/
Sera’s gaze turned towards the young boy’s voice reflexively.
A pretty child with blond hair and the same purple eyes as Helio’s was standing in the middle of the bathtub. He was Ferreritan Adelio. As he stood there, he seemed to be waiting for the right timing as Sera entered.
Looking back at her with an innocent expression as though he knew nothing, Ferre made eye contact with Sera. But the moment he smiled, Sera knew.
That was the wicked smile of someone who was about to play a trick on her.
Right then, it seemed as though time had slowed down. Ferre turned the faucet on.
Cold water flowed out.
And the small pale hand headed underneath the spout.
Before she could even avoid it, Sera knew that it was already too late.
Shwaaaa!
In an instant, the water from the faucet rushed to Sera.
It was clear that he hadn’t done this just once or twice. He controlled the water so well that it went straight to her face at that moment. Sera, who couldn’t open her eyes, wasn’t able to move for about three seconds until Ferre took his hand off the faucet.
‘Even if there was mana involved, I shouldn’t have been fooled!’
Sera shouted inwardly as she wiped the moisture off her eyelids. She could barely open her eyes, but as she did, she saw that Ferre was still standing inside the bathtub, his eyes filled with glee.
“Are you having fun, Your Highness Prince Ferreritan?”
It was a sulky voice, but perhaps he was expecting Sera to be angrier. Even so, she was only a little uncomfortable because her upper body got wet.
“Huh? You’re not getting mad? Why not?”
Ferre, who tilted his head to the side, looked as though he was truly curious.
She wasn’t shivering in anger while telling him to stop. He looked forward to seeing her get mad, but she only looked a little frustrated. Her reaction wasn’t big. It’s no fun.
Pouting, Ferre jumped out of the tub and ran through the bathroom. Surprised by this, Sera hurriedly grabbed Ferre’s arms. It would be a huge problem if he slipped and fell.
“Your Highness will get hurt. Please be careful.”
Ferre took a closer look at Sera, who was holding him up. She was a pretty NoonaÂč who had black hair and blue eyes, and she looked similar or even younger than the ladies-in-waiting that he knew.
So far, she was the youngest-looking out of all the tutors they had, and she even looked younger than his Heli Hyung.
“Is Sera the tutor that Hyung brought in? How old are you?”
Ferre asked with a curious face. Sera was still holding onto one of Ferre’s arms just in case he might fall.
“Yes. I’m Sera Popo, I’ll be your tutor from now on. And I’m 4,532 years old.”
“4,532 years old?”
“Yes, that’s right. I’m 4,532 years of age. Well, it’s wet in here, so you might slip. Please be careful.”
Sera gently got Ferre to stand upright. The floor was filled with puddles here and there, and when Sera and Ferre moved, a splashing sound could be heard.
Some parts of the water even became muddy because of the dirt that Sera had inadvertently tracked into the Star Palace from walking through the garden earlier.
“How could you be 4,532 years old? Are you really 4,532 years old?!”
Ferre’s cheeks were puffed up as he found this unbelievable. He looked as though he was only asking, but he already knew the answer. But even so, his sparkling eyes also had doubt in them.
Even if he was only seven years old, he knew enough about the world! Of course he wouldn’t believe her!
But, well, he’s only seven years old, so if someone lied well to him, he’s still very impressionable.
Sera, who leaned forward, made eye contact with Ferre and spoke really seriously.
“Really. I’m 4,532 years old. Did you not hear from His Majesty?”
“Really?”
Sera held his hand firmly so that Ferre wouldn’t slip away when her guard was down. The child’s small hand fit right into Sera’s.
Her goal was to continue talking to Ferre, enough to distract him as they moved towards the study.
“But Heli Hyung never said that?”
Ferre got distracted by the number 4,532, just as she expected. Sera shook her head, acting her best to seem as though she was truly a few millennia old. He didn’t even realize that he had already fallen into Sera’s spell like the innocent lamb that he was.
After a while, Ferre walked out of the bathroom holding Sera’s hand. She still had a serious expression on her face.
“His Majesty must have forgotten to tell Your Highness because he’s very busy. When you meet His Majesty tonight, you may ask him. If you ask him if I’m truly 4,532 years old, I’m sure that he will say yes.”
Sera smiled, her determination seeping through. Of course, Ferre, whose height only came to about Sera’s waist, couldn’t see that her smile was actually crooked.
With her upper body still soaked, Sera walked hand in hand with Ferre, drawing the attention of all the people in the Star Palace. There were two reasons for this.
First, because unlike the other tutors they had thus far, Ferre was calmly walking beside her and even holding her hand.
And second, because her long hair was dripping with water and her shoes were loud as she walked, entirely soaked. And the two maids following behind her with mops in hand surely drew everyone’s attention.
‘How should I win Prince Ferre’s heart so that I could also get to Princess RosĂ©? I’m sure she’ll pop out soon now that I’m on my way back to the study with Prince Ferre in tow
’
Sera glanced at Ferre. She wondered if she should ask the maids for their cooperation, but then she suddenly thought of a good idea.
She crouched down and met Ferre’s gaze.
“Your Highness Ferre.”
The smile on her lips was one that was as sweet as a devil’s, and the gentle and lively tone of her voice was one that was perfect for enticing children.
“If I let you go on a fun carriage ride, can you tell me where Her Highness RosĂ© is?”
t/n:
Âč Noona is a term that a younger boy/man uses to address an older girl/woman who they’re close to or related to. In this case, when Ferre used it, it just generally meant that Sera looked young enough that he could call her ‘older sister’. (It might pop out later, but for a younger girl/woman addressing an older girl/woman, the term used is ‘Unnie’.)