The Tyrant Wants To Live Honestly

Joy took Po and sat down on the sofa.
Just in time, the doctor I had called came in.

“Did you call me Princess?”

“Look at the health of those kids over there, and if they need treatment, give it to them.”

I pointed to Joy and Po.

“Yes, I understand.”

The doctor and his assistant went to the sofa and examined Joy’s and Po’s bodies.
Swelling from the eye area and hives on the skin.
Wounds and bruises on the body.
Doctors looked at every nook and cranny of their bodies and prescribed medicines.

“First of all, they are poorly nutritious.
They should eat lots of fresh vegetables and fruits.”

“Did you hear that? That’s what you have to do.
Eat fresh vegetables and fruits without complaining.”

I said to Joy and Po.

“Is that work?”

“If you get sick because you are weak, it will be a big deal, right? I hate carrying fleas and lice.
In the imperial palace, sick and weak people cannot work.
That is the law.”

“The law…?”

“It’s called the rules.”

“Okay.”

When I changed the word law to an easy word, Joy nodded.

In the Imperial Palace, servants must be healthy and clean.
How clean are the servants of Count Duncan or Duke of Bronte?

Joy complied with my orders.

“Clara, prepare those kids for dinner tonight.
I’ll see if they’re eating well or not.”

“Yes, Princess,” Clara replied with a smile.

* * *

“Stephan, have you been injured?”

On the way to the dining room for dinner, I asked Stefan who was following me.

He turned around coolly to care for Joy and Po, but it was not easy for him to leave alone.

Then Stefan smiled a little.
It was a smile asking if I was worried.

“I’m not worried, just in case.
Of course, I believed that you could handle it on your own.
Otherwise, I would not have left.”

I hurriedly apologized to Stefan.
Of course, I believed in his skills.
I’m just worried, though.

Then Stefan lifted me and hugged me.
It was proof that he was healthy with no injuries.

“Ah, Okay! I know you are healthy, so put me down.”

Confused, I tapped Stefan on the shoulder.

Until recently, I was easily hugged by Stefan, but now it feels strange.
As my body grew, being treated like a baby seemed unfamiliar to me.
Compared to Stefan, I am still relatively small, but twelve is not the age to be embraced by others.

At my urging, Stefan gently lowered me to the floor.
As my feet touched the ground, I entered the dining room faster than before.

“Are you here, Princess?”

As I said in the afternoon, there were also seats for Joy and Po at the table.
I sat in my seat and waited for the two who had yet to arrive.

Soon, following the servant’s guidance, Joy and Po entered the dining room.

“Wow!”

At the same time, the two children’s mouths burst out in exclamation.

“Crazy, is that a table?”

Joy spoke the abusive language and looked at the huge table without realizing it.
The table was the size of her house.

“I can run on the table!”

The grape’s eyes twinkled, shouted, and ran backward.
They couldn’t help but admire the beautiful frescoes on the living room ceiling.

“Ough, they go around until dinner time.”

The servant explained to me why they were late.

The two of them ran around all day to see this huge palace, not knowing that time was passing.
To them, the pillars of the palace, the reliefs on the walls, the carpets on the floor, and the curtains hanging on the windows were all full of strange things.

“Sit down, everyone.
Don’t get excited.”

I calmed Joy and Po, pointing to the seat reserved for them.
Suddenly, Joy and Po rushed to their seats.

Unlike Joy, who sat on the chair at once, Po, who was short in stature, struggled to get on the chair.
Eventually, Stefan came forward and sat Po in a chair.
Only Po’s face was visible on the table.

“I guess we should put something on the chair and let him sit down.”

The servant put a few more thick cushions on Po’s chair, and only then I got to see him correctly.

They couldn’t talk because they were in front of me, but their heads couldn’t stop moving as they looked around the wide table.

“Why are there multiple forks and spoons? If I drop it, will I use a new one?”

“Is this real silver?”

Joy and Po looked at the table and chatted among themselves.

‘What is so strange.’

I was more curious about the two of them and made the servant serve food.

Before, they were a plain mushroom soup, plain bread and basil olive sauce, plain goat meat, plain salad, and pickles. 

But the two children couldn’t take their eyes off the food on the table with their mouths open.
Excited legs swayed in the air under the table.

“Meat! Meat, sister! Rich plate!”

Po pointed to the steak plate and talked to Joy.
The plate is filled with such bright colors! 

It was a fantastic meal for them, who used to eat one meal every day.

“I don’t know what to eat first.”

There was a gurgling sound from the stomach, and saliva was pooling around Po’s mouth.
After only a few bowls came out, the two were confused, as if they had lost their minds.

‘If you go to a dinner party, you will pass out.’

It’s like this with one main and several side dishes.

“From now on, I will teach you table manners.
Nobles and royals are also polite when it comes to eating.
If you want to serve me, you need to know that.”

Joy and Po nodded at my words.

I wanted to eat right away, but since this was their first food, I had to give them an explanation.

“First, I use the outermost fork and spoon.
I usually eat bread and soup first, sometimes with salad.”

I gave the order for the meal.
Contrary to worrying about what would happen if they couldn’t bear to eat because they were hungry, the two followed my teachings more docile than I thought.
When I scooped out the soup, they both scooped up the soup and put it in their mouths.

“delicious!”

Po ate the soup in a hurry.

Their faces were so full of happiness.
It makes me happy to see them.
They ate the bread and salad instantly, and in the order I gave them, the two of them ate the main dish.

Po was not good at sharpening knives because he was still young, but when that happened, Joy helped Po first and cut and ate her own.

Joy also served her portion of food on Po’s plate from time to time during the meal.

“Don’t eat in a hurry.
Eat slowly.”

“Yes”

While answering that, the two of them ate several times as fast as me.
Their plates were cleanly empty when I ate less than half of the steak.

Joy was happy with the feeling of fullness, her plate was clean enough to not need to wash the dishes.

Po was also sucking his spoon, trying to eat more of the basil pesto that wasn’t left.

“Delicious,” Poe muttered, biting the spoon.

“My stomach is full, but I think I can eat two or three, or ten plates.”

“I want to learn eating etiquette every day, Sister,” Po whispered to Joy, who nodded.

“You will eat more often now, so don’t be greedy,” I said, adding one more steak to each of their plates.

I could give you more, but I’ll pretend not.
Their bright eyes turned to me as the meat returned to their plates.

“The princess is the nicest person I have ever seen.”

Joy’s eyes widened.

“Am I a good person for giving you meat?”

“It’s not just meat.
that damn…No, you save us from our father, let us stay here, put on new clothes for us, and let us see a doctor.”

Joy looked at each one with her fingers.

“Right! The princess is the nicest person in the world!”

Po smiled broadly and shook her head vigorously.

I was the nicest person in the world, I thought that was a word that really didn’t suit me.
Even if I am the worst person in the world.
It was awkward and unfamiliar like a pearl necklace hung around a pig’s neck.

Will they be disappointed with my appearance later? Wouldn’t they blame me for my hypocrisy?

I was afraid, but at the same time grateful.
At least so far, I think it tells me that I’m doing well.
I quickly finished the rest of my meal because the two of them were waiting.

As I put down the fork, Joy, who had been scratching the empty plate for a while, was watching and opened her mouth.

“Well then, can we get up now?”

“We haven’t finished eating yet.”

At that word, Joy and Po’s eyes lit up like hawks.

Still not finished?

“There is some dessert left.”

“Dessert!”

‘I have only heard of it, dessert!’

Joy and Po made eye contact at the same time, trying to lower their swollen chests.

As soon as I signaled the chef, a large plate was placed in the center of the table.

And Joy bit his lip.

“It’s the best food in the world,” I said, introducing dessert.
On the plate was a whole apple pie larger than the face.

“It doesn’t require any manners, so just eat it.”

This is an award for doing well today.
I, who was about to add that, stopped talking.
It was because of Joy.

“This…damn it.”

Joy chewed the soft curse words that came out of her lips.
However, her lips were trembling because of the curse words, and her eyes were red and hot.

“Princess…!”

“I said that you will be kicked out if you curse.”

“Kick me out! Who told you to be kind to me? Even if I get kicked out, it’s already much better for me!”

“My sister, are you crying…?”

“I’m not crying!”

Joy wiped her eyes with her wrist and shouted at Po.

“Princess, I was going to give Apple pie to you soon.”

“I’m not giving it to you for your sake.
I’m giving it to you for my liver and my gallbladder.”

I pointed at Joy and Po in turn.