Chapter Index

    …weirdo.

    These were Elin’s thoughts as she was carried on her tutor’s back.

    Luke made a strong first impression.

    Gray hair that looks like the color has evaporated.

    Dark circles that extend down to the cheeks.

    Among them, a golden eye shining softly.

    If it were anyone else, I would have just looked like a tired graduate student.

    But Luke was different.

    Decadent.

    It gave the impression that the word was embodied in a visual form.

    I was nervous at first.

    Because I knew how to conduct the class strictly.

    -Your Majesty, would you like a cup of tea?

    But then he suddenly starts making tea for me.

    -The last one. This is really the last one.

    Why don’t you change your diet on your own and test the limits of your stomach?

    -Is there anywhere else that hurts?

    Don’t you apply medicine to a wound that was deliberately left untreated?

    Although he was a tutor, Luke actually acted as kindly as a nanny.

    … Yeah, like the nanny I had once.

    width-

    Ellen buried her face in Luke’s back.

    It was unfamiliar.

    Someone who treats her warmly.

    I was anxious.

    I’m afraid that you’ll leave me again soon.

    I felt like I would get involved with Elin for no reason and end up unhappy together.

    “Princess? If you’re tired, you can sleep, but how about looking around? This is part of the lesson.”

    It wasn’t that I was leaning on it because I was particularly sleepy.

    Ellen looked around, feeling that there was no need to resolve the minor misunderstanding.

    “Isn’t this a pretty nice view?”

    “… That’s right.”

    It wasn’t that good, but it was pretty good.

    A street bathed in warm sunlight.

    People passing by with smiles on their faces.

    A minstrel playing the lute in front of a fountain.

    It’s like a world out of a fairy tale.

    In reality, it was a scenery that could be seen anywhere by walking for just 10 minutes from the mansion.

    Elin, who only stayed in cold, dark rooms, had no way of knowing.

    Luke went into a store.

    Daughter-

    The first place we arrived at was.

    “Welcome. This is a herbal medicine store that sells everything except what is not there.”

    It was a herbal medicine shop run by an old man with burly muscles.

    “Do you also sell ointment?”

    “Have you ever seen a herbal medicine store that doesn’t sell ointments? There are different types here, so take a look around.”

    Although his speech was slow, he was surprisingly friendly.

    My brother and sister would get really upset if they were spoken to informally by a commoner, but is Luke okay?

    Luke looked around the stall with an indifferent expression, his worries fading away.

    And then.

    “Give me everything from here to there.”

    He pointed with his finger from one end to the other.

    “… Teacher?”

    He grabbed Nolaruk’s collar with a start.

    “Why are you like that?”

    “Why do you buy all this?”

    “You need them all.”

    Luke lowered his voice so that only Ellen could hear.

    “In addition to ointment, you need different types of medicine. Don’t you have a lot of wounds other than your feet?”

    “… How did you know?”

    Surely you’ve never shown it…?

    “There is a way to know everything.”

    Of course, it wasn’t difficult to guess from Luke’s point of view.

    There’s no way a peacock would just keep hitting his feet.

    Of course, there will be wounds in other places too.

    “All of this… ? Is it worth paying for… .”

    The owner, whose pupils were struck by an earthquake, trailed off.

    “Is this enough?”

    Crunch.

    I couldn’t see it properly, but it sounded quite heavy.

    The owner, his mouth wide open, jumped out of the stand.

    “I’m sorry I found out about you so late.”

    “It’s okay. More than that… Excuse me for a moment, Your Majesty.”

    Luke put Elin down on the chair.

    Only then did I notice the muscular man’s waist repeatedly folding and unfolding like wings.

    The owner, who had become more formal, poked Luke’s back while he hurriedly packed the herbs.

    “When you buy medicine, apply it on your hands first.”

    “Your Majesty’s feet come before mine.”

    “If you don’t apply it first, he’ll run around wildly.”

    I said something that was meant to be hated on purpose.

    If I had told my family, I know what they would have said in return.

    He would have ignored me as if asking what I wanted from him, or he would have hit me even harder.

    however.

    “… … Okay.”

    Luke gave in obediently.

    Kuk.

    A feeling of guilt weighs on my heart.

    It won’t work.

    There’s nothing good to be gained by worrying about the likes of me.

    I have to push it away… … .

    When you habitually bring your damaged fingernails to the corner of your mouth.

    “Here are the items you ordered.”

    The owner carefully wrapped a bundle of herbs and handed it over.

    Ellen picked up any ointment she could find.

    “… hand.”

    And he reached out to Luke.

    I have to pay my debt.

    That way, our relationship will be a little bit cleaner.

    I didn’t like being in a position where I was unilaterally receiving favors.

    “I’m a tutor, not a dog, Your Majesty.”

    Luke held out his hand as he said that.

    “… I knew it.”

    He frowned slightly.

    All of the palms were swollen and cracked.

    I can only imagine how bitter it would be.

    Gerald has long since surpassed the low-level level of the Knights of Bertain.

    Because the sandbag that hit him the most was always Elin.

    I rubbed ointment on my hands, thinking that Luke would have sighed if he had heard that.

    After applying the medicine, Luke sat down next to Ellen.

    “Let’s just take a short break until the medicine wears off.”

    “If you don’t come quickly, oppa will be angry.”

    “I think you’ll get angry even if I go quickly.”

    “That’s… …yeah.”

    Gerald was already very angry before he even came out.

    Is it really necessary to go back so quickly and listen to that annoying voice?

    The conclusion was, ‘There’s no need for that.’

    “And I can’t lift you until it dries.”

    “If you walk―”

    “No.”

    He said it as if it was obvious.

    It was rejected as if it was a given.

    I was able to walk just fine even with a broken foot.

    I really didn’t understand why they were so overprotective.

    “You have such a cute daughter.”

    The shop owner came over with a businesslike smile, as if he had heard that we were going to take a break.

    To be honest, his face didn’t match the muscular man’s appearance.

    “Can I ask how old you are?”

    “Your daughter?”

    Shock spreads across Luke’s face.

    He looks at the mirror in the store and mutters.

    Are you that old?

    It was the shape of the mouth that Ellen read.

    “I’m 12 years old.”

    Elin answered instead of Luke, who was in shock.

    “12 years old…? I know it may be presumptuous of me to ask, but… you’re so skinny.”

    The shop owner looked at Elin with pitiful eyes.

    I couldn’t understand why he was looking at me like that.

    It was Elin who failed to live up to her parents’ expectations.

    So isn’t it natural that your diet is restricted?

    It’s natural that you don’t gain weight because you didn’t eat enough.

    As a question mark floated over Elin’s head, the conversation between the owner and Luke continued.

    “He should be growing up a lot. You should feed him a lot of food.”

    “I’m trying to do that.”

    Luke, barely coming to his senses, answered.

    It seemed like they decided not to reveal Elin’s identity.

    “The ointment seems to be drying up. Should I get up?”

    Luke squats down in front of Ellen.

    It meant to be lifted again.

    Climb onto the sturdy, broad back.

    I felt like I was addicted to the feeling of stability.

    Why are you treating me so kindly?

    Because you’re a tutor?

    But I don’t remember my father or even the servants carrying me.

    “… … If the teacher was my dad, would things have been different?”

    He muttered quietly with his face half buried in his hands.

    “Yes? Could you say that again?”

    Luke asked back, as if he hadn’t heard.

    “Nothing. Let’s go.”

    Of course, I had no intention of bringing it up again.

    Because the very thought of something that would never happen was painful.

    * * * * *

    The next place we arrived at was a beauty shop.

    “Welcome~”

    The store was dizzying with the smell of cosmetics and perfume.

    “Why are you here?”

    I don’t really need any cosmetics.

    I don’t usually have any reason to go out of my room.

    Even if I had anything, it would all be taken away by my older sister.

    “The princess came here because she only washed with soap.”

    Luke answered lightly and passed over all the cosmetics and perfumes.

    The place where my feet stopped was where the bath products were displayed.

    “Just washing with soap is enough… .”

    “Not enough at all.”

    It was a decisive, if not cold, answer.

    Luke compared the items and then carefully put them into his basket.

    “Apply this before washing your hair, then rinse it off with water and apply it gently. And that is… ….”

    There was a lot of explanation, but I didn’t understand a single thing.

    Still, I nodded diligently.

    It was a habit that developed from getting slapped if I didn’t even pretend to understand.

    When I came to my senses, I had already finished paying a bunch of bills and left the beauty salon.

    “… Where are we going now?”

    “Well.”

    Luke stopped in the middle of the square.

    “There’s no rush, so let’s take our time and look around.”

    Elin, who was held captive, had no right to walk freely.

    Luke, who is really walking around leisurely.

    I looked around the square from the back.

    “What is that?”

    Then a certain store caught my eye.

    “There is a food called ice cream. Have you tried it?”

    “… No.”

    “Oh, you’ve lost half your life.”

    “Is that it?”

    “Yes, I’m sure your majesty will like it very much.”

    It was a voice full of confidence.

    When you say it like that, I get curious.

    “Would you like to try one?”

    We can’t afford to increase our debt here.

    Elin hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

    “… … Yeah.”

    This is because curiosity was more powerful than concern.

    “Please wait a moment.”

    Luke, who had dropped Ellen off on the bench, quickly bought her an ice cream.

    Did you say vanilla flavor?

    I stared quietly at the food I was seeing for the first time.

    “If you stay still like that, it will melt.”

    “… Melting?”

    “Yes, it’s already starting to melt.”

    It is a warm spring now and flowers are blooming.

    Unfortunately for ice cream, its days were short.

    Ice cream flowing down a cone.

    A surprised Elin quickly licked it before it reached her hand.

    “!”

    And the hairs on my head stood on end.

    “How is it?”

    “… Run.”

    I feel like I’ve tasted something I shouldn’t have.

    Who knew there was such a sweet food in the world.

    “It tastes better when eaten cold. Come eat quickly.”

    Luke’s words were slowly bitten from above.

    Starting with the fluffy texture, the sweetness spread throughout my mouth.

    “Are you crying now?”

    “Oh, no.”

    I didn’t even notice it, but the corners of my eyes became slightly moist.

    Because I was eating so absentmindedly.

    “… Have you already eaten everything?”

    In the blink of an eye, the ice cream in my hand disappeared.

    My gaze naturally turned back to the ice cream shop.

    “Not anymore.”

    Before I could say anything, Luke cut me off.

    “Eating too much can cause stomachache.”

    “… I wasn’t going to ask for more.”

    I muttered because I felt stung for no reason.

    Besides, isn’t it common to get hit in the stomach?

    If I’m going to get sick anyway, I might as well enjoy the taste of happiness and get sick.

    “… … I’ll pay you back someday.”

    “What do you mean?”

    “You spent a lot of money today.”

    “I thought it was some kind of declaration of revenge. It’s okay. It was all Confucius’s money.”

    “… !”

    In an instant, Ellen’s face turned pale.

    “What if it really gets cut off… .”

    “I was joking.”

    I doubt he would have spent Confucius’ money so carelessly.

    No matter how hard I tried, it was still a bit difficult.

    “Actually, I only wrote a little bit.”

    When I smiled brightly, Ellen’s expression broke down.

    I was dumbfounded, then my hair stood on end, and then I started sobbing.

    “I did write it, you know… … .”

    “I spent just a little bit so that it wouldn’t be noticeable. Don’t worry, it was almost all my money.”

    Luke chuckled and patted Elin’s head.

    Now Elin no longer causes any matches.

    “It is my reward that the princess is growing up well.”

    “… … That might be difficult.”

    “Yes?”

    Luke’s expression turned bewildered.

    Are you upset because I was joking just now?

    Fortunately, that wasn’t the case.

    “Growing up well… I don’t think I can do it.”

    “Why do you think so?”

    “I can’t do anything.”

    “If you learn, you can do anything.”

    “… … Even though he’s this short?”

    “If you just eat properly, you will grow quickly.”

    Luke gets down on one knee and looks Elin in the eye.

    “You don’t have to try to be good at anything. You will definitely become a great person, my lady. I will make it happen. So… .”

    A faint smile appeared on his lips.

    “There’s only one thing I wish for. Don’t get sick and just grow up healthy.”

    “… Ah.”

    I was left dazed by the unexpected words.

    I just want you to grow up healthy.

    It’s something I never even dared to hope for.

    Because Ellen was a left-behind child.

    I ran through the difficult and burdensome work that I didn’t want to do.

    Now I’ve even forgotten why I had to do that.

    But what Luke said was softer and sweeter than the ice cream I just ate… … I thought absentmindedly.

    I think things would have been different if the teacher had been my father.

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