Even though it was an ugly doll, it was something that the chatterbox and swordplay idiot Hecate struggled to make on the battlefield, so I intended to keep it.

Tingle[—].

‘What’s this?’

Wasn’t it over with just once?

‘My heart area stings again.’

I lifted my head to look at Jeff.

“Why are you like that?”

Then Jeff innocently asked with his eyes wide open.

‘Could it be…… Did I find something I lack because of these guys?’

So that’s why this keeps happening?

‘It’s annoying.’

Just thinking about it was terrible, so I shook my head and said it was nothing.

The next morning.

“Your Highness, the dukes have already arrived in the playroom.”

After an early meal, I spent some time admiring the blooming flowers in the garden, then moved.

“Oh yes.”

With Poppy loyally accompanying me as always, I listened to the maid’s report.

Squeak[—].

The playroom wasn’t far from the bedroom, so I arrived quickly.

As soon as the door opened, I slipped in, imagining the noisy children.

Thud[—]!

“Huh?”

Immediately after the door closed, I raised one eyebrow and tilted my head at the chilly room.

The current situation was strange.

“Why is no one here?”

These were kids who usually made noises, spilling snacks, and running around wildly.

The fact that I couldn’t see any of the children of Fleur’s either above, below, or behind the sofa was far from usual.

“These guys can’t be this quiet.”

The maid wouldn’t lie to me. So I decided to think carefully about where the children had disappeared to, or if they were hiding.

Whiz[—]!

Then it happened.

Something soft pressed against my head without hurting it. When I hurriedly felt it, it was a headband.

“Hehe, Your Highness!”

Where were you hiding? I almost thought my heart would drop from the sudden appearance of the children.

“It’s a surprise gift, Your Highness!”

Proudly and brightly, Beris was wearing a white headband with small ears sticking up.

“A surprise gift?”

I really thought I would faint from the surprise. I muttered inwardly, taking off the headband.

“Your Highness! Play animal tag with us~.”

“It’ll be fun.”

“Animal play……”

Somehow, I felt it would be very tiring. I hesitated at the end of the sentence.

Quack~ Quack!

Then, Poppy flapped its arms up and down.

“Huh?”

Beris’s eyes naturally turned to Poppy, and the creature soon fed itself a honey bomb, looking bewildered.

“Oh, dear! It’s Poppy’s!”

With an ‘oops’ expression and unsure of what to do, Beris spoke anxiously.

“We’re in big trouble! There’s no animal headband for Poppy.”

“Use my headband.”

What’s there to worry about? I said nonchalantly. I thought I could join the animal play without the headband.

“No, that’s yours, Your Highness.”
But Beris thought differently from me.

“My dear, Poppy~.”

The child suddenly began to drop thick tears with a wailing sound, and I felt my head ringing like a person suffering from a migraine.

‘I don’t want to wear it!’

Why do I have to wear such childish things on my head? Holding Poppy, I looked at Beris weeping pitifully, and I had to step in. I thought she would cry all day if left alone.

“It’s okay, it’s okay. Poppy is… uh…”

Please, think of something quick! I frantically racked my brains, grumbling inside about why children’s crying is so noisy.

“Play the role of a duck!”

Poppy is a duck doll, so this role fits perfectly. I smiled awkwardly, holding the headband tightly in my hand.

“Poppy, really?”

Of course, this idea was hastily conceived, so the person concerned did not agree…

“Yes. Poppy will be a duck.”

Fortunately, Carlisle, who was standing next to me, agreed, adding strength to the idea.

“……”

But Beris suddenly fell silent and did not move as if time had stopped.

I wondered if she didn’t like the situation, but surprisingly,

“Great! You’re a cute duck!”

Contrary to my concerns, she relieved me with a bright smile and twinkling red eyes.

“I’m a rabbit.”

Next, Beris announced the animal she was portraying by making a jumping sound with her mouth, and Poppy laughed innocently, following Beris without understanding English.

“Big brother is a wolf! Sisterinlaw is a raccoon.”

‘Raccoon… what?’

Wait, my headband doesn’t look like a raccoon at all.

Dumbfounded, I froze for a moment, and quickly approaching Beris snatched the headband I was holding and put it back on me.

“Ah, sisterinlaw has to wear it too!”

“Ah… okay.”

Darn. I stood stiffly like a hard stone, obediently allowing Beris to do as she pleased, and Carlisle just seemed to enjoy playing peacefully with a goodnatured face.

“Huh?”

After a hectic moment, I suddenly realized that one person who should be here was missing.

“Today, Ronowe doesn’t seem to be visible.”

It was strange that the child who said he liked me every time we met was absent. I wondered if he was sick or had another reason, so I asked.

“Sisterinlaw, he’s in the library, Your Highness~ His Majesty allowed it.”

I thought he was just a child who liked to play, so it was unexpected.

‘Did he go because he likes books?’

I thought he was wrong, but I looked at him again, knowing that he had gone to the royal library with Jeff’s permission.

“Now, follow me and try this.”

Good heavens, a time of hardship has come.

I felt overwhelmed, watching Beris begin to impersonate a rabbit, preparing to act.

‘How do you do a raccoon?’

As the brother also urged me to do it, I secretly shed a tear.

After a painful and exhausting time, the children, drained of energy, leaned or lay on the sofa to nap.

“They finally crashed.”

Animal impersonations were not fun at all.

However, thanks to that, the children quickly ran out of energy and fell apart.

“Keep an eye on them and wake them up in time to send them back.”

I ordered the maid who was watching Poppy.

“I must return to my room now.”

And rest. Definitely rest. With my current mental strength, I wanted to stop playing and rest, as I was also quite tired.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The loyal maid obediently followed my order, and I walked out of the playroom with another maid toward the bedroom.

‘Is Ronowe still reading?’

As I walked for a while, I suddenly thought of Ronowe, who had not been seen for several hours.

‘Could he still be in there?’

Today we spent time in one of the several playrooms, a bit far away, and I naturally ended up stopping in front of the royal library.

“Why are you stopping, Your Majesty? Will you enter the library?”
The alert maid asked if I would stop by for a moment, and I nodded.

“Yes. I just remembered something I need to check.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

No sooner had I signaled my agreement than the maid opened the door for me.

‘It’s unsettling not to see that always noisy guy around.’

I must see what he’s doing. With this thought alone, I strode inside.

‘Why does the library’s air feel like this today?’

But unusually, the inside of the library was almost devoid of people, and there was something heavy about it. A weighty feeling not only pressed down on my shoulders but made my nerves stand on edge.

“Huh? What’s this?”

In the meantime, a dark red shadow flickered from the floor of the spot I suddenly looked at.

‘I feel a tremendous energy from there.’

I quickly sensed something was off and deliberately sent the maid to a different direction of the bookshelf, then hid behind a large pillar.

‘It’s quite threatening, as if obsessions have clustered together. What’s going on?’

I continued to ponder, stealing glances at the elongated shape. I didn’t dare move recklessly, not knowing what might happen.

But then again, standing still like this would resolve nothing.

So I decided to move a little closer and see who was in the direction where the obsession was.

“!”

And finally confirmed, the one engulfed in the dark red demonic obsession was…….

‘What in the world…….’

It was Ronowe, who was reading a book with a serious expression.