“Melly, come to your aunt.”
For some reason, I felt like I absolutely had to go. I immediately reached out both arms toward her. Besides, my bottom was starting to ache from sitting on that hard desk.
My aunt picked me up and carried me over to the sofa before settling down. I obediently sat on her lap.
“That thing from earlier looked enormous, even at a glance. You'll rot the child's teeth.”
She said that—and then promptly stuffed a macaron into my mouth.
The logic seemed completely backwards, but who cared?
As long as it tasted good.
Macarons were the greatest.
Like a mother bird feeding her chick, my aunt diligently brought one macaron after another to my lips. Unlike Grandfather, she didn't smother me with cuddles or endless cooing.
Honestly...
If Aunt had started making those "there, there, who's the cutest?" noises like Grandfather did, I think that would have shocked me far more.
As I munched happily on the macarons, I listened to the conversation between Grandfather and Aunt.
It wasn't particularly exciting, but I was glad I had the chance. Historians had always wondered what conversations passed between the "Stubborn Emperor" and the "Ice Witch Empress."
Now I was hearing one firsthand.
“So,” Aunt asked, “what did the Empress say at the summer palace this year?”
“Oh, the same thing she says every year. That it's unwise to leave the Crown Prince's position vacant for so long.”
“And what are you planning to do, Father? Voltaire isn't fit to be Crown Prince. It may sound biased, but I've judged him as objectively as I can.”
She shrugged.
“I think so too. Even if Voltaire is the legitimate heir... Hmm.”
Grandfather glanced at me.
“No... never mind. As far as I'm concerned, Melly is the legitimate heir.”
“Huh?”
Aunt stared.
“Who did you just call the legitimate heir? And since when does your standard even make sense? If Melly's the legitimate heir, then what am I? Why are you skipping right over your own daughter and jumping straight to her?”
She frowned deeply.
“Melly! Our little Melly! This old man will make you Emperor someday!”
“Oh, really?”
Aunt laughed in disbelief.
“You're going to put this child on the throne? Mother and my brother must be absolutely thrilled in the afterlife.”
She folded her arms.
“And do you honestly think the Empress was telling you to put Melly on the throne when she brought up the succession? Is that the nonsense you think she meant?”
“Well... no, of course not. But calling it nonsense...”
Grandfather's eyes darted about helplessly while Aunt's gaze turned colder by the second.
“I guarantee you,” she said flatly, “if her precious son can't become Emperor, the Empress will kill Melly herself if she has to. She's more than capable of it.”
Grandfather immediately shut his mouth.
He pressed his lips together so tightly it was as if he'd never spoken at all.
“Ahem... even so, she's still your stepmother. That's a bit...”
“My stepmother?”
Aunt snorted.
“Who are you talking about? My mother died years ago.”
There weren't any attendants around, but for a conversation between an emperor and an imperial princess...
They were both astonishingly blunt.
“So what's your conclusion?” Grandfather asked. “You're not suggesting we hand the throne to Voltaire instead.”
“And what's your conclusion?”
She shot back without missing a beat.
“Give it to this little girl and let the nobles tear each other apart in a civil war? That's the perfect recipe for creating a puppet emperor!”
Neither of them seemed remotely concerned that I was sitting right there.
Then again...
What could a three-year-old possibly understand?
Or remember?
“Voltaire is out of the question,” Grandfather declared firmly.
“Empress Kiyen is vain, cunning, and selfish. Prince Voltaire is reckless, excessive in everything he does, and has no patience. Neither of them is suited to rule this empire.”
His voice left no room for argument.
“And if you appoint this tiny child as Crown Prince,” Aunt replied, tightening her arms around me, “the Empress will have Melly assassinated before she's even old enough to walk properly.”
She hugged me so tightly that my face disappeared into her chest.
She smelled faintly of roses.
Warm.
Comforting.
Soft.
“Kyaa!”
The squeak escaped before I could stop it.
Her arms trembled ever so slightly.
Grandfather looked over at me with eyes full of affection.
“Then we'll make sure that never happens.”
His voice was gentle.
But there was steel hidden beneath it.
“I'll see to it myself.”
“How?”
“Well... somehow.”
He waved a hand.
“However it has to be done.”
He sighed.
“I know exactly what kind of woman the Empress is. Back then, circumstances forced me to fill the vacant position quickly, and I admit I chose her in haste.”
He shook his head.
“But I will never allow a woman like that to become the Dowager Empress of this nation.”
He looked directly at Aunt.
“My decision is Melly.”
“It will not change.”
His words landed with absolute finality.
After a long silence, Aunt finally spoke.
“Father.”
She began cautiously.
Grandfather immediately avoided her gaze.
“Wait. Wait.”
He raised a finger.
“If you're about to argue against my decision, don't even start.”
“I'll argue later.”
She smiled sweetly.
“First, I'd like to ask you something.”
“What is it?”
“So...”
Her smile remained dazzling.
“You already knew what kind of woman the Empress was?”
For some reason...
That smile felt murderous.
Grandfather, blissfully unaware, grinned right back.
“Of course!”
He nodded proudly.
“This old man has an excellent eye for people.”
The moment he said those words...
Every instinct in my body screamed.
Grandpa, no.
That's not it.
I don't even know what it is, but THAT'S NOT IT!
I frantically shook my head.
No no no no no!
I was sweating cold sweat down my back.
Buried against Aunt's chest, I could hear her heartbeat pounding harder and harder.
She's going to explode.
Three...
Two...
One...
Boom.
“Father.”
Her smile never changed.
“Then why, exactly, did you sleep with that woman and produce Voltaire?”
...
That hit like a perfectly aimed sword thrust.
Thunk!
The imperial crown slipped right off Grandfather's head.
It bounced once against the floor before rolling away.
Thunk...
Rrrrroll...
The spacious office fell silent except for the echo of the crown rolling across the polished floor.
Grandfather stared at the fallen crown.
Then at Aunt.
Then back at the crown.
His eyes were wide.
Well...
What could he possibly say?
If I were him, I'd be speechless too.
Satisfied, Aunt pushed herself away from the desk.
She stood perfectly straight, though her eyes remained fixed on the crown lying on the floor.
“I understand your intentions now, Father.”
She took a deep breath.
Grandfather narrowed his eyes.
“Hm?”
“In that case...”
She looked directly at the crown.
“Please pass that crown on to me instead.”
BOOM.
That was how I learned why my aunt had become Emperor in my previous life.
The truth hidden behind the pages of history.
And, to my utter disbelief...
I was at the center of it all.
...
Seriously.
What even is my life?
Quite some time had passed since Grandfather returned from the hot spring palace.
The weather was bright and pleasant.
As usual, I was spending the day with him.
Even knowing that I would die in the future if nothing changed, there wasn't much a three-year-old could realistically accomplish.
Honestly...
Perhaps I should simply enjoy this second chance.
Stay by Grandfather's side until I was six or seven.
Make him laugh.
Filial piety wasn't such a bad way to spend my childhood.
With that in mind, I wholeheartedly entertained him.
Though Grandfather seemed convinced he was the one entertaining me.
I placed one of my game cards onto the table.
It was a strategic board game popular among the nobility.
Apparently it was so political that aristocrats often used it to teach their heirs about leadership and governance.
Of course...
Grandfather was letting me win every single move.
“Gwampa! This one! This one!”
“This one? You need this card?”
“Mhm!”
Pretending to be an ordinary toddler, I proudly revealed my entire hand.
Grandfather immediately played along, helping me match my cards.
“Yay! I won!”
I tossed my cards into the air and burst into delighted laughter.
Inside, however, I repeated to myself like a mantra—
I'm happy.
I'm so happy I beat Grandpa.
...How is this supposed to make me happy?
No! I am VERY, VERY, VERY HAPPY!
Apparently my acting paid off.
Grandfather laughed even louder than I did.
“Ho ho ho! Our little Melly even defeated this old man! You're such a clever child.”
Good grief.
Being a dutiful granddaughter was exhausting.
The head chamberlain, Count Maron, swept the scattered cards aside the moment the game ended.
“The three promised games are finished, Your Majesty.”
“As agreed, it's time to begin today's work.”
He placed a mountain of documents onto the desk.
“These are the Ministry of Finance reports that require Your Majesty's approval before the end of today.”
Thud!
The stack landed with enough force to sound like solid iron.
Grandfather picked up the first file and rapidly flipped through the pages.
“Why are there so many?”
“There have always been this many.”
While Grandfather worked, I sat nearby happily sucking on the elaborate palace-shaped candy sculpture I'd been given.
“Who's responsible for this report?”
Grandfather barked.
“Is his head just decoration? During the council meeting, did every word I said go in one ear and out the other? How do you listen to everything I say and still produce this garbage?”
Even while complaining, he carefully memorized the official's name.
“Let's see... this idiot?”
He clicked his tongue.
“He did the same thing last month. Every single time. His salary is a complete waste.”
So yes.
History had gotten it right.
Grandfather really was petty.
Stubborn.
And terrifyingly good at holding grudges.
Just then, a servant announced from outside.
“Your Majesty. His Highness the Prince requests an audience.”
“Let him enter.”
The door opened behind us.
The moment it did...
My entire body went cold.
My shoulders stiffened.
Sweat dampened my palms.
I didn't want to see him.
I knew this peaceful happiness couldn't last forever.
But deep down...
There was one face I had desperately hoped never to meet again.
My future.
My past.
The man who had become my greatest enemy.
The hatred I'd almost forgotten quietly raised its head once more.
Prince Voltaire entered.
He was eighteen years old.
Far younger than the thirty-three-year-old man I remembered.
No...
Not just younger.
He looked almost like a boy.
His cheeks were still full, and a few traces of adolescent acne dotted his face.
Though thanks to careful grooming, they were barely noticeable.
Like his mother, the Empress, he possessed striking crimson hair.
“Father!”
The instant permission was granted, he threw open the doors and strode inside.
Then he noticed me sitting atop the desk, playing cards.
He stopped in his tracks.
“Why is she here?”
...Uncle?
That sounded remarkably close to saying my mere presence offended you.
The hand clutching my candy tightened until it creaked.
Not that I liked seeing you either.
One day, when I became Emperor, I would expose your crimes and avenge Grandfather.
The problem was...
Right now, I had no proof.
Perhaps no proof even existed.
All I had was the confession he'd made in my previous life.
"It was me," he'd said.
"I killed him."
Those words echoed through my ears once more.
A chill ran down my spine.
My throat tightened.
Before I realized it, tears welled up in my eyes.
Seeing me on the verge of crying, Grandfather immediately lifted me off the desk and gathered me into his arms.
“Oh dear.”
He gently rocked me.
“The little one is shy around strangers.”
Rock...
Rock...
Wasn't I a little old to be called shy?
Apparently Grandfather disagreed.
He looked prepared to keep rocking me until I calmed down.
Voltaire, meanwhile, made no effort to hide his displeasure.
“Father!”
He spoke eagerly despite his sour expression.
“Is it true that you'll appoint the Crown Prince before summer arrives?”
Even if his face looked annoyed...
His voice practically shimmered with excitement.
“It isn't wise to leave the position vacant forever,” Grandfather replied. “So yes, that is likely. Why do you ask?”
“Why?”
Voltaire smiled.
“Because I'll need time to prepare for the move.”
“The move?”
Grandfather and I looked at him at the exact same time.
