[IHTTMBW] Chapter 40

The King would often frown whenever he looked into his eyes.  

Even though I had no idea why, I would instinctively shrink back whenever his gaze pierced through me.  

And when I did, a worried yet tender expression from Euphil would follow.  

Even his touch, wrapping around my shoulders, felt like a gentle embrace.  

‘There’s nothing to fear, yet it feels dangerous.’  

I couldn’t help but wonder what he would be like at nineteen when he became an adult and, eventually, a true grown-up. Of course, I would have to completely charm him before that.  

As I snuggled into Euphil’s embrace, he flinched. Then, with a transparent expression, he pushed my forehead away.  

“Don’t hug me.”  

“Why not?”  

“I didn’t say you could hug me while I sleep.”  

That was the same thing.  

I grumbled a bit, following his words, and hugged the teddy bear he had given me. Then, I snuggled under the blanket and listened to the stories he told.  

“As Alitas built a temple, the laws of the temple required kneeling under it...”  

“Hmph, hmm.”  

It was an epic.  

He seemed determined not to let me go to the Academy until the end.  

“I don’t want to go to the Academy. Read me a fairy tale, Euphil.”  

"Brother."  

"Yes, Euvil, oppa."  

Only then did Euphil narrow his eyes slightly.  

His face showed satisfaction. It was like a small beast capturing a mouse, and I couldn’t help but chuckle at his expression.  

Then he took out a fairy tale book and began to read.  

“This is the last time.”  

He didn’t forget to threaten me.  

“Once upon a time, there was a farmer who lived...”  

However, he didn’t know that, thanks to the characters yet to appear, this nap time would continue for the foreseeable future.  

All because of my fiancé.

⋆⋅☆⋅⋆

The garden was tinged with a light green hue due to the leaves turning green again.  Although my garden hadn’t been well-maintained initially, its original beauty began to emerge as it gradually received care.   

Red flowers arranged in squares adorned the garden block by block, with lighter-toned pink roses climbing up the trees that formed a fence.   

Passing through the area of white flowers, I noticed a spot where purple petals cascaded down—a place I liked the most. Perhaps the gardener said it resembled me, so they planted it there.   

Of course, when they said they would take care of my garden, I eagerly followed the gardener around, practically mesmerising them with my enthusiasm. I had one promise—a promise I made with my fiancé, Allenan.   

“Princess! Please try on this dress today!”   

The dress that Orzette handed me was made of blue satin with slightly puffed shoulders.   

“It will go perfectly with your silver hair, Princess. Today is the day you meet your fiancé, Prince Allenan, so you must dress beautifully.”   

“Do I really have to?”  

“Of course, of course. You need to completely captivate the prince!”   

It wasn’t something you would usually say to a ten-year-old, but it was sound advice. 

My motto was to charm everyone I met at least once. Building connections and increasing my social network was my ultimate goal.   

What happens when your network expands? Your social power increases and your chances of survival improve.   

These days, I had the freedom to wander around the palace as I pleased. Whenever the King appeared nearby, the maids who adored me would catch on instantly and guide me in this or that direction, like a maid-driven navigation system.   

‘Yes! When Euphil tries to kill me, make sure to do the same thing!’   

It was nothing short of perfect.   

The maids were especially moved by the fact that a princess would approach them first and treat them like people.   

After all, to the high-ranking figures within the palace, the maids were probably seen as nothing more than accessories or mere background.   

But I was also an abandoned princess. How was I any different from the maids? Orzette sometimes told me I needed to maintain my dignity, but deep down, I knew she was grateful.   

When the maids first met me, they were flustered, but as soon as I handed them a hidden macaron and blinked my eyes, they blushed. Of course, it was the combination of my cuteness and their emotions that made their faces flush.   

“How do I look? Am I pretty?” 

After putting on a clip-on earring with a silver jewel that sparkled instead of actual earrings, my silver hair glistened as if it were a jewel itself.   

Orzette and another maid, Ante, nodded enthusiastically.   

“Of course! Our Princess Myrthi is truly the most beautiful Princess in the world. Even the First Princess couldn’t compare to this beauty.”   

“Hehehe, I really like it.”   

“Oh my, indeed. Princess, you look lovely. Ohohoho.”   “Princess, what about me? How do I look?” 

“I like Ante too! Myrthi loves all of Myrthi’s friends!” 

The words I once said about my family being the guards and maids weren’t just said for the sake of it.   

As I was laughing and chatting with the maids, my outfit was nearly complete… Ahem. It may be a bit presumptuous to say this myself, but I could see why there were rumours of an angel living in the palace. 

Even at five years old, I was astonishingly beautiful, but now at ten, my beauty had become so striking that it could be said to outshine the mythical goddesses. 

When I looked in the mirror, a silver-haired girl was staring back at me. Each time her thick silver eyelashes fluttered, the violet eyes beneath them gazed back at me with a look full of curiosity and kindness.