chapter 10
And just like that, the dining hall fell into a cold silence.
The maids who had stayed behind to serve stood still, pretending they hadn’t heard anything.
‘Oh? What’s with this brat?’
I stared straight at Sasha, who had suddenly called me “older sister.”
‘Acting cute, are you?’
The childlike smile vanished from my face, replaced by the expression of someone who had just seen something they shouldn’t have.
This was my first time meeting that kid, yet the moment Jeff left the dining hall, he started calling me “older sister” like we were close. It was strange. I couldn’t understand why he was acting like that.
“Older sister?”
As if it wasn’t absurd enough already, Sasha called me that again.
This time, he even tilted his head slightly and gave a faint smile.
‘No matter how you look at it, he seems older than me… and he’s calling me ‘older sister’?’
Why did that bright smile make him seem like such a little devil?
“Why are you acting friendly? I’ve never seen you before.”
I put on a sulky face, staying on guard.
“That is because His Majesty ordered me to get along closely with Your Highness.”
Despite my cold reaction, Sasha remained polite and elegant. For a moment, it even felt as if a golden glow flickered around him.
‘I don’t remember ordering that?’
Recalling Jeff warning Sasha earlier only made things more confusing.
“Are you good at studying?”
I asked bluntly, resting my chin on my hand.
“I am lacking compared to Your Highness’s brilliance, but I have studied many disciplines to be of help.”
He answered with the respectful tone of a noble addressing royalty. At some point, Sasha had stopped speaking casually and switched to formal speech.
‘What is with this kid?’
He had switched back to calling me “Your Highness.”
‘First it was ‘older sister,’ now it’s ‘Your Highness’….’
What on earth was going on? My head filled with question marks.
‘Still… I feel like I’ve met him somewhere before.’
I lost my appetite, placing my hands on my knees and clenching them into fists. Even as I stared at him suspiciously, Sasha kept smiling calmly.
That only made it feel more unsettling.
‘He’s clearly just a kid—there’s no way I met him when I was emperor.’
He looked only a few years older than the princess—at most the same age as Carlisle or maybe a year older.
Which meant that when I was emperor, he hadn’t even been born yet.
‘So why does he feel familiar?’
That only made it more confusing.
“Oh, right. My father only called you by name…”
I adjusted my posture and changed the subject.
“Which family are you from?”
I needed to know more about him.
“My family is Vladimir.”
Sasha answered flawlessly.
‘The Vladimir family… a prestigious house known for producing many strategists.’
I was secretly surprised.
‘They’re also known for being especially proud among nobles.’
But… did that family have red hair?
If I remembered correctly, most of them had brown hair.
“I see. So what will you do when you come for lessons?”
“I believe I will study alongside you, Your Highness.”
Watching Sasha smile as he said that, I could guess Jeff’s intentions.
‘Fleur’s children are just playmates, but this one is meant for political purposes?’
Early education was one thing, but teaching state affairs already?
‘Jeff… you’re not completely insane after all.’
I couldn’t help but smile in satisfaction.
“By the way, what kind of children are the ones from Fleur that His Majesty mentioned earlier?”
Sasha asked again shortly after.
“They’ve probably finished eating and are resting by now. I’ll introduce you.”
I couldn’t even begin to imagine how noisy things would get once they met. Still, if I thought of it as gaining another “stabilizer” to keep the rowdy ones in check, it wasn’t a bad deal.
“Bring Carlisle and—ugh, I mean—Ronowe, and Beris to the garden.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
I beckoned the maids over and gave my order.
“Let’s go to the garden.”
I got down from my chair and headed out with Sasha. There was no reason to stay in the dining hall anymore.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Sasha followed with a gentle smile.
* * *
The garden where we agreed to meet was, as expected of the imperial palace, beautifully landscaped.
At the center was a small pond with an arched bridge over it, and elegant rose bushes and decorations scattered throughout enhanced the scenery.
The pavilion where we were meeting had a glass roof at the far end of the pond, surrounded by flower beds and fountains.
“Kyah~!”
Ronowe and Beris immediately started running around, while Carlisle sat inside the pavilion with a stack of books, absorbed in reading.
I walked alongside Sasha, watching them from a distance.
“Your Highness!”
“It’s Her Highness!”
Ronowe was the first to notice me and ran over to hug me. Soon after, Carlisle got up and approached from behind Beris.
They all looked happy to see me again.
“This is Ronowe, Beris, and Carlisle.”
I introduced them, glancing at Sasha and Carlisle facing each other.
“They’re my companions. All from the Fleur family.”
“Nice to meet you!”
The Fleur siblings greeted him brightly.
“I’m Ronowe Masha Fleur!”
She lifted her dress slightly and greeted him in an elegant yet cute manner.
“I am Carlisle Fascinelli Bergamot.”
Beris hid shyly behind Ronowe, while Carlisle placed a hand over his chest and greeted properly.
“I am Sasha Dave Vladimir, of the Vladimir family, here to assist Your Highness in your studies.”
Sasha introduced himself with a smile.
“Your Highness! We were playing hide-and-seek!”
“Play with us!”
The Fleur siblings immediately clung to me, asking me to join.
“Let’s play together! Big brother, let’s keep playing hide-and-seek.”
Beris even tugged at Carlisle.
“…Alright.”
Unable to refuse, Carlisle agreed.
“Your Highness, you’ll play too, right?”
Ronowe looked at me with sparkling eyes, and I hesitated.
“Do I have to be ‘it’ again?”
Before we could start, Beris complained tearfully that he was tired of being “it.”
“Then I’ll be ‘it’ first.”
Sasha volunteered in his place.
“Start!”
The Fleur siblings shouted and ran off to hide.
‘I never said I’d play…?’
Still, somehow, I ended up joining and quickly went to hide behind a large bush.
“Phew…”
Just as I sighed in relief—
“Shh.”
“!”
Carlisle, who had been hiding there all along, suddenly came close and put a finger to his lips.
“Are you okay?”
“Y-Yes.”
‘That startled me.’
I almost screamed.
“Let’s hide together. Sasha won’t come this far.”
“Okay.”
I sat down, hoping the game would end soon.
“Your Highness.”
“Hm?”
Carlisle spoke quietly.
“If it’s studying, I can teach you too. I’ll learn and help you.”
I was taken aback.
‘What is he suddenly talking about?’
After thinking about it—
‘Oh… maybe he likes teaching?’
Considering how lively Ronowe and Beris were, it made sense.
‘He must be helping them study.’
I smiled.
‘Good kid.’
“Alright. Thank you.”
I smiled as brightly as I could.
“Waaah! I got caught!”
Just then, Ronowe’s voice rang out.
“Haha, I found you.”
Sasha laughed cheerfully, while Ronowe pouted.
“Beris is here too!”
She dragged Beris out from hiding.
“Older sister, that’s unfair!”
“What’s unfair?!”
They started bickering, and Sasha spoke loudly:
“Then the remaining ones are… Her Highness and Lord Carlisle. Where could they be?”
I tried to stay perfectly still.
But my legs hurt, and I shifted slightly—
Rustle.
‘Don’t come here…!’
Footsteps approached.
I held my breath, covering my mouth.
“Could you be here…?”
Just as Sasha got close—
I grabbed Carlisle’s wrist and ran.
“Y-Your Highness?!”
“I can’t get caught like this!”
I shouted, running with all my strength.
“Run!”
