Why am I the Princess?

By the time I turned four, Dad had decided it was time to send me to daycare.

“I don’t want to go,” I protested.

Being a rookie dad, he interpreted my words as reluctance to be apart from him.

“You have to go. You need to make friends and play with them~” “Hah… And what’s the point of getting close to a bunch of kids?” “Uh… well, Siyoon, you’re a kid too, you know?” “Yes—baby.”

My sarcastic tone left Dad momentarily speechless.

“…”

I watched as he knelt to help me with my shoes.

“Dad,” I said. “Yeah?” “What would you do if you made friends with some babies?” “Uh… play with them?” “With kids who can barely talk?” “Uh…?” Sigh.

Dad chuckled at my exasperation.

“But Dad is friends with Siyoon.” “I’m your friend?” “Of course~”

I looked at him, unimpressed by his confidence.

“Then I’m going to talk to you casually from now on. How about that?” “… Uh? Wait, sorry…”

I nodded, seeing Dad momentarily flustered.

“In exchange for me going to daycare, you have to make up with Grandma. She only said those things because she cares about you.” “… You heard that?” “Grandma was harsh, sure, but you know her personality better than anyone.”

Dad fell silent, and his expression softened.

One day, after an argument, Grandma had said something particularly cruel to him. She referred to my late mother as “a woman with no lineage who just left behind a burden.” Later, Grandma admitted it was a slip of the tongue and apologized, but the words had clearly left a scar. Dad gently stroked my hair, his eyes welling up.

“Looks like Dad made his smart little girl worry, huh?” “Hmph… After daycare today, give Grandma a call, okay?” “… Uh? But that’s…” “If Grandma comes by too often, it’ll get annoying, so take your time making up~” “…?” “You know what I mean, right?”

I patted Dad’s head this time, and he let out a bright laugh. My rookie dad picked me up in his arms, and we headed out. In the elevator, we ran into the young woman from the apartment downstairs.

“Hello~” she greeted.

I looked at her, nodding coolly, thinking I appeared chic.

“Oh my, Siyoon, why are you so pretty~?” “Because I don’t take after my dad?”

Dad’s smile turned awkward as the woman laughed.

“Oh no, you’re this pretty because you do take after him. He’s so handsome, isn’t he?”

I glanced up at Dad’s face and saw him smiling uncomfortably.

“If I weren’t married, I’d have been Siyoon’s mom!” “I don’t think so,” I replied flatly. “Aww… but I even fed you when you were a baby…”

Dad and the woman burst into laughter as they chatted, and then she turned to him.

“Is Siyoon always this smart?” she asked.

Dad just smiled, his expression a mix of pride and amusement.

As I continued chatting with the young woman, she smiled and said, “I thought it was unusual, but I’m not entirely sure.”

“You should consider enrolling her in a gifted education program. I’ve noticed it before!” she suggested enthusiastically.

Dad laughed awkwardly. “Haha… Siyoon said it’s boring, so…”

The conversation ended as the woman got off on the first floor, waving goodbye to me. I gave her a small wave in return. Dad carried me in his arms, and we arrived at the parking garage on the fourth basement level. Once there, he carefully buckled me into his car. It was the first time I’d seen it, and its sleek, unfamiliar design caught my attention.

‘Wow, am I a silver spoon kid?’

That fleeting delusion faded quickly as I looked around. Most of the other cars in the garage were just as luxurious—some even more so. Slightly humbled, I turned my gaze back to Dad’s car. On the seat was a child’s car seat that he must have prepared beforehand. He placed me in it and secured the seatbelt.

“I don’t want to go~” I whined.

Smiling, Dad replied, “Then I won’t make up with Grandma~”

“Fine. Let’s do that, then,” I said firmly.

My resolute tone left Dad speechless.

“…”

Did he really think he could outmaneuver me, someone who’s lived twice as long in my past life? When I held out my hand, he handed me his phone without hesitation. I opened YouTube and began browsing. Seeing this, Dad warned me.

“Siyoon, your eyes will get worse if you keep watching that.”

“Then buy me a bigger screen,” I replied.

“Uh… okay…” he stammered.

As I tapped away at the keyboard, Dad asked, “Siyoon, do you know how to read?”

“Of course. Why wouldn’t I?”

He looked amazed. “My daughter… you’re a genius, aren’t you?”

I nodded casually, waving my hand as if to say it was no big deal. “Even I surprise myself sometimes.”

“Ah…”

Recently, I’d discovered the wonders of smartphones and started watching animations. It was like stepping into a whole new world. At first, I thought they’d be too childish, but before I knew it, I was completely hooked.

“Siyoon, isn’t that show a bit too violent?” Dad asked, concerned.

“全く残酷じゃないよ,” I replied in Japanese.

Dad hit the brakes abruptly, startled. “Wh-what? Say that again?”

I repeated the phrase in Japanese. “It’s not violent at all.”

Dad stared at me, dumbfounded. From that moment on, he stopped interfering with my foreign movie choices. Even I was amazed by my abilities. It felt as if I could naturally “switch” between languages. When I focused on a word or phrase, it surfaced in my mind as if someone else’s voice was guiding me.

“Siyoon, can you speak English too?” Dad asked.

“Yep.”

Inside the car, we began conversing in English. Dad’s face lit up with pride as he looked at me, momentarily forgetting to drive.

Before long, we arrived at the daycare. Dad, apparently someone well-known, drew surprised stares from the staff, even though he wore a mask and sunglasses.

“Oh?!”

“Hello,” Dad greeted them.

The young staff member turned to me and gasped, wide-eyed.

“W-wow, you’re so beautiful!”

Curious children peeked out from the classroom, stealing glances at me. The room smelled faintly of baby powder. I found myself face-to-face with the woman they called the director.

“Hello~ Can you call me ‘Director’?” she asked with a smile.