[IHTTMBW] Chapter 35

His words were cold. I recalled when the King looked at me and called me useless. It seemed he had a particular talent for belittling his own children, much like Euphil’s talent for swordsmanship and knowledge.

This time, I tightly grasped Euphil’s hand. Although he looked at me indifferently, pretending not to care, he didn’t try to shake off my hand. In fact, he held mine even tighter. 

“That is something I’m unaware of. A waste of time, you say? That’s the furthest thing from what I do,” Gelbart replied. 

I inwardly admired him. To speak so nonchalantly—Gelbart wasn’t stopping there. From what I knew, his response was almost like an uppercut. 

“If anything, many of the things I’ve been asked to do so far have been a waste of time.” 

He was referring to the first and second princes. The King’s face twisted in fury as he spoke with a gentle smile. 

“Leave.” 

In the end, the order to leave was given. But Gelbart, who had taken us under his protection, remained steadfast in his place. 

“Is that permission?” 

The King’s face contorted even more. Asking again when he had given an order without explicitly denying permission was akin to granting it. 

Frankly, he had no grounds to refuse and couldn’t simply dismiss Gelbart Raize given his position. But Gelbart wasn’t satisfied with the implicit permission contained in the order to leave—he was determined to secure explicit approval. 

Euphil’s face stiffened. It seemed he was feeling tense in his own way. As for me, I was silently cheering for Grandfather, raising both hands in my mind. 

‘Go, Grandfather! You’re doing great, Gelbart Grandfather! Since you’re at it, give him an even bigger dose of humiliation!’ 

What Gelbart was doing to the King right now wasn’t just mocking him—it was almost delivering a final blow. 

The room fell into silence. The King remained silent, scowling. Then, the Minister of War audibly gulped, the sound echoing through the air. Embarrassed by how loud it was, he quickly cleared his throat. 

“...Do as you wish.” 

After a long silence, the King finally responded, barely hiding his displeasure. But there was nothing else he could do. 

Euphil’s eyes widened slightly at the words, “Do as you wish.” He hadn’t expected it to turn out this way. 

Seeing Euphil’s reaction, Gelbart added another remark, still maintaining his composed and respectful tone. 

“I trust that permission also includes replacing the tutor responsible for the prince’s education.” 

Grit. The sound of teeth grinding came from somewhere. The King was gnashing his teeth furiously. 

He snapped, “Do as you wish with that as well!” 

“Thank you.” 

Despite his outburst, his response was surprisingly submissive, which I found slightly amusing. 

I scanned the room, searching for nobles who were on our side. Some had smiled at me before, while others stared at our trio, mouths agape at our dazzling appearance. 

‘I’ll remember this.’ 

Because every single one of them could become a financial asset to me. 

Then, I motioned to Gelbart to let me down. He hesitated momentarily, then bent down to lower me to the ground. Seizing the moment, Euphil quickly struggled to get down as well. 

Finally, both of us stood on our own and faced the King. I slowly walked closer and met his gaze. 

The King’s cold eyes, which had been staring at me, wavered greatly when I smiled brightly at him. 

“Thank you! Myrthi really, really likes Euvil oppa!” 

Long, silver hair with a hint of pink, soft-looking rosy cheeks. My violet eyes blinked as I bowed my head in greeting. 

The King’s face twisted in disgust. 

‘Surely, I must be extremely cute?’ 

It seemed the King hated me far more than I had thought. 

Well, it didn’t matter. The supreme cuteness I had just displayed wasn’t meant for the King. At that moment, Euphil pulled me closer, his attitude clearly indicating that I shouldn’t bow to someone like that. However, those truly impressed by my gesture were the ones I had intended to win over—the nobles. 

“Haha. How old did you say the Princess was?” 

“I heard she’s five this year.” 

“Such impeccable manners and eloquence. Truly remarkable.” 

“Hahaha.” 

‘I know, you suckers.’ 

With a satisfied expression, I turned back to Gelbart, flashing him a bright and innocent smile. Gelbart looked at me with an amused glint in his eyes as if to say, “Look at this one.” However, he shook his head as if dismissing the thought that I could be anything but a child. 

‘I’ll remember everyone who praised me, just you wait. Hmph.’ 

It seemed the Duke and the Minister of Finance weren’t particularly opposed to me. 

The King interrupted with a cold remark as the compliments continued to pour in my direction.