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[Dun bully Haniel’s mommy! Haniel ish gonna go with mommy and pwotect her! Bad Empwor Bwother!]
“Ohh, my goodness.”
I unconsciously let out my voice as my breath left me.
That’s why you said you would follow me here. To protect your mom!
[She’s my mommy! Haniel’sh mommy!]
She’d jumped into my arms even when she was this scared of her brother—tears pricked at my eyes when laughter had just been in it.
“Your Highness!”
Before something happened to Haniel, I brought her close to me and shook my head harshly. Though it hadn’t been to the point of wounding the Emperor, there was no way she could be gracefully excused after daring to peck the Emperor’s finger.
Whether he raised his sword or whatever he did, I lowered my head flat so that I could block him with my body.
“Yo-Your Highness, this is…..”
“What. Is her shyness gone a bit now?”
“…….”
More like What, this man.
“You tell me.”
“T-tell you what?”
“If a child comes and does this to you first, it means that things have gotten a bit better, right?”
“……”
I really couldn’t be more thankful for Rashid’s sorely dense and indifferent personality.
It was to the point that I almost felt attracted to the way he was talking to himself this seriously after being pecked by a baby swan.
“That’s right. That’s exactly what happened! Because Your Highness first opened your heart to her, she has responded.”
“……More than open my heart……”
“No. No, Your Highness did. You opened it!”
Even if you didn’t, you have, and there is no way for you to close it again.
The more he muttered to himself, the more I hastened to smooth things out.
No, das not chrue fo me!
Haniel was cheepingpeeping loudly like she was protesting, but today was one day I couldn’t agree with her.
“On the surface level, you may feel like she was pecking you, but should I call it a sign of affection? If she was not interested in you at all, there is no way that she would go near you with her beak in the first place.”
“…..is that right?”
“Yes. Just like how Your Highness sought out the princess before.”
“……”
“If you really weren’t interested, then why would Your Highness have gone there.”
At my faint smile, for once both brother and sister closed their mouths.
Revealing Haniel’s head again now that she wasn’t flailing around anymore, I gathered up my courage.
“Though you may not have done things after thinking explicitly that you should do something, your true feelings must have been like that.”
“Then your daughter to me as well…..”
Hm.
Whatever he was thinking about, Rashid’s eyes deepened greatly in thought as he propped up his chin. He looked once between me and Haniel each before he offered his hand in front of Haniel’s beak again.
“Do that again.”
“…..Um, Your Highness.”
It definitely isn’t to that extent.
This was a difficulty level that would be similar to telling a child who had just begun speaking to go compete in the Olympics, and it seemed Haniel also shared my incredulous feelings at her brother’s way too quickened progress.
[No! Not gonna do it!]
“……”
[Mommy ish my mommy! Haniel will pwotect her!]
Her feathers trembling, the princess of great will pointedly ignored his hand and twisted her head around to the very end.
“Hah…..”
This thing, really.
One eye narrowed, Rashid’s finger went to the opposite side and stopped in front of her small beak. Then Haniel also twisted her head around the other way, and Rashid’s finger again followed her and……
‘These siblings, for real.’
Thinking that this shouldn’t go on for any longer, I picked up Haniel into my arms once again.
When I put her down on the ground so that Rashid’s obstinate finger couldn’t touch her, Haniel rushed out and hid behind a tree, her head peeking out.
“…Your Highness, whatever it is, you usually need to pay careful attention from the first step on without hurrying.”
“Catherine.”
“Even if it isn’t the case of befriending my daugh- I mean, a baby swan, in other things as well you should….”
“I know, what you’re trying to say.”
His hand withdrawn, Rashid stood up first and approached my side.
“And I am already doing that.”
“……sorry?”
“Stand up.”
Contrary to his brief words, the way he pulled the chair out for me was flawless.
If only he’d been like this for his sister earlier!
I also clamped my lips together, but to be honest, there was no way I could dislike that.
‘To think the Emperor would be pulling out the chair for me in my entire life.’
Nobody would believe me even if I told them, but this would be a good memory to look back on whenever I had to face something that seemed impossible.
Without refusing him, I stood up and gave him a smile
“I think we did well to come here today, though.”
“Is that right?”
“Yes. I hadn’t even dreamed that I would come here with my baby like this.”
Or that Your Highness would let things slide to this extent.
I became happier the more I thought about it, so the smile on my lips didn’t stop.
However, Rashid’s expression was a little different.
“….is that such a happy event for you?”
Though the sunlight seeping in from the detailed carvings of the pavilion shone into his eyes, he did not narrow them at all. And because of that, his blood-like eyes seemed to become more transparent.