Chapter 17. A Strong Ally
When Andy stepped in, Elena and Sienna hesitated. They had no problem being rude to me, just a count’s adopted daughter, but they couldn’t dare act the same way to the direct grandson of a Grand Duke?
I could understand Elena, but Sienna too?
Wow, classic case of bullying the weak and sucking up to the strong.
“That’s not what it was…”
“Wasn’t it ganging up?”
Andy asked, looking at me with his big, clear eyes.
“Andy’s right.”
There was no reason for me to deny it.
Upon hearing my agreement, Andy shouted even louder than before,
“Don’t gang up on my Sister-in-law!!”
Whoa! This five-year-old’s voice could shake the heavens. I felt it before, but again, his voice carried a thunderous weight.
Elena and Sienna were rendered completely powerless by Andy’s outburst.
What was funny was that even the prince said nothing to Andy. Did he get a briefing from the Empress before coming here?
Well, this is the Grand Duke’s family we’re talking about—they probably told him to behave with grace and dignity.
“Brother, didn’t Mother say we should get along with young master Rikael? Let’s go find him.”
Too bad. That young master had already gone off with the Crown Prince.
The greenhouse was vast and filled with so many trees that the two of them were completely out of sight.
Their goal must’ve been to get close to the heir of Arcades, but what a shame.
It was not like they could go crying to the Empress saying they fought with a five-year-old.
According to the maids, Rikael was close with both Ramel and Leo, but since only the two of them disappeared, maybe he wasn’t actually that close to Ramel?
Or maybe Ramel was too distracted by my beauty and missed the timing to follow Rikael.
The two siblings headed in the direction Rikael had disappeared. I took Andy’s hand and followed behind.
Sienna had always liked Rikael and worked hard to win his favor. Even though he was already engaged, it didn’t seem to change her attitude at all.
Sienna must’ve noticed us following and snapped her head back.
“Why are you following us?”
“We’re just going the same way.”
I looked at her as if to say, What’s the problem?
Annoyed, Sienna glared at me and hurried Elena along, picking up the pace.
They must’ve thought they could shake us off by walking faster. But since we were all in the greenhouse, Andy and I took our time strolling toward wherever they were headed.
I had every right to see what they were up to, especially around my fiancé.
In the distance, under the shade of lush green trees, I saw a small group gathered.
“It’s been a while, young master.”
As we got closer, I heard Sienna’s nasal voice ring out.
It was completely different from how she sounded when she was picking fights with me.
Of course, Rikael glanced at her once and then completely ignored her.
“You seem a lot taller than last time, young master.”
Despite her constant buzzing, Rikael didn’t respond at all.
Typical of him—Rikael never had any interest in girls’ flirting.
“Your Highness the Crown Prince, what were the two of you talking about?”
Unfazed, Sienna directed her question at Crown Prince Leo. His ocean-like blue eyes turned gently toward her, filled with calm.
“Nothing special.”
“Tch. I want to hang out with the young master too. I don’t know the names of these flowers. Could you walk around with me and teach me, young master?”
“I don’t feel like walking.”
Rikael didn’t bother hiding how annoyed he was.
Even after getting rejected, Sienna kept smiling. Her mental fortitude was something else.
“Oh! I see. I was actually feeling a bit tired too.”
Yeah, right. That was a pretty smooth excuse.
I nearly blurted out: ‘Get lost and stop hovering around my fiancé’, but Rikael was handling it fine on his own, so I didn’t need to step in.
“Do you still train in swordsmanship every day? You didn’t even respond when we sent an invitation.”
Ramel, who’d been quiet this whole time, finally joined the conversation.
“Been busy.”
Rikael replied curtly. Judging by the way he dropped honorifics, they must be on familiar terms.
If that was the case, maybe the three of them really were close…
“I heard we’re sending a diplomatic delegation to the Herthan Empire across the sea. What do you think, young master? Personally, I don’t think we need to bow our heads to them.”
“It’s not bowing. His Majesty is sending them to resolve a critical diplomatic issue.”
Crown Prince Leo answered in Rikael’s place.
Man, what kind of kids have conversations like this? Royal brats really are on another level.
“That’s one way to look at it. But I was curious what Rikael thought.”
Ramel grinned slyly as he looked at Rikael.
“Not really interested. That’s for the royal family to deal with.”
Rikael answered indifferently and, for whatever reason, wandered off on his own.
It didn’t seem like he was particularly affectionate with his own friends either. Maybe they were close, maybe not. Either way, I tried to comfort myself by thinking at least they don’t treat only me that way.
That’s when it happened.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Leo, Rikael’s friend.”
The Crown Prince addressed me politely. Leo had really become a decent human being.
He was on a completely different level from the other spoiled prince and princess. His voice was so gentle and kind that it made my heart open up before we even exchanged proper words.
In return, I clasped my hands together and bowed politely.
“Hello. I’m Ludia. Please feel free to speak casually.”
“Still, it’s our first time meeting.”
“But you’re the Crown Prince, aren’t you?”
I said as respectfully as I could. In the original story, I—or rather, Roella, who had been dragged away by her uncle—ended up killing Crown Prince Leo.
Of course, Roella didn’t know what she was doing.
Ramel had told her to bring him tea that was supposedly good for sleep, but it contained a poison that couldn’t be detected by even the most skilled tasters.
The Empress was the one who got the poison and gave it to Ramel. There was no real reason for me to feel guilty, but still, I did feel a bit sorry.
As I was quietly reflecting on the original plot, Sienna’s shrill voice rang out,
“Hey! So you talk down to us, but not to His Highness? Are you looking down on us?”
I almost said ‘Yes’, without thinking.
“It’s my choice.”
I expressed my feelings in slightly more polite terms.
“You little—”
Sienna glared at me, seething with rage. Her hand was visibly trembling, and it looked like she might slap me at any moment. Her breathing grew harsher and harsher, nearing its limit.
“Don’t gang up on my sister-in-law!!”
Andy shouted.
“And what if I do?”
Sienna shot back, no longer able to contain her anger.
She clearly didn’t have much patience.
Her glare was so sharp that Andy looked at me nervously, like a scared puppy.
“What should I do…?”
Why are you asking me that?
His eyes were so clear and innocent, like he might burst into tears if Sienna said one more thing.
Andy might bark, but he was still just a sweet little kid who didn’t really understand what was going on.
Clearly, Andy needed some proper training.
“Alright, Andy, listen carefully. I’ve never let anyone off the hook for messing with me. I either twist their wrists, smack them across the face, or give them a spinning side kick. There are lots of options.”
Everyone knew I was talking about Sienna, but I kept my eyes on Andy the entire time.
Maybe I said too much? Oh well—I’m counting on you, Andy.
Like a budding sprout, Andy’s light green eyes lit up and turned toward Sienna.
“Messing with Sister-in-law, smack wrist, spinning kick, lots of ways!”
His loud voice echoed so powerfully it felt like it could burst through the greenhouse ceiling.
The words got a bit jumbled, but he got the point across. If he keeps practicing like this, he’ll be a real force when he gets older.
“Hey! You little brat, watch your mouth!”
Sienna’s cheeks turned bright red. She seemed to have forgotten Andy was the youngest son of the Arcades family.
Why the hell was she freaking out at my Andy?
Just as I was about to speak up for him, Leo stepped between us.
“Sienna. That’s enough. Don’t threaten a child.”
He calmly gave her a warning, just like the kind and gentle person he was.
“It’s not a threat. I’m teaching him. These kids don’t seem to know how to behave around royalty.”
“He’s still young. Try to be understanding.”
“Exactly because he’s young, he needs to be taught properly. This kid has no manners!”
Sienna snapped, unable to hold back her temper.
She even dared to use a lecturing tone with the Crown Prince himself. And yet she was talking about manners?
