I Raised Snow White!

It was breakfast time at the Separate Palace.

A lady-in-waiting, who had worked at the Separate Palace for nearly a decade, looked at the dining room with a bewildered expression, faced with an unprecedented situation.

Usually, this was a quiet time without even the clinking of dishes, but today was different. The Princess was busy struggling to cut her food with heavy adult forks and knives.

Clank, clank—

Though she tried her best to use the table manners she had learned, the heavy fork and knife collided with the plate and utensils due to her weak grip.

Clank, clank—

Observing this, the Queen Dowager paused her knife, watching intently. The Princess eagerly lifted her salad with her fork, opened her mouth wide, and attempted to eat it.

Plop—

“Oh.”

The salad, which had been precariously perched on her fork, eventually fell, landing right on her skirt. Looking at the salad that had tumbled onto her skirt, the Princess blushed deeply.

The Queen Dowager resumed moving her utensils, let out a small sigh, and placed a very small portion of her own salad onto the Princess’s plate.

“…It seems we need to prepare lighter utensils for the Separate Palace.”

“I’ll have them ready by today.”

The lady-in-waiting assisting with the meal bowed to the Queen Dowager’s words, then left the dining room. The moment the door closed, footsteps echoed, suggesting that the lady-in-waiting was sprinting.

The Princess, grateful for the salad cut for her, bowed to the Queen Dowager and resumed attempting to pick up the salad with her heavy fork. However, even though the salad was cut smaller…

The problem was still that the utensils were too heavy for the Princess to handle.

Trying to pierce the salad with her fork proved challenging, and more often than not, the salad pieces ended up on her lap rather than reaching her mouth.

Eventually, as the Princess’s lap became a small garden of salad, her emotions—embarrassment, frustration, and more—seemed ready to spill over, and her eyes began to tear up.

The Queen Dowager simply watched.

Unable to sigh out loud, I sighed inwardly, picked up a piece of salad with my fork, and brought it to the Princess’s mouth.

Though embarrassed, the Princess opened her mouth and accepted the salad I offered. Each time I fed her, I glared pointedly at the Queen Dowager.

Finally, the Queen Dowager, visibly annoyed, clicked her tongue and spoke.

“Princess, do you not have hands?”

“Why do you say such things to the Princess? Isn’t it simply that the fork is too heavy? If anyone is at fault, it’s the one who hasn’t provided child-sized utensils in the Separate Palace despite having a granddaughter.”

“Ha, so this is all my fault?”

“I didn’t go that far, Your Majesty.”

As I continued to feed the Princess, the Queen Dowager snorted in disbelief. The Princess, caught between us, busily accepted the salad like a little bird.

“If you want something else besides salad, feel free to say so.”

“Oh, no… I think the salad is enough…”

As the salad on her plate began to disappear, the Queen Dowager sighed and glared at me before getting up and motioning for me to move aside.

Giggling, I stepped aside, and the Queen Dowager sat in the chair next to the Princess with a serious expression.

“Princess.”

“Yes, yes… Queen Dowager, Your Majesty…”

“Open your mouth.”

“O-Open…?”

When the Princess opened her mouth wide, the Queen Dowager picked up a piece of salad and, like a mother bird, placed it into the Princess’s mouth. As the Princess accepted the food, the Queen Dowager showed a rare, family-like expression.

“How is it? Doesn’t it taste better than when the Queen gives it to you?”

“Huh? Oh, yes… but I’m already full…”

“How can you be full from just vegetables? Here, try this as well. The chef doesn’t have many specialties, but he’s great at making fish.”

“Oh, um…”

Remembering yesterday’s food ordeal, the Princess’s complexion turned a bit pale. Glancing around, I noticed that the maids and attendants seemed equally taken aback.

Some had widened eyes in surprise, while others wore faint smiles as if they found the scene heartwarming.

Watching the Queen Dowager and the Princess, I too smiled faintly. How lovely to see even a little warmth. I’ll have to visit again later.

“It’s wonderful to see you enjoying your food. Here, try a bit more of this.”

“Oh, no…”

The heartwarming meal continued until the Princess eventually shook her head, exhausted from eating, and had to rest again in the guest room.

*

While the Princess rested in the guest room,

I took the opportunity to join the Queen Dowager for a tea time in the garden.

She asked me not to return to the Main Palace yet, saying she had more to discuss. From the lady-in-waiting carrying child-sized utensils from the Main Palace, it seemed the Queen Dowager wouldn’t be satisfied until the Princess had lunch here.

Lifting her teacup and savoring the tea’s aroma, the Queen Dowager began to speak.

“…As I said yesterday, there are only about three months left until the Princess’s seventh birthday. The Ministry of the Palace began preparations for the party last month.”

“Already…?”

“Already? It’s common to start preparing at least six months in advance for a royal birthday. Starting last month was already quite late.”

Clicking her tongue, the Queen Dowager sipped her tea and looked at me with a ‘still unsatisfactory’ gaze. Embarrassed, I lifted my teacup and took a sip.

“We’re not sure yet if the party will proceed, but preparations must still be made.”

“……”

From her tone, it was clear that if the King didn’t give the Princess a name within three months, she might consider canceling the party altogether. Though, if that’s the case…

“I ordered the princess’s dress yesterday. So, when the tailor arrives at the main palace, make sure everything is well prepared.”

“Yesterday…?”

“Tsk, what exactly do you do? Calling yourself the Princess’s ‘teacher’ yet not even preparing a dress for her birthday. You do understand what’s important right now, don’t you?”

“……”

Feeling like I was being scolded by a mother-in-law, I had no words in response. Actually, she is a mother-in-law, isn’t she? I could only lower my head, enduring the scolding.

“I apologize. I’ll pay more attention from now on.”

“I’ll be watching to see if you do.”

Glaring at me with suspicion, the Queen Dowager sighed and began listing everything the Princess would need in the coming three months.

“First and foremost, party etiquette. And, at least one greeting prepared for the nobles. Next, dancing.”

“Dancing…”

“The Princess’s first dance partner should be His Majesty, but since that’s unlikely, teaching her to dance can wait until last.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“And then…”

I listened intently, mentally noting each of her instructions. Now, I understood why half a year was standard preparation time for royal parties.

Preparing everything perfectly in just three months felt overwhelming, especially considering how much I’d have to teach the Princess, most of which I had no experience with myself.

As I nodded and listened, Ainsel whispered to me.

—I can help teach the Princess most things. But with dancing, since it’s physical, wouldn’t it be best if you taught her yourself?

…Huh?

I didn’t know how to dance at all. My only experience was the group dance my classmates and I performed during school. And I’m supposed to teach the Princess?

It sounded impossible…

—Don’t worry about dancing. ‘The body remembers,’ as they say, right? Vivian was renowned as the flower of society for her dancing skills. Her body should remember.

…Really?

Doubting Ainsel wouldn’t help now. For the moment, I had to focus on the Queen Dowager’s words about the Princess.

After a challenging tea time with the Queen Dowager, I managed to escape with the Princess from the Separate Palace before lunch. The Queen Dowager seemed regretful, but there was no choice.

The Princess tapped her belly and shivered as she said that one more meal there would make her burst.

On the way back to the Main Palace, she muttered in a small voice that she wouldn’t be visiting the Separate Palace again for a while. She even let out a weary sigh, as if truly exhausted.

*

After that, the Princess devoted herself to preparing for the ‘party’ for some time.

She and Ainsel prepared party etiquette and greetings for the nobles, while I worked with the Queen Dowager’s tailor to prepare her party dress.

Time flew by…

A full month passed in the blink of an eye.

In that month, the Princess, Ainsel, and I were all busy.

During the day, we practiced dancing and fairy lessons with the Princess, and at night, I studied with Ainsel, gazing into the mirror, practicing dance, and taking ‘apprentice witch’ lessons.

For a month, I didn’t sleep more than three hours a night. It was an intense period, busier than I’d ever experienced.

Despite this effort…

Clap, clap, clap.

“One, two, three. One, two, three. Step to the rhythm, one, two, three.”

“One, two, three… one, two, three…”

The Princess tried to follow the rhythm of my clapping and practice her basic steps, but she kept losing the beat.

She was supposed to step to the basic rhythm, but she wobbled like a doll with loose strings. In the end, she tangled her legs and plopped down on the floor.

As I approached her, watching her sit dazedly to catch her breath, I patted her shoulder sympathetically.

“Princess…”

“…”

“You’re really bad at dancing, aren’t you…?”