Garcia asked with a smile on his face.
"Erasing your memories... I'm not an illusionist, baby."
"A prophet? (Then a prophet?)"
"Oh my God..."
Garcia looked at me again in surprise, came closer, and knelt down in front of me.
"What kind of world did you, Meridy's little flame, see before you came here?"
When I didn't answer, Garcia spoke again.
"My name is Garcia Bitteil, Baby. I don't have enough foresight, but I do astrology."
"So again...?"
Garcia grinned.
"I am a Guardian, Baby. It protects this castle, that north wall. From now on, I'm going to protect you, too.'
This little old lady is the guardian of the North Wall?
I looked at Garcia with suspicion.
"Is it a protector...?"
"Really. If I tell a lie, I can be struck by lightning from Pravasi and burned to death on the spot."
Dorian interrupted in surprise.
"Garcia! How could you say such a scary thing? Baby is surprised!"
But I was not surprised and stretched out my hands to Garcia.
Garcia put the button-up snow doll in my little hands and said softly
"Baby, give it a name. Then it will become a good friend and protect you."
Then she added in a small voice.
"It's a Guardian's Doll."
After Garcia left, the first night with the doll was honestly awkward.
Dorian laid me down on a wide bed and laid Garcia's doll side by side, and it was painful to see the red button eyes staring at me.
You should have had a doll or something!
But I had a homework assignment that Garcia gave me, naming a doll.
I couldn't help but look at it for a long time.
'What should I name it?'
Because the eyes are red, it's red.
Totally weird... Because my hair is red, it's red.
Much weirder...
Then I fell asleep at some point.
Without crying.
***
The next morning, I raised my eyelids to the hint of sunlight and woke up to the sight of red button eyes.
For the past few days, I had been tossing and turning several times in the morning, thinking about my parents, but I felt like I had a good night's sleep.
Then Garcia's doll became suspicious again.
"You."
I called out in a hoarse voice, but of course the doll didn't respond.
"You're a doll...? Isn't it a protest? (It's really just a doll, isn't...? Isn't it weird?)"
As I muttered and squeezed the innocent doll once, I heard a loud laugh nearby
"Ahahaha! Oh my God, my baby is so cute!"
Before I knew it, Dorian was in my room, and I just caught the scene of the assault.
Dorian laughed alone for a long time before she reassured me by stroking my hair.
"Worry dolls aren't weird, baby. It's just a doll that every child in Halias has. If you don't believe that, let's go see the Shion Doll later. Is that so?"
I nodded and stood up.
After washing my face with Dorian's help, an old dress borrowed from Chatara Castle was ready instead of a mourning dress.
I glanced at the garment, and Dorian spoke cautiously.
"Meridy's funeral is over now, baby. If you wear mourning clothes forever and feel sad, your parents will be upset too."
I nodded reluctantly, and Dorian added happily.
"The tailor will come in the afternoon."
"Isn't it great...?"
"They make beautiful clothes and shoes. They're not a wizard, but they work magic with thread and needle! It's pretty magic!"
I didn't ask because I didn't know what the tailor was doing, but Dorian explained it to me in a nice way.
I was just curious about why the tailor was coming.
But without a question, Dorian asked.
"Well, how many dresses will you make?"
When I glanced at the dress I had borrowed from Chatara Castle again, Dorian waved her hand.
"Oh my God, baby. Don't even think about counting that dress. I am very grateful that Chatara Castle gave us their daughter's dress, but the Princess of Halias has to have something worthy of her name."
But the dress I got from Chatara was the only one I had at the moment.
Dorian opened the dress and put it on me, asking again.
"Five? Or do you want to make ten suits?"
I rolled my eyes in surprise and decided to answer anyway.
Sound...
Come to think of it, I need at least two clothes to wash and change clothes.
It's always winter in Halias, so you don't need to prepare for each season... So I stretched out two fingers, and Dorian smiled.
"Eh... only two? No, baby."
Then I stretched out the rest of my fingers.
"It's hard to make too much when you're growing up, but at least you need this much. Mr. Baby's things are worthy of the name of Halias, because that's His Excellency's command."
I stared at the five outstretched fingers.
What does a three-year-old have to do with Halias's name if she has five dresses?
Even if I had lived as a Princess in Meridy, would I have changed my five dresses?
Dorian excitedly counted her fingers as she checked what I needed.
"Three coats, riding clothes, two hats for going out, a bonnet for sleeping, and a type of underwear... Oh, and you also need thermal items like thick tights and gloves.
What's so...?
In my previous life, I rode horses from a young age, but I never had a riding uniform.
In Lausanne, no one cared what I was wearing, and my clothes were comfortable, simple, and inconspicuous.
Thanks to this, except for Bachel, Edipa, fake parents, and a few of the closest people, I didn't even know I was a woman or a man.
Didn't they decide to keep me hidden from the royal family in Halias?
If so, I would be living in the castle for a long time, but I don't even know why I need clothes for going out.
Dorian was now stretching out her folded fingers again.
"You also need soft slippers and boots for going out... Oh, yes! You also need a headdress. The more headdresses, the better, oh my...."
The more headdresses you have, the better.
A headdress was something I had never had in my previous life.
In my previous life, I kept my hair short.
It was easier to hide my red hair.
It's going to be the same in this lifetime, and Dorian's favorite headdress will soon be useless.
Knock.
As I was doing so, I heard a cheerful knock outside.
"Nanny. I want to ask you something!"
Suzy, Beth, and Elma took turns pressing their faces in.
"What did I do with this group visit to ask me?"
Dorian asked with a smile, and Beth blushed embarrassedly.
"That... Over there... I heard that a tailor is coming today. If you allow me..."
"What if you give it to me?"
"That's it... I was wondering if we could see it!"
Elma shouted vigorously, and Dorian turned to me with a bloody smile.
"Baby."
"Hmm?"
"When you make clothes, can they take a look?"
I smiled a little without realizing it, and Suziebethel opened their eyes wide and cheered.
"She laughed!"
"Oh my God, the Princess laughed!"
It was then that I realized why they hovered around my room for a whole week.
'They were afraid I would cry again...'
Suzy summoned up the courage to approach her
"Baby."
"Hmm?"
"Can I come and see when the clothes are made? I thought you would be so pretty."
The girls who were so excited that they weren't even wearing our clothes were probably about my age in a previous life.
I smiled again and nodded.
"Hmm, take a look."
"Wow, thank you!"
"Even if you pick it."
The girls' eyes widened.
"Can we pick it up for you? Really?"
Even as Suziebethel let out a roar of joy. Dorian continued to fold her fingers.
There's no way a three-year-old grand Princess needs so many things, and I'm not even the real daughter of this family.
Apparently, the nanny misunderstood something.
***
But when the tailor arrived, Suziebethel had a hard time choosing a dress.
The Halias brothers broke into a room filled with all kinds of textiles, ribbons, buttons, and decorations.
"Yellow looks good on Liana."
Theodore insisted, and Shion immediately refuted it.
"Yellow is too chick-like. On the first day, I really thought you had picked up a chick. Scarlet is better. It goes well with her hair color."
I wore an indoor bonnet to hide my hair color.
Shion whispered, and Theodore spoke again, pretending not to hear.
"Hmm... It's best not to be seen for the time being, so let's see... How about that shiny gold?"
I like not to be seen, so I want to wear shiny gold.
Isn't that almost like shouting, "I'm the new Grand Princess of Hallias?"
I don't know why Shion is chasing me whenever he has a chance, and even Theodore shows up and meddles strangely.
The tailor laughed instead of me.
"If you have five suits, you can match one yellow, one scarlet, and one gold."
"Then what about the other two?"
Shion asked, and I looked at Suziebethel, huddled in the corner.
'Eh, those guys.'
Eventually, I beckoned them to me.
"Sudibel."
"I, we... Did you call me, baby?"
"Hmm, you can pick it."
"Oh..."
Suziebethel hesitated, but Dorian urged.
"Hurry up and pick it. You promised to help her, didn't you?"
Then Elma summoned up her courage and cried out.
"Boo, you have to match the pink color. Because... It's the cutest."
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