Chapter 20

The third prince left behind meaningful words. The aristocratic children who verbally abused us and their maids were

forcibly dragged out by the third prince’s hands, unable to protect their bodies.

When all the nobles disappeared, only silence remained.

It was about the time when the stillness subsided that the third prince, who had been showing a rough appearance, came to us with a wide smile.

He smiled so broadly, like he was happier than the time when he threatened to separate the maid’s neck from the body.

Soon after, he opened his eyes wide as if he had realized something very important.

“Argen and Arien.

“Yes?”

“…….”

“I practiced calling your names.”

“……..”

“……..”

“I called it by mistake earlier.”

We didn’t know what to skillfully say over that.

The saliva passed and burned my dry throat.

“Your highness is so close that they’re both surprised. First of all, you should introduce yourself.”

“The babies are delicate.”

“They’re still five years old.”

“Young.”

“You’re are only 7 years old.”

He looked young, but he was a 7 years old with a figure that seemed to eat up the boy who was pestering us earlier, so It wasn’t surprising anymore.

“Unlike me, they’re still small babies.”

The Third Prince looked at us with such a bright face, that I didn’t know what he was thinking.

“I know you’re in a good mood, but are you going to leave them standing?”

Missha said while looking back at us. The Third Prince turned to us as if he had been waiting and said,

“Do you like a lot of sweets?”

“I….like.”

Argen answered and I nodded.

It was obvious that he was showing good favor to us.

The Third Prince seemed so bright that I wondered if he had no animosity against us because he was still young.

“Would you like some sweets? Would you like to come with me?”

I picked up shoulders at the words of the third prince and occasionally had to chase after him.

Like those who always walk without consideration for our short legs, the Third Prince also advanced without a hitch.

We diligently followed after the Third Prince. In the end, it wasn’t long before we both got tired.

Unlike us, who were quickly exhausted, the Third Prince strode forward. The end of this trail was hardly visible.

“Y, Your highness, a little slower…….”

Eventually, Argen couldn’t stand it and spoke out. What would he say to us presumptuously speaking? Looking at his actions earlier, it seems that he didn’t think of us badly, but would he listen to me and Argen? I waited quietly for an answer.

Beads of sweat formed on the bridge of my nose. Wiping it off with the back of my hand, I looked up at the third prince.

“I thought you could catch up, but was I too fast? Come here, I’ll hug you.”

……Eh………Huh?

“It’s hard to hold both of you, but Argen is the older brother so you’re okay, right? Arien, come here.”

Wait, no matter how big the Third Prince is, it was a matter of pride and reason to give a seven-year-old child a hug.

I made a face to ask Argen to save me, but the target wasn’t him, so Argen waved his hand gently.

As if I was being dragged by an invisible force, I was embraced by the Third Prince who took half a step forward. I was lifted up over his body that had a warm scent and when I came to my senses, my chin was resting on his shoulder.

Argen, who had been suffering from leg pain a little while ago, saw me being held by the third prince and said once again that he was glad it wasn’t him.

“Aren’t you tired?”

The third prince asked while fixing the posture of holding me. It was strangely stable, but……. Apart from that, my heart was having a hard time.

‘Please put me down…..’

‘It’s nice to be hugged, isn’t it?

‘I should have been born as your older sister.’

I felt it was unfair and wanted to rip up my handkerchief.

“Misha, you hold Argen.”

“Yes, sir. Your Highness the Fourth Prince, I will serve you.”

Argen must have had a hard time, so it was easy to give up. Missha hugged Argen lightly while the boy holding me in his arms looked down at me.

“Arien.”

“Yes……Yes, did you call me?”

Since I was learning manners, I was able to respond in a somewhat formal manner. I am satisfied with that, but the Third Prince wrinkled his forehead.

“Don’t use extreme honorifics. And don’t call me your highness.”

“….. Yes…… Yeah.”

I think I answered as carefully as I could, but the third prince sighed as if he was annoyed. I could feel my body shaking because I was hugged.

“Then what should I call you?”

“……what should I call you?”

“Older brother Eiji.”

As he said so, I looked at the third prince smiling like that while thinking.

My brother.

“Argen, call me older brother too.”

If Argen and I were land, it was clear that there was a crack from a drought due to lack of water. Otherwise, Argen’s face would not be cracked.

I waved at Argen’s wriggling face.

“Can you call me?”

The Third Prince pulled my body slightly back and made eye contact with me.

Argen also watched me. I wiggled my fingers and eventually lowered his head and muttered very quietly.

“O….. Older brother Eiji.”

The Third Prince’s face brightened with a roar.

“Yeah. Haha. Oh, I should’ve filmed this on video. I have to show this to my brothers!”

I could hear the third prince shouting something with a red face, but I wanted to hold onto my hair, cover my ears and hit my mouth, which just spat out the words older brother.

******

The place where the Third Prince took us was the garden in the greenhouse. The glass garden was like a new world for us, who used to travel to and from the same place all the time.

Roses and vines covered all over the place and the scent of all kinds of flowers harmonized appropriately, somehow making me feel good.

I was hugged as if I were clinging to the Third Prince, and then he sat me on a chair. Since he is 7 years old, there was no delicacy, so I came down from his arms as if I were falling on my buttocks.

On the other hand, Argen, who was treated delicately in Missha’s arms, smoothly came down to the floor until the end.

The Third Prince kept laughing at something good, while I was frustrated at the sight and unknowingly puffed out my cheeks.

I was not happy to see him smiling like that with a face that resembled the emperor who abandoned us.

“Arien.”

“Yes… Yeah……?”

Looking down at the table, Argen and I were lost in contemplation. Seeing this, the third prince picked up the pudding on the table and said something, but I didn’t know who he was referring to.

Only when we saw the pudding, did we belatedly cacme to our senses. Gold powder glistened over the glossy caramel sauce. As if it seemed like I wanted to eat, the 3rd Prince scooped it up with a spoon and held it in front of my mouth without even paying attention to gold powder.

“Please, brother, I’ll give it to you if you say it.”

I didn’t expect that I had to call him brother again. No matter how much I opened my mouth, the words didn’t come out.

“……P…..Please…..”

“You should call me older brother.”

After all, He was not generous enough to let it pass. While brainwashing myself that it was not to eat pudding but to look good to the Third Prince, I opened my mouth.

“Older brother…….”

The first time these words were spoken out of my mouth in this life gave rise to goosebumps.

Now I’m an innocent five years old, a five years old! I kept repeating it to myself inside my head while calling out the rest.

I didn’t know I’d end up calling him ‘older brother’ even though I didn’t call Argen like that.

The third prince, who made it difficult to eat, grinned as if he liked the sound of ‘older brother.’

What can we do, we’re powerless children!

I tried to make excuses and ate the pudding he put in my mouth. Honestly, it was really delicious.

Ishina said that dessert is not good for my health no matter how good the ingredients are. The sweet pudding spread in my mouth and I forgot that there was gold powder on it.

Argen, who watched me call out ‘older brother’ and eat the pudding with enthusiasm, quietly muttered to me.

‘Delicious?

‘It’s delicious……You could have it too if you call him older brother.’

‘Ah, no way.’

He must be happy to have a sister. Argen was no exception, as it was being quite optimistic and sucking up the drink in front of it.

He must be happy to have a younger sister. Argen, who was quite optimistically sucking up the drink in front of him, was no exception.

“Argen.”

At any rate, only his name was called, but Argen pulled a straw out of his mouth and pulled himself up. The third prince, who received a new spoon and pudding from his maids, demanded the same thing from Argen.

“Do you want to eat this?”

Argen couldn’t have avoided it. Since he didn’t know when that smiling expression would change, Argen shut his eyes and said.

“…… Older brother Eiji…….”

“Did you want to eat this so badly? Okay, okay. Tell me as much as you want! Your older brother shall prepare everything for you!”

The moment Argen called him ‘older brother,’ he ate the pudding that the third prince kept putting in his mouth.

Still, it was not a bad choice to call him “oppa” once and get pudding sprinkled with gold powder.

******

The Third Prince took us to the Imperial palace on horseback. The Third Prince drove the horse with Argen and I sitting in front of him. Right behind to me, the Third Prince was keeping pace while riding a horse of a size suitable for his age.

The horse was fast and I could enjoy the cool breeze blowing against my face.

I laughed at the feeling of freedom as if I climbed a tree and escaped from my confined life.

“Are you feeling good?”

“Yes, yes!”

The third prince grabbed the reins and asked. I answered his question very brightly.

It was the first time both Argen and I found out we liked horses. It was the first time I actually saw a horse.

I stroked the horse’s soft mane and put his fluttering hair behind his ears.

I was able to reach the emperor’s palace a lot faster than when I came by carriage.

The third prince drooped his eyes down as if he didn’t want to let us go. Then he left with terrifying words of seeing each other tomorrow.

I decided to look good to him, but I didn’t want to make eye contact with him.

‘As expected, neglect is the best.’

‘…… Neglect is the best.’

It wasn’t a bad meeting, but I think it’s most comfortable to leave us alone. We turned around only when the back of the Third Prince was out of sight.

We saw the faces of maids we recognized, but for some reason Ishina was absent, so I tilted my head.

“Ishina……”

“What about Ishina?”

As usual, I tried to say ‘May I ask where Ishina is?’ but I shut my mouth and Argen quickly covered my words by omitting the honorifics.

Just a moment ago, Ishina scolded us for using honorifics.

“Well……That’s…….”

“Huh?”

I tilted my head, wondering what was going on. We sighed in relief when the maids, who glanced at our room where the lights were turned off, began to guide me and Argen to the room.

But the relief didn’t last long.

When we arrived in front of the room, there was a strong light in our room when the lights were clearly turned off earlier. We saw Ishina through the gap of the open door. And the Emperor.

Somehow the room was in a mess.

There were knife-like cuts on the floor, the windows were broken, the covers were torn and feathers were flying everywhere.

In addition, Ishina was on her knees.

As the Emperor looked down at her with crossed arms exerting his will, she trembled.

“You’ve gone too far.”

Come to think of it, Ishina’s influential power in this palace was great……… She was the one who served our father, the Emperor, since the birth.

In other words, even if the emperor takes over the role of the empress who has already died in this palace, everyone obeyed her when the emperor didn’t say anything.

In addition, the emperor entrusted Ishina with his children.

“Your Majesty…”

“You didn’t think that there were more opportunities just because I closed my eyes once?”

There was a stillness. He ordered the knights around him.

Short, simple and concise.

“Get rid of her.”

It was ishina that he told them to remove.

While we watched with breathless attention, the other maids were all trembling to see if the they thought it was their future.

The emperor’s eyes met mine through the crack in the door.

“.…….”

The emperor seemed to ask why we were here, but he kept silent as if he had realized something. He looked at both of us and quietly said at the last minute.

“You don’t have to stay here any longer. Let’s move the residence.”

Argen and I opened our eyes wide at his words and I leaned my head to see if he really was the emperor.