episode_0403

“There’s a bit of a story behind that paper.”

“A story? Is it a sad one?”

“Not sad, but rather a tricky situation.”

Deciding to speak up before being prodded further, I explained, “I recently hired an employee.”

“Well done! It’s tough to handle everything alone.”

“But the issue was that the employee was too pretty.”

“Why is being pretty a problem?”

“It’s a problem because men kept coming around. Just like with princesses, you know? Men following them around.”

Princess Haehwa must have had many suitors.

After all, among SSR characters, there isn’t a single person who isn’t beautiful or handsome, except for those with unique characteristics.

“I’m not popular.”

“Why wouldn’t you be popular? You’re so pretty.”

“Heh, no, really.”

Perhaps feeling pleased at being called pretty, Princess Haehwa blushed shyly.

“Anyway, that’s why I wrote ‘Not doing business.’ I wanted to avoid those people.”

“If they come to a general store, they should buy something. They shouldn’t come for other reasons.”

“Exactly. That’s what should happen, but they keep coming to our shop for strange reasons.”

“But I came to meet a friend, not to shop.”

“You and I are acquainted, but those people come without manners, not knowing us well.”

“So, am I okay then?”

“Of course, you’re fine. Come visit often.”

Now that there’s someone to manage the general store, we can enjoy our time together when she visits.

“Wasn’t it a difficult decision to study in a foreign land? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. I’m not scared at all. I have friends.”

Hearing Princess Haehwa’s words, I realized I needed to pay more attention to her in the future.

Thinking about what I could do for her right now, one idea came to mind.

“Should I introduce you to a friend?”

“A friend?”

“You might meet them at the academy. This friend is joining that class for the first time after being elsewhere.”

While Princess Haehwa’s skills are likely superior, perhaps both could meet in Class A if things go well.

Since Yul might find it challenging to adapt to a new place, sticking close to Princess Haehwa could help him through the year.

“If it’s a friend of a friend, that’s great. Let’s hang out together.”

“They’re currently elsewhere, so we can’t meet immediately. I’ll introduce you when they arrive.”

“Okay! Thank you. By the way, I’m using the gift my friend gave me. It’s amazing. My dad almost didn’t let me take it. But I didn’t give up. I told him I’d come back stronger.”

Princess Haehwa went to study abroad for the future of her minority group.

Realizing that interacting with the Empire would make it easier to defend the frontier, she naturally became curious about their technology.

“You’re learning a lot from the Empire. I have some interesting stories to tell you.”

“Interesting stories?”

Taking Princess Haehwa upstairs, I began chatting in earnest.

The story I shared with her was about the successful expedition led by Princess Mona.

Even if the world is round, isn’t it a challenging task for the Empire alone to cleanse all contaminated areas?

If the minority groups could purify contaminated zones just like the Empire, things would be much smoother.

I wanted to share the Empire’s success story with Princess Haehwa for this reason.

If the minority groups wanting to check the Empire were interested, they would have to pay attention to this tale.

And if possible, I hoped the minority groups would follow the Empire’s actions.

※ ※ ※

Since I couldn’t bring Yul, who is part of the expedition team, I postponed the friend introduction and instead prepared a feast to catch up with Princess Haehwa after a long time.

Right next door, I knew Nae-gi was alone, but since we couldn’t just eat together, I called her over.

“Hello!”

Before long, Nae-gi came up to the second floor, surprised to see Princess Hwahwa holding a fork.

Although she had mentioned that a friend had come to cook, she hadn’t revealed who it was.

It seemed mismatched that my friend would be the French contemporary Princess Hwahwa.

Whether Nae-gi was flustered or not, the friendly Princess Hwahwa, whom she had only heard about, seemed delighted to meet her and greeted her warmly with a bright smile.

“I missed you!”

“…Me?”

“Yes! I’ve heard a lot about you. They say you’re a beautiful, talented employee.”

“From the boss?”

“Come sit here.”

Initially, I thought it might be easier to just bring food and serve it. But seeing how Princess Hwahwa wanted to see Nae-gi and thinking they might get along well, I eventually invited her to join us for a meal.

After all, didn’t she need to form attachments here? The more acquaintances she could make, the better.

That way, she wouldn’t feel like leaving.

“You may have noticed by appearance, but I’m a student from the North. I’ve come here to enroll in the academy.”

“Oh…I don’t know much about the North. I’m sorry.”

There were times when there was a buzz about the Empire regarding the North, but Nae-gi seemed unaware of it.

Princess Hwahwa, seeing Nae-gi’s embarrassment, smiled broadly and said, “I don’t know much about the Empire either. I came here because I wanted to know. I’ll tell you about the North. Let’s learn together.”

With humble words to reassure her, Princess Hwahwa’s actions comforted Nae-gi a little.

Afraid that Nae-gi might feel burdened if she knew Princess Hwahwa’s status, I deliberately avoided using the title ‘Princess,’ which seemed to be a good decision.

Nae-gi seemed to like Princess Hwahwa, taking care of her like a daughter.

Encouraging her to try what she was eating, saying she looked pleased, and offering her more to eat.

“It’s a shame, but I have to go now. I took a short break, but I stayed too long. Actually, I’m quite busy. There’s a lot to prepare for enrollment.”

“Can you manage on your own? Do you need any help?”

“It’s okay. Just ask if you don’t know.”

Nae-gi smiled at Princess Hwahwa’s cheerful words.

“That’s right, just ask if you don’t know. But if you find it difficult and need help, let me know. I may not be able to do anything great, but I’ll do my best to help.”

“Thank you. From today, Nae-gi is my friend too. We’re going to be friends, right?”

Despite the age difference, becoming friends wasn’t an issue, as I was already friends with her.

“Friends? No! I’m just an ordinary employee.”

“We can’t be friends?”

Princess Hwahwa looked disappointed enough to pout if she had a tail.

Seeing her pleading eyes, Nae-gi couldn’t refuse and said, “Oh, of course. Let’s be friends. It’s fine. It’s not that I didn’t want to. It’s just that I feel inadequate, too much for you, that’s all.”

“It’s not too much! You’re not inadequate! Let’s be friends. Us.”

Princess Hwahwa firmly held Nae-gi’s hand.

“…Okay. Let’s.”

Reluctantly accepting the friendship request, Nae-gi raised her white flag.

She wondered if her concern for Princess Hwahwa’s study abroad was unnecessary.

It was unimaginable that someone like Princess Hwahwa, who enjoyed making friends and was so lively, could be sad without friends.

‘I should definitely tell Yul to get along well with her.’

With Princess Hwahwa around, she was convinced that even the awkward Yul would have more opportunities to make other friends.

“Are you feeling a bit absent-minded?”

“It was nice. She seemed like someone with clear energy who could make the people around her feel good.”

If we were to look at her MBTI from her past life, she would definitely start with an E.

Shouldn’t she be at least a Power E?

“It seems like you have a wide variety of acquaintances, sir.”

“Since I run a general store at the academy, sometimes I come across young friends like that.”

Of course, Princess Haehwa didn’t make connections at the academy, but it was undeniable that many of my connections started there.

“Coming from a distant place and adapting wouldn’t be easy… Are you considering enlisting?”

“I won’t enlist because I’m from the North. If someone volunteers to enlist, I don’t know.”

“It might be tough to enlist, but there’s no need to sacrifice yourself for that. Of course, for nobles, enlisting is considered a very honorable thing…”

It might be something commoners can’t understand.

“It depends on each person’s circumstances. Some nobles see enlisting as a sacrifice, while others see it as an opportunity.”

For younger sons who won’t inherit the family title or lower-ranking nobles, there are those who strive to establish their own lineage and those nobles who fundamentally seek wealth and honor.

Honestly, enlisting in the military to protect humanity was an outdated story.

Moreover, now they even have ways to purify contaminated areas.

With the empire having proper successors in place, those with desires will naturally flock to the palace and the military.

It’s all about seizing an ‘opportunity.’

“Establishing oneself is quite challenging. Nobles may not worry about food and shelter, but is gaining such high honor really that important?”

Knowing why she asked such a question, I had no choice but to answer sincerely.

“It’s important for nobles. Honor is as crucial and burdensome as the necessities of life.”

“I, as a commoner, don’t think I’d ever understand.”

In noble society, once you fall from grace, life becomes unbearable.

Complete exclusion.

If you’re lucky, you might receive comfort from your family, but it wasn’t common for families to care for dishonored children.

One’s position shapes them.

Unless she becomes a noble and dives into their society, it would be hard for her to understand.