episode_0015

Today is a day off as I said yesterday.

Of course, it wasn’t agreed upon with Elin.

It was a decision made alone.

“This should be enough.”

I left a note with a meal next to Elin, who had not yet woken up.

[Today is a day off due to some busy schedule. The meal has been given a warming spell, so it will be warm. Please eat well.]

And then he quietly opened the portal and came out into the square.

Even though I woke up early, today is going to be a really busy day.

Even if I start preparing now, I think I’ll be able to make it to lunch just in time.

Daughter-

The first place we headed was a bakery.

“Welcome… … Ah, you’re here!”

The baker’s face lit up when he saw Luke.

“Are you ready for what I asked for?”

“Aaah… What should I do with this?”

The baker’s face becomes embarrassed.

“There are so many things that need to be done, so I haven’t been able to procure the ingredients yet. But I just need the last ingredient to arrive, so please wait a little bit… … .”

“Will it be completed today?”

“Yes, yes. I can promise you that by betting on the store.”

I don’t have to walk all the way to the store.

Well, this makes me feel reassured.

Because the baker seemed quite attached to his bakery.

“Then I’ll come and find you later.”

“Yes! Take a look!”

The baker bent his waist at a 90 degree angle.

Perhaps because it was a special order, the attitude was very polite.

“The time is showing for a moment.”

Originally, I was planning to receive my order and go back right away.

There are still quite a few things to prepare when I go back.

But there was a hitch in the plan.

It’s ambiguous to go into the duke’s house and then come out again… .

I was wondering if there was anywhere I could spend my time.

The place that caught my eye was a toy store.

“Welcome~”

As we entered, colorful toys caught our attention.

Is this what the children of the empire play with these days?

I looked around the store slowly.

The place where my gaze lingered for a long time was a place where there were a lot of rabbits gathered.

Among them, the parchment with a picture of a rabbit and a carrot-shaped pen are of particular interest.

In the future, if Elin wants to study magic, she will need parchment and a pen.

But this design is a bit… unfounded.

Although he’s only been in this world for four years, Luke is a true wizard.

He is also a wizard who graduated at the top of his class from the academy.

I didn’t like these baseless magical items.

“… If it’s Elin’s writing.”

I imagined it for a moment.

Elin, holding a carrot pen in her small hands, scribbles on a piece of parchment with a rabbit drawn on it.

Because he was so engrossed, his hair was fluttering.

Your eyes will probably be slightly open as you concentrate.

Just thinking about it brings a warm smile to my face.

“How much is this?”

I ended up spending more than I intended and returned to the bakery.

“Ah! It’s finally done!”

I wonder if it’s because I’ve been dragging out all the passionless passion I’ve had since Luke left.

The baker’s clothes were caked in flour.

“Perfect. This is a tip.”

“Thank you, haha! Check it out!”

When I handed him a silver coin, the baker’s waist folded and unfolded like a machine.

Luke carefully wrapped the item he received to make sure it wouldn’t get damaged and snapped his fingers.

Exactly.

After returning through the portal, I found myself in front of Luke’s room.

Now I was going to go in and start preparing in earnest.

“Ugh… .”

“Huh?”

I found Elin loitering in front of the room.

“Your Majesty?”

“Hneek… ?”

Elin turns around, making a strange sound.

He squeaked like a child caught doing something bad.

“Why are you doing that?”

“Uh… That’s… .”

If you came all the way here, didn’t you come to find Luke?

But Ellen became stiff when she met Luke.

* * * * *

Elin Bertain.

This is the name of the little princess who woke up this morning feeling very depressed.

“… Hmm.”

I rubbed my sleepy eyes and looked around.

There was no one in the room.

I had a tutor who would always wake me up before I got up.

“… … ”

The quiet room feels so awkward.

I fell back flat again.

I blinked for a while.

It’s clearly a room I’ve lived in for years.

Today it seemed particularly desolate and uselessly wide.

“흣차.”

I got up, feeling like I would collapse into the ground if I continued like this.

And I found it.

A covered tray and a note next to it.

“… Classes canceled.”

I didn’t mishear just before I fell asleep.

Today was one of those days when Luke really didn’t come to visit.

Click.

I opened the tray, feeling an inexplicable sense of emptiness.

I think it’s been a while.

The still-warm duck meat revealed itself.

I stabbed the meat with a fork and put it in my mouth.

The chef’s skills were still excellent.

“… It doesn’t taste good.”

After chewing the meat a few times, I put the fork down.

[Take good care of yourself.]

Then Luke’s note came to mind and I picked up my fork again.

The food will definitely be warm.

For some reason, my heart felt cold.

“… Why is it like this.”

It’s a much more luxurious meal than eating mashed tomatoes and cold potatoes.

It was the most tasteless meal I’ve ever had.

“Whoa… .”

Elin, who had barely finished eating, leaned on the bed and placed her hand on it.

It was unpleasant.

It felt so bad to force myself to fill my stomach with food I didn’t want.

Put the plate aside.

“… Fairy tale.”

I found a fairy tale book that I read over and over again when I was little.

It felt new when Luke read it to me yesterday.

I unfolded the fairy tale once again.

widely.

I turned three pages and closed it again.

It wasn’t fun.

It was clear that the characters seemed alive and moving yesterday.

But now it was just a bunch of letters.

“Hoo… .”

I kept feeling like there was a hole somewhere in my chest.

Why on earth are you doing this?

Actually, I vaguely knew the answer.

“… Teacher.”

The tutor who had been visiting her for a while disappeared, so she felt lonely.

I was surprised by that fact myself.

Haven’t you been alone for the past 12 years?

I was only with Luke for a few days.

But I feel lonely just because you didn’t come for just one day.

I hugged the neatly repaired rabbit doll tightly.

“I should have ordered them not to take a vacation.”

The more I thought about it, the more I thought of Luke.

Yesterday, you really listened to everything.

When I told him to eat dirt, he really tried to eat it.

Should I have told him not to skip class even if it meant overcoming his sleepiness?

Even when I think about that.

“Teacher needs to rest too.”

He immediately shook his head.

Luke was the first person to cheer Elin on and say she had talent.

I was so afraid of what kind of reaction I would get if I threw a tantrum.

What if the truth is that you were forced to stay with me because of money?

What if you gave false affection out of simple sympathy?

What if the smoke got tired and ran away?

…what if Ellin started to hate me like everyone else?

Negative thoughts continue to fill my head.

“… I screwed up.”

In fact, yesterday’s etiquette training was nothing more than a farce that happened because Elin couldn’t use magic.

“No. That won’t happen.”

Then he shook his head by himself.

Have you been able to find any lies in the way you’ve seen Luke so far?

What if Luke’s warm gaze, his comforting words, and his unconditional trust were all lies?

Elin continued to want to receive fake affection.

“… … Teacher.”

I jumped out of bed.

I felt like I would be consumed by negative thoughts if I continued like this.

Knock knock knock.

Instinctively, Ellen moved her feet.

The place we arrived was Luke’s room, which was right next door.

But I came as if I was possessed.

“… … ”

In the end, I never got around to knocking.

What if you find it annoying?

I don’t think the break was for nothing.

Can I come and visit?

That’s because such thoughts were lingering in my head.

When I stood in front of the door, hesitating for a long time.

“Your Majesty?”

“Hneek…?!”

The owner of the room appeared.

In the hallway, not inside.

* * * * *

“Why were you doing that?”

I couldn’t leave her standing there any longer, so I brought Elin into the room.

“Teacher, your room is really clean.”

Ellen slowly averted her eyes.

I decided to skip it because his will to answer was so strong.

“If you don’t want to talk, that’s okay.”

“… … ”

“If you have anything to say, please say it.”

Elin’s mouth, which had been tightly shut as if she had been waiting, opened.

“Why is class cancelled today?”

“I have something to do.”

“… … I see.”

Ellen didn’t ask any more questions.

Instead, his pupils were less focused than usual, and he lowered his head weakly.

Why are you so gloomy today?

Luke asked, puzzled.

“But do you know what day it is today?”

“… Huh?”

“Let’s see.”

Luke pulled out a calendar from subspace.

Where the red circle is sagging.

It was today.

“… What day is it?”

I did this to you and you didn’t recognize me.

Well, you probably haven’t taken care of it before.

Instead of explaining, he snapped his fingers.

Ah, warm.

Then, subspaces open up simultaneously on all sides.

Elin looking around.

Before I even realized what was happening.

Boom- Boom-

I set off a firecracker.

Colorful papers fluttered.

Ellin froze stiffly like a rabbit startled by the sudden explosion of fireworks.

I put a hat on Elin, who was frozen enough to fight the statue.

“Happy birthday.”

Of course, it wasn’t a birthday hat, it was a hat worn by wizards.

“Birthday…?”

I handed the cake to Elin, who was mumbling the words as if she was hearing them for the first time.

It was a specially ordered item made during the first class, the Imperial Tourism class.

A cake decorated with a cute rabbit.

It was a special cake divided into eight different flavors.

“Today is the princess’s birthday.”

Luke forcibly pulled Elin, who was absent-mindedly staring with an unrealistic expression, back to reality.

“I prepared this because I thought you might not know.”

“… … ”

“Are you surprised? I prepared this with the hope that you would be a little surprised.”

“… … ”

“Anyway. I sincerely congratulate you on your 13th birthday.”

“… … ”

Clap clap clap.

Even as the applause continued, Ellin remained still without even blinking an eye.

Did you faint while standing?

Luke cut the cake and put it into her gaping mouth.

“… Ah.”

Elin, who had been mumbling without realizing it, came to her senses.

“Does it suit your taste?”

“… … delicious.”

Elin swallowed and answered.

“Take this too.”

“… What is this?”

“Parchment and pen. These are necessary to attend class properly.”

Elin’s hands trembled as she received the gift.

The pupils of his eyes had also been shaken for a long time.

“This is… This is something… Only older sisters and brothers get. Celebrating birthdays… .”

“Starting this year, I will also take care of you, Princess, every year.”

“… … !”

Ellen’s stupid hair stood up in the shape of an exclamation mark.

A delighted smile naturally came out.

Up to this point, it’s just as we saw in the game.

Ellen is surprised by her first surprise birthday party.

Now I will shed tears of joy.

I definitely thought so.

width.

But something strange happened.

“… Your Majesty?”

Ellen was held in Luke’s arms.

Oh, there was no scene like this.

Suddenly I felt uneasy.

Showing an unexpected reaction means Luke is entering a route he has never played before.

but.

“… … Ah.”

That didn’t really matter.

“Hehehe… .”

Ellen raised her head.

The corners of my eyes twitched.

It felt like moisture would form around my eyes at any moment.

“Hehehe… .”

The corners of his mouth gradually went up.

“Hehehe.”

A childlike laugh escaped my lips, as if a smile was forming.

“Teacher.”

But Ellen still looked confused.

“Can I receive something like this?”

I was laughing, but at the same time, I felt like I was going to burst into tears at any moment.

“Can I be this happy?”

Only then did I realize.

Why can’t Elin smile comfortably?

I’m going through a conflict.

Because I’ve never experienced anything like this before.

I’ve never received any congratulations, I’ve only been scolded.

Because I always had to hide my emotions and cry secretly.

Luke shattered the thoughts he had been harboring.

Elin is no longer a game character, but Luke’s precious student.

Once I realized that obvious fact, what I did next became natural.

Hug.

I hugged Elin.

He patted the little boy on the back.

“Of course.”

“… Really?”

“The princess will definitely be happy.”

“Really… Really, am I allowed to do that? Am I qualified to do that?”

“Of course.”

“But how…?”

“I will definitely make it happen. Just leave it to me.”

A tone of confidence that no one could refute.

Bam.

A tear shed from his eyes.

At the same time, a sunny smile appeared on Elin’s face.

“Thank you, teacher.”

Ellen wiped away her tears with the back of her hand.

All that remains is a clear and pure smile.

“… Ah.”

A face that is finally wearing matching colors.

Because Ellin’s expression is so beautiful for her age.

I realized one thing.

“As expected, the princess is prettier when she smiles than when she cries.”

Elin was not a child who could not smile.

It’s just that there was nothing to laugh about.