At first, they weren’t so casual around the princess.
When an unexpected little girl was born, they weren’t charmed by her cuteness—they were intimidated.
They rarely had encounters with nobles above the rank of baron, let alone a princess!
And a royal child suddenly appearing in this rough, barren land?
Her gleaming golden hair, a symbol of royalty, and her crystal-blue eyes were things they had never seen before.
She was breathtakingly adorable, yet impossibly distant and unapproachable.
Even the imperial palace sent the finest baby supplies to celebrate her birth.
“If we make one wrong move, we’re done for! But we don’t even know what ‘wrong’ might be!”
Because of this, they kept their distance from the princess, including Arthur.
They thought it best to leave the task of raising a noble child to the dethroned empress.
The imperial palace even offered to send a wet nurse, tutors, and royal guards for the princess, but the dethroned empress refused.
“I will take full responsibility for her upbringing and protection. Please, as long as I live, let me spend as much time as possible with my daughter. A wet nurse and guards from the North will suffice.”
The imperial palace granted her wish, as they believed she didn’t have much time left.
In truth, the dethroned empress made this request because she feared that if Ivnoa grew attached to the palace staff, she might beg to leave for the imperial palace alone.
And so, the baby grew into a child.
It was around then that the people of the estate started noticing something odd.
“…Ivnoa is a bad girl.”
“Pardon?”
“Ivnoa is a mean girl.”
“W-what?”
People were shocked to find the little princess mumbling gloomily to herself.
“No, Your Highness! Why would you say such a thing? You’re not a bad girl or a mean girl!”
“Then why am I always alone?”
“Alone…?”
“Everyone else has two, three, even five. But I’m the only one who has just one.”
The little girl sat there, draped in luxurious clothes and glittering jewels, looking utterly miserable.
Hearing this, Kayan spoke matter-of-factly.
“She says she’s the only one alone.”
“Kayan, you should address her as ‘Your Highness.’ Not that I really know the rules, either…”
“Really? Then, Your Highness says she’s the only one alone.”
Ivnoa sniffled, then let out a loud wail. Arthur, who had been standing awkwardly in the background, had no choice but to comfort and hold her.
The child clung tightly to him, wrapping her tiny arms around his neck, unwilling to let go, as if longing for warmth.
From then on, they took turns playing with her. Even Kayan wasn’t an exception.
Occasionally, they’d wonder, “Is this really how we should treat the princess?” But every time they saw Ivnoa leaving the dethroned empress’s room in the morning, shoulders drooping dejectedly, their bodies moved before their thoughts could.
And Ivnoa… she naturally clicked with them.
She preferred a toy sword over sparkling rattles and found fairy tale books boring, choosing instead to stay up all night reading weapon encyclopedias.
After spending twelve years together, it was no wonder they no longer felt intimidated by her.
“Still, Kayan.”
Hans spoke cheerfully.
“Why are you acting so formal? You only used to do that when the crown prince or other royal palace folks visited. Her Highness might feel hurt.”
Kayan crossed his arms and sighed, unsure where to begin explaining.
Eventually, he said with a complicated expression,
“The situation is different now. Her Highness Ivnoa is royalty.”
“She wasn’t royalty before?”
“She was, but now we have to follow proper decorum. This is the capital, and things are very different now.”
Kayan’s face grew solemn as he issued a firm command.
“You all need to stop being so casual with her. Acting like before might come across as improper and vulgar, so be cautious from now on. Keep in mind, treating her too informally might land you in trouble.”
“Yes, sir! Understood!”
But they didn’t seem particularly attentive.
It was no surprise—unlike Kayan, who had once been harshly scolded and disowned as a friend, they hadn’t faced such consequences for their actions.
Meanwhile, Ivnoa, who had been devouring her snack, suddenly set down her fork with a decisive clink.
“Anyway, this works out perfectly. I was planning to summon everyone to the conference room.”
“…Conference room?”
“Yes, this is the conference room.”
Everyone looked around in shock.
Hans scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
“Oh, really? I thought it was just an enormous dining table.”
So this was the conference room.
Kayan bit his lip.
His only experience in the capital had been a brief few days a year ago.
But he knew one thing: the world of nobles held far too many things he didn’t understand.
“Even the layouts of their estates seem standardized. That’s apparently part of their refinement.”
In the North, protecting against the cold and invasions was the highest priority. That’s why the structure of houses was determined flexibly, based on the terrain at the time.
“There was a standardized system we didn’t know about. Even rooms here have ranks.”
Kayan mumbled slowly, piecing this together from Ivnoa’s words.
“That’s right, in a sense.”
Ivnoa smiled, clasped her hands, and rested them on the table. Then, with a bright smile on her face, she spoke.
“For now, I’d like to ask about this utterly disastrous mess, so please answer quickly.”
…Huh?
Everyone was stunned by Ivnoa’s words.
“A mess? We spent a lot of money on this, though.”
Ever since their arrival in the capital, they had gone to a tailor as a group to get outfits made, given the climate difference.
Kayan, now a proper young viscount, had ordered several expensive formal outfits, which the madam had assured them were made with “the finest fabric and most luxurious design.”
When traveling to the palace, they even used the expensive, high-end carriage that came with the estate they’d purchased. Northerners usually rode horses or reindeer and weren’t accustomed to carriages.
But a “disastrous mess”?
“If you don’t mind, could you tell me which economically clueless idiot purchased this estate?”
At Ivnoa’s polite question, Kayan answered with a hesitant expression.
“I bought it myself.”
After arriving in the capital, he was introduced to a real estate agent at a street stall and immediately bought this estate from them.
Hearing this, Ivnoa took a deep breath. She clenched her teeth and offered a strained compliment.
“Wow, paying such a huge sum upfront… That’s incredibly bold. You’ve got guts. You’re destined for greatness.”
The knights next to Kayan cheered enthusiastically at her words.
“Right? She’s absolutely correct! Haha!”
“He’s so sharp! He even asked about the size of the property, but we didn’t know a thing!”
“And he managed to negotiate a great deal! We even got the high-end carriage and all the furnishings included!”
“…”
Only Kayan, noticing the vein throbbing on Ivnoa’s temple, realized something was off.
Still smiling, she asked through gritted teeth, “So, you also got that pathetic excuse for furniture and the carriage that looks like garbage saluting its commander… included, huh? What about a coachman?”
Hans, who had been doubling as the coachman, tilted his head and answered, “A coachman? A person can’t be included in the sale, can they?”
“So, you didn’t think to hire a coachman?”
“We’re more comfortable on horseback. We hardly ever use carriages, so why would we hire one?”
Ivnoa took another deep breath. Then, looking directly at Kayan, she spoke as sweetly as possible.
“Where is that damned real estate agent now? What’s their name?”
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