Summer 9

“Now, Senita.”

He extended his hand.

“Play with me.”

It was as if an angel from heaven were beckoning her. Mesmerized, Senita nodded and sat beside the Prince.

On a tray intricately decorated with stained glass were an assortment of toys:

Dice, puzzles, and marbles. A miniature kitchen set for playing house. Marionettes with strings and a miniature theater. There was also a dollhouse filled with various dolls and furniture. There were also playing cards, game sheets, small balls, and picture books.

They were all brand new, but none of them were toys a Prince would play with.

“Which one do you like?”

Her gaze, which had been fixed on the toys, shifted to Iskandar. They were so close that she could see her reflection in his eyes. Senita reflexively lowered her gaze.

“W-Whatever Your Highness likes…”

“Well, I’d like to play with whatever you like.”

As he spoke, Iskandar picked up a ball. He rotated his wrist as if examining the ball’s shape and then started playing with the small kitchen utensils next to it. The frying pan looked especially tiny in his long, slender fingers. Then, suddenly, he opened a picture book and flipped through the pages. Next, he picked up the control bar of a marionette and made the wooden doll stand.

Come to think of it, had the Prince ever played with these things before? While Iskandar looked over the toys, which didn’t suit him at all, Senita became curious. It was unthinkable now, but when he was young, it might have been different. Maybe he played war games with toy soldiers and swords. That wouldn’t have been strange.

The Prince, when he was my age—no, even younger.

Thud!

Senita’s idle thoughts ended with the sound of Iskandar putting down the marionette’s control bar. The wooden doll, which had been moving its limbs gracefully just a moment ago, lay collapsed on the floor with its limbs sprawled out.

“Ah…“

“Or do you not like any of them?”

A little frightened by the question in his low voice, which seemed to indicate displeasure, Senita carefully shook her head.

“It’s just that I…”

“Let’s play house.”

The Empress, who had been silently observing the two of them until then, suddenly interjected from behind. Catching the attention of the Prince and the maid, the Empress smiled faintly and gave another command.

“Start with playing house.”

“Yes!”

Senita quickly replied. Since she had been told to, she decided she should do so. It was easier to have something specific to do.

“How do you play?”

Fortunately, Iskandar didn’t object. Maybe the prince also wanted to obey his mother.

I’m actually a little too old to play house… Probably none of the other children her age played like this anymore.

However, having decided to obey the high-ranking individuals, Senita pulled the toy kitchen set in front of her. The miniature replica of a kitchen, complete with shelves, a fireplace, and tiny utensils, looked just like the real thing.

“Um, so, I’ll be the maid, and Your Highness will be the Prince. Then I’ll serve you.”

“That’s reality, not play.”

At his reasonable point, her small hand, which had been fiddling with a toy pot, stopped. She was even more flustered because he was right. However, she couldn’t suggest another common role for the Prince.

Her mind blank, Senita stared at the Prince for a moment, unsure of what to do. He, who had been wearing an expression of clear understanding, quickly grasped the situation and chuckled.

“Let’s do it this way.”

Iskandar fiddled with the toys scattered on the floor. The toys were scattered by his long fingers.

“Senita will be the mother, and I’ll be the father.”

After deciding on the classic—and daunting—roles, he picked up a doll and shook it from side to side.

“This is the baby.”

Upon hearing this, Svetlana couldn’t help but burst into a delicate laugh.

It was unbelievably strange, even though she was the one who suggested it. The Prince—her son, Iskandar—that upright and aloof child, was playing house! It must be his first time doing something like this.

What a precious sight! The son who always carried himself with such composure and poise now looked just like a boy his age. He was sitting there playing house with the little girl like a kind older brother. Watching the two of them pretend to be a mother and father was delightful.

Ah, this is fun.

Svetlana murmured, taking a sip of the hot tea the maid offered her.

Iskandar, thinking that was enough, looked at Senita. Her expression, with her lips tightly pressed together, looked troubled. Like yesterday in the forest, she seemed overwhelmed by the daunting situation, unable to refuse but unsure how to accept it.

There was a strange, refreshing quality to her innocent, ignorant purity.

Untainted, unclouded, not repulsive, pure, innocent, and lovely.

This was why the child chosen as the Empress’s toy, now dressed up, looked much prettier than any noble girl. Most of all, the most wonderful thing was that his mother was pleased with the process and the result.

It might be too soon to draw any conclusions, but, all things considered, Iskandar pulled the corners of his mouth up into a gentle smile. He thought that turning this maid into the Empress’s little toy hadn’t been such a bad decision after all.

“Hello, wife.”

Senita blushed shyly at the sweet address. Amused by her flustered appearance and her inability to meet his eyes, Iskandar chuckled again.

“O-Oh, you’re home.”

Flustered, Senita blurted out something in response, compelled to say something. Even though it was just play, being called ‘wife’ by the Prince… anything could truly happen in life. She heard the words, but it felt as if her tongue tasted sweet.

And, what should I do now? 

Senita stared intently at the intricately crafted miniature kitchen, racking her brain.

So, the prince is the father, and I’m the mother… Mother, what did Mother say to Father?

She couldn’t remember, as if it had happened a long time ago. Come to think of it, it had been a long time, and since she was so young, she didn’t remember much.

“This is strange.”

“Yes?”

Because of the prolonged silence, perhaps, the Prince voiced his question. Her head, which had been lowered, shot up in surprise. Then, Senita’s eyes met the Prince’s. A piercing gaze. His eyes, like the sun at that moment, were too bright to look at for long.

Unable to bear it, Senita tried to lower her gaze again. Iskandar slowly tilted his head in the direction of her blue eyes.

“Do you know who I am to let me in like this?”

“Uh…”

“What if I were a bad person?”

His neatly combed black hair fell slightly, pulled by gravity. His smile was beautiful, yet it filled Senita’s chest with unease. Consumed by the obligation to keep the conversation going, Senita squeezed out a response.

“Uh, it’s okay because I know.”

“Know what?”

“That…that you’re my…husband.”

The Empress giggled at the child’s answer and whispered something to a maid. Iskandar glanced at her and straightened his posture.

“Yes.”

He reached for the toy fireplace with his long index finger and flicked the kettle off. The small metal kettle, no bigger than his fingertip, spun around in Senita’s vision.

“Senita’s husband is home.”

The conversation moved on. That was a relief. Senita let out a sigh of relief. Her heart, which had been pounding erratically at his casual remark, felt unreasonable.

This wasn’t right. She had to pull herself together. Today, she was the Prince’s playmate, and this was how you played house. She had to do her best. She had to entertain the Prince. That was the role of a playmate.

Trying to calm her trembling heart with each word he spoke, Senita placed the kettle back on the fireplace.

“Um, have you eaten?”

“Hmm, no.”

“Then I’ll…I’ll cook you a meal! Please wait a moment.”