âThe title Prince is a bit distant, after all,â Lakius continued.
It had made me pause for a moment.
Laki.
I knew how much that nickname meant to Lakius.
That would also be the case for âLakiââŚ. The name by which the late empress, now deceased, used to call him.
It was described in the original story.
How starved for love Lakius was. How attached he was to his mother, the only person who ever loved him.
And so, after the empressâs death, he allowed only one person to use his precious nickname.
That person wasâŚâŚ.
âThe original heroine.â
Remembering that, my heart sank.
âI canât help it in a public place, but at least when Iâm alone with the lady.â
After a long pause, Lakius glanced over at me.
He gulped and turned to me.
ââŚâŚCould you please call me Laki from now on?â
I couldnât believe how cute and adorable he was at that moment.
âThen please call me Tati too!â
When I answered with my own nickname⌠I remember how his face lit up.
âWell, I suppose that makes me a little less likely to get my head cut off by him, doesnât it?â
I grinned inwardly until Lakius interrupted my reminiscing and brought me back to the present.
âBy the way, do you think itâs really alright that I come to this birthday party?â Lakius asked me anxiously.
âI donât think my masters will be too happy about thatâŚâŚ.â
âMmmâŚâŚ.â
âŚ..To be honest, I agree with the opinion that my three dads wouldnât like it very much.
I mean, theyâre oddly distrustful of Lakius.
But.
âItâs okay, I can handle my dads!â I said as I pumped my fists triumphantly. âItâs my birthday, and I want to spend it with the people I care about.â
ââŚâŚ.â
Lakiusâs red eyes wavered briefly.
And then.
Cautiously, he asked me, ââŚâŚ Am I someone important to you?â
âOf course!â I exclaimed and nodded.
What an absolutely obvious thing to say. Youâre going to be my lifeline in the future!
Then Lakius rolled his eyes and smiled prettily.
It was the same smile heâd had when heâd suggested we call each other by our nicknames.
ââŚâŚHmm, it stings a little when he likes it that much.â
Feeling a twinge of guilt, I looked away.
Then Lakius turned to me with a cheerful voice.
âBy the way, can I give you a present later at the birthday party?â
âYou have a present for me?â
âYes, of course. Itâs your birthday, isnât it?â
Oh, gosh.
I lamented inwardly.
Such a sweet, innocent child, and I was already calculating ways to save my own life.
Iâm starting to feel a bit repulsed by my shady characterâŚâŚ.
But then.
âTati, are you hurt?â
Lakius suddenly bent his head towards me.
âHeuk.â
I gulped.
No, why does he suddenly have to stick his face in my face? People get flustered â No! surprised!
At the same time, Lakius reached out and touched my forehead.
Unlike my hand, which was still the size of a ten-year-oldâs, his hand was firmly in the middle of puberty.
âYou donât have a feverâŚâŚ.â
âOf course, I donât have a fever â I donât even have a cold.â
I said sharply, causing Lakius to speak soothingly.
âYour expression suddenly darkened, and I was afraid you were unwell.â
He then asked in a gloomy voice, his eyebrows drawn down, ââŚ..Did you feel bad because I suddenly touched your forehead?â
Ugh.
Clearly, this guy is well aware that he has an incredibly pretty face. Thereâs no way he could use that beauty so effectively otherwise!
âI donât feel bad about it,â he mumbled.
And I, who am only a girl, canât resist the beauty of LakiusâŚâŚ. Embarrassed, I tugged on his wrist.
âForget it, letâs go find my dads.â
Lakius stared down at his wrist in my grasp, then nodded, looking strangely pleased.
âOkay.â
âŚâŚSeriously, you never know whatâs going through his mind.
I gave him a sideways glance.
Just a moment ago, I was the one throwing a tantrum. I couldnât figure out why he was so content, and I couldnât understand why.
And then.
I stiffened.
The world is a big place, and tastes vary.
They say there are some people, albeit in the minority, who have a secret taste for being bossed aroundâŚâŚ.
You donât think thatâs true, do you?
âNo. What do you think Iâm going to do with that innocent boy?â
I fumed inwardly, stamping my foot.
* * *
Walking down the corridor with Lakius in tow, strolling occasionally, I bumped into Nora.
âNora!â I exclaimed, jumping up and running into her arms.
She reflexively hugged me back.
âOh, my gosh, I donât want you to fall when youâre running so fast.â
âWhy should I worry about that? Nora will pick me up anyway.â
I smiled broadly, and Noraâs expression instantly softened.
âMy Little Miss, youâre so cute, what can I do?â
âHehe.â
I buried my head in Noraâs arms.
Even though everyone outside was forced to call me Princess, I was still âLittle Missâ when I was at home.
It was the same title I had been called as a child.
I like this one much better. It feels more intimate.
Pulling me into her arms, Nora curtsied to Lakius.
âHis Highness, the First Prince.â
âHello, Nora.â
Maybe itâs because Iâve been raised by three dads for so long. The servants, who were initially nervous about the First Princeâs status, seem to be quite comfortable with him now.
Especially Nora, who is my nanny and sees his face often as he comes and goes. They had become so familiar that they now greet each other.
âHow does your new wooden sword fit in your hand?â
âVery well, thank you.â
Lakius gave a small nod.
Then Nora raised an eyebrow at him.
âThat wooden sword, it was chosen by the Lord himself, and he examined it carefully, from the center of gravity to the length.â
âReally?â
Lakius looked surprised.
But I wasnât surprised at all.
After all, the three dads were serious about teaching Lakius. In fact, it was inevitable.
The three dads were desperate for an heir, and here was Lakius, a child so talented that he could be the hero of a whole world.
How could it not be genuine?
Except.
âWell, Iâm not really teaching him because I like the First Prince.â
âI only took him on as a pupil because I donât have anybody else.â
âDonât be misled, I only accepted him because of his circumstances.â
âŚ..The problem is that theyâre being unnecessarily grumpy in front of Lakius.
âSeriously, Dads arenât honest with themselves, right?â
I sighed heavily, suddenly feeling a sense of crisis creeping up on me.
Anyway, when will I be able to awaken as a demon? When will I be able to control my demon energy, let alone awaken it?
I had done everything I could.
I read every book in the townhouse library.
Eventually, with permission, I even searched the Imperial Library.
I even got to know the manager of the Imperial Library so well that we greet each other and sometimes have tea together!
But nothing came of itâŚâŚ.
âWell, itâs not like Iâm hiding my power from myself.â
At least the number of demonic seizures has decreased considerably lately.
In the beginning, I vomited blood every single day, but these days, itâs about getting sick two or three times a year?
âWell, Iâve improved a lot at this level!â
Trying to stay positive, I dropped both my shoulders once again.
ââŚâŚ However, the movements of the demonic world are suspicious.â
The Bartoloa Clan.
Although it is true that they are incredibly unlucky, it must be admitted that they are quite capable. They didnât become the eternal number two in the Demon Realm for nothing.
By now, they should have stabilized the entirety of the Demon Realm that the warriors had turned upside down.
And yet, the Demon Realm remained silent.
The dads were probably relieved to know that all five demon lords had been destroyedâŚâŚ.
But I knew of the existence of the Bartoloa Clan.
Maybe thatâs why I sometimes felt my heart grow cold, as if Iâd swallowed a large block of ice.
âTati.â
Just then, someone called out to me, his voice full of concern.
It was Lakius.
âHeuk.â
I snapped out of my thoughts and looked back at Lakius.