Martin was clueless, unaware of what the court officials thought of the Crown Prince.
“Shouldn’t the envoys be the ones apologizing to His Highness the Crown Prince instead?”
And confidently, he conveyed that there was already a request for an official apology from the envoys.
“Did you see that crazy bastard? Who are you to decide such things on your own!”
In the midst of the heated argument, his superior, who was still an acting assistant, informed Martin not to come out from next week.
Martin, who had unexpectedly lost his job, was packing his belongings when it happened.
“His Highness the Crown Prince is looking for you.”
With a face full of dissatisfaction due to things not going his way, his superior told him.
Not long after, Martin was appointed as a direct aide to the Crown Prince.
‘I haven’t been fired, and as long as I don’t offend His Highness, my life is secure.’
Martin, as if even loyalty that wasn’t there before had ignited, burned brightly.
“Then, in the future, schedule management and…”
“No, I’ll handle the schedule management.”
“What?”
Leaving the bewildered Martin alone, Nathaniel stood up with a firm expression.
“You will simply handle document separation and data organization…”
At that moment, the door opened, and Jaina entered.
The ominous premonition was correct.
If he had been appointed as a diplomatic affairs aide in the royal palace, he must be an elite, and he would definitely not be pleased with such simple tasks!
I couldn’t stand it any longer, so I abruptly opened the door and entered.
“Wait!”
Martin, who turned back to me, was even sniffling tears.
I felt a sense of guilt for no reason.
‘Nathaniel can be demanding.’
Quickly, I grabbed Nathaniel by the arm and pulled him out of the room.
We went to the end of the corridor, checked that there was no one around, and whispered quietly.
“If you give such tasks to an aide, what will happen?”
“Then what kind of task should I give?”
“You’ve been handling document sorting since you first came up. Send them out.”
“…”
Nathaniel averted his gaze. I jabbed his side and asked.
“Give him a proper task. From what I heard, he’s quite competent.”
At my words, Nathaniel’s expression stiffened sternly.
‘What’s this? Did I make a mistake?’
He muttered, lips pursed.
“Why are you so concerned?”
“What?”
“That kid. Why are you so concerned about him?”
“Well, since he’s Nathaniel’s first direct aide, it’s good to have a good relationship, right?”
Nathaniel’s expression was still not good. I had to roll my eyes just by watching his expression.
“Alright. Do as you wish.”
Nathaniel replied and slammed the door, entering inside. I pressed against the door, trying hard to hear what he was saying.
“What? Why are you whispering like this?”
I strained to listen, but all I could hear was Martin’s joyful voice.
‘It’s probably nothing.’
Thinking that, I headed to the reception room with light steps.
“Lady Bee.”
Henry, who was eating snacks with Anais, jumped off the sofa and bowed politely in front of me.
“Welcome, Your Highness.”
As I stroked his curly blond hair, Henry’s eyes sparkled. Henry ate lunch with us here and even enthusiastically took care of snacks.
After that, he played around with Nathaniel.
According to Nathaniel, it was a class to sense magic, but to others, it looked like they were just playing.
“What about my brother?”
“He’ll probably come soon. Your Highness, would you like to sit here and play with us?”
“Well, is that okay?”
“Of course.”
After the first lesson with Nathaniel, Henry brought a book even during a short break to study. In the midst of that, he was also working on assignments.
I deliberately expressed my concern as I personally brought the prince here. Fortunately, the Queen seemed to prioritize magical education, as she drastically reduced Henry’s class hours. Perhaps because of this, Henry’s complexion has been looking very good lately.
“Try this.”
I cut a pie made from walnuts harvested recently and placed it in front of him. Watching him delicately cut and eat it with a fork made me unconsciously smile.
‘Huh?’
Henry’s gaze kept drifting somewhere. Following the child’s gaze, I saw a grand piano placed like a decoration.
“Do you want to play the piano?”
“Oh, no!”
Henry was startled, turning his gaze away. Anais, who was next to him, clapped her hands and said, “Oh, Henry plays the piano well. I’ve been wanting to hear him play after a long time. Can we?”
Hesitant at Anais’s words, Henry blushed and nodded. He sat on the piano bench, carefully touching the keys with his small hands.
Ding―.
As he lightly pressed the keys, a clear piano sound echoed.
A faint smile appeared on Henry’s lips. And his small hands began to move quickly.
“Wow.”
Even for someone like me, who lacks an understanding of music, the distinctive tone was clear enough. Moreover, it seemed like magic how he produced such a rich sound with those small hands.
After playing a short piece, Henry turned around with flushed cheeks. Anais and I applauded enthusiastically.
“It’s amazing, Your Highness. How incredibly talented you are.”
“Hehe….”
Henry, blushing in embarrassment, scratched the back of his head and got off the chair.
“Later, when you grow a bit more, you might be able to study abroad!”
“Study abroad?”
Henry tilted his head with a mischievous smile.
“Yes. Unlike our empire, I heard that there is an academy in the Freche Republic dedicated to learning music and art.”
At my words, Henry’s eyes sparkled.
It was a face full of anticipation to anyone who looked. The music academy in the Freche Republic was known for its rigorous entrance exams.
But even though I knew nothing, I couldn’t help but be moved by their talents.
“So, from now on, make sure to eat well and get plenty of sleep at night.”
“Okay.”
Henry nodded vigorously. When I affectionately patted his head, he smiled happily.
Just as Henry was grinning, he suddenly raised his hand and shook it, looking towards the door.
“Oh, Your Highness!”
Nathaniel was there, appearing at some point.
As Henry happily ran towards him and swung from his long legs, Nathaniel instinctively picked him up in a familiar manner.
“It’s already time for class. Well then, Your Highness, have a good time. Same goes for you, Nathaniel.”
“See you next time, Princess Bee!”
Henry waved his small hand like autumn leaves.
On the other hand, Nathaniel turned abruptly and left. He used to always promise to come back and give a peck on the cheek.
‘Hmm?’
My Step-brother Is Obsessed With Me (Female-dominant)
A gentle female protagonist vs pitiful in the early stage, and a sick male protagonist in the later stage
Cheng Songer transmigrated into the body of a vicious cannon fodder female supporting character with the same name as her in a female-dominant novel.
In the original story, the cannon fodder female supporting character was inhumane, committing domestic violence, gambling excessively, being lustful, and even wanting to sell her stepbrother to a brothel for money.
As luck would have it, she just happened to transmigrate at this time.
Seeing Cheng Qingzhi biting his lip, enduring the tears in his eyes, looking pitiful, her heart softened.
She stuffed the money back into the Madam’s hand and reached out to him.
“Brother, come home with me.”
