Empress of Another World

Short Stories 9.1

They were expecting special guests today, so Bina made it a priority to dress well. When she was almost done, Samantha came in to let her and Lucretius know.

“Your highnesses, the Toruka family has arrived.”

“Thank you. We are ready to leave. Now, your highness…”

When Bina tried to stand up, Lucretius complained quietly.

“But I want to stay here a little longer with you.”

He was enjoying brushing her hair when Samantha came in. He placed the brush down on the table.

They were in Bina’s dressing room and the emperor was the one helping her preparation. The maids were used to this now. Brushing Bina’s hair was one of Lucretius’ favorite hobbies. He had been doing this since Bina was his first wife.

Even though the empress had told him it was not necessary, he refused to give up. Nowadays, Bina was more used to getting ready with her husband’s help than being with her maids.

Lucretius kissed Bina’s shiny hair. A beautiful scent tickled his nose.

“Hmm. My empress is so perfect that even her hair is flawless.”

The younger maids looked envious of Bina, but the experienced maids like Yulia didn’t even seem to notice Lucretius’ ridiculous comments anymore.

Bina grinned. “We are going to be late. We shouldn’t make them wait.”

“Alright.”

Lucretius gestured at Yulia, who moved quickly. Bina was already dressed, and the only thing left was to choose her jewelry. When the maids brought an array of her royal collection, Lucretius looked at them.

“Hmm. None of them are perfect for my empress, but… I guess it can’t be helped. What should we pick?”

Just then, a youthful voice said, “Excuse me, your highness.”

Bina and Lucretius looked at the young girl sitting nearby.

In her lacy green dress, they saw the first princess Beatrice, who just turned five. She had recently perfected the royal etiquette.

Elegantly and confidently, Beatrice continued, “May I choose her highness’ jewelry? If it will please you, sir.”

Her voice still sounded childish, but the way she spoke was similar to that of a stuffy old nobleman.

Bina and Lucretius had been disappointed at how fast Beatrice was growing. They had been hoping that she would remain a kid for a while longer, but Beatrice was insistent on keeping rigid manners even in front of her parents.

They would have preferred her to have a tantrum rather than to ask so properly.

Lucretius replied, “Of course. You can pick one, Beatrice.”

The child bowed deeply. “Thank you, your highness.”

When she tried standing up from the sofa, she failed.

“…”

She was too small, and her feet were dangling in the air. She tried to stretch her legs so she could descend properly, but it was impossible with her short legs. Beatrice puffed her cheeks in frustration but quickly realized that she was acting childishly. She always wanted to appear like a proper princess, but at the end of the day, she was still only five years old.

Bina and Lucretius noticed this and grinned secretly.

Thankfully, Yulia noticed Beatrice’s situation and helped her down. Beatrice walked towards the maid who was holding the tray of the jewelry. The maid was about to lower the tray so Beatrice could look when the emperor quickly walked towards his daughter and lifted her up.