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“Even if they are the heroes who protected humanity, how can they make my father and mother wait?!”
Rudolph’s voice was constantly rising with each new thing he said..
“We shouldn’t have given them a victory party in the first place. The universe rebelled!”
I had another realization. Aha, the whole victory party was about crying and eating mustard?
(T/N: When someone is forced to do something he or she would rather not do, but pretends to enjoy it, anyway.)
Well, it was strange that the heroes who saved the entire human race didn’t even get to have a victory ceremony.
“Even if the heroes have become your guardians, stop hanging on their shoulders and sticking your nose up like you’re worth something.”
Rudolph scowled as he scanned me from head to toe. It was a mean expression, unbecoming of a seven-year-old.
And I was…… stunned.
This kid, barely seven years old, has already learned to look down on people? This kid is not going to be good, is he?
“But if they didn’t protect the human world, wouldn’t His Majesty the Emperor and the queen be dead?”
I looked at Rudolph with narrowed eyes.
“If I were you, I would be grateful to the people who saved me. The heroes saved Tati, and I’m very grateful to them.”
“What, you little rat!”
“Oh, but there’s one thing.”
I shook my head and added, pretending I didn’t know what I was talking about.
“Tati only ever saw the warriors in the Demon Castle; I did not see a single imperial knight.”
“…….”
I must have hit a sore spot.
Rudolf’s face turned bright red.
I quickly retraced the contents of the original.
‘Did the imperial family really do nothing in this war?’
Even while the Duke of Orleans, the Temple, and the Mage Tower were working together to establish a revolutionary feat.
The Imperial Knights kept backing away under the pretext of protecting the imperial family.
“What were they doing at the imperial palace while the warriors were attacking the Demon King Castle?”
“This, this!”
At a loss for words, Rudolph raised his hand.
Whoa, are you going to hit me?!
I flinched and reflexively closed my eyes tightly.
“Your Highness, the Second Prince!”
“‘Go, hold him……!”
The frightened nursery maids scrambled to stop Rudolph.
But I didn’t feel the expected pain.
Huh?
I slowly lifted my eyelids and saw an incredible sight.
Lakius had grabbed Rudolph’s wrist!
“Rudolph, stop.”
“Get off me! How dare that little thing!”
Rudolph twisted his wrists frantically, trying to break free from Lakius’s grasp.
But Lakius didn’t budge.
“It’s the truth.”
“What?”
Rudolph’s eyes narrowed and he glared at Lakius.
And then.
“Ugh.”
Rudolph swallowed hard.
The serene red eyes were staring straight at Rudolph. Rudolph felt an odd sense of pressure, even though Lakius was just looking.
“Miss Tatiana speaks the truth.”
” Hey, you’re talking nonsense!”
“Isn’t it true…… that they left the front lines to the warriors, and the imperial family stayed behind?”
To be honest, I understood Lakius’ reaction a hundred times over.
The Carolingian Kingdom, Lakius’s only family, had been destroyed by demons while serving as a shield for the Empire.
All the while, the imperial family stood idly by, leaving humanity’s salvation up to the three brave warriors.
How angry and frustrated he must have been.
What I know was plainly obvious but Rudolf…that brat didn’t seem to notice that at all.
Rather, he yelled at him.
“You, you are the Crown Prince of the empire……!”
“The Crown Prince of the Empire,” Lakius twisted the corner of his lips. It was a smile like a sharpened blade.
“Before you were talking about what a fallen dynasty is worth,” Lakius commented, tilting his head at an angle. “…… and now you’re telling me I’m the Crown Prince of an empire?”
His voice was calm, but the emotion in his voice was very real.
Anger, disappointment, and self-mockery……. They were far too heavy and painful for a child Lakius’s age to harbor.
But then.
“What’s all the fuss about?”
A sharp voice asked.
‘Whew, it’s Siegfried!’
Behind him were Kirios and Cesar, and the emperor and the queen!
I, as well as Lakius and Rudolf, were stunned into silence.
When the commotion subsided, Siegfried turned to the nursery maids.
“What are the two princes doing here?”
“That, that…….”
The nursery maids lowered their heads and averted their gazes.
His golden eyes narrowed.
“Furthermore, while both of them were arguing like this, why didn’t the nursery maids stop them?”
The maids exchanged glances, then glanced at Lakius.
At the same time, my heart sank. Lakius’s face was expressionless again. As if he didn’t expect any protection.
Like he was already used to people pointing fingers at him…….
‘Yeah, he’s just an eight-year-old kid.’
He’s far too young to learn to quit and give up.
“Lakius, that bastard grabbed my wrist!”
At the same time, Rudolph shouted at Lakius. Then Rudolph faked a pained expression and ran back into the queen’s arms.
“Look, my wrist is red!”
“…….”
Lakius was unapologetic. He didn’t make any excuses.
He looked like me, when I was accused by demons and had no defense.
‘Then.’
I gritted my teeth.
‘If Lakius cannot defend himself, I will defend him!´
“The Second Prince was trying to slap Tati!” I exclaimed, jumping to my feet.
“…….”
“…….”
“…….”
As though I’d thrown cold water on him, his voice fell silent. I cast a sharp glance at Rudolph.
‘You think I’m allowing Lakius to take all the blame?!’
Startled, Rudolph stammered.
“What, what, what nonsense……!”
“That’s why the First Prince grabbed the Second Prince’s wrist – to stop him from hitting Tati! It wasn’t the First Prince’s fault!”
Lakius stared at me blankly.
Like a red blossom budding on a parched branch.
For the first time, life flashed in his red eyes.
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