People Aren't Meant to Be Fixed! - Chapter 46

I’m so embarrassed I could die.

It was shameful to show such a foolish side of myself to the loyal subject I had raised in my past life.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes.”

Anyway, after barely getting through the crisis, Hecate stopped patting my back and returned to her original seat.

‘I really thought I was going to die.’

For a moment, when I saw Ulrika waving her hand from afar, I thought I was heading straight to the afterlife.

“Just in case, should I give you some water?”

Hecate was restless as I kept coughing even though my complexion had improved.

“I’m fine.”

As the nauseous feeling disappeared while my nose was tingling in the meantime, I patted my chest and let out a sigh of relief.

“Our princess is so mature. Still, tell me right away if you need help.”

Hecate’s face finally brightened, and she smiled faintly.

“By the way, I wonder what Dad is doing right now?”

“He’s probably working, of course.”

Isn’t it obvious what that guy is doing? I shrugged my shoulders.

“So that’s what you think~ Mom still has the image of Dad sobbing lingering in her eyes.”

Then, finding something amusing, Hecate chuckled and made the absurd remark about what if Jeff was still crying now. This was like the sudden nonsense of God suddenly changing His mind and saying, “Forget it, I’ll just give you rest.”

“No way. If that were the case, the Imperial Palace would already be in chaos from flooding.”

“Right?”

Besides, Jeff would probably look ridiculous, unable to even open his eyes. I imagined something harsh and then shook my head.

“You must be tired, so get some sleep until we arrive at the Fleur estate.”

“I’m not particularly tired, so I’ll enjoy the scenery a bit.”

I turned my gaze out the window, listening to the rattling sound of the carriage. As I blankly stared at the fields revealed between the passing trees with a swooshing sound, for some reason, I thought of Yongyong.

‘When I get back to the Imperial Palace later, I should find the rattle first.’

The rattle that helps recover energy when held in hand whenever tired.

I realized that Yongyong’s power was imbued in that rattle after discovering that the strange pebble, which was the last trace of the creature a maid had picked up 7 years ago, had disappeared without a trace.

‘It’s amazing that the flash from the rattle back then was Yongyong’s power.’

But I wonder why it seeped into the rattle of all things. Thinking about how I searched all over Bowellian Castle at first, believing I had lost it amidst the chaos of the spy incident, makes me sigh.

‘It should have come back alive and become the guardian deity of the empire instead.’

Now that I’m all grown up and can’t carry it around anymore, I wish it had transferred to something more useful.

‘No, it said it had returned most of its power to God, so that would be unreasonable.’

But what can I expect from a creature that said it could barely borrow a squirrel’s body? Not wanting to keep digging up the past, I forced myself to get some sleep.

Clop clop−.

And how many hours had passed?

‘These people are quite unique.’

We arrived at the Fleur Marquis estate, which was no less impressive in scale than the Vladimir estate, with the peculiar feeling of water surrounding the front and back of the walls enclosing the mansion.

Step, step−.

“Princess.”

And as expected, the one who greeted me was Carlyle, who was several spans taller.

It seemed that he had taken on the role of coming out to welcome us, probably being the eldest in Fleur.

“It is an honor to serve you.”

“Very well.”

Looking at the boy whose arms and legs had grown much longer than before, and who had developed the right conditions to become a knight by learning swordsmanship, I thought he had grown well.

“Princess! Your Majesty the Empress!”

“Welcome to the Fleur estate! We’ve been counting the days until your arrival!”

Then, as Berith and Ronowe welcomed us with bright smiles, I felt nostalgic seeing these rascals who used to speak with a lisp now speaking properly.

Especially seeing Berith, who was extremely shy and always hid behind someone when meeting new people, now greeting politely according to etiquette, I really felt that a lot of time had passed.

“You’ve really grown so much. It feels like just yesterday when you were small and adorable.”

Hecate, seeming to feel the passage of time as well, appeared to reminisce about the old days before warmly welcoming the children.

“We greet the key to the western lands, Fleur, the small hawk, and the light of the empire.”

“Yes, it’s been a while. I’m overjoyed to have this opportunity for conversation.”

The Marquis of Fleur, who appeared soon after, was still as robust as ever, and Berith, watching for an opportunity, seized the moment when the conversation between Hecate and the Marquis of Fleur briefly paused.

“Mom, I want to show the Princess around the mansion!”

“That’s a good idea.”

Oh my, look at that mischievous expression. I thought to myself, looking at Berith who could still make the same face even with cheeks that were no longer chubby, having lost the baby fat.

It’s quite remarkable how he consistently maintains his mischievous side.

“Your Highness might find it difficult to run quickly, so don’t rush around hastily.”

Meanwhile, the Marquis of Fleur didn’t reject Berith’s suggestion, only advising caution before allowing them to leave first.

“Princess, if you have time left, I’ll show you where I practice swordsmanship.”

I let Ronowe and Berith go ahead first, then walked side by side with Carlyle, looking around.

Unlike the Vladimir mansion, the Fleur Marquis estate had unique structures and materials used in constructing the buildings that made up the entire mansion.

At a glance, it looked like gray bricks, but the texture of the pillar I touched in passing was unusual, and when I tapped it, the surface was smooth yet extremely hard, making my knuckles ring.

“Come to think of it, it’s been quite a while since you started learning the sword.”

“Yes, quite some time has passed, hasn’t it?”

Carlyle’s face beamed with such vitality as he grinned that I wondered if he was really that happy to see me.

Not that I would be displeased or offended if he dared to frown or pout at me, so I let it slide.

“There’s also the Imperial Knights entrance exam next year, so I’m investing even more time in training.”

“Carlyle… The life of a knight might be different from what you imagine.”

Not knowing how much effort and struggle he had been through, but seeing him too full of hope and sparkling, I decided to give some realistic advice.

As I said, my previous life was a knight serving Ulrika, so even if things have changed, I could tell him various things based on the situation back then, which should be somewhat similar to now.

“From what I’ve heard, you start as an apprentice, running all sorts of errands and assisting the aides. Do you still want to be a knight?”

Having gone through tough and difficult times myself to become an official knight, I hoped that the young Carlyle wouldn’t cling to it out of impulse.

“Of course. I will never give up.”

Hmm, truly general material. Seeing Carlyle’s unwavering gaze as he answered without a hint of hesitation, I was certain that if this mindset didn’t crumble, he could definitely be used like I used to use Jeff.

“Because it’s the path to becoming the only knight of the one and only princess in this world.”

But why say such a thing to make the atmosphere awkward, as if throwing ashes on perfectly cooked rice?

Looking at Carlyle, who now boldly blurted out such cringe-worthy words just because he had grown a bit, I turned my head away, feeling awkward about making eye contact as his ears turned red.

To say such smooth-talking words unconsciously means it has become natural to him, but could it be that someone in the Fleur household taught Carlyle to become like this over the past 7 years?

If so, I’d like to see who it was.

I want to ask what they injected into the mind of a perfectly normal child.

“Brother Carlyle! What are you doing, not coming?”

“This won’t do, Berith! Let’s drag him along!”

These rascals, why are their voices so loud and energetic!

I felt slightly displeased, but it was better than being stuck in a strange atmosphere with Carlyle, so I went along with their rhythm, answering casually while looking around the interior of the mansion a bit before coming to the reception room.

“Princess! Now that you’ve become the heir to the throne, I think you should do something amazing!”

“That’s right!”

We were having tea time, sitting on velvet sofas while feeling the warmth from the cozy fireplace.

“So~ I’ll help you become a great emperor!”

“No way, sis. Do you think it’s as easy as you say?”

“I know it’s difficult.”

The reception room, decorated entirely in shades of blue, matched well with white, and suddenly I admired how the Marquis of Fleur had used dark blue tones to decorate the interior of the mansion, as if it were an expression of affection towards Carlyle.

“But we’re not just friends anymore! Berith, you don’t understand what I mean even if I say it like this?”

Ah, but I couldn’t answer because I was eating cookies, and now my head is ringing because these rascals are arguing.

“Kids, don’t fight.”

If they fight, the role of mediator was always Carlyle’s.

“Your intention is good, but what specifically do you want to do?”

I was impressed that they had developed productive thinking, but I calmly asked without showing it.

“Um…”

Ronowe, who had confidently raised one hand and shouted, suddenly became gloomy, but soon something seemed to occur to him, and he raised the corners of his mouth with eyes sparkling like bright red tomatoes.

“Ah, I’ve got it! How about helping the less fortunate? Since you’ll become the emperor someday, I think it would be good to build up your reputation in advance.”

“Hmm, I think that might be a bit difficult right now.”

I’m sorry, but I have to reject that. Knowing how terrifyingly enormous the budget for running the state affairs was each year, I judged that securing the manpower and finances for such activities would be unrealistic at the moment.

“We’d need to get permission from adults, and it would require a lot of money.”

So when I answered coldly, Ronowe looked as if he had lost everything in the world, making me feel as if I had done something wrong.

“Don’t look so glum, Ronowe. Your idea was excellent, but it’s just a bit early to do it now. Let’s think about what we can all do together.”

Carlyle, seemingly distressed by his younger sibling’s loss of spirit, offered words of comfort, and I found it quite amazing to see him effortlessly do what I was worst at.

Knock, knock−.

“Young masters, it’s time for your etiquette lessons. I’ve come to escort you.”

As time passed again, and just as I was thinking about asking for new snacks to be brought, a maid from the Fleur household appeared.

“But I want to keep playing with the Princess.”

“That won’t do. You shouldn’t slack off.”

I spoke sternly, still negatively affected by the memory of Jeff and Hecate appearing as the Fairy King one day, abandoning their duties to play with me.

“Stupid sister.”

“No! Why am I stupid? I’ll show you in class that I’m smarter than you, so be prepared!”

Why are they fighting again? I laughed, “Hehehe,” finding it absurd, and the maid from earlier entered the room once more to urge the children.

“Princess, then we’ll be going!”

And so, parting briefly with the rascals, Ronowe raised one arm high and waved it as he left the reception room.

“It’ll be over in an hour, so you have to wait~”

“That’s right, don’t abandon us!”

“Alright, just hurry up and go.”

Someone might think I abandon them all the time if they heard this.

I shook my head, grumbling inwardly that these little ones were slandering me.

“Princess, if you don’t mind, would you like to tour the garden while the children are studying?”

“Sure. I was feeling a bit bloated from eating too many snacks anyway.”

Left alone with nothing much to talk about, I immediately accepted the suggestion, thinking it would be better to have something to feast my eyes on.

“The Marquis’s garden is as beautiful as the Imperial Palace’s.”

“Thank you for your kind words.”

And so, as I properly looked around the Fleur family’s garden, I noticed that, perhaps because it was less bound by traditional forms like the Imperial garden, unique landscaping elements stood out in various places.

“The Marquis really loves tending to the garden.”

To think that the Marquis of Fleur was not only politically savvy as the leader of a noble family but also possessed aesthetic sense, making him a capable person. I thought that if I had met such a person when I was the emperor in my past life, even if not as good as Ulrika, he would have made a good conversationalist.

After all, the more capable people you have around you, the better.

“I’ve never seen this flower before. Do you know its name?”

“Yes, Princess.”

As we entered a new area surrounded by pink flowers, I couldn’t contain my curiosity and asked.

“It’s called a Lisianthus. It has the flower language of ‘unchanging love.'”

“Oh~ So every flower has its own meaning.”

“Yes, Princess.”

Though I’m not well-versed in flowers, I do have an eye for beauty, so I asked about various things.

“And whenever I see this flower, I’m reminded of someone.”

What is he trying to say now?

I looked up at Carlyle, who had stopped abruptly at the largest flower bed.

“It reminds me of you, Princess.”