CH 386

On the day Margarete came to Flora to discuss her nightlife with Ludwig, Mikoto and the others had left with Eleonore and were now playing with her in another room.

“Come on, Eleonore, let’s play!”

Although she is a princess of another country, Mikoto is still a princess, and since she is older, Mikoto has a higher ranking and talks to Eleonore as usual. Of course, Eleonore doesn’t get angry at her partner’s tone.

“What shall we play with, Princess Eleonore?”

Alexandra treats her with the same kind of politeness as people who usually interact with Eleonore. For better or worse, it’s a familiar attitude to Eleonore.

Katharina waits a little further away, and Claudia and Louisa are also watching from afar. Claudia and Louisa are very interested in Eleonore, but since she is the princess of this country, it is difficult to talk to her casually. Originally, it was a class difference that would have prevented them from even speaking directly.

When they were younger, they would have talked and played with her as if they were in the middle of nowhere, but since they’re at an age where they’re likely to be sensible about society, they can’t afford to be as easygoing as they were before.

“My, my~~~! Princess Eleonore is here.”

And then Maria comes. She has a big, shining smile on her face. When she heard that Eleonore was coming, she rushed over. Both Maria and Flora’s wives sincerely love Eleonore.

The wives know that Eleonore will eventually be in the same position as them. They don’t have any intention of hammering in rankings or hierarchy from now on. All of Flora’s wives are on good terms, and since they have lived in a society where polygamy is the norm, there is no objection to that.

Thinking that they’re a little older than Eleonore, it’s only natural that I want to act like her seniors and be affectionate to her like older sisters would.

“Come now, Princess Eleonore, Mommy Maria has arrived~!”

“Mommy Maria!”

“”””-!?”””””

Seeing the exchange between Maria and Eleonore, the faces of the five ladies were dyed in shock. Mommy Maria… How sweet does that sound? Mikoto immediately responded,

“Eleonore! Call me Mikoto-oneesama!” 1

“Mikoto-onee-sama?” Eleonore repeated Mikoto’s words while tilting her head.

“–!–!”

“Come on, Princess Eleonore, please come to Mommy Maria.”

“Mommy Maria!”

“Ah!?”

However, Eleonore’s interest in Mikoto lasted only a moment. When Maria called her, she smiled and walked away. Maria picks up Eleonore as she comes to her feet. Eleonore was completely attached to Maria, delighted and having “kyaa, kyaa” time.

“Gununu!” Mikoto grumbled.

She gnashed her teeth when Eleonore was so easily stolen, but she couldn’t compete with Maria, who has raised many children and has a wealth of mothering experience.

“Mommy Maria,” Eleonore said as she was in Maria’s arms.

“My, my, Princess Eleonore, you’re such a spoiled child, aren’t you?” Maria said.

Then, HUG! Maria also likes Eleonore alongside Flora. She is also an experienced adult woman who has raised her children. She knows how to care for and soothe children, and is a little childish herself.

“This reminds me of Flora dear’s childhood, you know?” Maria said as she hugged Eleonore.

“Huh?! Did Floto have a period like this!?” Mikoto said, snapping out of her sulking.

The other wives are also curious about it.

“That’s right… Flora dear has always been a very quiet girl, and she’s never let me spoil her like this.”

“””””…”””””

The wives are going crazy. So why did you remember Flora when you saw Eleonore’s attitude? What Maria says is absurd.

“Maybe it’s because I wasn’t home much…” Maria said, suddenly making a gloomy face.

“…… Huh?”

Everyone is confused because she doesn’t look like the always-smiling Maria.

“When I was with her two older brothers, I was able to take good care of them… but when it was time for Flora dear, I was fighting all over the place… Maybe that’s why Flora dear won’t even let her parents spoil her anymore…”

“””””…”””””

A heavy silence comes. Flora is so serious. Ever since she was a little girl, she’s been serious to the point that she’s not like a child at all. Perhaps it was because she had little time to interact with her mother, and her father could only interact with his daughter as a male parent could. When she was in the prime of wanting to be spoiled by her mother, her mother wasn’t there, and if her father treated her like her brothers who were much older than her… even if she didn’t like it, she would have had to become independent.

“Mommy Maria, Makoto-onee-sama, everyone, let’s play together?”

Eleonore may have just been bored. Eleonore, who is still young, would not be able to understand such a heavy story. However, it was as if the words were released to break this heavy atmosphere and silence, and both Maria and Flora’s wives relaxed their expressions.

“Well then, Eleonore! Let’s play with this first!”

Saying that Mikoto took out…

“What is this?”

Mikoto took out jingling cloth bags, or rather, balls.

“These are otedama! Floto made it for me!” Mikoto said.

“How do you play?” Eleonore asked, curiously looking at it.

Mikoto started tossing them in front of Eleonore. “How indeed… do it like this!”

Mikoto throws the otedama into the air one after another. And then! The arcing otedama missed Mikoto’s opposite hand and all fell to the floor with thuds.

“””””…”””””

“This is my country’s toy!”

But Mikoto goes, tadah! As if nothing had happened, she picked up the otedama and showed it to Eleonore. Did she pretend she never dropped them? Or did she drop them and not care? Only Mikoto knows.

“Like this?”

Eleonore also imitates Mikoto and juggles them once. And dropped them on the floor with a plop.

“Ah… Princess Eleonore, otedama aren’t meant to be played like that,” Claudia said. “Let me show you an example.”

With that, Claudia picked up the beanbag and skillfully threw it, caught it, handed it over to her first hand, and threw it again. The otedama flew constantly in the air.

“Waah! Amazing! Eleonore wants to do it, too!”

Seeing Claudia throwing the odetama one after another with her excellent reflexes, Eleonore also began to imitate. However, it didn’t go so easily and it just fell off.

“It’s difficult to do a lot at once, so let’s practice one at a time. Like this…” Claudia said.

She stopped her from using too many at once and taught her how to use one otedama. Eleonore had a good memory and quickly learned with that one. However, if you increase it to two, it will suddenly become difficult, and it will not go well.

“Muh!”

At first, Eleonore was absorbed in practicing, and now her cheeks puff up after failing many times. Alexandra quickly approaches.

“Princess Eleonore, please take a good look.”

“…………”

When Eleonore, who was slightly pouting, looked at Alexandra’s hands… thread was strung up between the fingers of both hands. And when she moves her finger smoothly…

“Right. It’s a ladder!” Alexandra said.

“Uwah! Amazing!” Eleonore cried.

Move the fingers and the thread changes shape and takes various forms. Whether or not the finished product looks like that is a bit of a stretch, but it’s interesting to see the looped thread changing shape with both hands. Knowledge and experience, that is, memory and manual dexterity, are essential for ayatori. It’s suitable for Alexandra, who doesn’t have physical strength or good reflexes, but is eager to study.

“How do you do it?” Eleonore asked.

“Like this, put your finger in here, take your finger off… Yes, this a broom.”

“Did it!” Eleonore cried.

It’s easy to do if she lets Alexandra move her fingers for her. However, when Eleonore tries to do it alone, it doesn’t work. After failing many times, her face gradually puffs up again. Sometimes Alexandra teaches her, but if you try to teach too much, she gets even angrier and hates it, so they had no choice but to watch her silently.

“Muuhhh!!”

“Pri-Princess Eleonore, this time, let’s play ohajiki with me!” Louisa said, taking out small, rounded, flat glass beads one after the other.

“What is this?” Eleonore said.

“These are called ohajiki,” Louisa said. “When playing with two people, spread out the ohajiki so that they don’t overlap… and then, point at the ohajiki you’re aiming for and use your finger to flick another ohajiki at it. If you hit any other ohajiki than the one you called out, you lose. So if I can show you, flick one with your finger… if it hits only the ohaijiki you’re aiming for, you win.”

Louisa shows an example while explaining. There may be local rules depending on the region, such as differences in detailed rules, but here they are playing without worrying about the detailed rules. It’s just part of a child’s play.

But Eleonore is different. Colors are intentionally mixed into the transparent glass marbles so as not to lose sight of them. Each ohajiki was sparkling and beautiful, and to Eleonore felt they were like jewels.

“Then please start us off, Princess Eleonore,” Louisa said.

“Nn~~~. Eei!”

She flicked it, but the ohajiki did not fly well. It was just a little jerky movement in a different direction.

“Muuuhhh!!!”

“Ehhhhh… well, then let’s practice first! Right? Practice placing only one ohajiki and flicking to hit another. Here you go, try this.”

They clear up the confusing rules and surrounding ohajiki at once. Eleonore focused on just one and flicked it with her fingers.

“Muuuuuuhhh!!!”

But it doesn’t fly properly. This time it was too strong and flew off to the day after tomorrow. It may be difficult for a clumsy child to get used to it… At the age of Louisa and the others, it’s rather too easy, and the one who goes first will probably win, but it’s probably difficult for young Eleonore who is playing ohajiki for the first time.

After repeating for a while calming her down, the ohajiki finally hit. The power is too strong, so if they had placed another ohajiki nearby, they’re sure it would have hit the other ohajiki, but they were able to aim and hit the intended target.

“Hit it!” Eleonore cried.

“Yes. Congratulations,” Louisa said.

After that, everyone will play various games. Perhaps Eleonore would change her mind if they added more people to what they had done before, playing this way, playing that way, and quickly changing her interests.

“Even though I was supposed to know…” Mikoto grumbled.

All of the toys made by Flora are originally from Mikoto’s country. However, Mikoto has never played such games since she was young and is not good at any of them. Everyone is good at playing with Eleonore, but Mikoto can’t do anything well.

“Is it okay for you not to play with Eleonore, Katharina?” Mikoto asked as everyone else played together.

“The play I know is still too early for Princess Eleonore…” Katharina replied.

Curious, Mikoto asked for more. “What’s play that’s still too early for Eleonore? Besides, you’ve been with Floto since you were the earliest of us, right? What did Floto do when you were kids?”

Mikoto was already quite a bit older when she met Flora. Besides, both of them were studying and training in the forest, so it wasn’t like playing. Katharina who has known Flora for the longest time should know how Flora played.

“When I met Miss Flora, the games she was doing were reading books and moving her body,” Katharina said.

“Hmm? What kind of book? What kind of exercise did she do?” Mikoto asked.

And as she thought, “That was more normal than I expected.”…

“She read history books and deciphered magical texts. She was also brandishing an iron sword.”

“………… Why did you say play? Isn’t that what you call study, training, or discipline?” Mikoto said, taken aback at how Katharina said it without moving her eyebrows.

However, Katharina answered even more calmly,

“The study was strictly done by the tutors, and the training was received from her father. Apart from that, Miss Flora had personal hobbies that had nothing to do with studying and training.”

She wonders if it’s okay to call that play… What would Mikoto be like when she was the same age? Although she was involved in a succession dispute in the castle and lived a life of inconvenience, she doesn’t think she was in such a heavy environment when she was a young child. What kind of childhood did Flora have?

“Then how were you, Katharina?”

“I left Miss Flora’s side to train as her maid, so I didn’t have time to play around,” Katharina said. “My hobbies are throwing knives and handling concealed weapons.” 2

“Ah, I see…” Mikoto said.

What is going on with this subordinate? Even though Mikoto and Isuzu were living a little more peaceful life, Flora and Katharina’s childhood was too brutal. Mikoto thought that from now on, she might be a little kinder to Katahrina who usually doesn’t change her ice-cold expression except for when it comes to Flora.