Chapter 7

“Wait a moment. Then the reason why you and I don’t make her uncomfortable is, Your Highness…”

“Probably because you’re not kind.”

“Wow, me? Me? I can understand you, Your Highness, but me?”

“You mentioned you have a nephew, didn’t you? Make sure to maintain your current attitude.”

“This is so unfair…”

Then Jehel, with the signed documents slung over her shoulder, chuckled softly.

“By the way, now that I think about it, everything really does feel the same. Even the way she talks. Her personality too.”

“There probably wasn’t anyone else in the Mage Tower for her to observe and learn from.”

“That… wasn’t there that man? The one who caused a stir as the Master of the Mage Tower’s only disciple? Didn’t he live in the Mage Tower with her?”

“…”

“Every time I bring him up, Your Highness, you clam up. Wait a moment—could it be, is he Kanna’s biological father—?”

“Jehel. Do you have more to say?”

“…No, Your Highness.”

Jehel, who had just firmly stepped on her superior’s landmine, turned away with a grimace, wrinkling her nose in discomfort. At that moment, a knock was heard.

“Your Highness, someone has arrived from the Princess’s Palace.”

“Let them in.”

A chamberlain entered and bowed toward Michael.

“Her Highness, the Princess, urgently requests to see you.”

“Aunt?”

Michael sighed and got up.

Nadia, the Emperor’s second daughter and Michael’s aunt, was, to put it simply, an eccentric oddball.

It was better to go when summoned to avoid future complications.

Michael rubbed his face dry and followed the chamberlain to the Princess’s Palace.

***

Kanis leaned her chin on her hand, staring absentmindedly out the window.

For some reason, she felt listless today.

A servant clearing the dishes beside her cautiously asked, 

“Will you visit His Highness later?”

“What? Why?”

Kanis looked genuinely puzzled as to why she should, and the servant gave an ambiguous smile.

From the servant’s perspective, Kanis’s low spirits were due to Michael’s absence.

Having apparently accumulated a backlog of work from his impromptu “playtime” with Kanis, Michael had been holed up in his study since morning.

For the first time in days, Kanis ate alone at the spacious dining table, and the comfort was indescribable.

It was so peaceful, with no unnecessary shouting or stress.

Kanis, who had been lounging like laundry hung out to dry on a windowsill, suddenly noticed her coat and sprang to her feet.

“I need to go to Michael.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

The servant tried to suppress an “I knew it” expression, but Kanis was already striding away, throwing the door open.

To explain, Kanis had come up with a brilliant idea upon noticing a loose button on her coat.

No matter how peculiar Michael’s sense of humor was—like when she had lain down in the hallway and refused to move, and he had cheerfully brought her a pillow, blanket, canopy, and a card game set before bidding her goodnight; or when she’d demanded a piggyback ride, and he’d carried her around all day, even into an internal council meeting—she still had doubts about whether this was truly a good idea.

That day, Kanis had endured every possible humiliation the world could throw at her.

But this time, she might finally see Michael in an awkward situation.

She was even prepared to tease him mercilessly if he pricked his finger while clumsily sewing.

If that didn’t work, she’d head to the library and borrow a humor book titled “The World’s Best Insults” or something along those lines.

Kanis’s pace quickened.

The loose button on her coat dangled precariously.

A servant, startled by the unusual speed of a six-year-old, hurried after her.

Reaching the end of the hallway, Kanis deftly slowed her pace and rounded the corner.

There, she saw Michael.

He was walking toward the stairs, talking to someone.

Kanis waved her hand.

“Hey! I’ve got something to say!”

The conversation between the two immediately stopped.

Kanis’s footsteps also came to a halt.

Michael turned his body toward Kanis, raising his eyebrows in mild surprise.

“What’s this? You came looking for me? I’m curious what you have to say.”

The unfamiliar figure also smiled gently at Kanis.

With both pairs of eyes fixed on her, Kanis suddenly found herself at a loss for words.

“Uh… Well, it’s…”

“Well, what is it?”

Michael took a step closer.

“Is something wrong?”

“Huh? Nothing’s wrong.”

Kanis took a step back as she answered, and Michael knelt before her.

“What’s the matter?”

“What do you mean?”

…Would you, in this situation, be able to take off your coat and ask someone to sew on a button?

Kanis avoided eye contact, feigning ignorance.

Judging by his appearance, Michael seemed to be heading somewhere for work.

That guy was perfectly capable of handling his duties while wandering around, yet he’d been completely absorbed in a mere wager she’d proposed.

It was too embarrassing to even talk about. Not that she had any close friends left to share it with.

Michael, on the other hand, seemed to be thinking about something as he studied Kanis with a serious expression.

“Kanna. Should we go somewhere quiet to talk?”

“…We’ll talk at dinner.”

“Kanna.”

“It’s my nap time now.”

Kanis barely managed to suppress her embarrassment as she responded. Though Michael looked dissatisfied, he stood up.

“Alright. I’ll see you at dinner then.”

As Michael habitually reached out to pat her head, Kanis instinctively turned her head to avoid it.

“…”

“…”

Michael’s hand hovered briefly in the air before he pulled it back without a word and walked away.

Only after he left did Kanis shake her head and sigh.

Had my dignity as the Master of the Mage Tower vanished along with my adult body?

Since when had I been so interested in other people?

Kanis trudged back to her room. She needed to resolve this quickly and return to the Mage Tower.

“Kanna, you must be upset because you can’t play with His Highness every day, right?”

A servant cautiously approached her.

“Huh? Not at all.”

“His Highness is just busy right now. If you wait a little longer… Oh, Kanna!”

Kanis’s pace began to quicken.

Though her stride was no match for an adult’s, making it easy to catch up, this was a matter of pride.

Recently, Kanis had taken to sprinting, mostly to escape from servants.

What could she do? She couldn’t use magic in front of people, nor was her body in a state to use it…

Sometimes, she just didn’t know what to say.

***

Michael entered a dimly lit room in the middle of the day as if it were familiar.

Rare and valuable ancient books were scattered haphazardly, and magical symbols, drawn in chalk for research purposes, covered the floors and walls. It was anything but a normal princess’s quarters.

Sensing his presence, a woman peeked out from an inner room, grinning when she saw him.

“So, you’ve become a father? Congratulations.”

“…Aunt.”

“Sit anywhere.”

Princess Nadia leaned her staff against the wall and limped over to a sofa, plopping down.

Her thin, wrinkled face gave off a sharp and firm impression, and her long, unkempt hair draped over her back.

“You summoned me for—”

“That kid isn’t yours, is she?”

“…”

Michael’s face hardened as Nadia smirked and placed a pipe in her mouth.

“That’s not why I called you. I just wanted to check your complexion.”

“My complexion?”

“Yes. You look tired, but otherwise fine. Still as handsome as ever.”

Nadia, known for her eccentricities, wasn’t the type to inquire about someone’s well-being, even if they were family.

Sure enough, she exhaled a puff of smoke and revealed her true intentions.

“The Master of the Mage Tower isn’t dead, right? If she were, you wouldn’t look this composed.”

“…”

“She’s probably missing. Any guesses why? Is she dying?”

“Aunt. Please watch your words.”

“Why? I’m not exactly thrilled about the Mage Tower Master’s death either. Unlike your grandfather.”

“Must you refer to His Majesty so distantly?”

“He doesn’t treat me like his daughter, so what can I do?”

“…”

“The Master of the Mage Tower may be everyone’s hero, but do you think she hasn’t made any enemies in 300 years? She’s the perfect target for people to project their misfortunes onto.”

“Like His Majesty and you?”

Nadia’s eyes narrowed momentarily but soon returned to normal.

“Knowing that, you brought the Mage Tower Master’s child to the palace?”

“Kanna knows nothing.”

“Do you think that will remain the case? What if the Mage Tower Master never returns?”

“She is my child.”

Michael looked directly at Nadia.

“I have no intention of changing my mind.”