Diare Wolfe was a lovely girl with long pink hair and deep green eyes.
She was small and petite, making her seem younger than her age.
She was wearing an apprentice knightâs uniform, and although it matches well with her, the long sleeved uniform of a civil servant seemed to suit her better.
Even so, her stubbornness was evident.
Under the midday sunlight of the garden, her green eyes looked just like resplendent jade.
Lilica liked Diare at first glance.
âDiare Wolfe gives Her Highness the Princess her greetings.â
With a bright voice, Lilica greeted Diare, who gave her a polite greeting.
âItâs nice to meet you too.â
Diare straightened her slouched back. She asked after stealing a glance at Lauv, who was standing behind Lilica.
âMay I ask you a question, Princess?â
âWhat is it?â
âWhy did you choose me as your conversational partner?â
âAh.â
Lilica answered frankly. Majority of problems are solved with honesty.
âMother recommended Diare.â
âHer Majesty the Empress?â
âMm.â
âIs that okay with you, princess? If you intend to make a connection with the Wolfe family, there are many other children aside from me.â
At those careless words, Lilica tilted her head and asked.
âDiare, do you, perhaps, not want to be my conversational partner?â
âDo I have a choice?â
âYou do.â
Diare shut her mouth at Lilicaâs words. Then, Lilica laughed at the increased stubbornness on her face.
She smiled and spoke seriously.
âItâs my first time having a conversational partner. Although Diare is older than me, itâs my first time making a friend in the palace, so Iâm very excited.â
[T/N: the word for friend here is only used with people of the same age, and thereâs a different term for older/younger people.]
However.
Lilica took a deep breath.
âI donât know what mindset Diare was having while coming over. But Diare also has a choice.â
Being invited as a conversational partner for a member of the imperial family was a kind of honour, and at the same time, it was a duty that cannot be refused.
But right now, Princess Lilica was saying it was alright for her to refuse.
âWhy?â
An innocent question sprang up.
From a while ago, it was a series of scenes where others would shout, âHow rude,â when they heard it.
Lilica laughed.
âItâs because I donât want to become friends reluctantly.â
It was for a simple reason.
Lilica continued.
ââBecause Iâll benefit from being by her side as sheâs the princess, because Iâm curious about what would happen around the young princess, or because I like her.â Any reason is fine. Because the starting point can be anything. But I donât want to have a beginning with someone that doesnât want to have a beginning.â
It was something that could be fully understood.
Diare looked blankly at the princess, who was much smaller than her, and said.
âWhy do you think of yourself as a Takar, princess?â
At last, Brynn was unable to resist and shouted.
âYouâre being disrespectful. Watch your mouth.â
âBrynn, Iâm fine now.â
Lilica pulled on Brynâs skirt with a smile as she said that. She then spoke to Diare.
âItâs because His Majesty made me a Takar.â
Diaree frowned and sighed.
âThen what about you, princess? Does the princess like me? Are you reluctantly taking me as your conversational partner because the empress told you to do so?â
Lilica looked closely at Diare and replied.
âNo, I like Diare very much.â
Diareâs cheeks flushed at those words. She seemed quite angry.
âI know that Iâve been disrespectful thus far.â
âYes, but you wanted to be honest, didnât you?â
Although her method was very clumsy, the final question could be viewed as a worry from a certain angle.
Although someone said that it was alright to be a conversational partner, even so, Lilica wanted a conversational partner that would become her real friend.
Diareâs question was quite reasonable.
Why did she choose her, why was she giving her a choice, and was she perhaps doing this reluctantly.
She wasnât being disrespectful while pretending to be honest, but Diareâs way of showing consideration for Lilica.
Lilicaâs words caused Diareâs shoulders to slump.
âYouâre very mature, princess.â
Lilica looked perplexed at her remark.
âDo you dislike it?â
âWhat?â
When Diare asked again out of astonishment, Lilica let out a soft sigh and said.
âThere are some that dislike it when I act like an adult. Those words arenât like a child.â
Itâs not like a child.
It was repulsive.
Speaking precociously. A cunning child.
It is better for a child to be like a child.
Lilica has heard countless such stories. She kept her mouth shut up.
âBut they donât like it when Iâm like a child.â
Donât think youâll be loved just because youâre a child.
You have to take care of your own matters.
Thereâs no way Iâll let it slide just because youâre a child.
Work is work, why canât you understand that?
Sheâd been living amongst such people with a smile on her face.
It was up to the adults. As such, she didnât know what to do with a same-aged friend.
Diare opened her mouth after listening to Lilicaâs words, but a person popped out from the side with a rustle and said.
âYou donât have to care about those that say that. Princess.â
âLat?â
Lilica was surprised by the appearance of someone unexpected. Lat was holding a large scroll in his arms.
He smiled and gave his greetings.
âI greet the princess.â
Lilica also greeted him directly. She didnât expect to meet Lat in the garden.
âItâs wrong to eavesdrop.â
Then, Diare told Lat. Sheâd even raised her eyebrows and folded her arms.
Her insistent appearance with a small frame seemed rather confident, but her words and actions towards the chancellor of the empire were rather rude.
Lat laughed at the sight, saying, âAs expected.â
âI didnât eavesdrop on you, but itâs because you came in this direction while I was resting.â
âYou were resting?â
âYes, I was sick and tired of His Majesty bossing me around, so I was slacking off for a short while.â
Although that doesnât seem to be the case at all, Lilica nodded, thinking that that might be the case.
Lat said.
âAnyways, you donât have to worry about what youâve mentioned earlier. Those people were just speaking idly towards the weak as they pleased.â
Lat smiled.
âTheyâre unable to win with logic, so they attack the other partyâs personality. What a trashy way of doing things.â
âTrashyâŚâ
âThatâs right. The words that the princess said at the time werenât incorrect. You must have said the right thing. Since they were unable to refute, theyâd just say things like âYouâre being too much,â and âYouâre unlike a child.ââ
Lat spoke in an annoyed tone, before smiling.
âWe, who are smart, would endure for a while, and just slowly step on them little by little after becoming a high-ranking person. Itâs the same reasoning as âI canât hear you because youâre bald.ââ
At that moment, Lilica chuckled.
It was because the person that told her that was actually bald.
âYou can tell them that itâs because of that personality of yours that your hair ran off.â
Lilica asked.
âDid Lat do that?â
âYes, of course.â
Lat smiled gracefully.
The smile made Lilica think that Lat looked like Pi, but also like Diare thatâs before her.
He then sighed quietly and said.
âHere comes the annoying guy. Iâll be on my way then. I hope that youâll have a great day.â
After giving his greetings, Lat left hurriedly.
âThe annoying guy?â
Out of the people Lilica knows, only one person described Lat as a nuisance.
After a short while, Tan appeared as well. He greeted Lilica lightly.
âBy any chance, have you seen Lat? He must have passed by in this direction.â
âYes, he just passed by.â
Lilicaâs words made him click his tongue. He then reached out towards Diare, who frowned immediately and ducked away.
âPlease donât touch my hair.â
âOh, sorry.â
âEek,â Tan pulled back his hand and looked at Lauv. âNo,â Lauv said with a serious expression.
Lilica laughed.
âIâm okay with it.â
Tan grinned at her words.
âI canât, because I might get in trouble with His Majesty if I pat the princessâ head in a place where everyone is watching. Well then, please take good care of Diare.â
When Diare frowned at that remark, Tan quickly sidestepped away with a âEek .â
He disappeared and Lilica asked.
âYou donât like Tanâs care?â
âI want to gain my position with my own power, and not with the family headâs help.â
âThatâs amazing.â
âReally?â
Lilica nodded when Diare asked in surprise.
âOf course. Itâs hard to stand with your own power.â
Diare smiled slightly. She became serious again and spoke.
âIâm not a full Wolfe, my princess.â
Lilica tilted her head.
âWhat does that mean?â
âMy father is a Sandar. He and my mother werenât officially married, and my mother gave me to the Wolfe castle when she gave birth to me. So Iâm half-Sandar. And born out of wedlock at that. Would it still be alright if I became your conversational partner?â
Is that something very important?
While Lilica had such a question, this was probably an important issue for Diare.
Lilica spoke earnestly.
âI donât care.â
Diare smiled.
âThen I also want to be the princessâ conversational partner.â
âWow!â
As she let out an exclamation, Lilica grabbed her hand tightly. Diare added with an embarrassed smile.
âAnd I have a nickname.â
âWhat is it?â
Do friends call each other by their nicknames?
Lilica waited for Diareâs next words with a pounding heart.
ââDiare never puts up with itâ Thatâs my nickname.â
* * *
The Wolfe familyâs townhouses were always bustling.
âI heard that you became the Princessâ conversational partner?â
âLittle one? Oh, our little one has made a mark for herself.â
âDonât call me little one, Iâll kill you!â
âOf course the little one is called little one, oof.â
The Wolfe familyâs children avoided Diareâs kick and ran off in a swarm.
Diare went upstairs huffily.
Her room was simple.
Desk, closet, bed.
That was all, but it was still a space that was hers. She pulled out her chair and sat down at her desk.
âWhy am I still so small?â
She puffed up her cheeks.
While the children didnât particularly bully Diare, they looked down on her.
She was tired of everyone stroking her hair. She also hated it when others called her cute.
Sheâs small and cute and weak, screw that.
She had to be more aggressive and shout louder than everyone else in order to get what she wanted.
Whenever she does that, sheâll hear words like, âAs expected of someone with Sandarâs blood, thatâs why sheâs different.â
But on the other hand, the Sandars saw her and said, âAs expected, Wolfeâs blood flows through her.â
Her last name is Wolfe, but she felt scared when she thought that she should have gone to Sandar because of her petiteness.
But there obviously wouldnât be a place for her in Sandar too.
If she got angry about it, it became annoying as she looked âcuteâ instead of being intimidating.
As such, she could only speak and behave more roughly than others.
As a result, she was called âDiare never puts up with itâ for some reason.
âWhat a disgraceful nickname.â
Even though that was her opinion, she couldnât stand it all the time. A certain amount of anger was always contained within her heart.
She knew that it was a funny nickname, but she wanted to confide in the princess, her conversational partner
Diare was curious about what she would say.
However, when she heard Diareâs story, she made a mysterious humming sound. After a while, she just briefly said, âI see.â
The princess didnât say anything else about it.
âThe princess isâŚâ
Diare attached her cheek onto the desk lightly.
Her brown hair was rich and attractive.
Her eyes were a sparkling turquoise, and held the tint of the mysterious Lake Rudin.
âSheâs just like a dryad.â
Within the Wolfe Countyâs fief lay a deep coniferous forest.
As she walked amongst the ancient trees of the coniferous forest, which was called the Black Forest, she felt a sense of awe.
Trees that stood like pillars supporting the sky.
The dryad from the fairy tales gave a wise, beautiful, and secretive smile.
Diare thought that the tree fairies from her imagination looked very similar to the princess.
âNo, if sheâs a little taller.â
When she grows taller, her brown hair grows past her knees, and her eyes deepens.
Sheâll become exactly like a dryad from the illustrations.
She had to give a report once a day, but she couldnât write things like that there.
The words that Diare could use were words like sheâd become the princessâ friend. Those were the only words she could use.
âItâs not like the princess was an actual Takar either.â
How can she be so confident?
Diare jumped up from her seat.
This kind of lukewarm imagination doesnât suit her. Swinging a sword suited her much better than that.
âSwing the sword a thousand times.â
If she swung her sword until sheâs completely exhausted, her worries and thoughts would vanish into the distance.
Diare found that rather agreeable.
Suddenly, Diare thought of Lauv, who stood behind the princess like a shadow.
âI have to be much stronger.â
After setting a short-term goal, she clenched her fist.