Chapter 18

Now it was time to study hard and rest.

Only me and Argen were allowed to enter the farm with the raccoon. Thanks to the First Prince, who gave us permission to prevent the maids from entering the palace, the farm with the raccoon became our sanctuary.

The raccoon eagerly strode over to me and stepped on my stomach while I was lying on my back.

“Ahahaha! Wait, it tickles.”

It was fierce to everyone else, except for us.

He behaved much more adorable than most puppies.

At this point in time, Ishina would yell at us for lying down from the other side of the farm, but she didn’t say anything so I just had a lot of fun with the raccoon.

“Hand.”

“Argen, raccoons can’t do that.”

“Well…. is it.”

“Is it a raccoon?”

I kissed the raccoon on top of me, pecking it on the mouth.

A child who grew up in a breeding ground, which is larger than the field of raccoon activity, was like a wild animal, but it was always lovely to wander around when we came.

It was the same as a wild animal in a breeding field that was wider than the raccoon’s activity area, but it was always lovely when we came around.

The racoon moving around the large farm was a wild animal, but it was always friendly to us when we came.

“I think it likes me better than you, Argen.”

“No, I don’t think so. Arien.”

The raccoon on my stomach held up both hands and struck hard on Argen’s hand, like a high-five.

I turned my head to check the time after playing with the raccoon for quite a while, then I got up and shook off the grass on my body.

“His Majesty the Emperor is calling.”

Ishina said as if she had been waiting for us.

I was overwhelmed by embarrassment and just nodded my head.

“…… Yes, I’ll go…….”

Why is it always so suddenly?

As I was fiddling with the soles of the raccoon’s feet, my shoulders shook when I heard Ishina’s words

I didn’t like that I had to meet the Emperor soon. I wish I didn’t have to go because I was nervous and hated it as much as taking medication.

“…… Raccoon, we’ll be right back.”

Argen touched my shoulder as I was stroking the raccoon’s tail. I said goodbye to the raccoon one more time and got up while holding Argen’s wrist. Ishina opened the farm’s door and guided us out.

I thought it would be nearby when she didn’t take me in her arms, but…….

I didn’t know it was this close.

“Higeuk.”

As soon as I came out of the farm, I saw someone sitting at a nearby table. I was surprised and had hiccups when I saw the man showing off his superior appearance.

Argen must have also been surprised, so he closed his mouths with his other hand that I wasn’t holding.

The emperor looked down at us while sitting down. When the hiccups did not stop, Argen pressed hard on my hand.

“Your highnesses. Say your greetings.”

It wasn’t until Ishina urged us and Argen called me inside, did I wake up and lower my head.

To be more  precise, I tried to bow down.

“Are you trying to make them do what other princes don’t do?”

“…… There is no distinction of gender or age when greeting Your Majesty…….”

“Ishina.”

The emperor called her again. The maids, who had been with the emperor for a long time, seemed to be fine even after hearing such a cold voice.

We glanced at the emperor’s sculptural face and stiffened with our waist bent halfway.

“What did I say?”

“………”

“You must know best that I never say it twice.”

It felt like walking on thin ice. I couldn’t even concentrate on talking to Argen. I held my breath and only looked up at an angle to see their reactions.

The most important thing in surviving was the ability to quickly grasp the situation , not anything else.

“…… You’ve asked me to serve his and her highness. Equal to the other imperial princes~”

He did……??

I opened my eyes wide because I didn’t know that. The emperor cut off Ishina’s words.

“What a joke.”

“………”

“When I see my children now, I can’t help but wonder why they are using honorifics to just a mere maid.”

******

Is Ishina in trouble right now?

Neither of us said anything and just trembled. An unknown energy was wrapped around our bodies, and even if it wasn’t directed at us, we couldn’t help feeling fear.

The moment the emperor’s eyes met mine, he gazed at us and murmured in a small voice.

“Children are difficult.”

At the same time, the strange sensation surrounding my body disappeared.

He turned his head and made eye contact with Ishina, however just his expression alone did not tell us what was going on. It was when Argen and I were just blinking.

“Shh.”

I could hear the sound of someone approaching me in no time. I Instinctively turned my head, but a large hand covered both my eyes. I twisted my body in shock, but something tightly suppressed my body.

“Shall we not interrupt His Majesty the Emperor’s time?”

A man’s gentle voice, which seemed to penetrate into the most delicate spot in a person, rang in my ears.

When I quietly nodded, the strength from his hands that were covering my eyes weakened. I turned my head right away and saw the face of the man standing behind me.

As soon as I made eye contact, the other person smiled and greeted me.

“Hello.”

It was a man with red eyes and red hair. It was a bright red color that reminded me of our red eyes.

“…… Who are you?”

It was Argen that managed to open his mouth.

“Who do you think it is?”

“…….”

“…….”

Even if you asked us that, we wouldn’t be able to give the correct answer. We were always wary and vigilant to strangers, so when we tried to walk two or three steps away from him, he grabbed our arms.

“If you go further back, the emperor will call for you.”

I moved my eyes at those words.

Did you call him emperor? His Majesty the Emperor?

‘Aren’t the emperor and Ishina behind us?’

I tried to look back, but somehow I couldn’t turn my head.

While the stranger was holding onto us, it was clear that the emperor did not notice as he was angrily commanding Ishina to stop. I tried to look back, but somehow I couldn’t turn my head.

“Stay still.”

Maybe it was magic, but I couldn’t move like before. As I was struggling to turn my head a few more times, Argen, who was able to move, questioned the man.

“Who are you?”

It was the same question from before, but it was different from when I said it with a poor pronunciation due to embarrassment.

This time, the man languidly smiled and slightly tilted his head. He narrowed his eyes and laughed at us lovingly.

“Jason.”

I didn’t ask for your name.

The man slowly rose. Maybe it was because I was feeling nervous from this strange situation, so the man reached out his hands.

The touch from above my head was usually always scary, but I didn’t feel like avoiding it for some reason.

“I missed you a lot.”

That was the end of the story.

It was only a blink of an eye, but the man disappeared without a trace. I looked around in embarrassment, but suddenly I felt someone’s presence.

When the sitting emperor got up and approached, he was looking down at both of us right in front of his eyes.

The emperor, who was sitting down and looking at the two of us, got up and approached us.

“He’s fast.”

“……. Yes….. What?”

Are you talking about the man who just disappeared? I don’t know why, but seeing Ishina’s pale face, I thought the emperor must not be very happy.

He wrinkled his forehead. There were creases on his handsome face.

I couldn’t believe that he had five children even though he looked like the first prince. Well, he did see his first son when he was 18. Moreover, he was an imperial family with ‘manifestation’ so it would not have been strange even if he was fast.

We both waited for the words to fall like dejected children with our heads bowed. I could feel the emperor’s gaze on the back of my head.

He just gazed at us like that. My heart tightened because he was just looking at us without saying anything.

“…… Your Majesty, His highness the imperial prince and Her Highness the Imperial Princess are still young and will not be able to bear this atmosphere.”

On the other hand, Ishina said all she could say while shaking. To the point where I wanted to imitate her boldness. As I glanced at Ishina standing behind the emperor, I was caught by him so I shut my mouth with both hands and bowed my head.

Somehow, the thick air that I had felt earlier made my body shrink on its own. The moment I felt it was getting harder and harder to breathe, the thing that tightened my body disappeared.

‘…… Eh?’

‘Are you okay?’

‘I’m fine. You?’

‘I’m all right.’

The emperor lowered his gaze .

“I’ll send you to Eiji.”

The emperor turned his body as if he had nothing more to see and left, while leaving behind vague words. Many people followed him. Ishina approached us.

As I watched the tall blonde man lead the procession and fade away, she knelt before us and said,

“Your highness. You’ll have to be very careful in the future.”

“What?”

“Please refrain from using honorifics as His Majesty has stated.”

I couldn’t say no so I nodded at Ishina’s determined face. She held me and Argen while continuing to speak some more. However, I ended up talking to Archen halfway through about who the red-haired man I had just met was.

“…… His Majesty said that he would send both of you to His Highness the Third Prince.”

When I suddenly heard the word “Third Prince,” I came to my senses.

“…… The Third Prince?”

“Please omit the honorific words. The person named Eiji, whom His Majesty spoke of, is referring to Eiji Olbea Yuriana, His highness the Third Prince.”

Ishina kindly informed me of the Third Prince’s full name. Although I heard the Third Prince’s name, I couldn’t pay attention to what she said because I was more curious about who the red-haired man was and I was exhausted from the emperor’s energy.

‘He’s sending us to the Third Prince?’

‘There’s more people here??’

We came to play with the raccoon, but there was a constant flood of events we couldn’t understand.

I tried to sort out the things in my head that exceeded the capacity for common sense.

“Unlike the other princes, His Highness the Third Prince is a little rough. You have to be very careful, and you can never rebel or talk back to him.”

…… Is that so?

What kind of person is the Third Prince?

Her words were just right to instill fear in us.

“He is generous to his people, but he is cold-blooded to those who are not.”

Ishina continued her evaluation of the Third Prince. It was to the point where, if we leak these words anywhere, her life would be in danger.

But she kept talking as if she knew we wouldn’t make that choice.

While listening to Ishina’s explanation, I once again recalled the image of the emperor.

For our unfortunate days, memories from Derolina Castle are enough.

Although it is hard to say that I am happy to be deprived of my freedom, it was not enough to put on shackles in the name of “Unfortunate.”

I hoped that the sudden emergence of the Third Prince would not destroy the comfortable life.

Argen tightly grasped my hands with his.