How the Princess Lives Her Second Life
Leo
그 황녀님이 두 번째 삶을 사는 방법 Jul 06, 2026 43 views
chapter 2
By the time I had grown old enough in my previous life to remember my childhood, the Emperor had already been my aunt.
As for my grandfather, I had only ever heard stories about him.
I'd seen countless portraits, but this was the first time I was seeing him in person.
Among his wavy golden hair—so much like my own—were streaks of silver that lent him an almost mystical air. His eyes shone like emeralds filled with the freshness of summer. Sharp eyes, neatly etched wrinkles, and thin lips pressed into a firm line...
He looked exactly as the rumors described.
Stubborn.
The elderly attendants had once told me stories about His Majesty.
They said he was terrifying, impossibly stubborn, and held grudges forever.
Pigheaded.
Petty beyond belief.
Those were terribly disrespectful words to use for an emperor, but if one had to summarize him...
That was apparently the man he was.
Yet unlike every emperor before him, who had been known only for solemn dignity and overwhelming authority...
He had adored me.
They said I had been the one grandchild who tugged painfully at his heartstrings.
Now...
I thought I finally understood what they meant.
After setting me down, Grandfather returned to his desk and resumed handling state affairs.
Meanwhile, I began exploring.
Having suddenly become a toddler again, everything felt awkward.
Walking felt like wearing shoes three sizes too big.
Moving my body was like trying to walk beneath an impossibly heavy quilt.
The imperial study smelled of paper and iron-rich ink.
The desk...
It was so enormous it could easily have been mistaken for a bed.
Towering stacks of documents rose from its surface like miniature mountains. If one of those piles ever collapsed onto someone, they would probably be crushed to death on the spot.
"Wow..."
The word escaped me before I knew it.
Turning my head, I spotted a gigantic bookshelf.
Its lacquered surface gleamed with a dark reddish-black sheen.
Then a thought suddenly occurred to me.
Wait...
Where am I, and who am I again?
"Nanny! How long do I have to stay here?"
"Until evening, Your Highness. His Majesty spent the entire winter governing from the Hot Spring Palace. He only returned to the main palace two days ago. He had wished to bring Your Highness there with him, you know. They say he often mentioned missing you while he was away. Didn't you want to see your grandfather too?"
I was about to nod...
...when I simply stared at her instead.
Nanny... are those really the words you use with a thirty-six-month-old child?
An enormous dilemma seized me.
Should I pretend I understood...
Or admit that I had absolutely no idea what she'd just said?
"Uh... I got it!"
My answer came a little late after all my internal debating, but Nanny didn't seem to find it strange.
In truth, I hadn't understood a thing.
Still...
I decided I would become the kind of three-year-old who pretended she understood everything.
I toddled over to Grandfather's desk, tugged on the hem of his robes, and reached both arms up toward him.
I'd only heard stories about how much he loved me.
This was the first time I'd witnessed it myself.
Having lived—and died—in a palace where conspiracies lurked behind every curtain and enemies hid behind friendly smiles...
A grandfather...
His warmth...
It felt unbelievably precious.
I didn't want to lose it again.
"Ahhh! Our little Melli came to me! Did you see that, Count Maron?"
Grandfather called excitedly to his chief attendant.
"Yes, Your Majesty. I saw it quite clearly."
"Our Melli wants Grandpa to hold her, doesn't she? Then I'll take a little break."
Count Maron immediately rushed over, face drained of color, grabbing Grandfather's hand just as he started to stand and pressing it firmly back onto the desk.
"No, Your Majesty! Finish your work first!"
"It's fine. I'll just stay up all night."
"If Your Majesty works all night, does that mean none of us get to go home?"
"Tch. How stingy."
"Stingy?! I'd rather not hear that word from Your Majesty of all people!"
Ignoring the count's desperate cry, Grandfather slipped his hand free with surprising agility.
Then he scooped me up and settled me onto his lap.
And began bouncing me.
Up and down.
Up and down.
"...Huh?"
"Kyaa?"
"There, there. Grandpa's precious little puppy. Did you come to see Grandpa?"
Even with that overwhelmingly dignified face...
Hearing him speak in baby talk simply refused to feel normal.
Preconceptions truly were frightening things.
Well...
I supposed even an emperor famous for being stubborn and petty could become like this around his granddaughter.
I stared at him with wide eyes.
Grandfather beamed happily while continuing to bounce me.
Up and down.
Up and down.
It was...
Actually kind of fun.
But also...
I was starting to get dizzy.
Just as my vision began wobbling from all the bouncing, Nanny spoke nervously.
"Y-Your Majesty... forgive my boldness..."
"Hmph! Then don't say anything that requires forgiveness in the first place. Right, my precious?"
"B-But... if you keep bouncing her like that... she'll become motion sick..."
"What? Oh dear! That won't do! Why didn't you stop me sooner? Honestly..."
Grandfather hurriedly handed me back to Nanny before grabbing an enormous stack of documents from the right side of his desk and dumping them onto the floor.
"What are you all standing around for? Clear this space!"
He pointed toward the cleared section of the desk.
The attendants waiting nearby rushed over at once, clearing a large circular space almost instantly.
"Put the child here."
Nanny immediately sat me down in the newly emptied area.
The desk was so broad that it honestly felt like sitting on a bed.
I probably could have walked around on it without any trouble.
"Come now. Let's play here with Grandpa."
"...?"
Um...
Grandfather?
Aren't you supposed to be reading all these papers?
There were approvals waiting, memorials to review, mountains of official business...
Shouldn't those come first?
Grandfather, however, acted as though none of that mattered.
Instead, he reached beneath the desk and pulled out an enormous box.
It was beautifully wrapped.
Large enough that I could probably crawl inside and sit comfortably.
"Uh..."
"This? It's a present for my little one. I found it on my way back from the palace."
"Is... is it..."
It was so massive that I wanted to ask if it was a dollhouse.
But somehow...
The words wouldn't come.
Even dollhouses weren't usually this big.
"You don't think I'd give my granddaughter something as boring as a dollhouse, do you?"
Just what in the world had my younger self played with alongside Grandfather?
Watching my jaw hang open in astonishment, he smiled with satisfaction and pulled the ribbon loose.
"Ta-da! Look. I saw something fascinating while returning from the palace and immediately thought of my precious granddaughter."
"What is..."
Leaving aside the gigantic palace made of what looked like transparent amber-colored glass...
Why did it smell exactly like candy?
"..."
I simply blinked stupidly.
Grandfather laughed heartily.
"Beautiful, isn't it? I specially commissioned it to resemble your palace exactly. I was so determined to have it made that I traded the platinum bracelet I was wearing to the craftsman on the spot."
"...What?"
I questioned my own ears.
The platinum bracelet worn by the Emperor...
There was no way it had been an ordinary piece of jewelry.
"Um... Grandpa?"
Then why...
Why didn't I remember something like this?
If I'd owned such an expensive, intricately crafted model palace, surely I'd have kept it until I was at least ten years old.
If that were true...
There was no way I wouldn't remember it from my previous life.
Just then, Grandfather gently stroked my golden hair.
"So? Do you like it? Doesn't it look absolutely delicious?"
Well... they do say food that looks good tastes good...
"...Huh?"
Wait.
What did he just say?
Delicious?
This?
I stared blankly at the enormous amber palace, which was larger than I was.
"Ha ha ha! It's candy."
"...Candy?"
Wait...
Did I hear that correctly?
The Emperor traded his platinum bracelet...
...for candy?
While I was still reeling from the shock, Grandfather casually snapped off one corner of the palace—
Crunch!
—and popped it straight into my mouth.
"They called it sugar craftsmanship. The artisan's skills were extraordinary. I stayed there for a while on my journey home so he could make this."
Sweetness melted across my tongue.
The sugary flavor dissolved instantly, making saliva spill from the corner of my mouth.
Nanny quickly wiped it away with a handkerchief.
"Our little puppy eats so well. Want another piece?"
Another?
Can I really?
It's delicious!
Grandpa, I love you!
Ever since becoming a child again, I'd developed a much bigger sweet tooth than I had in my previous life.
Back then, I'd preferred rich, slightly bitter desserts.
Now...
It seemed my body had dragged my taste buds back to infancy too.
Just as I eagerly reached toward the candy palace—
Someone blocked my hand.
It was Nanny.
"No, Your Highness."
Grandfather and I both looked at her simultaneously.
"...Mweh?"
"...Eh? Why not?"
"Your Majesty. If Her Highness fills herself with sweets and refuses her meals, it will hinder her healthy growth. I beg Your Majesty to understand."
At her firm tone, the Emperor frowned deeply.
Then he inhaled dramatically, puffing out his chest.
I tensed.
What's he going to do?
Is he going to shout about disrespect?
Everyone said he was unbelievably stubborn.
Petty.
The sort who never forgot a slight.
As I braced myself...
Grandfather slowly let out a long sigh.
"...Sigh. Very well. Put it away safely and bring it back tomorrow."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
I watched blankly as the attendants carefully packed the candy palace into a pristine glass display case and carried it away.
Grandpa...
Where did all that legendary stubbornness go?
He was completely different from the man history remembered.
Perhaps that was simply how history worked.
Once people recorded it...
Things became exaggerated, distorted, or forgotten.
Just as the attendants finished clearing away the candy palace, a voice came from outside the study.
"Your Majesty. Her Highness Princess Aeonel requests an audience."
My aunt?
"Let her enter."
The doors opened.
A much younger version of my aunt stepped inside.
She looked exactly like my late grandmother, the former Empress, in the portraits.
Slender eyes.
Red lips.
A graceful nose.
Delicate features.
Though she was already past thirty, she looked remarkably youthful.
Most striking of all was her dazzling blue hair, shimmering like the sea itself.
If not for her emerald-green eyes—which she'd inherited from the Emperor rather than the late Empress—I might have mistaken her for the Goddess of the Ocean herself.
After offering a brief bow, she strode forward.
"Father, did your stay at the Hot Spring Palace go well?"
"It was pleasant enough."
"The glass sculpture the attendants just carried away... was it for Melli?"
Aunt, that's not glass!
I shook my head vigorously.
Grandfather answered before I could.
"That wasn't glass. It was candy."
Yes! That's right! It's candy!
I nodded enthusiastically.
Then...
My eyes met my aunt's.
Out of habit, my entire body froze.
Her blue hair seemed cold enough to radiate frost.
Eyes the color of the emerald sea.
A heart even colder.
She was every inch the image of the merciless ruler I remembered.
The education she'd forced upon me as her heir had been mercilessly strict.
