Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Jane leaned down and placed a small plate in front of the two in a very polite manner.

“Ah! I’ll move the bunny here,” the Crown Prince said.

“Okay!”

He hurriedly conjured his mana again and moved the shapes from the cake and onto the plate. Then, the snow-like cream on the cake was ruined a little because of this.

“I ruined the cake, Siervian. What should we do?”

[ Damian Erveldote ]

Thoughts: I’m doomed. You’ll hate me.

It was amazing that her brother, who always seemed indifferent to the world, had thoughts like this.

However, Siervian was a person who understood his fear more than anyone else. So she spoke in a bright voice so that he wouldn’t worry anymore.

“The bunny can hop over thwere!”

[ Damian Erveldote ]

Favorability: +100

Thoughts: How can you be so generous… my dear sister.

“…Sure.”

And with her answer, the Crown Prince had a small smile on his lips.

When he was expressionless, Siervian could only see his resemblance with their father’s cold exterior. But now that she looked at him, she thought that he was much softer.

“Eat it all before it melts.”

She took the fork that he made, but as Siervian reached the cake, she urgently asked.

“What about Bwother?”

“……”

She said this naturally, but right after, she was surprised by herself.

It was something she never called him before. The last time she met him in her previous life, it was so awkward that she could only address him as ‘Your Highness the Crown Prince’.

So he might hate her for overstepping her boundaries…

[ Damian Erveldote ]

Favorability: +100

Favorability: +100

Thoughts: You called me ‘Brother’ 8ㅁ8

Favorability: +100

Favorability: +100

But unlike his stoically averted gaze, there was a huge storm of favorability rising inside him.

…Then, was it okay?

“I… I’m fine. I don’t like cake.”

“Really?”

The Crown Prince stuttered and said this urgently. He didn’t even make eye contact with Siervian, so she was a little anxious as she looked at him with the fork in her mouth.

“Yeah. I’m really fine. I’ll continue to give you all the cakes that are given to me.”

[ Damian Erveldote ]

Favorability: +100

Favorability: +100

Favorability: +100

Thoughts: You called me Brother. You’re sooo cute 8ㅅ8

Siervian only called him that once, but a variety of thoughts passed through his mind.

And as she tasted the sweetness of the fork, she was shocked. He was going to give her all the cakes? She never thought that her brother was such a nice person.

“Will you reeaally?”

“Yeah. I’ll give you all of them.”

[ Damian Erveldote ]

Thoughts: I’ll have to bring you cakes everyday.

Cake… every single day…!

As she was living in a child’s boy, she was keenly aware of how tempting sweets were. Nevertheless, it was still surprising that he would do that.

But she felt sorry that she was constantly on the receiving end. So Siervian, who struggled with this, decided to give him something he liked, too.

“Me, too, I’ll gwive Bwother all the pepper.”

She remembered how much she liked it when she handed over the pepper shaker to him last time. She didn’t need it for herself, so she could just give all the pepper to him.

“H-Huh…? Pepper?”

“Yeah!”

“…Okay.”

[ Damian Erveldote ]

Thoughts: She called me Brother again! Okay, I’ll take whatever you give me gratefully.

When Siervian nodded proudly, the Crown Prince also nodded along with her.

She still thought that his thoughts were odd, but she decided to pretend that she didn’t see it. Now, she couldn’t keep her cake waiting any longer.

Nyam, nyam.

“Is it good?”

“Yeah!”

As the sweet taste spread in her mouth, she suddenly felt more energetic. She realized that she felt a little tired because he came early in the morning, but apart from that, she was also more apprehensive earlier.

Nyam, nyam, nyam.

As she enjoyed eating the cake, the Crown Prince looked at Siervian with an expression that was filled with delight.

‘I knew it, you wanted to have some, too.’

Siervian’s misunderstanding grew more.

“You know.”

Right then, he opened his lips to speak. Siervian nervously waited for him to say something more, but… Yep. Since her brother brought this cake, she should share half of it with him.

Half… about half of it…

“Will you… Will you understand if I act weird sometimes?”

But then the words that followed weren’t what she expected.

She really couldn’t understand her brother, either his thoughts or words.

“Weird?”

“Yeah. Sometimes, Siervian will be scared of me and maybe you’ll hate me… Like last time when we met at the Empress’ Palace.”

The cold expression as he looked at her suddenly popped into her mind.

It was very easy to recall that expression of the Crown Prince. It was the same expression that she faced all the time whenever he looked at her in her previous life.

When Siervian suddenly fell silent and stopped eating the cake, the Crown Prince looked sad as well.

“It’s my fault… I mean… If that happens, please let me come and beg for forgiveness later.”

She couldn’t understand why people were living such complicated lives. They just lived while naturally hiding what they truly felt.

Somehow, she became incensed as this thought came into her mind. With a child’s temperament, she just wanted to yell and say what was on her mind.

[ Damian Erveldote ]

Thoughts: Until I gain more strength, that’s the only time I’ll be able to protect you more…

However, as she read his status window, she closed her lips.

There must be something she still didn’t know. And it was probably related to the Empress.

“Okay…”

Maybe her brother already knew the real innermost thoughts of the Empress, the ones that Siervian only noticed after reading about them in her status window.

“Siervian… Thank you.”

[ Damian Erveldote ]

Thoughts: I’ll get stronger quickly so that I can protect my younger sister.

She decided to be more wary of the Empress.

Siervian, who had been quiet for a while, munched on some cake again. The sweetness seemed to comfort her mind.

At that time from the corner of her periphery, she saw that the bunny had melted a little.

“No…! Bunny!”

“Ah. Let me freeze it again.”

Without any signs of difficulty, the Crown Prince conjured his mana again.

At that time, there was something gray near the bunny.

‘What’s that?’

The bunny’s ears, which had melted a little, gradually took shape again. Perhaps it was only a trick of the light when the cold air passed by.

In any case, the ice sculptures would melt again in no time. So, on impulse, she asked her brother.

“Pwease stop it fwom melting.”

“Huh? Oh, you want me to cast a conservation spell?”

“Yeah!”

If he could conserve it with magic, it cheered her up because she recalled that her room would be redecorated. She could keep the animal sculptures there.

[ Damian Erveldote ]

Favorability: +100

With a red face, the Crown Prince began to cast the spell.

She found out that when he had learned it, he asked what he’d use it for and thought it was something trivial, but now, he was relieved that he learned how to cast a conservation spell in advance.

[ Jane Millas ]

Thoughts: How can you both be so cute?

And on the other side of the room, Jane kept thinking this. She decided to keep it a secret from her brother that the lady-in-waiting was thinking this about them both.

—A few days later.

“Mmmm… Sleepy…”

“Oh my, our Princess is sleepy. Hm… Shall we take a short nap?”

“Noo… I’ll be late…”

These days, it became a daily occurrence to go to the Emperor’s Palace early in the morning to eat breakfast, then return to her palace being carried by someone as she dozed off. She was nervous the first and second time it happened, but as her father continued to carry her without saying anything, her tension quickly eased.

Still, Siervian couldn’t be late when she needed to be at the Emperor’s Palace, so she pushed back her drowsiness and opened her eyes wide.

[ Ellie ]

Favorability: +50

“We can spare a little more time today. You’ll be having breakfast here at your palace, Princess.”

“Really?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Of course, since she fell asleep every time, they must have thought it would be more convenient to just let her have breakfast alone. She fell back to sleep thinking that this was a relief.

But it was already late in the morning when she woke up again after sleeping for quite a while.

“Where are we going?”

She thought she would go back to eating breakfast in her bedroom again like before, but Ellie led Siervian somewhere else. They went to the dining hall of the Princess’ Palace.

‘Huh…?’

The empty hall suddenly turned into a neat and cozy dining hall.

And as soon as she got there, the door opened once more. The Emperor and the Crown Prince entered.

“You’re awake.”

[ Alderuan Erveldote ]

Favorability: 90,990,984

Thoughts: Your sleepy face as you just woke up is so cute that the mana’s spirit could be hit twice on both its cheeks, but it would still smile at you. That’s how cute you are.

[ Damian Erveldote ]

Favorability: 90,009,687

Thoughts: Even your drowsy face is so cute.

Not being fully awake, she stared blankly at the two people who came to the Princess’ Palace to eat breakfast. They sat in their respective seats not minding her gaze on them.

No way… Was it going to be like this from now on…?

“But Crown Prince, I didn’t call you here.”

At that time, the Emperor looked towards the Crown Prince with a slightly sour expression. That was the only time she came to know that her brother came here uninvited.

“It’s also been a long time since we had breakfast together, and I wanted to eat with you, Father.”

“Hm.”

With the same expressionless face, Damian answered politely.

Unlike the dining hall of the Emperor’s Palace, the dining hall here was smaller. The three were sitting at a round table, so it seemed like they were sitting beside her.

‘The more I look at them, the more they look alike.’

Although he was conceived through a magical pregnancy, the son exceedingly resembled the father.

In the meantime, the ladies-in-waiting began to carry in their meal.

When the silverware was set perfectly, the Emperor suddenly called Siervian’s attention.

“Siervy, do you like the silverware I got you?”

“Yees.”

“Siervy, what about the design? If you don’t like it, I can change it again. It was made in a hurry just for breakfast.”

“Noo, I like it.”

The silverware embedded with blue jewels fit her hands perfectly, so she continued to use it. And the dining hall, which was perfectly decorated with cute designs everywhere, surprisingly suited Siervian’s taste.

In particular, the chair she was sitting on was exclusively made for her, so it was easy for her to climb and sit on it.

“Siervy, go ahead and eat.”

“Yees.”

As the conversation continued, Siervian felt that it was odd.

Why was her father calling her by that nickname so often these days…?

“Your Majesty calls her by a nickname?”

The Crown Prince, who had been listening quietly all this time, immediately asked. He was expressionless once more, and it was almost like the brother who appeared in front of her, making an ice bunny for her, seemed to be an illusion.

[ Damian Erveldote ]

Thoughts: I wanna call you like that too, nickname! ㅠ^ㅠ

But as she saw his thoughts, Siervian was shocked.

“Yesterday, you brought some cake that the chef made, right?”

Meanwhile, on her other side, the Emperor glanced down at the Crown Prince and asked him coldly. With the tone he had, it was almost like he was accusing his son of feeding his younger sister poison.

[ Alderuan Erveldote ]

Thoughts: I was going to have some of the cake made again, but I can’t believe you did it first.

Their thoughts were so different from their words. Siervian’s eyes were wide open in confusion.

Just what were they doing?