Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Diare Wolfe was a lovely girl with long pink hair and deep green eyes.

She was small and petite, making her seem younger than her age.

She was wearing an apprentice knight’s uniform, and although it matches well with her, the long sleeved uniform of a civil servant seemed to suit her better.

Even so, her stubbornness was evident.

Under the midday sunlight of the garden, her green eyes looked just like resplendent jade.

Lilica liked Diare at first glance.

“Diare Wolfe gives Her Highness the Princess her greetings.”

With a bright voice, Lilica greeted Diare, who gave her a polite greeting.

“It’s nice to meet you too.”

Diare straightened her slouched back. She asked after stealing a glance at Lauv, who was standing behind Lilica.

“May I ask you a question, Princess?”

“What is it?”

“Why did you choose me as your conversational partner?”

“Ah.”

Lilica answered frankly. Majority of problems are solved with honesty.

“Mother recommended Diare.”

“Her Majesty the Empress?”

“Mm.”

“Is that okay with you, princess? If you intend to make a connection with the Wolfe family, there are many other children aside from me.”

At those careless words, Lilica tilted her head and asked.

“Diare, do you, perhaps, not want to be my conversational partner?”

“Do I have a choice?”

“You do.”

Diare shut her mouth at Lilica’s words. Then, Lilica laughed at the increased stubbornness on her face.

She smiled and spoke seriously.

“It’s my first time having a conversational partner. Although Diare is older than me, it’s my first time making a friend in the palace, so I’m very excited.”

[T/N: the word for friend here is only used with people of the same age, and there’s a different term for older/younger people.]

However.

Lilica took a deep breath.

“I don’t know what mindset Diare was having while coming over. But Diare also has a choice.”

Being invited as a conversational partner for a member of the imperial family was a kind of honour, and at the same time, it was a duty that cannot be refused.

But right now, Princess Lilica was saying it was alright for her to refuse.

“Why?”

An innocent question sprang up.

From a while ago, it was a series of scenes where others would shout, “How rude,” when they heard it.

Lilica laughed.

“It’s because I don’t want to become friends reluctantly.”

It was for a simple reason.

Lilica continued.

“’Because I’ll benefit from being by her side as she’s the princess, because I’m curious about what would happen around the young princess, or because I like her.’ Any reason is fine. Because the starting point can be anything. But I don’t want to have a beginning with someone that doesn’t want to have a beginning.”

It was something that could be fully understood.

Diare looked blankly at the princess, who was much smaller than her, and said.

“Why do you think of yourself as a Takar, princess?”

At last, Brynn was unable to resist and shouted.

“You’re being disrespectful. Watch your mouth.”

“Brynn, I’m fine now.”

Lilica pulled on Bryn’s skirt with a smile as she said that. She then spoke to Diare.

“It’s because His Majesty made me a Takar.”

Diaree frowned and sighed.

“Then what about you, princess? Does the princess like me? Are you reluctantly taking me as your conversational partner because the empress told you to do so?”

Lilica looked closely at Diare and replied.

“No, I like Diare very much.”

Diare’s cheeks flushed at those words. She seemed quite angry.

“I know that I’ve been disrespectful thus far.”

“Yes, but you wanted to be honest, didn’t you?”

Although her method was very clumsy, the final question could be viewed as a worry from a certain angle.

Although someone said that it was alright to be a conversational partner, even so, Lilica wanted a conversational partner that would become her real friend.

Diare’s question was quite reasonable.

Why did she choose her, why was she giving her a choice, and was she perhaps doing this reluctantly.

She wasn’t being disrespectful while pretending to be honest, but Diare’s way of showing consideration for Lilica.

Lilica’s words caused Diare’s shoulders to slump.

“You’re very mature, princess.”

Lilica looked perplexed at her remark.

“Do you dislike it?”

“What?”

When Diare asked again out of astonishment, Lilica let out a soft sigh and said.

“There are some that dislike it when I act like an adult. Those words aren’t like a child.”

It’s not like a child.

It was repulsive.

Speaking precociously. A cunning child.

It is better for a child to be like a child.

Lilica has heard countless such stories. She kept her mouth shut up.

“But they don’t like it when I’m like a child.”

Don’t think you’ll be loved just because you’re a child.

You have to take care of your own matters.

There’s no way I’ll let it slide just because you’re a child.

Work is work, why can’t you understand that?

She’d been living amongst such people with a smile on her face.

It was up to the adults. As such, she didn’t know what to do with a same-aged friend.

Diare opened her mouth after listening to Lilica’s words, but a person popped out from the side with a rustle and said.

“You don’t have to care about those that say that. Princess.”

“Lat?”

Lilica was surprised by the appearance of someone unexpected. Lat was holding a large scroll in his arms.

He smiled and gave his greetings.

“I greet the princess.”

Lilica also greeted him directly. She didn’t expect to meet Lat in the garden.

“It’s wrong to eavesdrop.”

Then, Diare told Lat. She’d even raised her eyebrows and folded her arms.

Her insistent appearance with a small frame seemed rather confident, but her words and actions towards the chancellor of the empire were rather rude.

Lat laughed at the sight, saying, “As expected.”

“I didn’t eavesdrop on you, but it’s because you came in this direction while I was resting.”

“You were resting?”

“Yes, I was sick and tired of His Majesty bossing me around, so I was slacking off for a short while.”

Although that doesn’t seem to be the case at all, Lilica nodded, thinking that that might be the case.

Lat said.

“Anyways, you don’t have to worry about what you’ve mentioned earlier. Those people were just speaking idly towards the weak as they pleased.”

Lat smiled.

“They’re unable to win with logic, so they attack the other party’s personality. What a trashy way of doing things.”

“Trashy…”

“That’s right. The words that the princess said at the time weren’t incorrect. You must have said the right thing. Since they were unable to refute, they’d just say things like ‘You’re being too much,’ and ‘You’re unlike a child.’”

Lat spoke in an annoyed tone, before smiling.

“We, who are smart, would endure for a while, and just slowly step on them little by little after becoming a high-ranking person. It’s the same reasoning as ‘I can’t hear you because you’re bald.’”

At that moment, Lilica chuckled.

It was because the person that told her that was actually bald.

“You can tell them that it’s because of that personality of yours that your hair ran off.”

Lilica asked.

“Did Lat do that?”

“Yes, of course.”

Lat smiled gracefully.

The smile made Lilica think that Lat looked like Pi, but also like Diare that’s before her.

He then sighed quietly and said.

“Here comes the annoying guy. I’ll be on my way then. I hope that you’ll have a great day.”

After giving his greetings, Lat left hurriedly.

“The annoying guy?”

Out of the people Lilica knows, only one person described Lat as a nuisance.

After a short while, Tan appeared as well. He greeted Lilica lightly.

“By any chance, have you seen Lat? He must have passed by in this direction.”

“Yes, he just passed by.”

Lilica’s words made him click his tongue. He then reached out towards Diare, who frowned immediately and ducked away.

“Please don’t touch my hair.”

“Oh, sorry.”

“Eek,” Tan pulled back his hand and looked at Lauv. “No,” Lauv said with a serious expression.

Lilica laughed.

“I’m okay with it.”

Tan grinned at her words.

“I can’t, because I might get in trouble with His Majesty if I pat the princess’ head in a place where everyone is watching. Well then, please take good care of Diare.”

When Diare frowned at that remark, Tan quickly sidestepped away with a “Eek.”

He disappeared and Lilica asked.

“You don’t like Tan’s care?”

“I want to gain my position with my own power, and not with the family head’s help.”

“That’s amazing.”

“Really?”

Lilica nodded when Diare asked in surprise.

“Of course. It’s hard to stand with your own power.”

Diare smiled slightly. She became serious again and spoke.

“I’m not a full Wolfe, my princess.”

Lilica tilted her head.

“What does that mean?”

“My father is a Sandar. He and my mother weren’t officially married, and my mother gave me to the Wolfe castle when she gave birth to me. So I’m half-Sandar. And born out of wedlock at that. Would it still be alright if I became your conversational partner?”

Is that something very important?

While Lilica had such a question, this was probably an important issue for Diare.

Lilica spoke earnestly.

“I don’t care.”

Diare smiled.

“Then I also want to be the princess’ conversational partner.”

“Wow!”

As she let out an exclamation, Lilica grabbed her hand tightly. Diare added with an embarrassed smile.

“And I have a nickname.”

“What is it?”

Do friends call each other by their nicknames?

Lilica waited for Diare’s next words with a pounding heart.

“’Diare the uncompromising’ That’s my nickname.”

* * *

The Wolfe family’s townhouses were always bustling.

“I heard that you became the Princess’ conversational partner?”

“Little one? Oh, our little one has made a mark for herself.”

“Don’t call me little one, I’ll kill you!”

“Of course the little one is called little one, oof.”

The Wolfe family’s children avoided Diare’s kick and ran off in a swarm.

Diare went upstairs huffily.

Her room was simple.

Desk, closet, bed.

That was all, but it was still a space that was hers. She pulled out her chair and sat down at her desk.

‘Why am I still so small?’

She puffed up her cheeks.

While the children didn’t particularly bully Diare, they looked down on her.

She was tired of everyone stroking her hair. She also hated it when others called her cute.

She’s small and cute and weak, screw that.

She had to be more aggressive and shout louder than everyone else in order to get what she wanted.

Whenever she does that, she’ll hear words like, “As expected of someone with Sandar’s blood, that’s why she’s different.”

But on the other hand, the Sandars saw her and said, “As expected, Wolfe’s blood flows through her.”

Her last name is Wolfe, but she felt scared when she thought that she should have gone to Sandar because of her petiteness.

But there obviously wouldn’t be a place for her in Sandar too.

If she got angry about it, it became annoying as she looked “cute” instead of being intimidating.

As such, she could only speak and behave more roughly than others.

As a result, she was called ‘Diare the uncompromising’ for some reason.

‘What a disgraceful nickname.’

Even though that was her opinion, she couldn’t stand it all the time. A certain amount of anger was always contained within her heart.

She knew that it was a funny nickname, but she wanted to confide in the princess, her conversational partner

Diare was curious about what she would say.

However, when she heard Diare’s story, she made a mysterious humming sound. After a while, she just briefly said, “I see.”

The princess didn’t say anything else about it.

‘The princess is…’

Diare attached her cheek onto the desk lightly.

Her brown hair was rich and attractive.

Her eyes were a sparkling turquoise, and held the tint of the mysterious Lake Rudin.

“She’s just like a dryad.”

Within the Wolfe County’s fief lay a deep coniferous forest.

As she walked amongst the ancient trees of the coniferous forest, which was called the Black Forest, she felt a sense of awe.

Trees that stood like pillars supporting the sky.

The dryad from the fairy tales gave a wise, beautiful, and secretive smile.

Diare thought that the tree fairies from her imagination looked very similar to the princess.

‘No, if she’s a little taller.’

When she grows taller, her brown hair grows past her knees, and her eyes deepens.

She’ll become exactly like a dryad from the illustrations.

She had to give a report once a day, but she couldn’t write things like that there.

The words that Diare could use were words like she’d become the princess’ friend. Those were the only words she could use.

‘It’s not like the princess was an actual Takar either.’

How can she be so confident?

Diare jumped up from her seat.

This kind of lukewarm imagination doesn’t suit her. Swinging a sword suited her much better than that.

“Swing the sword a thousand times.”

If she swung her sword until she’s completely exhausted, her worries and thoughts would vanish into the distance.

Diare found that rather agreeable.

Suddenly, Diare thought of Lauv, who stood behind the princess like a shadow.

‘I have to be much stronger.’

After setting a short-term goal, she clenched her fist.

* * *