What does she mean by companion, I had no choice but to understand my mother’s reaction.
If you had rather asked me to be an attendant, there would have been room for consideration.
Because being an attendant was indeed an honorary position in which children from noble families were invited to be playmates.
There was no pay as well.
However, a companion is different in nature.
Regardless of whether it was a noble or royal family, the companionship system was one of the charity activities that gave children salary and the opportunity to receive education in exchange for errands that they could do.
‘It’s as if the Duchy of Endeblanc is being openly disgraced because of its lack of ability to raise the youngest lady.’
A duchy’s lady taking up a place that was originally for children with poor families or children without parents.
It was just right to say that I would take away the opportunity.
Also, among the people who do not understand the situation, there will be talks with sarcasm as to whether the duke is that poor.
“… I told you to stay put.”
(directed at the Royal couple)
My mother murmured in a very small voice.
It was a small sound that only my ears could’ve heard, but somehow the king, who had been in high spirits until a while ago, suddenly shrank his shoulders.
‘What’s going on?’
I looked at my mother’s face out of curiosity, but she had a smile on even though it was frigid.
I don’t think anyone will notice her current discomfort unless they’re quite familiar with mother though?
That king, who seems to have no wits, has the ability to read people’s faces?
‘I’m sure my parents won’t give me away as a companion even if I stay still, but.’
I didn’t want to leave everything to my parents.
Somehow, it was a rather mild method, and the king’s reputation will be protected.
Why should I miss this opportunity to humiliate him?
“What’s thwat?”
That’s why, I’m going to make ample use of the fact that I am a three-year-old baby.
Let’s see you explain with your own mouth what you’re ordering me to do.
“Right, right now, just whose presence do you think you are in—.”
Really, it’s a response that didn’t miss an inch of my expectations.
Nitpicking at a three-year-old for manners?
To a child who can’t even pronounce words properly.
“P-preshens?”(Presence)
I looked at the queen again with a puzzled look on my face.
“Wha is Preshenss? Woo ish it?”
(What is presence? Who is it?)
You have to compliment me, I pronounced it really diligently to play with you right now.
I think I talked about three times more than usual?
“R- right now…! You dare to ignore me?!
The Queen of this Kingdom!”
The queen raised her voice.
The moment my mother was about to come forward with a red face as if she were going to let out fumes any time now.
“The princess politely asked Your Highness what a companion does.”
At that moment, I heard the voice of my brother’s mean friend.
Beside me, Mikhail formally greeted the royal couple and looked up at them with his signature arrogant smile.
“Little Duke of Leventis…..”
And at that moment, I couldn’t be more appalled.
It was because the queen stepped back as if she saw something dirty, and even stretched out her arms as if she were protecting the king.
‘How dangerous can a mere seven-year-old child even be!’
He wouldn’t even have a weapon because it’s the palace.
Even Mikhail didn’t seem to care as if he was used to this kind of treatment.
‘That’s not something a seven-year-old child could do.’
I got upset for no reason.
Why did you come when you knew you’d be treated like this!
Nothing would have happened to me even if you weren’t here.
At that moment when I was so worried, Mikhail Leventis put on a villain’s face.
* * *
“Your Highness, I’m still a child so.”
Mikhail spoke with a playful face.
For some reason, I looked at Mikhail with a foreboding feeling.
Not only me, but also the Grand Duke Leventis, who failed to hold on to his swift grandson, looked troubled.
‘No matter who looks at it, why would a hated child…..’
But regardless of the worries around him, Mikhail asked the king, like an ordinary shameless child.
“I couldn’t help but come out because I was very very curious about something, but a person with an excellent opinion like Your Highness will accept my question, right?”
Mikhail even spoke to the king with a grin.
‘He knows the king well.’
Since he asked the king with a lot of flattery, that conceited person couldn’t not do it.
“I, I allow it.”
Mikhail’s eyes twinkled mischievously as if he were very grateful.
“Lady Anastasia is the daughter of the princess. Then, isn’t she a princess, too?”
“What? What do you mean!”
The king’s brows wriggled as if it was unpleasant.
It seems that Luxius is very unhappy with my mother’s title of ‘princess’.
“Only a Tekla can be called a princess!”
“Is that so? Duchess?”
“That is true.”
“But the youngest lady can be a princess, right? If the Duchess passes down the title.”
My mother nodded her head with a more relaxed look at those words.
“Yes, it’s an honorary title, but it’s possible to succeed it.”
This was something I didn’t know.
Usually, such honorary titles could not be passed on.
Having gotten the answer he wanted, Mikhail pretended to be an innocent child— somehow, it was like he was copying my sister.— he asked, tilting his head to the side.
“Then, Your Highness. Her ladyship can be called a princess, how can a princess be a prince’s companion?”
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It was a child’s privilege, logic jump.
(attacking straight w/ logic)
That was on purpose, I’m sure.
“What?”
“The prince has no title, and the princess has one, so their position is different!”
His bright smile showed no malice.
‘Seriously, if it’s to that extent, that shamelessness is a skill,’ I thought.
Of course, if it was an ordinary adult, they would have reasoned out that such a young child was mistaken.
“What do you mean their position is different! Our child will become the crown prince in the future, he is the most precious child who will ascend the throne!”
The king, whose ability was as tiny as a sauce bowl, was dealing with this seriously again.
Gosh.
An adult, no, to think that a king, would even argue against a seven-year-old child.
My father didn’t look tired for nothing after coming back from just visiting the capital.
Unlike the king, who was quickly provoked and turned red, Mikhail asked again, smiling all the way.
“If it’s the crown prince, it’s strange for his companion to be a princess. Oh, is it because he is such a precious person, that his companion needs to be a valuable person?”
“Th, that’s right!”
I can’t believe you agreed to that.
Even if he is the king, he just looked down on all nobles other than the duke more than necessary.
It was because of what he said; that I was so precious that I had to be appointed as a companion, not as a servant or a maid.
He fell into his own trap.
“But usually for the prince’s companion, a boy is picked right? But because you said it needs to be someone highly valuable because he is such a precious person.”
Mikhail agonized as if it were a very difficult problem, and then knelt closer to the king.
Then they faltered backwards, expressing their fear, as if an assassin had come.
Really, they have no dignity or anything.
“Then wouldn’t I be better, Your Highness?”
“…H, Hic.”
That shrill scream is just not right?
The king was so bad at hiding his competence that it was quite amazing.
Just like that, Luxius, who openly expressed his embarrassment and stiffened, did not react to it properly until my parents intervened.
* * *
The atmosphere at the ball after that was, of course, a mess.
The first thing the king did, after barely coming to his senses only after my parents intervened, was not even dignified at all.
“Priest, high priest! Are you there!”
As soon as Mikhail backed off, the king shouted for the priest in a loud voice as if it were in an emergency.
The priest, who was here to celebrate the Royal New Year’s Ball, rushed to come.
“You called for me?”
“Hurry, hurry and bless my child!”
“Of course. Don’t worry too much, no one will be able to harm the prince. Because the Lord is looking after him.”
“Th, that’s obvious!”
The king ordered the hall to be blessed, as if he was still feeling uneasy even after the queen was fully blessed.
Like a man who was contaminated by a curse.
‘Just what is it with Mikhail that he’s acting like that?’
Although the king is such an unskilled man that he shouldn’t have been on the throne, it’s still too much to be frightened like that by a child.
‘There’s no way I couldn’t read something bad or wrong.’
In my experience as a demon king, I was burned at the stake after being branded a black wizard.
In my 99 lives so far, I naturally have touched rotten things that are cursed or contain dark magic a few times.
Although I stopped because it was all ineffective.
The magic I normally use left less traces and was clean too.
‘I think Mikhail was falsely accused.’
Of course it was just a guess.
Probably.
‘I’m sure that high priest is the problem.’
It’s a religion that drives innocent people to the king who is like the last king of a ruined country just before its destruction.
It’s a perfect combination to ruin a country.
It was a scene that I had seen so many times that I could yawn.
I forgot that I was in front of the nobles and saw the undignified appearance of the king who was asking the priest for various things, then I turned to Mikhail.
The boy was listening to his grandfather’s loud scolding, and then his eyes met mine.
And then,
“I did well, right?”
He mouthed like that.
What do you mean you did well?
Who told you to help me and do something that would hurt you and put you in trouble!
I felt bitter for no reason at his casual and usual face.
A seven-year-old child should be at a level where he is cheeky and playful, it isn’t right for the country or temple to try to suppress him.
Moreover,
“Weren’t you surprised, Anastasia?”
Now that the situation is over, signs of concern were noticeable on the faces of my parents.
I hugged my mother’s neck as she hugged me and bottled up all the sounds I could hear in my ears.
Trivial stories were mixed up with bad stories about my family or Grand Duke Leventis.
Among those, there were some who compared the king who had an heir and my mother who originally had the right to the throne.
Throne? That’s not important at all.
I can unify the world if I just make up my mind!
You’re thinking of messing with my family for such a trivial thing?
“So you were surprised, my Anastasia.”
As I felt the touch of my mother patting me, I braced myself for a slightly troublesome resolve.
‘If you keep messing around, I’m really going to flip everything over.’
Because it’s normal to clean up dirty things.
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(t/n: The part about companions and servants/attendants is very confusing but to sum it up. A companion is like a scholar student— they can still be playmates with the noble but they have to do errands and they get paid for that as well. And I’m not so sure about this but I guess the reason why Anastasia said that Attendants don’t get paid is because she was referring to the royal family where ofc only high nobles can approach so there’s no need for a salary. Maybe an attendant is similar to a lady-in-waiting, it’s a prince we’re talking about here though maybe that’s why the word attendant was used)