“The Crown Prince is the main character of the day, so you should be here. I’ll go with Euel over there, so will you let go of that hand?”
“How dare you speak back to the Crown Prince, Duchess Hardland.”
Perhaps her story was over, the Empress had come over suddenly and interrupted.
“No matter how young the Crown Prince is, he is superior to the Duchess. Shouldn’t you be respectful?”
“I was respectful.”
“What kind of respect is that?”
It is not just humans that live in the North Continent, but the Empress was imposing human standards on Mother, who is of another race.
Human beings are the most numerous of all races on Earth. There are people who are obsessed with the idea of humans being the best, perhaps because sometimes there are humans who can even compete with dragons.
The Empress and Marquisate Mirien, to which her family belongs, is a representative example.
So I’ve heard the court handmaids murmur that the Empress didn’t like me being my mother’s daughter too much.
“Again, speak properly.”
“Empress. The Duchess is an elf. We need to understand this.”
“Emperor, this is the human realm. When you come to the human realm, you have to obey human laws.”
“Elves, regardless of their age, speak comfortably for each other. So the Duchess is not trying to meet human standards. So we have to understand.”
Rumors abound that the Emperor was a devout lover, to the extent that he did not have a concubine.
Perhaps when such a person was not taking her side now, made the Empress’s face turned red.
“Emperor, isn’t this the human realm, isn’t this the Imperial Palace? If you don’t like it, you should go back to the elves’ village!”
“Empress, you do not seem to understand the words in the first chapter of the Imperial Law.”
A cold, sharp voice, as if made of ice, cut through the air. The man rumored to have blue blood, Millen Hardland.
Father opened his mouth.
“In the beginning, according to the results of the meeting of all races, this continent is not just for humans, and those who set foot on it should understand and respect each other. A properly educated noble would not be unaware of this.”
With a face without a single smile, with cold blue eyes, Father was looking at the Empress.
“It is the same with the Imperial Palace. No race can impose its values on other races as absolute.”
The Emperor opened his mouth, but then shut it, avoiding his wife’s gaze who was staring at him.
“If the dragons of the Himala Mountains had rejected the other races, there would be no humans left on the earth.”
The Empress’s red lips trembled.
“Let me tell you one more thing. If we rejected non-human races, we would not have been able to obtain the medicines the Crown Prince took recently.”
What, Tess? Did he take medicine made by another race? You mean it wasn’t just growing pains?
I glanced at Tess with a slight frown, and he smiled as if he was filled with joy. I know that look. I wonder if it contains the meaning of ‘I’m really happy that Euseniel is interested!’
“Hmmm, that’s right. Empress. For the sake of everyone’s peace, we have to take care of each other.”
“… Yes, Your Majesty.”
The Empress was clenching her fists. She also smiled brightly for a moment and looked at her own son.
“Come on, Crown Prince. A lot of people are waiting.”
“I’m going to stay with Euseniel.”
“Crown Prince.”
“What if I ask Lady Xuen to come over here too? I think it would be fun to talk with your friends.”
“Oh, that’s a good idea. Go and call Lady Xuen.”
Tess grinned and walked over to me and I could see Ethyl’s eyebrows twitch.
“Aurin Xuen am here at the behest of the Crown Prince.”
Aurin, who gently spread the hem of her dress to greet, was elegant enough to convince people of the rumors that her father had cherished her were true. She was only nine years old.
“Nus Xuen greets the Crown Prince.”
The Xuen’s son, now seven, also came, and Tess frowned.
“I never called you.”
“I called them, Crown Prince. The age difference between you and Young Sir Nus is small, so I think it would be good for you two to be close.”
I couldn’t even laugh watching the Empress blatantly wanting to push Ethyl out.
It won’t happen, but if Ethyl and I get engaged, nothing good will happen to the Imperial family.
Although the Emperor is said to be the most supreme ruler, he is not strong enough to ignore the pressures of the two families, Hardland and Bonart. Even if Xuen helped them, the outcome wouldn’t change.
No no, I’m glad the Empress didn’t push me and Tess to be engaged. To be the Crown Prince’s fiancee would be so boring and hard. It might be hard for me to return to my original world, right?
“It would be nice for the Crown Prince to hang out with more people!”
She applauded as if nothing could be more enjoyable than this.
My conscience was stabbed. Tess was making a sad expression so I looked away.
“Me and Lord Bonart have seen the Crown Prince often, so we will leave for now.”
“Miss Euseniel is very thoughtful. You can go.”
But, as if trying to make fun of me, Tess brought up a story like a thunderbolt.
“Then wouldn’t Lady Xuen be lonely? She’s about the same age as Lord Bonart. How is it, Lady Xuen?”
“Yes, I think it would be better for Lord Bonart to be here.”
“Then I will go over there.”
I tried to sneak away, but my childhood friend grinned and grabbed my hand.
“Where are you going, Euseniel? It’ll look weird if you go somewhere else.”
“No way. No one will care.”
“Isn’t everyone looking this way? Without you, the Imperial family would think that Hardland was outcast.”
For a moment, I fell into the urge to pinch and twist Tess’s cheek. Why do you keep holding my ankle?
“Yes, Euel. His Highness is right. Stay here.”
Holding my hand, even Ethyl stopped me. At about the same time, Tess grabbed my empty hand. It wouldn’t be a mistake if his soft palms seemed to have become a little firmer.
It was shocking that Tess had grown bigger than me, so I kept glancing, and Ethyl, who was holding my right hand, pulled me tighter.
What’s wrong?
He smiled when I tilt my head with that meaning. Seeing Ethyl’s warm brown eyes twinkling, I smiled too.
“Oh my, Euseniel is so popular.”
A voice in a funny tone came from over my head. Hey, Emperor. Don’t start any unnecessary embers.
“Isn’t that right, Mil… len?”
The Emperor’s smiling face hardened, and as I followed his gaze, I saw the face of a hardened man. Immediately, I turned my head to the other end of the sight to find an adult man who was about to fight a group of six to eight-year-olds.
Please, please!
“I have a question.”
Aurin Xuen, with her scarlet hair neatly tied in half, opened her mouth.
It took me a while to sigh at the sight of my father who missed the timing to say anything to the kids holding my hands.
“Are Lord Bonart and Lady Hardland close?”
I almost chewed my tongue at the question I had once heard.
“Sure.”
At Ethyl’s delightful reply, Tess’s hand, which was holding my left hand, gained strength. But the voice was really bright.
“Does Miss Xuen know Lord Bonart well?”
“I didn’t have many chances to know.”
“Then, how about using this opportunity to get to know each other?”
This time, Ethyl, who grabbed my right hand, flinched.
“What do you think, Miss Xuen?”
“Thank you for making the opportunity, Your Highness.”
“The two of you should go somewhere quiet and build a friendship.”
Tess slammed the wedge, and I peeked at Ethyl’s face that had hardened.
“Let’s go.”
Aurin Xuen reached out her hand and Ethyl, with a firm face, escorted her. Looking at my empty right hand, my body is pulled to the left.
“I’m here, Euseniel.”
“Yes.”
“I’m here.”
“Yes.”
Even though it’s not long, I think I’ve become more aware of what I’ve been through once in my previous life, but I still don’t quite understand why children do what they do. Obviously I went through a time like that, but I can’t remember what I was thinking at that age.
“Let’s talk with Young Sir Nus too, Crown Prince.”
Occasionally, the Empress, who affectionately calls Tess with his nickname, calls him ‘Crown Prince’.
“Young Sir Nus has a sister, how about asking about her, Crown Prince?”
I think it’s understandable why Tess doesn’t like to hear his title ‘Crown Prince’ as it seems to be overemphasized.
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