To conceal the tears that were about to well up, I nestled even deeper into her embrace.

“You seem a bit strange today, Bella. Are you feeling sleepy?”

“Yeah. Just sleepy, that’s all.”

Trying to hide the mixed tone of my voice, she affectionately stroked my back.

“Since we’ve dealt with troublesome matters, how about taking a nap together today? I can read you a fairy tale, just like in the old days.”

“I’m too old for fairy tales now.”

“True. You used to say that even when you were younger. But you always insisted on more stories.”

Unable to find a suitable excuse, I mumbled incoherently.
I always liked it when she read fairy tales to me, whether I was young or now.

Though I pretended not to like it now, thinking it was childish, having someone by my side until I fell asleep was something I couldn’t help but enjoy.

On a sunny afternoon where warm sunlight touched my cheeks, I closed my eyes, listening to the sound of Sione reading a book.

A memorable page from my childhood was coming to an end.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Two weeks later.

I experienced another dramatic growth.

As Cain mentioned, my height had been gradually increasing, and one day my body suddenly underwent a significant change.

“Your hands seem about a palm larger than yesterday. Truly amazing, Lady Bella.”

“If we consider it in human years, you might be around seven years old now. At this rate, Luca will catch up soon.”

Since age and appearance weren’t proportional for vampires, they estimated the growth period based on human age.

Of course, this only applied until undergoing the adult ceremony.

Unless they encountered special circumstances like meeting a guardian at a festival, vampires could maintain their youth until death.

“By the way, is there anywhere uncomfortable? As you’re growing rapidly, we’re concerned about the possibility of growth pains.”

“No. I’m perfectly fine. In fact, I feel more energetic.”

As I examined my changed body, which was bleeding from gripping my much larger hands than yesterday, small gasps erupted from those around me.

“Lady Bella! Can you say it again? You seem different from yesterday.”

“What’s different? Am I acting weird? Where?”

Not knowing English, I shrugged and grinned, and Ronya, who was right beside me, widened her eyes and said:

“Your pronunciation has become extremely accurate! Even the intonation.”

“Really. How can you change so much in just one night?”

Oh, it’s true.

Trying a few sentences as a test, I was surprised and opened my mouth wide.

Indeed.

Now, it was time for short sounds to escape!

“Aww… I can’t stand not hearing Lady Bella’s cute intonation anymore. It’s so sad. You were really adorable!”

“Yeah, right. I wish I had asked Sione to record it with magic and played it back whenever I missed it.”

“If only there were a potion or something that could make you younger for just one day. I already miss yesterday!”

Looking at the maids who seemed ready to burst into tears, I sighed and breathed out.

Whether I grew up or not, the antics of those three seemed to remain unchanged.

“Stop the fuss and bring me some clothes to change into. The ones I’m wearing seem too short now.”

“Come to think of it, the shoes won’t fit either. I’ve prepared some for situations like this, but we need to completely overhaul the wardrobe.”
“Since it’s like this, how about we visit the wardrobe together, Lady Bella? The ban has been lifted, so now you can freely come and go.”

Nodding, I put on the spare clothes Roy had brought and headed straight to the location of the wardrobe.

I briefly considered bringing Raven along, but since my magical power had grown rapidly and I confirmed that, even within the royal palace, not just Rose Palace, we could move around freely, I decided to go alone without saying anything.

Since Sione was also momentarily absent, I planned to dress up as beautifully as possible to surprise the two.

“This building houses the wardrobe. It’s a place only accessible to royals and direct palace staff like us.”

“But it’s smaller than I thought. I expected it to be huge because it’s owned by the royal family.”

“Most royals store their clothes in their own palaces or private mansions. This place is closer to where old clothes are gathered or for repairs.”

I walked along the sparsely populated corridor, heading towards the location of the wardrobe, while listening to their explanations.

Even though my mom and Lera had prepared the place wholeheartedly, I couldn’t help but feel excited. However, upon arriving, I was met with the sight of a shabby door that seemed like it could collapse at any moment.

“… Is this really it? Are you not playing a trick on me?”

“There’s no way. If you don’t believe it, why don’t you open the door yourself? This is the key to the warehouse.”

Taking the key from Rosa, I glanced skeptically at the door.

As I inserted the slightly rusted key into the hole and turned it, an astonishing sight unfolded before my eyes as I entered the small door that only one adult could barely pass through.

The space inside was so enormous that the end was not visible at all.

At a glance, it seemed to be about the size of the front yard of Rose Palace, so counting the number of clothes inside would likely take several days.

“Isn’t it amazing? We were also surprised when we first came. How could we have known there would be such a huge space inside?”

“Indeed. I only heard about it, but I didn’t expect it to be this enormous.”

“Take your time to look around. If there’s anything you like, feel free to choose. Everything in here belongs to Lady Bella.”

I strolled through the space filled with magnificent clothes, releasing a small sigh of amazement.

Inside the warehouse, there were a variety of clothes, shoes, and accessories neatly organized not only by purpose but also by age group.

Considering it was something they had prepared since before my birth, they must have been items from over 50 years ago.

Not only were the fabrics not worn out, but they also looked as if they had just been made by a skilled seamstress, suggesting that they might have been preserved with protective magic.

After selecting the clothes and necessary items for the future, I changed into the dress that I liked the most, humming a tune as I returned to Rose Palace.
“Have you returned, Princess? The new dress suits you very well!”

As the soldier guarding the gate saluted smartly, I quickly looked around, soaking in the atmosphere.

“By any chance, have you seen Sione? It’s about time for her to be back.”

“If you mean Lady Sione, I saw her heading towards the laboratory just now.”

“Thanks!”

Since I had already silenced people before leaving Rose Palace, Sione wouldn’t know that I had grown up.

Now wearing a dress that no longer looked like it belonged to a toddler, I rushed towards the direction of the laboratory.

I heard the maids warning each other to be careful as they fell behind, but they didn’t bother to follow me, perhaps due to the burden of the items they were carrying.

“I wonder if Sione will be amazed? I’m looking forward to her reaction.”

In the past, I would have stumbled at least three times on the distance I covered in one smooth and stable jump.

Just that fact alone filled me with great pride and joy.

Arriving at the laboratory with such an exhilarating mood, someone suddenly opened the door and walked out.

It was Raven.

“…Bella?”