Baby's First Execution… Wait, What?!

I was lying in my crib, staring at the ceiling. Not because it was interesting. It wasn't. But moving? That required effort. And effort was not my thing.

Then a face suddenly popped into view.

"Oh! She woke up!" the maid announced dramatically, turning to the side as if this was breaking news. she was Merielle, my other maid who was personally assigned by my great father.

Then, another face appeared, one I liked much better.

"Good morning, princess," Nanny Nerina greeted me with the biggest, warmest smile.

I grinned back. Nanny Nerina was nice. She smelled nice too. And she was very, very warm. I love her so much. Her hands gently scooped me up, holding me with the ease of someone who had done this a thousand times. Then, to my horror, she made that face. The checking face.

Before I could protest, she was already patting my butt.

Oh no. Not this again.

I huffed, turning my head away dramatically. This was humiliating.

"You're dry," she murmured, sounding relieved. "That's a good girl."

Well, of course, I was. I had standards.

It had been two weeks, and so many things had changed.

Now, I had maids. Lots of maids. And guards, too. My room was huge—big and fancy, filled with fluffy pillows, soft blankets, and more toys than I could ever bother with. Not that I played with them much. But they were nice to look at.

I yawned, snuggling deeper into Nanny Nerina's warmth as she carried me. She felt different lately. Not sad anymore. Not dull anymore.

Two weeks ago, her smiles weren't as bright. But now… now she shined. There was still a little sadness in her eyes, but when she looked at me, it was filled with something warmer.

Love.

And I liked that.

But still… I wished I could erase all of Nanny Nerina's bad memories.

A week ago, I overheard the other maids talking with Merielle. According to them, Nanny Nerina's house had caught fire. Inside that house, her eight-month-old baby had been sleeping. When her husband heard their home was burning and their child was trapped inside, he ran in to save them.

But for some reason, he got trapped too. And just like that, Nanny Nerina lost both her child and her husband. She suffered a lot after that. So much that she even tried to take her own life. But somehow, she was saved. And that's when she met me.

Maybe… she saw her lost child in me.

Fate had been so cruel to her.

I don't know why Cassius chose her to be my nanny, but… he did a good job.

Nanny was wiping me, and I felt so relaxed. So warm. So comfortable. Like I was in a fancy spa, getting the best treatment in the world. If I could purr like a cat, I would.

Nanny smiled down at me, "Do you like it, my princess?"

"Nyangh," I said smoothly, feeling relaxed.

And Merielle chuckled. "She's enjoying it."

Of course, I am. This is heaven. I could live like this forever.

Then Merielle suddenly asked, "Is it today?"

I blinked. Huh?

Nanny paused and looked up. "What?"

Merielle leaned in slightly. "Are they going to be executed today?"

What?! Who?! Who's going to get executed?! Oh. Wait. I do remember something. Cassius ordered someone to be executed.

Nanny Nerina nodded calmly. "That's right."

Merielle huffed, crossing her arms. "They deserved it! What did they think? That they could treat our princess like nothing and just walk away?"

WHAT?! ME?!

Is someone getting executed because of me?!

What!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't remember! Who is getting executed?! I need to know what's happening! Desperately! Someone, explain!

Before I could start wiggling in frustration, Nanny Nerina sighed. "Merielle, keep your emotions in check," she said gently. "Babies may not understand our words, but they can read our expressions."

Merielle gasped, looking at me. I stared back at her, wide-eyed.

She pressed her lips together and nodded. "Sorry," she whispered.

That's right! Apologize! I don't know what's happening, and now I'm stressed!  

I may be a baby, but I demand answers!

 ***

The sky was beautiful. The garden was beautiful. Flowers in all colors, fountains spraying water in the air like sparkling diamonds.

But I couldn't enjoy any of it.

I was stressed.

Someone was getting executed because of me, and I didn't even know WHOOOOOO.

I kicked my legs in frustration. "Nyaanng… nyannaagh!"

Translation: I DEMAND ANSWERS!

Nanny Nerina and Merielle immediately looked at me. "I think Princess is upset about something," Merielle said, concerned.

Nanny lifted me up and patted my back, rocking me gently. "Oh my, is my princess upset? Was the milk today not good?"

She placed a hand on my forehead, checking my temperature. "She seems fine too…"

I wish I could say that the milk was fine. The problem is that someone is about to lose their head because of me, and I don't even know who!

I let out a dramatic baby sigh, resting my head against Nanny Nerina's shoulder. My tiny fingers gripped her dress as I wallowed in my baby-sized crisis.

And then… I noticed something.

Eyes.

Lots of them.

Peeking from behind bushes. From the garden entrance. From behind pillars and flower pots. Maids. Workers. Guards. All sneaking glances at me like I was some rare, sacred treasure that must be admired from a distance.

I blinked.

Huh?

One maid gasped. "Ah! She blinked!"

Another clutched her heart. "So precious! So cute! I can't take it anymore!"

I frowned. "Nyaaah…gooh?"

Translation: What the heck is going on?

And then—

WHOOSH.

Everyone vanished behind their hiding spots, disappearing like rats when the lights turned on.

I blinked again. Where did everyone go?

Just then, Nanny and Mereille straightened and bowed deeply.

"Good morning, Your Majesty, the Emperor."

Oh.

Ohhh.

It's Cassius. Now, I understand why they vanished. I glanced behind him and spotted Theon, who was beaming at me and waving enthusiastically.

"Hello, princess."

Cassius, however, was looking straight at me, his crimson eyes narrowing, "Why does she look upset?"

Oh, wow. He guessed it.

Nanny quickly replied, "We don't know, Your Majesty. Princess seems upset about something."

Cassius stared at me for seconds and stretched out his arms. "Give her to me."

"Nyangh." I flipped my head.

Translation: NO. 

I clutched Nanny's dress tighter, and the air instantly became thick with tension.

Nanny froze. Mereille froze. The maids froze. Even the birds in the trees probably froze. The maids, still peeking from behind the bushes, looked ready to run for their lives.

Then, Cassius' voice dropped to a chilling coldness, "Lavinia. Come here."

I sighed dramatically. Alright, fine. I surrender.

I let go of Nanny's dress and plopped into his arms.

Well… he's not that warm, but he's still warm. I guess I'm used to it now.

Just as I was settling in, Cassius turned to Nanny and said—

"I'm taking her with me to the execution ground."

HUH!?

WHAT!?

EXECUTION GROUND!?

WHY!?

IS HE GOING TO EXECUTE ME OR WHAT!?

Nanny's eyes widened in horror. She immediately bowed, her voice trembling. "Your Majesty, with all due respect, taking a baby to the execution ground… that cannot be good!"

I agree.

Theon, who had been happily smiling before, now looked like he had swallowed a fly.

"Uh, Your Majesty… I have to agree. Bringing a baby to a place where heads are literally rolling might not be the best idea. It could cause trauma to our precious princess."

Well… technically, that can't happen since I'm mentally grown-up and strong.

But… he's not wrong.

Cassius didn't even blink. "She needs to know who is getting executed and why."

Oh! I really want to know!

I wiggled in his arms. "Nyaangh! Gyaaah! Gooh!"

Translation : Let's go! I wanna see!

Nanny's breath hitched. Theon blinked rapidly.

Theon's voice stammered, "Your Majesty, with all due respect, she is a baby. She doesn't even know what an execution is."

Cassius looked down at me. "Lavinia. Do you want to go?"

I beamed and, in my cutest baby voice, chirped, "Nyahh! Gaaah! Nyoooh!"

Translation : Yes, let's go! I wanna see!

Silence.

A long, heavy silence.

Nanny's soul left her body.

Theon stared at me like I had just declared war.

Cassius smirked.

"See?" He glanced at Theon. "She wants to go."

Theon looked personally offended. "That's NOT what she said! She said 'nyaa gahh' or something! She could have been saying, 'I want a milk or... or toy!'"

Cassius shrugged. "Don't worry. If she gets even a little afraid, I will take her back."

Theon and Nanny exchanged looks of pure, absolute horror.

Meanwhile, I was just vibing.

Let's goooooo!