One Day, I Found the Emperor's Niece

“Yukar.”

 

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

 

Yukar lowered his head deeper at the voice he suddenly heard.

 

“Even if she is a witch, she will not be deluded, so don’t worry about me.”

 

What does this mean? Yukar lowered her head and blinked her eyes.

 

“Is there anyone who will kill me?”

 

Bang-. 

 

The door was closed. When Yukar looked up, Carlix had disappeared without a trace.

 

“…”

 

Yukar was dumbfounded.

 

“Is there anyone in the world who cares about His Majesty…?”

 

It was just a hint of the princess’s worries… Yukar’s voice could not reach anyone and resonated in the empty library. How much time has passed? Yukar came to his senses and frowned.

 

“I’m worried about the princess!”

 

As Yukar shouted, his glasses fell down the bridge of his nose. Yukar sighed, his glasses slanted.

 

* * *

 

I signed a temporary contract after a bloodless engagement. My job was to cling to Rubelin’s side, play the role of babysitter, and teach strength control classes for two hours every morning. I read the terms and signed, but now that I think about it, I think I signed it half-heartedly because I couldn’t resist Carlix’s threats. I should have looked into whether there was a poison clause, but maybe I was hasty. Above all, I felt like Coba with my eyes open because I didn’t have a single contract.

 

‘Post performance reports every day.’

 

I barely left the office after receiving Carlix’s cold command, but I was taken straight to the training room for the handover. I had to listen to Rubelin’s information and lectures while receiving the glare of an educator named Maevern whom I had seen in the emperor’s office. Maevern was in charge of the princess’s education, and the things he listed were more impossible than possible. ‘You must be stingy with compliments.’, ‘Be enthusiastic in class.’, ‘You must not make eye contact with the princess often.’, ‘Avoid physical contact.’, ‘Always have strength so that you can wear it at any time. ‘Carry protective clothing’ etc. Eventually, Maebern’s wooden stick reached the last number. This time, I was passionate about the qualifications of educational officers.

 

“That is why only excellent graduates of the historic Imperial Academy will be appointed as the princess’s tutor. So, I, a man of great culture and knowledge, blah blah la la-”

 

Ha. I covered my mouth with my hand and opened my mouth wide. After finishing his heated conversation, Maebern turned around.

 

“Do you understand?”

 

“Yes-yes?”

 

I yawned and put my hand down in shock. Mae Vern opened her eyes with a suspicious expression.

 

“Are you listening?”

 

“I’m listening!”

 

“Is that true?”

 

“Sure!”

 

Maevern passed over with a shocked expression. To be honest, the handover of Mebern was meaningless to me. If Rubelin’s beanbag is removed, he will quit his job as an instructor. I yawned again and looked at the green blackboard with teary eyes. The writing on the blackboard was mumbling. Mae Vern was relieved to see her pick up her eraser and wipe the blackboard. Huh, I’m glad though. It’s over now. I was getting up from the sofa feeling relieved, but suddenly Mebern’s voice stopped me.

 

“Okay, next time!”

 

Next? I was astonished and raised my gaze straight up. The golden round clock hanging above the blackboard was ticking hard. Oh my gosh, I’ve been explaining this for two hours already! Mae Vern seemed like the type of person who found joy in sharing her knowledge. She saw the faint smile on his face as evidence of that. Even those who listened to him during his endless lectures would have left.

 

“Now, this time-”

 

“Maebern!”

 

I raised my hand and cut off Maebern’s words.

 

“I have a question.”

 

He had an unpleasant expression on his face, but his face widened when he was told that he had a question. He quickly sat down on the sofa across from me.

 

“What are you curious about? Ask me anything!”

 

What was there? He violently rolled his head to stop the long lecture. There were more than one or two things I was curious about at the imperial palace, but among them, I needed to ask a question about Rubelin. I was wondering… Oh. I hurriedly opened the conversation to a question that came to my mind like a flash of light.

 

“Why was the princess in our village?”

 

I had doubts from the moment I hugged Rubelin at the back door. Maevern snorted her breath and spoke with a proud look on her face.

 

“That is to show the princess the scene outside her imperial palace. This is to feel the peaceful atmosphere of the empire, as academics alone have their limits.”

 

I slowly rubbed my chin and was lost in thought. No way. As far as I know from the original work, Rubelin cannot leave the imperial castle. Maebern read my question and snapped his fingers making a clicking sound.

 

“Lucina. Her Majesty persuaded her ministers to revise her imperial education law for the princess.”

 

“The law?”

 

“Yes, the imperial education law prohibits members of the royal family from going out until they are able to use their abilities proficiently.”

 

Oh, it’s different from the original? I frowned because I didn’t understand. Unlike me, Maebern looked up at the ceiling with an ecstatic expression.

 

“Oh, I can’t forget that day.”

 

“That day?”

 

“You said this while holding a knife to the throat of a minister who opposed the princess’s outing, saying it would create fear and pose a threat to her people! ‘Do you really want to know what the threat is?’ Wow, it was an honor to be able to see that scene!”

 

Admiration… You did it, right? Maebern suddenly lowered her eyes and became depressed as she remembered something.

 

“But I couldn’t just be happy. It was secretly revised due to complaints from officials that it was causing anxiety among the people of the empire. It’s just a guess, but I suspect His Majesty did it because of his childhood.”

 

“Childhood?”

 

“He was a man with unprecedentedly powerful magical powers, so the process wasn’t easy.”

 

Maevern seemed reluctant to speak, but as someone who knew the original work, his words struck me vividly. Because Carlix also always had to live in captivity. I scratched her cheek with my fingers. Seeing as he’s doing this, it doesn’t seem like he hates Rubelin… Just as I was lost in thought, Maebern jumped up from her sofa and headed to the blackboard.

 

“Okay, let’s continue with the next lecture.”

 

“Yes?”

 

Her mind went blank. She asked a question she was trying to get over, but now she’s starting over. Maebern held up her chalk and smiled brightly.

 

“Ha! Now that we have explained the qualifications, the following are the values of past educational institutions.”

 

“…”

 

“Now, look. The educator who wrote ‘My child can go to the Imperial Palace Academy?!’ said la la la la la-”

 

I was mesmerized by the lively appearance of Maevern. 

 

* * *

 

I stumbled out of the training room like a dried fish in the sun. That Too Much Talker… Ugh, I groaned and touched my forehead. After listening to his lecture for three hours, she developed a headache that she had never had before.

 

“Damn it!”

 

Rubelin ran and hugged her, her cotton candy-like hair flowing. I almost fell behind her because of her rubelin in her arms. No matter how much you control your strength, it is difficult for a child to have physical strength. I stroked Rubelin’s hair.

 

“Did you wait?”

 

“Huh!”

 

Rubelin raised her head and smiled brightly. The egg was in her mouth and she looked like a squirrel hiding an acorn in her mouth. No, looking at its red eyes, it would be correct to say it is a rabbit. Her lollipop bulged and she patted her cheek. It took quite a while, but you waited for me. When she turned her head, it was already dark outside the window.

 

“It must have been difficult for the princess.”

 

“Yes-“

 

Rubelin shook her head.

 

“You said it wasn’t hard?”

 

“No! Not that one!”

 

Rubelin shook her head more strongly than before.

 

“Princess?”

 

Rubelin puffed out her cheeks like a puffer fish. What’s not to like about her?

 

“Early!”

 

“What’s your name?”

 

Are you asking me to call you by name? But… I glanced at the training room. Aren’t you going to scold me for daring to put the princess’s name in her mouth?

 

“Early!”

 

Even though I was worried for a moment, I had no choice but to spit it out due to Rubelin’s urging.

 

“Yes, Rubelin.”

 

Rubelin shook her head, as if that did not please her.

 

“Yeah, really, Rubelin?”

 

“Huh!”

 

Only then did Rubelin smile with satisfaction. I sighed after passing the long gate. Can it really be like this? At that moment, a gentle old woman with a neat appearance who was waiting bowed down.

 

“Greetings, Lucina. I am Linel, Chamberlain.”

 

Chamberlain? I looked at the gray hair and lowered my head in despair.

 

“It’s Lucina.”

 

When I greeted him face to face, Linel lifted his hips and turned around with an expressionless expression.

 

“Then I’ll show you where to stay, so please follow me.”

 

The greeting, which I thought would last a few more words, was cut off briefly. I scratched my head and lifted my back. Are cool-headed remarks a prerequisite for the royal family? I wonder if Rubelin will be okay in a place like this. She was hypocritically worried about Rubelin, a subject she had already vowed to leave. When he couldn’t hear my footsteps, Linel quickly turned around.

 

“Lucina, I will guide you this way.”

 

“Let’s go! You’re going to sleep with me!”

 

Rubelin blocked my path with her arms wide open. Linel lowered her head with an embarrassed expression.

 

“I beg your pardon, but Your Majesty has ordered us to prepare a separate room.”

 

“Uh-huh! I am clear! Tell me you’re sleeping with me!”

 

I opened my eyes wide in surprise. As a princess, her words were quite strong. Linel was probably surprised as well, and his expression of surprise was evident on his stiff face the whole time.

 

“I can’t believe you expressed your opinion so strongly…”

 

Rubelin kept her posture with her arms outstretched, showing no intention of backing down. 

 

Deruk.

 

In her silence, I could hear the candy rolling around in her mouth and rubbing against her teeth.

 

“Use it.”

 

Her candy was too big to close her mouth, so Rubelin sucked in the saliva that dripped between her teeth. Cute… I clutched my aching heart and looked down at the round head like a chestnut. There were a few cracks in its dignity, but it didn’t matter because it was cute. That could be because the candy is big. Shit, of course. After some silent fighting, Linel let out a shallow sigh and turned around.

 

“First, I will report to Your Majesty.”

 

Rubelin relaxed her stance only after Linell had disappeared to the end of her hallway. She placed both hands on her waist and looked back triumphantly.

 

“Damn, I’m cool!”

 

“Yes, it’s cool.”

 

No, not this.

 

“You’re cool, Rubelin.”

 

I stroked her head with the hope that she would grow up confidently and handsomely in the future. Maebern’s warning about being stingy came to mind, but I quickly erased it. I have to praise Rubelin generously even while I’m here.

 

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