Ellis's POV

"It's nice to... no, it's a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness the Crown Prince. I'm Ellis Grecia. Thank you for your invitation."

Inside the carriage that picked me up, I repeated the greeting that I would say to His Highness so many times that I forgot how many times I'd said it.

"Onii-cha... Onii-sama, you don't have to laugh at me so much?"

My brother, who sits across from me, is puffing his cheeks out and laughing at me.

The same red-haired brother has been watching me practice my greeting to His Highness with a smile on his face ever since we got to the carriage.

"I'm sorry, but since I will be there with you, there's no need to be so nervous."

"But I will meet His Highness the Crown Prince, right? That's why I can't be rude in front of him."

I didn't attend the Spring Anticipation Party, but I've heard rumors about the engagement annulment incident that happened there. Ever since that incident, many of the daughters of the nobles at the school that I attend now speak the name of His Highness with fear in their faces.

But I'm not one of them. I believe His Highness may be merciless to those who disrespect him, but if he's really a scary person like the rumor says, then he wouldn't help out the people from the slums.

I know very well what the nobles think of the people from the slums...

Garbage or undesirables.

When I was still living in the slums, I saw many people get hurt by the nobles for no reason other than to spite them.

I know that not all nobles are like that because of my father, but I also knew that there are a lot of nobles who look down on the people in the slums.

That's why I believe that His Highness is a wonderful person.

If His Highness wanted to just redevelop the slums, he could have just forced the residents to move out of that place, but His Highness didn't do that; he gave the residents food, a place to live, clothes, and even jobs.

Not only that, but people who were suffering from illness and different kinds of injuries were even sent to hospitals to be treated properly.

And right now, even though I may be presumptuous, he has listened to my request to meet him in person to thank him for what he did in the slums, and he has invited me to the royal castle.

That's why I believe that it's only natural that I wouldn't want to show disrespect in front of such a person.

I guess that's why my brother can't get married because he doesn't understand that kind of feeling from a maiden's heart.

When I sat back in my seat and looked out the window, I noticed that the carriage had already reached the bridge that leads to the royal castle. 

The carriage continued on its way, and eventually it stopped, and we got out of the carriage.

"Since this is a personal summons, we will head to the reception room."

Guided by my brother, we proceeded to walk through the corridors of the royal castle.

"We've arrived."

When we arrived in front of the door to the reception room, I took a deep breath and lightly touched the green dress that I wore today.

"I'm pleased... I'm pleased to meet you for the first time... Okay."

When I signaled to my brother that I was ready, he knocked on the door, and immediately a reply came back. We entered through the door, and I immediately curtsied.

Inside the room, I could smell something that looked like the scent of flowers lingering inside the room. It's a scent I'm not familiar with, but smelling it for some reason makes me feel at ease.

"I'm pleased to meet you for the first time, Your Highness the Crown Prince. My name is Ellis Grecia, and thank you very much for inviting me here today."

Yes, I was able to say it.

I then continued to keep my head down while I clenched my fist, waiting for His Highness to speak.

Ah, that's not right, Ellis; just like that person told me, ladies don't clenched their fists.

"I'm glad you could make it. Make yourself comfortable. Come and sit down."

When I was told that in a low voice, I straightened my posture.

A black-haired man is sitting on the sofa. His slightly raised eyes used to always have a smile in them, but now they are sharply narrowed, as if he could see through me.

Next to him is a woman with long black hair.

His Highness Prince Olea and the acting Prime Minister Sophia-sama.

Rumors spread amongst the students in the school that the two of them are in an illicit relationship...

I shook my head slightly to shake off any unnecessary thoughts, then I sat down on the sofa. My brother, because of his position, couldn't sit down; that's why he remained standing besides me.

"I'm Olea Kai Hortessa. This is Sophia Crestos."

"Yes! I know that very well!"

I was so excited that I replied embarrassingly using a slightly muffled voice.

I have prepared so many words of thanks to say to His Highness, but right now my mind is drawing blanks and I can't come up with any words to say.

I could feel my brother laughing behind me, and after a while, my brother quietly walked forward towards His Highness.

"These are the letters that my sister collected from the residents of the slums and the orphans living there."

"...In the slums... Uhmm... there are people who can't write, so I wrote it for them."

Yesterday, I collected as many letters as I could to show our appreciation for what His Highness has done for us. I do hope His Highness will read all of it.

"Thank you; this will be helpful to me, as the voices from the public can serve as my guideline for the projects that I will be doing in the future."

After saying that, His Highness picked up the letter on the top of the pile and read it over.

"Look, Sophia! This kid named Mia says here that in the future she wants to become an actor in a large theater! See, now children can have dreams too; I was right after all building that theater."

I tried to hold back the tears that were welling up in my eyes.

After all, His Highness really understands people like us.

In the old slums, people were so busy working all day and night to have money to have food on their table that they didn't have time to think about their future, but now that things are different, they are now able to have dreams about their future.

"This one says that he wants to go to school next year, so that he can study hard and help His Highness in the future."

Sophia-sama, after reading another letter, softens her expression.

This is also thanks to His Highness.

The school system, which will begin next year, will require all parents, regardless of their status, to send their children to school. This means that the young children's future will have a wide range of possibilities.

"Truly, I can't thank His Highness enough for what he has done towards the people of the slums."

When I burst into tears, His Highness, surprised by that, looked at me.

"Wha... what's wrong? Is there something wrong with you?"

His Highness, who waves his hands up and down in frustration, was neither a fearsome person nor a cold aristocrat like the rumors say...

It might be disrespectful of me to think like this, but he seemed like a normal boy.

"Uhmmm... it's nothing; it's just that I'm just overwhelmed with gratitude for His Highness' feelings."

I'm glad that I somehow managed to say something that is appropriate for an aristocrat. I then wiped my tears and smiled at His Highness.

"If that's so, then that's fine."

After saying that His Highness had returned to his seat, he cleared his throat and looked at me.

"Come to think of it, if I remember correctly, isn't Ellis-san a first-year at the school. How is school lately?"

I think His Highness changed the subject for my sake, and with that, I'm filled with gratitude towards His Highness again.

But I don't really want to talk about the school that much.

"Well, it's going well. There are some subjects that I'm having difficulty with, but somehow I'm managing to have a productive school life."

I managed to come up with an answer without showing too much emotion on my face, it's not that I'm lying to His Highness, as I'm seriously making an effort to fulfill my goals so that I can help His Highness in the near future.

"Is that so? Then that's good, as for the reason I've called you today, I wanted to fulfill your request, but I also have a favor to ask of you."

"If it's His Highness' request, then this Ellis will do her best to fulfill your request."

I think it's impossible for His Highness to say such a thing, but if His Highness says, "Give your body to me," I think I'll even agree to it.

Imagining such a thing, I felt my face heat up.

"It's not a serious request, so you don't have to be nervous, but I'd like to hear you sing."

Huh?

I didn't quite understand what His Highness had said, so I looked at my brother, who was behind me.

My brother then looked back at me with a gentle smile, and it feels like he's saying that he's not going to help me.

"But to hear me sing... Uhmmm, I believe your ears will just get irritated when you hear me sing."

"I think that's nonsense, as I already heard that you've got a talent for singing from Lloyd, and I also heard about how good of a singer your mother was."

When His Highness told me that, I was speechless.

Did this person, even knowing where I came from, treat me just like a normal noble lady? Are royals really that tolerant of people like me?

No, Ellis, it's because this is His Highness Prince Olea.

I clasp my hands together on top of my thighs, then I look at His Highness.

"Well then, I'm sorry if my song won't be pleasant to your ears, but I'll sing now."




Notes:

1. In this entire chapter Ellis is calling her brother onii-chan even in her monologue, I just changed those to brother because I believe putting onii-chan on her monologue instead of brother won't sound good when read.