The maid came from the family of a fallen aristocrat, and the knight next to her was born from the commoners. The people next to the monstrous Crown Prince, were, as expected, trash of poor quality.

Gilbert couldn’t believe this inferior maid had admonished him!

“How dare you, a mere maid, speak in the presence of the Crown Princess’s father?”

Gilbert lashed out at Melissa.

He needed to educate not only Ancia but also the arrogant servants and knights around her.

Suddenly, Ancia snapped coldly, “Don’t talk recklessly to my people.”

“What?!”

“If you’re just going to be a bully, then you may leave.”

“You bitch! I am the one who let you become the Crown Princess!”

Count Bellacian raised his hand high, but Ancia didn’t even blink.

“Have you heard of the Marquis Hamel incident?”

Gilbert was forced to pause for a moment.

Ancia didn’t call him ‘father.’ She addressed him as if he was a stranger.

Didn’t the Marquis of Hamel have his wrist cut and lose his title because he tried to slap Ancia?

She was warning Gilbert right now.

Gilbert’s hand slid down. Ancia had changed. She was no longer the gloomy child that was starved for his affection.

The foolish girl who longed for her father’s affection had disappeared, and now, she had become the Crown Princess that was before his eyes.

“An-Ancia, I got a little excited and made a mistake. But do you have to be so cold to your father?”

Gilbert smiled obsequiously and tried to patch things up, but Ancia ruthlessly rejected him.

“Get out of here right now! Don’t ever come near the Crown Prince’s Palace again. I’ll let things slide today, but I won’t forgive you if it happens again!”

“Ancia!”

But he couldn’t leave just because Ancia was throwing him out. If he went back now, the opportunity to make Diana the Empress would disappear.

“Ancia!”

Gilbert tried to resist, but in the end, Edon dragged him away.

***

I met Count Bellacian. It was the same man I saw in my dream.

[You need to be useful to the family. If you received gifts, you should’ve sent them to your family. You’re so selfish!]

He came to see me in person after sending me such letters, so I wondered if there was anything important. But it was all nonsense until the end.

Word about the Emperor doting on me had been circulating these days, so he was just trying to intimidate me into getting his way.

What a scumbag.

Even after getting kicked out, the Count kept sending letters. None of them were worth reading, so I didn’t even open them up anymore.

Besides, I didn’t have time to worry about the Bellacian family’s problems now.

I had to participate in the Sealing Festival as the Crown Princess.

I was very busy with learning about the etiquette of the ball and preparing for the party. The biggest problem was dancing.

I had never danced before. I did dance once before, when I was in elementary school, but it couldn’t be considered as a proper dance.

“Your Highness, the right foot!”

“Ah!”

Right off the bat, my first move was wrong. The smile disappeared from the face of Countess Chardin who was teaching me the dance.

Countess Chardin was known for her gentle character, but at the moment, she seemed to have reached her limit.

I had been struggling with the intro for ten days now, so it was already impressive that she had endured this far.

“I’m sorry…”

“No, you can do it!”

Countess Chardin took a deep breath and smiled. 

“Come, put your legs together, right foot and left foot.”

Good! You’re doing great. Now, turn!”

“Ah!”

At that moment, I fell to the floor. My legs had tangled up so I lost my balance.

“Ancia!”

“Your Highness, are you okay?”

“Oh my, Your Highness!”

“Meow!”

Blake, Countess Chardin, Melissa, and the black cat all quickly surrounded me. 

I was grateful for their concern, but right now, I was so embarrassed…

“I-I’m okay.”

I jumped to my feet, waving my hands.

“Your Highness, let’s stop here for today.”

“Yes, I think that would be good.”

Today, the dance practice ended without much success.

***

“Kitty, come here.”

I went into the room and called the black cat over. The black cat came to me and ran around me in circles.

“Meow.”

When I called, the cat crept in and hugged me. I had never seen a cat like this before. He was gentle and charming, so pretty.

I rubbed the kitty’s hair. I didn’t give it a name because it looked like it already had an owner.

“Did you see me fall today, kitty?”

“Meow.”

The kitty nodded. No matter how I looked at it, this kitty was brilliant.

Hans said it seemed like the Palace’s mage had raised this cat. He must’ve been right.

“I guess I’m not good at dancing.”

“Meow.”

“No?”

“Meow!”

“Can you dance as well?”

“Meow!”

The kitty nodded vigorously. I didn’t know if it really understood, or if I was just interpreting what it said as I pleased.

“Since kitty supported this older sister, I’ll give you Sungnyung.”

As Blake said, the cat was indeed a male, and so I corrected my title from Unnie to Nuna.*

*TL note : Unnie and noona meant the same thing, older sister. But unnie addresses an ‘older sister’ of a female speaker. And nuna addresses an ‘older sister’ of a male speaker.

“Meow, Meow!”

The cat was strangely fond of Sungnyung.

I didn’t know why, but when I checked its gender, the kitty seemed to be very embarrassed. However, he calmed down when I gave him the Sungnyung.

I carried the kitty outside.

“Melissa, please bring me some Sungnyung.”

“I’ve already prepared it in advance.”

Melissa laid the Sungnyung on the floor. Then, the kitty went down from my arms and began to eat the Sungnyung.

“Eat slowly.”

I smiled as I watched the little cat. Then, Blake came inside.

After Blake declared that he’d get abs, he began to learn swordsmanship from Edon.

“Your Highness, have you learned a lot?”

“Yeah. He hasn’t left yet?”

Blake glared at the kitty as soon as he saw it.

“Your Highness, why are you doing this to the kitty? You have to love animals too.

Blake trudged along and looked at the kitty.

“I don’t like it .”

“Your Highness, you can’t do that.”

“But it doesn’t look like a real animal.”

“Pardon?”

What did he mean by ‘It doesn’t look like a real animal’? I was puzzled by his words, while the kitty, who was eating the Sungnyung, flinched.

“Somehow, I feel strange when I see it.”

Blake reached for the kitty. But the kitty dodged his hand and disappeared out of the window.

“Meow!”

I tried to go after the kitty, but Blake grabbed me by the wrist.

“Don’t chase him.”

“Your Highness.”

“Why do you keep paying attention to other males?”

Blake pouted his lips and I laughed.

“It’s a cat.”

“I still don’t like it. It’s a male.”

He looked up at me. A male? A little question rose in my head, and Blake put his hands above his head, imitating the shape of rabbit ears.

“You don’t like rabbits anymore?”

“No!”

“Do you like cats? Meow?”

“I’d love it more if it was my husband instead of an animal!”

He was already so pretty and cute. How great it would be if he grew up. If the curse was lifted, he’d capture the hearts of all the women in the Empire.

“Hehehe.”

“Your Highness, could you do me a favor?”

“Yes!”

He nodded at once.

“Why would you answer so easily? What if I ask you for a weird favor?”

“I don’t care. I can do whatever my wife asks for.”

He was only eight years old, but he was still such a reliable husband.

“Then help me practice dancing!”

“Dancing?”

“Yes, I don’t think I should do it alone. I need a partner!”

“I don’t know much about dancing either…”

“It’s okay if you can’t dance.”

I took his hand and pulled him along with me to the hall on the third floor. This was where I usually practiced dancing.

“Wouldn’t it be better to practice with Edon than me? He’s about the same height as His Majesty.”

I was supposed to have my first dance with the Emperor at the ball.

The ball would be held to commemorate the Emperor sealing the Door of Darkness.

I was supposed to attend with the Emperor in place of the Crown Prince, because Blake was the Heir to the Curse so couldn’t go to the ball.

Blake showed no sign of sadness about it. 

I would’ve felt a little better if he threw a tantrum because he wanted to attend the ball, like a normal eight-year-old child.

“I want my first dance to be with you.”

Although it was just a small hall instead of the ballroom, I wanted my first dance to be with Blake.

“Ancia…”