The Two Babies Changing the Original Story Chapter 14

Why would she watch training? And why did she think it looked cool?

Ellia the princess was truly impossible to understand.

If she were a knight, she might think he was trying to steal training secrets, but a princess who loved sweets and dresses didn’t seem like someone who would do that.

The royal family always used the Berndt Knight Order whenever things got hard. And yet, they also feared rebellion and constantly kept the duchy in check.

For the Berndt family, the content of their training was a matter of survival.

If any other royal had asked to see their training, they would have refused.

But if it was Princess Ellia… Maybe it would be okay? That thought crossed his mind.

“…Someday… if there’s a chance…”

In the end, Cleus answered as if entranced.

“You have to!”

“…Yes.”

Once she got his permission, Ellie grew cheerful and started offering him all kinds of food.

“This one’s good! Try it!”

Snapping back to his senses, Cleus quickly reached for the food.

And then… he froze at the sight in front of him.

Why in the world—

The princess.

Was tearing into a piece of steak with her teeth like a bandit.

“Wow! It’s so good!”

Completely oblivious to Cleus’s stare, Ellie gnawed on the steak she had stabbed with her fork, a handful of fruit clutched in her other hand.

“If you eat it with fruit together, like this, it’s really tasty! Try it!”

She even offered it to him.

Was she saying it tasted better because she ate it like a wild barbarian? Or that the food was tasty enough to eat in such a ridiculous way? Cleus couldn’t tell.

“Uh…”

From the moment he was born, Cleus had been strictly trained as the heir of the ducal house.

From an age too young to remember, he had been taught expressions, eye contact, posture—everything.

All heirs of noble houses were raised this way. It was normal—Cleus had accepted it as such.

But the most noble princess in the entire kingdom was shattering every rule he had ever lived by. And at the same time, the world as he knew it was shattering with her.

“D-does it taste good?”

“Yeah! Here!”

Ellie tore off a chunk of meat with her hands and placed it directly on Cleus’s plate.

Her brother always seemed neat and tidy, but sometimes he lived surprisingly freely.

“Food tastes best when you eat it with your hands.”

That had been her brother’s firm belief.

And surprisingly, anything her brother fed her with his hands really did taste better.

Ellie wanted Cleus to enjoy the food just as much.

“You… don’t want it?”

Cleus only stared at the piece of meat she’d put on his plate, not touching it.

Only then did Ellie realize he had never let go of his utensils even for a second.

“Oh… table manners!”

Ellie had learned table manners too. But her brother had never forced her to follow them rigidly.

“A great mage like me can get away with being messy. But you, when you’re not living with me anymore, you have to behave properly.”

This was exactly that moment.

Ellie wiped her hands with a napkin and quickly picked up her utensils. Then, like a proper princess, she delicately poked a single corn kernel— like a little bird pecking at food— and chewed it slowly.

Watching her silently, Cleus did the opposite: he set down his utensils and grabbed the meat with his bare hands, just like she had.

“……!”

Next, he scooped up the fruit with his hands too.

If his etiquette teacher saw this, they would have fainted on the spot.

But unlike before, Cleus could actually taste the richness of the food as he chewed.

The more he ate, the better it tasted.

Since his parents’ funeral, this was the first time food had tasted good.

 

 

****

 

 

“…Then, I shall take my leave for today.”

“Ah… already?”

As soon as their meal and short walk ended, Cleus said he needed to return home, almost as if he’d been waiting for the chance.

Ellie couldn’t hide her disappointment.

She had spent the whole morning getting ready, and yet their meeting ended so quickly.

And she wasn’t even sure she had really eased Cleus’s mind.

“As the future duke, there is much I must learn.”

“Oh…”

Unlike Ellie, who still spent her days playing, Cleus had to undergo both knight training and administrative studies. He was so busy he barely had time to act like a child at all.

“Was I… bothering you even though you’re so busy?”

“How could Your Highness’s summons ever be a bother?”

He never said he wasn’t busy, though.

Ellie, sharp as she was, realized her invitation might have troubled him.

She had invited him for his sake… but she might have just made things harder for him.

Her good intentions might have caused trouble instead.

“Then… when will Duke Berndt come to the palace?”

“…Well, he will when there is business.”

“And when is that?”

Cleus thought over the schedule in his head.

“Most likely at Your Highness’s coronation ceremony.”

“Oh!”

Right. She was supposed to become king soon.

And that meant there would be a coronation.

Princess Ellia had one too.

Tons of people came, congratulated her, there was a parade… Oh?

“There are so many people then.”

“Yes. I will be among them as well.”

“Then you won’t be able to talk to me separately?”

“For a mere subject, such attention would be undeserved.”

“Mmm…”

It was a polite way of saying he preferred not to be singled out.

She had been about to ask him to hang out next time he visited on duty… but with so many people around, clinging only to Cleus might be bad.

Ellie hesitated.

But she couldn’t just say, “Okay, bye,” and let him go.

If one method didn’t work… she’d use another!

“Then… can I visit the ducal manor to play?”

If the people of the ducal estate heard that, they would have fainted.

Even when an ordinary noble young lady visited, preparations had to begin at least two days in advance. Unless they were extremely close, such frequent visits were unthinkable.

The visit of a future king required an enormous amount of manpower and resources.

But of course, Ellie had no idea.

And Cleus had no idea either. He wasn’t the one who handled guests at the estate.

“How could we ever refuse Your Highness’s visit?”

Cleus answered stiffly.

“Mmm…”

That wasn’t an invitation.  Ellie gnawed her lip, staring up at him with regret-filled eyes.

An invitation—she needed an invitation.

“…You may come whenever you wish.”

Unable to withstand those earnest, pleading eyes, Cleus finally said the words she wanted.

Ellie practically jumped, grabbing his hand tightly.

“Kyaa! Thank you, Duke Berndt!”

“N-no… it’s nothing…”

Cleus answered, still dazed.

Meanwhile, Ellie bounced up and down, swinging the hand she held.

He felt like he had just been thoroughly outmaneuvered.

But seeing Ellie’s face light up so brightly at his answer… he couldn’t take it back.

Hearing his permission, Ellie was completely overjoyed. Her earlier disappointment melted away.

“I’ll walk you to the palace gate!”

“It would be an honor.”

Ellie hopped along at his side.

Cleus was very tall for eight, much taller than seven-year-old Ellie.

Noticing her little quick steps struggling to keep up, he quietly slowed his pace—though Ellie didn’t notice. Only the maids and attendants following behind realized it.

The Berndt duke’s heir, always seen as a threat to the royal family. And the precarious Princess Ellia.

They had been the last two people anyone imagined walking side by side. Yet here they were—and somehow, they looked unexpectedly cute together.

At the large palace gates, Ellie stopped.

“Then… get home safely, okay?”

“…Please inform us before Your Highness comes.”

Cleus added, clearly concerned.

“Oh! I will!”

Only at the gate did Cleus finally look straight at her.

Ellie beamed at him.

“You finally looked at me properly. I worked really hard dressing up today, you know.”

“I know.”

Anyone could tell at a glance—she had dressed up a lot.

She looked like a walking puff of colorful blossoms.

“How is it?”

In truth, she’d been waiting to hear him say she looked pretty.

As she asked, she grew embarrassed and wiggled her legs under her skirt.

The air felt almost ticklish.

It seemed the giddy atmosphere clinging to Ellie had transferred to Cleus as well— his earlobes flushed as if he were struggling to hold back laughter.

“…You look pretty.”

“Hehe. Really?”

“Yes, truly.”

The young duke’s social skills are frightening…

The adults behind them marveled silently.

To think he actually finds the princess’s strange, amnesia-induced fashion cute…!

Their admiration quickly turned into shock. They simply couldn’t understand it. Truly… they just couldn’t understand it at all.