I Raised Snow White!

The Fairy Queen, Titania.

The wife of Oberon, the Fairy King, and the one called the Queen of the Fairies.

Although originally, it was said she had no fixed name…

She became famous after appearing in Shakespeare’s play “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” and the name has since been widely used in other works.

Naturally, the game “Snow White” also used this popular name, and within the game, there was also a Fairy Queen named “Titania.”

Isn’t “Titania” truly a fitting name for the Princess who will soon make a pact with the “seven dwarf fairies,” be supported by them, and become the “queen of this kingdom”?

I thought it was a good name, but the Queen Dowager had her concerns.

She said that the royal family in this country does not use the names of “fairy or divine beings.”

Of course, “Fairy King Oberon and Fairy Queen Titania” were among those names.

Perhaps due to pressure from the Temple, or simply the belief that humans should not aspire to divine names. Or maybe it’s just due to the tradition of avoiding witches.

So far, none of the royal family members here have ever borrowed the names of divine beings.

Thus, the Queen Dowager worried that people would talk behind our backs, that critics would appear, claiming there was no precedent.

But gossip is just gossip. It’s not like it’s a fire sparking directly at us; it’s just a bit of dust I can brush off myself.

‘I’ll handle it myself.’

I slowly looked toward the Princess as she walked out to the party hall. Her eyes were red as if she would burst into tears at any moment, and her clenched fists trembled as she held onto her skirt.

However, the Princess’s steps as she entered the hall were confident.

She raised her head high and waved her hand, looking down at the nobles beneath her.

As she ascended the high platform and gently waved her small hand to the nobles looking up at her, a few of them hurriedly covered their mouths with fans to hide their smiles.

Everyone was fixated on the Princess as she appeared at her first official gathering.

They wondered what words would come from that tiny mouth, how she could be so small despite being seven years old, and if she wasn’t frightened by her first official appearance.

Especially the noble ladies with children, they looked at the Princess with eyes full of nervousness, hoping she wouldn’t be hurt even if she made a mistake.

“Ah-hem!”

Standing on the platform, the Princess cleared her throat and opened her mouth to speak in a trembling voice.

As all eyes turned to her, the Princess slightly wobbled from nerves.

Recalling the greeting she had practiced so diligently, she steadied herself and slowly began her welcome speech.

It was the greeting everyone praised her for preparing so well.

“I am here to celebrate my sev-enth bir-thd-ay-!”

Crunch.

But perhaps due to her nerves, the Princess bit her tongue, hard enough for the sound to echo, making even the onlookers wince as if in pain.

With tears welling up, the Princess clamped her hands over her mouth.

She tried to continue despite the pain, but her words didn’t seem to come out, leaving her at a loss with teary eyes.

As a faint murmur began to spread among the nobles below, the Queen Dowager, seated at the front, glared at me.

Her gaze seemed to say, “Quickly handle this situation so the Princess doesn’t feel embarrassed.”

Receiving the Queen Dowager’s look, I approached the platform where the Princess stood.

The Princess looked up at me with reddened eyes.

Ahem.

I placed my hands under her little arms, lifted her up, and held her close in an embrace.

Then, lowering my voice to give a sense of authority, I cast a sweeping gaze over the nobles below without bowing my head.

“Everyone, thank you for gathering here to celebrate the Princess’s birthday despite the recent hardships.”

As I paid my respects to the king’s death, the nobles who were unaware of the details of his passing bowed their heads briefly in remembrance.

After a short moment of silence, I looked back up at the nobles. As I expected, their gazes weren’t exactly warm.

Unease, avoidance, concern.

Various negative emotions were directed at me.

According to Ainsel, before Vivian became queen, she was a celebrated beauty and an intelligent lady known as the “flower of the social scene.”

But what good is that? Her personality was terrible.

Vivian often used Ainsel to dig up secrets of the nobles and blackmail them with those secrets. That’s why everyone avoided her…

Perhaps that’s why, after becoming queen, Vivian has not been invited to any social gatherings.

I understood why they were looking at me with such distaste. But that was the old Vivian, not the present me.

Ignoring their negative gazes, I made this declaration.

“Princess Titania is my treasure, and she will become the treasure of this kingdom. No, I will make her so.”

This statement was a sort of warning to the nobles, a notice that they shouldn’t even think about meddling with a Princess who had just entered society.

If they did, the royal family would take action.

Vivian’s old threats to expose their secrets might come back.

It was a subtle way of putting them on notice.

I hugged the Princess closer, ensuring everyone could clearly see this image of us together.

With her hands covering her mouth, the Princess pressed her cheek against mine, murmuring with her injured tongue that it was embarrassing to act this way in front of everyone.

But I embraced her even tighter, openly displaying to everyone, “This is how close the Princess and I are.”

“May blessings be upon Princess Titania’s future. I have no doubt that everyone here will join me in wishing her well.”

As I kissed the Princess’s forehead gently in blessing, applause erupted from below.

The Queen Dowager started clapping first, and the surrounding nobles, glancing at her, quickly followed suit.

Though the Princess’s speech was sadly cut short, at least the dedication went smoothly, and I could breathe a sigh of relief.

I looked down at the Princess nestled in my arms and gave her a warm smile, gently wiping the tears from her eyes with my fingers.

“Titania, from now on, this is your name. How does it feel? I hope you like it.”

Before I could even finish speaking, the Princess, who still had her hands over her mouth, began to sob, reaching out and throwing her arms around my neck. She rubbed her face against mine, acting as if she were truly overjoyed.

Patting her back, I couldn’t help but laugh with genuine happiness, thinking that the Princess must be wearing the same joyful expression as me.

“I sincerely wish you a happy seventh birthday, Titania. And I look forward to many more, just like we promised.”

At those words, the Princess, with her face buried in my shoulder, nodded and whispered to me in a teary voice.

“Yes…! I look forward to it too…!”

After the dedication, the Princess and I descended from the platform to greet the Queen Dowager, who had been watching us from the front.

As we approached, the Queen Dowager, seemingly displeased, held a glass of strong liquor in one hand and snapped her fan open and shut with the other.

Accustomed to this sight, I gestured to a passing servant to bring some suitable snacks.

Accepting a plate of assorted foods from the servant, I approached the Queen Dowager with a smile and offered her the snacks.

“Your Majesty, drinking on an empty stomach will harm your health. You keep doing this, forcing me to play the role of a maid.”

When I spoke in a concerned tone, laced with a touch of humor, the Queen Dowager glared at me, her eyes narrowing.

Just as she was about to start scolding me with a “You, young lady—” I nudged the Princess forward towards her.

“Titania, you have something to say to Her Majesty the Queen Dowager, don’t you?”

The Princess nodded, and with a slight blush, she curtsied before the Queen Dowager and spun around in her dress.

Then, bowing deeply, she smiled at the Queen Dowager and said, “Thank you so much for this lovely dress! Grandmother…!”

“…What did you just say? Grandmother?”

The Queen Dowager’s eyebrow twitched as she looked at the Princess, then turned her gaze to me, frowning.

I hid my smile behind my hand, chuckling softly.

“Your granddaughter is expressing her gratitude, ‘Mother.’ You should accept her thanks.”

“…”

The Queen Dowager glared at me in disbelief, her eyes full of unspoken curses.

Then, glancing down at the Princess, she hesitated for a moment before sighing slightly and smiling at her.

“This is a small gift for my granddaughter. Whenever you need anything, tell me, not the queen. This grandmother will take care of it.”

“Yes, yes…! Grandmother…!”

Watching the Princess beam at her, the Queen Dowager quickly took a swig of her drink, perhaps to hide her embarrassment.

Seeing the Queen Dowager and the Princess, I smiled contentedly, only for the Queen Dowager to scowl at me and wave her hand dismissively.

“Stop standing there idly and go. Don’t forget that the first dance at a party is traditionally led by royalty. You’re not planning to shirk that, are you?”

“What do you mean? My partner is right here.”

“What?”

The Queen Dowager looked at me as if she couldn’t believe what I was saying. But ignoring her gaze, I turned to the Princess, bowed slightly, and extended my hand.

In the classic pose of a man inviting a woman to dance.

With a smile, I offered to the Princess.

“Princess Titania, may I have the honor of sharing your first dance?”

Everyone around us, the Queen Dowager, the Princess, and the nobles watching, were stunned into silence, staring at me.

In social etiquette, dancing was generally something done between men and women.

Although women could dance together, it was typically in informal settings, dance lessons, or done secretly away from prying eyes.

Even the seven-year-old Princess understood this “common knowledge.” She had planned to invite me to dance in private later, after the party had ended.

But, faced with my unexpected invitation, the Princess puffed her cheeks slightly, pouting as if she had no other choice, and took my hand.

“I was going to ask you first…”

“Ha ha, these things go to the quickest one.”

Holding the Princess’s small hand firmly, I led her slowly to the center of the party hall.

To share our first dance together.