Piece 28 (part 2)

"Then, let us begin. O-Oh, I hope you people don't mind my daughter, Milly, listening in as well." Dad pointed his finger softly to me, and all the eyes on the table suddenly turned to me.

Seeing that all the attention has now dropped onto me, I awkwardly bowed my head slightly to the table, which ended up causing a few laughter from the table.

"That is completely fine, Your Majesty. It's an honor to have our future generation listening in to the return of the great empire." An old man who was dressed nicely said with such a polite tone, and I remembered him to be one of the nobles that we visited in the past week.

In fact, all the people who are wearing such fine suits are possibly nobles. They all looked widely different from the ones who weren't. Comparing Miss Noire and that old noble is like night and day.

Actually, comparing them to us is also night and day. What Dad is wearing is definitely not something an emperor should be wearing, but it's not like this meeting is anything official.

"In that case, let's begin the meeting by setting the discussion topics, per usual. Celine, if you may." Dad turned to Miss Celine next to him, and the guide took out a notebook from her magic storage.

Miss Celine began listing out the topics that will be discussed for the meeting, and I listened carefully to remember them. The topic involves everything that will definitely play a role in bringing our empire back, and it contains all the necessary topics that will also keep our empire standing for the next few years after.

The conversation began surrounding the political standing of things. Dad mentions the possibility of war happening between three of the four nations, and a discussion was held about what we will do if the war were to happen.

A question did arise as to why only three out of the four nations would be hostile, and Dad told a short story about how he and I had a 'Friendly' talk with the general of Ardjestyn, Duke Horus.

Surprisingly, many praises came my way. I just bowed my head slightly the same way as earlier.

The conversation following that was the economical state of a newly found empire. For this one, I wasn't too following, since comprehending such a nasty topic requires me to graduate from elementary school or even junior high school before fully getting it. But, I still tried listening, and I made sure to keep some questions to ask for later. 

Hours passed by, and my head felt very heavy. Despite Dad's attempts to make the meeting enjoyable by making jokes and such, the discussions felt incredibly boring. I can't believe that running a country would be so boring, and I can't imagine how it must feel to be at the hot seat that Dad is sitting on.

He is a natural entertainer, but even Dad has his limits. I'm slightly worried that he might be forcing himself to be so focused because he was the one who talks the most out of everyone.

The meeting went on for another two hours before an attendant lifted their hand and asked for a bathroom break. Seeing that the discussion has been cut off, Dad decided to postpone the talk and give us a fifteen minute break time.

After that, everyone got up from their seats to get some fresh air. A few stayed in the room to chat privately, while most went outside the room.

"Wanna head outside?" Mom whispered as we got up from our seat, and I nodded with a wide grin to her.

As soon as we're outside at the yard, we were immediately welcomed by the breezy wind of the city. I took a deep breath, and I can feel life returning to my body.

Ah… Fresh air.

"You hated the meeting, right?" Mom asked as she walked beside me in the front yard, and I laughed awkwardly.

"Yeah… it's very hard to get used to."

"Don't feel ashamed. I never attended those meetings."

Huh…?

"But, Mom… You're the empress." I quickly argued, and Mom laughed so openly hearing that.

"Thanks for reminding me of that! But, I'm just not the type to sit around in a room and spend hours simply planning things. The only times I ever did something like that was during war times, and that's because I had no choice but to do it."

Mom's expression looked so carefree as she told me, and I can't help but be reminded of Mom's behavior. She really is the rogue royal archetype.

"T-Then, who would do the planning for the empire??"

"During my ruling, it was Fiona. She's a pretty smart girl, and she knows the best solutions to the hardest problems. And from my experience, it's better to give free reign to smart characters like her than force my own opinion. I'm not exactly that bright at running a country, you see…" Mom awkwardly laughed as she spilled the truth to me, and I can't help but realize that might've been the reality.

"So, Dad took over your role?"

"Hmm… It wasn't really because of that. It's part of the reason, but that's not why he is the emperor."

Right. Because Dad became the emperor due to Mom's disappearance. I still haven't gotten a chance to ask her that.

"I remembered that you disappeared for three years… and Dad had to step in as the emperor." I pointed out, and Mom laughed again while covering her eyes.

"Yeah, that happens, doesn't it? That was so funny."

"W-Where did you go…?"

"We'll let you know the answer to that quite soon, Milly. But, just know that my disappearance was not of my own will." Mom answered with such a smile, and I realized she must've regretted disappearing that time.

"D-Did you get kidnapped???"

"Kidnapped? No? Who would be powerful enough to kidnap me? No, I just got sealed in a different dimension. Sort of the same way that happened after your dad and I got sealed in stone."

O-Oh.

That can be counted as being kidnapped, right?

"So, Dad took over and became the emperor. But, you returned three years later. Why didn't you become the empress again?" I asked Mom about what happens after, and she lifted three fingers to me.

"Three reasons. One, your dad has led the empire for much longer than I have. I was an empress only two years before I disappeared, while your dad has led it for three. Taking the momentum away from him will not do the empire good. 

Two, I realized that I never wanted to be an empress. I just wanted to overthrow the government and torture my biological father to death. Once that was achieved, however, I had no choice but to become the empress."

Holy Milly. She is genuinely the rogue royal archetype.

"Three, I had you. Not even a year after I returned, you were born, and it became a new duty for me to always keep an eye on you at all times. And believe me when I say that babysitting an empire is a LOT easier than babysitting a baby. I would've left that job to your dad as well had Estella not been there."

"It must've been really tough, wasn't it?"

"It sure was. Unfortunately, I never really got to experience it all, because you suddenly went from a two year old into a twelve year old. Now, it doesn't feel like babysitting anymore. It just feels like I'm hanging out with a child fifteen years younger than me."

After she said that, Mom stopped her walk and placed her hand on my shoulder. I realized that she must've had something she wanted to say to me, and I became curious about what it is.

"When the time comes where you have to make a decision, please do so without minding your mom and dad too much. Our goal has always been to create a better future for you. So, if you ever need to do something that you think isn't beneficial for your mom and dad, please just do it."

Mom's words… felt weird.

It's like she is purposely planting a seed. She is preparing something that will happen in the future. She knows something bad will happen, and she is telling me to just abandon her and Dad to make the best decision possible.

I don't… understand it.

"Why would I ever choose something like that?" I said with so much annoyance, and Mom smiled softly hearing that.

"You're right. What was I thinking?" She suddenly turned around, and I became confused since she switched gears so quickly.

"Let's go visit Estella in the town. I think your dad can handle the meeting on his own." Mom suggested with a cheeky smile, but I'm still too stuck with the question that she asked me just now.

Why… would she ever ask something like that to me?