Episode 13
Mom didn’t pay much attention and just sat on the sofa talking to Dione.
“Seri, what do you think about the single mother policy Rize came up with?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. If we make a few minor adjustments, it should be ready to implement,” Dione replied.
“Your Majesty?! You promised to call me something more casual when we’re alone!”
From an outsider’s point of view, Dione looked like someone who’d just been dumped by her lover.
Mom seemed a bit flustered, too.
“…Didi.”
“That’s right! Oh, wait. Son? Have you met Rize yet?”
While talking to Mom, Dione suddenly turned to look at Renoa, who was sitting at the end of the sofa with a grumpy expression.
Renoa looked up in surprise and replied, “No, Your Majesty.”
“Oh dear. Call me ‘Mom,’ not ‘Your Majesty.’ That sounds too formal.”
“…Mom.”
“Good! Now, go play with Rize in her room.”
“Okay…?”
I glared at Renoa, who was looking at me like he was ready to kill me.
But, in an effort to make us closer, we were both shoved out of the sitting room together.
With the help of a maid, we arrived at Renoa’s room, which turned out to be ridiculously extravagant.
Ugh, I want to get out of here.
The design was so dazzling that I couldn’t help but scrunch my face.
Renoa spoke up.
“Hey.”
Oh? Look at this. He suddenly changes his expression when there’s no adult around.
But I wasn’t going to back down. Eye for an eye. Once I’ve made up my mind, I can’t be stopped.
I crossed my arms, put one leg over the other, and arrogantly raised my chin.
Then I pretended to spit.
“Pfft, whatever.”
This girl’s been through this before. Oh, dear.
“What, what? What did you just say?” Renoa shouted.
“I said, ‘What?’ Why?” I replied casually.
“Hey! Do you think you can say that to me and get away with it?”
“Whatever! What’s wrong with that?”
Neither of us was willing to back down, and the maids around us nervously shuffled their feet.
But since they couldn’t intervene, no one stepped forward to stop us.
Technically, it was right for the maids to stop the princess first. But since they knew how high-ranking I was, they couldn’t act too quickly.
They all silently hoped.
‘Please, don’t let this turn into a physical fight…’
Unfortunately, sometimes wishes don’t come true.
“Ugh… Rize, you’re the worst!”
“Huh? The worst? You’re a prince, but you’re acting like a jerk!!!”
With that, tears welled up in Renoa’s eyes, and Rize’s eyes started to turn red as her emotions got heated.
“You… how… could you say such terrible things!” Rize cried.
“You started it, calling me ‘Hey’!!!”
“You… ugly pig!”
Gasp.
Renoa’s words made the maids gasp in shock. Even someone beautiful would be hurt by being called “ugly pig,” let alone a young princess.
Sadly, the more experienced maids weren’t around, and the less experienced maids couldn’t handle the situation properly. They had no idea how to solve the problem and just stood there, nervously tapping their feet.
Even with the current situation, Rize’s expression was particularly intense. After hearing that, she clenched her fists, shaking with anger. Her face was already soaked in tears.
And as the saying goes, ‘What happens when you least expect it?’
As if to prove it, Rize suddenly rushed at Renoa and headbutted him.
The maids closed their eyes and thought.
‘This is it…’
“Waaah!!!”
“Waaah!!!”
The frantic call from the head maid brought the adults running. When they saw Rize and Renoa’s faces, covered in snot and tears, their eyes widened in shock.
Seeing Rize and Renoa, their hair and clothes ruined before the banquet, made everyone sigh in despair.
Seria and Dione exchanged looks, wondering whether to focus on cleaning them up or scolding them first.
While they were thinking, the servants in the hallway parted to let one person pass through.
“Oh, Mother?”
Seriton, seeing Shailos after a long time, couldn’t hide his surprise. Why did she have to show up now? If she had come a little later, they could have hidden everything…
The kids’ state was in complete disarray.
However, Shailos seemed to have already been briefed on the situation. She calmly folded her fan and handed it to Hilet before walking into the room.
“Grandma…”
“Grandma…”
Rize and Renoa both called out to Shailos at the same time.
Shailos knelt to meet their eyes.
“My dear children, what’s got you so upset that you’re crying so hard?”
Shailos added with a stern face.
“Rize, Renoa, stop.”
With those magical words, both Rize and Renoa immediately stopped crying. Even the adults couldn’t help but become more respectful in the presence of Shailos’ calm fury. By the way, Hiden also feared Shailos a bit.
“I know it must have been tough for Seri and Didi. You two have been through a lot raising these little troublemakers.”
Seriton, timidly raising his hand, protested, “Mother… I’ve been doing most of the raising…”
“You do, just more of it,” she responded coldly.
At that, he closed his mouth.
“Alright, it’s been a while since you’ve seen your grandmother. Why don’t we talk about why you two are crying so much? Who wants to speak first?”
Rize raised her hand.
Shailos nodded, signaling Rize to speak.
Rize swallowed and started explaining.
“Renoa… he called me ‘Hey’…”
After explaining some of the situation, Rize mentioned the last insult.
“…And then he called me ‘ugly pig’… sob.”
Even as she spoke, Rize’s voice cracked with emotion, and she choked on her words.
Hiden wanted to hug her, but stopped when he saw Shailos’ cold glare.
“Is that so? Now, Renoa, do you have something to say?”
Renoa hesitated, looking down before answering.
“Rize… was wrong…”
Shailos looked at him, her gaze sharp.
“Do you know what you did wrong?”
“Violence…” Renoa answered quietly.
“Exactly. Violence like that is poison for the parents, not the child. It’s like spitting on the faces of the people who love you most. Think about how much your words can hurt others.”
“And Renoa.”
Renoa flinched when he was called, but focused on Shailos’ voice.
“What did you do wrong?”
“I spoke carelessly,” he admitted.
“Carelessly? What exactly did you say?”
“I called Rize ‘Hey’ and… ‘ugly pig.’”
“Now, how would you feel if you heard those words directed at you?”
“I would be hurt…” Renoa replied quietly.
“I’m glad you understand.”
With that, Shailos stood up and looked around at the room of servants, who were nervously watching.
“They’ve apologized, so I’ll forgive them. But you must keep this in mind.”
The servants, including the maids, all stood in tense silence.
Shailos then turned to Rize and Renoa, who both were looking somewhat ashamed but relieved.
“I’m glad you two have realized what went wrong.”
Both of them nodded and muttered in unison.
“Yes…”
Shailos smiled warmly as she saw them slowly understanding.
“Now, what comes next?”
“We need to apologize,” they both said.
Without hesitation, they held out their hands to each other and apologized softly.
“I’m sorry for calling you ‘Hey.’”
“I’m sorry for saying you have a bad personality.”
Rize and Renoa apologized for what they did, and Shailos, satisfied, looked around at the servants.
She then glanced at Hilet and Seriton, who were leaving the room. The door was closed, and the room fell silent.
“Are you all prepared for what’s next?”
Cleaned up by the skilled maids, I nervously fidgeted my fingers in front of my parents. As time passed, I began to feel embarrassed.
Despite being an adult mentally, all I got from fighting with Renoa was embarrassment. Damn.
To shake off the awkwardness, I glanced at my parents. Thankfully, their expressions seemed fine.
“Rize.”
“Yes, yes?”
“Violence is bad, but… why do I like watching you fight with someone your own age?”
Huh? What’s with this weird comment! Mom looked so serious that I had to figure out what she meant.
Was this serious, or was it some new form of punishment?
Before I could make sense of it, Mom suddenly pulled me into a tight hug.
“I’m serious, Rize. Sometimes, when you act so mature for your age, I worry. I’ve probably been too hard on you without realizing it.”
“Huh? No, Mom! You would never do that!”
I denied it strongly, and Dad gently lifted me.
“Sweetheart, how did it feel to fight with the Prince?”
As expected, Dad was all about the noble, empire-centered way of thinking.
“Feel? What’s there to feel?”
“I saw some of his hair came out from the fight. Haha.”
Only Dad would laugh about the Prince losing hair.
The sound of a knock echoed in the room. The maid looked at Mom, who nodded, signaling for the door to be opened. In walked the Emperor and Empress, with Renoa hiding behind them.
They had come in after knocking to respect the fact that they hadn’t finished getting ready yet.
Well, I guess everyone can see it now.
