Bandiore was actually a loyal dog who grumbled but did all the errands I sent him on, finding it rather charming.

“Why did it have to be the gift in the box I just opened…”

A brooch containing jewels that resembled Bandiore’s chocolate-colored hair and golden eyes.

“Ah, thinking about that cheesy guy makes my skin crawl.”

I promptly put the gift back into the box and pushed it aside. It wasn’t a particularly pleasant memory, so I quickly dragged another box over and opened the lid.

“Sister, want to bet on who can open more boxes faster?”

I was just marveling at a fascinating wooden doll. Turning my head slightly, I saw Ronowe and Beris eagerly unpacking boxes.

“They fight but stick together well when they’re on good terms.”

My curiosity was piqued, and once I had something to focus on, I decided to concentrate on the task at hand. Afterward, I turned my gaze and saw Carlisle carefully opening boxes, ensuring that the contents were undamaged.

“Hmm, his cravat is slightly twisted?”

I couldn’t fathom why his slightly disheveled attire caught my eye at that moment.

“What are you doing?”

Had I gone mad? I suddenly turned my head away to avoid making awkward eye contact with Carlisle, but then I saw someone’s face and jumped back, startled.

“When did you move next to me?”

I almost kicked him.

“Just a moment ago, Your Highness. I moved as quietly as possible to avoid disturbing you.”

Ghost-like brat. I stroked my startled chest in relief.

“No, don’t! Idiot! The gifts might get damaged!”

Immediately after, the atmosphere between Fleur and the siblings changed rapidly. They were soon in a loud quarrel.

“If the gifts get damaged, the princess might cry. Do you like it when the princess cries?”

“Ah, no.”
Ronowe, who looked down on Beris as if he were pathetic, not only slapped him across the forehead but also placed both hands on his hips and tilted his head. Beris quickly looked down at the floor and added a melancholy expression, saying he hated to see me cry.

“Crying?”

“It’s not that. I feel sad thinking about the Princess’s crying face.”

How awkward. I awkwardly laughed and touched my forehead with my left hand. I felt dizzy.

‘This is bad.’

I was thinking of covering my ears expecting another disaster, but Beris, who had somehow changed after visiting the temple, showed unusual behavior. If it were his original temperament, he should have gotten angry and retaliated against his sister’s insults, but he didn’t.

Even at the age of 10, his bad temperament and voice were still the same, but it was unlike him to readily agree with the other person’s opinion and look deflated.

When we visited the Fleur territory, he cried out about betrayal just for taking a walk alone with Carlile. Seeing him humbly admit his wrong thoughts was as shocking as seeing the sun moving from the north to the south.

‘Where did Poppy go?’

Oh no, I messed up. I had deliberately placed a large plate full of snacks in a corner to avoid the hassle during gift-opening, but all that was left on the plate were crumbs, and Poppy was nowhere to be found.

Since Beris was not causing any trouble, I had a bad feeling that Poppy would make a mess this time.

“Your Majesty, what’s the matter?”

“Poppy is missing.”

Sasha, who happened to be right next to me, showed interest and looked between the piles of gift boxes on my behalf.

“Did you find her? Did she wander off?”

“I can’t see her.”

Could it be because the two of us are not opening the gift boxes? Carlile also stood up from his seat and asked what was going on.

“What?”

“Poppy is missing? This is serious!”
I collapsed onto the sofa, figuring I didn’t need to interfere as Ronowe and Beris began searching the room for Poppy.

“Quack!”

“Poppy, where are you?”

After a while, Poppy’s voice echoed, drawing everyone’s attention. Suddenly, Poppy leapt in place, eyes twinkling, and rushed into a large golden box.

Clang–!

“Qua…quack, quack-quack…!”

A sound like teeth grinding followed by Poppy’s agonizing shriek filled the air. I stood still for a few seconds with the children.

‘So much energy for such a tiny body fed so well.’

Feeling an inexplicable sense of emptiness, I got up from the sofa. Soon, Poppy staggered out of the box, falling sideways and rolling on the marble floor along with a large object.

“Poppy, what’s wrong?”

Carlisle, who had run over first, quickly picked up the staggering Poppy, patted its back to calm it down.

“Quack….”

Poppy quickly regained its composure, but it looked like the aftermath of the pain made it shed a tear.

“Are you okay, Poppy?”

Ronowe, who arrived second, wiped the tear at the corner of Poppy’s eye and picked up a nearby object that was as big as a head.

It was an intriguing gift, a giant inverted triangle with a shell-like surface adorned with bright gold lines.

“Poppy must have tried to swallow this!”

Soon, Ronowe examined the object, shouted, and then turned to look at me.