“You should refrain from acting alone. If you have any concerns, tell me immediately.”
“I understand. Hey, brother. Why don’t you grow your hair?”
“What, suddenly. There is no way to grow it. You’ve been trying to make me imitate a woman for a long time. Don’t get any thoughts. Even yesterday, you tied a ribbon to my sword.”
“It was cute, but did you untie it?”
“Hmm,” he snorted, ”I’ll be sure to untie it. Don’t do it again.”
“Because my brother is more beautiful than anyone else. If there are fairies in this world, they must be like brother. Hey, please, grow out your hair? I think it will definitely suit you.”
“Do you think it suits me? Don’t be crazy. Do you think I, as a man, am happy to be told that I resemble a fairy? Honestly, mother is the same*. It’s giving me mixed feelings.”
*瓜ふたつ = two peas in a pod
“Brother is extravagant. I want to look more like Mother than Father.”
He pinched Mileia’s nose. ”Fool.”
The shape of her nose was neither high nor low; it was characteristic of his father’s family line.
“Don’t tell Father. Father’s greatest joy is that you look like himself. Also, please take a closer look at the portraits of his ancestors later. You will be proud of your face.”
“My golden hair is like grandmother’s hair.”
“Because the royal family of Serrat has a lot of gold hair. Your face is a symbol of Serrat itself.”
Mileia was proud as she’d seen the paintings before. She touched Luciano’s book. ”What are you reading?” she asked.
The subject of the conversation of his younger sister shifted from time to time. ”A book on the history of Armenia. The first king is ridiculously deified. He manipulated the languages of the world and interpreted human thoughts. He was a fountain of knowledge who remembered everything.”
“Tomorrow, the king and prince of Armenia will come to the castle, so are you reading to prepare?”
“That’s right. Better to know than not to know anything. By the way, did you improve your Armenian language? Are you still not good at it? I’ll test you now.”
“What? Now?” She fidgeted with her light blue dress.
“Greetings, welcome. I’m the second…ah. The first? I’m Princess Mileia. Mileia Desidelia Violeta Perudida Mirages Nava Serrat.”
He nodded teasingly. ”You stutter, but it’s good. ─Oh, yeah, don’t get close to that prince? Prince Raymond. According to the investigation, his wife has bad habits. Don’t be alone.”
Mileia nodded at those words. ”Brother, I couldn’t hear properly just now. Can you speak Armenian slowly?”
“You should get used to speaking fast. Armenian is a must, isn’t it? Let me hear you.”
“I’m not Armenian, so I don’t think it’s necessary.”
“Even if you’re not Armenian. The royal aristocrats of the world learn Armenian as a remnant of the past. In other words, even if you don’t remember the language of each country, if you learn Armenian, you won’t have much trouble. You’re going to marry soon. Don’t avoid it by saying that you’re not good at it. You should learn from today.”
Mileia puffed her cheeks and turned away. ”But it’s difficult,” she pouted.
“It’s difficult, but you can’t give up. Isn’t it awful to not be able to understand? The more you learn, the deeper your knowledge will be. People are creatures that should learn and work hard until they die.”
“Not everyone is as smart as you, Brother. I’m dumb.” Mileia was complaining, but she suddenly brightened her face. ”That’s right. Well, there is a great child among Armenia’s envoys. They’re fluent in the language of Serrat. I’m sure they’re smart like Brother.”
Armenia’s king and prince would visit the country tomorrow, and today, a total of about two hundred envoys and knights from that country had arrived. The King of Armenia seemed to be afraid of assassination and was well prepared.
“It is rare for an envoy to speak Serratian. It’s a complicated language born from cryptography.”
“His pronunciation was perfect, too. He gave me sweets from Armenia. It’s called the ‘Stone of the Wise Emperor Lorenzo’. It was a sweet and delicious pretty bead of candy.”
Lorenzo’s stone ─ it was a traditional confectionary that was only allowed to be made at the Royal Castle of Armenia. It was hard to believe as a confectionary, but it was worth as much as a jewel.
“The person who gave you the sweets is not just any person. They must be a very high ranking noble to have it… I’ve heard that the only aristocrat among the envoys is Baron Gusman, a general.”
He didn’t think Baron Gusman, a big rugged man who looked like a bear, would give sweets to his sister.
“Black hair and a nice person. I haven’t heard his name yet. I didn’t introduce myself, so I’m sure he didn’t know I’m the Princess of Serrat. I wonder if he’ll be surprised?”
Mileia stood up happily. ”I’ll tell you about it later.” She said.
“Mileia, don’t involve yourself too deeply with Armenia. The Millennium Empire is unknown territory.” He said to her small back.
She turned around, raising her nose, then turned back. ”The Millennium Empire is certainly ominous, but he’s different. I’m sure of it.” Mileia opened the door and went out without listening to his advice.