Cedric started the conversation by mentioning my tastes.
Not only did I not hate lilies anymore—that was Rebecca's old taste—but still...
Was it okay to hope that Cedric's antipathy had diminished a bit?
Feeling slightly encouraged, I moved a little closer to Cedric.
"It's all right. My tastes have changed a lot over the years."
"...Your tastes have changed?"
It was at that moment that Cedric's eyes turned toward blonde Adrian. In the distance, a carriage carrying Bianca could be seen approaching the Mansion of Light.
"Ah, the carriage is here!"
I shouted, grabbing onto Cedric's arm without realizing it. Cedric's eyes—which had been fixed on Adrian—suddenly followed my hand. Then it felt like he was staring at my face, but I didn't have time to pay attention to his gaze.
She's really here! Our Bianca is here!
My stomach fluttered from my pounding heart and internal cheering. Meanwhile, the carriage had already stopped in front of the main gate. The moment the driver finally opened the door of the stopped carriage—
Something popped out.
Short legs in opaque white tights and tiny red Mary Jane shoes.
Those short, chubby legs are definitely...!
Soon the little lady made a cute noise and jumped down from the shallow step of the carriage.
"Yay!"
It was Princess Bianca—a girl with a fatal charm who'd kept me waiting all day. Just as I was secretly clutching my chest, Bianca's mouth opened wide as she suddenly spotted Cedric.
"Oh! Your Highness!"
Bianca waved her dainty little hands high in the air. In the child's other hand, she held a cute rabbit doll, and a blue ribbon was tied to one side of her straight black hair.
Thanks to her cheerful smile, her white, plump cheeks rose even more prominently. At the same time, the child's big blue eyes sparkled brilliantly. When I saw that angelic smile, I had no choice but to cover my mouth.
Aww, even her voice is cute... so adorable!
There wasn't a single thing about her that wasn't cute.
As I continued to admire Bianca's appearance, the child began running toward Cedric. But as the distance closed, Bianca's complexion slowly began to turn pale. It was right after she noticed me standing next to Cedric.
"Her Highness...?"
When Bianca hesitated, unable to come any closer, Cedric let out a low sigh and approached the child first.
"You had a long journey, Bianca."
He smiled slightly as he gently stroked Bianca's small head.
"Did you hear in advance that Her Highness would also come to meet you today?"
This was my first time seeing Cedric's gentle side. However, Bianca held his hand tightly, as if she was more familiar with the sight.
"But I really didn't expect you to come out..."
Bianca kept glancing at me while answering Cedric.
She's afraid of me, as I expected.
I took a step closer with a smile on my face, trying to lighten the mood.
"Our lovely Princess Bianca, did you have a safe journey?"
At the same time, surprised murmurs came from all around.
"Cute...?"
"...Our Princess?"
Bianca and Cedric also wore shocked expressions.
"M-me...?"
Bianca opened her already large eyes even wider and shrank her shoulders.
"Yes, Princess Bianca. You weren't hungry on the way, were you?"
When I asked in an even kinder tone, more gasps and murmurs poured out from those around me.
Reaching the limit of my patience, I glared at the staff and gave them a warning look.
Oh my god. Tone it down, people. This isn't a spectacle!
Only then did the employees quickly close their mouths, avoiding my eyes.
I turned my head back to Bianca and smiled even more softly. I could tell just by looking at the maids' faces—which turned pale whenever I smiled—that Rebecca didn't have a very gentle appearance.
But I never want to bring that kind of fear to Bianca!
I raised the corners of my mouth with all my might. But for some reason, tears began to well up in Bianca's eyes.
"Her Highness the Grand Duchess... i-is smiling..."
Her dainty hand, gripping the hem of her nanny's dress, was shaking.
"Oh, Nanny, I'm so scared..."
It was then—
Sprout, sprout.
Two horns the size of strawberries rose from Bianca's small head.
Oh? Those are like the ones on Mina's head...
Since this was my second encounter with horns, Bianca's cute little horns weren't all that surprising.
No—if anything, I felt delighted.
Horns on that tiny head... She's so adorable!
However, the employees began to look distressed, their expressions unusually tense. In response, Bianca smoothed her own hair with a pale face, as if she'd sensed something was wrong.
As soon as she noticed her horns had sprouted, her dainty chin began to tremble violently.
"Oh no, the horns came out... In front of Her Highness the Grand Duchess, the horns... ugh...!"
At that moment, I had no choice but to freeze like a stone.
Oh no, she's crying...?
How dare I make our Princess cry?
I looked at her nanny in confusion. The woman tried her best to hide Bianca behind her back, her face full of horror.
"Your Highness suddenly smiled, and Princess Bianca was startled—oh no! She was just a little surprised! So please don't misunderstand, Your Highness!"
All of the staff looked afraid that something would happen at any moment. They soon surrounded me at a distance and started circling around me—like an indigenous tribe wary of an excited wild lion.
"W-well, in childhood, there are times when the demonic form appears due to emotional changes!"
"Yes, of course! When she's young, she doesn't have enough strength to control her magic!"
"She'll get better when she grows up, Your Highness! So please, calm down a little...!"
All eyes turned to Mina in an instant—eyes as if looking at their only savior.
Mina seemed to have sensed their earnest wish and slowly approached me, spreading her hands like a skilled animal trainer.
"Your Highness, dear. Should we stop getting excited and take a slow, deep breath?"
"......"
"Okay, inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale...!"
"...What are you doing right now?"
Mina retreated ten steps at the speed of light. She looked as if she'd almost stepped on a landmine, heaving a sigh of relief. With Mina gone, there was no one left around me.
Whoooosh...
A chilling wind blew past me, tousling my hair into a mess.
Inside the reception room of the Mansion of Light.
It was far too quiet to be considered a place where the whole family had gathered for the first time in a long while. Beside Cedric, who was drinking tea politely, Bianca kept glancing at me and nervously fiddling with the ears of her rabbit doll.
Poor thing. She keeps looking at me. If I talk to her, will Bianca burst into tears again?
It was a moment when I couldn't even open my mouth and just drank tea in silence.
"U-um... Your Highness..."
Bianca's small shoulders—as she called to me—were still very hunched.
"Yes, Bianca. What is it?"
I asked back in the friendliest voice possible, but Bianca's shoulders shook, as was her habit.
"Earlier... I was really sorry..."
Bianca squeezed her eyes shut as if afraid tears might leak out. Her big, watery eyes doubled her cuteness.
"Your Highness was smiling with good intentions, but I ended up crying like a fool again..."
"......"
"I-I was wrong, Your Highness! I won't cry so foolishly anymore! So... I would really appreciate it if you didn't hate me... please..."
She looked far too timid for an eight-year-old.
This child, even when she first met Lady Lobelia, was always desperate not to be hated.
There hadn't been a smooth corner in that little child's short life. Bianca had faced the death of her parents less than a year after coming into the world. She'd later escaped to the capital after receiving harsh treatment from her sister-in-law, Rebecca, but even in the capital's aristocratic society, Bianca—a mixed-blood demon—had always been an outsider. She was literally unwelcome both in the place where she'd been born and raised and in her place of refuge.
She feels like an island. A remote island floating alone with nowhere to belong...
I recalled Bianca's words in the original and looked pitifully at the child in front of me.
She's such a kind and pretty child.
Then, watching Bianca fidget with the rabbit doll, I slowly shook my head.
"You're wrong, Princess Bianca."
"Y-yes? I did something wrong again...?"
"You weren't acting stupid."
Bianca blinked with a puzzled expression at my words.
"Considering what I've done so far, it's a natural reaction. So don't say that again."
She looked at me blankly for a moment with a shocked expression. Bianca seemed startled by the fact that I'd been making eye contact with her for so long, and she quickly lowered her head.
I looked at Bianca quietly, then opened my mouth again.
"And it's also incorrect to say it was Princess Bianca who was at fault. It wasn't Princess Bianca who made many mistakes."
"...?"
"It was me."
Bianca's blue eyes slowly widened. She looked at me with surprised eyes—as did Cedric beside me. At their natural reaction, I raised my eyebrows slightly and stood up. Then I slowly lowered my head toward Bianca.
"Princess Bianca, all this time... I was truly sorry."
The reception room froze in shock for an instant. Of course, Rebecca's past actions weren't my fault. But this was a knot that only I—possessed by Rebecca—could untie.
Moreover, if my sincere apology could relieve even a little of the pain in that child's heart, I would be satisfied with that alone.
How long did the silence last?
As if she'd suddenly come to her senses, Princess Bianca hurriedly tried to stop me.
"Your Highness! Don't do this! You're bowing your head to a weak child like me...!"
What a pitiful child. It was heartbreaking.
I lifted my head again and looked at Bianca, gently shaking my head.
"Princess Bianca is a kind person who tried to embrace me as family, even though I was lacking—both as an adult and as a person."
"It was me who was lacking, not the Princess."
"B-but..."
"Princess Bianca deserves to be loved. No—you should be loved."
"...Huh?"
In her slowly blinking round eyes, increasingly strong waves began to stir. After a moment—
Bianca hastily lowered her head and bit her lip. Just as she'd promised herself earlier, it seemed like she was trying her best to hold back the tears threatening to spill. The tip of her nose wrinkled in sadness, but I steadied my expression to continue speaking.
"I promise. I will never again do to the Princess what I did before. Besides, I'll be staying in the Mansion of Darkness now."
"So, Princess Bianca."
At my call, Bianca slowly raised her head again and looked at me. Before I knew it, the child's round eyes were filled with tears once more. As I looked at such a child, I said what I'd always wanted to say—ever since learning about Bianca's sad inner thoughts in the original story.
"No longer feel lonely like an island. Now take root firmly in the arms of your family... and please grow up happily."
Soon, thick teardrops fell onto Bianca's rabbit doll.