As my grandmother was my direct blood relative, she couldn’t become my guardian directly. But she was also someone who could be of great help to me.

I quickly ran over and clung to my grandmother’s arm like a child.

“Grandma!”

“Our little honey bun……”

“Ah, really.”

At that moment, Delphia appeared, fanning herself lightly. She had a very annoyed expression.

“You’ve never clung to me like that.”

“I hear a dog barking somewhere.”

As I watched the tension between grandmother and Delphia, I just rolled my eyes.

For today’s operation, they couldn’t fight. But since they had started attacking each other, drastic measures were needed.

“S-So!”

“Hmm?”

“What is it, honey bun?”

Delphia’s expression softened and grandmother became very gentle.

I cleared my throat and rolled my eyes before speaking.

“I-I’ll give you both kisses, so don’t fight……”

The two who had been glaring at each other like fierce dogs became docile.

They really started staring at me silently without saying a word.

Why did they suddenly become so quiet all at once? Do they dislike being given kisses? I was momentarily flustered.

“Oh my, kisses!”

Delphia suddenly started dancing as if she had gained the whole world.

“Our baby is giving me kisses! The young lady is giving Delphia kisses!”

It was slightly embarrassing to see a grown adult dancing the butt dance that babies do and being overly excited, so I turned my gaze towards grandmother.

Thinking that grandmother would be a bit more mature since she’s older!

But…….

“Now, bring the magic tools. The magic tools. We need to take pictures and paint portraits.”

……Grandmother was in the middle of announcing that she would create photographs and paintings to commemorate this situation by pestering the maids.

I let out a big sigh in the middle.

It’s really hard living as a child when adults don’t act like adults.

But it wouldn’t do to be swayed by the adults’ immaturity.

I put strength into the tips of my toes and then approached grandmother and Delphia.

“Now, your cheeks!”

“Hmm?”

Smooch, smooch!

I quickly kissed both their cheeks and then put on my rabbit-shaped bag.

“Since I gave you kisses, I’ll be going now.”

Today, I’m going to the imperial palace.

The administrator notified us to come with a guardian by this afternoon. Otherwise, they said they would shut down our magic tool business.

“Be careful on your way.”

“I’m worried.”

“Don’t worry, we’ve prepared everything as you said, honey bun.”

I nodded.

“Yes! I’ll be going!”

Today I’m not going to the imperial palace with a guardian.

I was planning to go alone.

[This is the timeline separator]

A few hours later, I walked into the imperial palace.

I rode the Mirmode family carriage to the front of the palace, and when entering the palace interior, I rode on a horse that a knight let me ride.

“Cute little lady, where are you headed?”

“The business administration office!”

“Here, get on. I’ll take you there.”

The knight placed me on his knee and slowly guided the horse.

As it was inside the palace grounds, the horse couldn’t gallop quickly. Looking down at the horse’s mane, I thought.

No matter how I think about it, the imperial palace doesn’t feel welcoming.

But I’ll have to get used to it since I’ll be coming here often from now on.

Various thoughts like, will my plan for today succeed?

And finally, the knights helped me down from the horse.

“We’ve arrived, little lady.”

After struggling to get down from the horse with my small body, I looked at the building in front.

After waiting for a week, I finally arrived in front of the [Imperial Business Administration Office].

I solemnly looked up at the sign and took small steps forward.

Squeak, squeak.

The sound of the squeaky shoes my dad bought me echoed on the floor.

As soon as I entered the hallway through the door, people’s curious gazes landed on me. They were staring so hard it made my face tingle.

“What’s this.”

“What’s a kid doing here…?”

“W-Who is that cute pink-haired child!”

Anyway, I walked vigorously.

Some administrators were looking at me with puzzled expressions, but I didn’t mind.

My gaze was fixed only on the [Business Start-up and Closure Permit Division] sign.

And the [Business Start-up and Closure Permit Division] under the [Imperial Business Office] was in the last room on the 2nd floor.

Squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak.

I quickly ran towards it and knocked on the department door.

“Hello.”

“Come in.”

The door opened with a swish.

Over 10 people were working in the large department. I moved towards the sign that said [Business Start-up Application Team].

Squeak, squeak, squeak.

As I slowly walked towards the administrator in charge, he looked down at me with a bored expression while skimming through documents.

“What is it?”

“I came to apply.”

I smiled brightly, trying to make a good impression.

He glanced around briefly. And seeing that there was no one beside me, he changed his bored expression to a threatening one.

“Kid.”

“Yes?”

“Name.”

I answered my name vigorously.

So that everyone in this place could hear my voice.

“Sien Mirmode!”

The situation flowed as intended.

The people who heard the loud, booming voice pretended not to notice but focused this way.

This was all thanks to the person who tried to trap me doing a thorough job with media play.

Although it was negative attention, people were also curious if my company would really be shut down.

“Oh……”

Suddenly, interested gazes were fixed on me.

And the administrator’s expression suddenly distorted.

I realized from his uncomfortable-looking expression and the envelope on his desk with ‘Temple’ written as the sender, which he didn’t even bother to hide.

“Didn’t bring a guardian?”

‘Oh, this mister….. He took a bribe from the temple to shut down my business, huh?’

My hunch seemed to be definitely correct.

The administrator in front of me, Georges, became even colder as soon as he heard my name.

As if he had received a signal to turn me away at the door when I appeared.

“I’m a busy person. If you have nothing useful to say, leave.”

“……Huh? But……”

Every time I saw the urgent notice sent under Georges’ name, it seems this administrator also ate some money. Or maybe he was moved by Melodia’s rhetoric…….

Actually facing him, it was even worse.

Whatever the case, I had expected he wouldn’t be favorable towards me, but he was truly hostile.

I stared at him blankly and tilted my head.

“It’s not useless talk!”

I, Sien Mirmode.

I’m not nice enough to use honorifics with someone who takes bribes and looks at me through colored glasses.

Georges didn’t seem to notice that I was speaking informally as he frowned one eye.

“Are you trying to apply for a guardian unnecessarily?”

“I’m going to apply for a guardian usefully!”

I boldly held out the paper with the list of guardians written on it towards him.

“You know it’s invalid if you didn’t come with a guardian, right?”

“But I came together……”

At my rebuttal, he glanced towards the doorway.

But there was still not even an ant to be seen at the doorway.

He who had looked slightly anxious now seemed relieved as he pressured me.

“Lying kids are no good. You have bad seeds.”

“I’m not lying……”

“Then what is it. Sigh, to think I have to deal with a kid’s company too. What a bother.”

“I have a letter from the guardian too!”

I held out the letter the guardian had written personally, but he didn’t even think about taking it. He glanced at my chubby arms and waved his hand as if bothered.

“Well… I guess you did find a guardian? I suppose you are a Mirmode after all. But it’s already over.”

“……Why?”

“A law was just passed in the imperial palace.”

He showed me a stiff parchment.

——————————————————————————————————————————

[Revision of ‘Opening/Closing/Suspension’ of Children’s Companies Passed]

− Children-owned companies cannot register to open

− Due to labor exploitation issues, children attempting to register will be notified again

——————————————————————————————————————————

“What is this?”

I took the parchment and read it while puffing my cheeks.

He seemed to finally notice my informal speech as he narrowed his brows and shouted nervously.

“You dare speak informally?”

But that’s not what’s important.

I waved the parchment and spoke as if pressuring him.

“I asked what this is.”

He made an expression as if angry, turning red and blue, and whispered lowly.

“You’ve been abandoned by your family, how rude.”

It was a voice only I could hear.

But it didn’t have much impact. I shrugged my shoulders and gestured with my chin towards him.

“Explain it to me.”

“……Sigh, fine. According to the revision, children’s companies are now impossible to establish from the start.”

“……Hmm.”

I understood sufficiently.

So from now on, children’s companies would be restricted from opening due to the possibility of being abused for labor exploitation and tax evasion.

It was a very good bill.

It seems they even revised this law in case I found a guardian.

“So, get out. There’s no help I can give you.”

He seemed to be starting to leave.

It made sense.

The Mirmode family may be scary, but a young 5-year-old child seemingly abandoned by the Mirmode family wouldn’t be scary.

Moreover, looking at the temple envelope on his desk, it seems he ate well.

Would he even see me?

“……Sigh.”

I pretended to be dejected and carefully puffed my cheeks.

Then he raised his hand to push me away.

“Now leave.”

“……I’m not leaving. I have more to say.”

“What—”

At that moment, the door to the business department swung wide open.

And I turned around and smiled brightly.

At that moment, a woman’s booming voice rang out clearly in this place.

“What do you mean leave?”

The sound of clicking heels quickly began to approach.

Melang Rollo, the maker of the ‘Devil’s Grass’ drug used by everyone, the most famous pharmacist in the empire and the godmother of the Rollo Count family.

She who volunteered to be my guardian had arrived with perfect timing.

“I decided to become the guardian, what do you mean it’s closed?”

She stood firmly behind me and began to pressure the poor shrunken administrator.

“……W-Who are you?”

“Do I need to report who I am one by one to the likes of you?”

Seeing her elegant noblewoman aura, the administrator wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand.

He seemed to be the typical type who is weak to the strong and strong to the weak.

“W-Well, guardian registration is not possible for now.”

“I have no intention of talking with a mere low-level administrator. Call your superior.”

Thinking it wasn’t his job, he discreetly called the department head who was dozing off beyond the partition.

“……Department head, please explain. R-Right, department head?”

He looked at his superior sitting in the department head’s seat.

Then the department head rose and spoke nonchalantly.

“Excuse me, but guardian registration has already closed. You must be the great pharmacist and godmother of the count family, Lady Melang. That’s correct. This is an order that came down from the top of the imperial palace. It means this issue cannot be changed even by Lady Melang’s orders.”

It was fortunate that they both didn’t crumble right away.

The administrator straightened his hunched shoulders and looked at me.

“That’s right, little one. Unfortunately, it’s closed.”

“I don’t think so?”

I smiled brightly and looked back at the doorway.

At that moment, the door swung wide open and the sound of numerous footsteps was heard. They were all the clicking sounds of dress shoes.

They arrived right on cue according to my plan, just as people were paying attention to this side.

I hid my knowing smile and raised my chin.

And, finally.

Noble ladies with as much, no, even more presence than Melang crowded around me.

“Who’s bullying our baby?”

“What do you mean it’s closed?”

“Shall we invite Her Majesty the Empress here?”

“How dare such an insignificant-looking thing raise its head stiffly and make a fuss?”

My reliable allies who will take my side!

Ten refund crusaders, no, noble ladies appeared.