Chapter 112: A Battle against Letters

“Then, Your Highness, you have to be able to write ‘a’ first,” when the tutor said this, Nico sighed and picked up his pencil. This kingdom’s letters were closer to English than Japanese, and it was quite complicated to start at ‘a’. I think being able to read it is enough for a three-year-old.

I looked at him, and he seemed confused at the part where you circle it around.

“He doeshn’th wnow if he shhouwd go wefth or righth,” I muttered. It’s amazing to know left from right.

“Move your penciw thoo.”

“Pencil? Like this?”

“Ai. In a circwe. Liwe Lei’sh hair.”

Nico stopped moving his pencil and looked at me. Then, he turned the paper.

“Move the pencil too, and circle.”

“Ai, Nico, wiwe thhath.”

“Hmm. I did it.”

Nico looked at the tutor.

“You did it.”

Nico sighed in relief, then whispered, “I don’t like ‘a’.” Well, if you get hit because you’re not good at it, then it’ll turn out like this. It suddenly occurred to me.

“If you hathe ith, thhen I’ww beath ith.”

“Beath ith?”

I picked up the paper that Nico had written the ‘a’ on, handed it to Natalie, and took out the tree branch from the Rug Dragon pocket. Natalie looked curiously at the paper and me.

“Natalie. Drop thhe paper from thhe thop.”

“Huh? From the top?”

Natalie lifted the paper up lightly and let go. I swung the branch at the falling piece of paper.

“Eh!?”

*MISS* The paper fluttered down.

“Buffo.”

It might be better to lower Hans’s salary. I think several people were laughing. I aimed for the falling piece of paper with the branch. Anyway, it’s fine as long as I hit it.

“Ei!”

Then, I turned to Nico.

“Lei beath thhe ‘a’. Here.”

I gave the branch to Nico.

“Now ith’sh Nico’sh thurn. Nathawie, can you drop thhe paper?”

“Am I hitting the paper?”

He was confused. I shrugged.

“Lei did ith. Nico can do ith thoo.”

“Lei, you couldn’t do it either,” Nico said as he stood up on the chair, and held the branch out. It’s easy to handle stubborn people. Natalie dropped the paper.

“Ei!”

“I hit it!”

“I hit it!”

It’s not frustrating.

“Then, draw ith again and hith ith.”

“Ok!”

“Ai, move thhe penciw around, yup good!”

Then, he passed it to Natalie.

“Natalie, drop the paper.”

“Y-yes.”

We did it a few more times, and then I heard coughing. It was the tutor.

“Your Highness, return to your studies.”

“Hmm.”

“Nexth? whath’re you writhing?”

“Mm, ‘I’,” Nico answered, and wrote it smoothly.

“Next is ‘u’.”

“Amazing.”

“But, the next letter ‘e’ is hard.”

You’re writing it correctly. I tilted my head in confusion.

“I might have to make another wave.”

“Leth’sh thry ith.”

I added another wave to Nico’s ‘e’.”

“It doesn’t look right.”

“Ith woowsh weird.”

“There’s only one wave.”

“Yup,” I agreed. Of course, some people disqualify as guards. There were some letters that he had trouble with, but he wasn’t stuck on the problematic parts. Isn’t it enough for a three-year-old to be able to read these letters and write that much?

But, I got bored with him writing all the time. Didn’t I come here to play?

I approached Linus.

“Say, Linush.”

“What? What did you say, Leila-sama?”

Did I mishear his name? I’m sure I heard Otou-sama call him ‘Linus’, and he introduced himself like that.

“Linush.”

“I didn’t mishear. It’s my first time being called without honorifics, and by a baby at that,” he was muttering something.

“Linush, when pway?”

“Hah? I think you’re playing right now.”

“Noth pwaying. Sthudying.”

I was annoyed. Didn’t Nico stop smiling wryly because he had fun studying with me?

“Linush, enough.”

“Hah? What’s enough?”

“Ith’sh enough awready. Where’sh thhe picthure boowsh?”

“Huh? So, enough means this is over, and now you want picture books?”

I came to the castle, but no one prepared anything for me to do, so I have to look for something to do myself.

“Picthure boowsh!”

“Ojou-sama, the picture books are over here.” Another maid couldn’t stand it anymore, and said.

“Ai.”

Nico looked at me jealously. Of course he would. How long has he been sitting on that chair? I approached Nico and looked him in the eyes. I was a little scared of these yellow eyes at first, but they look bright on a closer look.

“Nico, read picthure boowsh tho Lei. Wiwe Niini.”

“Niini?”

“Oh, wiwe Nii-syama.”

I accidentally said Niini. Weren’t I acting like a baby?

“Nii-syama? Nii-sama?”

Nico cheered up.

“Alright. I’ll read picture books to you instead of your Nii-sama.”

“Ai!”

“Your Highness, and Ojou-sama, why are you deciding this on your own?” The tutor said in amazement.

“Odds-dono, let Leila-sama do what she wants right now,” Linus says good things once in a while.

“Lei wanthsh a boow Lei hadn’th read before.”

“Then how about ‘The Dragon and the Knight’?”

“Oway!”

However, since I haven’t been actively lately, I got tired easily and seemed to have suddenly fallen asleep while Nico was reading the picture book to me Otou-sama hadn’t finished his work in time for lunch, he rushed to where I was when he was finally done. He was disappointed at the flustered adults who didn’t know what to do with the two sleeping children.

I heard all this from Otou-sama when we were going home in the carriage. There was a basket next to Natalie, and I was given different types of bread from that basket. I was in the carriage when I woke up, and it was already too late for lunch.

“I haven’th pwayed yeth,” I said, a little disappointed.

“But, falling asleep before lunch is proof that you’re tired. It was decided that I would take you back because they made you push yourself. I also rushed the work I had to do, so I’m leaving early.”

Otou-sama seemed a little happy.

“Since I’m going home early, how about we take the dragon back to the stable and go out for a ride?”

“Ai!”

“Oh, Lei.”

“Ai?”

Otou-sama hesitated a little.

“Do you want to come again?”

“To thhe cashthwe?”

“Yeah.”

“Yesh! I haven’th been tho thhe garden yeth! And thhere are wothsh of picthure boowsh.”

“Oh, okay.”

Otou-sama gently patted my head as I waved the bread in excitement.

“You finally looked at Otou-sama. I’ve been worried because you’re always looking down lately.”

“Otou-syama…”

You’ve been that worried about me? Oh, yes, I might have been too quiet while trying to be a good girl.

“The stupid people in the castle have been useful since you’ve got your energy back.”

“Eh…”

Otou-sama never changes.