I Raised Snow White!

The princess and I, having received an invitation from the Queen Dowager, decided to walk leisurely to her separate palace located not far from the lake.

We had time until the dinner banquet she invited us to, after all.

Our main purpose was to let the Queen Dowager’s maids and attendants see me clinging closely to the princess, lifting her up in my arms.

The princess squirmed, embarrassed to be seen sitting on my arm like a chair, her fingers fidgeting with the hem of her dress, but I had no intention of putting her down until we reached the Queen Dowager’s palace.

For now, at least, I had to make it clear to everyone how close I was to the princess. That way, word would reach the Queen Dowager’s ears—word that I was close with the princess.

“Um… Your Majesty the Queen…”

“Yes?”

As I walked along, holding the princess, she hesitated, fiddling with the hem of her dress, then clasped her hands together and whispered softly in my ear.

“Um, there’s something I’m curious about…”

“Go on.”

I heard the faint sound of her lips parting shyly, and after some thought, the princess summoned her courage and whispered in my ear in a tiny voice.

“Ainsel is… the ‘Fairy of Mirrors,’ right..?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Then, um…”

I heard the sound of her swallowing hard, her throat gulping.

“Is there… perhaps a Fairy of Cake too…?”

“Pffft.”

I couldn’t hold back my laughter, and for a moment, I couldn’t answer the princess’s innocent curiosity. It seemed she, fitting for her age, was fond of sweets.

On the other side of the princess, Ainsel, having overheard, muttered, “Oh, uh… I don’t think there’s any fairy like that…” It seemed, unfortunately, there was no such thing as a Fairy of Cake.

Glancing over, I looked into the princess’s sparkling, hopeful eyes. What could she possibly want to do if she met a Fairy of Cake? My curiosity kept growing.

“Who knows? I suppose we’ll have to ask sometime.”

“Really?”

“Or, you could ask for yourself later. I’ll lend you the earrings.”

At the mention of the earrings, Ainsel gasped quietly, aghast, muttering that I’d just pawned off the cruel task of breaking the truth to the innocent princess onto her.

…She caught me.

Just as Ainsel said, I didn’t have the heart to lie to the hopeful princess. Telling her there was no Cake Fairy would make those bright eyes lose their sparkle and cast them in shadow.

As we chatted about various things, we eventually arrived at the Queen Dowager’s palace. Although it was smaller than the main palace where the King and Princess resided, its beauty rivaled that of the main palace.

The garden of the separate palace, unlike the grand landscaping of the main palace, was adorned with small, charming trees and flowers that were easy to care for. The interior of the palace, too, had a unique feel.

While the main palace was decorated so extravagantly in gold that it seemed painted in it, the separate palace had only touches of gold, with the rest finished in white tile. The combination of white and gold created a crisp, elegant look.

“Your Majesty the Queen, Your Highness the Princess, allow me to assist you with your attire.”

The maid guided us to the dressing room, explaining that we must prepare before meeting the Queen Dowager. In the main palace, there were only two maids at most to dress me.

Here in the separate palace, though, it was different. Six maids gathered swiftly to finish the preparations, making me feel like a doll in a game of dress-up.

After getting quickly dressed up, the princess and I were able to change into appropriate dresses. Just when I thought we were finally about to meet the Queen Dowager, thoroughly worn out…

“There is still some time left before the dinner banquet. How about a tour of the separate palace? I would be happy to guide you.”

A maid approached, offering to give us a tour since there was still time before dinner. I pondered briefly, resting my chin on my hand, and happened to notice the princess beside me.

The princess’s eyes sparkled at the maid’s offer of a tour. If we just waited around, we’d likely fall asleep, and with the princess’s enthusiasm, my own curiosity was piqued.

“Very well. We don’t have anything else to do, after all.”

Rising from my chair, I took the princess’s hand and followed the maid. The princess moved a step ahead, as if she knew her way around better than I did.

“This place was built 150 years ago, as a gift from the King to his consort—”

As we walked and listened to the tour guide’s monotone explanations, the princess suddenly released my hand and darted into one of the rooms.

The maid, anticipating this behavior, stopped her explanation and calmly followed the princess into the room.

Naturally, I too followed along.

When I entered the room the princess had run into,

I was left speechless.

A massive two-story painting filled the frame, so large that it was overwhelming. The sheer number of paintings covering every corner of the room was equally astonishing.

The portraits were of a beautiful woman with ebony black hair and ruby-red eyes. Dozens, maybe even hundreds, all depicting the same woman.

It was as though the princess had grown up and become this woman.

The princess trotted over to the largest portrait, gazing up at it, and with a trembling voice, she called out to the woman in the frame.

“Mother…”

*

The room filled with countless portraits of ‘Aurora Snow White’ almost made me feel faint. Each portrait depicted different expressions—not just smiles but even angry faces.

As though each moment of her life had been preserved in these frames.

“What… is this..?”

“It’s no wonder that you’re surprised, Your Majesty the Queen. This room is known only to the princess and the few who serve the Queen Dowager.”

There’s a place like this in the main palace too?

As soon as I heard that, a chill ran down my spine. Just who would paint so many portraits of the First Queen, and why?

I walked slowly, observing the paintings on the walls. None had titles or artist names. They simply depicted moments, like smiling during a walk, or chatting with maids.

Each seemed like a photo capturing a piece of her life. As I walked around the room, I soon found myself in front of the large portrait the princess was gazing at.

This painting alone had a title written beneath it.

Of course, the title was ‘Aurora Snow White.’ No details, no artist name, nothing. Just as I wondered who could do something so fanatical—

“There’s no room left for the King’s paintings… Frankly, it’s become a nuisance. I wish he’d stop sending them.”

“The King?”

“Yes, the King sends us a painting every week that he’s ‘painted’ himself. I’ve heard the Chancellor sends him ‘paints’ daily? Truly, I wish the Chancellor would stop…”

Painted?

So, the ‘King’ painted all of these himself during his isolation?

…The phrase ‘speechless’ took on new meaning. I wanted to say something in response to the maid, but words failed me, and my lips just moved silently.

Despite my bewilderment, though, as I looked at the paintings, the overwhelming feeling was simply that they were ‘beautiful.’ Did the King have some natural talent for painting? Each one looked like a masterpiece.

‘…If he weren’t King, he’d make a name for himself as an artist.’

But regardless of how much the King adored the First Queen, this level of obsession seemed extreme.

Two whole years spent in isolation, painting nothing but portraits of the First Queen?

‘…Something feels wrong here.’

Very, very wrong.

No matter how devoted the King had been in the game, he was never this fanatical. Even in the grief of losing his queen, he’d still been an ‘unwavering father’ for his daughter.

‘That was the King I knew…’

As the princess and I stared blankly at the massive painting, someone suddenly tapped my shoulder. When I turned around, my heart nearly dropped out of shock.

“A fly might enter your mouth, Queen.”

“I… I greet Your Majesty the Queen Dowager…”

Looking at the elderly woman next to me, who chuckled quietly, I lowered my head respectfully. She raised her hand, signaling me to stop, but I couldn’t straighten my back.

White hair touched by age, a sharp gaze, and piercing blue eyes that resembled the ocean.

The mother of the reclusive King and the late sovereign’s queen.

The Queen Dowager of this country was now standing beside me.

“…It’s been a while. You may rise.”

Only then did I straighten and look at her. I’d expected to see her at the dinner banquet, but she had somehow joined me, leaning on her staff, to gaze at the paintings.

“Thank you for accepting my sudden invitation. I thought you’d come up with some excuse like last time, but it seems I was mistaken.”

“H-ha…”

The original Vivian had probably declined invitations from the Queen Dowager on a whim?

How reckless…

Turning my head, I looked over at the princess beside me, who stood stiff as a board, looking tense.

Following my gaze, the Queen Dowager looked at the princess. With both our eyes on her, the princess seemed to forget to breathe, and her face turned red as a ripe apple.

The Queen Dowager stared at the princess for a long while, then struck her staff against the ground, turned her back, and took the lead.

“Come along. The dinner banquet is ready.”