“Amelia, darling, give us some music,” the Emperor said loudly from beside the fireplace.
The twin sisters curtsied.
Amelia sat at the piano, lifting the lid while Georgiana stood beside it, singing a nightingale aria in her still-childish voice.
This was Wilhelmina’s first time experiencing such a scene and hearing such a beautiful piece. She propped her hands on the sofa armrests, supporting her face, listening intently, and then applauded when the song ended.
Everyone looked over. Wilhelmina sheepishly lowered her hands.
“My dear Willy,” Annabelle said gently, “we don’t applaud here.”
“How boring,” Wilhelmina replied. “They performed so well, they deserve applause.”
Georgiana, blushing, retorted, “We are princesses, not performers!”
Wilhelmina looked surprised and awkward.
“Alright, Willy just doesn’t know this custom. It’s no big deal,” Aunt Catherine intervened. “She just likes your song and means no harm.”
“We don’t need to take the children’s disputes too seriously,” the Crown Princess defended her daughter. “Weilei clearly lacks court etiquette education, which is obvious. I hope her etiquette teacher is responsible, so we can see this child’s progress.”
The Crown Princess’s words struck Wilhelmina. Though young, she could hear the criticism of her manners. She felt both anger and shame, her ears and neck turning red.
She raised her head, wanting to argue.
At this moment, Aunt Catherine placed her hand on Wilhelmina’s shoulder and said, “I think this child has been educated well enough. Those rigid rules of the court should have been eliminated long ago. Isn’t that right, Father?”
“Yes, dear, I have always hated them,” the aging Emperor mumbled in agreement. He was accustomed to the conflict between aunt and niece and had always been protective of his daughter.
Just as the Crown Princess was about to respond, Kerns burst into the sitting room, brandishing a small sword. The girls paled and scattered, but Wilhelmina’s eyes lit up.
“How cool! Is this the Saxon knight’s sword from ‘Dragon Warrior’?” she exclaimed.
“Hey, not bad eye!” Kerns boasted, “My Uncle Rod bought me the authentic version, even with the main character’s autograph. You can touch it.”
Wilhelmina reached out, but Kerns pulled the sword back. “Okay! If you touch too much, it’ll affect the ‘energy’ of the sword.”
