Chapter 19

It was as the emperor said. As soon as we arrived at the palace, a servant I saw for the first time handed us a letter. When I accepted the letter, Ishina took out a paper knife .

She frowned as she tried to convey the message on behalf of us, who were still not good at reading.

‘…… She frowned.’

‘She really did….’

I’ve seen her turn pale several times, but it’s the first time that her facial muscles were moving like that, so I didn’t dare imagine what the letter would say.

“His Highness……The Third Prince is calling.”

Ishina told us, then added a few words after a long time.

“The two of you…He wants only the two of you to come to the Third Prince’s palace.”

It was terrible. With no choice, Ishina and the maids took us to the Third Prince’s palace, where the statue of the hawk stood.

Just like that we trudged on alone.

I couldn’t help it because the letter from the Third Prince said to come to the garden alone, but I didn’t know how to get there.

I was walking under well-pruned trees with Argen, while wondering if we could just follow the trail.

In the meantime, I found children who seemed to be aristocrats sitting at a tea table and chatting, but there was no one with blond hair.

I thought we could casually pass by, but it wasn’t the case.

One of the children, who found us in the distance, whispered to the other children around him. As soon as we passed in front of them, he caught me and Argen to talk to us.

“Isn’t it the Fourth Prince and the Princess?”

It was a group of children who looked really young. They were only around our age or a few years older.

Among them, the boy who spoke to us came down from the chair and stood in front of us. I thought he spoke well with a doll-like face.

The boy, about seven or eight years old, had a scornful look on his face.

“I can’t believe these dirty bastards are royalty.”

Five years old is a very high age for the imperial family. But it seemed to only apply to the Imperial family.

Tsk, the sound of a tongue clicking was just as immature as it was with adults.

He looked like a child who wanted to show off because he was able to do something on his own for once.

When I looked up, there was no one around me. No one but the children heard the boy. I could see why there were no maids around when a girl smiled, saying It was a relief that she sent them to bring some snacks.

I just blankly stared at the boy in front of me.

Imperial family, illegitimate child, and dirty.

Those were the words that I heard. Maybe their parents have said that and they’re telling us exactly what they heard.

For illegitimate children, the title of an imperial family was useless. Hundreds of years ago, parents who gave birth to illegitimate children were executed and their children were burned to death.

Argen’s eyes dimmed. Maybe I wasn’t that much different either.

I knew that the best option was to pass by them without saying anything, so I tried to step forward while biting my lips.

At that moment, the body of the boy who was blocking us with an unpleasant expression leaned forward and fell onto the lawn.

“Crazy bastard.”

He didn’t just fall down, his face was glued to the floor and there was a harsh curse from above him.

Someone stepped on the boy’s head, perhaps they thought it wasn’t enough just to knock him down.

Hair that cannot be found just anywhere.

I saw small feet that would never be considered as an adult’s, and heard a soft voice that did not hit puberty yet.

“You dare make fun of them?”

I knew this feeling. Several people ran over there, but no one came near. I could tell without looking at the color of the hair of a man trampling on a fallen boy.

“Speak, if you don’t want to die.”

Blonde hair. It was blonde hair.

The pristine honey blonde hair was the most beautiful color we’ve ever seen.

It’s not the usual blonde hair of Americans I’ve seen in my past life, but a color so beautiful that it looks like starlights falling down when the sun shined on it. Among the royal families with the same blonde hair, our color was more dull and light.

We’re a little murky and lighted, but we’re not that shiny.

Even if we have a light and slightly murky color, it wasn’t a color that shines like that.

‘……He’s violent.’

‘……Right.’

Argen and I stared helplessly at the sight before our eyes. The dignified royal family had disappeared and all we could see was fluttering blonde hair running wild. Of course, we were frequently exposed to violence, so it didn’t faze us more than that.

However, the third prince looked at us while I was slightly shaking my shoulders at the thought of how much pain the child, who fell down, was in.

He gradually relaxed his face, which had been frowning. A handsome face resembling an emperor. He looked at us delicately with a completely opposite expression to the previous one and mumbled as if he were possessed by something.

“…… Small.”

It was a voice that was quite different from when he cursed just a moment ago.

Soon, he looked puzzled at us trembling and opened his eyes wide.

“Misha, get those things out of here. They said kids should only see good things and listen to good things.”

******

At the words of the Third Prince, a green-haired woman named Misha, dropped her hands awkwardly as if she was embarrassed, I think? He ordered again.

“Didn’t you hear that? Get rid of those things.”

As if he did not like the reaction, the Third Prince said with a dry face.

Argen and I couldn’t figure out how to grasp the situation from the image of the royal family and other children we’ve met so far.

“I’ll get rid of them quickly.”

The green-haired woman quickly raised the shoulder of the boy who fell on the floor due to the Third Prince’s trivial actions. It must have been quite painful for him to get up with tears……. Seeing his forehead glowing red, it was obvious that it was quite painful, but not to the extent that he was injured.

The boy rubbed his face with his sleeve and cried unceremoniously. The maids, who ran from afar, was startled and looked around as if she were trying to grasp the situation.

When I saw her comforting her crying master to keep his dignity, I thought that the world of aristocrats was very tough.

“Hey.”

“…… Yes?”

The Third Prince, who had a strange expression at the maid soothing her young master, turned his head away from us and called her.

It made me wonder when, where, and how he learned to be so arrogant.

“Are you blind? How dare you raise your head in front of us?”

I bet the maid didn’t even know we were nearby. She indifferently lifted her head, then trembled Instead of wiping her owner’s tears with a handkerchief.

“Your, You highness!!”

The woman’s face turned white when she belatedly saw the third prince.

It made me remember Ishina’s face, who suddenly held our hands and stood firmly. In this palace, the thing we should be most careful about is not the emperor, nor the crown prince, nor the second prince….

“Do you want to fall on the floor because your neck and body are separated?”

He’s the Third Prince Eiji.

It was a harsh speech that was not childish enough to want to applaud for. It was no wonder that Argen and I trembled while watching.

The maid knelt on the floor and bowed her head as if she had nothing to say. I knew that people served the royal family very seriously, but it was a bit bitter that a grown woman could not even retort back at the words of a young boy.

It was a pity that we could have lived arrogantly if Lulahel had a slightly different lineage.

Of course, I was envious of being in that position, not of the actions of the Third Prince.

It means you’re worth it. I remembered the Derolina castle, where no one knew if we were gone or not even if we wandered outside for a day or two.

“….… Are you saying that the prince’s words are funny? There is no answer.”

“Hwa…… I greet Your Imperial Highness.”

“Oh, I feel really bad……… Am I the only one? Can’t you see Argen and Arien over there?”

I was called by name.

The third princes spoke our names with familiarity to the point where the names he called naturally seemed friendly.

“Greeting to His imperial Highness the Fourth Prince and Her imperial Highness the Princess”

The maid greeted me by bending over as if she was stabbed on the side.

Frankly speaking, it was not a very good sight for others to bow at our feet. Somehow, it was unpleasant and I felt like I could hear that maid’s inner voice.

Even after receiving a humiliating greeting, the third prince beckoned Misha as if he did not like it.

She came up with a deep sigh and had an expression saying that’s just how it is. Similar to the prince’s maid, another maid with deep green hair fell on the floor shivering.

“P…..Please get up.”

I said that while wearing an innocent face as if I didn’t know anything. I felt it was getting dangerous so I moved my feet and made eye contact with Argen

‘I stuttered.’

‘I bit my tongue too.’

I was worried about stuttering, but I had to step forward because I thought something irreversible would happen if I just left it alone.

The maid didn’t get the hint. Misha approached and tried to get her up, but the Third Prince stopped her. Although she might have been offended by the restraint, she simply stopped in place.

“Can’t you hear my little sister? Do you want me to pierce your ears if it’s blocked?”

The maid rose, unable to lift her head as she trembled. The gesture was unnatural like a hard mannequin.

“I’m only letting you go because Arien told you to get up.”

The Third Prince said to the maid who had raised her body.

“Get those things out of my sight right now. Besides, those are Count Montbely’s kids, right?”

He bobbed his head and naturally treated people as objects. Missha seemed to be familiar with it and she replied, “Yes, that’s right.”

“I’ll have to visit the Count Montbely often in the future.”