“Then, Your Highness, you have to be able to write ‘a’ first,” when the tutor said this, Nico sighed and picked up his pencil . This kingdom’s letters were closer to English than Japanese, and it was quite complicated to start at ‘a’ . I think being able to read it is enough for a three-year-old .
I looked at him, and he seemed confused at the part where you circle it around .
“He doeshn’th wnow if he shhouwd go wefth or righth,” I muttered . It’s amazing to know left from right .
“Move your penciw thoo . ”
“Pencil? Like this?”
“Ai . In a circwe . Liwe Lei’sh hair . ”
Nico stopped moving his pencil and looked at me . Then, he turned the paper .
“Move the pencil too, and circle . ”
“Ai, Nico, wiwe thhath . ”
“Hmm . I did it . ”
Nico looked at the tutor .
“You did it . ”
Nico sighed in relief, then whispered, “I don’t like ‘a’ . ” Well, if you get hit because you’re not good at it, then it’ll turn out like this . It suddenly occurred to me .
“If you hathe ith, thhen I’ww beath ith . ”
“Beath ith?”
I picked up the paper that Nico had written the ‘a’ on, handed it to Natalie, and took out the tree branch from the Rug Dragon pocket . Natalie looked curiously at the paper and me .
“Natalie . Drop thhe paper from thhe thop . ”
“Huh? From the top?”
Natalie lifted the paper up lightly and let go . I swung the branch at the falling piece of paper .
“Eh!?”
*MISS* The paper fluttered down .
“Buffo . ”
It might be better to lower Hans’s salary . I think several people were laughing . I aimed for the falling piece of paper with the branch . Anyway, it’s fine as long as I hit it .
“Ei!”
Then, I turned to Nico .
“Lei beath thhe ‘a’ . Here . ”
I gave the branch to Nico .
“Now ith’sh Nico’sh thurn . Nathawie, can you drop thhe paper?”
“Am I hitting the paper?”
He was confused . I shrugged .
“Lei did ith . Nico can do ith thoo . ”
“Lei, you couldn’t do it either,” Nico said as he stood up on the chair, and held the branch out . It’s easy to handle stubborn people . Natalie dropped the paper .
“Ei!”
“I hit it!”
“I hit it!”
It’s not frustrating .
“Then, draw ith again and hith ith . ”
“Ok!”
“Ai, move thhe penciw around, yup good!”
Then, he passed it to Natalie .
“Natalie, drop the paper . ”
“Y-yes . ”
We did it a few more times, and then I heard coughing . It was the tutor .
“Your Highness, return to your studies . ”
“Hmm . ”
“Nexth? whath’re you writhing?”
“Mm, ‘I’,” Nico answered, and wrote it smoothly .
“Next is ‘u’ . ”
“Amazing . ”
“But, the next letter ‘e’ is hard . ”
You’re writing it correctly . I tilted my head in confusion .
“I might have to make another wave . ”
“Leth’sh thry ith . ”
I added another wave to Nico’s ‘e’ . ”
“It doesn’t look right . ”
“Ith woowsh weird . ”
“There’s only one wave . ”
“Yup,” I agreed . Of course, some people disqualify as guards . There were some letters that he had trouble with, but he wasn’t stuck on the problematic parts . Isn’t it enough for a three-year-old to be able to read these letters and write that much?
But, I got bored with him writing all the time . Didn’t I come here to play?
I approached Linus .
“Say, Linush . ”
“What? What did you say, Leilsama?”
Did I mishear his name? I’m sure I heard Otou-sama call him ‘Linus’, and he introduced himself like that .
“Linush . ”
“I didn’t mishear . It’s my first time being called without honorifics, and by a baby at that,” he was muttering something .
“Linush, when pway?”
“Hah? I think you’re playing right now . ”
“Noth pwaying . Sthudying . ”
I was annoyed . Didn’t Nico stop smiling wryly because he had fun studying with me?
“Linush, enough . ”
“Hah? What’s enough?”
“Ith’sh enough awready . Where’sh thhe picthure boowsh?”
“Huh? So, enough means this is over, and now you want picture books?”
I came to the castle, but no one prepared anything for me to do, so I have to look for something to do myself .
“Picthure boowsh!”
“Ojou-sama, the picture books are over here . ” Another maid couldn’t stand it anymore, and said .
“Ai . ”
Nico looked at me jealously . Of course he would . How long has he been sitting on that chair? I approached Nico and looked him in the eyes . I was a little scared of these yellow eyes at first, but they look bright on a closer look .
“Nico, read picthure boowsh tho Lei . Wiwe Niini . ”
“Niini?”
“Oh, wiwe Nii-syama . ”
I accidentally said Niini . Weren’t I acting like a baby?
“Nii-syama? Nii-sama?”
Nico cheered up .
“Alright . I’ll read picture books to you instead of your Nii-sama . ”
“Ai!”
“Your Highness, and Ojou-sama, why are you deciding this on your own?” The tutor said in amazement .
“Odds-dono, let Leilsama do what she wants right now,” Linus says good things once in a while .
“Lei wanthsh a boow Lei hadn’th read before . ”
“Then how about ‘The Dragon and the Knight’?”
“Oway!”
However, since I haven’t been actively lately, I got tired easily and seemed to have suddenly fallen asleep while Nico was reading the picture book to me Otou-sama hadn’t finished his work in time for lunch, he rushed to where I was when he was finally done . He was disappointed at the flustered adults who didn’t know what to do with the two sleeping children .
I heard all this from Otou-sama when we were going home in the carriage . There was a basket next to Natalie, and I was given different types of bread from that basket . I was in the carriage when I woke up, and it was already too late for lunch .
“I haven’th pwayed yeth,” I said, a little disappointed .
“But, falling asleep before lunch is proof that you’re tired . It was decided that I would take you back because they made you push yourself . I also rushed the work I had to do, so I’m leaving early . ”
Otou-sama seemed a little happy .
“Since I’m going home early, how about we take the dragon back to the stable and go out for a ride?”
“Ai!”
“Oh, Lei . ”
“Ai?”
Otou-sama hesitated a little .
“Do you want to come again?”
“To thhe cashthwe?”
“Yeah . ”
“Yesh! I haven’th been tho thhe garden yeth! And thhere are wothsh of picthure boowsh . ”
“Oh, okay . ”
Otou-sama gently patted my head as I waved the bread in excitement .
“You finally looked at Otou-sama . I’ve been worried because you’re always looking down lately . ”
“Otou-syama…”
You’ve been that worried about me? Oh, yes, I might have been too quiet while trying to be a good girl .
“The stupid people in the castle have been useful since you’ve got your energy back . ”
“Eh…”
Otou-sama never changes .