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n“Oh, by the way, your father’s birthday is the day after tomorrow, right?”

n“Yes, that’s right.”

nAs if he didn’t expect me to remember his father’s birthday, he was surprised.

nI smiled softly at him, who was obviously touched by my consideration.

n“Your father used to like snacks a lot, right? Let me give you five days of vacation, starting tomorrow, so you can visit your father. Tell the chief chef to make some cakes and cookies for your father, and get some herbs that are good for senior people.”

n“Thank you, young lady.”

n“Please send my regards to him. Have a good vacation! ”

n“Thanks, lady.”

nThe butler bowed deeply before leaving. I felt it would take a bit more time to investigate the personal details of the staff, but as it was not urgent, I leisurely opened a thin book.

n“My lady.”

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n

n“Huh?”

n“Your father has just arrived.”

n“Oh yeah. Let me go down to see him,” I took my eyes off of the book at Lina’s reminder.

nWhen I hastily got down downstairs, I saw him approaching me with disciplined footsteps.

n“Come on in, daddy!”

n“Sorry for being late. It’s quite chilly outside. Let’s go in. ”

n“Yeah. It looks like you had lots of work today. ”

n“Well, you’re right. I had to take care of something.”

nI didn’t think he was at the palace until a moment ago. Although I was a bit puzzled, I didn’t ask further.

n“You look very tired, Daddy.”

n“No, I’m fine. What’s the matter?”

n“I have something to tell you.”

n“Really? Follow me, then. ”

n“Yes, Dad.”

nAs if he wanted to talk to me first, he headed to the office right away instead of telling me to go first and wait. Taking off his navy blue uniform jacket, he sat down and said, “So, what do you want to say to me?”

n“Well, l have something to tell you first, Dad. I gave the butler five days of vacation leave. As the day after tomorrow is his father’s birthday, I told him to visit his father back home.”

n“Yes, good job, honey.”

n“I have something to tell you about myself. Well, can I take care of household affairs from now on?”

n“Are you sure?” He looked at me curiously.

n“Yes, daddy. Right now, you’re taking care of everything by yourself. I want to help you in one way or another. Besides, household affairs are supposed to be managed by a woman, so I think it’s not good to rely on others blindly.”

n“Got it. Tia, I’m not saying this because I can’t believe in you, but don’t you think you are biting off more than you can chew?”

n“I will ask for your help if I find it hard. As I don’t have a mother, I’m gonna have to do it on her behalf someday anyway. Just think of it as I’m starting a little earlier than others. ”

n“Okay, I understand. Let me tell the butler to help you take over as soon as he comes back from the vacation. If you have a hard time, feel free to talk to me anytime.”

n“Okay. Thank you, Dad. ”

nAlthough I was supposed to take care of the household work someday, I was surprised that he gladly accepted my request. Taking charge of the household work might seem attractive at first glance because I would have the enormous power over the cash, but it carried lots of responsibility on my part. The higher the noble, the greater the size of the family. That meant more responsibility on the part of the person keeping the cash. Therefore, even if there was no lady of the house, it was impossible for a ten-year-old child to keep the cash, and that was unthinkable in the case of the Monique family.

nBut my father didn’t hesitate to give me this position that came with great power and duty, even though he did not know that I had been responsible for the internal affairs of the imperial palace in my past life. Of course, for the time being he would be watching me closely if I’m doing my job properly and make the final decision. Nonetheless, my father showed great trust in me in the process, which was quite surprising to me.

n“So, that’s why you wanted to see me, Tia.”

n“No, I’ve got one more favor to ask of you. I hope you can do me a favor. ”

n“Go ahead, honey.”

n“Well…”

n“Tell me.”

n“I want you to teach me how to use a sword.”

n“You mean swordsmanship?”

nI looked at him nervously. He stroked his chin as if he was suspicious, and said, “Can I ask you something?”

n“Yes, please.”

n“I also felt strange when you talked to the emperor last time, but why are you so hateful towards the crown prince? Did you remember anything about him? ”

nI stiffened at his words. I don’t think he knows I can remember all the things that happened to me until I was 17 years old. When I was at a loss about how to respond, he added, “I mean when you were young.”

n“As a kid?”

nWhew! I swallowed a sigh of relief in my heart before tilting my head. What’s the relationship between my avoidance of him and my childhood memories? Wasn’t it when I was ten years old that I met him for the first time?

nI felt somewhat uncomfortable about it, but that’s important now. What’s the point of bringing back my childhood memories that I don’t remember at all? I’m not going to get entangled with him anyway.

n“Oh, it looks like it’s not relevant. Hmm, then why do you hate the prince so much? ”

n“I don’t want to marry. I just want to live happily with you, Dad, like now. ”

n“I see.”

nMy father shut up, though he obviously wanted to say more. When I looked at his restless eyes in silence, he gave me a faint smile and said, “Got it. Let me do as you wish.”

n“Thank you, Dad!”

nAs I brightly smiled, he rose from his seat and reached out to embrace me. I buried my face in his arms. I felt his gentle touch when he stroked my hair.

n“I thought you were grown up, but you are still a baby to me.”

n“… ”

n“Good. Then let’s start your fencing practice tomorrow, but remember this, I’m a very strict teacher. ”

n“Of course, Dad. Thank you very much. ”

n“Okay. Is there anything else you want to say to me?”

n“Nope.”

n“It’s late. Go and get to bed. You have to start training tomorrow, so you need a good rest. Let me take you to your bedroom. ”

nHe picked me up and walked with discipline, which shook my body pleasantly. After laying me down on a soft bed, he said goodnight and pulled a blanket over me before leaving.

nIs it because I was tired after a long day? I quickly fell asleep.

nIs it because I was thrilled to learn new things? I woke up early in the morning before the sun had risen. I urged Lina to find me clothes as comfortable as possible, but they were all skirts. So, I thought I had to order several pairs of pants. In the end, I changed into a riding suit, which looked better than the other clothes.

n“Are you already up?”

n“Good morning, Dad”

n“Good morning, honey. Did you sleep well?”

n“Yeah.”

n“You must be very excited as you look so happy today. Then, shall we go? ”

nI headed for the training field with my father. The day was starting to break, but there were already many knights training at dawn. When I stepped onto the field half excited and half nervous, they came running to me and greeted me.

n“What are you doing here?”

n“Are you going to ride a horse so early?”

n“It’s been a while since I have seen you, my lady!”

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n“Stop there, guys!”

nWhen a man’s low voice rang through the airfield, the knights surrounding me stiffened. As I expected, my father was a strict boss. When I was about to run to the edge of the training field, I saw a boy with yellow green hair running from afar.

n“Aristia!”

n“Allendis, welcome! I thought you wouldn’t come! ”

n“No way. What are you doing here? Gimme me a break! Are you here to cheer me up while I’m struggling here?”

nWhile greeting him gladly, I looked around because I felt strange. Not only my father, but all of the training knights were staring at me and Allendis.

n‘Oh my goodness, did I greet him so loudly?’

nI hurriedly apologized to the knights and spoke as quietly as possible.

n“No, I decided to learn fencing, starting today.”

n“Really? That’s great!”

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