#111. You Won’t Be Disappointed!
The invitation stamped with Olivia’s seal fluttered dizzyingly right in front of Sugar’s eyes.
With a broad smile like Ambre, Sugar accepted the invitation and asked,
“When should I leave?”
Her eyes sparkled like a puppy about to go for a walk, unable to hide her eagerness to dash to the Imperial Kingdom immediately.
“You’re looking forward to it too, aren’t you? The invitation from Her Highness the Princess says to arrive at the palace the morning after tomorrow.”
“The day after tomorrow, then.”
I’ll prepare diligently today and tomorrow and only show Her Highness my best self!
Though Sugar didn’t know exactly what she would prepare, she made a firm resolve—but then froze at Ambre’s next words.
“Oh, right. Her Highness said she wants to ask you something.”
Sugar carefully followed Ambre’s fingertip as it tapped the invitation and read the elegant script clearly, tilting her head to one side.
“What could Her Highness possibly want to ask me? Do I know something? If it’s about the diary left by my family’s ancestors, I already told her everything last time…”
Her small mind racing, Sugar finally recalled a certain moment from her past.
‘Think about what comes after later. You don’t have to decide everything at once.’
It was the day she first decided on her own what she wanted to do and where she wanted to stay.
The gentle voice that had fallen softly over her head, and the warm, smooth hand that had tenderly caressed her cheek.
Recalling that moment, Sugar unconsciously fidgeted with her fingers.
Not yet… she hadn’t remembered it fully yet.
She hadn’t found what Her Highness meant by “what comes after.”
What she wanted to do, how she wanted to live.
Of course, right now, her greatest wish was to be of help to Her Highness, and her second goal was to resolve the mark stamped on her as a sacrifice.
But Sugar knew one thing.
A child who leaves the narrow confines of her home cannot remain a child forever.
When she grew taller, as tall as Isaac, and could become a support for someone instead of relying on them, she would have to find not only her current goals but also the long path ahead for herself.
Since arriving at the Taren mansion, Sugar hadn’t needed to think about such complicated things.
She had faced many challenges she’d never experienced before, sometimes succeeding, sometimes failing.
She had no talent for drawing, but handled musical instruments better than expected, and because the mark she bore was that of an ancient god, she found herself more interested in history than in literature or economics.
Day by day, discovering herself and observing her surroundings anew, she tried her best…
“The empire has a lot of talented people.”
Olivia’s praise, gently brushing past her ears, floated in Sugar’s mind, making her even more anxious.
Because she had spent so long trapped alone in the house, marked as a sacrifice due to the greedy ancestors of the Levir family, she had gotten used to dwelling in her own thoughts. And as usual, those solitary thoughts tended to drift toward darker paths.
“Hmm? Sugar, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”
Ambre immediately noticed Sugar’s anxiety and showed a worried expression.
“Sit here for a moment.”
Taking Sugar’s drooping hand and seating her on a custom-made sofa perfectly suited to her height, Ambre asked,
“What’s the matter?”
At Ambre’s gentle voice, Sugar felt a sudden pain, as if her mark were burning—but more pressing concerns trapped her, so she ignored it.
Normally, she would sink into the sofa’s soft embrace, but Sugar sat upright, chewing her lips nervously.
Ambre didn’t press for an answer and patiently waited for Sugar to speak.
Meanwhile, her sharp eyes quickly scanned Sugar’s state, narrowing momentarily before returning to normal.
According to the servants responsible for Sugar, nothing unusual had occurred from last night to this morning—so why was her shirt disheveled?
Judging by the wrinkles and uneven arrangement, it seemed Sugar had hastily adjusted it after lifting it up.
Ambre considered checking with the servant again, but before that… she had prepared to make some warm tea to calm Sugar, but paused.
“I… I’m afraid… what if Her Highness gets angry if I can’t give a proper answer?”
Sugar’s question came out in a timid, almost scared voice for reasons unknown.
“Her Highness?”
“Yes… I haven’t found the answer yet.”
As she mumbled and hung her head, she immediately lifted it when Ambre firmly and confidently denied it.
“That won’t happen!”
Ambre’s eyes sparkled as she continued,
“Her Highness will never get angry just because you don’t have an answer!”
Sugar, struck by Ambre’s untouchable confidence, nodded absentmindedly before realizing what she had done.
“But… if she specifically asks me something and I can’t answer—”
“Sugar.”
“Yes?”
“Listen carefully. No matter what Her Highness asks, she won’t get angry if you don’t have an answer. Of course not!”
Ambre placed her hands firmly on her hips and nodded decisively.
“You won’t disappoint her either!”
At those words, Sugar’s shoulders jumped as if struck by lightning.
Although she had asked if Olivia would get angry, what she truly feared was disappointing her.
Ambre placed a hand gently on Sugar’s head, stroking it softly, and added,
“So don’t worry about anything. Her Highness saved you back then, right? Her feelings haven’t changed since.”
Back then…
Sugar remembered the moment with Olivia almost perfectly. She hadn’t dared speak it aloud, but she considered Olivia her family.
Olivia had told Sugar, struggling with feelings she had never experienced before, “It’s okay even if you’re not related by blood.”
From that moment, Sugar’s once-narrow world began to expand brilliantly.
Sugar opened her mouth several times before finally voicing her thoughts.
“I don’t want to disappoint Her Highness. I always want to show her my best side. A-and… I want to get lots of praise too.”
Simple desires, typical of any child—or any person—tumbled out of her mouth awkwardly.
Ambre held Sugar’s hands firmly until she finished murmuring and replied,
“Her Highness won’t ever be disappointed in you. She’ll always see your best side. And if you ask for praise… she’ll give you plenty. She’s very kind.”
Giving each answer carefully, Ambre watched Sugar’s eyes, which had reddened as if on the verge of tears, gradually calm.
“Better now?”
“Yes. Th-thank you.”
Exposed from the inside out, Sugar blushed and smiled brightly.
Even when rolling her eyes in embarrassment, Ambre’s few words had been enough.
“So, can you tell me why your shirt got so messed up?”
Though much of the story was left unsaid, Ambre’s usually round eyes had narrowed sharply, hinting she already suspected something.
Sugar, who had once suffered at the hands of a blood relative, could have been bullied at Taren House too…
“It’s nothing like that. I just lifted it to check something and hurriedly tried to put it back.”
Sugar fiddled with the shirt, trying to restore it to how the servant had arranged it, but her efforts were clumsy, and the shirt only became more wrinkled.
Ambre reached out to help, but with both of them not really family, their similar lack of dexterity ensured the shirt was beyond saving.
“Ah.”
“Hmm.”
Sugar, smaller than her peers, and Ambre, small-bodied herself, pressed their foreheads together to try to salvage the shirt, but in the end, they exchanged embarrassed smiles and let go simultaneously.
“You’ll need a new shirt.”
“Yes… I guess so.”
“But why did you lift it in the first place? What were you checking?”
Ambre asked casually, stretching the shirt. She was simply curious about the situation, not worried about Sugar being bullied.
Sugar had been eating more lately—was she checking how much her body had grown? If so, it might be better to call a doctor for exact measurements.
Her height had increased, and she had gained some weight, making her look much healthier.
Ambre blinked at Sugar’s ambiguous reply while estimating her crown position.
“I… I think I needed to check something.”
“‘Think’ you needed to?”
Ambre couldn’t help but ask again. The answer was strange if she was really just checking her growth.
Even as Sugar responded, her small hand wandered over the mark on her side, which she had only recently become fully aware of.
Seeing her unnatural movements, Ambre’s eyes narrowed with suspicion and worry, prompting Sugar to sigh and confess honestly.
“It seems the mark has faded. But I’m not sure… No, maybe I am… I don’t really know.”
It was the mark she had borne since she could remember, and before understanding its meaning, she had sometimes forgotten it like a normal birthmark.
That’s why she couldn’t easily nod and say the mark had faded.
“So that’s why you lifted your shirt.”
“Yes… I first noticed it while bathing, but I didn’t think I saw it clearly then. And… it’s nothing.”
When Sugar tried to say more but hesitated, Ambre asked carefully,
“Can I take a look?”
Sugar didn’t reply verbally. She simply clenched her hand on the shirt and slowly lifted it.
