Born As The Emperor’s Daughter - Chapter 190 Welcome Back 4

Explaining everything that she can to her brothers who were confused and just heard the news. Even though it looked like Gilbert wasn’t paying attention as he kept on glancing on the book that he was holding and would read the first paragraph before he returns his attention to Alexandra who was still explaining to Christian.

” And that’s all. Any more questions that you want to ask?” Alexandra felt like she was a teacher teaching the students in her class. Gilbert continued reading his book as if he already understood what she was explaining earlier and doesn’t have any questions to ask.

“So you’re saying that you are going to attend the ball?”

Alexandra smiled at Christian and nodded her head before she opened her mouth to speak, “Yes and not just that ball, all of the upcoming balls, banquets, celebrations, and such events that require our family’s presence,” Was what Alexandra said as she smiled sheepishly and let out a small giggle at the end. Christian blinked multiple times as he stared at her before his expression brightened and the smile on his lips widened and turned into a grin.

“Really? You’re not joking, right?”

“Why would I lie to you?”

“Ah, I’m happy for you! Finally, the balls and banquets that I attend to are getting boring without you there! To think that you can finally attend those!” Christian looked much happier than her when he learned the fact that her existence is going to be announced and she will be able to attend those public events and could go out of the palace freely. Alexandra couldn’t help but let out a short laugh seeing the expression on his face.

“Hey, hey, Brother Gilbert, did you hear that? Alexandra can attend balls, banquets, and other public events with us now!” Christian suddenly approached Gilbert and shook his shoulders as he was reading a book. Gilbert, being the clearly unbothered and nonchalant person that he is, just let Christian shake him over and over again until her stops while he is quietly reading the book that he is reading. Letting out a sigh, he closed his book and turned his head towards Alexandra who was watching them with a smile on his face.

“And? You said that father is going to announce your existence in that ball but who will be your escort? It would be awkward if you will just enter alone, you know?” He asked her, catching Alexandra off-guarded. Even Christian was off-guarded and was excited to know which of her brothers she picked as her escort. He stared at Alexandra with his eyes wide and sparkling. Alexandra sheepishly smiled again and averted her gaze, scratching her cheek with her index finger as she spoke in an uncertain tone of voice which was low and like a whisper.

“It’s”

“Who is it?”

“Don’t be shocked, okay?”

“Just tell us already,” Gilbert was becoming impatient and he placed down his book, staring at Alexandra intensely. Christian noticing the expression on her face, a nervous one, and there was the lightest shade of pink on her cheeks, and how she reacted to his question couldn’t help but doubt. Who is her escort? Based on her reaction, I’m sure that it will be someone we wouldn’t she will pick.

Then he gasped before he spoke in a hushed tone, “Is it Brother Calixander?”

“Eh? No!”

“Then who?”

“J-Just don’t be shocked, don’t shout or scream, okay?”

“Whatever you say, just tell us who is it,” It feels like they were a circle of friends who are talking about their crushes, and Alexandra wouldn’t reveal hers and is shy about. Gilbert is that one friend who is usually not interested in everything except for his books while Christian is that gentle friend who loves to gossip and such but is actually smart and observant.

“It’s our father.”

A moment of silence surrounded them and Alexandra fidgeted with her hands. She was looking down on the ground and she was screaming inside her head and imagining herself banging her head against a wall until her forehead bleeds or the wall crack. Christian blinked multiple times while staring at her, his mouth agape while he processed the information in his mind. Gilbert let out a sigh and picked up his book and as if on cue, Christian finally processed everything.

“Eh?! F-Father is going to be your escort?!” Christian shouted. This was one of those rare times where he will lose his composure because he was either too shocked or too baffled by what he had heard.

“Brother, don’t shout!”

“Ah, I knew it,” That was Gilbert who was still reading his book as if everything that is happening and hearing right now was quite normal for him. Christian turned his head towards Gilbert and shook his shoulders once again, “You’re lying. I know that you are shocked too. You just don’t know what to say, right?” Christian said and he wasn’t entirely wrong. Honestly, watching the two of them, it looked like they were closer than before. Was it because they were always together when they are in the academy?

“Stop shaking me, I can’t read.”

“Oh, I apologize,” Christian after a few minutes of losing his composure finally regained it back. He cleared his throat before he turned his head towards Alexandra, “Honestly, I was shocked. You don’t even know how shocked I am. But, I didn’t expect that you are going to choose father as your escort instead of one of us, your brothers, I’m hurt.”

“Eh? I”

“You don’t need to apologize though I am glad that your relationship improved so much after a few years. If I haven’t met you in the forest and I wasn’t that dumb to not recognize you as my sister because of your hair and eye color, I wonder if it would be the same as now.”

“I’m sure it will be different.”

“Well, this must be fate. Letting us meet.”

“You sound cheesy for a moment there.”

“Right? I just remembered that line from one of the cookies and letters on my desk.”

“Must be hard. You’re just 11, brother, but why does it seems like the girls are courting you or something?”

“Normally, nobles and royalties at our age are already engaged.”

Gilbert was the one who responded to her question instead of Christian. Alexandra had heard that for the first time in her whole life, her eyes widened in surprise. “It’s usually for wealth, for power, for status, or for fame. Nevertheless, most of them aren’t engaged for love.”

“Then why are you still not engaged, Brother Gilbert? Not even Brother Calixander is engaged despite his age,” Gilbert, hearing her question, closed the book that he was reading and let out a sigh before he spoke. “Believe it or not but father doesn’t like the idea of forcing two people into an engagement or marriage just for their status or wealth so he doesn’t force us into an arranged marriage with someone we completely don’t know. So if we find someone that we love and would love to spend our life with, choose them. But if the one that we love doesn’t love us the same way as we do to them or doesn’t want to, we shouldn’t force them and use our power, is what our father taught us,” He said.

I never knew that our father was this kind of person. That despite his cold and ruthless demeanor, he has that kind of thinking, she thought to herself and couldn’t help but smile.

“Father is different around us and when he is around with other people,” Alexandra said and Christian’s eyebrows knitted as he stared at her. “You haven’t noticed? Father is usually gentle and kind towards us but when he is around others, I heard that he is very cold and ruthless although he is also cold towards us. But Ugh, I really can’t explain it really well.”

“Like he is acting like the cold and ruthless emperor that he is towards others while he is acting like a gentle and proper father towards us?” Gilbert spoke.

“Well, yeah, sort of like that.”

“Of course, he is our father after all!” Christian said as if he was proud of it, a grin on his face. Alexandra stared at him while she blinked multiple times before she let out the breath that she was holding earlier. Her features relaxing in the process.

“Yeah, you’re right.”

—

Now she’s having dinner with her brothers but her father wasn’t there. Another set of paperwork barged in inside his office once again and he couldn’t help but skip his meal as all of those are due in a few days from now. Alexandra let out a sigh when she tried to imagine that the state her father would be in a few days from now. Sitting on one of the chairs of the dining table, Gilbert and Christian sitting beside her and eating quietly.

It’s like yesterday these chairs were still empty and she would eat either with her father or all by herself with her personal knight behind her. Now the room looked full instead of empty with only the silence surrounding her. Their presence calmed her down and she was able to eat in peace even though they weren’t talking just like what happened earlier during breakfast. They must be tired now since they arrived early and they didn’t rest.

“Alexandra,” A cold voice called out to her name suddenly which startled her. She recognizes that voice and she knew its owner, she lifted her head and look at Calixander’s direction, “Yes, Brother Calixander?” She was wondering why he suddenly called out to him.

He cleared his throat before he spoke, “I heard that father is going to be your escort,” Was what he said. This, again? She thought to herself and smiled at her brother before she nodded as a response. Chandler who was drinking his glass of water suddenly choked and coughed multiple times by what he heard, placing the half-empty glass of water down the table. Everyone looked at him with a worried expression on their faces. Even their personal knights looked at him in worry.

Should I give him another glass of water? But he is already choking and coughing non-stop because of it, Alexandra panicked.

“I-I’m fine, I’m fine,” Chandler said as his series of coughs died down and he calmed down. He reached out to his glass of water once again and drank it, “Be careful when drinking that, it would be stupid if a prince like you died because they choked on the water they were drinking,” Christian said as he continued eating. Although they couldn’t tell if he was being worried or insulting his older brother. Chandler, being the kind of person that he is, spat out the water that he was drinking when he heard what his younger brother said.

“Y-You!” He stood up and pointed at Christian.

“Chandler, manners,” Calixander said sternly. Alexandra and Gilbert let out a sigh in unison witnessing what happened as they just remained silent throughout it all. Thankfully, their father wasn’t here. When Alexandra meant that her days are going to be chaotic and messy instead of peaceful and quiet, she meant this. The continuous bickering between Christian and Chandler, Gilbert just sighing and minding his own business, Calixander doing his responsibilities as the eldest sibling and Alexandra witnessing and watching everything like it was a movie.

But it’s not like she hates it.

“I apologize, brother,” Chandler said as he took a seat but before he could continue eating, he glared at Christian who just smiled at him in response which ticked him off. Only Calixander could control him since he only listens to him. “By the way, why did you react like that earlier, Brother Chandler?” After being silent for a while.

“I knew that father is planning to tell or announce to everyone your existence in that ball but I never knew that your escort is going to be father, which means you will have your first dance with him in your first ball,” He said and Alexandra was about to speak when he spoke once again and interrupted what she was about to say.

“Why did you pick father anyways?” He asked.

“Why not?” She responded.

“Most noble girls or girls who are from a royal family would rarely choose their father as their escort. It’s usually their fiance when they have one.”

“But I don’t have a fiance.”

“That doesn’t explain why you chose our father instead of one of us.”

Alexandra only let out a giggle but she was screaming inside her head knowing that she will spend a long time explaining and telling them their reason just like what happened earlier. God, it seems like my dinner would be a long one, she thought to herself.