Chapter 12…
“By the way, Kirian, why did you come so early in the morning?”
“I came to check if there was anything unusual during the night, or if you felt any discomfort… also regarding your memory.”
Ellie swallowed hard at the word “memory.”
She had nearly been caught once already just by reading the letters.
She thought she knew everything about Princess Elia from the books, but living it out, there were many things she couldn’t have anticipated.
She had to stay alert.
“Did you sleep well?”
“Yes!”
“Any pain anywhere?”
“No!”
“Any discomfort moving around?”
“No!”
“How about your memory? Anything come back?”
“…Hic.”
Tense as she was, Ellie ended up hiccuping at the most important question instead of answering.
“Oh my, are you alright?”
Kirian asked while checking over Ellie’s body.
“I-I’m f-fine!”
“Oh dear. Take slow breaths. Drink some water… there’s nothing physically wrong, right?”
“No! No!”
Ellie shook her head and hands vigorously, turning pale.
Kirian tilted his head at her, but didn’t press further.
Seeing Kirian let it slide, Ellie mustered some courage.
“But, you know…”
“Yes?”
“What if my memory doesn’t come back like this?”
“Hmm…”
Kirian pondered.
If a fully grown adult lost their memory, it would be serious…
But Princess Elia was only seven years old.
Most memories from before the age of seven are almost entirely forgotten by adulthood anyway. What she would learn in the future was far more important than what she had learned so far.
Though her speech and behavior were slightly different than before, her daily life wasn’t significantly affected.
“You’re not behaving un-princess-like, so I don’t think there’s much to worry about.”
It was meant as reassurance that Ellie was already sufficiently princess-like.
However, for Ellie, who wasn’t the real princess, it came across as a huge warning.
Thump!
Ellie’s pupils trembled from the shock.
‘P-princess-like behavior…’
From now on, she absolutely had to act like a princess.
…But what exactly is “princess-like behavior”?
While she was pondering, Kirian stepped back, and soon after, a servant announced another visitor.
“Duke Berndt has arrived.”
“!”
Ellie jumped to her feet.
Princess-like behavior!
“I shall go now.”
“……?”
For a moment, the servant was stunned.
Regardless, Ellie took light, elegant steps, her gaze dignified and graceful.
“???”
Although Ellie herself was walking elegantly and lightly, to those watching, she looked… stiff, like a wooden puppet.
Why on earth was she acting like this all of a sudden? And why was she dressed like that?
No one could understand.
But no one dared oppose the princess in her actions.
Ellie’s act continued until she reached the garden.
At the garden entrance, the servant waiting there noticed her approaching and bowed, startled.
With three royal ribbons in her hair, a layered pearl and gemstone necklace around her neck, and rings on seven of her ten fingers, Ellie’s appearance was closer to imposing… or intimidating.
“Welcome, Your Highness. Duke Berndt is waiting at the table in the garden.”
“Ah, I see.”
The unusual tone of her words made the servants at the door gulp.
They couldn’t speak against the princess, so they hurried to open the door to escape the awkwardness.
“But.”
However, Ellie didn’t let them go just yet.
“I have one thing to ask.”
“Please speak.”
Even the servant’s tone had strangely followed Ellie’s.
“How do I appear to you?”
“…….”
The servants wondered what Princess Elia wanted.
Word of the princess losing her memory had spread throughout the palace in a single day.
Now, she suddenly appeared in an absurd outfit, speaking oddly, and asking awkward questions.
‘Has she gone mad…?’
It was certainly possible.
Yet it was not the servants’ place to judge whether the princess was mad or not.
Their job was simply to open doors on time, greet properly, and keep the royal family in good spirits.
They didn’t handle the princess’s dressing directly, so they had no obligation to speak frankly.
“You are beautiful, Your Highness.”
“Your gaze is so dazzling it’s hard to look directly at you.”
The grown-ups had no conscience left.
Still, they firmly believed they were protecting the child’s innocence—though it was a far-fetched self-justification.
Unfortunately, Ellie couldn’t see the servants’ true thoughts.
“Hohohoho! Is that so?”
She hadn’t expected praise.
But once praised, one should accept it.
Ellie smiled pleasantly and checked one more thing.
“Then do I look properly like a princess?”
“? Yes, of course.”
‘Good, I succeeded!’
Ellie was very pleased with the servants’ response.
To others, she surely looked like a beautiful princess. This way, there’d be no problem!
The servant adjusted their lips and opened the door, and Ellie confidently walked in.
Clears, who had been looking at the trees near the table in the center of the garden, turned upon hearing the door open.
Their eyes met.
“…….”
In that instant, Clears’ expression twisted as if they had seen something they shouldn’t have.
“What’s wrong?”
“…Nothing. I have entered upon summons. Duke Berndt, I greet you.”
And then didn’t raise their head again.
“Lift your head.”
Clears’ eyebrows arched strangely at the order.
“…Yes, Your Highness.”
Still, they obeyed and lifted their head, though their eyes remained downward.
It felt subtly stubborn, pretending not to heed Ellie’s words.
Ellie felt frustrated.
I’ve dressed so beautifully and gloriously!
Why won’t they look properly?
“Duke Berndt!”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Look at me!”
“…Yes, Your Highness.”
Clears did follow the order.
The problem was…
They looked for just one second.
A mere blink of an eye.
‘Uhh?’
Ellie was about to order them to look again, but stopped herself.
Being stubborn only about what you want isn’t good.
Clears must have had a reason for acting this way.
Ellie thought carefully from Clears’ perspective.
They agreed to the invitation but don’t make eye contact, don’t speak at length like last time.
‘…Ah, I see?’
“Did you dislike my invitation?”
“Eh?”
Clears raised their head as if they’d heard something unexpected.
Then quickly bowed again.
“Oh, no, it’s just that…”
“Really? You didn’t want to come but came anyway?”
“…It wasn’t that I disliked it.”
“Then why do you seem so angry? Did the person who conveyed the invitation say something wrong? Should I scold them properly?!”
“No! The request was made politely!”
Clears hurriedly stopped Ellie, who was about to get excited.
Good, that’s a relief.
Then why might Clears have been angry…
“Is it because you thought I’d force you to apologize?”
“No, that… Did you intend to do that?”
“Of course not!”
At that, Clears gave a small, light smile.
“I knew you wouldn’t do such a thing.”
The smile soon faded, but it eased Ellie’s mind.
“But why won’t you look at me?”
“Ah….”
Caught off-guard by the direct question, Clears struggled to explain.
“That is…”
“Speak freely! I’ll be a good king who doesn’t get angry!”
Ellie momentarily lost her dignity speaking, then suddenly remembered something.
Princess tone!
“So you may speak freely.”
“I was actually curious.”
“About what?”
“Why is your tone suddenly like this?”
Clears was a straightforward, honest child.
“I am not the princess? Therefore, I am speaking in a princess-like tone.”
Clears tilted their head at Ellie’s words.
“Is there a special princess-like tone?”
“According to books…”
Ellie had read not only The Story of the Young Queen but several other books.
While there were differences, the princesses in most books spoke in such a tone.
Since she wasn’t a real princess, she tried to imitate it as much as possible…
“Isn’t that just the tone of the princesses in those books?”
“?”
“That’s the tone of those princesses. I think Your Highness just needs to be a princess in your own way.”
Huh.
Clears said something similar to what her brother would say.
‘You can just be yourself.’
Ellie blinked, and Clears spoke again.
“Being yourself is the best for Your Highness. It’s your life, after all.”
Ellie stared at Clears in a daze.
“Duke Berndt… is a good person, isn’t he?”
“Me?”
Clears looked at Ellie with wide, shocked eyes.
