The moment some of the nobles raised their heads, they tilted them in confusion at the sight of me nestled in Great-Grandfather's arms.
As Great-Grandfather strode across the vast audience hall toward the Dragon Throne, they quietly whispered among themselves.
"His Highness..."
"Why would he...?"
The murmuring ceased the instant Great-Grandfather sat upon the throne.
From my seat on his lap, the imperial audience hall seemed impossibly long and wide.
Soon, Great-Grandfather spoke.
"Today, I intend to make an important decision."
Everyone already knew what decision the Emperor was about to announce. Voltaire had been so excited that he had spread the news everywhere. There was no way anyone could be unaware of it. The Empress had undoubtedly rallied her own supporters through her family as well.
"We cannot leave the position of Crown Prince vacant forever. What do you all think?"
His tone practically screamed:
Say yes.
The answer has already been decided.
Give the wrong answer, and you'll lose your head.
The nobles immediately bowed toward the throne.
"Your Majesty speaks wisely!"
"So then," Great-Grandfather continued, "I've been wondering who should sit upon the Crown Prince's seat. What are your thoughts?"
Even though he had already decided on Aunt Aeonel, he deliberately asked anyway.
At that moment, someone from the middle of the assembly spoke.
"After all, isn't Prince Voltaire the only prince left in the Imperial Family?"
The instant those words were spoken, I felt killing intent pouring down from above.
I looked up.
From beneath Great-Grandfather's sharp jawline, his gaze descended upon the speaker.
Obsession.
Madness.
I could read both clearly in his eyes.
You dare become the very first person to voice an opinion completely opposite to mine?
You're dead.
"The rightful heir of the Imperial Family is Aeonel."
The Emperor's declaration sent ripples through the gathered nobles.
"But... Your Majesty... Princess Aeonel is not a prince..."
"So?"
"Your Majesty! Never in the Empire's history has a princess ascended the throne as Emperor! We beg Your Majesty to reconsider!"
"Oh? Is that so?"
Great-Grandfather grinned broadly.
"Then our Aeonel will simply become the first! Why, that means she'll go down in history forever! Hahaha!"
As the Emperor laughed heartily, Marquis Cherrier—the father of the current Empress Kien and Voltaire's maternal grandfather—looked as though he had just bitten into something foul.
The audience hall erupted into noisy discussion.
Then, as if by strange coincidence, the room suddenly fell silent.
It was one of those odd moments everyone experiences.
One second, everyone is talking at once.
The next, for no apparent reason, absolute silence descends.
Commoners joked that it happened because a fairy had shouted at everyone to be quiet.
This was exactly one of those moments.
Because of that silence, a voice that should have been drowned out instead rang clearly through the entire hall.
"So you're really going to put a barren woman on the throne?"
The nobles instantly began exchanging nervous glances.
Whoever had said that was finished.
If they were identified, death was certain.
Everyone clamped their mouths shut and carefully looked around, silently insisting that it hadn't been them.
"Who said that? Which bastard was it?"
Great-Grandfather leapt to his feet and pointed furiously toward where the voice had come from.
In the confusion, I was promptly transferred into the arms of the attendant standing beside him, and I could only stare blankly at the scene unfolding before me.
Veins bulged across Great-Grandfather's neck.
"You insolent wretch! How dare you insult a member of the Imperial Family! Seize him immediately!"
"Y-Your Majesty! Mercy! Please! Your Majestyyyy!"
Only after confirming that the unfortunate noble had been dragged away did Great-Grandfather finally sit back down, still fuming.
The attendant hurriedly returned me to his arms.
And so, once again, I spent the day being happily cuddled by Great-Grandfather.
For several days, the audience hall meetings continued without end.
Every morning at the same hour, I accompanied Great-Grandfather to court.
Only after Aunt Aeonel finally scolded him—asking what on earth he hoped to teach a baby who wouldn't even remember any of this by dragging me into court every single day—did he finally grant me my freedom.
Not that I minded much.
The meetings had become unbearably repetitive.
Great-Grandfather would conduct the discussions as though everyone's answer had already been decided.
Duke Kroizen would logically support every single one of the Emperor's opinions.
Meanwhile, Marquis Cherrier's faction desperately tried to change the Emperor's mind.
The same argument.
Every day.
Endlessly repeated.
Regardless, Aunt Aeonel was destined to become Crown Prince.
There was nothing I could do.
Nor was there any reason for me to interfere.
As long as I quietly stayed out of things, the future wouldn't change.
So shouldn't I simply act like the child I appeared to be?
Eat well.
Sleep well.
Grow well.
Besides, this carefree life of eating, playing, and lounging around would end in just a few years once etiquette, history, politics, and countless other lessons began.
Until Aunt became Emperor...
I was determined to fully enjoy the luxurious imperial life I had never been able to experience in my previous life.
With the weather finally turning warm, I decided to take an outing to the Grand Southern Garden of the Imperial Palace.
"Nanny... outside. L-Let's go."
"Shall we? It's such a lovely day. We'll bring something delicious and go for a little picnic."
I immediately jumped to my feet.
After wriggling into my loose, comfortable outing clothes, I hurried out of my room.
Nanny, Jeanne, and the maids all followed behind me in a crowd.
I toddled outside, crossed the little garden surrounding my palace residence, passed through several gates and flower gardens...
...and finally arrived at the Imperial Palace's grand garden.
Fresh green leaves had just begun sprouting from the trees.
Colorful spring flowers were blooming everywhere.
The entire garden felt fresh and alive.
Scattered throughout were elegant tea tables hidden among the flowers like little secret gardens.
Looking into the distance, I could see the First Southern Gate.
From there, nobles and government officials continuously entered the palace one after another.
Perfect atmosphere.
Perfect scenery.
I settled into a tea table bathed in warm sunlight.
Maybe I'll photosynthesize for a while... then enjoy a nice long nap.
The very moment I thought that—
Nanny cheerfully clapped her hands.
"Come now! Children have to run around and play if they want to grow big and strong!"
"..."
Um...
Mentally, I'm already eighteen...
I don't want to run around laughing, sweating buckets, and gasping for breath!
This isn't the outing I imagined!
Completely oblivious to my inner despair, Nanny crouched down with a bright smile until we were eye level.
"What shall we play? Tag? Shall we chase our little princess around?"
N-No!
Absolutely not!
I vigorously shook my head.
"Hmm... Then perhaps I'll be the one running away?"
That's not what I meant!
Whether I'm chasing or being chased, I hate running!
But judging from the determined gleam in her eyes, she had already decided that somehow—no matter what—it was her mission to make me run.
Ah...
So much for the relaxing baby life.
Life was truly difficult.
Nanny always said that raising children required stamina.
Looking at her now...
I somehow felt like I was the one who needed to build enough stamina just to survive being raised.
Desperate to escape this terrible fate, I squeezed my temples and spun my brain at full speed.
Think!
A game that barely requires moving... but still looks active enough to satisfy Nanny.
She'd be happy.
I'd be comfortable.
That was the only path to survival.
Then suddenly—
An idea flashed through my head.
"Hide-and-seek!"
Of course, from everyone else's perspective, what kind of hiding place could a tiny child like me possibly find?
Nanny would probably pretend to search for a while before "finding" me, then make me run off to hide again.
Too bad.
I had absolutely no intention of getting caught that easily.
Kuhuhu...
I'm a genius.
Sure enough, Nanny eagerly bit the bait.
"Would you like to play hide-and-seek?"
She cooed affectionately.
Afraid she might change her mind, I nodded as quickly as possible.
"Then I'll hide! I'm really good at hiding!"
Grinning sweetly, I immediately scampered away.
Behind me, Nanny turned around and loudly began counting.
Jeanne's eyes followed me the entire time.
Seeing both Jeanne and the maids preparing to trail after me, I adopted the sternest voice a three-year-old could manage.
"Don't follow me!"
I ran just far enough that Jeanne wouldn't panic...
...but far enough that Nanny would have a difficult time finding me.
Soon I slipped into a terrace with a tea table in its center.
They'd surely assume I was hiding beneath the tablecloth like any ordinary child.
Smirking to myself, I quietly crawled into the flower bed on the opposite side of the terrace.
My outing clothes became covered with dirt and leaves.
I didn't care.
Pushing through the bushes, I climbed out the other side.
Another spacious garden opened before me.
From here, I had a perfect view of everyone entering the palace.
Excellent.
I'd simply lie here, enjoy the warm morning sunshine...
...and emerge just before Nanny and the maids started seriously worrying.
Just as I settled into the perfect blind spot—
Something suddenly seized my ankle.
Hard.
Wait... what?
Already?
"Uwaaah! N-Nannyyy!"
I flipped over in shock, desperately grabbing fistfuls of grass.
But something felt wrong.
The hand gripping my ankle didn't feel like Nanny's at all.
It was much rougher.
Much stronger.
As I struggled, that hand simply dragged me straight out of the flower bed.
My skirt flipped over my legs as I was pulled helplessly across the ground.
What kind of disaster was this?!
I'm the Emperor's beloved great-granddaughter!
Great-Grandfather dotes on me more than anyone!
So what on earth—
"Waaaaah!"
Just as I screamed, an unfamiliar woman's frantic voice rang out.
"M-Miss! You mustn't! Please don't—"
"She looked at me earlier but didn't greet me!"
By the time I was dragged onto the pathway, I could only lie there in stunned disbelief.
A blade of grass floated gently off my forehead.
Everything had happened so suddenly that I still couldn't process it.
Slowly, I climbed to my feet.
I must have looked absolutely miserable.
Nanny and the maids were going to have heart attacks when they saw me.
Maybe...
Maybe I should just burst into tears.
If I cried, Great-Grandfather definitely wouldn't let this slide.
It was the sort of thought only a child my age could have.
If I couldn't shamelessly weaponize tears now, when would I ever get another chance?
Unfortunately...
I was so dumbfounded that I couldn't even fake a sob.
Instead, I turned around to see the face of the rude culprit.
The instant I did—
My breath caught.
Brilliant scarlet-red curls.
Matching crimson eyes.
The unmistakable colors of House Cherrier.
I knew exactly who she was.
Mintia de Cherrier.
In the future, she would grow into a woman who looked almost identical to her aunt, Empress Kien, and would dominate high society as the Empress's representative.
People called her "the Marquis's daughter" far more often than they ever used her given name.
Partly because she possessed overwhelming pride in her family.
Partly because no noble girl of her generation held greater influence than she did.
There were no daughters in any of the Empire's ducal families, so she naturally occupied the highest position among noble ladies.
Being the Empress's niece certainly helped.
She was two years older than me.
Five years old this year.
I hadn't realized it before my regression, but seeing her now...
She looked enormous.
The difference between three and five years old was much bigger than I'd expected.
The five-year-old glared down at me, planting both hands firmly on her hips.
Then she suddenly shouted,
"You shameless girl!"
...What an impressively shrill voice.
Behind her, the maid's face turned deathly pale.
"M-Miss! Do you have any idea who this is before speaking like—"
Ignoring her maid completely, Mintia frowned.
"Hmph! Greet me properly. I am Mintia Cherrier of House Cherrier! Her Majesty the Empress's..."
She trailed off.
The maid quickly leaned over and whispered into her ear.
"...Niece, Miss."
Even while whispering, the maid anxiously looked all around, seemingly trying to determine which noble family I belonged to and where my attendants had gone.
"Oh! Right!"
Mintia puffed out her chest proudly.
"I'm Her Majesty the Empress's niece!"
