Chapter 012: Esther's Childhood
Esther was relaxing in the greenhouse with Anne. The two of them were busy chatting while sipping Esther's favorite rose tea and enjoying the snacks Helena had brought from the kitchen.
The Marigold palace greenhouse that King Lucius II gave Esther was very beautiful. There is a fountain statue of the Goddess Nightingale which is plated with pure gold. A table and some chairs, several kinds of flowers neatly arranged there and butterflies that landed on the flowers that were there.
For a moment, Esther could feel the Taraless serenity she hadn't felt in a long time. She closed her eyes for a moment and then breathed in the fresh air in the greenhouse.
"Are you happy now, Princess?" asked Anne, taking a sip of the same tea that Esther enjoyed.
"I don't know, I don't know either. I'm quite happy to live here but I also feel sad because the people in here has been treated me very badly," Esther replied.
"The point that I think about the most now is raising Tiny properly and correctly. I just want the child to be happy with his own choices. I want to continue to be by his side and be by his side whenever he is feeling anxious, confused, or sad. I don't want him to grow up to be like me," Esther added as she stared blankly at the Lily flowerbed.
Anne looked at Esther with pity. "Princess..."
Anne Sylphn de Heather, she was the previous wife of Duke Heather. Apart from being a Duchess, she was also the caretaker of the previous empress or Esther's mother. After Emmeline, Esther's mother died, Anne voluntarily offered herself to Grand Duke Theobald to be Esther's nanny. Of course, it was well received by Grand Duke Theobald.
During her time as Esther's nanny, Anne realized that the child was very lonely. Esther could only see her father once a year because her father's activities were very busy. All Esther did in her childhood was just learn the things she needed to become empress in the future.
Since birth, she has carried a heavy burden as the crown princess. Living with wealth and power that was beyond compare to Esther made Esther feel sad. The reason is, all the wealth and power that she enjoys must be exchanged for her parents. Even once, Anne was made to cry by the little act of Esther who was only 5 years old.
At that time, the Maurice Empire was experiencing a blizzard. Anne purposely went into Esther's room to check on Esther's condition, who happened to have a fever at that time. When Anne approached Esther's bed, she did not find Esther there at all. Anne frantically immediately began to tour the residence of Grand Duke Theobald in search of Esther's whereabouts.
On her way to find Esther, she found her granddaughter who was holding Esther at the main door. Anne immediately approached the two small children. She saw Esther in a disheveled condition carrying a bag containing diamonds, money, and a teddy bear that her father gave her on her 4th birthday.
"Princess, where are you going?" asked Anne gently as she approached Esther. Little
Esther began to sob. "I want to leave the house. There is no father here. Even when I was sick, my father was not by my side."
For a moment, Anne and Helena were surprised to see Esther crying like that, because the Esther they knew was a little girl who never once cried. But now it was Esther who was in tears.
"If you go, your father will be very sad, Princess. You don't have to worry about your father coming back soon," said Anne, trying to calm Esther and holding the child.
Little Esther buried her face in Anne's neck. "Anne always lies like that."
The next day, little Esther's fever didn't go away, it was even worse. But the little girl instead whined to go to the palace to meet the Emperor. Initially, of course, Anne refused because Esther's body condition was practically weak due to a fever. But Esther, who kept pushing him, made him melt.
According to Anne, there might be something very important about the empire that Esther wanted to report to His Majesty the Emperor. Finally, Esther came to the palace accompanied by Anne. Little Esther was wearing a red and white short sleeved dress and her hair was tied in two, which made her look really cute.
She limped to the palace of His Majesty the Emperor. Arriving at the palace, there was already the Emperor and Queen.
"Hello, Esther," said the Queen.
The Queen, who saw Esther's pale face, immediately turned to Anne. "What is going on with Esther, Duchess Heather?"
Anne bowed half of her body to the Emperor and Queen. "Princess Esther is sick with a fever, Her Majesty the Queen."
His Majesty the Emperor smiled at his cute niece. "So what did you want to tell me until you came here sick, Esther?"
Little Esther immediately prostrated herself in front of His Majesty the Emperor and Queen while crying. This took everyone there by surprise. Because according to imperial etiquette, the fellow imperial family didn't need to salute like that and also they were shocked to see thee crying Esther.
"Your Majesty the Emperor, I beg you to return my father," said Esther accompanied by sobs.
His Majesty's chest suddenly tightened when he saw his niece kneeling like that and called him Majesty Emperor when Esther usually called him Uncle. Queen and Anne immediately burst into tears when they saw Esther prostrate begging like that.
"Why do you always send my father away from me, Your Majesty? Do you hate me so much that because of my birth my mother who was also your lovely sister died?" continued Esther.
His Majesty immediately walked over to Esther and tried to make her stand up. His heart ached to hear every word that came out of the little girl's mouth. "I never hated you, Esther. So stand up. I really can't stand seeing you like this."
"Then please return my father to me, Your Majesty. Even when I was sick like this, my father couldn't be by my side at all because of your orders. Even if Livius was sick you and aunt were always by his side and nursed him until he recovered, while I'm not be treated like that. Please return my father because he is the only family I still have in this world, Your Majesty," said Esther who was still crying hysterically.
The queen who understood that her niece was jealous of her child and felt lonely immediately approached her and hugged her tightly. The queen also cried with Esther because she felt that the child's life was quite pitiful.
In the end His Majesty the Emperor sent a letter to Grand Duke Theobald who was on the battlefield to return alone to the empire. In addition, His Majesty the Emperor also reduced the Grand Duke's work schedule so that he could see his daughter at least once a year.