TBCOS 10

Chapter 10….

This time, I had a dream.

In the dream, I met my brother.

‘You’re doing well, right?’

‘Yes, brother.’

‘I knew you would.’

As always, my brother gave me a compliment that didn’t sound much like a compliment.

Still, since I was happy to see him again after just one day, Ellie beamed brightly.

But her brother, facing her, made a strange expression. She’d seen it often before—
the kind of face he made when he wanted to laugh with her but felt too awkward to actually laugh.

‘I miss you, brother.’

It had only been a day, yet it already felt like a whole year had passed.

At her whining, her brother’s lips parted.

‘…do.’

‘Hm?’

But Ellie never heard the rest.

“Your Highness, it’s morning.”

The short night was already over.
Morning came—without her brother.

The princess’s daily life was ideal.
Exactly as it was written in the book.

Yesterday, because of the funeral, everything had been kept simple and frugal, but starting today, things returned to normal.

If the princess had been grieving, everyone would have stayed subdued and silent, but since Ellie was lively, there was no need for that.

“Wow, this is amazing for breakfast!”

Especially the cook, whose spirits had soared after Ellie’s praise last night, was the most excited.
Though it was breakfast, the table was filled like a banquet.

“Won’t we eat together today?”

“Well, it can be a bit burdensome to eat every meal together. Everyone has work to do, after all.”

Inviting people to dine with her could actually interfere with their duties.

It was like how, when her brother was focused on his research, he didn’t snack with Ellie.

Ellie drooped her head in disappointment.

Breakfast with only Madam Laval was nowhere near as tasty as last night’s meal.

“How about inviting a few people to lunch, like I mentioned last night?”

“Okay!”

“Then I’ll have a list prepared right away.”

Just as the meal was ending, an older gentleman entered the room.

“Good morning, Your Highness. I am Duke Noteman, serving as royal advisor. This is my first time formally greeting you.”

“Uh…”

A strange face, a strange title, a strange name. Everything was unfamiliar.

Even in the book, this title and name had hardly been mentioned.

‘Now that I think about it, Princess Ellia was the king, but she barely ever thought about governing the country, huh.’

The book described her daily life as full of deciding lunch while eating breakfast, and planning evening parties while eating lunch.

Between that, she chose dresses, matched new jewels, and sometimes fluttered over which handsome noble’s son might present her flowers.

Her brother always clicked his tongue at those parts.

‘No wonder the country turned out the way it did.’

Ellie never quite understood what he meant.

So what should she do for a country to be well-run?

Her brother had given her some advice, but she still didn’t know the specifics of what needed to be done.

‘Maybe if I meet people, I’ll learn something?’

Princess Ellia had very few acquaintances.

She always stuck close to those who entertained her, and disliked even meeting those who didn’t.

Apparently, this Duke Noteman, the royal advisor, was one of those she didn’t bother with.

“What does a royal advisor do?”

“They manage state affairs on behalf of the king.”

“Then what does the king do?”

At Ellie’s follow-up question, Duke Noteman raised his eyebrows in surprise.

“The king… only needs to exist as king.”

“?”

“The king does nothing?”

“For now, yes. Because you are still young, Your Highness.”

“Hm…”

“If ever there is something you must personally do, I will inform you.”

“Okay!”

At that, Ellie relaxed.

Since he promised to tell her what she needed to do, at least she wouldn’t be ousted for neglecting her duties as king.

‘Great, that’s one worry solved!’

Another small step toward survival.

“For now, your duty is to review this list and decide who to invite. Meeting and conversing with your vassals is also part of being king.”

“Got it!”

Duke Noteman handed her the list he had brought.

“It includes their names, families, ages, genders, and brief introductions. I hope it’s helpful.”

“I’ll read the list aloud for you, Princess.”

Madam Laval sat beside her, holding the list.

It was an obvious assumption that Ellie couldn’t read.

“Mm.”

Ellie also assumed she wouldn’t be able to read—this was, after all, the world inside a book, and she was now Princess Ellia.

But when she looked at the list, she gasped.

‘I can read this!’

And not just barely—she could read it smoothly.

Ellie realized she could read books on her own.

Thanks to her brother’s natural early education and her own innate comprehension.

Surprisingly, the language and writing in this world were identical.

‘How can this be?’

Maybe her brother lived somewhere in this world, too?

Or maybe, like how she had become the princess with the same face, this was just another phenomenon of being inside the book.

“Would you like me to read straight from the beginning? Or should I point out people I’d recommend first?”

Madam Laval’s question pulled Ellie out of her thoughts.

At this time, Princess Ellia hadn’t yet learned to read.

Though Madam Laval diligently dressed her up, fed her, and ensured she rested well, she had completely neglected her education.

So Ellie pretended she couldn’t read, acting like the princess.

“Can you recommend someone?”

“I’ll need to look through the list myself, but…”

Despite her position as royal nursemaid, Madam Laval had little knowledge of high society. She preferred playing pretend in the princess’s chambers over dominating social circles.

She bent over the list and began reading carefully.

“Ah, here’s Lady Fabian of Count Senol’s house—she’s about two years older than you. And here, Lady Juruna of Marquis Cent’s house. They’re close in age, so they might make good playmates.”

Ellie’s eyes widened at the names.

‘Princess Ellia’s future friends!’

But that would only happen much later.

Girls Ellie’s age weren’t yet old enough to debut in society.

They couldn’t attend big parties, but if someone hosted a private tea party, they might show up to greet briefly.

That was how young nobles usually made friends before their formal debut.

But since Princess Ellia disliked playing with children her age, she only befriended them much later, by chance—bonding over dresses at a court ball.

‘What should I do…’

Ellie worried as she looked at the list.

There wasn’t a single peer in the palace. Making friends early seemed like a good idea, but she was afraid meeting them too soon might also cause problems.

She kept scanning down the list.

‘Ah!’

Among the unfamiliar names, one stood out—“Clears Bernd.”

“Clears!”

Ellie pointed at the name and shouted.

She was so happy she blurted it out—forgetting entirely that she was supposed to act illiterate.

“Oh my? Did you just read that, Princess?”

“Ah! …Yes.”

“I only taught you a few basics—when did you learn to read like this?”

Madam Laval looked astonished.

Ellie broke into a cold sweat and lied.

“Well… I studied secretly at night!”