CH 3.26

I am okay.

Rosé didn’t make a sound so that Nanny wouldn’t know. Flitta understood what she means so she readily and happily opened her storybook to read again. Her face was full of smiles.

“… Tsk.”

Nanny turned to Flitta and seeing that Flitta was reading her storybook, she clicked her tongue and opened her mouth.

This princess is smart, tsk.

However, a knock was heard on the door before the Nanny could say something. The nanny glared at Rosé for a while, then went towards the door.

“Head Maid.”

Upon opening the door, the nanny met the head maid. Rosé quickly greeted the head maid and stepped out of the way. But the head maid didn’t go inside the room yet only stared at Rosé for a moment.

“…?”

Rosé wondered why the head maid was staring at her, not saying anything, so she tilted her head at her. The head maid finally took her eyes off of her and walked past through her, going inside the room.

“Why did the head maid come here at this hour….”

The nanny stood up from her seat and addressed the head maid. The head maid glanced at the nanny and greeted her in the eyes, then she addressed Flitta in a polite tone.

“His Highness asked us to have dinner together tonight, Princess.”

“… Uh?”

Flitta’s eyes widened at the sudden words that came out of the head maid’s mouth. She then looked around and found Rosé. Her face seemed to want to ask if she perhaps misheard the previous word.s.

But Rosé couldn’t give any answer to the child. Not only was she not in a position to intervene, but she was in a state of bewilderment herself.

‘No way… Was it because of what I said?’

Probably, no. No, to be precise, that won’t be the case. If the Grand Duke behaved like that due to a maid’s words, everyone would find it ridiculous.

Nevertheless, Rosé’s face slowly began to turn red. He seemed to be listening to her indifferently, but it seems that he listened attentively in his own way.

He didn’t unconditionally ignore the words of a lowly person.

“Oh, daddy wants to have dinner with me?”

At that moment, Flitta’s voice was heard. The child blinked her eyes and asked the head maid as if to confirm. The head maid nodded her head with a smile on her face that was unusual of her daily look.

“Yes, Princess. His Highness told me to tell the Princess directly.”

“… Wow!”

Flitta’s pale green eyes widened in shock. Only then did the nanny begin to make a fuss about it, as if she had come to her senses.

“My God, this is not the time to be like this. Princess, you need to dress up again! Rosé, what are you doing standing there blankly? Can’t you bring the Princess a dress to change into?”

“Ah… yes! Yes, Nanny!”

Rosé hurriedly came to her senses and followed the nanny’s instructions and left the room. A faint smile spread across her lips.

* * *

A smile.

Haven stood next to the butler’s face full of laughter as he attended him alone. But he didn’t show that he noticed the butler’s expression. He just glanced at the dining door with a calm face.

“Ahem, ahem.”

At that moment, the butler tried to hold back his laughter and cleared his throat with a strange sound. At the same time, Haven’s brow furrowed.

“Ah, Your Highness. I just…”

Seeing the frown on his master’s face, the butler hurriedly opened his mouth to explain. But before that, he heard the footsteps of a child outside the door.

“Ah! The princess must have arrived.”

The butler quickly approached the door with a happy expression on his face. And as soon as he opened the door, Flitta appeared in front of him holding the nanny’s hand.

“You have arrived, Princess.”

“Yes.”

Flitta bowed her head at the old butler and stepped inside. Haven’s eyes narrowed slightly at the sight of the child.

The child had the appearance of a ‘perfect’ princess.

Even though the afterimages of the colorful ribbons she had seen in the morning were still clearly visible. He unknowingly felt sorry for himself and clicked his tongue. Then Flitta huffed and let out a breath.

Haven spoke in a low voice to the child who was looking at him like a surprised rabbit.

(TN: Maan, Flitta is so, so, so cuteee)

“… You look different than in the morning.”

“Oh, yes. There…”

“In the morning, she didn’t pay attention to herself, thus showed you an unfitting of a Princess’s image, Your Highness. I apologize.”

Flitta wiggled her hands and tried to answer hesitantly. But the nanny interrupted the child. Haven’s blue eyes moved from the child to the nanny.

The nanny had a triumphant expression on her face, as if Flitta’s appearance was entirely her own work.

“Despite being a lowly maid, I thought she’d have more knowledge, yet she’s lacking….”

(TN: Me to the nanny: Shut up, SHUT UP!!)

Glancing back to Rosé, she deliberately sighed. Haven cast a glimpse to Rosé and asked Flitta nonchalantly,

“Aren’t you frustrated?”

“… Yes?”

“Because you are too formally dressed for a mere dinner.”

His gaze returned to the nanny. The nanny tried to smile, carrying on her words, but with the silence, she was triumphantly dismiss. As if understanding, she bowed her head in contemplation.

“This way.”

Haven looked away from the nanny and snapped his finger to Flitta. Flitta was at loss of what to do and looked at the nanny. Fortunately, she managed to move.

“That’s why it’s easy to get sick no matter what you eat.”

Haven’s hand went to Flitta’s dress. More precisely, with a button fastened all the way up to the top of her neck. He undid some of the buttons on the child’s neck.

“Uh, ugh…”

Flitta blinked her eyes and lowered her head in embarrassment. Her cheeks were blushing. His touch was unfamiliar, but she doesn’t dislike it. No, on the contrary, a sense of happiness was revealed on her blushing face.

“You’ll feel better now.”

He looked at her neck, nodding at her. His gaze shifted to the butler, and he noticed the meaning, opening his mouth, politely saying,

“Then I will prepare the meal, Your Highness. Please go ahead and take a seat too.”

As soon as the butler finished speaking, the waiting servants and maids started serving the food.

* * *

“Hehe!”

“Do you feel that good, Princess?”

Rosé asked with a smile while changing Flitta’s clothes. Flitta nodded her head vigorously, flapping her hands with excitement.

“Yes! Dad talked to me a lot today! He told me to eat a lot of bread. Nanny always told me not to eat to much, so I always eat little.”

Flitta whispered in a low voice that she seemed to be wary even though nanny was not there. Rosé looked at the child who was looking at her with brighter eyes than usual and smiled.

The change in her was minor. It was not that of big deal, but it made Flitta so happy. Haven and her only ate dinner together but she didn’t know that a small thing would bring such joy to Flitta.

‘… I hope that brought him joy, too.’

She was suddenly curious about Haven’s situation as of now. She wanted to know what he was thinking. She wanted to ask if the time he had earlier with Flitta made him happy, too.

“Does Dad like me?”

After Flitta changed into her nightgown, she sat on the bed and rocked her legs back and forth before she asked again cautiously. Rosé smiled as she looked back at her child as Flitta tidied up the dress she had been wearing.

“Of course.”

“Really?”

“For sure.”

The anticipation and excitement in Flitta’s light green eyes were clearly visible. Rosé went to the bed and knelt down in front of Flitta. Then the child’s gaze followed her movements.

“You are the only daughter of His Highness the Grand Duke.”

“Yes.”

“No parent in the world hates their child. Rather, if he could protect his child even at the cost of his own life… he loves you enough to choose that path without hesitation.”

Rosé’s voice was sweet. However, unlike usual, she was a bit nervous saying them. But, Flitta was too young to understand her tremor. The child simply asked brightly.

“Mom too?”

“… Yes?”

In an instant, Rosé’s eyes widened. She felt like Flitta had called her mother just right now.

“Would she have loved me, too?”

“… Of course. She must have loved you so much. Even now, Princess.”

(TN: I don’t want to cry, huhu)

Rosé held back her tears from bursting out and tidied the child’s bed. Meanwhile, Flitta was humming a song as if she was happy to have dinner and talk with her daddy.

“You should go to bed now.”

“Yes! Sleep well, Rosé.”

“I will.”

She pulled the duvet over Flitta’s neck and turned off the lamp beside the bed. The moonlight softly brushed over the face of the child who fell asleep quickly.

… Our baby.

Rosé carefully bent her waist toward Flitta. Her fingertips passed over the child’s hair and cheeks. But she couldn’t pat her own child at all.

Her hands could only freeze even with the yearning in her heart.

If only she had one chance to hold her own child in her arms.

(TN: I really love how Rosé is a very realistic character. Even though she deeply loves Flitta, she has to stop herself because she’s only a maid of her own child. Haa, the sadness this story giving me, phew)

If only she could kiss Flitta’s forehead and caress her soft cheek.

Her empty wind escaped through her small sigh. After her wry smile, she whispered very softly.

“Have a nice dream, princess.”

“Uh…”

As if answering, Flitta mumbled and rubbed her head on her pillow. Rosé looked at her and smiled at her, then straightened her back. She looked around the bedroom once more and moved her steps towards the door.

Rosé carefully opened the door so as not to wake up the sleeping child. Lamps on either side of the hallway cast shadows. It was no different from usual.

Except for one thing, someone else’s shadow overlaid on top of hers.

“….”

Rosé silently closed the door and turned around, then raised her head in surprise when she saw the shadow in her eyes. A large figure stood right in front of the door.