Father, I Won’t Do Anything

With Rosian’s cute smile, as if saying she was lovely, Jaina felt a slight pang of hurt pride.

‘If I transform into a dragon, I’ll be bigger than Your Highness.’

Her small pout was momentary. Jaina’s gaze was gradually drawn to the secret passage.

The dimly shining magic lamps, the maze branching out several times.

Remembering the adventure she had longed for as a child, a smile came to her face.

“Heheh.”

She thought tales from storybooks had nothing to do with her.

“…?”

But then, suddenly, Rosian stopped moving in front of her. Jaina, lost in thought and nearly bumping into Rosian, who was looking at her with a puzzled expression.

“What’s wrong?”

“Because Miss Jaina was laughing?”

“Huh?”

“No, we’ve arrived now.”

Rosian took Jaina’s hand and helped her out of the passage. And then he grinned.

“You got it on your face.”

Having emerged from the dark passage, Rosian’s smile in the sunlight was refreshing.

Jaina looked up at him carefully wiping the soot off her face.

Mikael and Hilvenzia were good to her too, but… how to put it, Rosian seemed a little different from them.

“Well, shall we go?”

Even after wiping off the soot, Rosian didn’t let go of Jaina’s hand.

As the two walked side by side, matching Jaina’s small stride, one of the street vendors spoke to them.

“Ah, the brother and sister are close?”

“Not a sister, though?”

“Then a girlfriend?”

Rosian didn’t answer and just smiled wryly. Watching him, Jaina recalled a line from a novel in her mind.

-We’re not dating, are we?

-Why do people mistake kindness for love so often…

-You have a pretty neck.

Unlike his mother, he disliked swordsmanship and pretended to be a womanizer, only to disappear later… he would become a cold-blooded man who knew only revenge…

Jaina felt a renewed pity for him.

Just as she would die at seventeen, Rosian too would lose his mother when he became an adult, at the hands of her biological father, ‘Diamid’.

Would Rosian still be as kind to her then as he is now?

‘No…’

Jaina shook her head slightly.

If not now, she wouldn’t be able to walk through the market or watch plays at her leisure.

Jaina took in each detail of her surroundings.

For some reason, everything seemed to catch her eye more clearly today.

* * *

The carriage carrying Jaina and Rosian drove swiftly along the street.

“The flowers are in full bloom.”

Jaina counted the wind-blown petals outside the window with her hand.

While a faint smile lingered on Jaina’s lips, the mood of Rosian sitting beside her was somewhat complicated.

When they went out, he hadn’t expected this leisurely carriage ride.

For him, a prince, carriages were just a nuisance he rode frequently.

He had wanted to walk around more freely.

Last time, although the guards had chased after them and they had to part ways immediately, this time he had wanted to walk around with Jaina…

-Sorry, kiddo!

-Watch where you’re going!

-Go to your parents!

The streets where the Founding Festival was being held were as chaotic as a battlefield.

Amidst the tall and large adults, Jaina was such a tiny existence.

While he could somehow squeeze his way through, it was impossible for Jaina.

-Your Highness, go on your own.

Jaina even said it would be easier for her to enjoy the festival alone.

‘Then why did we come together if she’d go alone?’

Rosian had no choice but to take a carriage with Jaina.

It was extremely difficult to rent a carriage for the entire festival period, but with money, nothing was a problem.

“Your Highness, can you see the flower tree I mentioned from that spot?”

“No, I can see it too…”

Hihihing!

At that moment, a man and woman riding horses came into view outside the window.

The two looked so free. Even as they galloped quickly, they could go anywhere by simply changing the reins.

‘If I were a little older, it would have been alright.’

Rosian was skilled at horseback riding, but he was still not ready to ride with Jaina.

‘Jaina seems fine with it, though.’

Regardless of what others did, Jaina leaned her chin against the window, fully savoring the spring streets.

The falling petals from the flower trees lining the running path were beautiful, and the joy of walking under a tunnel made of flowers was something she was experiencing for the first time.

Feeling happy, Jaina unconsciously hummed a familiar melody.

Rosian silently watched her from the side.

Jaina, with her face pressed against the window, gazing outside, seemed somewhat lively.

How long had it been?

Soon, it seemed they had arrived at their destination.

“Miss Jaina, take my hand and step down.”

Like a courteous prince, Rosian skillfully escorted Jaina.

And then he guided her to a cafe on Aderid Street.

This was one of the secret places Rosian had discovered.

Connected to the main street, yet hard to find unless one took a side path, the cafe was tucked away at the intersection of four corners.

Since the owner ran it as a hobby, only premium ingredients were used, and with not many tables, the prices weren’t cheap. In other words, it was a place only frequented by those in the know.

“I will help you with your order.”

Jaina stared blankly at the menu.

There were so many options, she didn’t know what to order.

Rosian asked:

“Do you like strawberries?”

When Jaina nodded, a strawberry cream cake was soon placed in front of her.

She picked up a fork engraved with a pink rose outlined in gold leaf, and carefully sliced into the cake.

“It’s delicious.”

“I’m glad.”

As she took a bite, her facial muscles instinctively relaxed into a smile.

The rich cream and generous strawberries, along with the moist sponge, melted delightfully in her mouth.

“Here are today’s special cookies.”

Then the cookies Rosian had ordered followed.

‘This aroma is…’

Jaina and Rosian each took a cookie and brought it to their mouths.

“Mmm.”

The moment they bit into it, the rich fragrance of ginger and cinnamon wafted heavily.

‘Ginger cookies.’

The chewy texture coated their mouths.

Jaina marveled that there were cookies beyond just soft or crispy ones, and took a sip of the black tea she had ordered with the cake. The spiced aroma was sweet yet had a pungent aftertaste, pairing quite well.

“Does it suit your taste, Miss Jaina?”

“Yes, I really enjoyed it.”

However, Rosian seemed to be the opposite of Jaina.

While Rosian didn’t let on, he had an awkward expression and didn’t chew the contents in his mouth, stiffening instead.

‘It seems the prince can’t handle ginger very well. Although it’s a divisive flavor.’

Still, Rosian didn’t show any outward sign of disliking the taste. Rather, even his perplexed expression seemed elegant in its own way.

But Jaina, who didn’t enjoy seeing others in distress, quickly spoke to Rosian:

“Your Highness, may I ask a favor? The cookies are so delicious, may I have yours as well?”

“Oh? Of course.”

At first, he simply thought the ginger cookies must be tasty.

But shortly after, Rosian realized it was Jaina’s considerate way of alleviating his burden.

‘She could have put on a polite show.’

Yet the young girl before him showed not a hint of it, simply chewing silently.

Her demeanor felt unfamiliar to Rosian, so he gazed at Jaina’s face.

Large doe-like eyes, a pale, soft face.

Apart from being cute and pretty… Rosian found it hard to take his eyes off the girl in front of him, who seemed no different from any other child.

‘Is this why that scum cherishes Miss Jaina?’

“By the way, Miss Jaina, what was that song you were humming in the carriage earlier? It didn’t sound like the imperial language… it had a mysterious and wistful feeling.”

Jaina recalled the melody she had hummed earlier.

‘Ah, that song…’

Jaina got up and moved to sit next to Rosian. As the distance suddenly closed, Rosian’s eyes widened.

“The song I was humming was one I sing while doing ‘Sse sse sse’.” (tl/n: “Patty cake” but in Korean style.)

“‘Sse sse sse’?”

Jaina raised her small hands resolutely.

Then, rolling up her long sleeves decisively, she said:

“‘Sse sse sse’ is a secret game only I know. If you want, I’ll teach only Your Highness.”

“You didn’t even teach Mikael, did you?”

“That’s right. No one knows.”

Even without knowing what ‘Sse sse sse’ was, Rosian looked very expectant.

“Alright, I won’t tell anyone. Since Jaina is only telling me.”

‘The younger they are, the more they love secrets and such.’

Jaina pulled Rosian’s hands toward her.

“The effects are amazing too. The more you do this game, the better your dexterity and even your mind become…”

Even as she blurted out words at random, there wasn’t a hint of hesitation in Jaina’s voice.

Jaina held Rosian’s hands solemnly and said,

“For ‘Sse sse sse’, we have to perform a ritual of holding each other’s hands and shaking them up and down. After that, the main part begins.”

Jaina let go of Rosian’s hands and demonstrated first.

She clapped once, tapped her wrist in the air once…

“In a way, it resembles magic seals. Like how they’re only passed down orally. ‘Sse sse sse’ also has slightly different methods depending on who’s doing it.”

“But I’m going to do it exactly the same as Miss Jaina, right? Ah, this is like a magician having a master and disciple…”

“You’ve understood correctly. Now I’ll do it while singing the song.”

Jaina opened her mouth.

“On the Milky Way in the blue sky, a white lotus leaf.”

Jaina moved her hands brilliantly. Rosian focused his eyes intently on her swift and precise movements.

“A kinnaloe tree, a rabbit.”

In that moment, she flicked her wrist and spun it, unleashing advanced techniques going back and forth rapidly.

“Wow.”

As Rosian let out an exclamation, Jaina ended the game with a satisfied look.

“-To the western lands.”

“Amazing, Jaina!”

Rosian applauded more fervently than when he had watched a play.

Even though Jaina’s skills weren’t outstanding, her audience was very generous. Delighted by his reaction, Jaina asked Rosian:

“So, would you like to try it with me now?”