Chapter 22
writer:Kim Ro Ah      update:2022-08-17 15:33
  "I’m here to celebrate your birthday by myself."1

  "Why all of a sudden……"

  I’m pretending to be close.

  But I couldn’t say that, so I looked up at my grandfather.

  Did my grandfather call him?

  But the surprise seemed to be the same with my grandfather.

  "It’s pretty amazing that the Prince came to this place."

  The last time there was a commotion and the last time he left this mansion, Astana went back with all sorts of mischief as if he would never step in again.

  But you come to my birthday party with a smile like that.

  Considering that the first Prince is only twelve years old this year, he is not an average child.1

  Maybe Astana won’t melt more than I thought.

  "I went back to the palace that day, and I got scolded by my mother a lot. Today, again, as a sign of apology, she directly gave a birthday present to Florentia and told me to come."

  I expected it to be what the Empress had to do, but it was still surprising.

  If it’s her own son who dies and can’t live with, presses the Prince’s pride and apologizes.

  It is also open in front of so many nobles.

  I wouldn’t have known that so many people would be attending my birthday party if the Empress had a tight grip on the social circle.

  "I see."

  Grandpa didn’t say anything long.

  But I could.

  Last time, he looked at the Prince as a very annoying and spoiled puppy, and my grandfather’s eyes were alert.

  "Happy birthday, Florentia."

  Astana said so, he put out the little jewelry box he was holding.

  It was a black box about the size of two of my palms combined.

  Oh, I don’t want to receive it.

  Doesn’t it have a bomb or something in it?

  I want to check it before opening it.

  Apart from all this and that, I don’t want to receive the goods given by the Prince.

  However, since everyone in this banquet hall is now focused, there is no option other than receiving it.

  As I hesitated, he nodded a little as if it was okay for my grandfather to take it.

  Eventually, I took a jewelry box from Astana and opened it.

  Of course, I flinched a little while opening it.

  "Oh-oh!"

  "After all, the Imperial wealth…… ."

  As soon as the lid was opened, explosive reactions erupted around.

  The birthday gift the Prince gave was a necklace.

  It looks like an adult’s finger is surrounded by tiny topaz around a ruby that looks good enough.

  "My mother took care of it. How is it, is it pretty?"

  Astana said that, but the hidden meaning in it was ’How does it look expensive?’ It was close to.

  Each of the nobles mumbled, saying that the Empress gave me something precious.

  Proud of money in front of Lombardy.

  There wasn’t a lot of inspiration.

  But I laughed brighter as I was annoyed.

  "Yes. Thank you, Prince."

  "Yes, yes."

  Now, if I think I’ve done all I have to do, Astana looked refreshed.

  "My lady, I’ll bring a present."

  The servant who was waiting on the side came over and took the jewelry box carefully.

  Uh, I want to wash my hands.

  I wanted to wipe it off with water in front of the Prince’s eyes, but I rubbed it on the skirt of the dress I was wearing.

  "It’s been a while. Thank you all for coming a long way to congratulate my granddaughter, Florentia, on her birthday."

  Grandpa said, raising the glass high again to clear up the untidy hall.

  "Then I’ll start the banquet."

  As the grandfather’s words ended, several doors connecting the banquet hall and the kitchen were opened at the same time, and each of the employees came out with a large silver plate.

  Mostly, foods made for people to carry and eat conveniently were piled up like mountains on each table.

  Fortunately, people began to have fun chatting with each other, just like before Astana came.

  "I have to eat something too."

  Seeing delicious foods, I suddenly become hungry.

  At the nearest table, I saw the twins have already started eating and tried to go there.

  I wish it wasn’t for the guy who naturally follows me.

  "Why are you following me, no. Why are you following me?"

  To my question, the Prince looked around and replied with a smile on his face.

  "I’m not doing this because I want to be with you either."

  Then he notices as if confirming where my grandfather is.

  He would like to do this after receiving an order from the Empress to come to my birthday party and release the feelings of Lombardy Lord.

  "Are you going to stay together and return? You shut your mouth and stay still."

  "This, shut your mouth…… Who."

  The little guy has already learned the wrong way to make fun of his mouth.

  I know very well what the First Prince was doing while flocking with Belsach and Astalliu in his last life.

  Since I was young, he thinks I must have been a baby with yellow buds like this.

  I didn’t want to be with a cockroach at all.

  "I have to play with my cousins. Well then."

  Later, when he was a bit bigger and politically worthy of use, it was inevitable that he could be part of my plan to some extent.

  I was prepared to bear that degree.

  However, I am still the same age as a growing sprout, and from now on, the word ’dog’ has no idea of wanting to be with this child, who is so sorry to dogs.

  "I. Hey, just stay still."

  A twelve-year-old man is like this bully to an eight-year-old.

  Even though Lombardy was closed, it may have been a fortune for the Second Prince, not this child, to become the Prince for the empire.

  "The first Prince."

  At that time, a familiar voice called Astana.

  "Last time, we couldn’t play together, so it was very difficult.

  It was Belsach and Astalliu standing behind him.

  "Last time? Ohhh. I didn’t really regret it."

  When the Prince replied with anxiety, Belsach’s face turned red with embarrassment.

  But that was all.

  If my personality was like that, the guy who wouldn’t be able to get rid of him with the Prince by now would laugh subtly.

  It was a typical type of strength and weakness. Just like his father, Viese.

  Astana, who looked at Belsach like that, seemed pathetic, told me.

  "Hey, you are better than him."

  I’m not happy at all.

  A sigh came out to me, wondering what the hell was this about on my birthday when I should have fun.

  Meanwhile, Belsach’s face was worth seeing.

  It was bearable to be ignored by the Prince, but I couldn’t stand being compared to me, clenching both fists and staring at me.

  Me? Why me? What did I say to you, not me, but the Prince?

  However, Belsach was exuding a terrifying hostility, as if he felt his anger as strength and weakness.

  "Florentia."

  At that time, I heard a voice like a heavenly voice calling me.

  "Come here."

  It was Shananet who called me from a distance.

  "Then I’m leaving."

  "Huh? Hey!"

  "His Majesty! With us……"

  It was Astana who was trying to follow me, but Belsach caught him as if he wanted it all this time.

  There’s a place to use dog poop as well.

  I got caught again, so I quickly ran to Shananet.

  "Is there anything special?"

  It was Shananet, worried that the Frist Prince would have done anything to me.

  Even if the Prince packs a gift and says an apology, she doesn’t believe that it is true.

  "It was a little annoying, but it’s okay! But why did you call me, aunt?"

  "Since all the gifts that people brought are organized, the protagonist should show his sincerity to unpack some of them.

  "Ah, a gift!"

  The feeling that I had deteriorated with the appearance of the First Prince came back to life.

  Since it’s a birthday party, there must be a present!

  Besides, most of the people who came to the banquet were people who said they were in the empire, so how much was the collection!

  Just thinking about it made me happy.

  "I think it would be nice to open only presents throughout the banquet! Hehe."

  Shananet’s expression became mysterious at my words.

  "……Wouldn’t it be difficult?"

  It costs me how much it costs if I have a hard time opening a few presents.

  I shook my head.

  "Yes, do whatever you want."

  Shananet said so and took me to a place where the gifts that people brought were organized.

  And I could see the meaning of Shananet’s expression.

  "Is this all my gifts?"

  "The gifts from me and the twins, or the gifts from your dan and uncle, have already been brought to your room. These are the ones from the people who attended the banquet."

  "I’m sure I can’t open it."

  If you do that, it is obvious that you will suffer from body ailments from tomorrow.

  This is because the stacked gifts made up a small garden.

  Mainly large ones at the bottom and small ones at the top were well organized.

  Well. Hundreds of people attended the banquet, so it was natural that there were so many gifts.

  When she looked at my tired face, Shananet said with a smile.

  "There are all you can see, so just open a few and go."

  "…… Yes."

  I opened the gift box with the help of Shananet on the spot.

  Certainly, they were high-ranking nobles, so there was no one worthless gift.

  Most of the jewelry that children could wear was included, and a few children’s picture books with pretty pictures were also available, where they heard that I like books.

  And opening the gift was more fun than I thought.

  I was getting addicted to the thrilling taste of opening a random box.

  I didn’t know how time was going and I was opening the presents one by one, so later, Larane, the twins, and Astalliu’s younger brother, Crene, came by my side to watch.

  Originally, random boxes are fun just to watch others open them.

  "This time! Open this!"

  Gilliu took a very large box from a corner and put it down in front of me.

  "I know what."

  Actually, I didn’t expect much.

  Originally, the smaller the gift box, the better it is.

  "Oh, it’s a doll!"

  "Teddy bear!"

  As expected, the big box didn’t really stand out.

  Unlike me, who doesn’t like dolls very much, I saw Larane and Crene shining in their eyes.

  In addition to this teddy bear, there was one more gift I had already opened.

  I won’t even use it anyway, should I give it to these two people?

  It was when I was thinking about that.

  "Tia!"

  "Huh? Dad!"

  I threw out the gift I had opened and stretched out my arms towards my father running towards me.

  "I’m sorry that dad is late for my daughter’s birthday! I’ve been waiting a lot!"

  My father lifted me and hugged me crying.

  "It’s okay! I was having fun with other people!"

  "Yes, yes. We’re all opening presents together?"

  My father asked while looking at empty boxes piled up in a large space.

  "I opened a lot, but I still have as much as I have!"

  Mayron said, snoring in excitement.

  "There are a lot of gifts."

  Father panicked and looked at the mountain of gifts.

  "Yes! I love it! A lot of people have come!"

  "Is that so? Tia’s side is a little different from her dad again."

  My father was a disgusting personality for being noisy and noisy.

  "That’s what resembles me."

  My grandfather came back after looking around the banquet hall and the guests.

  Behind the grandfather was also the appearance of Viese and Laurels.

  As if the sediment had not been resolved, Viese looked at my father.

  "But it feels good to be together like this all in one place."

  The grandfather looked around the family and laughed happily.

  The Lombardy, brothers and sisters, and their families were grandfather’s achievements.

  Although not perfect, my grandfather’s smile as he looked at what he had accomplished was overflowing with pride.

  "Hmmh hmm."1

  An uninvited visitor was intervening in the warm, long-awaited scene.

  "What is it, the first Prince."

  The grandfather also asked as if Astana’s intrusion was unpleasant as if tossing.

  "I have something to tell."

  "Would you like to tell?"

  Grandfather raised one eyebrow and looked at First Prince.

  "If it’s a gift from Florentia, haven’t you given it a while ago?"

  "Oh, this is not something to give to Florentia."

  My grandfather and other family members gathered here also tilted their heads.

  Astana pulled something out of the inner pocket money of the jacket she was wearing.

  It was a dark purple envelope sealed with gold wax stamped with an Imperial design.

  "That’s ……"

  First of all, Viese recognized the identity of the envelope and muttered.

  My eyes also turned round.

  It was a mail that I had opened several times while working as my grandfather’s secretary last life.

  "The Empress asked me to give you an invitation to the evening dinner at the Imperial Palace."

  The First Prince said so and began to walk.

  And of course, I thought It would go to my grandfather, but this time my prediction was wrong.

  Astana walked out with an envelope and stood in front of my father, who was holding me.

  "Please attend and brighten your seat, Gallahan Lombardy."

  Father took the envelope with his trembling hand.

  Until now, it was always the evening dinner of the Empress, who had the name ’Lulak Lombardy’ written on it, and the eldest son, Viese, attended instead of my grandfather.

  But this time it was different.

  On the luxurious purple envelope, the name ’Gallahan Lombardy’ was written in colorful handwriting.

  And I had to bury my face on my father’s shoulder to avoid cheering.

  My heart was overwhelmed.

  Now it’s time to go to see him at the Imperial Palace.