I Raised Snow White!

60. First Friends (1)

[Chapter 60] – First Friends (1)

The road to the forest where the hunting competition is held.

I was busy enduring motion sickness while reading the papers I had organized in the rocking carriage. What was written in the document was the ‘wife’ who invited the hunting competition and her family’s personal information. First of all, this information was essential because he decided to stay at his wife’s mansion for a day before the hunting competition was held.

Countess Serena.

One of the five wives who attended the princess’s first tea party, and the wife who invited the princess to the ‘hunting competition’. Also, she was the mother of a young girl who cries at the sight of a wolf at a tea party and hugs a girl named Emily.

‘The count, who was her husband, passed away in an accident two years ago… The count’s property was inherited by his wife, but now the unmarried count’s younger sister takes over the count and leads the family together with the countess….The count’s greatest concern is the joint business with Mrs. Sergio…’

I was honestly a bit surprised when I first read the passage about the count’s ‘sister’ inheriting the family, but looking back on it, it wasn’t particularly impossible in this world.

In the first place, this country was a country where a ‘queen’ had been promoted to the title in the past. Not surprisingly, there were two women even in the ministerial post.

Since it would be difficult to meet the Countess and make a mistake, it was convenient to memorize things that could become her mines in advance. She frowned because she thought she had memorized it all, then turned her head to look at the princess.

It is strange that the princess came out of the castle for the first time in her life, and since she rode in her carriage, she has been busy looking out the window. How amazing would she be to see the things she had only learned in books and classes appear before her eyes? It wasn’t a narrow place in the castle, but compared to the outside, it was infinitely narrow.

‘Well… This is the first time I’ve come out of the castle too.’

I’m sure it was my first time outside the royal castle, but I didn’t feel as excited as the princess. I just think, ‘Ah, that’s how it feels.’ I didn’t burst into admiration for every passing thing like a princess, or anything like that. Isn’t it just the difference between a child’s and an adult’s gaze?

The princess couldn’t even close her mouth and was busy asking Ainsel every single thing that passed by. A windmill spinning in the middle of a village, golden grains ripening in a wide field, and even a bird taking a break on a tree.

The curiosity of the first princess out of the world did not know how to stop. Even Ainsel was having a hard time with the endless princess’ questions, to the point where he cried out to me for help. Ainsel, who had been on my earring for the first time in a long time, whispered to me with a tired voice.

-Vivian… It’s already been 10 hours… Can you take the princess’s question for me for a moment…?

“Why me?”

– Yes…? Why am I…?

“You don’t even care about me anymore, so you come to me only when you need me? Do I look that easy? The ‘mirror fairy’ who didn’t even sign a contract with me?”

-Ah no, are you still pouting?! Did I apologize?!

At the voice of Ainsel, who shouted in bewilderment, I snorted lightly with excitement. Now, Ainsel, who doesn’t even come to the main body in my room and lives in the princess’s necklace and only looks for me when he needs it, hated him to the point of death.

At the time of the princess’s ‘runaway incident’, she said that she would forgive Aincel, who didn’t say anything to me and didn’t come to me, but it was hard to forgive easily. How absurd it was when I fell asleep and said, “I don’t remember.”

“Ah~ Ainsel is a fairy, so he doesn’t know the human heart too much.

-You said you would forgive me!!

“I can’t remember because I fell asleep?”

– Ah!

Ainsel let out a short sigh and eventually let out a cry. When I heard that sound, I smiled involuntarily, tapped my knee, and called for the princess who was looking out from the window. Then, a lump of curiosity jumped up on my lap and smiled bashfully.

“Titania, is it so strange outside?”

“Yes! It’s so much fun seeing it for the first time! It’s amazing because there are so many different things from what I’ve only seen in books. And the bird called the swan that was in the lake I passed earlier is also in the book-“

So Ainsel asked me for help? I just laughed at the appearance of the princess who showed off her knowledge without rest. Seeing them talking so excitedly, I thought, ‘Shouldn’t I have gone out of the castle a little earlier?’

I glanced at the window, and the knight escorting us met my eyes and nodded. It was a signal that they would soon arrive at their destination, the count’s house. I interrupted the princess by stroking her head as she chattered nonstop like a chick on my lap.

“It’s good to be curious, but it’ll arrive soon.”

“Yes? Already?”

“Already? Didn’t you leave early in the morning and arrive at night?”

It was already dark outside the carriage as the sun had fallen. When the princess also looked out the window, she opened her eyes wide and looked outside as if wondering how much time had already passed. After a while, the speed of the wagon gradually decreased, and then it completely slowed down and stopped.

“Your Highness the Queen, we have arrived at Countess Serina.”

As soon as the escort knight knocked on the carriage, he announced that he had arrived at the count’s house. When I glanced out of the window, the count’s maids and attendants gathered in front of the front door and bowed their heads to greet us, probably already aware of our arrival.

The door opened, and when I got off the carriage, I saw a familiar face among the crowd, and I smiled. Then, holding the princess’s hand, they walked out to a familiar face. To the side of Mrs. Serena, who invited me to the hunting competition.

“Mrs. Serena.”

“Welcome to Countess Serina. Her Highness Queen Vivian. And, Princess Titania.”

Countess Serena bowed her head, lifted her head, and introduced the woman standing next to her. Compared to Countess Serena, she had a young face, and a delicate face that still looked like she was in her early twenties. She was nervous, so the woman gave a hesitant greeting, bowed her head, and introduced herself.

“Tongue, my name is Yvette Serena, who is currently the head of the Serena count family.”

“My name is Hayley Serena, the former wife of Countess Serena.”

After the two women introduced themselves, a very nervous young lady caught my eye next to Mrs. Serena. The young lady who cried while watching the wolf fell on the floor and cried. The young lady was very nervous, bowed her head and greeted me with a loud, deafening voice.

“Bar, bar, viola Serina! Say! Sincerely, Her Highness the Queen and the Princess’s visit! Welcome! That, and this, I made this myself…!”

Viola took out two cute little bouquets that she had hidden in her back and walked to the princess with a quick stride and handed them over. When the princess smiled bashfully after receiving the bouquet, Viola also smiled heheheh as if her tension had eased a little.

As I stroked Viola’s hair, I was handed a small and cute bouquet. A small and dainty bouquet of lilies. When I looked at the bouquet, which gave off the impression that it was made by a child alone without help from an adult, I couldn’t hide the laughter that leaked out.

“Huh, I’m glad you welcomed me like this, Viola. During your stay here, please take good care of me.”

“Yes, Neet!”

*

When we arrived at the county’s house, we first took a short break, and then were led by Viola’s hand to the restaurant. When I arrived at the restaurant, the food that seemed to have taken more care than usual was on the table. It’s okay if you don’t do this…

“Poem, do you like the meal…?”

“…Don’t be so nervous. What a wonderful dinner.”

Well, it wasn’t that I couldn’t understand the feelings of the count and his wife. No matter how bad the rumors were, how nervous would it be because the ‘Queen’ and ‘Princess’ of this country would be staying at the count’s house? I don’t know the wife, but the young count clearly looked nervous throughout the meal with me.

After the dinner, not knowing whether the food went into the nose or the mouth, the princess began to doze off in front of the table, as if the tiredness of the constant chatter in the carriage had finally arrived. Now that we’ve just finished dinner, it’s still too early to go back to our room, so let’s think about what to do-

“Princess, would you like to tour the mansion with Viola? It’s a shabby and narrow mansion rather than a royal castle, but the garden overlooking from the terrace is really beautiful.”

“Eh?”

Lady Serena suggested that the princess take a tour of the mansion. The princess, who was bobbing her head back and forth like a doll, wiped the saliva from her mouth in shock at the voice calling her. The princess glanced up at me with her sleepy eyes as if trying to figure out what was going on.

“…Do you want to play with Viola for a while?”

The princess wiped her sleepy eyes, covered her mouth with her hand, yawned loudly, and nodded her head. Even if she was here, she couldn’t even talk to Ainsel, so she must have been very bored. The princess jumped out of her chair and approached Viola. Then she turned her head again to look at me and-

“Huh. Where do you sleep at night…?”

“Ask me to guide you to my room where I rested earlier. Weren’t we going to sleep together anyway?”

The princess nodded lightly.

The princess, perhaps awake from her sleep, is about to step out of the restaurant with Viola. At that moment, Ainsel, who was smiling brightly on the princess’s necklace, caught my eye. Just before the princess went outside, I snapped her finger and motioned for Ainsel to return to my earring.

– Why…?

Why, why are you in a place where children play?

Normally, I would have sent Ainsel to the princess’s side, but in this place where there is no particular danger, I decided to keep Ainsel by my side. If done well, the princess might have a first person friend who is not a fairy.

Leaving behind Ainsel, who was sullen and making a ‘hing’ sound, and sipping a glass of wine, Mrs. Serena and the Count met each other’s eyes, then smiled and looked at me. Let’s raise our eyes and look at the two, wondering if I said something strange-

“Do you usually sleep with the princess?”

“…Is it strange?”

The two of them giggled even more at my answer. When I tilted her head, Mrs. Serena, who curled the corners of her eyes and smiled, replied as if she was envious.

“No, it’s not strange at all. Viola is also 10 years old now… But since last year she said she was ashamed to sleep with me. So stop envying me… Whoops.”

The moment I heard that story, my heart sank involuntarily. What if the princess is ashamed to sleep with me? Even just imagining it, her heart ached as if she had been hurt. Will there come a day when puberty comes and, like Viola, says, ‘I don’t want to sleep with my mom!’?

Even though I just imagined the appearance of the princess who had reached puberty, her mouth was bitter and she only sipped wine. Then, Mrs. Serena took out a wine bottle from her tray and showed it to me while holding it. A wine bottle that looks expensive enough to tell that it is a high-quality wine at a glance.

The wife said she was a little drunk, but she looked at me and smiled. The corners of her eyes curved like crescent moons, and her lips arced softly.

“We have a lot of alcohol left… The night is still long… By any chance, Her Highness, if you don’t mind, why don’t you go into your room and have a drink with us? You will definitely enjoy it.”

“Hmm? Enter the room? Speaking of the restaurant…”

“It’s not like talking only in a restaurant. The eyes of the children have disappeared after a long time, so how about having a time to share a meeting ‘only among parents’? Parents rarely have time like this, right?”

Between parents. Enticed by the words, I sipped my glass for a while and lost myself in thought.

From noble mtl dot com

‘…Isn’t it okay?’

As Mrs. Serena said, it was a situation where only parents gathered together. The Count isn’t a parent, but he’s an adult first. And certainly this situation seldom happened. I also wanted to hear from Mrs. Serena about her child’s ‘parenting’. And…

‘Vivian is rumored to be so nasty that even though she is a queen, it is hard to step into the social world. Wouldn’t it be nice if rumors spread that now Vivian isn’t the ‘old Vivian’ because she gets close with her wives? And what, is there anything special? It’s a place for wives to have a drink, isn’t this kind of a place in a social world?’

After finishing the calculation in my head, I put my wine glass down on her table and looked at the two of them with a grin, just like my wife. When my wife and the count saw my smile, they smiled even more.

“Go ahead!”

I never fell for the first time I saw alcohol. Because this is just an extension of the social world.