“Liliana, what did I say about violence? Is it good or bad?”

“…Bad.”

“Then, was what you did wrong or right?”

“…Right.”

Even when Eldest Sister scolded me and made me bow my head, I refused to admit that I was wrong.

“They were bad. They said bad things about Edgar.”

“Still, that doesn’t mean you should use violence.”

“But…”

Unable to accept my Eldest Sister’s nagging, I curled my lips.

* * *

Just as one of the maids who had said something bad was about to hit me, the door next to me burst open, and Edgar barged in.
“How dare you make a fuss in someone’s palace!”

Even though we were supposedly similar in age, the figure of Edgar as he yelled at the two maids seemed to be several years older than me.

“Y-Your Grace, the Young Duke…”

“Do you think you can lay a hand on an esteemed guest from Trovanza merely because you’re employed at the imperial palace? Those who do not know whom they’re supposed to serve deserve to be punished severely! Reveal your names!”

The adults who were being mean to me just a moment before were shaking like a leaf.

What a strange sight.

“Your Grace, the Young Duke, we’re just…”

“Are you still trying to make an excuse?”

“N-no. I apologize for causing a commotion.”

“For not recognizing the subject, we made a terrible mistake. We’re sorry, Your Grace, the Young Duke. We won’t do it again, so please forgive us.”

Not knowing what to do, they knelt down, bowed their heads, and looked at Edgar. Edgar accepted the two maids’ apology as if it was a matter of course.

As someone who was born in Trovanza, I was a little dumbfounded by the somewhat incomprehensible scene.

“I witnessed you attempting to assault His Majesty’s guest. Do you know what kind of punishment you will receive?”

It was the moment when the maids reluctantly tried to answer Edgar.

“—Liliana!”

It was Eldest Sister’s voice. On the other side, Eldest Sister came running in with a surprised look on her face.

The maids’ faces stiffened in a different manner than when Edgar yelled at them.

Eldest Sister lifted me from the floor and examined my body.

“I came to see if you were playing with the Young Duke… Are you hurt?”

Other than the fact that my palm was lightly grazed after I slammed my butt on the floor, I was fine, but Eldest Sister seemed to have a different idea.

Immediately, a spark flashed in Eldest Sister’s eyes as she shifted her gaze to the maids.

Then, one of the maids shouted
.
“T-the kid charged at us first, and slapped us! I was so shocked, I reflexively pushed her away!”

“Slapped? Liliana slapped you?”

“They insulted Eldest Sister and Edgar! It’s their fault!”

“No matter how much a child thrashes at you, as an adult, don’t you feel any shame for shoving a child?”

“Also, did I mention that she was hiding there? A child with eavesdropping habits and violent tendencies should be taught properly!”

“Who are you to say that, Auntie!? Eldest Sister, those women called you a barbarian!”

When I argued without giving up, I suddenly had the illusion that the atmosphere around Eldest Sister had plummeted.

I could feel how angry Eldest Sister was from her stern expression, cool eyes, and the way her hand tightened around mine.

“Young Duke of Runtvolenu, if you don’t mind, can you escort Liliana to her room?”

When Eldest Sister shifted her gaze to Edgar, her tone was gentle, as if nothing happened. Edgar sheepishly nodded his head and gently tugged my sleeve.

“Liliana. Go to your room. I will see you later.”

“Okay.”

To be honest, I didn’t know if Edgar was leading me to my room or if I was dragging him along, but anyway, we went through the hallway and walked to the palace where I was staying.

How long have we walked?

Edgar asked me quietly, forgetting that we were at war.

“Is Alice good at fighting?”

“Yes, Eldest Sister is really strong! She can defeat anything, even sea monsters, all on her own, to boot!”

…In truth, there were no sea monsters, but that didn’t stop me from bragging.

“Is she good at swordsmanship?”

“Uh-huh, Eldest Sister is invincible.”

“I see. Well, she still isn’t as good as Leopold.”

“Actually, Eldest Sister beat Uncle Leo, too.”

“What? Stop joking. Leo is the strongest in the world.”

“Not really? Edgar is an idiot!”

“No, you’re the stupid one. You blew up at their comments and resorted to violence.”

As he walked, Edgar took a quick glance at my face.

I answered roughly, imagining Eldest Sister and Leopold sparring with swords.

“You saw them. They deserve to be beaten for speaking rudely of Edgar.”

“…”

Since Edgar didn’t say anything, I frowned and turned around.

I could see a faint blush on Edgar’s cheeks.

Is he embarrassed because I caught the maids badmouthing him?

After pondering it for a while, I finally arrived at my room.

I recalled Edgar putting a pumpkin on my bed and giggling a few days ago.

I briefly wondered if I should be angry. After all, I didn’t even get a proper apology.

However, as the mature one, I had to endure it.

“Would you like to come in and play with me? I’ll introduce you to my younger siblings!”

“Your younger siblings? You have younger siblings?”

“Yes, they’re really cute!”

I nodded and invited Edgar to my room.

I then showed off Cookie and Jelly, whom I’d neatly arranged on the bed.

“This is Cookie, and this is Jelly. Jelly became my little brother not long ago.”

“That’s not your little brother, that’s a doll.”

“He may be a doll, but he’s also my brother.”

“I can’t believe you’re still playing with a doll. Are you a child?”

Edgar snorted, and at the same time, I was thunderstruck.

—A child!?
I may be six-years-old, but I’m no child!

I had a higher mental age than my peers, so I graduated from the title ‘child’ a long time ago!

“I…”

I glowered at Edgar.

While I was seriously thinking about how I could defeat Edgar, he suddenly reached toward my head and smoothed my hair.

My hair was probably disheveled after I headbutted the maids.

Unlike my sisters, he was clumsy with his hands, so it was hard to tell whether he was tidying or ruffling my hair.
However, I didn’t shake off his touch and just watched quietly.

“No matter how young you are, I won’t give up on my older brother. Leo is mine.”

Is Leo your little sister or something?

But it seemed like if I corrected that fact, I would start another fight with Edgar, so I shut my mouth. Then, I climbed onto the bed and laid down.

“Edgar is such an idiot.”

“What? Why am I an idiot?”

“You’re an idiot because you don’t know anything.”

“You’re an idiot. You rushed at them just because you were angry, but… You did well. Tomorrow, Marius will come out and punish them all. My brother only cares about politics, so order in the palace is very messy, so it worked out well.”

Edgar mumbled something I couldn’t understand and laid down next to me.

“Why are you lying on my bed?”

“The Imperial Palace is my home?”

“Go back to your room.”

“I don’t want to. I’m going to play here. Besides, you asked me to play.”
“Then do you want to play hospital with Cookie and Jelly? Or should we play kitchen in the flower bed?”

“No way, that’s childish.”

This time, thunder rumbled in my head.

Childish… Childish, he said!

No matter how friendly I tried to be, he always said mean things.

I glared at Edgar, wondering how best to scold him.

But before I could crush Edgar, the door burst open—

—My Eldest Sister was back.

* * *

As soon as Eldest Sister entered my room, she started scolding me, and it wasn’t over yet.

“Liliana, no matter the situation, violence is unacceptable. It’s a no-go. Do you understand?”

“Ugh, I won’t hit anyone carelessly anymore.”

Reluctantly, I nodded, and Eldest Sister pulled me into a hug.

As Eldest Sister wrapped her arms around me, my heart felt warm. It felt cozier than when I made a small den with a blanket and burrowed inside it.

Even if mean adults were ruthless to me, I felt assured because I believed Eldest Sister could protect me from all kinds of dangers.

I hugged Alice tightly.

* * *

“The commotion that happened during the day was all my fault. I feel really sorry and ashamed toward Alice.”

“Please apologize to Liliana.”

“Yes. I also apologize to Liliana separately.”

As soon as he had tea with Alice after dinner, Marius wasted no time in apologizing to her. He was informed that Alice was furious with the maids of the palace. She even called in the person in charge and gave them the appropriate punishment.

“I’d like to apologize as well. We aren’t officially married yet, so I don’t have the right to punish them, yet I still did.”

“You’re my fiancée. You have every right to do that.”

Marius waved his hand as if to tell her not to worry. He checked on Alice, who was lost in thoughts.

Nothing exemplified the prejudice and discrimination of the imperial citizens toward Trovanza more than the offense committed by the maids today.

If Trovanza accused the Empire of being a pauper or an ignorant warmonger, the Empire accused Trovanza of being a barbarian.

It was an insult, as Trovanza, being more free-spirited than the Empire, would consume unfamiliar ingredients such as shrimp and crayfish.

Always frowning upon and ignoring Trovanza, the maids acted like that even after learning that Alice was to become the empress.

Marius clutched his temples, as it dawned on him that they still had a long way to go.

“Although the language is similar, the culture is very different. Alice will face numerous hardships.”

Since she came from a country with no status, Alice could be said to be ‘lowly.’

Therefore, even if she was crowned the empress, not everyone would acknowledge her, and that was evident.

Even if Alice had Marius backing her, the aristocrats would still find a way to snub her.

“I was so busy consolidating the imperial power after I got rid of my brothers that I didn’t pay attention to the internal affairs of the palace. Everything that happened today was my fault. I’ll pay close attention from now on, but I can’t promise that something like this won’t happen again. In this regard, I feel very sorry for Alice.”

“I know. I took everything into consideration when I chose to come here. However, I need to make sure that order is maintained. The same goes for the young Duke of Runtvolenu.”

“I didn’t know people would speak ill of Edgar so much. But is Alice alright? You must’ve been furious.”

“It’s all right. A reasonable punishment was given, and it served as an example to others.”

Marius nodded at Alice’s calm answer.

He smiled blandly as he stared into her eyes, which were as tranquil as a lake.

Even though she acted calmly toward him, he heard that after scolding the maids that day, Alice had to take a deep breath in front of Liliana’s room in an attempt to subdue her emotions.

Merely gauging by Alice’s gaze, words, and actions wouldn’t be enough to discern her true feelings. So unlike Liliana, whose emotions could change like a flip of a hand.

‘That’s the charm.’

It was good—both as his contractor and as a partner who’d be together as a ‘husband and wife’ for the next ten years.

Marius sipped his tea, thinking that he would have to sort things out at least once, even if it meant shedding blood in the imperial palace eventually.

—