On the other hand, Shasha had rock-bottom self-esteem. She was obsessed with the notion that she had to be a cheerful child; otherwise, everyone would hate her. She constantly worked hard to be liked by everyone.

The fortunate thing is they get along well when it’s just the two of them…

The moment I step in, jealousy erupts from both kids.

“Shasha.”

“Mm-hmm…”

“It’s okay to be a little wrong.”

“But… everyone hates Shasha because she’s stupid, right?”

The sudden bouts of the child’s gloom. Her natural personality seemed to be constantly hidden due to the emotional abuse she had received.

Originally, she is brighter than anyone. She is a child as warm as the sun but she makes herself like the moon.

“No, Shasha. Whether you’re good at studies or not, whether you can remember the alphabets or not, you’re still Shasha. You’re adorably Shasha. Believe in my words, okay?”

“…Yes! If you say so!”

“Right.”

Listening quietly to our conversation, Rudelo slightly opened his mouth.

“Studies… are important…”

“Rudelo, you did well too. Both are different.”

Saying studies are not important would hurt Rudelo, and saying they are would hurt Shasha.

This is really hard.

“Different?”

“What’s different?”

“Shasha might not know letters as well as Rudelo, but she has a unique strength. Rudelo, on the other hand, may not be as strong as Shasha, but he is incredibly smart.”

At that, both kids smiled satisfyingly.

“Yeah.”

“We do get along well, Snow Rabbit. I’m smart, and you’re strong!”

They don’t seem to be jealous of what each was born with.

Is that a relief?

“Then we should get married when we grow up. Let’s get married! We’re a great match!”

“Okay!”

“Marriage…? Kids?”

Rudelo looked at me sternly.

“That way, Shasha will always be with us, and so will you.”

“Huh?”

“Even if someone else appears next to His Majesty the Emperor, it won’t matter. Because you’ll still be there.”

For a moment, Rudelo’s eyes changed a bit.

“Someone else…?”

“Yeah. So stay with me as Shasha’s sister, not as the Empress.”

It wasn’t that I didn’t wish for that. Being the Empress was temporary due to the contract, and my goal was to ensure a good relationship between Shasha and Rudelo.

However, Rudelo’s words made me feel somewhat strange. It was too peculiar for someone his age to say.
Seeing the emperor with another woman, he wouldn’t have said such a thing to me… The emperor had a deep disdain for women; if another woman had been by his side, he would have either told me or not made me his empress at all.

Then why did he say something with such certainty?

‘Someone must be whispering in his ear.’

That my being empress is only temporary. That eventually, another will take my place, and I’ll be cast aside.

No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t come to any other conclusion.

‘Who on Earth is telling the child such things?’

I’ve been suspecting it since before, that someone has been incessantly feeding something to Rurdello.

I had a faint feeling about it, but now I’m sure. There is someone who’s trying to manipulate the child as they please.

“Do you not like it?”

“Rurdello, do you think I won’t be the empress for long?”

I asked, almost in disbelief.

“Rather than you won’t be… it’s just… you never know.”

Rurdello’s eyes shifted uneasily; he’s not good at lying.

‘He’s keeping something from me.’

But pressing him now seemed wrong. He’s a child who hates to expose his own weaknesses, especially in front of others. There’s nothing to be gained from confronting him in front of Shasha.

“Alright. I understand.”

“Understand what…?”

“I will remain here as Shasha’s sister. Rurdello, you must never abandon us, okay?”

“Don’t worry!”

I watched Rurdello, who seemed happier than before. Thankfully, the subject quickly changed, and Shasha began whispering something into Rurdello’s ear.

From the bits and pieces, it seemed they were discussing how to go about their wedding.

I looked at them with pride.

Then, someone drew near us.

“We have a visitor at the tower.”

I quickly turned my head at the sound of his voice. The children didn’t even bother to look; only I turned to see.

It was Ken again today.

“Ken.”

“Yes.”

I stared intently at the laconic Ken. Ron should be alternating shifts with him, but for some reason, I’ve only been seeing Ken recently.

“Why hasn’t Ron been coming?”

“Ah, he took a few days off because he said he hasn’t been feeling well.”

Ken sighed deeply and lowered his head.

“As a guard for the empress, he should have a sense of responsibility… I apologize on behalf of my brother.”

“It’s alright. Is he very ill?”

“No, it doesn’t seem like it. He looked fine, and even got a check-up from the doctor. The doctor said he’s too healthy… Honestly, it looks like he’s faking it.”

Ken clicked his tongue as if disappointed.

“If he says so, we have to believe him.”

“Ah…”

I still felt uneasy. Whether it’s because I have a negative opinion of Ron or not, everything about him felt off.

“Since when did he feel this way?”

“Um… He said he started feeling unwell after the new tower master arrived last time.”