to be exactly like my youngest uncle."
Seeing everyone nod in agreement, as if that was the case, Neris chuckled wryly.
"No, I was very similar when I was young. Yoni is smarter than me, though."
Question marks appeared on everyone's faces except Cledwyn's. Neris was the epitome of a perfect noblewoman, someone who seemed to have memorized etiquette books since birth, to exaggerate a little. Earl Wirtam Talprin whispered to his wife, Diane.
"Your Majesty wasn't very dignified even in her first year, was she? Honey."
"She wasn't, was she? Honey. Ah, but I understand. Our Liz has that innocent side to her."
Are all the innocent people dead? Talprin was confused. Seeing them, Cledwyn chuckled softly.
Cledwyn had never seen Neris that young either. Arbyone was five years younger than Neris when she entered the academy, so it was natural that she had never seen her, even in Neris's memories. But recalling her memories of her first year, he could vaguely understand what she meant.
She was endlessly innocent and carefree in those days, even her overflowing youthful energy added to her brightness. That was what was worn away in an instant when she was placed in a strange and hostile environment.
Lady Trude, who had slain assassins and severed ties with her family for the man she loved. Perhaps Neris was a daughter who was very much like her mother.
"It's good for children to be lively. Since Her Highness the Princess knows how to lead others, there will be no worries for the future of the Empire."
The one who quietly ended the atmosphere that was about to turn strange was Bridget, the Duchess of McKinnon.
She had married Joyce five years ago. Originally, she was the illegitimate child of the former Pope, a status that made her ineligible for marriage even with ordinary noble families, let alone a dukedom. Moreover, after her father's death, all the members of her family were disgraced and fell from grace, so it was difficult for her to aspire to the position of Duchess, not just because of her birth.
However, the situation changed when the McKinnon Trading Company began trading with the Papal States. Bridget, who knew the internal affairs of the Papal States well, helped Joyce, and the situation changed.
Unlike her father, who met a disgraceful end, Bridget was brave and kind. The Duke and Duchess of McKinnon, who were worried about their son, who was over thirty and showed no interest in women, welcomed her with open arms. And with tremendous drive, they created a new official identity for her. The daughter of one of the noble families of Meindlandt that had been wiped out long ago.
Of course, this was possible because the Imperial Family tacitly supported her, and most people had never seen Bridget's face. The nobles who wanted to be related to the Duke of McKinnon initially complained privately and questioned her identity, but their suspicions vanished because the nightingale had already perfectly fabricated the evidence, and the Empress was affectionate towards Bridget.
Neris felt a strange feeling watching Joyce and Bridget, a happy couple. In Neris's previous life, Bridget had married Nellusion, and according to Valentine, she had even had children. In a way, she was the one who had taken the man Neris loved.
But Neris knew well. Bridget's opinion had not been reflected at all in that marriage. On the contrary, she felt a little guilty, as if she had forced the powerless Bridget to marry a bastard.
That was why Neris had sided with Bridget, even though there were many families who would have been good matches for the Duke of McKinnon. Cledwyn, who knew the situation, followed her words without question.
"Thank you for saying that, Duchess."
Neris's face glowed softly with happiness as she thought, "Past regrets have become good fortune in the present." At that moment, the child in her arms wriggled, wanting to be put down.
"Do you want to get down? Yes? Shall I put you down, May?"
As Neris bent down, Dora, who had been waiting right behind her, took Princess Maeve, her second daughter, and put her down on the grass. Maeve took Dora's hand and started to walk.
Laughter bloomed among the adults as they watched her cute little bottom wiggle.
***
"I'm going to catch a fish. I read about catching fish and keeping them in a book yesterday, on page 76."
Arbyone declared confidently. Joybell put his hand on his chin and pretended to think seriously. Joybell, who was five years old, was at the age where he was slowly becoming aware of his status as the heir to the Earl of Wirtam, and he was trying to act grown-up.
"That's a good idea, Your Highness. But I think the fish are further inside."
Ah, this time, his pronunciation was perfect. Very grown-up. Joybell praised himself inwardly. Arbyone's expression turned serious.
"The adults will scold us if we go deeper."
The children, including a two-year-old, were only allowed to go as far as the shore where the water reached their ankles, in adult terms. For Arbyone, who was the oldest and fearless at seven, this was a tragedy.
At least it was fortunate that the nannies were focusing on the younger children, leaving the older Arbyone and Joybell alone. Arbyone's personal nanny and Joybell's personal nanny were a few steps away from the commotion, as long as the water spray wasn't too intense, like it had been earlier.
Then, a young voice came from behind Arbyone and Joybell.
"Nuni (Sister)."
"Hick!"
Arbyone's eyes widened as she turned around. Her pretty face, which was the spitting image of her father's, expressed her surprise in a very cute way.
The boy who had somehow approached behind Arbyone and Joybell was Owen, the first Crown Prince. Since there were no other Crown Princes, and the Emperor had shaken his head, saying he wouldn't have any more children, he was technically the only Crown Prince.
While his sister was the spitting image of their father in every way except for her eyes, which were blue, Owen had his mother's hair color and face, even though his eyes were gray. Adults found him very amusing, as he was only four years old but had a much more mature and detached expression than his sister.
Since the children were still young, the need for a Crown Prince coronation hadn't arisen yet, but the nobles who thought Owen was more diligent than Arbyone secretly imagined him becoming the next Emperor. However, the only thing that bothered them was that Owen thought like an adult, but he was unusually small for his age and his tongue was quite short.
The Emperor and Empress had declared that they would give the throne to someone capable, "learning a lesson from the downfall of the Bisto family." They had to wait and see who would have the most competitiveness.
Arbyone wasn't interested yet in who would become Emperor, her or Owen. She knew the adults were whispering, but she didn't care. All that mattered to her was that she was having fun every day, and she loved both of her siblings.
'I don't always get along with Owen, though.'
Unlike Arbyone, who was a curious child in everything she did, Owen was always relaxed. And he followed the rules well. Adults praised him endlessly, saying he was dignified.
But according to her mother, who Arbyone loved most in the world, it was better for children to have fun. She said that if they were too concerned about what other people thought, they might forget the most important thing in the world, "happiness," so they had to be careful.
So Arbyone wanted Owen to play with her. Not to dampen her spirits every time she tried to do something she had read in a book, like this, by talking about danger.
'Of course, he's too young to play with me.'
But her friends who had younger siblings, like Joybell right next to her, played with their baby siblings somehow. Three-year-old Lara Belle was a girl who had just started to enjoy babbling with her clumsy pronunciation, and she went wherever her brother told her to go. They were both babies—according to Arbyone's standards—so they played well but fought quickly.
Arbyone was now the eldest sister, so she could play well with her siblings without fighting. If her siblings cooperated. She had been startled for a moment, but she pretended not to know and asked Owen.
"When did you come, Wenny?"
"If you go deep, the adults, uh, will worry."
Owen's small face frowned as if he was unhappy with his clumsy pronunciation even as he spoke. Joybell, who looked exactly like Talprin Wirtam and was very much like Joyce McKinnon in that he loved his siblings, secretly found Owen cute. Even though His Highness the Prince was mature, there was still a difference between five and four years old.
In Joybell's eyes, five years old was a brother, and four years old was a baby. He had no idea that Arbyone thought of him as a baby.
"I'm not going that deep. I'm just going to go where the fish are. Keep it a secret, Wenny. Okay?"
"No."
His tone was mature, but his pronunciation was still babyish. Joybell found Owen even cuter. But Arbyone was annoyed. Why? All her other siblings were on her side, but why was her brother on the adults' side?
"Humph."
Once Owen saw something, he wouldn't let it go quietly. Arbyone finally snorted in annoyance.
A look of embarrassment appeared on Owen's doll-like, delicate face. He opened his small mouth to try to reason with his sister.
"Nuni. We are, children…"
He was about to say that they shouldn't go to dangerous places… when…
Arbyone's gaze suddenly looked into the distance. Joybell and Owen wondered what she was looking at and turned their heads. But there was only the lake at the end of her gaze.
Did she see a fish? Joybell thought. But Arbyone hadn't spotted a fish.
She closed her eyes and collapsed as if falling asleep.
Splash.
The spray from her older sister, who was three years older, kneeling in the water, splashed Owen. He froze like a piece of wood.
From afar, the Emperor and Empress stood up, their faces pale.