After Shetiva entered the room and took a quick look around, she was utterly stunned:

“Whoa. There aren’t any luxury goods at all. Even the furniture and everyday items look like the most ordinary kind.”

Forget the treatment an heir to the throne ought to enjoy—even a rich man’s daughter lived better than this.

If Shetiva hadn’t pestered the older maid with questions while they were moving, she would’ve seriously suspected that the princess wasn’t the Empress’s biological daughter.

She went over the reason the Emperor hated the princess in her head once more:

That woman hadn’t wanted children from the very beginning;

The only reason she drank the water of the “Sea of Reproduction” was that her health had always been poor, and after the ministers repeatedly urged her to do so, she had no choice but to comply.

On top of that, when she gave birth to the princess, she nearly lost her life because of the difficult delivery. That was why she had come to truly hate her own daughter.

Not wanting to become a mother, combined with what she had suffered on the day of delivery, had made her hate the child connected to her by blood. At first glance, it sounded unbelievable.

But in reality, reasons like that really could make a mother hate her own flesh and blood to the extreme.

Comparing her situation with that of the current Empress, Shetiva suddenly realized:

Her own mom was a little naggy, but compared with that woman sitting on the throne, she was honestly much better.

As Shetiva was feeling sorry for the princess’s misfortune, a voice came from below her:

“Big Sister, who are you?”

Shetiva’s attention slipped for only a moment. When she focused again, she found a tiny figure standing right in front of her.

When did she get so close? I didn’t notice her at all...

Hiding the turmoil in her heart, Shetiva first crouched down, then bent her knees farther until she could look the tiny princess in the eye.

Through her observation of the child’s eyes, she clearly saw a gaze that the unqualified ruler had failed to recognize—the gaze of an emperor judging the strengths and weaknesses of a subordinate.

“Your Highness, were you already in the room? Why didn’t you answer when I knocked?”

“Did Big Sister knock just now? I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you. Before you came in, I was completely focused on reading at the desk.”

As she spoke, the princess pointed at the pile of books on the desk, which was almost as tall as she was.

Shetiva took a closer look and discovered that the books the princess had been reading covered subjects including, but not limited to:

strategic techniques, tactical insights, the use of weapons, magic from beginner to advanced, and the imperial art of controlling one’s subjects...

“Good grief. That’s more than the number of books I read before graduation.”

In Shetiva’s original impression, an heir to the throne was the sort of person who acted outrageously arrogant in public and expected everything to be handed to them—a useless freeloader who never lifted a finger;

Such a “fish” didn’t need to work hard. They only had to wait until their parents closed their eyes for good, then they could become the ruler and indulge themselves however they pleased.

Only today had she learned that a crown princess had to work this hard, too.

“Princess, you need to balance work and rest. Don’t rush to finish all those books. At least give yourself a few years.”

“Big Sister, what are you talking about?”

The princess tilted her little head, along with half her body, to one side. Looking at the person before her in confusion, she asked:

“Are you talking about those books piled on the desk? I finished reading all of them half a year ago! I’m only reviewing them now. Recently, I’ve been studying those subjects.”

Her fingers, only slightly thicker than bean sprouts, turned and pointed toward several corners of the room. Other books were placed there, each reaching half Shetiva’s height.

“Are children these days all this terrifying?”

Shetiva couldn’t help shivering.

“Are you done with what you wanted to say, Big Sister? Can you answer my original question now? Who exactly are you?

“Although we met in the imperial chamber, I can’t determine in what capacity you barged into my room.”

Knowing she couldn’t get around the question, Shetiva pushed out her chest and raised her head, doing her best to make herself look more serious through her posture.

“I was assigned to take care of you. From now on, I’ll be Your Highness’s personal attendant.”

“No matter who you are, Big Sister, you can’t just barge into a girl’s room without permission!”

Because of her earlier recklessness, Shetiva was now tasting the bitter fruit of what she had sown herself. A bitter taste rose at the corners of her mouth.

“Come to think of it, this room is decorated pretty nicely...”

“Don’t try to change the subject! That isn’t what we were talking about.”

She was clearly a cute little loli, yet she was more particular about details than any adult;

Compared with this girl, whose every word and action radiated the aura of a ruler, Shetiva had even begun to feel that she was the underage one.

“I’m sorry. I really was wrong. Your Highness, please forgive me this once...”

After lowering her head toward the tiny girl before her, she heard the other party say:

“I accept your apology, Big Sister. Just now, you said you were my attendant, right?”

“That’s right!”

As far as Shetiva was concerned, ending a topic that was disadvantageous to her was the best possible outcome.

She hadn’t expected the other party to then utter two words:

“No.”

“What?”

“I said I don’t need Big Sister to teach me. I can master the talents you possess myself if I spend some time studying.”

“Could it be that Your Highness wants to...?”

“Correct. Big Sister, you’re fired! Once you’ve recovered emotionally, pack your things and leave the imperial palace.”

I actually got fired that fast?

Unwilling to accept this in every sense of the word, she fought desperately to keep her status as a working girl:

“B-but I can still make you late-night snacks, desserts, and things like that.”

“Eating three meals a day is enough for me. There’s no need to waste time on that.”

“And I can take care of you when you’re sick, Your Highness.”

“I’ll be careful not to get sick. Having another person take care of me wouldn’t make any difference.”

“A-at the very least, I can protect you if you ever encounter danger, Your Highness...”

“You didn’t even notice me walking up to you, Big Sister. Your awareness of danger is far too poor. If you really encounter danger, I’ll definitely be the one protecting you!”

Her job, her salary, and a future free from worries about food and clothing were all drifting farther and farther away.

In her desperation, Shetiva racked her brain:

What was something the other party couldn’t give her, but she could give to the other party?

After Shetiva had thought for a long time—so long that even the princess was nearly ready to help her pack—she finally found the answer:

Companionship!

“Even if I can’t do anything else, I’ll always stay by Your Highness’s side. As long as I’m here, Your Highness will never be alone, no matter the circumstances.”

The unexpected answer was beyond the princess’s imagination. For the first time, it made her wonder:

Was this “Big Sister” standing before her truly necessary to her?

After waiting for a while, the deeply uneasy Shetiva finally heard the other girl’s voice:

“How long is ‘always’? Give me an approximate time frame. Otherwise, I can’t make a final judgment.”

“Huh? Well, that is...”

Spending an entire lifetime together was impossible.

Even without considering their individual physiques, Shetiva knew that she was older than the princess;

In that case, by all common sense, the inevitable outcome was that one day in the future, the princess would have to “send her away.”

She couldn’t exactly exaggerate and say:

“Even after I die, my soul will accompany you for the rest of your life!”

She couldn’t say something like that, right?

An answer like that would sound insincere and clearly wouldn’t satisfy the rational princess.

Taking the other girl’s thoughts and her own feelings into account, she finally gave this answer:

“I’ll protect Your Highness until the moment I lay down my life!”

When she finished speaking, she knelt on one knee like a knight and lifted the princess’s tiny hand in her own large one.

“Let’s tentatively assume that you can be useful... We have a deal.”

No matter how mature the princess’s words and actions seemed, she would occasionally show her childish side—like now, when she hooked out her little finger to make a pinky promise with her attendant.

“Mm-hmm, it’s a promise!”

Shetiva extended her finger without hesitation.

In this tiny girl, she saw a reflection of herself as a child. The princess was like her younger self, the one who had suffered an “unfortunate childhood.”

Although the princess was far more outstanding and much more mature in thought, the two of them still had many similarities.

They both longed to prove themselves, believed they were different from ordinary people, and each had dreams they wanted to fulfill.

Most importantly:

They were both utterly stubborn. Once they had chosen a path, they would never change it.

Because Shetiva had found a sense of closeness in the princess, she wanted to remain by the child’s side;

She didn’t merely want to accompany the princess until the day she ascended the throne. At the moment she made her vow, Shetiva suddenly found herself looking forward to something:

She wanted to watch the princess become Empress, meet someone she loved in the future, and grow into a ruler even greater than her ancestor.

It was as though Shetiva were facing a mirror. The princess’s happiness and joy could make her happy as well.

The princess intended to become an outstanding ruler like the founder of the dynasty, while Shetiva hoped to become a tycoon and spend her later years enjoying herself in a private mansion.

Neither of them had ever given up on their dreams, and from this day onward, one of them had gained an additional wish:

She would witness this child fulfill her dream with her own eyes!

Looking back on all the years since then, she suddenly felt that she had no regrets.

On battlefields soaked in blood and before the entrance to a palace with no other guards, she had fought tens of thousands of enemies all the way to this moment as the princess’s sole protector.

“Cough!”

There wasn’t much blood left for her to spit out, either.

She raised a hand and wiped beneath her vivid red lips. Looking at the more than five thousand corpses lying ahead, she decided that she had done pretty well.

After all, she had been fighting tens of thousands of enemies while under siege. She also had to prevent anyone from forcing their way inside, which made the defender’s position exceptionally difficult.

The pain from arrow wounds and bladed weapons had left her limbs beyond her control;

After the unforgettable pain faded, the numbness that came at death’s door quickly stole away the rest of her consciousness.

At the instant her vision blurred, she reflected on her life and decided that all her dreams had come true:

After saving for all these years, she had finally amassed a considerable fortune;

Although she hadn’t been able to spend all her money while she was alive, which was rather regrettable for the person in question, she had indeed become a tycoon.

More importantly, she also realized:

After “Your Highness” became “Her Majesty,” she was no longer alone. Not only had she gradually come to understand love, but she had also grown into an exceptional ruler whose ability could rival that of the founder of the dynasty.

Since that was the case, what did she have left to cling to?

Then let her welcome the final moment without hesitation!

She could neither attack nor defend herself. All she could do was watch countless black shadows rush toward her and listen to the whooshing sounds, like a storm of arrows.

Perhaps, at the moment of death, a person could hear the voice of the one they cherished most;

Even if it was only a hallucination, she didn’t care. She still wanted to hear it one last time...

“You promised, didn’t you? You made a promise to the Emperor. I won’t allow you to give up halfway!”

And then, her wish came true.