HowDeadTL: 17. The Crown Prince, Exhausted and Unable to Think Straight, Talks About Himself

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The Duke's Daughter Goes Her Own Way

[The Crown Prince, Exhausted and Unable to Think Straight, Talks About Himself]

Translated by: ME

[What happened to Lady Elizabeth?]

He said it as the first thing, and I couldn't help but feel irritated. There are things you should say before that. I'm here as an envoy for the import and export agreement, you know. Even if it's just a formality, there should at least be a welcoming greeting.

[She is currently attending school. To allow her to focus on her studies, her official duties are kept to a minimum.]

I implicitly conveyed that he was even lower than that "minimum". Well, it probably didn't get through anyway.

[I see. That's a shame.]

As expected, it didn't get through. Well, that's fine.

[Welcome, Crown Prince Leonardo. Please enjoy your stay. There's a welcoming banquet planned for this evening.]

[Thank you. I appreciate your thoughtfulness.]

Having finished the audience with the king of the neighboring country, I headed to the room prepared for me in the royal palace. Since it's a friendly and allied nation, security probably didn't need to be overly strict, but that didn't mean I could let my guard down.

Arriving at the room, I sank into the sofa, which had a different style than those in my country. The seat was a bit hard, but that was typical for this nation.

After I had been sitting for a while, Elsa, whom I had brought with me from my country, brewed some tea. She was originally a servant of the Macnagan Dukedom and Ellie's maid. However, I had borrowed her from Ellie for this trip.

[Are there any strange signs?]

[No, not particularly. I haven't found any suspicious devices in this room either, so please relax.]

Saying only that, she bowed and left the room. She had already finished checking the room? She worked fast. She was an excellent maid, but she had additional value attached to her. I truly thought the Macnagan Dukedom was a magical realm. The mysterious dukedom was full of mysteries, and even the servants were mysterious.

Elsa, surprisingly, was from the King's direct special forces—the so-called "Dark Division". The Dark Division is roughly divided into three units: the "Owl," which mainly handles intelligence; the "Hawk", which monitors targets; and the "Raven", which specializes in assassination and sabotage. Each of them was a den of eccentric individuals.

Only the King and I knew the full composition of the Dark Division. Even the Queen didn't know everyone who belonged to it. Few knew that the Queen's maid was a "Hawk" or that the King's servant was a "Raven".

Elsa, who had belonged to that completely secret unit, was incredibly talented and capable. She seemed satisfied with being a servant in the Dukedom, but since I had her, I wanted to put her skills to use. Personally, I found it very unsettling, but I was apparently a "god" to her and her master, so she obediently listened to my orders.

...I really wish they'd stop worshipping me as a "god". The law proclaims freedom of religion, but I wish they would consider my position, being enshrined as a deity without my knowledge. Please don't say things like, [Are you planning to suppress our religion!?] with such convincing acting. Ellie, please don't say incomprehensible things like, [Our faith will not be taken away!] Marina, please stop quietly putting your hands together in prayer. That action of hers was, in a way, the most unsettling.

Since Elsa had assessed that there were "no problems", this room was probably safe. I was a state guest, after all. Nothing should happen.

Currently, I was in a neighboring country on official business. It had taken four days to get here from the castle to this royal palace. The journey was long. Even though carriage performance had improved compared to ten years ago, making travel faster, it still felt long. I would be doing official business here for three days, and then it would take another four days to return. It was a long trip.

The worst part was not being able to see Ellie during that time. But I absolutely could not bring Ellie with me, because the young king of this country was, without a doubt, a lolicon. He was an embarrassing pervert no matter how you looked at it. While Elrick's excessive sister complex was something, I couldn't understand this king's tastes at all.

The previous king had retired due to illness just a few months ago, and he had just succeeded him. His work as king wasn't bad, but his tastes were terrible. The worst.

Last year, the signing ceremony for a joint project between three countries was held at my royal castle. His Majesty King Jahal of this country also participated; he was the crown prince at the time. He is currently twenty-six years old. He has no queen and is single, with no lover or concubine either. He's a handsome young man who seems like he would be popular with women.

But he openly declares that he likes cute things. It's fine for him to interact with small animals. It's also fine for him to be happy when he receives a bear stuffed animal as a gift. But what was his intention in having Ellie sit next to him the entire time he visited my country for diplomatic work? Moreover, he touched her hair without permission, put his arm around her shoulder, and put his hand on her waist.

...I thought, just for a moment, wouldn't it be nice if he died? He seemed very energetic today, though. I wondered if he would die soon? This country has a strong military force, so it wasn't wise to anger them. Ellie knew that well, so she had said with tears in her eyes,

[It's only two days of endurance. I'll show you I can endure it.]

She had clenched her fist, saying, [Compared to that brother of mine!] but I felt so sorry for her that I almost cried myself. But when I saw him jokingly (was it a joke? It wasn't serious, right?) inviting her to his bedroom, I accidentally leaked some killing intent. There are jokes you can make and jokes you can't. That was a joke you could kill someone for.

He started saying things like he couldn't sleep unless he was hugging something cute, so I tried to offer him my youngest sister instead. But both of my sisters started crying. I felt a little bad, so I apologized properly. I told them they were both beautiful enough to be generally called "cute." When I said that, my youngest sister, Marie-Rose, started crying for real. It was hard to appease her.

I could not bring Ellie to a place like this. When it was decided that I would visit here for diplomacy, Ellie had let out a frightened [Hee...!]

It was okay. I would never let that king get close to Ellie again. When I told Ellie's two maids about these circumstances, Elsa volunteered to accompany me. Her reason was that she wanted to see who Ellie's enemy was. I did emphasize that he was Ellie's enemy, but not the country's enemy. However, it was like that from the very beginning... I could only worry about what was to come.

Ah, I wanted to see Ellie. I was sure Ellie was spending her time as usual, even without me.

＊＊＊

Having finished everything I needed to do, I started on my way back home. The mental fatigue was incredible. Before I met Ellie, I wasn't like this, I thought, as I gazed at the scenery outside the carriage window.

Before I met Ellie, I was probably a completely uninteresting person. The first child of the King and Queen, and a boy at that—the moment I was born, I was first in line to the throne. My birth was greatly celebrated as the arrival of the "next king". By the time I was old enough to understand, I already knew I was burdened with the expectations of those around me. Since the second and third children were girls, even more expectations were placed on me.

Both the King and Queen had expectations for me as the next king. To make me the "Crown Prince", they took the time to teach me various things. To me, they were "King" and "Queen." I understood they were my parents by blood, but I couldn't help but think of them as "Your Majesties" before "parents" and I thought that was natural. Perhaps I made them feel a little lonely.

The smiles on their faces when I asked to attend school were the kind of soft, "parental" smiles I had never seen before. They were accommodating me, their son, who only treated them as sovereigns. I now think I was doing something regrettable. But it might be better that I realized it, and that was only because Ellie was there.

I wanted to be with Ellie, and I wanted to go to the academy for that reason alone—just for that selfish reason. My heart ached slightly at their calm, gentle, and slightly happy smiles. From then on, I decided to try to have more opportunities to interact with them as their "son".

I told Ellie what I was thinking. She smiled very gently at those words and nodded.

[Please do so. Your Majesties will probably be pleased, even if they don't say it.]

Yeah. Probably. Your smile now is very similar to the smile my mother had at that time, I thought without saying it.

I had been a very well-behaved child. Since both Their Majesties were beautiful people, I had well-formed features, as if I had gathered the best parts of both of them. I also inherited their intelligence. I didn't stumble or have any problems with the education that started at the age of three. Having grown up surrounded by adults, my mind was more precocious than that of other children my age. Well, that probably meant I had no charm. If I were to see myself as a child now, I would think I was a cheeky, un-charming child. I was top-heavy.

I had knowledge from teachers' lectures and books, but I was insensitive to people's emotions, and my own emotions were underdeveloped. Come to think of it, I had never thrown a childish tantrum. It might sound good to say I was mature, but frankly, it was abnormal for a child. Not only was I insensitive to the emotions of others, but my own emotions were also weak.

My sister Linaria once received a stuffed animal from our parents for her birthday and jumped for joy. I smiled and said, [That's great, take good care of it] but there was no genuine emotion in those words or expressions. Linaria often just nodded with a smile at that. Looking back, that sister of mine was probably something else, too.

I only chose expressions based on "standards": smile at times like this, show anger at times like this, show sadness at times like this. It was eerie, even to me. While it wasn't wrong for someone in a position of power, I was like that all the time. Everything came not from "emotion," but from "knowledge" and "thought". My smile must have been very artificial.

In fact, Ellie once said, [Your smile is sometimes suspicious]. What did she mean by suspicious? I wasn't putting on a fake smile for her... well, I was when we first met.

It was the same when I first met Ellie. From my knowledge, I created a form of "girls of this age are like this" and tried to apply it to her. Well, that failed quickly. She was the most unreadable person I had ever met.

Many young ladies are interested in things that I have no interest in, and she possesses insights that I sometimes feel I cannot match, yet she is neither arrogant nor naive, and at times, she is as detached as an old man.

I am invariably surprised by her each time I meet her, and I am made aware of something new.

The surface of the lake of my emotions, which had never before been disturbed, was, however slightly, shaken by Ellie's words and attitude.

At first, it was just a tiny ripple.

Like a single drop of water falling onto a vast lake.

But that small ripple continued to spread without disappearing, eventually becoming a ripple that shook the entire surface of the lake.

Thanks to her, I learned about various emotions.

I knew their names. I had seen the words in stories and such. But I had no real feeling for them.

Ellie taught me about them.

One by one, confirming, [What I feel surely the emotion one would call this.]

Little by little, accumulating them.

As a result, I think I have become much more human.

Before I knew it, Ellie had become something very important, nestled at the center of the person that is "me".

To the point where I cannot even imagine losing her.

Call it dependence if you will.

She is already a very important and irreplaceable part of what makes up the current "me".

Without her, I would surely revert to my former self.

To that "unlovable, cheeky child", and a very pathetic child at that.

However, emotions are troublesome things, and they are mostly two sides of the same coin. The front is warm and beautiful. The back is cold and hideous. Love, in particular, is beautiful on one side, but also grotesque and hideous on the other.

I wish she only had the beautiful side, but things that I want to turn away from come with it at the same time.

I love Ellie. That is probably a generally beautiful emotion.

...There seems to be a rumor that I have a "thing for young girls" but I'm not particularly interested in young girls. I just love Ellie.

People who misunderstand keep trying to introduce me to young girls, but I silenced them by assigning them "Agathia the Eternal" as required reading. ...I wonder if they'll come at me again after they finish reading it. Well, if that happens, I'll just keep assigning them the books that Ellie has read as homework.

Seriously, why do I have to deal with young girls? Don't lump me in with King Jahal.

I love a woman named Elizabeth Macnagan.

Ellie is cute.

Probably, a hundred out of a hundred people would look at Ellie and say she's cute.

It's not just my biased view. It's simply a fact. Ellie is cute.

In fact, she is loved by the servants of the royal castle as well.

Ellie often receives sweets from the servants. Ellie wondered about it, but I know. They give her sweets because Ellie is cute when she eats them, and they want to see that.

I ended up issuing a notice to the servants, like a father of a young child, saying, [Please don't give Ellie sweets indiscriminately]. There were some complaints, but I am the Crown Prince. I don't have to put up with complaints.

I want to be the only one who knows how happy Ellie looks when she eats sweets and her expression softens.

There's no need to show that happy, relaxed face to other people.

In the first place.

Is there even a need to expose Ellie herself to the public eye?

No, since she will become the Queen, I can't keep her completely out of sight. But there's no need to expose her to the public eye more than necessary, is there?

There might be unscrupulous people who see Ellie from afar and become infatuated with her.

Ellie is cute, so that possibility definitely exists. Because Ellie is cute.

If there were such people who didn't know their place, what should I do to them?

And if, by any chance, Ellie were attracted to such people...?

Ah, no.

Just thinking about it makes everything turn black.

It's okay.

Ellie is by my side.

We will be husband and wife in four years.

It's okay.

Ellie has promised to walk with me.

I have to keep telling myself that, or I don't know what I might do.

Ellie seems to trust me, but I don't trust myself when it comes to things concerning Ellie.

There's one thing that has always bothered me.

I have never received words of love from Ellie.

I know she doesn't hate me. But how does Ellie think of me "as a man"?

Ah, really.

You taught me even this "anxiety".

I didn't particularly want to know it, though.

Lately, I resent the four-year age difference.

If it weren't for that, I could marry her right away. Four more years to go!

But I succeeded in bringing Ellie to the royal castle.

The Dukes quickly isolated Elrick, and Ellie started saying, [Shouldn't I go back to the Duke's residence?] but I somehow managed to stop her.

It was also my true intention to save you from Elrick, who was frightening you, but the feeling that I just want to be by your side is greater.

There's no way I'm letting you escape.

Ellie is currently using the Crown Princess's private room.

It is next to the Crown Prince's private room.

There is the Crown Prince's room, a living room in the connecting room, and a bedroom in the back.

The living room can be accessed from both the Crown Prince's private room and the Crown Princess's private room. The bedroom in the back is the "Crown Prince and Princess's" bedroom. Currently, I am using it alone, though.

...Unfortunately, the door on the Crown Princess's side is locked extremely tightly.

There is only one key to the door, but there are many devices to secure the door. I don't even know how many there are in total. ...It seems that I am not trusted by the head attendant.

When I asked him before, he smiled and said, [When the time comes, the door will open properly, so please don't worry.] That smile was scary. ...No one said they would open it without permission.

The thought that Ellie is sleeping in a place separated by a single door makes me want to kick it down.

At night, when I go to bed, I can't sleep because I think about how nice it would be if I could invite Ellie here soon...

Four more years.

...Can I really endure it?

No, I have to endure it. Ellie is only twelve years old now and is still growing. I must not force her. Besides, I don't want to be hated for acting unreasonably.

It's been seven years since I met Ellie. That's about half of it. Surely, it will be over in no time.

...Really.

I wish I could have been a pure person who didn't have such foolish desires.

At least, I will give Ellie only beautiful things.

I will offer her what she desires.

...I want to see you soon.

I want to see your face. I want to hear your voice.

I want to touch you.

＊＊＊

Finally, the Royal Castle.

First, I will greet Their Majesties upon my return to the castle and report on the results. After that, I will stop by the office, quickly prepare a report, and ask Robert to make a clean copy.

I will hear reports from my three close aides about what happened while I was away and take care of only the urgent documents.

I get the feeling that I have returned to everyday life.

When I put down my pen, thinking that the rest can wait until tomorrow, it was past nine o'clock.

...There's no time to see Ellie.

It's an inappropriate time to visit Ellie anymore. ...If only that key to the living room was open... No, I mustn't do that. The head attendants trust in me will fall to the bottom. I'm already barely trusted, so I can't let it fall any further.

A long time ago, I took Ellie to the Mithras Republic on a business trip.

At that time, I was annoyed that Ellie was having fun with her teacher, ignoring me, so I sneaked into Ellie's bed without permission.

The head attendant still hasn't forgiven me for that.

...Can't you forget it as a childish, innocent mistake?

I guess not...

Walking through the silent castle corridor, I stopped near my room.

Ellie is in front of my room door.

Am I seeing a hallucination due to fatigue?

[Leon-sama.]

I can even hear auditory hallucinations.

Even at this hour, she's properly wearing a dress and has her hair tied up. Ah, that outfit is the one I gave her. Good, it suits Ellie well. It's the color of my hair and eyes. I want Ellie to wear that color all the time.

[Leon-sama, what's wrong?]

Ellie walked over with a light step and took my hand.

It's warm.

Could this be reality...?

[Ellie?]

[Yes?]

When I called out to her, she tilted her head with a puzzled look.

It's real.

[I heard you had returned, so I was waiting for you... Welcome back from your official duties. Welcome home, Leon-sama.]

With a soft, flower-blooming smile.

In a very gentle voice.

If you say "welcome home" to me--

[I'm home.]

Ellie smiled again at the words I returned.

I couldn't help but squeeze the small hand holding mine tightly.

I really want to stay like this more.

I really want to be with you all the time.

[Thank you for being here so late. But, Ellie, you should go back to your room now.]

When I kissed Ellie's forehead, she blushed slightly, as if embarrassed. ...Cute.

[...Yes.]

I don't want to let go of the hand I'm holding.

I don't want to let go, but...

...Head attendant, why are you peeking at us from the corner of the hallway like that?

[Good night. See you tomorrow.]

See you tomorrow.

That small word, which can't even be called a promise, is so warm and happy.

That's something you taught me too.

[See you tomorrow.]

I gently let go of Ellie's hand.

After seeing her back to her room, the head attendant nodded once and disappeared.

...This lack of trust...

If you say "welcome home" to me. I will always return to where you are.

Good night, Ellie. Sweet dreams--.

As an aside, the reason Ellie was waiting for me here that day was because Elsa and Marina had been considerate of me.

When I thanked them later, they said they wanted to draw a portrait of me as a reward, so I firmly refused.

...What are you planning to use that portrait for?

The altar in the Duke's residence has been removed, right!?

I made sure to write down "needs confirmation" in the memo pad in my mind.

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