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Chapter 9 – I Became Friends With The Young Male Lead (2)
“Your Highness, are you excited?”
“We will especially make you more beautiful today.”
“Little Lord Aulenbach is so cute, so Your Highness needs to be more beautiful.”
“Are you saying I need to compete with a boy?”
“Oh my, really, Your Highness. You might one day become his bride so you need to hold your ground.”
“That’s right, that’s right. Your Highness looks like a fairy even if you are only covered with dirty rags, but there is nothing more foolish than not playing when you have the cards to play.”
I clicked my tongue as I watched Mary Jane and Patricia drop silly comments through the mirror.
‘You guys are making remarks like this because you don’t know anything.’
Leopold, who will fall in love with the female lead, is just going to be a celebrity friend to me.
I was flustered by their fuss every time I saw their satisfaction every time they helped me dress up.
Seriously, just what if I wasn’t born beautiful.
“Your Highness, what do you think, should I tie your hair, or should I braid it into pigtails?”
“Do you prefer wearing the yellow dress, or the cherry blossom-colored one?”
“A pair of socks made of lace, or velvet?”
“Do you want the red lace for your hair tie, or the black gouache?”
There is no use answering them; in the end, they’ll decide on their own however they want.
‘I let them be, I’ll look like an angel either way.’
The only thing on my mind is that I would soon meet the male lead in my favorite novel.
Leopold and his grandmother, Duchess Aulenbach, were supposed to go to the Freesian Palace, where I reside.
As soon as I received the news that Leopold had boarded the carriage and was already within the palace walls, I went out to the front yard of Freesian Palace.
I was so excited I couldn’t wait for him inside the drawing room.
“Kkya! I knew it.”
“See, Her Highness is looking forward to it.”
Seeing me acting like this, Mary Jane and Patricia made a fuss.
‘Well, it is true that I am looking forward to this, but it is not the reason you guys assume.’
As I walked on the paving stones leading to the garden, I caught sight of the carriage from afar.
A young boy, his blonde hair fluttering in the wind, and next to him seemed to be a middle-aged woman whose hair, which had obviously been a light brown, slowly faded to white near the roots.
A little gentleman wearing a herringbone-patterned jacket and shorts was tightly clutching his grandmother’s skirt and may perhaps have been nervous for the first time riding an unfamiliar carriage.
‘He looks like a baby angel!’
The moment Leopold’s eyes and mine met, I realized.
That I am indeed lucky for coming this far!
I suppressed my trembling heart and waited for the carriage to arrive at the entrance of the Freesian Palace.
The attendant lifted Leopold by the armpits and placed him on the ground.
The vision of him being lifted made him look like an angel descending from heaven. I tried my best to calm myself.
“I greet the Little Star of the Empire, Your Highness the Fourth Princess. We met the other day at the Empress’ tea party, do you remember me?”
The Duchess who exited the carriage escorted by the attendant, greeted me politely, setting an example for her grandson.
I welcomed them with open arms and showed my favoritism to her grandson.
I hope in the future, you will be able to leave your grandson with peace of mind.
“Welcome, ma’am. I hope I am not taking your precious time. I liked the strawberry pie you recommended last time, it melts in my mouth. Soon thereafter, Mother’s patissier moved to the Freesian Palace.”
“Her Majesty has always told me and feels prideful about you, but it’s true, isn’t it? I don’t know how to present myself because I am not sure if you remember me.”
Even if her tone was like a whisper, dignity and generosity could still be felt from Duchess Aulenbach, the head of the Imperial faction.
“Ah yes, right—”
“Yes, this is my grandson, Leopold. He was born in the same year of Your Highness. He is timid and still weak, so I hope Your Highness will guide him.”
After hearing his name… My heart wanted to combust, and I had the urge to shout these emotions.
‘Everybody, I have finally met the male lead in person!’
I screamed inside my head while maintaining my outer composure as a 7-year- old princess.
“I am rather grateful to Madam that you let me befriend your precious grandson. I’m grateful I can finally have friends of my age in the palace.”
“I am indebted to Your Highness. Hey, Leo. Come and say hello.”
Leopold was gently clenching the Duchess skirt, when his eyelids twitched at the Duchess’ stepping aside as if giving way for him.
‘…Hmm?’
He couldn’t be impolite. Is he just too shy?
As I looked back at his wavering eyes, I felt his gaze was looking somewhere behind me.
‘Ah, it’s Andy and Jake.’
The atmosphere had become stiff.
Seeing the faces of the young knights standing guard behind me, I thought they wouldn’t pose much pressure to a 7-year-old child.
‘Mentally, I’m still an adult. I didn’t even realize it.’
I felt sorry for him, I tried my best to smile.
“Oh, I…”
However he interpreted my smile, Leopold struggled to open his mouth. I held my breath as the male lead moved in front of me in 3D, no, in 4D.
“Leopold of Aulenbach, greets the Little Star of the Empire.”
As Leopold bent his short arm, putting his small hand on his chest and bowing his head, his cotton candy-like hair caught my eye.
‘Ah, so cute~!’
Flushed cheeks, my heart started to pound loudly.
‘Is this how it feels when Mary Jane and Patricia were squealing when I was practicing etiquette? I’m sorry for scolding you two back then.’
I masked my excitement, showing my dignity as the princess, I responded coyly.
“Yes, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“I-It’s an honor…”
The Duchess smiled embarrassingly upon hearing her grandson’s timid greetings and patted his shoulder.
Yeah, I had seen countless embarrassed children at that age in my past life.
Well, life truly begins at adulthood. Lead life well, you can become a great Confucius in the novel.
“Then, I shall pay a visit to Her Majesty. Leo, share with Her Highness a lot of interesting stories.”
“Yes, Grandmother.”
“Don’t worry and go.”
Leopold bowed to his grandmother and looked at me as if he was waiting for orders.
His eyes were tense, and he still seemed to be nervous.
…I guess I should tell him something interesting.
“Follow me.”
Feeling responsible as a Fan, I took the lead.
“Your Highness, do you remember that if something happens, you have to pull the string?”
“If there is not enough ice, please call us.”
“The kettle is hot, please be careful.”
“Your Highness has to eat dinner later, so do not eat too many cookies.”
“Okay, okay. Hurry up and leave.”
I glared at Mary Jane and Patricia, who were eyeing the shivering boy.
They stepped back and exited the playroom while covering their mouths as if they found it endearing.
‘Oh, those guys’.
After confirming the door closed, I turned to the tea table to see Leopold smiling.
‘I think I am about to drool, he sure is lovely.’
Pale skin, curly blonde hair, and blue eyes like the summer sea.
‘It feels warm to see this handsome boy in his childhood.’
In my heart, I made the same expressions that Mary Jane and Patricia had when they exited.
‘Oh right, I can’t act like this.’
I repositioned myself and straightened my shoulders. I need to keep my composure as a princess.
…Although that dignity does not show so well with this body.
As I returned to the tea table and sat across from him, Leopold hesitated.
“Your Highness is on good terms with her ladies-in-waiting.”
“Well, I guess it’s like that.”
I let out a sigh.
I may have retained my memories from my past life and maintained the mentality of an adult, but I am still a 7-year-old child. I get tired easily.
“They only like to play Doll to me.”
Ack, was that remark inappropriate for a princess to say?
Worried, I glanced at the little gentleman across from me. Leopold was staring at me with his mouth agape.
Even though he is making a silly face, I couldn’t bring myself to get frustrated. He is too pretty.
‘Hey, he is the male lead. Of course he has been pretty since young.’
Staring at Leopold’s face for a long while, I snapped bluntly out of awkwardness.
“What are you looking at like that?”
“I-I’m sorry.”
“Did your travel here go well?”
“Yes, it was my first time to travel this far in a carriage.”
“How long?”
“For about an hour…”
“Didn’t you get motion sickness?”
“I fortunately didn’t.”
…As I kept asking questions, I felt I was on one of those awful blind dates.
Leopold is still young, and lacks the ability to converse comfortably.
“What are you currently studying?”
“These days…”
At my inquiry out of desperation, Leopold’s expression changed. His eyes sparkled, too.
“I am already at the Monarch of the Early Holy Age. I wanted to read Altis’s Geometry, but my parents told me not to just study math, but I should learn all things evenly…”
Listening to the title of the books that Leopold was studying, I remembered. I felt like shrinking.
‘Those are the books written by the Academy.’
He looks clumsy and immature, but I thought wrong. It seemed he was already prepared to study at the Academy.
It was natural that he would later on be praised as a literate man in the future, but after conversing with him in person, I remembered how extraordinary he was.
‘At the same time, he holds a lot of Divine Power and is talented in martial arts, he then would later on join the Holy Knights.’
Of course his learning progress was slower than mine, but it was only because I have the mental capacity of an adult.
Considering that Leopold was in his first lifetime and one of the protagonists, the feeling was quite different.
‘A little cheeky.’
Leopold looked in front of me with skeptical eyes as I tilted my head and smiled mischievously.
He is lovely, but… No matter how old he is, can the heir of a Duke family be this blinding?
“What subject do you like most? Is it Mathematics?”
“Yes. I like Math because numbers don’t betray you.”
Shaken by his answer, I looked back and reflected on my ordinary career as a ‘Supoza¹’.
Noticing my response, Leopold hastily added.
“Wh-what about Your Highness?”
Okay. People have to be good at asking questions. Yes, the first line you should be saying is, ‘Are you okay?’.
“I like History the best. My dream is to one day visit the Sea of No Return.”
“The Sea of No Return? Then Your Highness will also join the Order of the Holy Knights…”
“Is that really necessary? My sister will someday become the Commander of the Holy Knights.”
“Right. You’re amazing, Your Highness.”
Saying that, his face turned red.
‘Wait, you’re sure not going to fall in love with me, are you? I’m sure he is just flustered, right?’
Your first love is set to be Amelie.
At that moment, I remembered a number of novels that I had read in my past life where the pairing changed when someone reincarnated.
‘This could be difficult.’
All I wanted was to watch from the front seat as the main protagonists of my favorite novel unveil their romance.
I opened my mouth, narrowing my soft forehead, trying to get rid of the slight uneasiness.
“Hey, maybe… You didn’t fall in love with my beauty, did you?”
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[1] The newly coined term supoza (giving up mathematics, 수포자, 數抛者) describes a critical social issue that needs to be addressed in South Korea’s educational policy. Although the term has not received precise definition, it refers to students who have given up on learning mathematics.
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