The next morning, I met Jeff and Hecate in a not-so-refreshing state. I had trouble sleeping due to the acoustic terror of last night’s lullaby.

“You don’t look well.”

Seeing my haggard face and passive responses, Jeff rested his chin on one hand and worried. He looked completely unaware of why I was in this state.

“Even though you went to bed early yesterday… Are you feeling sick somewhere?”

No one could match the sincerity of these two in their efforts to converse and spend time with me at every opportunity.

“No, I’m fine.”

And today, more than ever, I really wanted to sleep in.

“Your Majesty, perhaps you tossed and turned in your sleep at night.”

Anyway, I desperately tried to appear fine in front of the talented individuals I had raised in my previous life, not wanting to appear weak.

“Then how about singing a lullaby every day from now on?”

However, whether my act wasn’t convincing enough or not, Hecate, sitting right next to me, looked at me and said something utterly shocking.

‘What? Sing a lullaby every day?’

For a moment, I was dumbfounded and remained still. It’s like asking me to die. It was obvious that if I had to listen to Jeff and Hecate’s lullabies every day, not only would I be unable to sleep, but I would also develop insomnia.

In short, it would be opening the gates to a living hell.

“Wait a minute, I’ve got a good idea!”

The thought of being exhausted vanished, and my mind suddenly became clear.

“I saw in a book before where the protagonist wound up a music box before going to bed.”

I desperately gestured with my hands and feet, trying to convey that this was better than a lullaby.

“They met a fairy in their dream, and I was so envious.”

Of course, it’s all a lie. I fervently prayed that this excuse would work because I absolutely did not want to hear the lullaby again.

“If that’s the case, I’ll prepare the finest music box in the world.”

Meanwhile, Jeff took my words at face value, not knowing my true intentions.

“We should send someone to inquire about it right away!”

Hecate was the same, and I felt my anxiety wash away like a cool wave, allowing me to feel relieved.

Knock, knock-.

“Your Imperial Majesties, Lord Asian has arrived.”

“Let him in.”

Soon after, someone came to visit.

“Your Imperial Majesty, it’s time for the meeting, so I’ve come to escort you.”

A face I hadn’t seen in a while, Asian appeared. Upon seeing me and Hecate, he smiled and gave a respectful bow.

“Also, I’ve been informed that the prototype for the cooling device is complete.”

After finishing his greeting, Asian recited the report and waited for Jeff’s response.

“That’s great. We’ll be able to keep agricultural products fresher from now on.”

I’m not sure what it is, but I became curious about when they had developed such a thing. I could sense that this fellow, whom I thought was only free when coming to see me after being cooped up in his office all day, was taking care of the country in various ways.

“By the way, it’s already time for the meeting. I wanted to spend more time with Darjeeling, how disappointing…”

Jeff added a few words with a gloomy face, saying he didn’t want to part from me.

“Cooling device? What’s that?”

Come to think of it, I was personally interested in this cooling device, so I quickly asked before Jeff left for the meeting hall.

“That’s a good question. A cooling device is a magic box that contains cool energy.”

Jeff seemed very pleased that I showed interest and gladly explained.

“We made it to prevent crops grown from the ground from wilting in the heat.”

It seems technology has developed quite a bit as time passed. I nodded in understanding while munching on a biscuit.

‘If agricultural products can be stored for longer without spoiling, there would be many advantages.’

I thought about the significance of creating the cooling device that Jeff mentioned afterwards.

If that device is distributed throughout the empire, not only will the quality of life for the people improve, but there will also be an abundance of food that can be provided to the poor.

“Darjeeling, by the way, is there anything special you want to do these days?”

Something I want to do… Honestly, there isn’t, but I can’t just say that.

I fell into contemplation at Hecate’s sudden question.

‘Too mature an opinion would seem suspicious, so let’s think of something a three-year-old might come up with.’

After a few seconds of hesitation, I devised a childlike thought.

“Um… How about we all go on a picnic?”

“A picnic? What an adorable idea.”

Fortunately, what I had hastily thrown out due to a lack of ideas had an effect.

“I’ll make sure to set aside time with daddy next week. As it happens, there’s a perfect spot for a picnic in the southern garden.”

No, but I don’t think it was cute enough to cup her cheeks with both hands while saying that. I broke out in a cold sweat, thinking Hecate was overreacting.

“A picnic… Suddenly, memories of being with the late emperor come to mind.”

Meanwhile, Jeff dredged up old memories, and Hecate initially had a nostalgic look before her expression turned sad.

‘You remember that well.’

I clearly remembered taking those two on a picnic myself in my previous life.

It was an occasion I had arranged to give the young ones a break, but because they were too immature, they fought so much that I got angry, scolded them, and never went again.

“Was the picnic with the late emperor enjoyable?”

This is embarrassing. I didn’t think it was a particularly good moment to cherish fondly.

“We caused trouble and got scolded then.”

Meanwhile, Jeff answered the question thrown out in an attempt to dispel the heavy atmosphere.

“But now… it has become a pillar of support that warmly embraces me in difficult times.”

Jeff closed his eyes and smiled gently, placing a hand on one side of his chest.

“Of course, our daughter is the best to daddy!”

He suddenly spoke in a cheerful voice and made a gesture of shooting with his fingers.

‘Please stop! It’s making me cringe!’

Ugh. I held back the urge to retch, feeling alarmed.

‘It’s really strange, though.’

It’s peculiar that he treasures and still ruminates on that picnic, which I gave without much thought and only ended up getting annoyed about.

Thump-!

‘What? Why is it throbbing now?’

I was perplexed.

It was the same last time, I don’t know why this happens when I’m with these guys.

‘How annoying.’

I grumbled inwardly as I brought both hands to where my heart was. It was in case something else might happen, but my heartbeat had only quickened momentarily. After a little more time passed, it returned to normal.

“Oh my, Darjeeling. It’s almost time for tea, so we should be going.”

“Okay.”

This life seems quite different compared to my past one, I thought, trying to guess at the phenomenon that had just occurred, when Hecate addressed me.

“My Queen, I’ll join you as well.”

Today is the day Hecate is scheduled to meet with Marquis Fleur for tea and conversation.

But look at that Jeff fellow, he’s openly trying to skip the meeting in front of his aide, even though Asian came to fetch him.

“Your Majesty, have you forgotten about the upcoming meeting? Leave Darjeeling to me.”

Hecate dealt with this firmly, cheerfully suggesting we all depart together, disregarding Jeff who was making a sad face saying he didn’t want to attend the meeting.

Soon after, I was carried out of the room in Hecate’s arms.

Jeff, Asian, and I walked down the same corridor for a while before parting ways at a fork. Although it was an inevitable separation due to different destinations, Jeff kept looking back with tears in his eyes.

‘Please maintain your dignity as an emperor.’

This isn’t the first time he’s acted like this. I shook my head, muttering inwardly that he was incorrigible.

“It’s fortunate the weather is nice.”

“Yes.”

After that, Hecate, who had been walking leisurely, came out of the palace onto a well-trimmed grass path and told me to breathe in the fresh outdoor air.

“Ah, since we’re passing by, I should show you.”

Thinking she might be giving me a nature lesson, I carelessly did as she said, and she moved briskly somewhere.

“I was originally going to reveal this at your birthday celebration.”

What have they cooked up this time? I thought it would probably be some large toy at best, following Hecate’s gaze.

“Look this way, Darjeeling!”

“What is all that?”

They must be really crazy. I was overwhelmed with the feeling of seeing something bizarre and couldn’t even manage my expression.

“These are statues capturing the growth of our lovely Darjeeling.”

The reason was that in the direction Hecate proudly pointed to, there were statues modeled after me as a newborn baby and when I had grown enough to stand.

‘I thought they only ran their mouths with excessive doting.’

These guys are always too much. I had a feeling statues would be added every few years.

“It’s amazing. Now that I’ve seen it all, can I go to my friends?”

“Our daughter must have missed her friends.”

Not really. I asked to be put down, saying I would walk by myself now, and started walking side by side with Hecate.

“You have lessons in the afternoon, so eat and play to your heart’s content in the morning.”

“I will.”

I hope those little rascals are less noisy today. I hoped it would be less chaotic, given that it wasn’t just a gathering for children.

Waaaaaah-!

“What’s wrong?”

I was surprised when Poppy, who had been quiet, suddenly started crying loudly. I wondered if she had finally gone mad, perhaps a side effect of Berith feeding her a spoonful of parfait last time.

‘What’s with the earthworm?’

However, contrary to my expectations, the reason Poppy was making a fuss was because of an earthworm that was crawling along, wriggling hard.

‘Because of an earthworm…’

I felt slightly deflated as I watched Poppy run over and plop into my arms. It was funny to see her react like this over just one earthworm, not even a creepy insect.

‘Huh?’

But what’s with this stinging gaze on the back of my head? I turned my head towards the culprit nearby, right beside me. After all, it was obvious who would be looking at me.

“Aww~ Is our daughter scared of the earthworm?”

“I’m not scared!”

It’s unfair. It wasn’t me who was startled, it was Poppy, but Hecate seemed to have mistakenly thought that I was holding Poppy and trembling in fear while looking at the earthworm.

“It’s okay~ Should mommy scold it for you?”

What is there to scold? I raised my voice in annoyance.

“That’s not necessary!”

This is driving me crazy. I felt my head start to throb. It wouldn’t do any good to get heated unnecessarily, so I belatedly regained my senses and took a deep breath.

“Lady Darjeeling~”

“What is it?”

I guess my voice was quite loud earlier. I spotted two little boys calling out to me as they ran over from a distance.

“Is Poppy hurt?”

Berith, who was running at the front, asked about Poppy who was frozen stiff and not moving an inch.

“No, nothing happened.”

Something did happen, but I knew it would be less noisy if I pretended nothing had.

“Oh? It’s the earthworm we saw during the treasure hunt before!”

But Berith finally noticed the earthworm and showed interest.

“I’m gonna show it to mommy!”

The boy who dashed off like a shot was as fast as the wind.

“Berith, wait a moment!”

Carlyle raised his voice. Given the mischievous nature of the boy, he seemed to be trying to stop him in advance, worried that he might cause trouble with the earthworm.

“Hey, stop!”

Even the strongest-hearted person would be startled if a gross earthworm was suddenly shoved in their face!

I walked as fast as I could since I couldn’t run, but there was no way I could catch up to the speedy Berith.

“Mommy! I found treasure where we went to see Lady Darjeeling!”

However, thanks to Hecate quickly picking me up from behind, I was able to see Berith approach Marquis Fleur in an extremely excited state.

“Treasure?”

Marquis Fleur, Abigail Marsha Fleur, who had entered the palace after a long time. Contrary to my concerns, she looked at the earthworm intently with a calm face, befitting her position as the head of the family with grace, elegance, and good character.

It was as if she was examining whether there was anything extraordinary about the earthworm her son had brought.

“Oh my, Berith… Last time it was a pebble, and this time it’s an earthworm.”

“Yeah, last time Lady Darjeeling let it go, so I couldn’t show you.”

“It’s good that I got to see it now. Thank you for thinking of mommy.”

There’s no malice, so it wouldn’t be right to scold him outright, right? I felt relieved seeing Marquis Fleur pat Berith’s head and let it slide.

“Berith, as much as it’s a shame, let’s put the earthworm in the flower bed.”

“Carlyle is right. This friend needs to be in the soil.”

Meanwhile, I could only see the back of Carlyle’s head so I couldn’t tell his expression, but judging from his words, he seemed uneasy. After all, they can’t keep the earthworm forever, so he ended up trying to persuade Berith along with Marquis Fleur.

“Why?”

However, Berith didn’t immediately agree with what the two were saying. Given his capricious nature, it was obvious that he wanted to show off the earthworm and play with it.

“Because the earthworm’s home is in the soil.”

Marquis Fleur chuckled and smiled contentedly.

At this point, Hecate also smiled, and seeing her quietly observing the situation while holding me, it seemed she wanted to give Berith time to understand that he needed to let the earthworm go.

“This little friend probably got lost while out for a stroll.”

It’s impressive how she continues the conversation at a level that a young child can understand.

‘I could never do that.’

I inwardly stuck out my tongue as I watched Marquis Fleur lovingly gaze at Berith and caress his cheek.

“Its family must be waiting, so it would be good to take it to the flower bed.”

Berith, who had been quietly receiving his mother’s touch, looked seriously at the earthworm rolling around on his palm after the Marquis withdrew her hand, lost in thought.

“Umm…”