I Raised Snow White!

The day of the princess’s birthday party finally arrived.

Although the party was held in the evening, the kingdom had been bustling with excitement since morning. From broad daylight, fireworks were set off as everyone celebrated and blessed the princess’s birthday.

The capital’s nobles opened their storerooms, distributing food and drinks freely to the people in celebration of the princess’s birthday, while the royal palace also spent lavishly, offering food and drinks to the citizens.

Minstrels composed poems in honor of the royal’s seventh birthday, playing music to which people sang, danced, and celebrated the princess’s existence.

Fireworks burst out all over the streets, children ran around wildly, and the youth cheered for the princess while drinking from noon.

The palace gates opened early in the morning, and carriages of nobles and merchants that had been lined up entered the palace one by one. They were all filled with expensive items, each a gift for the princess.

It was a day to be truly grateful for the princess’s healthy growth past infancy, celebrating and blessing the future of the royal family’s next leader with genuine joy and happiness.

This was the significance of the seventh birthday of the royals.

The room was packed to the brim with dazzling dresses and accessories, leaving hardly any space to step. Although I wanted to go see the princess getting dressed, I had to prepare myself as I was also attending the party.

One of the maids attending to me swallowed nervously, looking at me. She approached cautiously, preparing to dress me up, soothing me as if calming a wild puppy, and asking me to stay still.

Before I came into this body, there had been a previous party where Vivian had caused a mess and chaos simultaneously. I quietly nodded, looking at the maid.

“As Her Majesty knows, there are many things Your Majesty will need to prepare for.”

“Don’t worry. This time, I won’t cause any trouble. The princess is waiting, so let’s hurry.”

The maid, moved by my gentle words, something Vivian would never have said, shed a small tear as she began explaining what I needed to do.

“…First, a 30-minute bath with warm water, followed by a 30-minute bath in warmed milk, then applying rose essential oil to the skin. Repeat this three times. Then, after a massage, take a nap-”

“…?”

Listening to the almost minute-by-minute schedule, I nearly felt Vivian’s spirit coming back to life in my body. I could begin to understand why Vivian had caused such a mess at the previous party.

Three hours of bathing alone, followed by massage, stretching, and hairstyling. After all that, by the time the clothes and hair were done, it would be just in time for the princess’s evening birthday party.

As I reflexively furrowed my brow while hearing the schedule, the maid glanced at me with a worried look.

Although I had maintained a relatively calm image so far, it seemed it was still lacking…

With a deep sigh, I went over the exhausting schedule again, forcing a smile.

At my ear, Ainsel whispered, as “Smile! Smile! You really look like Vivian when you do!”

“…Alright, let’s begin.”

And so, the meticulous, minute-by-minute process of dressing began.

I was utterly, utterly exhausted.

They wouldn’t even let me eat for fear of a belly bulge, and the corset was so tight it felt more like torture, making it hard to even breathe, let alone move. When they tightened it, I wanted to scream, “Just kill me!”

Once the dressing was finally finished and I escaped from the room, I started walking slowly toward the princess’s room with my weary body. I wanted to see her in her dress before entering the party hall.

With unfamiliar high heels on, I wobbled like a newborn fawn, barely making it to the princess’s room, where all my stress evaporated the moment I saw her.

“Your Majesty, the Queen!”

“Princess!”

As the door opened, the princess rushed into my arms. She was wearing a ‘Snow White Princess’ dress with a blue base accented with red.

The dress, with even more frills than usual, looked adorable, with a wide skirt that allowed for easy movement, perfect for a young child.

The princess seemed to love the dress, twirling around to show it off in front of me. I lifted her, placing my hands under her little armpits, and rubbed my cheek against hers.

She was just too adorable.

“As expected, I have an eye for choosing clothes. You truly look the most beautiful in the world today. Even Ainsel is speechless in awe.”

“Hehe, thank you! Your Majesty’s dress is also very beautiful!”

I glanced sideways at the full-length mirror in the princess’s room. My dress was relatively simple, a dark blue gown with minimal decorations.

The dress fell naturally along my body line, with a modest front but a back that was daringly low-cut, almost to the point of embarrassment. According to the maids, it was bold yet elegant.

They said that the tiny jewels embedded in the skirt reflected light, creating the illusion of walking through the Milky Way, and praised it endlessly. Honestly, to me, it just felt like an embarrassing outfit.

But since the princess called it beautiful, maybe it really did look beautiful.

“Thank you, Princess. It does look beautiful to me when you say so.”

“Really, truly! I mean, um, it’s like… it’s beautiful like the ocean!”

The princess flailed her arms to make up for her limited vocabulary. Watching her, I couldn’t help but laugh.

Turning my head slightly, I saw Fran standing beside me, gazing at the princess nestled in my arms, perhaps because she had helped the princess dress. It seemed Fran had grown quite close to the princess, likely due to the lessons we had been doing together. I smiled and expressed my gratitude to Fran.

“Thank you for helping the princess get ready. Would you like to go to the party hall first? We’ll be there shortly.”

“Yes, I will wait for you in the party hall.”

Fran bowed with her usual expressionless face and slowly walked toward the door. When the princess saw Fran heading to the door, she waved her hand, and Fran returned the gesture with a gentle wave.

And she even smiled.

Fran, who had never once smiled in front of me, had smiled for the princess. At first, I thought the princess was joking when she mentioned that Fran occasionally smiled, but…

I set the princess back down and gently stroked her head. Careful not to mess up her carefully arranged hair, I lightly patted her head and held out my hand to her.

“Well then, shall we go to the party hall, Princess?”

“Yes! I’d love to!”

The princess cheerfully shouted in a bright voice, grasping the hand I offered her tightly. Holding hands with the princess, we slowly made our way to the party hall.

As we passed through the hallway, maids and nobles who we encountered praised the princess’s beauty and offered their congratulations. And each time, the princess, clearly pleased, couldn’t stop giggling happily.

Seeing the princess walking so proudly with her shoulders straight, it was hard to believe she had been trembling in my arms last night. Was this the effect of all those compliments?

As I walked beside the confident princess toward the party hall, we eventually arrived at the door reserved for royal family members to enter. Once the doors opened, everyone’s attention would be focused on one spot.

I asked the chamberlain standing by the door.

“Has Her Majesty the Queen Dowager already entered?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. The Queen Dowager entered just as the party began.”

She arrived earlier than I expected.

It seemed the Queen Dowager had entered the hall before us to ensure she would be the first to witness the princess’s debut.

Imagining her seated at the front, eager to watch her granddaughter’s debut, I couldn’t help but smile.

I stopped the chamberlain, who was about to announce our entrance, and crouched down to make eye contact with the princess. The princess tilted her head, looking at me with curiosity.

“Princess.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

Looking at her bright smile, I thought of the name I had given her.

At first, I considered giving her a different name. There were many names that suited her.

But in the end, I felt this name fit the princess best.

She had dark hair that sparkled like a sky full of stars at night.

Someday, she would be a girl who commands many fairies, a ‘child who will be with the fairies.’

And one day, she would become the ‘queen’ of this country.

The name that suited her…

In the end, there was no other name that felt more fitting.

“I have a birthday gift for you, Princess.”

“A gift…?”

At the mention of a gift, the princess’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

I smiled, rose from my spot, and turned to the chamberlain. I instructed him to first announce my entrance, and then announce the princess’s.

The chamberlain nodded in acknowledgment and, with a loud voice, announced my entrance.

“Her Majesty the Second Queen, Lady ‘Vivian Lilienthal,’ is entering!”

As the doors to the party hall opened, I turned to look at the princess. She still didn’t seem to realize what was happening, staring blankly at me.

I called her once more.

“Princess.”

At my call, the princess lifted her head to look at me. As if she were beginning to understand, her eyes started to well up with tears.

“Your Majesty…?”

“This is the birthday gift I am giving to you.”

Turning back, I entered the party hall and nodded to the chamberlain.

“Announce the princess’s ‘name’ for everyone to hear.”

At the queen’s command, the chamberlain announced in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear the name clearly.

“The guest of honor at this party, who celebrates her seventh birthday today!”

Hearing the powerful, resounding announcement, the princess instinctively clutched her chest.

With each word from the chamberlain, her heart pounded, and her eyes grew wet with emotion.

She bit her lip, lifting her head to hold back the tears as she looked ahead.

The lights in the party hall made her eyes sparkle.

Standing at the doorway, waiting with her hand extended toward the princess, was Her Majesty the Queen. The princess slowly took trembling steps toward her.

Trying to cover her urge to cry, she smiled, her eyes narrowing as she began to approach ‘her’ waiting hand.

While listening to the ‘name’ she would carry all her life.

The princess took one more step forward, reaching out to take the hand extended to her.

From the one who truly loved her.

“Her Royal Highness, Princess of the Kingdom, ‘Titania Snow White’ has entered!”