"... Do you want to play with Kafni?"
Dmitry stared at Annan and repeated slowly.
His brow furrowed even tighter.
He subconsciously pressed the second knuckles of his right index finger and middle finger against his chin, thinking about something quietly.
But in the always indifferent and calm pupils, there is still no color of emotion.
Even if Annan only has short shoulder-length hair, he can easily be mistaken for a girl with awe-inspiring temperament; but Dmitry's long hair reaches his waist, but he will never be mistaken for a woman.
It's not just because of his deep voice.
What's more, it's the heavy "bearer" temperament on him.
"… Yes."
Annan pursed his lips and replied in a low voice.
For some reason, the Dmitri in front of him overlapped somewhat with Ivan Lindong who trained Annan's frost swordsmanship in Annan's memory.
... Is it because the eldest brother is like a father
Stared at by Dmitri's majestic gaze - even Annan himself felt at that moment that this fake might not be able to be invited...
But even so.
After a few seconds, Dmitry calmly replied: "Yes."
For some reason, he easily agreed to Annan's request.
Immediately, Dmitri turned to Princess Elizabeth at the side and said in a polite and slow voice: "My brother is causing you trouble."
"Where... Little Cafney is usually a relatively withdrawn child. It is rare to make a friend. I am also very happy for her."
Princess Elizabeth smiled brightly.
Her appearance seemed to be shining, and she couldn't tell her exact age. But in her slightly squinted eyes, there was a sly light that was not annoying.
She smiled at Annan and said, "You have a good brother, Your Highness Annan."
"... Thank you, Your Highness."
Annan's reaction was a bit clumsy, he saluted Princess Elizabeth, and made a very light and polite voice.
The momentum in his voice was a little weak, but it was as clear as a flame in a cold wind.
But looking at his appearance, Dmitry suddenly opened his mouth and said without beginning or end: "Annan, remember why you came here."
... I, why did I come
This made Annan a little confused.
But fortunately, he quickly reacted:
At this time, Dmitry had actually lost his fertility. That is to say, the reason why Annan and not Maria came to Noah with Dmitry is probably because Annan is the one who came as the "Heir of the Principality"—
In other words, not "Annan followed Dmitry", but "Dmitri followed Annan".
Just because Annan was too young.
That's why Dmitry was asked to assist Annan... in a series of negotiations.
So, what will be the primary purpose of Annan coming here
—The answer is ready to come out.
He's here to get acquainted.
Or... Annan came to build confidence.
As the eldest brother, Dmitry acts forcefully and properly, which is probably the main reason for Annan's relatively weak character. So even if Annan made such an outrageous request, Dmitry decided not to oppose Annan.
Because what he has to do is to build Annan's confidence—not to undermine his confidence.
His mind was running fast, and Annan finished thinking in the blink of an eye.
On his immature and delicate face, a determined look quickly appeared: "Of course I remember, my lord brother.
"Thank you for your tolerance, Your Royal Highness."
There was still a slight tremor in Annan's voice. But his voice grew louder and clearer—like Annan's voice outside the nightmare.
At this time, Annan could clearly notice that Dmitri's frown was also slightly relaxed.
... Does this mean happy
In other words, the bet was right.
Annan secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Dmitry still had no expression on his face, but he said flatly: "Remember to come back before dinner."
"You can also let your new friends show you around."
Princess Elizabeth added.
She didn't know if she noticed something - this woman who was known as iron and blood in the army became softer after changing into a dress.
She showed a gentle smile to Annan, and gently took Annan's hand: "Few people are willing to play with Kafni, but I know she is a good girl... stay with her, okay?"
... You are, want to get married
Annan, who possesses the wisdom of an adult, immediately sensed Elizabeth's intentions.
This woman is very smart. She didn't "allow" Annan to associate with Kafni, but "asked" him to take care of Kafni more—this was undoubtedly a clever gesture.
Why
Did she realize that she is the heir to the Principality
No, it's not possible. The matter of Dmitry's loss of fertility is a secret at this time - otherwise, she should be more obvious to herself.
And if she realized this, it would be impossible for Kafni and Annan to stay together immediately.
After all, Kafni's father is the fourth prince, and if the "Future Duke of Winter" can become the husband of his only daughter, then Annan will become his powerful political bargaining chip.
If Elizabeth realizes that Annan is the future Grand Duke... then she will definitely form a de facto alliance with Albert before letting Albert's power expand.
— because she is a smart person.
So there is only one possibility.
The political situation of Noah's top management has become so tense that it needs a marriage to ease it? An "outsider" is needed to disrupt the situation and reshuffle the forces of all parties...
Princess Elizabeth, who was not wary of Annan, inadvertently revealed a lot of political information to Annan.
Annan, on the other hand, had nothing unusual.
He just replied softly: "Okay, Your Royal Highness."
Annan's voice became stable... There was a faint shadow of Maria.
This made Dmitry slightly satisfied.
Then Annan and the two resigned.
Kafni took Annan to her boudoir.
She didn't ask Annan how he got the promise of two "heirs to the country" next year.
It seemed to her that all this was taken for granted.
Perhaps it was also because Cafney didn't care about these things.
"... This is the secret passage."
Cafney took Annan's hand and walked towards her closet: "After going out, you can go directly to the corner of the garden. I often sneak out from here..."
Her voice was light and fluttering, and her face was a little red.
It is obviously different from Kafni, who was able to calmly hold Annan's hand when they met for the first time a few years later-now Kafni is still shy.
She seems to be very concerned about the somewhat intimate relationship between the two now.
Annan was a little helpless to complain.
... Hey, you are only nine years old.
Although I know that girls may mature earlier... but you know so much at such a young age, is it really okay
"What are you going to do?"
Annan opened the plywood at the back of the closet, and asked Cafney in a low voice before getting in: "Without my voice, they might realize something is wrong."
Cafney replied without thinking: "I will draw for you."
"...but I'm not here."
"You used to be here."
Cafney replied softly: "I can remember."
In her non-human glazed red pupils, there seemed to be another world that Annan could not understand.
She replied in a low voice: "I can see... your afterimage."