“Sister…” Cecilia called out softly, her tone carrying a hint of reproach, but it sounded more like a whine.
Among the four others present, Cecilia was no stranger to any of them except Shirley, and Shirley had left a good impression on Cecilia during their few days together. Now they were just chatting idly around the campfire, and since Rosalia had started the topic, Cecilia couldn’t very well pull rank as a princess or spoil everyone’s fun.
It was a clash between two princesses—though it wasn’t really a clash, just one wanting to talk about the other. Lita and the other two knew this wasn’t a good time to interrupt.
Rosalia raised an eyebrow, unmoved, her eyes full of affection, but her refusal to take Cecilia’s bait left Cecilia at a loss. Cecilia stared at Rosalia’s expression for a moment before finally showing a look of defeat. “I’d rather tell my own story myself.”
Lita immediately perked up her ears.
She had always been curious about Cecilia, but due to the curse on Cecilia, Lita hadn’t dared to pry too deeply. All Lita knew was that Cecilia had been cursed when she was young—she’d only heard that from scattered words of Luyisuowa. Beyond that, probably no one knew except Cecilia and those closest to her.
Not only Lita, but Shirley’s eyes lit up as expected, and even Brownie put on a serious expression.
Basking under everyone’s gaze, Cecilia couldn’t help but lower her head and sigh, then awkwardly took a sip of warm milk tea, using the slow swallow to prepare her words. Even though she was deliberately stalling, she could only buy a few seconds. When the milk tea slid down her throat, warming her chest and stomach, Cecilia finally spoke.
“Actually, aside from Amelia and Lilia, we all have different mothers. Father has formally appointed four empresses in succession. That’s right, the order of appointment doesn’t really matter, since all four empresses have passed away, and Father doesn’t intend to appoint a new one. But the daughters of these four empresses, in order of age, are the five princesses we have today.”
Rosalia added, “As for me, there’s really nothing worth talking about.”
Cecilia thought for a while, then started to back out again. The flames flickered, the wind picked up, and after a long moment, Cecilia’s voice grew quieter.
“I don’t really remember myself, but many people say I had a pretty bad personality when I was little. I often made unreasonable demands and was impolite to others, but I honestly can’t recall it.”
Even though Cecilia said that, Lita still couldn’t quite imagine how bad Cecilia’s childhood personality could have been. Cecilia’s current personality wasn’t exactly perfect, but she didn’t lack the basic politeness toward others, nor did she put on airs as a princess. She just sometimes had a few mischievous thoughts toward Lita and liked to tease her a little.
“Indeed, I remember that too. Back then, Cecilia’s reputation in the palace wasn’t the best, but she was just a kid, so she never did anything outrageous.” Rosalia chimed in again at the right moment. “But Lilia was a bit different. Her life has been too smooth so far. Because she’s the younger of the two daughters, she received even more indulgence. As a result, Amelia instead acted much more like a big sister, with a personality far better than Lilia’s. But Amelia was indeed a bit precocious back then.”
Hearing Rosalia’s two interjections, Cecilia pouted slightly. “Sister, am I telling this or are you?”
“Of course you are.” Rosalia smiled and raised her cup to her lips, taking small sips to show she had no room to interrupt anymore.
“And then…” Cecilia continued, but she stopped as soon as she started. After waiting a while longer, she finally stammered, “And then, I vaguely remember Mother only staying with me, telling me stories, cheering me up, and it seemed she took me to a very, very far place. She must have been the first to discover the curse on me, right? Probably?”
Cecilia spoke very uncertainly, her voice getting softer, but her nostalgia for the past couldn’t be hidden. Lita remembered how a few days ago, Cecilia had been talking in her sleep while hugging her. She could vaguely understand why Cecilia was stammering. Maybe it was because Cecilia really couldn’t remember her childhood clearly.
Actually, Lita was the same—she could only recall fragments like going to the park to ride the little airplane, buying big watermelons, or being so scared by an animated show that she couldn’t sleep. That wasn’t the main reason, though. What Cecilia cared about most was definitely the past regarding the curse.
“And then…” Cecilia spoke more fluently this time. “Mother disappeared. Maybe she died, maybe she got involved in some trouble, but she’s probably no longer alive in this world. After that, Father somehow learned about the curse on me and brought many people to help me. But the more people he brought, the more he felt that my curse wasn’t something ordinary. In the end, Father seemed to give up.”
“Actually, I shouldn’t call it giving up—it was that there really was no way to break it. After that, news of my curse spread like wildfire, and now it’s known to everyone. At first, people were cautious around me, but nowhere near the level now.”
Lita thought Cecilia would continue complaining, but then Cecilia abruptly changed the subject. “It was at that time that only my sister was kind to me.”
“Actually, I just felt a bit sorry for you at first, and wanted to help you. After all, Amelia was always taking care of Lilia back then, and even though our mothers aren’t the same, I felt I should take good care of you too.” Rosalia couldn’t help but interject again, but after Cecilia glared at her irritably, Rosalia raised her cup and blocked her mouth in the same way as before.
“Phew. Anyway, I’m very grateful for my sister’s care.” Cecilia sighed at her own slightly rude but unremarked-upon glare, then began to talk about her experiences with Rosalia. The actual time they spent together wasn’t that much, but Cecilia remembered every detail very clearly, and Rosalia would add some details at the right moments. Gradually, Cecilia stopped interrupting Rosalia.
Lita could tell that Rosalia’s initial motive for approaching Cecilia was rather childish—even if Rosalia hadn’t said it outright, Lita caught nine tenths of the intent to win her over. Cecilia couldn’t have missed it—even if she hadn’t back then, she must have realized it when recalling it now. But over time, even if Rosalia’s care for Cecilia had started with a purpose, it had now turned into genuine concern. From their words, Lita could sense that Rosalia was one of the few sources of warmth Cecilia could feel in the royal city.
After talking about Cecilia, everyone’s gaze subtly shifted to Lita. Lita’s heart nearly skipped a beat. Despite the warm fire and the harmonious atmosphere, cold sweat soaked through her back.
From Cecilia and Rosalia’s casual chat just now, Lita had already felt how much Rosalia valued Cecilia. And as Cecilia’s personally chosen personal knight, even if Rosalia wouldn’t try to stop the appointment, her words would probably not change Cecilia’s mind. But Rosalia would certainly want to vet Lita on Cecilia’s behalf.
Even Cecilia had shared her past, even if she glossed over the curse part—still, she had said something. If Lita didn’t say anything at this moment, it would definitely be inappropriate.
But what could she say? The fabricated story she’d told had been instantly seen through by Cecilia. Rosalia’s personality, though outgoing and casual, wouldn’t be fooled by her either. She had told Cecilia about being a transmigrator, but that was based on her identity as a member of the demon race. People generally believed the demon race came from another world, so Cecilia hadn’t batted an eye. Besides, she had blurted it out when she was out of it—this was not something she could tell Rosalia.
Just at that moment, Shirley cheerfully urged, “Lita, what about you? What have you been through, and why did you want to become a knight?”