/
I jumped to my feet, startled.
A shadow fell over Lakius’s handsome face as he interpreted my surprised reaction.
But only for a moment.
His gloomy mood vanished, and he flashed me a picturesque smile.
“Forgive me, but I must excuse myself.”
Then he jumped to his feet and headed to the door. It was as if he thought it was natural for me to dislike him.
Panicking, I reflexively grabbed Lakius.
“Hey, where are you going?”
“I know you’re not comfortable with me in the same place, so make yourself comfortable.”
Ugh, that’s some bullshit.
I like you, except for the fact that you’re the male lead who’s going to cut my throat in the future.
He is, after all, the protagonist of one of my favorite novels. How could I not like him?
“Tati is not uncomfortable.”
“What?”
Lakius looked back at me with the eyes of a surprised rabbit.
I bit my lip and pondered why I’d done that.
‘No, honestly, it is uncomfortable. Yes, but…’
Still, I felt much more sorry for Lakius. He’s only four years older than me.
A boy of only eight years old, skillfully hiding his expression with a masked smile like that.
I couldn’t imagine what he must be going through.
Maybe that’s why I couldn’t leave him alone…….
‘Oh, I don’t know.’
My heart sank for a moment. I swallowed hard and looked at Lakius.
How can I stand here and pretend I don’t know Lakius? How could I do that?
If I make friends with Lakius here, maybe he’ll spare my life in the future!
“Don’t go, play with me, okay?”
Having made my decision, I called out to Lakius with a twinkle in my eye.
But Lakius hesitated, unable to approach me easily.
“Uh, but…”
I scratched my head.
“Why not?”
Was there something wrong with me?
Then, after a long pause, Lakius cautiously opened his mouth.
“The Queen will not be pleased if you stay with me, and neither will the Second Prince…….”
“…….”
I found myself momentarily speechless.
That look of fear of being hated by everyone kept overlapping with the old me.
He’s the male lead of this world, and he’s going to get everything he wants in the future.
…… But why does he look so lonely right now?
Perhaps that was why.
That’s why my mouth moved of its own accord, and I blurted out.
“Even so, I like the first prince.”
Lakius’s eyes widened once more. But the words were already out.
I swallowed hard, something hot rising in the back of my throat, and then I smiled brazenly.
“Tati wants to play with the First Prince. Does the First Prince want to play with Tati?”
“…….”
Lakius stared at me for a long moment.
He bit his lip, then shook his head with an awkward smile.
“No, I can’t.”
That little smile was not the smooth one he had been wearing like a mask before.
It’s more like he didn’t know what expression to make, so he clumsily pushed up the corners of his lips.
I felt sorry for him.
….there was a bitter taste in my mouth.
***
Apparently, Lakius had almost no interaction with peers his age.
That was how Lakius’s past was described in the original work.
The emperor was indifferent to him, and he was constantly belittled by the queen and the second prince, so he didn’t have any real friends. Perhaps that’s why Lakius was such a reclusive boy.
It was up to me to keep the conversation going.
“You have beautiful eyes, Prince!” I blurted out, and he looked a little surprised.
“My eyes?”
“Yes!” I nodded enthusiastically.
Those red eyes, clear as rubies, were inherited from Lakius’s mother, the Empress.
The Kingdom of Carolingian.
The birthplace of the now-deceased Empress, and a kingdom on the border of the Demon Realm.
The Descartes Empire formed an alliance with the kingdom through an arranged marriage with the Empress, and the Carolingian Kingdom served as a shield against the direct invasion of demons into the Empire.
Well, due to the subsequent demon invasion, the Kingdom of Carolingian disappeared from the face of the earth, but…….
Anyway, among the Carolingian royalty, those who have inherited the blood are said to manifest those red eyes.
“Cherry blossoms! Shiny!”
“……Cherry?”
“Yes!”
Lakius gave me a strange look, but I was serious.
For some reason, looking into those eyes reminded me of the red color of the cherry pie I’d recently eaten for dessert. Those glazed cherries were so shiny and bright.
“I want another one. I’ll have to ask Nora to bring me some when I get home,” I said to myself.
“What’s so pretty about that? It makes him look like a monster,” someone said in a grumpy voice.
Huh? This voice?
I whirled around, and my eyes widened. Isn’t that the second prince from earlier?
The second prince, Rudolph.
He was the half-brother of Lakius and the son of the current queen.
I think he’s seven this year…….
“It’s like a pair of red monster’s eyes. Is there any reason to make it so obvious that you have the blood of a fallen dynasty?”
……What kind of seven-year-old has a foul mouth like that?
“So don’t brag, saying you’re the Empress’s son, and that you are only the one with the right blood.”
“…….”
Rudolph strode over and glared at Lakius.
Lakius turned to face Rudolph with an expressionless face.
“You don’t think a dynasty that’s already fallen is worth anything, do you, you worthless rag?”
“…….”
“Why don’t you answer me?! Are you ignoring me?!”
Rudolph, who had been barking all along, was now getting angry at him…….
‘Oh, maybe.’
For a moment, I blinked.
‘Is he feeling inferior to Lakius?’
In accordance with the principle that there was only one Empress, the empress’s seat was left vacant after her early death.
The Marquises of Philomel, the queen’s family, were considered one of the most prestigious families in the Empire.
Even such a family could not break that rule.
Furthermore, the Empress was a royal princess of the Carolingian Kingdom, so Lakius was technically the only son born to the Emperor and Empress. Lakius’s red eyes were also proof of his bloodline.
The strange thing is.
‘Why isn’t Lakius upset at all after hearing that?’
If I were him, I would have flipped over immediately, but Lakius was just silent.
… As if he had given up on everything.
Besides, the situation itself was very strange.
‘What the hell are the nursery maids doing?’
I glanced around.
‘Shouldn’t they be stopping the imperial prince from being so rude?’
At that moment, I noticed. The nursery maids were averting their eyes and shaking their heads in panic.
It was clear that they didn’t want to get involved in this chaos.
‘Ah.’
I felt like I had been hit in the head.
Lakius had been neglected like this every time.
So….
“And you.”
Just then, Rudolph glared at me with a piercing gaze.
Huh? Me?
I felt a little dumbfounded.
No, why is he suddenly spitting fire at me?
But Rudolph looked like he was going to eat me at any moment.
“Do you really think you’re something just because you’re here with a bunch of brave warriors?”
Excuse me, I didn’t say anything like that……?
But Rudolph didn’t give me time to defend myself.
“The royals purposely came to the great hall first and waited, out of respect for the warriors.”
Rudolph glared at me, his eyes flaring.
“It’s not because the royals are lower than the warriors!”
At the same time, I had an epiphany.
Ah, so that’s why.
Why the Emperor seemed to be in such a low mood!
The imperial family entered the great hall before the three warriors!
‘How shameless.’
I narrowed my eyes.
They’re all warriors who have protected the human realm, and they’re making such a fuss over a simple matter of entering the banquet hall first?
Usually, people of higher status are allowed to enter later than people of lower status, but it depends on the occasion.
Sometimes, like in this case, the main characters of the banquet are coming separate, so that they can get all the attention.
It’s customary for them to enter late.
Nora certainly told me that, as she explained how great the three heroes were.
So, to be fair, they weren’t doing anything against etiquette!
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