“Your gender is different, you’re younger, and even your status is like this—why do you think they made you my playmate?”
“Um…”
“It must be to mock me. Normally… if it were the second prince, they’d assign a son of a high-ranking noble.”
His fingers pressed against the carpet curled like hooks.
A shadow of self-mockery and lament passed over his withered expression.
“And it must be all the more convenient that you’re a half-noble. You don’t have any backing either, so no matter what humiliation you suffer from me, His Majesty won’t be troubled by it.”
A knight’s daughter—used as a tool for mockery, who couldn’t even protest.
For the first time, the prince spoke slowly, emphasizing each word as though coaxing a child.
“You became my playmate because of a reason like that.”
“Well, that might be true.”
“Aren’t you offended?”
Her neatly braided hair tilted to the side.
“Why would I be? I just have to be with Your Highness.”
“…If you’re trying to curry favor with me, you’re seriously mistaken.”
“Curry favor? I’m not interested in political games.”
“Then what’s your goal?”
“World peace.”
“…What?”
Aibel clasped her hands over her chest and muttered,
“Love and peace. Don’t you know? They’re universal human values.”
“You’re not right in the head.”
“So… am I not a very good playmate?”
“Is there any reason you would be?”
“We can figure out the pros gradually. We’ve got time.”
Despite the repeated rejection, she showed no sign of giving up.
Her jet-black eyes sparkled with undaunted clarity.
“If you don’t like it, go tell His Majesty yourself.”
“‘Don’t like it,’ huh… As if I could ever dare.”
“Then, I look forward to our time together, Your Highness!”
A small hand, marked with the imprint of a windowsill, stretched forward.
It was an ungainly and informal gesture.
Naturally, the prince did not take her hand—but Aibel didn’t mind at all.
‘This is only the beginning.’
From that day on, Aibel Delapion came to the detached palace every single day without fail.
There were still no servants to serve tea—or anyone, for that matter.
In any other noble household, such disrespect would be unacceptable.
But Aibel wasn’t in a position to demand that—nor did she have the intention.
“Your Highness, adorable Aibel is here!”
Whether or not he had guests, the prince usually remained holed up in the library.
Thanks to that, Aibel got to browse through a mountain of books she wouldn’t even see at home.
Not that she had any intention of reading them alongside him.
“Did you sleep well last night?”
“…Yes.”
‘Seems like he’s in a decent mood today.’
Aibel would chatter. The prince would ignore her.
Still, about half the time now, he responded. That was an improvement.
She placed a small macaron on the page he was reading.
“Want one? I brought the flavor I don’t like, just in case.”
“Take it away.”
“It’s yummy though—nom!”
He still didn’t eat anything she brought…
…but Aibel nibbled on a strawberry macaron without dropping a single crumb.
At her relaxed demeanor, the boy let out a faint sigh.
“Why bring something you don’t like?”
“Because Your Highness might like it. You never know unless you try. Want a bite?”
“No, thanks.”
It had been nearly a month since she became his playmate, and the prince’s guard had hardly lowered.
‘What kind of life has he been living?’
He wouldn’t eat anything brought in from outside.
And it’s not like he was eating well otherwise.
‘Honestly, our home meals are better.’
In that month of staying by the prince’s side, Aibel had learned a few things.
One: The prince has no servants attending to him.
Two: No one ever comes to visit him.
“Doesn’t your head hurt from reading books all day? I brought something fun.”
Three: He doesn’t even have a tutor.
‘How did he even learn to read or basic manners?’
A growing child reading books all day—
‘His eyes, spine, and nerves are all gonna be ruined!’
Thinking ten years ahead, Aibel stubbornly tried to drag the prince outside.
“Your Highness, you read all the time anyway. Want to play a simple game with me?”
“…”
Didn’t work at all.
‘A hunchbacked villain with scoliosis—what a setup…’
Really, no flavor, no charm.
Sitting in a room all day reading, no wonder his social skills were terrible!
That’s how he grew up to make reckless decisions like wiping out his entire family!
“Did you know, Your Highness?”
“…Yeah.”
He had a way of speaking that left you speechless, but Aibel was far too resilient to be discouraged by that.
“Your Highness, you still haven’t told me your name.”
Finally, his deep green eyes lifted from the book.
‘He’s finally looking at me.’
It was the first time Aibel had seen the face of the First Prince.
“My name?”
“Yes. I told you mine on the first day. You ought to tell me yours.”
Her attitude was beyond bold—almost disrespectful.
But the prince neither had the energy nor authority to call it out.
Besides…
The prince’s chest rose and fell deeply.
That grinning face was fixed stubbornly on his lips.
“Chesa. Chesa Lagracio.”
A name he never had a reason to speak aloud to anyone.
Chesa.
Aibel mouthed the name without sound.
“For royalty, it’s a rather humble name.”
The prince’s gaze turned to the window.
His profile shimmered in the sunlight like ink half dried.
“It’s meaningless. No one’s going to call me that.”
His ‘family’ didn’t call him by name, and non-royals weren’t allowed to.
Even simple-minded Aibel could grasp that much.
But—
“Why not? I can call you that.”
So what?
‘People come first, then status—not the other way around.’
Even if she called him King instead of Prince, there was no one here who could stop her.
If they didn’t like it, they could at least assign him a servant.
Hiding her sly calculations, Aibel cleared her throat.
The prince’s dry green eyes widened slightly.
“Are you scared?”
“What? Why would I be—”
“Chesa.”
She pronounced it well.
Like a baby repeating a new word, she said the name again and again.
“Chesa, Chesa, Chesa.”
“Stop.”
His voice cut across the library sharply.
“It’s unpleasant. Just call me like before.”
“Try loving your own name a little more.”
“That’s not the issue, it’s you—”
His eyes, once pinned to the book, now wandered aimlessly.
Turning away awkwardly, Chesa Lagracio snapped irritably.
“How long are you going to hang around like this?”
“Until you think I’m cute?”
Of course, Aibel’s response hit with zero effect.
Cupping her cheeks with both hands, she spoke seriously.
“Thinking someone is cute is a very common feeling. And in my case, ten out of ten people agree I’m cute.”
“And?”
“But you can’t even feel anything when you see me! Isn’t that tragic?”
It was clearly nonsense—but confident nonsense.
Aibel was genuinely frustrated.
“Even a sense of beauty takes training. Once your soul softens and finds peace, you’ll surely find me cute.”
“Even if I lose a chunk of my brain, that’ll never happen.”
“Hmph. Say what you want. I’ll slowly grow on you.”
“Such confidence.”
“You don’t have any other friends anyway.”
“…What?”
“It’s fine! I don’t have any friends except you, either.”
“Who said we’re friends—”
Grinning like she hadn’t just been bickering, Aibel pulled out a handful of toys she’d brought.
Puzzle pieces, chess, cards…
“If we play a few games together, we’ll get closer.”
Of course, Chesa Lagracio didn’t join her games that day either.
“You’re always wasting time on pointless things.”
“I’ll bring something even more fun tomorrow!”
Aibel waved cheerfully, then ground her teeth as she headed home.
‘Let’s see who wins—me or you.’
That day too, Aibel was excited at the thought of deepening her bond with the First Prince.
But an unexpected obstacle blocked her path.
“Sis, are you going out again today?”
“Huh?”
“You keep going to the palace every day and don’t play with me anymore…”
Her eight-year-old brother pouted, clearly upset.
“Can’t you play with me today instead?”
‘My mature little Sananet is pouting?!’
At that unexpected tantrum, Aibel immediately nodded.
“Sure! Let’s have lots of fun today, just you and me!”
Nothing will happen if I skip a day, right?
