I Raised Snow White!

At the window of the audience chamber, her light brown hair caught the sunlight, looking almost blonde.

Her black eyes, reflecting the sunlight, sparkled like obsidian.

A ‘young girl’ who looked about fifteen years old lowered her head and introduced herself.

"My name is Fiona Silverward. The ‘Second Princess’ of the Silverward Kingdom greets Her Majesty Queen Vivian Lilienthal.”

As soon as I saw the woman who introduced herself as ‘Fiona Silverward,’ an inexplicable chill ran down my spine.

I rubbed my arms, covered in goosebumps, and looked at Fiona, who was smiling sweetly.

‘What is this…?’

Originally, it should have been the ‘Third Prince’ who arrived here, according to the original storyline.

Even the Minister of Foreign Affairs, who had returned from his diplomatic visit to the Silverward Kingdom, had mentioned that the Third Prince would be part of the delegation.

I looked at the Minister of Foreign Affairs, who was beside me, his eyes wide with surprise.

He shook his head firmly, indicating that he hadn’t heard anything about this either.

‘The storyline has changed again…’

So far, every time the original storyline changed, it never led to anything good.

The First Queen Aurora, who was presumed dead, turned out to be alive, which had disastrous consequences for the ‘player’ king.

And now, the fact that the ‘Third Prince’ who was supposed to arrive had been replaced by the ‘Second Princess’ didn’t seem like a good sign, either.

I didn’t have any solid proof, only a strong feeling...

"Um...? Are you alright?"

“Ah.”

I had been lost in thought, and Fiona looked up at me with a slight tilt of her head.

Well, first things first—the reception ceremony for the delegation took precedence.

I nodded and forced a smile.

"Welcome, Princess Fiona Silverward. You must be tired from the long journey, so how about resting for today? The banquet to welcome your delegation is scheduled for tomorrow evening. I hope you’ll join us then.”

“Thank you for your warm hospitality despite our unexpected arrival.”

When I raised my hand to signal the end of the conversation, the ladies-in-waiting, who had been standing by, began guiding the delegation members out.

Once the delegation exited the audience chamber, the Minister of Foreign Affairs sighed deeply and began to look troubled.

"The Second Princess, not the First… Huh… This is quite unexpected.”

“Minister, do you know anything about Princess Fiona Silverward?”

At my question, the Minister of Foreign Affairs shook his head and shrugged.

"Not at all. The ‘Second Princess’ rarely leaves the Silverward Kingdom. She doesn’t attend external events much, and I only saw her once briefly when I visited that kingdom.”

From what the Minister said, Princess Fiona seemed to have a reserved personality.

A Princess who never participated in outside events and only stayed confined indoors.

The thought reminded me of someone I knew, making my head ache slightly.

“Well… I can’t say for certain. It’s only what I’ve heard; it could be that she simply never had the opportunity to go out. The ‘First Princess’ of their kingdom has such a great reputation, after all.”

“A reputation?”

“They say that if there’s ever a ‘Queen’ in the history of the Silverward Kingdom, it would likely be their ‘First Princess.’ She’s as popular as the First and Second Princes, both of whom are in line for the throne.”

"Hmm…”

“The First Princess is highly popular and extremely capable. Perhaps that’s why the Second Princess, Fiona, stayed out of the spotlight… Just a guess.”

A Second Princess overshadowed by the First.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs merely shrugged, emphasizing that it was all speculation, without any real basis.

No amount of speculation among people who knew nothing would be of any help.

With the ‘Third Prince’ who was originally supposed to come nowhere in sight, the arranged meeting was effectively off.

The Princess might be pleased if she heard about this.

She’d been trying to avoid me over her aversion to the arrangement.

I massaged my furrowed brow and let out a small sigh.

The sudden change in the original storyline made me uneasy, as did the sense of unease I felt when I looked at Fiona.

I could only hope that the unsettling feeling was merely my imagination.

“Well… It’s only a week that the delegation will be staying, so even if the Third Prince was replaced by the Second Princess, nothing major should happen. You all worked hard today, get some rest and see you tomorrow.”

When I gestured for them to leave, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and several nobles hesitated but soon bowed and left the audience chamber.

“Haa…”

As soon as everyone left, leaving me alone in the large audience chamber, I let out a deep sigh without even realizing it.

Have I been feeling particularly tired these days?

I seemed to be sighing more often.

With the arranged meeting with the Third Prince canceled, would the Princess’s mood improve, even slightly?

We’d been on awkward terms for two months now, and it was wearing me out.

I just wanted things to go back to the way they were.

Rubbing my tired face with my palm, I slowly stood up and dragged myself out of the room.

I’d thought about resting a bit, but too many thoughts kept swirling around in my head, making it impossible.

Could I soon mend my awkward relationship with the Princess?

Was the change in the storyline, where the Second Princess arrived instead of the Third Prince, just a coincidence?

As I organized my tangled thoughts one by one, I quietly headed toward my room.

I could only hope that nothing significant happened during the week that the delegation would be here.

On the fourth day since the Silverward Kingdom’s delegation arrived.

So far, nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

I left political matters to the ministers and only nodded along during meetings.

The banquet to welcome the delegation also concluded without incident.

It was to the point where I wondered if I’d been too suspicious.

Princess Fiona spent her days quietly, enjoying and experiencing the culture, without causing any disturbances.

‘Could the sense of unease I felt back then have been just my imagination? I’m relieved that nothing’s happened, though…’

I pierced a slice of meat on my plate with a fork and glanced across the table at Princess Fiona, who was dining with us.

She smiled contentedly as she complimented the food, looking genuinely pleased as she enjoyed her meal.

Could Princess Fiona really have just been overshadowed by her First Princess sister?

Appearance aside, judging from her behavior, Princess Fiona seemed like an ordinary fifteen-year-old child.

Watching her happily eat, I felt almost guilty for being so suspicious.

While cutting the meat into smaller pieces, Fiona smiled and looked at the Princess beside her, who was also busily cutting her own meat.

After spending a few days together, it seemed like they had become quite friendly.

“Princess Titania, would you like me to help cut your meat if you’re having trouble?”

“N-No, it’s okay. I can do it myself…”

“I’m sorry. I have a younger brother but no younger sister, so I end up fussing a lot. I love my brother, but having a sister would be even better—”

The Princess, looking exhausted by Fiona’s endless chatter, forced a shy smile and nodded repeatedly.

Was this what it felt like to have your energy drained?

The usually playful and energetic Princess now looked like an animal in front of its natural predator, just listening to Fiona without a word.

Her awkward smile was plainly visible.

Since I mentioned the cancellation of the arranged meeting, my relationship with the Princess had improved, if only slightly.

The long awkward period meant she didn’t change her attitude toward me overnight, but there was definite progress.

While we slowly dined, Fiona, who hadn’t stopped chattering like a baby bird, suddenly clapped her hands together and beamed as if she had just come up with a wonderful idea.

“Oh, right! Princess Titania, what are your plans for today?”

“Um, I don’t really have anything planned.”

“Then how about spending the day having a tea party with me? We brought a variety of treats from the Silverward Kingdom. I’d love to share the flavors with you, just as they were gifted to me—”

In the midst of Fiona’s incessant chatter, the Princess turned to look at me.

With an expression that seemed to plead for help, she looked at me restlessly, but I gave Fiona my full support with a bright smile.

“If Princess Fiona is offering such wonderful treats, it’s only right that we provide the tea. The palace has a fine selection of teas. I’ll arrange for them, so why don’t you two enjoy some time together this afternoon?”

“That’s a wonderful idea! Thank you, Your Majesty! Finding a tea that complements our kingdom’s treats will be fun—”

The Princess’s face turned pale, and she puffed out her cheeks in annoyance, glaring at me with an expression that seemed to say she really disliked me.

Ignoring her, I continued to eat my slice of meat, avoiding her gaze.

Considering how much she had ignored me out of sulkiness lately, I felt justified in teasing her just a little.

She still hadn’t apologized to me, so a bit of playful mischief should be alright.

Wiping my mouth with a napkin, I smiled brightly at the Princess and Princess Fiona.

“Well then, I hope you two enjoy your time together. If anything comes up, feel free to call for me, Princess Fiona and Princess Titania.”

“Thank you for your consideration as always, Your Majesty Queen Vivian!”

“……”

The Princess, who hadn’t even taken a bite yet, puffed her cheeks and glared at me, but I stood up first and slowly walked out of the dining hall.

As I passed behind her, the Princess whispered in a tiny voice, so soft that only I could hear it.

It was a very brief, but genuinely heartfelt word.

“…I hate you.”

“So do I.”

When I responded to the Princess’s words, Fiona paused from cutting her meat and looked up, her head tilted in curiosity.

“Hm? Did you say something?”

“It’s nothing, Princess Fiona. I hope you two enjoy your time.”

With those final words, I exited the dining hall.

Through the small gap in the closing door, I caught a glimpse of the Princess’s tearful expression as she looked at me, but I ignored it and headed to my room for a short break.

After all the stress I’ve endured until now…

A bit of mischief should be harmless.

It’s not as if anything bad will happen just because the two Princesses are having a tea party together.