I Raised Snow White!

The 'Prince's Visit,' a sub-event that occurred during the summer period in the game.

In the game "Snow White Princess," these sub-events served as "turning points," where the Princess's ending would change depending on how they concluded.

The game "Snow White Princess" was one where overlapping turning points determined the Princess's ending.

In this 'Prince's Visit,' if the Princess became engaged to the neighboring country’s 'Third Prince,' a Prince without succession rights, he would come to our country as a 'resident son-in-law' NPC, taking on a supportive role for the Princess.

If the matchmaking with the Prince ended in failure, the neighboring country's delegation would simply leave our country without incident.

The next chance for an engagement would come when the Princess entered the 'Academy.'

It was merely a simple 'sub-event'...

In the game, such matters as diplomacy or politics were glossed over, so I didn’t pay much attention to them.

But now that it had become reality, it was so complex and challenging that it felt like it would drive me mad.

'Just how many meetings have we had about this issue…'

It had been two months since I first received the report from the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Lately, I hadn’t been able to get proper sleep.

My eyes were red, and dark circles had reached down to my cheeks from preparing to receive the delegation.

Although I was somehow keeping up with the preparations, it wasn’t an easy task.

And the one making this already difficult situation even harder was…

"...Titania. Could we talk for a moment, hm?"

"......Hmph!"

It was the Princess, utterly furious.

The moment I informed her about the upcoming matchmaking meeting, she let out a piercing scream, calling me a liar, refused to meet with me, and wouldn’t even talk to me.

As if she couldn’t bear to speak to me, the Princess huffed and turned her head sharply, shutting herself up in her room.

Watching her actively avoiding me, I could only sigh.

Fortunately, she hadn’t gone so far as to lock herself away as she once did…

Yet for two months, the Princess had been avoiding me, and it pained my heart.

I even tried calling for Ainsel to ask how the Princess had been lately, but even Ainsel, seemingly avoiding me, didn’t respond when I called.

"So now she prefers Titania over me… Sigh… How ungrateful of this mirror. Who was it that struggled to heal you, huh…?”

Grumbling, I tapped on Ainsel’s main body, but it was no use.

Only my own annoyed face was reflected back in the mirror, and it seemed that Ainsel, now by the Princess’s side, had no intention of returning.

I wanted to march straight into the Princess's room and talk with her, but there was no time for that now. I sighed as I looked at the pile of documents lying on my bed.

Today was the day to discuss the 'Third Prince' with the Queen Dowager.

Reluctantly, I got up from bed, took the documents in hand, and headed out.

I hoped these papers that Bainshaw and the other ministers and I had prepared would be to her liking…

Knock knock-

"Come in."

"Excuse me, Your Majesty."

Bowing my head respectfully, I entered the Queen Dowager’s office.

She was sipping tea that her lady-in-waiting had prepared and glanced at me.

"I heard you had a quarrel with Titania."

"Rather than a quarrel, it was more like…”

The Queen Dowager, knowing everything, gestured at me to hand over the documents without any excuses.

Awkwardly, I handed her the envelope.

She glanced over the documents and then casually tossed them onto the desk, barely interested.

Seeing her dismissively handle the documents that the ministers and I had worked so hard on, I couldn’t help but pout.

She noticed my pout and let out a small laugh.

“You seem too concerned over this 'Third Prince' that was sent without much meaning from the other side.”

Hearing her words, "without much meaning," I nodded slightly.

The Third Prince, who had no succession rights.

The reason the neighboring country had sent him with the delegation likely held little significance.

They didn’t send the first or second Prince, who had succession rights.

Sending the Third Prince without them meant they didn’t particularly care if he succeeded in getting engaged to the Princess or not.

The ministers had complained during the meetings, criticizing the neighboring country for even considering a match with the Princess with such a casual attitude.

“If it were my old self, I’d probably have established an engagement. Even if the other side’s Third Prince seems insignificant, it is an engagement between countries, after all. With such an ambiguous engagement, breaking it off would be easy, and at least establishing a foothold would be convenient…”

The Queen Dowager, staring blankly at her teacup, lifted her head to look at me.

With a slightly weary expression, she gave me a small smile.

“Now, I’m no longer sure what the right answer is.”

“……”

“Do you believe that love is necessary for royal marriages?”

The Queen Dowager looked up at me and asked if love was necessary for royal marriages.

Hearing her question, I realized her current feelings as she posed it to me.

“I remain here after marrying without love, and my child who married for love is no longer here, so if we only consider the outcome, perhaps love isn’t necessary for royal marriages.”

“...So, do you think the Princess, too, should marry without love?”

“If I speak as someone who married without love…”

The Queen Dowager looked at me with a bitter smile.

“I can’t say my life has been a happy one.”

As if reflecting on her life, the Queen Dowager raised her head and let out a sigh.

Then, blinking her eyes several times, she exhaled a sigh as long as the years she had lived.

"I, just like you, always want Titania to be happy. I don’t want to see my precious granddaughter in sorrow anymore. She cried enough when she was young..."

Did the Princess’s matchmaking bring back memories of the Queen Dowager’s past?

The Queen Dowager was someone who had married the Late King through an "arranged engagement" made between parents.

Though the Late King’s feelings were unknown, she herself had no love, no affection, in that marriage.

She had only married him because they were engaged.

No matter how much time passed, there was no trace of “love” in that union.

So, she allowed her own child to "love" and marry the person they loved.

Yet, the outcome was not just miserable but wretched.

This is likely why the Queen Dowager said what she did.

That she didn’t know what the right answer was.

Having taken opposite paths in life, neither her own life nor her child’s had a happy outcome.

The Queen Dowager seemed unsure about what choice to make for her beloved granddaughter.

I felt the same as the Queen Dowager.

If this choice were only a game...

I would have made the Princess’s engagement to the Third Prince without hesitation, thinking, "This is for the Princess. This choice will lead her to a better ending."

'But... this isn’t a game.'

I couldn’t establish the Princess’s engagement based solely on my judgment.

And for some reason, the idea of the Princess getting engaged didn’t sit well with me.

The thought of my precious daughter, whom I raised with love, becoming engaged to some stranger...

Smiling bitterly, I looked at the Queen Dowager.

“Then, how about we leave this matter to Titania? In any case, this matchmaking is one that could be canceled without any issue. Even if it is called off, the other side won’t be able to complain.”

“...Why not just admit that you don’t want the engagement?”

The Queen Dowager looked at me with a frown, though her tone had a hint of amusement.

I chuckled as I responded to her.

“It’s a decision that Titania should make. I plan to respect her choice, whatever it may be. Even if she truly wishes to go through with the engagement.”

“...Well, I doubt that will happen. After all, wasn’t the reason she’s angry at you in the first place because of this ‘matchmaking’?”

“Calling it a fight is...”

“Yes, rather than a fight, it’s probably just you being disliked. Do you know this? A few days ago, Titania came to me and spent the day playing with me. Were you unaware?”

“Excuse me?”

Surprised by this new information, I looked at the Queen Dowager, who gave me a mischievous smile.

So, Titania had come to visit the Queen Dowager secretly and spent time here without me knowing?

“At that time, she told me she never wanted to see you again. She was so furious, saying she couldn’t even stand the sight of you, pouting and whining to me.”

“...Is that true?”

“Why would I lie to you? The Princess spent the entire day on my lap, grumbling. She complained that after cutting back her snacks, you were now planning to abandon her by sending her off to another country.”

“Abandon her...?”

As I stood there, speechless in shock, the Queen Dowager clicked her tongue in exasperation and shot me a disapproving look.

She waved her hand, urging me to leave the room.

“What are you waiting for? Soon, it will be time for the Princess to sleep.”

“...Then, I’ll excuse myself first.”

Leaving the Queen Dowager behind, I quickly headed out of the room and made my way to the Princess’s chamber.

I had only told her about the matchmaking, but I never imagined she’d think I planned to "abandon her."

“Who on earth is abandoning you...!”

Feeling an inexplicable irritation boiling inside, I hastily made my way to the Princess’s room, nearly running.

I wanted to see her immediately and shout that she should never think like that again...

“Titania. Please, let’s talk for a moment. Hm? I’m asking you, please…”

“......”

But no matter how long I waited outside her door, no matter how much I tried to meet her, the Princess wouldn’t see me.

She continued to avoid me, disappearing from my sight as if she were running away.

I felt a surge of frustration watching her.

Who did she inherit that stubbornness from?

It was to the point where I wondered if she carried the blood of someone who would shut themselves away, ignoring others’ words.

Perhaps I was growing weary of a Princess who simply refused to listen to me.

I started to think, perhaps she also needed some time to sort things out.

The Princess probably needed a moment to gather her thoughts.

And since I was busy preparing for the delegation, I told myself that once a bit of time passed, the Princess would listen to me again.

Using that as an excuse, I decided to distance myself from her for a bit.

But in truth, it was just an excuse.

An excuse that I couldn’t meet with her because she wouldn’t see me.

Another excuse that I was too busy with the delegation to help it.

Using those excuses, I distanced myself from the Princess.

Even though I knew better than anyone that a lack of communication was the most dangerous thing.

So, it was only natural that I would end up regretting this.

From that point on, I would keep regretting, thinking, "I should have spoken to her then, no matter what."

And so, time passed without stopping, and morning dawned on the day the delegation was due to arrive.