Special Side Story, Chapter 1

---

The warm spring sunlight poured gently onto the windowsill.

A young princess, sitting by the window, rested her cheeks in both hands and let out a sigh filled with worry.

“Haaah.”

Dahlia Karpel de Windsor.

The only princess of the Windsor Empire and the next heir to the throne.

She was also known by her nickname: the Little Tyrant of the Imperial Palace.

Dahlia was so headstrong that she was famous for demanding her way even with her father, the Emperor.

But today, Dahlia’s usual nickname seemed out of place, as her face bore only a gloomy expression.

Her shoulders drooped, and there was no trace of the spirited troublemaker who usually turned the entire palace upside down.

“Haaahhh…”

Once again, Dahlia let out a long sigh.

The sight of her looking so serious made the maids who attended to her glance at one another nervously.

“Do you know why Her Highness is acting like this?”

“No, if I knew, do you think I’d be standing here clueless?”

As is often the case, the mood of the palace mirrored the temperament of its ruler.

And so, the maids of the princess’s quarters felt as if they were walking on thin ice, carefully trying to gauge her mood.

Of course, Her Highness was generally kind-hearted to her subordinates, but who could say for sure?

What if our princess was already entering puberty?

Granted, the princess was only ten years old, but still!

She was exceptionally precocious and intelligent, so there was always the possibility that puberty had come early!

But if she had entered puberty, how should they care for her now?

The maids fell into deep thought—a mixture of worry and exaggerated imagination.

“Haaaahhh…”

Meanwhile, Dahlia, entirely oblivious to the fact that her unusual behavior was putting the maids on edge, sighed yet again, a long and weary exhale.

“I just can’t figure it out…”

She rested her chin on her hands, eyes filled with determination.

“So what should I do for Mama’s birthday?”

Dahlia’s most beloved person in the world was her mother.

And with Charlize’s birthday just a week away, Dahlia was deeply troubled.

At first, she had tried to approach her mother subtly, asking,

“Mama, is there anything you’d like for your birthday?”

But her ever-perceptive mother had simply smiled warmly and replied,

“Anything Dahlia gives me will be perfect.”

While her mother’s answer was sweet, to the giver of the gift, “Anything is fine” was an incredibly vague response!

Still, Dahlia resolved to give it her all.

In the past, she had drawn her mother a picture, even if it was a bit clumsy.

“Oh my, Dahlia, you’re such a wonderful artist!”

Her loving mother had beamed with a bright smile,

“The flowers are so beautiful. They remind me of you, Dahlia!”

“…Those are stars.”

“Ah, I see.”

Charlize had broken into a nervous sweat, carefully gauging her daughter’s mood.

‘Oh, it must have been because the star was so bright that I got confused!’

‘…It’s fine.’

And just like that, Dahlia gave up on drawing.

Her next attempt was to bake a birthday cake.

But…

Crash!!

For the young Dahlia, the mixing bowl for the cake batter was far too heavy.

‘Uh, Your Highness.’

The kitchen staff, unable to bear the sight any longer, gently intervened.

‘Why don’t we handle the baking of the cake?’

‘Y-Yes! Perhaps Your Highness could decorate it with some chocolate toppings instead?’

And so, Dahlia found herself relegated to the role of placing chocolate decorations on top of the cake…

‘My goodness, Dahlia, did you prepare this cake?’

Of course, her mother was overjoyed, even with just that.

But truth be told, Dahlia wasn’t satisfied at all.

And to make matters worse…

She had run out of ideas for gifts!

‘I want to give her something truly special!’

No matter how many times she racked her brain, she couldn’t come up with a single solution.

In the end, a frustrated Dahlia turned to one of her maids with a pout.

“Hey.”

“Y-Yes, Your Highness?”

Startled, the maid, who had been sneaking glances at Dahlia, straightened her posture immediately.

Dahlia narrowed her eyes.

“What’s wrong? Why are you acting like that?”

“N-Nothing at all!”

Shaking her head, the maid forced a soft smile.

“But more importantly, Your Highness…”

“Hm?”

“Is there something troubling you?”

Gasp.

For a moment, Dahlia’s eyes widened in surprise.

“How did you know?!”

Well, with all those heavy sighs you’ve been letting out, wouldn’t it be stranger not to know?

The maid held back her exasperation and looked at Dahlia with patience.

“Well…”

Dahlia hesitated, fumbling for words.

“Mother’s birthday is coming up soon.”

Ah, could it be?

Was her gloomy mood all day because of the Empress’s upcoming birthday?

The maid, briefly stunned, quickly understood.

‘Well, that makes sense.’

The Imperial family’s love for the Empress was, after all, extraordinary.

If anything, since the princess was still young, her actions were at least manageable.

But during the Empress’s previous birthday…

‘Charl!’

The Emperor, who had cleared his workload by pulling three consecutive all-nighters just to be fully present for the Empress’s birthday,

greeted her with dark circles under his eyes and a gaze sparkling with anticipation.

That gaze was, admittedly, an irreverent comparison to make about the supreme ruler of the empire,

but it resembled the adoring eyes of a puppy looking up at its owner returning home after a long trip.

‘Happy birthday! I wasn’t sure what you’d like, Charl, so I bought a bit of everything….’

‘Step aside, Your Majesty. You’re in my way.’

The former Empress, who happened to be visiting the palace at that time, coldly pushed the Emperor aside.

She narrowed her eyes as she inspected the gifts he had prepared.

‘A brute-force approach? Hmph, no matter how much you give, it can’t compare to a heartfelt gift.’

Then, with a radiant smile, she presented a magnificent bouquet.

The bouquet was filled with vibrant red roses, a perfect reflection of the former Empress herself.

‘My dear Charl, happy birthday! I made this bouquet myself this time…!’

Even the Duke and Duchess of Rochester, with the Duke being the former Empress’s brother and one of the Emperor’s closest confidants,

joined in.

‘How have you been, Your Majesty? I prepared a gift….’

‘Since my wife personally selected it, I’m sure it will perfectly suit your taste.’

As if to prove his reputation as a devoted husband, the Duke gazed warmly at the Duchess.

‘My, another lively birthday celebration for the Empress this year.’

The Dowager Empress also joined the festivities.

‘Here I am! Am I a bit late?’

Finally, even the young Viscount of Antes, who was supposed to remain in Antes County, made an appearance.

And so it was.

In the face of the overwhelming flood of gifts from the adults,

Dahlia, the young princess, could only feel her shoulders drooping lower and lower.

The evidence was clear.

The words Dahlia spoke next were exactly what the maid had expected.

“I can’t let this go on any longer!”

Dahlia clenched her small fists tightly and declared.

“This year too, Father, Aunt Rose, Grandmother, Duke Rochester, the Duchess, and, and…”

“The young Viscount of Antes?”

“Yes!”

Dahlia widened her eyes fiercely.

“Anyway, I can’t lose to them anymore!”

“Y-Your Highness?”

“I want to give Mother the best gift ever!”

The maid felt her vision go dark.

Her once-innocent—no, let’s be honest, even if her words were cheeky, she had been earnest!

Alright, she was slightly cunning for her age, but still!

The sweet princess, who was as precious as a jewel, had become like this…

And it was all the adults’ fault. Yes, absolutely!

“Hm… in that case, how about hosting a surprise birthday party?”

At that suggestion, Dahlia’s ears perked up.