Ellie and Princess Ellia had several things in common besides their similar names.
They both liked sweet things, they both slept for a long time once they fell asleep, and neither of them had friends their age.
Princess Ellia didn’t like spending time with kids her age. The king and queen tried to help her make friends, but the princess preferred adults who would spoil her.
Because of that, even after she became an adult, Princess Ellia had no friends beside her.
Ellie, on the other hand, had no friends not because she lacked sociability, but because there were simply no children around her.
Her brother’s cabin was deep in the forest, and the guests who occasionally visited were all adults. She had never even seen another child her age.
No matter how much she loved her brother, the desire and curiosity for friends her age were a separate matter.
First, I need to figure out why he dislikes me, and then it would be great if we could become friends too!
If she learned the reason he hated her, she could fix it.
Then there would be no reason for him to hate her, so maybe they could be friends.
The boy’s “I-hate-you-so-much-I-could-die” attitude was discouraging, but Ellie didn’t give up hope.
How could she waste the first friend her age she had ever met!
“Ta-da! This is my room!”
When they arrived, Ellie introduced it extra cheerfully.
“Yes.”
The boy’s voice was still full of “I hate this.”
But Ellie didn’t back down.
“Uh, the parlor is… uh…”
The only places she’d actually gone so far were the bathroom and the dressing room.
The princess’s “room” was less like a room and more like a “house.”
Inside were a bathroom, dressing room, parlor, study, and many other rooms.
Because there were so many “other rooms,” Ellie couldn’t immediately find the parlor.
“This way,”
Madam Laval quickly guided her.
“Oh! It’s here!”
Just as Ellie was about to enter the parlor, she stopped.
The people who had been following her all along were lined up outside the princess’s room, their eyes shining.
They were clearly hoping she would decide where they would sit.
“We’re drinking alone.”
Ellie coolly rejected their desperate stares.
But Madam Laval shook her head with a smile.
“Unmarried royals cannot be alone in the same room with someone of the opposite sex, Your Highness.”
“Why?”
“That is the rule.”
Ellie furrowed her eyebrows.
“Why does that rule exist?”
A completely unexpected philosophical attack.
Their princess could be sharp in the most unexpected places.
Madam Laval thought carefully. How could she explain it at a child’s level? And with so many listening, she couldn’t be careless.
“There could be rumors that the two of you are dating.”
“What!”
“Rumors are frightening things, Your Highness. You may have to take responsibility and marry.”
“Kyaa!”
Ellie grabbed both cheeks and screamed.
No way!
If her brother heard that, he would faint.
And… the boy’s expression became monstrously horrible.
“T-then what should we do?”
“If a servant or a noble person is present with you, it’s fine.”
“Oh…”
It wasn’t as complicated or difficult as she feared.
Ellie relaxed with a drooping sigh.
“If Your Highness doesn’t intend to pour the tea yourself, you may select a servant to serve it.”
It sounded simple, but choosing someone who would overhear the future queen’s conversation was no small matter.
“If Your Highness would grant me the role, I would be delighted,”
Madam Laval added.
But Ellie couldn’t bring herself to agree right away.
Madam Laval wasn’t a bad person, but being too close to her felt risky.
If she stayed with Madam Laval too much, she might end up spoiled like Princess Ellia.
Ellie carefully examined each of the faces lined up in front of her.
Pick me, Your Highness!
Me, me!
Everyone smiled with all their strength, trying to look as likable as possible.
But Ellie’s eyes didn’t stop on any of those desperate faces.
“Hey.”
It was someone completely unexpected.
“Is Rilkea unnie a noble?”
Everyone—including Rilkea herself—was shocked at the unexpected choice.
“U-unnie…”
The first surprise was the way Ellie addressed her.
Rilkea’s face flushed bright red.
“…Yes, technically I am of noble birth.”
Rilkea steadied herself and answered calmly.
Her family wasn’t anything impressive enough to boast about. What made her captain of the guard was purely skill. But yes, she was still a noble.
“Then, Rilkea unnie, do you know how to serve tea?”
“I do know how, but…”
No way.
And yet “no way” always became reality.
Ellie clapped and let out a delighted squeal.
“Perfect! You have to guard me anyway, so it works great if you serve tea too!”
“Um… I…”
Rilkea looked overwhelmed by the sudden leap from shadow-like bodyguard to royal tea attendant.
As she struggled, Ellie tilted her head and blinked.
“Did I say something wrong? Is it bad to do both guard work and tea service? Are you too busy?”
“No, of course not. It would be an honor, Your Highness. I will gladly attend.”
Rilkea hurriedly bowed deeply, expressing her sincere respect.
“Great! Then let’s go in together!”
As Ellie entered the parlor, she glanced back.
The people left behind looked devastated.
Madam Laval seemed on the verge of tears.
Please! Pick one more! Just one more!
But instead of choosing anyone else, Ellie issued a warning.
“Don’t eavesdrop.”
“…Yeees.”
Their shoulders sagged in defeat.
*****
The parlor was a small room. Even if someone stood tucked into a corner, it was small enough that they could hear every word Ellie and the boy exchanged.
Once she sat down, Ellie understood why everyone had wanted so badly to join them.
It was the kind of intimate setting where you could hear the entire conversation and even slip in a word or two.
But even though Rilkea had been chosen as the one person allowed to stay, she didn’t grow excited or intrusive. She quietly went to take her position.
“I’ll prepare the tea over there. Please tell me once you’ve decided which tea you’d like.”
Rilkea took out the tea leaves and utensils that were neatly arranged in the corner of the parlor.
Her calm, practiced movements slowly cooled Ellie’s mind, which had been swirling with chaos.
Only then did Ellie finally look directly at the boy.
“Thanks for coming even though I invited you so suddenly.”
Ellie greeted him in an intentionally mature manner.
“Thank you for inviting me.”
The boy answered just as politely.
His expression was unchanged, but at least he spoke courteously. There was hope. He wasn’t refusing to talk entirely.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Elli—Ellia.”
“I know who you are. You are Ellia Ridden Bjort Nerendis, the one and only princess of Nerendis and first in line for the throne.”
“Wow. You memorized all that?”
“How could I not know the full name of this kingdom’s only princess?”
His formal manner carried an endless sense of distance.
If she tried to chat casually now, there was no way that distance would shrink.
Judging that, Ellie went straight to the point.
“But, um… why did you pretend not to see me earlier and look away?”
“…I did not dare meet Your Highness’s gaze.”
Even now, the boy hadn’t lifted his eyes once after their initial glance.
“I’ll allow you to meet my eyes.”
“Thank you.”
And yet, he still stubbornly kept his gaze lowered.
“……”
“……”
When Ellie didn’t speak first, only silence settled between them.
A very uncomfortable silence.
She had never experienced silence like this with her brother.
They didn’t always chatter endlessly, but even when it was quiet, it never felt awkward or unpleasant.
Should she just blurt out, “You don’t like me, do you?”? But if he answered “Yes,” she felt she might not survive the shock.
Wasn’t there a way to dig out his feelings more… gently?
After thinking hard, Ellie decided to start with something light.
“Um… what kind of tea do you want?”
“If Your Highness grants it, how could I refuse any tea?”
Not exactly expressing a preference…
“Mm, then let’s have something sweet.”
It was natural for people to feel better once they had something sugary and delicious in their stomach.
“Rilkea unnie.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Can you make chocolate tea with marshmallows, strawberry syrup, and orange purée on top?”
Rilkea froze at Ellie’s order.
“Why?”
“Does such a… beverage even exist in the world?”
At her dazed question, Ellie tilted her head.
It was the special tea her brother always made for her when she needed cheering up.
“It’s tasty.”
“…So that is Your Highness’s… preference.”
“Is it weird?”
“N-no, not at all. It’s simply an unfamiliar tea to me…”
Ellie had thought Rilkea was an extremely composed and rational person, but now it seemed she was actually quite easily flustered.
Her brother could whip it up effortlessly—was it just harder for someone unfamiliar?
“Is it too hard? Should I change it?”
“…I will try.”
“You can do it!”
“Yes!”
Filled with determination, Rilkea practically glued herself to the tea leaves.
She called in a servant a couple of times to fetch various ingredients, discarded several failed attempts, and after many trials and errors, finally completed the requested tea.
It looked a bit clumsier than the ones her brother made—but it was full of Rilkea’s sincerity.
“Mmm…”
After Ellie took a sip, Rilkea’s eyes sparkled with eager anticipation as she stared at her.
Ellie carefully opened her mouth.
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