Chapter 153

unedited

Maya didn’t seem too offended by Cedric’s sudden argument.

He only responded softly with a look of a little embarrassment.

“…… You’re a little rough.”

“Ha! Of course, I can’t help but be harsh on the guy who is harassing Emir.”

Maya, who heard Cedric’s sharp words, asked, seemingly a little absurd.

“Where did you learn that word?”

I know. Cedric. Where did you learn that?

But before I could hear Cedric’s answer, other children caught me.

“Emir! You can’t talk to someone you don’t know!”

From Alice whispering to me with a worried expression,

“You know him, Mir?”

Even Jake is staring at Maya with a suspicious look.

But then.

“Ah, are you that Small Duke of the principality?”

Nicholas, who seemed to already know Maya’s identity, asked the question belatedly. And Maya also seemed to know about Nicholas.

“Yes, that’s right. Your Highness. Oh, now that you mentioned it, there is also the Crown Princess. So, are these Your Highnesses friends?”

The affirmative answer surprised the other children who did not know Maya’s identity.

“Were you a noble?”

“I don’t know you. Oh, you said you came from the principality? Is that why?”

“…… Anyway, no, Miss Emir!”

“Yes, yes.”

…… How different were the reactions?

After a moment of tumultuous conversation, Nicholas asked Maya a question.

“By the way, why is the Small Duke here? You’re supposed to be in the delegation’s quarters, aren’t you?”

Then Maya looked at me, slowly blinking his eyes.

Those eyes seemed to be asking me to speak on my behalf, so I answered with a smirk.

“Um, he got lost…… . So I tried to show him the way.”

“Oh, is that so? After all, it’s hard to find the way in the imperial palace.”

The children seemed to nod their heads in understanding, but then suddenly changed their attitude and shouted.

“But Emir can’t be alone!”

“That’s right!”

“Then, let’s all go together.”

Eventually we decided to stop the tug and help Maya find his  way.

On the way to the VIP residence, we chatted with each other.

Of course, the children were a little wary about the appearance of a new existence called ‘Maya’, but Maya was very friendly, so they started talking right away.

Then I found out one thing.

Maya was older than us.

“I am eight years old.”

We were only a year or two apart, but well.

In the original, Maya appeared as an extra, so I didn’t know his age.

And one more thing.

Maya was a member of the principality delegation who came after the last kindergarten assassin attack.

He said he had come with several Lord and his father, the Duke.

“That’s interesting. Oh, what’s that bulging in the pocket?”

Cedric, who was nodding hard as he listened to the story, suddenly pointed to Maya’s jacket pocket and asked a question.

Come to think of it, I didn’t realize it before, but both pockets were full.

“Oh, the pocket? I just picked up something in the garden. I brought it back to the imperial family.”

Saying that, Maya took something out of his pocket.

“There were a lot of pockets full of precious jewels.”

“This…… !”

However, the identity of the object was none other than the pockets we had been looking for when we were hunting for treasure.

“What is it, everyone seems to know?”

Seeing our reaction, Maya was perplexed.

After a while Nicholas answered.

“These are the pockets we hid for the treasure hunt.”

“I see Your Highness. Then I will return it to you.”

Maya readily handed the bag to Nicholas.

Come to think of it, I said earlier that the pockets are too hard to find.

It must have been because Maya wiped out everything he could see.

As we chatted, our footsteps arrived right in front of the quarters where the delegation was staying.

“…… It’s a bit sad to part like this.”

Maya muttered a little as he turned to us before heading to the quarters.

Then he immediately turned his gaze to me.

“Especially, Lady Emir.”

Huh? Me?

…… why me?

“Let’s meet again later.”

Maya smiled at me in embarrassment and waved his hand.

“Hey! Don’t say I’m harassing again!”

For some reason, Maya added to Cedric, who was making a fuss.

“I liked the kind young lady.”

Then Maya turned around and went back into the building.

Jake and Cedric barely stopped going after him.

“I think he’s a bit strange……. Miss Emir.”

Alice was also trembling.

But I didn’t know.

The seemingly meaningless greeting of ‘Let’s meet again’ is no doubt true.

* * *

About two weeks have passed since the birthday party of Ninaina and Nicholas at the Imperial Palace.

“Is it midsummer already?”

It was. In an empire with four seasons, the current season was a bright summer with sweltering heat.

At the same time, the Imperial Kindergarten we attend is on summer vacation!

There was nothing fancy about summer vacation. It’s just that I don’t go to kindergarten.

And it was a very short vacation. Less than a month.

But I was a little sad.

Because the opportunity to see my friends consistently five times a week was gone.