episode_0015

I wonder what wish I should make this time.

Flora, rather than worry, waited for Serena’s reply with anticipation.

‘Tell me, what is it that you truly desire?’

Tremendous wealth?

A reputation higher than anyone else?

A treasure that is difficult to obtain?

The wish Serena requested, which followed soon after,

was something Flora had never even considered.

“My wish is for Your Imperial Highness to call me by my name.”

“…Huh?”

“Please call me Serena.”

A wish that was outside the realm of imagination.

Flora short-circuited for a moment, as her brain failed to process it.

-Huh? Huh?

The Imperial Princess, who kept making “Huh? Huh?” sounds for a while, finally came to her senses and said,

“…You can do it with just that?”

“Just that? It’s a very important matter to me!”

“Ah, I see.”

At Serena’s serious expression,

Flora also cleared her throat for a moment and said seriously.

“Shall, shall I?”

“Yes. Quickly.”

“Se… Serena?”

“Hehehe. Yes, Your Highness.”

“…Serena.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Really, is this all it takes?”

Worried, she asked one more time,

but Serena simply smiled brightly and nodded.

“Of course. It’s what I truly wished for.”

“Serena.”

“Yes.”

“…Calling you by your name makes me feel a bit shy.”

“You’ll get used to it.”

“Ugh.”

The Imperial Princess, wearing an expression of feeling somewhat wronged,

suddenly lit up.

She spoke with a face that said she had a good idea.

“Okay. This is how it should be.”

“Yes? What is it?”

“Serena. You can call me by my name too.”

“…Yes? Me?”

Flora, seeing Serena dumbfounded by the sudden suggestion, continued speaking.

“Come on. Try saying Flora.”

“Your, Your Highness. Please reconsider.”

“Uh-huh. Are you planning to disregard the Imperial Princess’s command right now?”

“N, not that. Isn’t it too sudden?”

“I was sudden too, you know?”

Flora urged Serena with a playful expression.

Serena, who was very troubled, could only fidget and not know what to do.

“Ugh….”

“Quickly. F.L.O.R.A. Say it.”

“Fl, Fl….”

“Fl?”

“Fl… Ugh….”

“Quickly~.”

Serena, who eventually succumbed to the continuous prodding.

She lowered her face deeply and spoke in a voice as small as an ant.

“Fl, Flora-nim.”

“Uh-huh. You have to take off the ‘nim’!”

“Ah, even so, how can I call Your Highness by her name!”

“Hmm. Is that so after all?”

“Of course! What would other people think!”

“Hmm… Then. Ah!”

Flora, wearing a mischievous expression again this time, said,

“I don’t think there’s a good title separately?”

“Yes? What title is it…?”

“Hehe. Try to think about it well.”

“…Hmm.”

“To give you a hint~. Serena is 7 years old, and I’m 10 years old~.”

“Ye, you don’t mean…?”

Serena, having realized Flora’s intention, wore a dumbfounded expression.

“Ahem ahem. Come on. Say it quickly.”

“Re, really?”

“Are you going to make me wait again?”

“Ugh.”

Flora’s appearance of shamelessly demanding while pretending not to know.

In the end, Serena raised both hands and both feet.

“Fl, Flora, Older Sister….”

Flora, seeing Serena’s face turn bright red from embarrassment, wore a satisfied expression.

“Hehe. Yes, Serena.”

“Ugh. Are you satisfied now?”

“Of course~. I wanted to have a little sister.”

Flora, having said that, massaged Serena’s cheeks roughly and said.

“Heehee. How can it be so squishy.”

“Iyergaeoreoyiueeoaeo(Thisisbullyingyouknow).”

“I can’t hear you, I can’t hear you. Squishy squishy cheeks~.”

After playing around like that for quite a while longer,

they were eventually led back to the Magic Tower by the servants who had followed them out of concern.

The gossip between Serena and the Imperial Princess, which had been like a storm, came to an end like this.

No, it seemed like it was coming to an end.

* * *

Several days have passed since I called the Imperial Princess “Older Sister.”

To be honest, it’s still so awkward that I’m going crazy.

‘Older Sister,이라니….’

There were hardly any people who called me “Older Sister,”

but the word “Older Sister” was too violent for me.

‘How did this happen.’

But it was already a done deal.

I sighed and entered the lecture hall.

-Creak.

The Imperial Princess was sitting in her seat, as always.

I greeted the Imperial Princess.

“Fl, Flora, Older Sister. Good morning.”

It was the usual greeting,

but a different greeting from the usual.

It’s awkward to speak informally,

but it felt twice as awkward to say “Older Sister.”

Whether she knew my feelings or not,

the Imperial Princess was simply greeting me with a bright smile.

“Serena. You’re here?”

“Yes. Did you sleep well?”

“Of course. By the way, hmm.”

She, who was contemplating while looking at me for a moment, gave me another trial once again.

“Calling me ‘Older Sister’ is to get closer, but using honorifics is too stiff. Speak informally.”

“Ye, Yes? Th, That’s really not possible!”

“What’s not possible? Come on. It’s the Imperial Princess’s order.”

To speak informally to the Imperial Princess.

In a situation where my mind was becoming dazed, my sense of reality was fading away.

‘Please tell me it’s a dream….’

It’s true that I wanted to build a friendly relationship with Her Imperial Highness,

but I didn’t intend to get this close.

‘A great business partner was the original plan.’

This time, I spent several tens of minutes trying to persuade her that “at least no informal speech,” but it was useless.

In the end, having given up on everything, I decided to accept reality.

“Okay. What should you say to me?”

“Fl, Flora….”

“What words should you use?”

“Informal speech….”

“That’s right. Let’s try it now. Ahem ahem. Serena. What do you want to eat for breakfast today?”

“…Let’s go to the cafeteria and eat together.”

The Imperial Princess, having heard my informal speech, finally nodded with a satisfied expression.

To be honest,

so many things had happened in the past few days that I couldn’t deny that I had a bit of a headache.

But…

“Great! Let’s go together after class.”

Looking at Flora, who was smiling brightly,

one corner of my heart became proud.

-Nice to meet you, Lady Lierre.

The blunt first impression.

-Tingle tingle.

The way she glanced sideways at me with jealousy.

-Lady Lierre must do magic!

The appearance of a young child stubbornly insisting.

Ah, she is a young child.

All these moments flashed through my head.

I closed my eyes for a moment and reminisced,

then I opened my eyes and looked at the Flora in front of me now.

The girl in front of me was not the gloomy Imperial Princess of the Empire weighed down by the weight of the world.

“Serena~. If you don’t come quickly, I’m leaving you behind?”

Blonde hair that shines more dazzlingly than anything else under the warm sun.

A smile that anyone would feel is lovely.

Eyes filled with the purity that a child of that age would have.

What should I say.

This is really.

“Looks good.”

“Huh? What did you say?”

“It’s nothing.”

To be honest, I had thought a lot about whether to request elixirs or copyright-related amendments as a wish.

But looking back now, it seems like it was a good choice after all.

‘I can work on those things little by little.’

Because sometimes a young child’s smile,

is more valuable than a thousand taels of gold.

* * *

After that,

Flora and I always went around together.

When studying.

When eating.

When taking walks.

It was no exaggeration to say that we became very close friends.

Even in the midst of that, time continued to flow.

While several seasons changed,

the time for the year to change finally came.

And this also meant one thing.

It was a cold winter night.

I went out to the lake at Flora’s call.

“Ugh, it’s cold.”

It wasn’t too late,

but it was already dark.

“Achoo. Achoo. Ugh. My nose is running.”

-I have to go quickly.

I hurried towards the meeting place.

-Rustle.

Flora was already there at the meeting place, as usual.

I called her happily.

“Older Sister. I’m here.”

“Yes. Serena’s here.”

It was the same greeting as usual,

but today Flora’s eyes, what should I say.

There was a hint of sadness in them.

Because there was something I could guess, I waited quietly for her to speak.

Flora, looking at me quietly, asked.

“Serena. Will Serena go to the Academy later?”

The Academy.

The best educational institution in the Empire,

where many talented and well-off students gather.

Flora continued speaking calmly.

“As you know, I’ll be leaving for another Magic Tower soon.”

“I know.”

“Yes. Because there are 5 Magic Towers in the Empire, I have to go around 2 more Magic Towers now.”

The destiny of the Imperial Princess to study by going around the Magic Towers once a year.

“I’ll probably be 12 years old when I’ve gone around all the Magic Towers.”

“That’s right.”

“The Imperial Academy is open to enrollment from the age of 15, but I’ll probably enroll in the Academy right after I’ve gone around all the Magic Towers.”

-Because she’s the Imperial Princess. A special privilege, or something?

She was speaking in a joking manner similar to usual,

but it didn’t feel like she had any strength today.

She looked at me for a long time, then sighed deeply and said.

“Sigh. It’s a shame after all. To have to leave behind such a cute younger sibling.”

“…I’ll miss you too.”

“Reaally?”

Flora, whose face brightened at my words, massaged my cheeks roughly.

“As expected, our Serena is cute~ kind~ and says pretty things~.”

“Eaiaierhaimarahaeaao(I told you not to do this).”

“I don’t know, I don’t know~. What can I do if you’re cute~.”

Flora, who had been playing around with me like that for a long time,

asked again in a serious voice.

“Because the Academy is a 3-year system, there probably won’t be a time when you and I go to school together.”

That was right.

Because Flora, who would have been going to the Academy since she was 13 years old, would have already graduated by the year I turned 15 years old.

“But.”

She, who paused for a moment, looked straight at me and said.

“If you want, I can make it so that you can enroll in the Academy with me in the year you turn 10 years old.”

So this is what power is.

I was slightly amazed to see her saying that she would break the school rules so casually.

‘The life of a powerful person is different.’

“Anyway, what you need to think about is whether you will go to the Academy with me.”

Flora’s clear eyes were forcing a choice on me.

Whether to go to the Academy and live with her,

or.

‘Whether to continue staying in the Magic Tower as it is.’

“Okay, choose.”

I pondered in silence for a moment.

Flora was waiting for my answer with great anticipation.

-Chirp, chirp.

Only the sound of crickets chirping in the thicket broke the silence.

Having finished thinking, I carefully opened my mouth.

“Me, I.”