I Raised Snow White!

The princess and I followed the Queen Dowager as she led us down the hallway.

Although there was some distance between us, the Queen Dowager occasionally turned around to check on the princess, as if to ensure she was following well.

She would look back to meet the princess’s eyes, then resume walking.

Again, she would look back to meet the princess’s gaze, then continue walking.

It seemed the Queen Dowager kept glancing back from time to time, worried that the princess might not be keeping up or might stumble. Seeing this made me feel that bringing the princess along had been a good decision after all.

Looking at the nervous hand of the Queen Dowager, she clearly wanted to hold the princess’s hand. But knowing her position, she must have thought she shouldn’t indulge the princess’s childish needs.

That was the kind of person the Queen Dowager was.

Someone who couldn’t express her love properly.

People like her generally, once someone gave them a little push, managed just fine on their own afterward. Like parents who say, “I’ll end up abandoning the puppy if we bring it home!” only to end up loving it the most.

I glanced down at the princess walking beside me.

She was clearly still nervous and uneasy, taking awkward steps, obviously intimidated by the Queen Dowager.

‘…What should I do?’

On the surface, a strict grandmother who actually wanted to shower her granddaughter with affection, and a granddaughter who was terrified of that strict grandmother. In situations like this, the granddaughter had to make a small sacrifice.

To create an opening somehow, I lightly patted the princess’s back and leaned close to whisper just loud enough for only her to hear.

“Princess, do you see Her Majesty’s hand over there?”

“Yes, yes… I see it.”

The princess glanced at the Queen Dowager’s hand, which was nervously opening and closing, and nodded slightly. Smiling, I cupped my cheek with one hand and whispered as if acting.

“Her Majesty is doing that because her hands are cold. She’d like to hold them close to keep them warm, but… I’m so unfortunate because she dislikes me.”

I sighed dramatically as though it were a real pity, stealing a quick look at the princess.

The princess looked up at me, as if unsure of what to do.

“So… wouldn’t it be nice if a warmer person, like you, could go hold Her Majesty’s hand tightly? I’m sure the Queen Dowager would like it.”

“But… doesn’t Her Majesty dislike me too…?”

“Who told you that? That Her Majesty dislikes you.”

“W-Well… it’s just that… whenever I go near, she always has a scary expression on her face…”

When the princess lowered her head, I gave her back a firm pat, and she fidgeted in place.

Gently nudging her forward, I encouraged her.

“She doesn’t think that at all, so go on. If Her Majesty scolds you, I’ll take the blame.”

“R-Really? Really… You promise?”

Looking at the anxious princess, I gave her a small nod. Perhaps emboldened by that, she clenched her fists and started running toward the Queen Dowager.

With small, hurried steps, the princess ran up and grabbed the Queen Dowager’s hands tightly with both of hers.

Surprised by the touch of the Queen Dowager’s icy, rough hands, the princess couldn’t hide her wide eyes.

The Queen Dowager frowned as she looked down at the princess holding her hands.

The wrinkles deepened on her aged brow, enough to instill fear in a little child.

“Princess, what do you think you’re doing?”

Hearing her icy voice, the terrified princess tried her best to explain. The chill of the Queen Dowager’s hand seemed to seep into her own body.

“Well, um, y-you see, Her Majesty the Queen… she said… that Her Majesty’s hands might be cold… and that holding them tightly… would be nice… so that’s… why I…”

“The Queen?”

At the word ‘Queen,’ the Queen Dowager’s eyebrows twitched noticeably.

The Queen Dowager looked at me with an expression that said, ‘What on earth is this?’

I just gave her a small wave, as if to say it wasn’t much.

Pretending to scold me was only an act; she wasn’t going to actually refuse my goodwill.

“S-Sorry… I’ll let go right away…”

As the frightened princess tried to release her hands, the Queen Dowager held onto them tightly, as if reluctant to let go.

The princess blinked in confusion, not understanding what was happening. The Queen Dowager kneaded the princess’s warm hands with her cold ones, giving me a sideways glare.

“Hmph, as the Queen said, my hands are cold, so I’ll borrow yours for a bit. I have no desire to use that witch’s hands.”

“Uh, yes…?”

“Now let’s go. The food is likely getting cold.”

Although the princess was confused, she let herself be led along by the Queen Dowager.

But I saw it clearly—a slight upward curl at the Queen Dowager’s lips as she turned away from me.

‘…Does this count as giving her a little push?’

* * *

When we arrived at the dining hall, the Queen Dowager seemed almost like she had become unrestrained. She seated the princess right beside her, even dishing food onto her plate herself.

The princess was visibly uncomfortable with the Queen Dowager’s attentions but couldn’t refuse, so she had to accept. She ate so much that her stomach swelled like a frog’s.

She set her fork down, eager to stop eating, but her plate was still piled with food like a mountain.

As soon as her plate was even slightly empty, the Queen Dowager would refill it.

“Ugh…”

“What have you been eating in the palace to be so scrawny? I really must meet the palace chef someday. Eating well from a young age is crucial for growing strong and healthy.”

With that, the Queen Dowager began piling food onto the princess’s plate again. The princess looked at the mound of food reaching up to her chest and made a little groaning sound.

Feeling sorry, I took some food from the princess’s plate onto mine, but the Queen Dowager shot me a fiery look, as if telling me to keep my hands off.

Unable to watch any longer, I pleaded with the Queen Dowager.

“Your Majesty, the princess appears to be quite full.”

“How much has she even eaten to be full already?”

“…She does seem to have eaten more than usual.”

When I gave a slight bow, the Queen Dowager clicked her tongue in annoyance and looked away.

The princess patted her swollen belly, straining to digest as quickly as possible.

Watching the princess struggle, the Queen Dowager sighed and waved her hand, dismissing the princess.

“Rest in the next room for a while. I need to talk with the Queen.”

“Y-Yes… Thank you for allowing me to join the dinner this evening—”

“Yes, yes, now go.”

The Queen Dowager cut her off and waved her hand again. The princess, with a somewhat deflated expression, held the hand of her attendant and left the dining hall.

With all the attendants gone, only the Queen Dowager and I remained in the spacious dining hall.

As the cheerful atmosphere brought by the princess faded, the room grew cold, as if winter had arrived.

‘It would be best to greet her first.’

Before the Queen Dowager could speak, I offered a bow.

The Queen Dowager raised her eyebrow as she looked at me.

“Thank you for inviting me to such a splendid dinner, Your Majesty.”

“Hmph. Considering how often you refused my invitations to dine, I made an effort this time. I’m glad you liked it.”

…Just how many of the Queen Dowager’s invitations had Vivian rejected for her to look so displeased?

I gave her a small, forced smile.

“…From now on, I won’t decline Your Majesty’s invitations. How could I refuse a call from someone who has been… ‘helping’ me from behind the scenes?”

When I finished, the Queen Dowager scowled at me.

Then, with a wry laugh, she propped her chin up and looked at me as if to prompt me to continue.

“Me? Helping you? When did I ever do that?”

“…During the council meeting in the Ministry of the Palace, didn’t Your Majesty support me over the Marchioness?”

Ha! The Queen Dowager let out a surprised laugh.

It had always puzzled me how Vivian, who carried the infamous title of ‘witch,’ could have won over the Marchioness, who had raised the First Queen.

Then, recalling my knowledge of the game, I remembered something. The head of the Ministry of the Palace, who managed royal affairs, was merely a figurehead.

And behind that figurehead was none other than the Queen Dowager, the true power.

It must have been her influence in that council meeting that allowed me to win against the Marchioness.

“…Since when did you know I had my hand in the Ministry of the Palace?”

“Well, since the Ministry handles royal matters, it wouldn’t be strange for royalty to have influence there. After seeing the council’s decision, I just assumed.”

“Hmm… I see.”

The Queen Dowager smiled as if amused, resting her chin on her hand as she watched me.

That answer seemed to satisfy her, as it was the best I could give without revealing my knowledge of the game.

“Not a bad answer. For the first time today, I rather like you.”

“…Thank you.”

That remark made me feel just a bit more at ease. It felt like a small reward for all the effort I’d put into improving Vivian’s reputation.

The Queen Dowager chuckled, continuing.

“In any case, the reason I called you here today is to confirm a ‘rumor’ that’s been circulating about you in the palace recently. They say that since the funeral, you’ve been acting like a different person. Seems it was true.”

“Haha…”

I hadn’t imagined that such a rumor would reach even the Queen Dowager’s ears.

In fact, the reason I had initially thought of meeting her was to express my gratitude for her support in the Ministry’s council meeting.

When she called me first, I had wondered if something had happened, but…

‘Seems I worried over nothing.’

As I relaxed, the Queen Dowager spoke again, as though reminding me not to let my guard down around her.

Sipping her wine, she looked at me intently.

“…Today, I observed you and the princess walking through the palace gardens. It seems you two have grown close enough for you to carry her around.”

“It’s not quite as Your Majesty imagines…”

Caught off guard by her envious look, I turned my head away.

The Queen Dowager glanced at her hand, which had touched the princess, as if recalling that moment.

“…She’s still so small.”

“She’s only six.”

“Yes, only six now, but she’ll turn seven in three months.”

Clenching the hand she’d been looking at, the Queen Dowager stared at me.

The mention of the princess turning seven shifted the Queen Dowager’s atmosphere to one of coldness.

“You know what happens when a child born to the royal family turns seven.”

I nodded.

The ‘Main Event’ of Spring.

All royal children celebrate a grand birthday party when they turn seven.

It may sound like just a birthday party, but the royal family’s seventh birthday celebration carried a different significance.

It was an event to ‘declare’ to the kingdom that this child would be the future leader of the country.

This was the ‘Main Event’ of Spring and the royal family’s seventh birthday party.

Gnashing her teeth, the Queen Dowager looked at her wine glass, seemingly annoyed. I could understand her frustration.

After all, the current princess…

“The princess’s birthday is approaching, yet His Majesty won’t even leave his room, nor has he given her a name. I can’t fathom what His Majesty, my own son, intends to do.”

Because there’s no ‘name’ to be ‘declared.’