Monster Princess

Chapter 24

Translated by Schwarzel
Edited by Soul

Monster Princess

Episode 24

As Millium’s voice was quite loud, everyone’s attention was already focused on us.

“Oh my, Millium!”

At that time, Millium’s mother called him and approached him.

“Baby, let me see if you hurt your hand.”

But she didn’t scold Millium, rather she showed him friendly concern.

“Did you scratch your nails? You can’t use your hands properly if you don’t take care of your nails and swing your hand carelessly. It’s dangerous.”

Millium’s mother took him directly from the maid, hugged the crying child in her arms, and stood still.

I looked at them quietly and parted my lips.

“Marina.”

“Yes, First Princess.”

As soon as I called her name, Marina, who was standing like a shadow behind me, quickly moved and picked up the handkerchief that fell.

Millium is still only a five-year-old child. In addition, he was my only younger brother. His behavior is rude, but it is acceptable because it is childish whining from a young child.

Besides, like the last time I entered the Empress’s Palace, Millium’s behavior is rude, but his discipline is not my responsibility. Above all else, there is a video mana stone next to me. It was brought by my mother and Millium when they came. If so, I know now what kind of figure I should show. 

“Millium. You were upset that I didn’t receive your gift first, right?”

I spoke softly to the sulky-faced Millium.

“But look. I haven’t put on anyone’s gift yet.”

Then the child, who was sulking and turning away from me with his face buried in his mother’s arms, glanced at me.

“I think the hair decoration you gave me will look very good on me. Will you put it on for me?”

Then, as soon as Millium was tempted, he quietly turned his body close to the maid and opened his mouth.

“…I’m the first one?”

“Yes.”

“Are you going to use mine only?”

I didn’t like the way he was greedy until the very end, so I wanted to lay him down and hit him in the ass, but I didn’t show it.[Soul: This is what I always want to do when my younger brother acts like a brat.]

Suddenly, Kyllian Bernhardt’s idea of refusing all the gifts at the hunting competition seemed to make sense.

“Of course.”

As if Millium hadn’t been angry at all in the first place, he reached out to me with the headdress.

His touch was also clumsy like a child, so later, a maid fixed my hair again.

“Pretty!”

Millium clapped his hands. Looking at this, he was just an innocent child.

“If nuna wins, I’ll keep the rabbit.”

“Prince, we don’t catch rabbits during the hunting festival.”

“Why? I like rabbits!”

The hunting contest wasn’t about winning or losing, but Millium’s words were enough to discourage me anyway. Does he want to be the protagonist, that is supposed to be the winner of this event?

I was thinking of defeating him after I participated in the hunting competition after being taunted by Kyllian, But suddenly, I didn’t want to win again enthusiastically.

“Arbella.”

At that time, my mother called me.

The moment I heard my name that came out of her mouth after a long time, my heart pounded slightly without any pride. I was annoyed by that fact.

“I will only attend the first and last days of the hunting festival, so while I am away, you will take good care of Millium as his sister.”

Fortunately, my mother’s continued words were enough to quickly cool my heart.

“And… Until when are you going to go around with lowly things and eat away at your reputation? Last time, I clearly told you to keep your body in shape.”

The cold gaze left my face and reached Judith behind me.

Judging from hearing a small rustling sound from behind, Judith knew that the Empress was referring to her and seemed to have moved her body slightly.

“Don’t embarrass me as your mother.” 

I laughed out loud without realizing it.

As if it had stopped working to say this, the light of the video magic stone was also turned off.

Soon, I also looked into my mother’s eyes with a smiling face.

In that state, she called Millium’s nanny standing next to his mother.

“Countess McNoah.”

“Yes, First Princess.”

“You heard my mother, right?”  

Perhaps my mother and my face look quite alike right now.

“From my point of view, Millium’s behavior seems far below my mother’s standards.”

It would be similar to the cold faces without a single smile that contained a weak rejection of each other.

“Even though he is young, I think it would be better to teach Millium the proper etiquette of the Imperial Family so that he doesn’t become a taint to his mother’s name in the future.” 

When my mother heard my words, her eyes trembled.

Perhaps because it was the first time I spoke this way to my mother, Count McNoah, Millium’s nanny, could not react other than having a pale face.

I drew a smile on my face first toward the two.

“I don’t think I’ll be able to see you off because of the preparation for the hunting festival. Take care, mother.”

My mother, who was looking at me with cold eyes, turned first.

“See you later!”

Millium, who couldn’t grasp the atmosphere and had a puzzled face, waved at me.

Countess McNoah and the other maids also hurriedly followed my mother after greeting me.

“Marina. Give me Judith’s handkerchief.”

Then I tied Judith’s handkerchief, which Marina was holding, around my left wrist.

“Oh.”

Judith, who was standing there with a gloomy face, cried out in surprise. This would be enough to compensate for Millium’s actions.

I wasn’t planning on wearing any other hair ornaments other than what Millium gave me, so what I said to him before wasn’t a lie.

But in fact, more than half of my actions this time were because of my feelings of rebellion against my mother.

Buuuu.

In time, a sound of a horn was heard to signal that the start of the hunting competition was approaching.

“I should get going. Have a good time, Judith.”

“I wish you all the best, First Princess!”

As if she was happy that I tied her handkerchief to my wrist, Judith greeted me with a brighter face than before.

I walked away from her like that.

* * *

I’m already tired.

As soon as I entered the forest, I let out a shallow sigh.

Somehow, I felt exhausted even before the hunting festival began. A while ago, I felt down because of my mother… 

“First Princess, which way are you going?”

Oh, that scared me.

I was surprised that a person suddenly appeared next to me.

Kyllian, who was on a black horse, approached me. He appeared on a black horse with his silver hair scattered around, and looked like a prince on a white horse— No, he was like a prince on a black horse. 

“To the west.”

“Then I’ll go south. See you after a little while.”

It seemed like it was a courtesy to me, the princess, or he was taking care not to overlap with me.

Kyllian, who seemed to be quiet, soon led his horse and turned around. Before turning around, his gaze seemed to pass by my head and wrist one at a time.

‘Come to think of it, Kyllian, unlike other people, never says anything about my short hair.’

Maybe it was because he was not interested, or maybe he was just keeping the courtesy and distance between us. Either way, I liked that a little.

‘I should get going soon, too.’

Anyway, since I came here to hunt, I had to put up a good game. It’s because my pride cannot tolerate being outdone by others.

I rode my horse and headed west.

* * *

As a magical powerhouse, Camiullita Empire had many people who could use magic. So, during the hunting festival, which can be called a special national event, magical creatures, not ordinary animals, were released into the forest.

My hunt today wasn’t bad. No, it could be said that this is quite a good hunt. This is because I hunted a “Fantanula,” a quasi-spirit grade creature.

A Fantanula looked like a mixture of half a unicorn and half a tiger, and it was difficult to catch because it had hallucinogenic abilities. Therefore, hunting Fantanula from the first day of the Hunting Festival was quite a feat.

“You hunted a Fantanula! You’re really the first princess!”

“The fur is really pretty.”

“You can put it on the altar like this.”

I shrugged as I was receiving the admiration of the people around me. 

They deserved to admire the talented and beautiful princess who brought such great prey alone.

“You are wonderful, First Princess! You are really Camiullita’s treasure!”

Young master Montera was also busy sticking with me from a while ago. 

At that time, Kyllian, who seems to have just exited the forest, approached me. Young master Montera faltered and stepped down again this time as if he was overwhelmed by the male protagonist’s presence alone.

“You hunted a Fantanula.”

“As you can see.”

With confidence, I answered Kyllian leisurely.

“What about the Young Duke?”

Kyllian looked down at me as I asked him and blinked once.

“Oh my, Young Duke Bernhardt hunted a Crocus!”

The answer exploded behind Kyllian. It was a greater admiration than when they saw my prey. 

A Crocus was also a quasi-spirit magical creature, but it was rarer than the Fantanula I caught.

As Kyllian looked at me with a smile on his face, he gently curved his eyes and drew a good-natured smile.

“I was lucky. It’s all thanks to the First Princess who wished me good luck.”