However, Nassar showed no signs of accepting Ellencia.
âOkay, that looks a little dangerous. Where is Her Highnessâ escort knight?â he murmured calmly.
In the meantime, Philomel and Nassar closed the distance between them and the tree. Philomel could now also see the outline of a cat hanging on the tree. Where Elencia stretched out her hand⊠A cat with silver fur was showing its teeth as if saying âWhy are you out there!â
The cat continued to be hopeless. There was no way he could climb the tree and not come down. However, Ellencia seemed to be so mistaken.
Ellencia gave the cat a word of hope.
âArenât you scared? Wait a bit. Come down and Iâll give you some delicious fish, so donât be afraid!â
Le Guin was engrossed in washing his face as a cat, regardless of who else below him.
âWhat are you doing there!â
Philomel unknowingly ran out. Only the determination to retrieve that cat quickly was firm.
âMiss Philomel!â
Nassar followed her.
As Philomel neared her tree, Le Guin spotted her and jumped down from the tree.
The cat came snugly into her bosom. it was successfully received.
âAlas! AhâŠâ
But at the impact Philomel stumbled and tripped on the roots of the tree, falling down on her buttock. But the bad luck didnât stop there.
âYour Highness the Princess!â
Elencia, who was hanging on the tree previously, was falling. Thatâs right, on top of Philomel, who closed her eyes tightly. But the shock she had foreseen did not overtake her.
âAre you all right!â
When she opened her eyes, Nassar was looking down at Philomel anxiously. When Philomel did not answer, Nassarâs expression darkened even more.
âAre you seriously hurt?â
The answer to the question came from a completely different place.
Elencia shouted cheerfully.
âIâm fine!â
Landing on the floor, she gracefully lifted the hem of her skirt.
âHello. Thank you for saving me. May I ask your name?â
Philomel realized that this is the moment where the two of them will fall in love with each other. She got up hastily and tried to get away from them. It was then that Jeremiah, who had been far away, came running to her.
âYou! Are you okay? Did you fall down?â
âItâs nothing, Iâm fine. Letâs find a quick place to hideâŠâ
Philomel didnât intend to go far, she wanted to observe the two of them from a distance. It was a good opportunity to observe how Elencia reacted. However, things went the exact opposite of what was expected.
A familiar voice erupted from Philomelâs back.
âWait!â
Nassar followed after Philomel, leaving Ellencia behind by the tree.
âWhy are you going? Your Highness?â
âI asked for your understanding to not refer to me by that title anymore, your grace. The title of the Imperial Princess belongs to their rightful owner. Please use my proper name to address me.â
âIâm sorry Miss Philomel I got carried away. But are you hurt anywhere? I apologize, if I had been a bit more alert, I couldâve prevented Miss Philomel from falling down.â
âItâs Alright now and Iâm not hurt. But Nassar⊠Arenât you in a strange mood right now?â
Philomel studied Nassarâs face for signs of his love.
âWhat does Miss Philomel mean by strange mood?â
âFor example, is your heart pounding?â
ââŠA little bit.â
He averted his gaze.
Has he already fallen in love?
âDo you want to go to Princess Elencia?â
ââŠDo I have to go?â
For some reason, Nassar looked sad at Philomelâs suggestions to go back to Ellencia.
âYou donât have to.â
âThen Iâll stay here.â
Nassar answered, taking a step closer to Philomelâs side. In the end, Philomel had no choice but to admit it. Nassar didnât fall for Elencia.
Another outcome that was different from <Princess Ellencia>.
* * *
Eustis, who was on his way back to his chambers after a political meeting, when Ellencia suddenly ran towards him and looked grim.
âDaddy daddy!â
âWhatâs up?â
âIâm hurt here.â
She held out her right ankle. There were faint traces of something. She didnât have any serious injuries or scars, but judging by her whimpering, she seemed pretty hurt.
âI need treatment. Call for a physician.â
âAnything else besides that?â
ââŠ?â
âDad, when you see my wounds, donât you think you need to treat them?â
âThen what else do I need to think about?â
Ellenciaâs face immediately distorted.
âDad! Your daughter is hurt, how can you not worry?â
Ellencia, who got angry at the lack of the attention from her father, ran in the other direction. But judging by the way she jumped, Eustis concluded that she wasnât seriously injured.
Eustis said in a low voice.
âI have no idea what that kid is thinking.â
Count Pollan, who was watching from the side, cautiously spoke up.
âThis is my guess, but I think her Highness probably wanted a warm response from Your Majesty.â
âA warm response?â
âYes. His Majestyâs reaction is a bit businesslike.â
âAre you saying itâs wrong to treat an injury?â
âNo, no. Itâs not wrong, but Her Highness would be happy if you greeted her more warmly.â
Then the Emperor, who was briefly lost in thought, opened his mouth.
âThen you do it.â
âYes?â
âYouâve got children, so you must know âthat warm reactionâ.Iâm not sure, so show me an example.â
âHaha, why would I do something like that hereâŠâ
âHurry.â
âHow would you react if your child came to you injured?â
Polan knew from years of experience of serving the Emperor that he was very serious. And that heâll get the short end of the stick if he showed his Majesty a poor demonstration.
âIf my daughter came back with her ankle hurt, I wouldâŠâ
Polan portrayed his imaginary daughter, lowered his stance, and put his heart into the performance.
âOh, my daughter, are you hurt? Your legs are all damaged. Dad will protect you! Who dared to hurt our Princess? What kind of stone? Iâll throw it away!â
Halfway, the count got too engrossed. He imagined it way too realistically, and it ended up hurting his weak heart.
Eustisâ contemptuous gaze turned to Pollan.
ââŠReally?â
âThatâs right.â
âYou have no face.â
âYes! But how can you save face in expressing love to your children!â
ââŠCanât I lose face.â
âAt least thatâs what I think. What if the child grows up and leaves after worrying about this and that and not being able to hear enough âI love youâ. Itâs so sad.â
The Count explained his stand on the matter.
ââŠI see. I did not know. I thought all fathers were like that.â
Seeing his lonely back, Polan chose his words.
âEven now, itâs not too late. No, even if itâs late, donât stop approaching.â
ââŠI get it. I will try to do the same as you.â
ââŠ?â
âThe warm response you showed me, I will do it too.â
ââŠWouldnât it be a bit difficult to suddenly change like that? Moreover, Her Highness Princess Ellencia is not three years old like my daughterâŠâ
âThe basic gist is not different. The trick is grasped. Isnât it just a matter of making an exaggerated fuss about the childâs wound, treating it, and then removing the cause of the wound?â
The Count questioned, âIs that how it is?â, but couldnât actively dissuade the Emperor. It was because he was afraid to say anything else on the subject of actively recommending love for children while thinking about approaching them. But Pollanâs hesitation led to another incident.