~Chapter 53~
The meetings between the princes and Ruby’s siblings continued.
Even though they were all busy with their lessons, they made time to meet at least once every week. Now, the children no longer felt uncomfortable around the royal palace. Of course, Ruby had taught them proper manners, but it was clear that they had become more at ease with the princes.
“How have you been, Your Highness?” Calix greeted the princes casually, just like every time. Despite his light tone, the princes didn’t get angry or upset. They even raised their hands and gave him a special greeting.
“I’m well, and it’s been a week since we last met,” one of the princes said.
“I bet you missed me,” Calix teased.
“Yeah, you haven’t visited us,” Theo replied honestly.
Ivan, standing next to them, muttered with a look of disbelief, “What do you mean by a ‘week’?”
“Haha, you’re not being honest,” Calix teased back, winking at Ivan.
“Calix, stop being rude to the princes,” Ruby scolded, as she had many times before. Ruby believed that no matter how close they got, they still had to show respect.
Ruby always greeted the princes with a proper bow, holding her dress.
“Good to see you, Your Highnesses,” Ruby said politely.
“Don’t be so formal. You can be casual with us,” Theo said, though Ruby was firm in her response.
“I can’t do that,” Ruby said firmly.
Ivan, seeing Ruby’s determination, just shook his head, knowing it would be hard to convince her otherwise.
“Nice to meet you, Your Highnesses,” Sasha said, following Ruby’s example. By now, Sasha had gotten the hang of it, though she almost tripped and had to be caught by Theo.
“Sasha is always so funny,” Calix remarked.
“Sasha’s not funny!” Sasha protested, but like Calix, she wasn’t nervous around the princes anymore.
“Now, Maria, it’s your turn to greet them,” Ruby said, turning to Maria in her arms.
Since Maria couldn’t yet greet them by herself, Ruby helped her, tilting her body in a way that Maria could make a gesture of greeting.
Maria stretched out her hand and mumbled, “Hwanja-ning.” (She said “Prince.”)
“Did Maria just call us princes?” Ivan was surprised, as Maria still had trouble pronouncing words correctly. But the word “hwanja-ning” was clear, and everyone was shocked.
Theo, too, was amazed by how quickly Maria was growing. “Wow, Maria just called us,” he said, surprised.
Ruby beamed with pride. Before coming to the palace, Ruby had taught Maria the word “prince,” and now Maria had used it correctly without hesitation.
“Hello, Maria. I’m glad to see you too,” Theo said, shaking Maria’s small hand with a smile. There was no special connection between Theo and Maria yet, but over time, they would likely grow closer.
After the greeting, they all made their way into the Frisia Palace. Calix and Sasha, however, didn’t wait for Ivan to guide them and ran off ahead to the reception room.
“You shouldn’t run inside the palace,” Ruby scolded.
“Let them be. It’s fine as long as they’re comfortable in the palace,” Ivan said with a smile, understanding the children’s freedom.
As a result, Theo was also able to move freely in the Frisia Palace, enjoying his time with Calix and Sasha.
“Let’s go together!” Sasha called out to Theo, and before anyone knew it, Theo had caught up to them, his running speed much faster now.
It seemed like the genius swordsman Calix had been a good influence on Theo, as Theo had recently been taking sword lessons more seriously.
Ruby, Ivan, and Maria walked slowly behind, as usual.
“Maria seems to grow so fast,” Ivan commented.
“She’s growing so quickly! I’m surprised every morning,” Ruby replied, amazed by how fast Maria was maturing.
Maria stretched her small hand up, and Ruby, with a smile, leaned down to press her face against Maria’s tiny hand.
Ivan watched this with a bit of a strange feeling in his chest. Whenever he saw Ruby treat her younger siblings with such sincerity, he felt a strange sense of admiration and… something else that he couldn’t quite explain.
“I want her to look at me like that too,” Ivan thought, though he didn’t voice it.
“Let me hold Maria,” Ivan said, holding out his arms.
“Could you?” Ruby asked, without hesitation.
Now that Maria had grown used to Ivan, Ruby didn’t hesitate to pass her over to him. Ivan carefully cradled the baby, feeling a warmth that reminded him of having a younger sibling.
“Maria, try saying ‘Prince’ again,” Ivan said, gently encouraging her.
“Hwanja-ning,” Maria repeated, causing Ivan to look at Ruby with astonishment.
Ruby smiled at Ivan, feeling a strange, tender urge to ruffle his hair, just like a little brother.
Ivan, despite his efforts to act mature as the First Prince, sometimes acted clumsy, and Ruby couldn’t help but find it endearing. It made him seem more like a younger sibling, even though he was much older.
Ivan’s thoughts often conflicted with the idea that he was a prince and that he should act more seriously. But whenever he was around Ruby, he couldn’t help but let his guard down.
“Here, take this,” Ruby said, offering Ivan a cookie while holding Maria.
Since Ivan couldn’t reach the cookies with Maria in his arms, Ruby held out the cookie for him. Ivan glanced at her hand, and carefully, he opened his mouth. Ruby broke the cookie into smaller pieces and fed it to him.
“The cookies from the palace are always so delicious,” Ruby said with a smile.
Ivan nodded, his face flushed, though no one noticed. He couldn’t take his eyes off Ruby, who was drinking tea with elegant grace.
It was obvious now—Ruby had changed over the past six months. The awkwardness she once had with manners had completely disappeared. Her elegant poise now made Ivan think that she had become even more beautiful. The way she held herself made her seem like a real noblewoman, and Ivan felt himself drawn to her more than ever.
He couldn’t help but feel strange around Ruby, but he was also trying to push those feelings away. Still, every time he saw her smile, it stirred something in him that he didn’t quite understand.
“Are you still busy with the tasks Grand Duke Lux assigned?” Ivan asked, trying to change the subject.
“Yes, whenever I finish one task, another one comes up,” Ruby replied with a smile.
“That must be tough,” Ivan said sympathetically.
“It’s difficult, but it’s also fun. It’s exciting to see how far I can go and what I can accomplish,” Ruby explained, her eyes bright with enthusiasm.
Ivan couldn’t help but reflect on his own situation. As a prince, he was still undergoing training and hadn’t been given real responsibilities yet, so hearing Ruby talk about how she was challenging herself made him feel a bit ashamed.
“What tasks have you been working on lately?” Ivan asked.
“Do you remember the Cardonia Territory project I mentioned?” Ruby asked.
“Oh, the one with the art district,” Ivan said.
Ruby had been open about her work with Ivan, and now he knew more about what she was doing. Whenever he found out the details, he was surprised by how capable she was.
“The buildings are finished now, and the workshops are moving in. Now I just need to promote the items they’re making,” Ruby said confidently.
“Well, that makes sense. How do you plan on promoting it?” Ivan asked, expecting Ruby to already have a plan.
Ruby hesitated, looking a bit cautious. “I’m not sure if it’s something you’ll approve of, Your Highness,” she said.
“Me?” Ivan asked, raising an eyebrow, wondering what she meant.
Ruby leaned in as though she were sharing a secret, whispering something in Ivan’s ear. The sensation of her breath against his ear made him tense up, but he tried hard to focus on what she was saying.
When Ruby finished, Ivan pulled back slightly, trying to fight the strange feelings bubbling up inside him.
“I’ll help you with that,” Ivan said, agreeing readily.
“Really? Thank you so much!” Ruby exclaimed, her face lighting up with a smile.
Ivan felt like he could do even more for Ruby after seeing that smile. She had that effect on him.
