The person who had stubbornly clung to the impersonal “you” had just used the respectful “you” instead.
It was a far more astonishing turn than inviting me or serving me tea.
“Why the sudden change?”
Have you truly lost your mind?
I swallowed the latter part, but my tone came out sharper than intended, almost accusatory.
Unlike me, Prince Luciano remained utterly composed.
“What’s the issue?”
You—you’re the issue!
“You’re suddenly using honorifics with me!”
“Is that a complaint?”
“It’s not a complaint. But it’s strange!”
“Is it really that strange?”
No, you—it’s strange! Obviously, incredibly strange!
“All this time, you’ve dismissed me completely. You couldn’t even be bothered to say my name, just brushing me off with ‘you’ like that!”
“…And you knew that, yet you kept coming back so persistently?”
I heard that! Don’t mutter insults to yourself like that!
“That’s not the point! Don’t change the subject. Why are you doing this to me all of a sudden? Is this some new way to torment me? Pretending to be kind just to string me along?”
Prince Luciano’s attitude had shifted so abruptly that, honestly, I was starting to feel a bit scared.
I crossed my arms in an X, wrapping them protectively around myself.
At my defensive posture, Prince Luciano frowned.
“Does this feel like torment to you?”
“That’s how bizarre it is. You’ve treated me worse than a pebble on the roadside.”
I was only stating the truth, but he crumpled his face as if I’d said something unbearable.
“That was… sigh. You really have changed a lot in personality.”
“I told you, I wanted to be friends back then. And no matter how much I’ve changed, it’s nothing compared to how you’ve shifted in treating me.”
I’ve already shown you my worst side—what’s the point of acting all sunny now?
‘And since I’ve already revealed the absolute worst, there’s nothing left to fear or regret.’
This mindset made me blurt out my words without filtering them.
Seeming weary of my brazen behavior in another sense, Prince Luciano let out another small sigh.
“I’ve decided to respect you a little. That’s all.”
“Ha, respect?”
A hollow, incredulous sound escaped me before I could stop it.
It was a word that truly didn’t fit between us.
He must have seen my dumbfounded reaction plainly, yet Prince Luciano appeared unruffled.
‘Is he a bit shameless too?’
“Just how much have I been dismissed all this time?”
“You’re better off not knowing.”
Don’t answer things like that.
My emotions kept surging in frustration.
“I’m having trouble sorting out my feelings.”
“Why?”
Exactly—why am I so angry when you’re saying you’ll respect me?
Was it because of the year wasted?
Or because this is happening right when I was ready to end things?
It only stirred up complicated emotions.
“Why the sudden urge to respect me?”
“Because I’ve come to realize you’re someone worth respecting.”
From earlier, his answers seemed diligent, but the substance of the conversation was utterly missing.
“Where did you get that impression?”
“Didn’t you prove it yourself?”
‘When did I?’ I started to recall, then clamped my mouth shut.
‘Surely not that?’
I wanted to believe it wasn’t, but with talk of “proof,” only one incident came to mind.
“You don’t mean that incident…”
I began to speak, then covered my mouth with my own hand.
The muffin incident.
It was something I never wanted to utter with my own lips.
But perhaps sensing what I meant, Prince Luciano nodded.
“Yes.”
He really started trusting me because of that?
I’d seen it as an event that would sever our ties, yet for him, it was the spark of goodwill.
‘Of course, I did desperately eat it to prove myself…’
But in the end, I showed a shocking spectacle.
And after going through that, he still wants to see me again?
“This is incredibly disconcerting.”
“What’s disconcerting about it? You made the effort, and I acknowledged it. That’s all.”
“So you’re saying only now will you treat me like a proper person.”
Prince Luciano answered with his eyes alone.
He seemed to know that saying it outright would be rude.
In addition, I realized there were serious issues with this prince’s way of conversing.
Perhaps that’s why we’d managed to avoid meetings for a whole year—because we hadn’t actually talked.
There were quite a few things that didn’t sit right if I were to take his words at face value.
If he truly respected me, why hadn’t he replied to the letter I sent after recovering?
Why had he been so distant at this tea party, and so on.
If I dug in, there were irritations aplenty.
But I decided not to delve deeper.
To begin with, [Your Majesty, Please Don’t Obsess!] wasn’t a novel that prioritized logical consistency.
There had even been multiple comments saying, “The plot holes in this arc are insane.”
‘Searching for logic in a story like that would just make my head explode.’
I quickly chose to accept reality.
This could all be part of the protagonist’s perks kicking in.
In romance fantasies, it’s only natural for the heroine to accumulate affection from those around her!
Even if the protagonist twists her ankle and tumbles forward, everyone cheers, “Ooh! What an impressive fall!” That’s just how romance fantasies work.
“Sigh, the life of a protagonist…”
It’s splendid.
“What?”
Prince Luciano’s gaze shifted oddly, as if he’d heard my murmur and was looking at something peculiar.
“Nothing. I was just reflecting on my life.”
At my excuse, his expression turned even more dubious.
But right now, my spirits were lifted, so it didn’t bother me.
I’d struggled for a year, but for things to resolve so unexpectedly and easily like this.
The rest should be smoother from here.
At this rate, Harrison and Damian might all fall for me and suggest we live together or something?
‘My head already aches thinking about sorting out the traffic jam.’
I shook my head to dispel the worry, only to feel Prince Luciano’s piercing stare.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
What, do I seem different today?
I gazed back at Prince Luciano with a swell of confident pride.
“I was wondering if you’ve lived long enough to need to reflect on your life already.”
“…”
It wasn’t phrasing suited to a nine-year-old, true.
But gradually, an odd feeling crept in.
According to romance fantasy rules, Prince Luciano should be showing obsessive-level fervor by now, yet it felt subtle.
Was it because of the lingering uneasy glances he kept sending?
His current reaction seemed far from how one acts toward someone they’ve fallen for.
More like upgrading from an inanimate object to a human being.
‘…Saying it out loud makes it depressing.’
What have I been doing for the past year?
And am I deluding myself even now?
Observing closely, it hit me harder.
Affection toward me wasn’t sprouting vigorously.
It seemed Prince Luciano was simply intending to treat me with basic human decency.
That made me question if the protagonist buff had truly activated.
When in doubt, asking directly is best.
“So, does that mean you want to keep meeting me from now on, Your Highness?”
Prince Luciano flinched as if caught off guard.
“…Yes.”
And the reply came a bit slowly.
This hesitant response was what made me uneasy.
“Are we friends now?”
“Do people ask that?”
You made me have to, with your behavior.
I didn’t respond, just staring blankly.
Whether you say it or not is up to you, but I’m going to hear it anyway—that kind of implication.
Perhaps it got through, because Prince Luciano opened his mouth with a tired air.
“Yes, we’re friends.”
After a year, I’d finally gotten Prince Luciano to call me a friend.
* * *
“Miss, did something happen?”
“Huh?”
“You seem dazed, and it’s worrying me. Did something occur? Did His Highness bully you again?”
Apparently, because of the muffin incident, everyone in my household thought Prince Luciano was tormenting me.
Well, Empress Isabel had that misconception too, so maybe others did as well?
I’d gotten lost in thought for a moment, and seeing my nursemaid’s expression sour, I quickly shook my head.
“No. I keep telling you, His Highness isn’t bullying me.”
“But you went to the palace and came back like this—why?”
I’d secured the position of Prince Luciano’s friend, and with my emotions all over the place, I’d zoned out, only for my nursemaid to keep fretting.
“I became friends with Prince Luciano?”
“Really? How did that happen?”
Her voice rose sharply, revealing her shock.
See? It’s not just me who’s surprised.
“Well, it just sort of happened.”
“But it’s what you’ve desperately wanted, miss. You should be thrilled—why do you seem so down?”
“I wasn’t that desperate.”
I refuted quickly, only for her to narrow her eyes at me.
I know everything.
Should I list it all out?
Under that gaze, I surrendered even faster.
“Um, I did put in a little effort.”
But I didn’t forget to hold up my thumb and forefinger, showing a tiny gap.
My nursemaid burst into a chuckle.
“So it’s what you wanted, yet why do you look so unhappy?”
Exactly.
It was the friend position I’d ardently pursued, but with all the incidents and accidents, maybe that’s why.
‘Or perhaps because the protagonist buff doesn’t feel like it’s fully in effect?’
It was more subdued than I’d expected.
After casually wrapping up teatime and returning to the mansion, my mood remained middling.
“It’s just… how I feel.”
“Did you get tired of him once he acknowledged you?”
“I didn’t say I liked him.”
“But isn’t that what it means, him acknowledging you? Or do you prefer chasing after him alone? Our miss has such a unique personality.”
“Do you live just to tease me, Nurse?”
“Of course. How else would I survive without that fun?”
“Nurse!”
I yelled in mock outrage at her cheekiness, glaring.
Signaling that more would make me truly angry, she approached and cupped my cheeks, rubbing them.
“Oh, how is our miss so utterly adorable?”
Her voice brimmed with affection, melting away my budding pout.
“Right, I am pretty lovable. That’s why I’m worried too. What if everyone falls for me?”
I replied seriously, only for my nursemaid to explode into laughter.
“Oh, our miss.”
Unable to hold back her giggles, she left me pursing my lips.
‘Why? I’m serious.’
I’m genuinely pondering what happens if we end up with a live-together ending.
It’s just a shame my nursemaid doesn’t know I’m the protagonist.
