kscans

Chapter 21 - Your Castle's Little Person

"It’s gotten cold, hasn’t it."

Several months had passed since Chihiro's situation was decided.

The season had turned to winter, and the new year was approaching.

After detailed discussions, it was settled that Chihiro's official status would be that of an adopted daughter. To suddenly claim she was their biological child now would only expose the royal family's incompetence, and there was no benefit for Chihiro in it either. Since Chihiro’s appearance was completely that of a royal, it was impossible to hide that she carried royal blood, so it was decided she would be treated as a distant relative who had been overlooked due to misfortune. It was helpful that it wasn't a complete lie.

It’s all in how you put it, yep.

When she met the King and Queen again, they apologized deeply and promised to make arrangements for her to live without any hardships from now on. Strangely enough, even seeing the two people she had hated so much, Chihiro felt nothing. They had nothing to do with it. In other words, they were complete strangers. Unrelated. Though they were connected by blood, once she learned the full circumstances and understood that the root of all evil lay elsewhere, her stress-induced sickness stopped occurring. A child's body is a simple thing.

That being said, she didn't feel any sense of family toward them. They certainly resembled her, but even back when she was Fatimah, she had only interacted with them about once a month. Moreover, Chihiro had only a fragment of a memory of them.

Compared to Drago, who was her father in the here and now, there was no contest. After finishing a round of formal, ceremonial discussions, Chihiro lost interest in them.

As he saw the baron and his daughter off after they exchanged formal documents, the King was overcome with an indescribable sense of impatience.

The sight of the affectionate parent and child smiling at each other. The adorable little girl clinging to the baron, laughing cheerfully. That was something that should have been directed at him.

Grumbling under his breath, the King turned to his calm-faced younger brother.

"Can’t something be done?"

"What do you mean, something?"

"Like having Chihiro live in the palace, or bringing her closer to me!"

"If you’re too forceful, Chihiro will come to dislike you."

Romel stated flatly, looking at his brother, the King, with a weary expression.

"Don’t say it like it’s someone else’s problem. Do you have any idea what it feels like to let go of such an adorable daughter?"

"Please don’t suddenly claim ownership. You have never once held her. She said she wanted to be Drago’s daughter. That is why our incompetence doesn’t matter to her. ...Are you planning to dig that up again?"

The King hung his head, speechless.

The tragic events that had befallen her were not something that could be fixed with an apology. Drago had said she was in such a terrible state, on the verge of death, that it defied description. She could have easily died. In fact, Drago had been amazed that she was alive at all.

Chihiro was willing to let all of that go.

Because she was happy now. Without a single word of grudge or resentment, she had apparently said, thank you.

"Isn’t there something? Is there nothing I can do?"

"There is not. A foster parent has no authority whatsoever."

"She is my daughter, my own flesh and blood!"

"Nurture is said to be greater than nature. With all due respect, while she may look like Your Majesty, on the inside, she is just like Drago."

It was true. When Chihiro and Drago were together, he thought they looked very much alike. Their small mannerisms were identical. It made one think, ah, this is where she is happy. It made one readily accept that she was Drago’s daughter with a smile.

For a short while, the King, who had been looking down, looked up at Romel with the eyes of a puppy.

"Can’t you do something? Anything?"

I’m telling you, I can’t!!

While weary of the repeated, fruitless conversation, Romel was a long-suffering man who could not be cruel to his older brother.

"The New Year’s Banquet?"

Romel nodded at the tilting head of Chihiro.

"Though you are an adopted daughter, Chihiro, you are still His Majesty’s child. Since you haven't had your debut, you are exempt from the ball, but the entire royal family must be present for the banquet. It also serves as a birthday celebration for Prince Theodore and Princess Mirtishia. ......And yours as well, of course."

Smiling softly and gently, Romel’s hand stroked Chihiro’s head. Even with the title of princess, Romel hadn't changed at all. He used no honorifics, no formal language. He knew that Chihiro would not be pleased if he did. He treated her with the same natural ease as before.

I’m so grateful. I really am a lucky person, surrounded by people who understand me like this.

The Little Person couldn't help but be lost in deep emotion, but this incident became the spark that set those around her into strange motion.

"Um?"

".....Yes."

Before the stunned baron and his daughter lay a massive pile of packages. The beautifully wrapped items were all gifts for Chihiro. The majority were from the King, but there were a few mixed in from others.

"What is all this?"

"I don’t know, but shall we open them?"

For the time being, they separated the gifts from the King and those from others, and Chihiro and Drago opened the largest package. Instantly, they both stared wide-eyed. Inside was a lavish dress that was clearly expensive.

"Wow...."

The silk was a champagne gold that faded into a light blue. It was adorned with intricately woven white lace, a dress of pale, elegant finish.

Ah, this is that kind of era, isn’t it.

Chihiro’s face broke into a dry smile.

"This is jewelry. .....Won’t this break Chihiro’s neck?"

In Drago’s hand was a necklace lined with several large star sapphires. It was clearly for an adult. It was not a size that would fit Chihiro’s neck. There were also earrings, rings, and a wide variety of other accessories. The dresses were not all lavish, either. There were some simple ones that could be worn for everyday use. Though when royalty says simple, you can imagine what that means.

"Are all these clothes and accessories for me?"

Naya and the others, diligently opening boxes, replied with a wry smile.

"It would appear so."

"There seems to be no consistency in the types or sizes, it's a mess. But they are all women's accessories."

Sasha murmured with exasperation.

They hadn’t even opened half of the mountain of packages yet. The thought that all of this was jewelry made Chihiro feel dizzy. Moreover, the lack of consideration for size felt reminiscent of a modern-day father figure who thinks anything pretty and expensive will please a daughter, which deepened Chihiro’s sharp smile.

Drago, too, was rather dumbfounded.

"I don’t really get it, but well, let’s see what else there is."

The packages from people other than the King were smaller, and when opened, they were all birthday presents for Chihiro.

Each one had a card attached. From elegant script to faltering handwriting. Messages celebrating Chihiro’s birthday were written on them. It seemed they were from the members of the royal family.

"This one is... from Her Majesty the Queen."

When Chihiro peered in, she saw a handkerchief with beautiful embroidery. Perhaps it was made by the Queen’s own hand, a set of two with a dwarf and a fairy motif.

"It seems she has been watching you closely. A fine gift."

In contrast to the happy Drago, Chihiro was silent.

No, that means they’ve been monitoring my actions and life, right? It's creepy for someone I’ve barely met to be so knowledgeable about my tastes and preferences!

Lying in wait and stalking, things that became hit songs in the old days, are called stalking in modern times. Cross one generation, and pure love becomes perversion. For a girl of that generation, the Queen’s delicate consideration seemed to contain a suspicious motive.

The King and Queen were truly thankless.

"The dress... ah, this was from the King's brother. It was co-signed with the King, so I didn’t notice."

The champagne gold dress they had opened first was from Romel.

The size was perfect, and with a little adjustment, it would fit her exactly. As expected of Romel.

Drago was completely smitten by the sight of the changed Chihiro.

"It suits you so well, you look just like an angel. Alright, I’ll give you the accessories. Do you have a favorite stone or design? I’ll have the best made for you!!"

Wearing the dress co-signed by the King would fulfill his obligation. The rest was Drago’s right. The baron and his daughter began to prepare to go out, thinking no time like the present, while Naya and Sasha watched over them warmly.

And so, the day of the New Year's Banquet arrived.

The banquet was essentially a late lunch before the ball. Chihiro, having decided to have an early lunch, visited the kitchen, where a loud voice greeted her.

"Happy birthday, Chihiro-sama!"

Chihiro couldn't help but stare.

It was no longer the usual kitchen, but a party venue adorned with cute ribbons and flowers. The tables that usually held staff meals were laden with a feast, and in the center was an unmistakable birthday cake.

"A birthday cake? Amazing."

Adoris grinned widely at the surprised Chihiro.

"You mentioned it before, didn't you? That cakes are something you eat for celebrations like birthdays. We did our best. It's a birthday present from the kitchen♪"

The cooks gathered around the grinning Adoris and smiled broadly as well.

Come to think of it, she did remember saying that.

When she was making the Mont Blanc lookalike, they had asked her what a cake was, and she had given a rough explanation, saying there were many kinds, so it was hard to explain, but it was a sweet made by decorating a sponge base with cream or fruit. She remembered saying that a large whole cake was an indispensable part of a birthday.

They had remembered such a trivial comment.

The cake before her was not round. It was rectangular and a little firm because they had sliced a large baked pound cake and arranged the slices. The cream between the layers and on the surface was buttercream. As it was winter, fruit was scarce, and it was only decorated with sliced apples and dried fruit.

To a modern person from Earth, it might seem like a rather shabby cake. But to Chihiro, it was a cake so wonderful it seemed not of this world.

A gluttonous Japanese person's self-indulgent foray into sweet-making.

The culmination of that was here, and her body filled up with the feelings for Chihiro that were poured into it.

And on the cake was a single decorated cookie. Drawn on it were the words, Happy Birthday Chihiro-sama.

It was perfect. A perfect birthday cake.

Despite only giving them the rough details, the quality was this high. As expected of the court chefs.

"Thank you, everyone."

At Chihiro's single, heartfelt word, the cooks let out a cheer of joy.

"Come, come, let’s eat! Hey, cut the cake!"

"No, the meal comes first, right? Isn’t dessert last?"

"Don’t be so picky. The Little Person can only eat a little anyway, so it’s fine if the cake is first."

"Wait, wait, I worked hard to make udon, you know? Don’t just ignore it!"

The cooks, arguing this and that, dished out a little of each dish for Chihiro.

""""Please, eat up.""""

Nodding at the beaming smiles of the cooks, Chihiro celebrated her first birthday in this world.

Warmly celebrated by many people, it goes without saying that the first dish she tasted was the birthday cake.

The dish chosen to cleanse her sweet palate was, of course, the udon. The cook, weeping with joy, giving a thumbs up to the heavens was a charming sight.

There may be all sorts of chaos, but the Little Person is happy today.