Chapter 12…
New Contract Terms
It was just past twelve noon. I had visited Calix’s office to report on the class results, but I stood frozen as if I were being punished. Calix sat behind his desk, silently staring at me with indifferent eyes, without saying a word. Was he expecting me to report on my own? Tick, tick. Listening to the sound of the clock’s second hand, I swallowed dryly and finally opened my mouth.
“Your Majesty… Today we had another paper folding class.”
“……”
“Today we folded a boat, but since it was difficult, Rubellin ended up creating an original piece.”
I gently placed the work I had brought with me on the desk. As I nudged it with my fingertips, the crumpled green paper rolled and came to a stop in front of Calix.
“……”
Seeing it, cracks appeared on Calix’s face. Through the paper folding lessons over the past two days, he had come to realize that Rubellin was not particularly skilled with her hands. Calix, who had been staring intently at the paper, tapped the desk with his elegant fingers. The intermittent noise soon stopped, and his eyes, which had been fixed on the paper, shifted onto me.
“Is that all for the class?”
“Yes… There have been no results yet regarding control of her supernatural strength.”
I answered hesitantly while glancing at Calix. I had been worried he might suddenly explode with something like, “Did I hire you to make paper cranes?”—but he remained unexpectedly calm. I waited for him to speak again, then absentmindedly looked at the edge of the bookshelf.
“Ah?”
My eyes widened when I spotted a crumpled purple piece of paper sitting alone next to the pen stand. That was Rubellin’s first creation… Gasp. I quickly sucked in a breath and covered my mouth with my hand. Could it be… that Calix had brought this? The same Calix who had once called my yellow frog trivial? The Calix who had looked completely dumbfounded at the sight of a crumpled frog? Come to think of it, he had revised educational methods, picked up the crumpled frog, and although he had mistaken a villain for a butt, he had still been concerned about Rubellin’s future. Judging by the circumstances, not only did he not dislike Rubellin, he seemed to have quite some affection for her. Even someone with an otherworldly personality who could sever another person’s neck as easily as cutting a radish—he really was an uncle after all. I smiled faintly and looked at Calix with a warm gaze. The moment our eyes met, Calix frowned in displeasure.
“What is that smile?”
“…It’s nothing.”
His crimson eyes glaring at me were ferocious, so I immediately straightened my expression. After a moment of silence, a slender hand suddenly appeared in my field of view and snapped its fingers with a sharp sound.
“Lady Lucina.”
The owner of the hand was Yucar. Standing behind me without me noticing, Yucar pushed up his glasses with his knuckles, his face contorting slightly.
“Have you finished your report?”
“Eh? Not yet…”
“The Emperor must attend to state affairs.”
“Ah… I’m sorry.”
At Yucar’s candid and sharp remark, I scratched my cheek.
“Lady Lucina. Since today is your first report after being appointed as an educator, I understand you may be inexperienced, but since time has been set aside for state affairs, please keep future reports concise.”
“Yes, I’ll do that going forward.”
Yucar let out a deep sigh and half turned away.
“Then please make the remaining report brief and to the point.”
“Oh, it’s not a report.”
“Pardon? Then…”
Thanks to Yucar’s remark, I recalled the main point I had momentarily forgotten.
“Your Majesty, I have something important to say.”
“Something to say?”
Calix, who had been observing the two of us, interjected. Yucar quickly stepped back, reading the room.
“Yes, something to say.”
I smiled and slightly bowed my head.
“Lucina Rangport. I would like to formally become Princess Rubellin’s educator!”
“……”
Despite my spirited declaration, a cold silence fell. Huh? Why no reaction? I lifted my head with a puzzled expression. Calix rested his chin on his hand and stared at me.
“What is your reason?”
“Pardon?”
“I’m asking why you changed your mind.”
“Well, because Your Majesty offered a well-paying, stable job. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me, and I can also repay my debt—”
“The real reason.”
His polished crimson eyes grew even duller.
“The real… reason?”
“Whatever the reason, I know that you did not wish to remain in the imperial palace. Your desire to leave was clearly written all over your face.”
“……”
“Even if I increased your salary, it seemed unlikely you would accept, so I tried persuading you by saying I would detain you.”
Hey now, that’s not persuasion—that’s coercion! I suppressed the surge of emotions and sighed.
“This time… I truly want to help Princess Rubellin.”
“Then until now, you had been looking for a way out of that temporary position.”
I flinched and swallowed dryly.
“…T-that’s true. I only took it unwillingly.”
I confessed while nervously watching Calix’s reaction. After a moment—
“To think the reason you changed your mind is something so trivial.”
Calix lowered his gaze and muttered as if he could not understand. From his perspective, someone so adept at calculating profit and loss, it must seem absurd. I had once refused his offer despite favorable conditions, only to accept now based solely on the desire to help Rubellin. For me, it had been a decision barely reached after weighing my life against Rubellin’s. I glanced sideways at the contemplative Calix and carefully spoke.
“Your Majesty, I no longer harbor half-hearted intentions toward staying by the Princess’s side. I will remain with Princess Rubellin until she is able to control her supernatural strength.”
“……”
“…Of course, if you accept my conditions.”
At my low murmur, he sharply raised his gaze.
“Conditions?”
“Yes, conditions.”
I did not back down and met his eyes resolutely. Calix leaned back against his chair and gestured slightly with his chin, signaling me to go on.
“Your Majesty, this is my guess, but I believe the reason Princess Rubellin can control her strength only with me is because she perceives me as her ‘mother.’”
Lowering my gaze, I continued calmly.
“When I first met her, I did not know she possessed supernatural strength and approached her without any bias. At that time, she was incapacitated from heatstroke, so carrying her was not an issue.”
“And?”
“By the time she reached out to me afterward, she had already begun to perceive me as her ‘mother.’ She likely cherishes me, and that subconscious attachment allows her to control her strength.”
It had been a hypothesis when I made the temporary contract, but now I was certain. In the original story, Rubellin underwent harsh training until adulthood but ultimately failed to fully control her strength and isolated herself. Just as athletes fail to perform due to psychological factors, Rubellin’s limitations likely stemmed from a psychological aversion to physical contact and closeness to others. I took a breath and continued.
“What Rubellin needs is not grip strength to hold a fork, but people. Activities like paper folding or reading picture books may seem trivial, but they are means of emotional connection.”
Especially the connection with you in front of me. I swallowed the words that rose to my throat and continued.
“So, the person with whom Princess Rubellin would feel most comfortable, and who has no issue with physical contact, is Your Majesty. If she becomes attached to you, she will more easily open her heart to others as well, enabling her to control her strength.”
In other words, before your influence leads to the end of the world—
“How about becoming a kind and gentle father to the Princess?”
After circling around, I finally arrived at my conclusion. For me, this was the only way to prevent the world’s destruction while also achieving control over her strength. I glanced at Calix, who was looking at me expressionlessly. His lack of interest compared to before made me uneasy.
“W-well, if that’s difficult, you could at least act like a harmonious family in front of Rubellin. You could attend classes when you feel like it, and I, as a nanny, would—”
“So you want to play house?”
Calix cut in sharply.
“Pl-play house…”
My eyes darted around. Although things had not gone as intended, I did not want to miss this opportunity.
“If… if that’s acceptable to Your Majesty.”
“……”
After a brief silence, Calix suddenly contorted his face.
“Are you saying you intend to become the Empress?”
What nonsense is that?! I barely restrained the urge to shout. Waving both hands, I strongly denied it.
“N-no way! I will do my best as a nanny by your side—”
“Rubellin, the Princess, is my subordinate. She sees you as her mother, so technically, you are also my subordinate.”
“Pardon?”
“In other words, for the ‘play house’ you desire, we would have to be a married couple.”
Why is he so proactive and decisive about the strange parts?! What I had intended to say—“please be kind to Rubellin”—had somehow turned into proposing a façade marriage.
“A harmonious family.”
Calix muttered while lowering his gaze. He seemed reluctant. I bit my lip anxiously. What should I do? I didn’t particularly want a façade marriage either, but if this too were rejected, the path to resolving the relationship between the two would become even more uncertain. Then what about the end of the world…? Imagining the worst, I quickly felt disheartened. I slumped my shoulders and sighed.
“If it’s unpleasant, I’ll look for another way…”
“Haa.”
At that moment, a sigh that sounded troubled came from somewhere.
“Not a child, after all.”
“Pardon?”
I quickly lifted my head at Calix’s voice. He was frowning as he looked at me.
“Only in front of the Princess.”
Seizing the opportunity, I didn’t miss it and nodded eagerly.
“Yes, only in front of the Princess!”
“Just simple play house?”
“Play house!”
“Until she can control her strength?”
“Until then!”
“Do we even sleep together?”
“Yes! Sleeping together…!”
I reflexively nodded before stopping mid-motion. Huh? Did I hear that wrong? I blinked as if waking from a dream.
“Sl… sleeping together?”
Did I mishear? But judging by Calix’s serious expression, it didn’t seem like it.
“How could I possibly…”
Calix frowned sharply. His fierce gaze seemed to say, “Then what are you going to do?”
“…If necessary, we’ll have to. I’ll work as hard as possible, even to the point of breaking my body.”
I nodded vigorously. Surely, it would just be pretending to sleep, right? While I worried about the situation straying from its intent, Yucar hurriedly stepped in.
“P-please wait, Your Majesty. This is not something to decide lightly. Even if it’s for the Princess, acting like a married couple could lead to misunderstandings both inside and outside—”
“Yucar. The matter is already settled.”
Calix waved him off dismissively, as if annoyed. Soon after, he lost all interest and began reviewing documents on his desk.
“Your Majesty…”
Yucar closed his eyes tightly and pressed his forehead, looking troubled. I could feel his glare directed at me, but I chose to ignore it and hesitantly spoke.
“Um… then what about the contract…?”
Calix, still scanning the documents, lifted his gaze. His bored expression seemed to ask why I was still there.
“The contract will be sent through Yucar. You may withdraw.”
“Yes.”
I smiled in satisfaction, relieved. I was glad he accepted the conditions. From here on, all that remained was working toward restoring the relationship between the two and fulfilling my role as an educator. Before fully leaving, I bowed deeply.
“Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Your Majesty!”
When I raised my head again, Calix was looking at me with a peculiar gaze.
