Matchmaking Baby Sister - Chapter 25

Madame Ricardo was the daughter of a powerless knight in a rural estate, but her beautiful appearance caught the eyes of the previous emperor.

And that beauty was still there even after getting older.

‘If only that child was not born!’

Madame Ricardo gritted her teeth. She thought it was Sika’s fault that she didn’t have any position in the Imperial Palace.

‘Tessa will not forgive me.’

Madame Ricardo bit her lip. Tessa knew how she appealed to Lloyd to remain in the palace.

‘Do you think I would give up so early?’

Had she known that Lloyd would die so quickly and Tessa would succeed him, she would not have been so harsh on Tessa. It was too late to regret it now.

‘I have to settle down before I get older.’

Madame Ricardo bit her nails in impatience.

‘I have a child with me.’

Because she was still beautiful, people continued to fall in love with her. The reason it didn’t lead to marriage was because she had a child whose father was unknown.

‘I can’t help it.’

The brown eyes of Madame Ricardo, who had made a decision, sank.

“Have you arrived, Madame?”

Upon arriving at the detached palace, the maids looked up and greeted her. She came back early because of the incident.

However, Madame Ricardo’s reaction was unexpectedly mild today.

“Where is Sika?”

“The master is over there.”

“Okay. Go quickly and get some rest.”

Then she walked to Sika’s room.

The maids chatted among themselves.

“Isn’t she strangely kind today?”

“Sha must have had fun at the ball.”

If it was fun, why did she come back so early?

It was irrational, but the maids agreed with each other and withdrew.

Sika’s room was dark, and he was curled up in a corner, leaning on a small lamp. When the door suddenly opened, the little boy stiffened in shock.

“Sika.”

“Mother.”

Sika’s eyes tremble as he looked at Madame Ricardo. She reached out to her young son.

“Come here. There are places I want to go with you.”

Her voice was sweeter than usual.

Sika looked at her slender and pretty hands with trembling eyes, then slowly placed his hands on her hands.

* * *

Madame Ricardo and her son went out of the palace secretly, avoiding the maids.

Perhaps all the attention was paid to the ball, so the garden was dark and sparsely populated.

They walked for a while. Where the two had arrived at was a round dome-shaped building made of white bricks.

Creak.

As if it had not been used for a long time, a strange sound resounded from the wooden door being pushed.

When she opened the door, the white marble shone, reflecting the moonlight streaming in from outside the window.

‘It’s mysterious.’

It was a small and beautiful place as if a fairy would pop out.

Sika, who looked around the building with his eyes wide open, asked in a cautious tone.

“Where is it?”

“Well…”

Madame Ricardo smiled bitterly.

‘There was a time when I was naive too.’

This was an abandoned chapel.

The country girl, who didn’t know what politics was and thought that the emperor really loved her, believed in the rumor that their wedding would be held alone here.

‘They did not tear it down.’

Although it was a building that should be demolished, it was strange to see such an abandoned building within the Imperial Palace.

‘They don’t seem to want to even think about their father.’

Recalling the promiscuous father of Tessa and Lloyd, the former emperor, Madame Ricardo smiled bitterly.

‘I would rather have his child.’

With that thought in mind, Madame Ricardo put her hand on Sika’s shoulder.

“Am I a bad mother all this time?”

“…….”

“But when you think about the things I lost because of your birth, you should understand me too.”

“…Mother?”

Sika looked up at his mother with a puzzled expression. Looking down at the red eyes that didn’t resemble her at all, Madame Ricardo scorned.

‘Who was this child’s father?’

She couldn’t even remember who the red-eyed man was.

He must have been an ordinary man.

She tightened her pretty hand that was holding Sika’s shoulder.

“If you think about it again, you are of no use at all, Sika. I would rather have a daughter.”

Sika’s eyes widened at Madame Ricardo’s words. Looking down at the shocked child, Madame Ricardo added in a cold voice.

“The only thing you can do for me is to disappear.”

“Mother.”

It wasn’t the first time Madame Ricardo had spoken harshly to Sika. But today was different.

When she stepped somewhere on the marble floor, the floor opened. And beneath the open floor, a black hole was visible.

“Oh no!”

Instinctively realizing what his mother was going to do to him, the young child screamed and scratched Madame Ricardo’s hand.

But she didn’t even move and pushed Sika down the hole.

Thud!

The hole was pretty deep. Even when Sika got up, it was almost as if his hand could touch the ceiling.

‘I’ve been there before.’

The empress was mad at her husband’s affair then the emperor pushed Madame Ricardo onto the floor.

‘That despair.’

Recalling the shame and humiliation she had felt, Madame Ricardo offered her final goodbyes to her son.

“Goodbye.”

It was a different threat from scratching and beating his face. Sika cried out in the pit.

“Help me, mother! I’ll listen to you! I will be a good child!”

But Madame Ricardo didn’t seem to hear the mournful cry. She pressed the button that closed the floor around it.

Under the slowly closing floor, Sika burst out in tears.

“Mother! Mother!”

She didn’t look back until the end.

* * *

My ball ended up just fine.

After Tessa disappeared in the middle, I was a little nervous to meet General Raphael, but  I was able to meet other nobles as well.

“Abuu.”

I found some decent people.

I wiggled my fingers.

‘First, the second son of Count Marlon. Second, Baron Finne.’

I liked their courage to talk to Lucinda first. I tilted my head lightly.

‘Baron Pietro was fine too.’

I smiled broadly as I recalled the green-haired man who helped me.

‘Everyone couldn’t take their eyes off Lucinda. My Lucinda is so pretty! Even her heart is beautiful!’

The story of Lucinda, who was lovely even in her simple clothes without make-up, was a hot topic in the ballroom. I felt like I was being praised too.

‘The first stage of finding my uncle went very smoothly.’

Should I find out more about their personal information now?

‘Pupu…’

When I was just about to call Pupu and ask him a favor, Alexander knelt before me politely and called me.

“Princess.”

“Ah?”

Why is this person calling me so affectionately?

I blinked my eyes. Even though he got down on his knees, the tall man whose gaze was far above me asked with an awkward expression.

“Why do you keep smiling like that? What are you doing?”

“Uwa.”

Did I look weird? I think I laughed a little too much. I scratched my head awkwardly. Then, suddenly, a thought occurred to me.

‘I’m not going to call Pupu, shouldn’t Alexander know about them?’

In the first place, Alexander was also one of my uncle candidates. I looked up at Alexander and my eyes lit up.

‘At this point, let’s ask Alexander if he has a fiancee or a crush!’

But the problem was me, not Alexander.

I gave strength to my lips, which couldn’t talk properly.

“Al, lwike…” (Alexander, do you like….)

I tried to speak as well as I could, but the words coming out of my lips were not smooth at all.

Alexander smiled broadly as he misunderstood and gave a nonsensical answer.

“I like the princess too.”

He seemed to think I was saying that I liked him. I wrinkled my face without realizing it.

“Abu.”

At my words, Alexander’s eyebrows drooped. Alexander said, pretending to wipe away his tears.

“… … What’s with your reaction? I get hurt too.”

“Abu.”

Again, it’s unreasonable for me to ask Alexander.

The sooner I give up, the better. I’ve given up on digging up information from Alexander.

‘Then I’ll have to call Pupu.’

Pupu is an annoying cat, and it doesn’t do much to help unless it’s interesting or beneficial to it.

‘After all, it should be bribed with chocolate.’

I glanced at Alexander.

But what is this! Isn’t the shirt he’s wearing today without pockets!?

‘Did you choose that shirt to keep your promise not to give me chocolate?’

At first, I was skeptical, but as I kept thinking about chocolate, I suddenly became sad. I said, turning my head.

“Al hwate.” (I hate Alexander.)

“Yes?”

“Choco!” (Give me the chocolate!)

“Am I a chocolate attendant?”

Alexander looked at me with a sad expression. I glanced at Alexander’s face for a moment and shook my head.

“No.”

He had many other functions other than a chocolate attendant. He was also my human massager.

“Right? Without chocolate, I am nothing, what are you thinking?”

“Abu.”

Did I say too harshly? Alexander also struggled to keep being by my side. I smiled at Alexander.

“Abuu!”

“Princess!”

It was when Alexander took my hand with an expression of excitement at my words.

“What are you doing, Sir Alexander?”

When we arrived, Madame Fenrir was looking at us with a frown. Alexander quickly stood up and coughed.

“Hmm.”

‘I think it’s too late to change his already broken image.’

I opened my eyes and looked at Alexander’s blue hair.

When Alexander left, Madame Fenrir put down the pile of children’s books she had been carrying in front of me.

“Princess, it’s time to read a children’s book.”

What does a fairy tale book mean at this age? I immediately turned my head.

“Abuu!”

“Princess.”

Far from retreating, Madame Fenrir sat down in front of me with a more stern expression on her face. Then Alexander, who had retreated, said to Madame Fenrir.

“Maybe it’s because she doesn’t have friends her age?”

At that, Madame Fenrir turned to Alexander.

‘Now is the time.’

I lifted my foot and pushed through the book.

Madame Fenrir answered in a stiff tone.

“The princess is not yet old enough to communicate with her peers.”

“But isn’t the princess more mature than other babies?”

“That… … .”

Their gazes turned to me, who was kicking a fairy tale book with my feet. I tilted my head and blinked as if I had never done that.

“Abu?”

I didn’t do anything. I am a baby

“… … That’s right.”

Madame Fenrir muttered with a stiff face. Alexander nodded immediately.

“Perhaps it will be a good experience for the princess to see how other babies are.”

“I’ll have to see if there are any children I can recommend.”

The two got into a serious debate over who would be my first friend.

‘No, it’s my friend, why did you decide!’

And I had a friend I’d love to see again if I could! I shouted the name out loud.

“Lian!”

“……Ryan?”

“Ah.”

At my cry, Madame Fenrir tilted her head, and Alexander’s eyes widened.

I smiled happily as I remembered the white-haired little boy I met at the ball.

“Lian!”