â⦠I am delighted to make your acquaintance. I am Tylenia of Andurs.â
However, the woman wasnât stupid. She quickly greeted me with a big smile.
Well, I was only guessing, but she was probably a real princess living in Caitelâs harem. I felt a little strange while looking at her. I thought all the princesses in the harem were like Leila.
âWhat a lovely princess.â
She was smiling outside, but somethingâs bothering me. I could feel the loathing in her glare. Did this princess really like my dad? I couldnât believe it, but⦠I could feel it from the way she glared at me. A veiled hostility. Itâs like I was facing my stepmother. Am I feeling an indirect hostility from the way her eyes growled at me? So this was the first obstacle every princess faced. The mean stepmother.
âShe looks just like you, your Majesty. If itâs all right, may I hold her for a moment, Your Majesty?â
Itâs not me who couldnât recognize that fake sweet smile. Although she did not openly show hostility like another princess, she did not feel right either. I didnât feel good about this. Oh, daddy, I hope this man wouldnât dare hand me over to her. I feel like once she held me in her arms, she would drop me and I would die.
My dad laughed when I shrunk back to his chest.
âNo, that wonât do.â
I was afraid that he would throw me into her arms, but fortunately, Caitel held me even tighter. Caitelâs cheek touched my forehead.
âAs you can see, my daughter is pretty shy.â
Dad, thatâs not true. I liked people very much. I was a very friendly lady.
Her golden eyes, which might have felt hurt after hearing his cruel treatment, were wet with tears as she stared at Caitel. However, my fatherâs eyes, facing that teary eyes of hers, were as quiet and calm as it usually were.
Whatâs the relationship between these two, anyway?
âTh, then, I look forward to seeing you some other time.â
Like the heroine of an abandoned ruin, she suddenly disappeared. I bent my head. Was she Caitelâs ex-lover or something? His first love, perhaps? Were they childhood lovers who broke up after a while?
âWho is she?â
âA woman.â
Did he think that I didnât know that?
He smiled as I stared up at him while his hand was still on my head.
âYou need not mind herâ
He then gave me a little kiss on my forehead.
âSheâs a flower that will wither someday.â