"Well, the eting is over today. You may leave your seat."'
After the eting, my grandfather looked so proud, as if he had achieved his goal. But I was a little worried.
Mainly because the vassals' expressions weren't very good throughout the eting.
"Finally, the eting is over, haha..."
"How should I call you? Miss Eve or Princess?"
"Oh my god, look at these tiny hands and feet! Princess, don't you want to introduce you to a friend? My granddaughter just happens to be about the sa age as you."
"Plump cheeks and round eyes. The Princess will surely grow up to be a beauty!"
...Huh?
As soon as the eting was over, the vassals' tense faces lted away like snow.
Even though my grandfather was still around, they approached and greeted warmly.
"You don't look well throughout the eting, are you sick?"
"Princess, I have a grandchild, too..."
W-What's wrong with these people?
The vassals who looked at with a cold expression until a while ago disappeared, and what was left in the room was a bunch of smiling elderly.
I clung to my grandfather with a look of confusion.
'Did you suddenly beco kind because my grandfather announced that he would choose as his successor?'
If that wasn't the case....
"I like that today's eting was short. Your Grace, I hope that the next eting will continue to be this short..."
"That's right. It's been hard to sit down for a long ti recently because I'm old..."
Are they just happy that the eting ended early?
While I didn't know where to look, one of the vassals held out a candy to .
"I told my daughter that there's an eight-year-old Princess in the Ferdinand family, so she brought this candy. This is a precious candy from the east."
One of the vassals said with a warm expression.
I accepted the candy without much thought, and opened my eyes wide when I saw the face of the old man who handed the candy.
"Oh...?"
"Hahaha, my na is Hubert. I must've been making you uneasy a little while ago. I apologize for that. But it was a necessary question for us."
Hubert took out a pocket full of candies from his arms.
"You look a lot like Mrs. Astrid. We could tell that you are her daughter just by looking at you once. But we can't help it since this is a eting between adults, so..."
He offered the whole pocket to .
"We won't bring it up again. We promise to never hurt your feelings ever again."
I accepted the pocket full of candies with a dazed expression and nodded.
So that question was just a formality?
Does that an my grandfather wasn't really angry?
I looked back at my grandfather.
He left among these elderly vassals and stood in front of the secretary who was writing the content of the eting.
What are you doing over there?
I perked up my ears as the lively elders kept talking.
Then I heard my grandfather talking from a distance.
"It should be noted explicitly that Hubert raised his concern regarding her legitimacy, and I strongly refuted them, then they decided to accept it and follow my will."
He urged the secretary to write down the 'truth' rather than the actual content of the eting.
So you're directing him? No way...
"Ahem, ahem! See you later! And don't be surprised at what you hear today."
Is this what you an?
[What's up with humans? Why did they go to such lengths to be dramatic and leave my little master behind?]
That's what I'm saying.
I sat there like a fool without even hiding my bewildernt.
"Princess, are you feeling uncomfortable...?"
A man who looked a little younger than the other vassals looked at with a worried expression.
I quickly shook my head.
"No, I'm fine."
I was just a bit shocked, so there was nothing to feel uncomfortable about...
"Excuse , but I have a question."
"Yes, please ask anything."
"What does it an to be recognized by the Dragon? I've never heard of anything like that..."
"Let explain, Eve."
My grandfather approached and held out his hands. I clung to my grandfather's arms imdiately.
I was used to his arms since he had been carrying a few tis. Thankfully, soone handed Excalibur so I could hold him while in my grandfather's arms.
My grandfather then said to the vassals.
"You may leave now."
"Pardon? But, Your Grace...!"
"We've just said hello to the Princess..."
But my grandfather was cold to them.
"How much longer are you going to have a conversation with an eight-year-old? Please leave now. Let my granddaughter rest."
In the end, the vassals who couldn't win against my grandfather's stubbornness left the eting room disgruntledly.
Most of them said that they would visit again with regret all over their faces.
"Goodbye!"
Did I get a little attached to the vassals?
I was quite relieved when I heard them leaving, but there was also so sort of emptiness.
I waved my hand to the vassals who left the eting room.
Thud-
And the eting room door closed just like that. Now there was only , Ex and my grandfather in the spacious room.
My grandfather, who still held in his arms, poked in the cheek and said.
"Eve, do you rember the incident that happened last ti?"
"I walked out of my bedroom at night and sat in front of my mom's portrait."
"Yeah, let's talk about the room with your mom's portrait. I couldn't ask at that ti because the situation was not appropriate, but did you feel sothing strange?"
"Umm, sothing strange....?"
"Yes, was there anything like that?"
"I was a little scared of those statues."
"Wouldn't it be normal to be scared to see statues of terrifying dragons?"
"Yeah, but it didn't scare that much."
I added in a firm tone.
"I'm eight years old, and I'm a brave little girl who doesn't get shocked to see a hundred scary-looking statues. But those particular statues gave a spooky vibe. I guess it's because of the shadow from the moonlight? It seed like they were going to attack ..."
"Alright. Anything else?"
I tried to rack my brain to dig up what happened that day.
After much thought, I was really awake that day as if I had a dream with my eyes open, even my mories were blurry.
'As expected, the weirdest thing is that voice.'
I looked at my grandfather.
"Didn't you put to sleep that night?"
"Yeah."
"Did I tell you about the voice that called to that room?"
"Yes, you told . That was why I asked you if you had a dream."
"Was it really a dream? No matter how much I think about it, I don't think that was a dream."
I tried to convey it with a voice and expression filled with conviction.
"It didn't feel like a dream. I definitely heard a voice that led to that room. It told that the door would open if I waited for a little longer."
The door really opened as I waited.
My grandfather, who listened to my story attentively, tilted his head with a puzzled expression.
"I still cannot be sure whose voice that was, but I could tell you this for sure, Eve."
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