“Can you get along well with Citrine?”
Nicasia slowly put down the fork she was holding in her right hand and spoke.
“Yeah, it’s Murmur’s request. Please get along well with Citrine.”
“…I think we’re already getting along very well, Murmur.”
“You shouldn’t lie, Nicasia.”
At Murmur’s bold, piercing remark, Nicasia forced a bitter smile.
Unfortunately, even before Murmur made this request, Princess Nicasia Holimpia’s heart was already in a very complicated and painful state.
‘Murmur probably doesn’t know how I feel right now. She wouldn’t even think I feel this way.’
Nicasia took a sip of the cold peach black tea with the hand that had put down the fork. No matter how much cold drink she had, or how sweet the black tea was, Nicasia’s heart refused to be at ease.
It was only natural. The reason her heart was so tangled was because of Murmur right in front of her.
“Murmur thinks Citrine and Nicasia can get along well.”
Nicasia forced a smile.
What a kind and adorable child. Compared to the other young ladies who had made ‘requests’ of her before, Murmur’s request was so cute that she wanted to pinch her soft cheeks and squish them.
Requests like asking her to put in a good word with her mother, to lend money, to speak at the Imperial Council, to introduce her sister, or to ask what the Empress had said.
Compared to the requests that made her head throb, her stomach churn, and her shoulders feel crushed, Murmur’s adorable request was incomparable.
“If Murmur says so… but why do you want me to get along with Citrine?”
Nicasia liked Murmur. Honestly, she thought of her as the first ‘friend’ she had ever made.
Ironically, while looking at that friend, the ‘scent’ that tickled her nose was still there. That scent was telling Nicasia a cruel truth.
Murmur is an evil being.
The sweet scent tickling her nose was a warning from her ‘sensory organs’ that Murmur was deeply connected to the Demon God.
“Citrine is Murmur’s friend. Nicasia is also Murmur’s friend. If you fight every time you meet, Murmur can’t be happy.”
“…Is that really the only reason?”
“Yeah, and Citrine is a good friend too. She’s Murmur’s friend. Murmur thinks Nicasia can get along very happily too.”
Nicasia swallowed the words that had risen to her throat, ‘That can’t be. Citrine is a changeling…’ by taking a sip of the cold black tea.
The sweet scent wafting from Murmur was a cruel warning.
Just as one could see with their eyes, hear with their ears, and feel with their skin, this scent emanating from Murmur was a warning that Nicasia, as a ‘royal,’ could sense.
So, the world was warning her.
Murmur is bad.
Murmur is evil.
Murmur is a sinister being.
‘…No.’
Nicasia pretended to savor the aroma of the black tea, tightly closing her eyes and clenching her hand.
Isn’t it a bit funny?
If such a scent had come from anyone else, Nicasia would have immediately reported them to the Holy Nation’s Inquisition. But just because it was Murmur, she had been ignoring her senses, which she had relied on for over ten years.
“Tell me about Citrine’s good points. Then I’ll think about getting along with her…”
“Nicasia, you’re bad.”
“…I’m bad? It’s Murmur who, knowing we don’t get along, asks me to be friends with that cute face of hers!”
Murmur adorably accepted the small grumbling and jealousy. Nicasia couldn’t help but laugh.
“Well… Citrine is rich.”
“And?”
“Even if Nicasia doesn’t think so, she definitely takes care of those on her side.”
“…That’s true. She did that during the last group project, didn’t she? We used some pretty good equipment.”
“And she’s a good kid. Unlike Nicasia’s first impression, her personality is really kind.”
“…She told me I had no friends and Murmur wouldn’t let me go to the bathroom.”
Murmur shook her head side to side. Seeing that, Nicasia let out a small laugh and brought a cookie with raspberry chips to Murmur’s mouth.
“Alright, I was just teasing… Even though Citrine has a bad reputation, I never thought she herself was bad…”
Nicasia recalled the conversation Murmur and Citrine had in the Starry Forest and trembled slightly.
The changeling, Rowan.
As soon as Nicasia saw him attacking Citrine, she rushed out and was amazed to see Murmur defeat him instead. Logically, she wondered why Murmur was protecting Citrine, but she was still happy to see Murmur in action.
She thought about apologizing for being late, but…
Citrine revealed herself as a changeling and clung to Murmur, saying she would become Murmur’s ‘bride.’
‘I still don’t know what ‘bride’ means…’
Nicasia let out a bitter smile. The answer to how evil and sinister changelings are was already clearly shown by Rowan, wasn’t it?
“…I never thought she herself was bad.”
Nicasia lied, something she had been accustomed to since childhood to maintain good relationships between people, and took a sip of her black tea.
The glass was already empty, so the head maid, Riola, who was standing nearby, refilled it.
“You became friends with Esme, didn’t you? I want you to become friends with Citrine too, Nicasia.”
“It’s different with Esme.”
“Really?”
At Murmur’s piercing, mature gaze, Nicasia rolled her eyes.
‘Sometimes… it feels like I’m talking to Mother.’
Nicasia fidgeted with her fingers.
Once again, Murmur knew the answer. It wasn’t for nothing that she had pushed Esme away when she suggested having breakfast together.
Citrine wasn’t wrong either. Nicasia hadn’t made any friends. In her soft, pudding-like days, she had made many friends, but at some point, she had cut them all off.
When was that?
Was it when she started feeling a lump in her chest and began wearing undergarments?
Or was it when she realized that the ‘friends’ who approached her were just crows flocking to pick up the crumbs that fell whenever Nicasia Holimpia moved?
“Esme… alright, Murmur. I give up. I’ll try to be friends with Citrine too.”
Her wealth, her reputation, her relationship with her mother and father.
She had pushed Esme Bloodberry away, thinking she was after those things too.
Thinking coldly, Esme still called her ‘Princess~ Princess~’ so it wasn’t like she wasn’t after those things, but she was still much better than the crows she had dealt with before.
Honestly, Esme had invited her, a princess, to her mansion, saying this is delicious, this is good, this is cute, and shared many stories, acting intimately.
That’s why she could become friends with Esme. Could she have become friends with her without Murmur’s help?
“Thank you, Nicasia. Then wait a moment.”
“A moment? Alright.”
Nicasia smiled and looked at Riola standing behind her. Seeing Murmur hop off the chair and leave the room, Riola immediately patted Nicasia’s shoulder.
She didn’t know everything, but she knew well that Nicasia was suffering and in pain.
‘Friends…’
Nicasia took another sip of black tea and recalled the conversation between Citrine and Murmur.
‘She said it didn’t matter if she was a changeling… how could Murmur say something like that?’
Just moments ago, Rowan, a changeling, had attacked Citrine and herself. How could she say it didn’t matter?
Remembering the mature, ‘future-seeing’ actions Murmur sometimes showed, Nicasia clenched her left fist.
‘…Colette Bloodberry didn’t come to the Academy for no reason.’
Without needing to investigate, Colette Bloodberry was surely sent by the ‘sister’ Nicasia truly disliked.
The Crown Princess and the ‘Silver Dawn Society.’
As a princess, Nicasia knew well about that relationship. That’s why she couldn’t ignore the scent she felt from Murmur when she focused.
‘The Demon God’s… …that can’t be. Where in the world would there be a descendant of such a cute Demon God?’
While Nicasia was comforting herself, Murmur returned with a nervous Citrine.
“Huh?”
“Citrine, remember the promise you made with Murmur?”
“O-of course I remember. I just didn’t think you’d act so quickly.”
What on earth was this awkward and embarrassing situation?
“Riola… please prepare another seat.”
Nicasia couldn’t help but admire Murmur’s decisiveness.
“…Hmm.”
“The black tea smells nice.”
Citrine barely managed to say a word, and Nicasia fidgeted with her fingers.
Murmur quickly looked back and forth between their faces.
‘I’m not mentally prepared at all.’
How could she possibly become friends with a changeling?
Nicasia felt uncomfortable. Murmur had asked her to get along with a murderer.
Even if she closed her eyes and thought about getting along, her common sense screamed, ‘Are you crazy?’
“Nice to meet you. Respected Princess Nicasia. Although it was Murmur’s request, I also wanted to get along.”
Nicasia swallowed. She didn’t really like Citrine, who tried to solve everything with money.
“Alright. Thanks to Murmur, I’ve made a new friend. Nice to meet you.”
Nicasia awkwardly extended her hand. Citrine took it and shook it up and down.
“Hmm…”
“Hmm…”
Their conversation ended like that.
Citrine also found Nicasia’s personality burdensome and had some personal reservations, so their closeness ended there.
“Nicasia, Citrine.”
“Yes, Murmur, what is it?”
“You called, Murmur?”
At just one word, both of them answered brightly, feeling embarrassed.
“See, you don’t really want to get along.”
“N-no! It’s just that we only met today, right?”
“T-that’s right. Since we don’t know each other’s hobbies or have common topics, we can’t really have a conversation.”
As they hastily made excuses, Murmur sighed adorably and looked at them.
“Then both of you, do me a favor.”
“If it’s Murmur’s request, I’ll do anything!”
“I… well, as long as it’s not impossible.”
Murmur smiled cutely.
“Then I’ll call Esme too. Let’s all play a game together.”
“If Murmur wishes, anything is fine!”
“A game…? I’m not really good at that, but is it okay?”
Hop, Murmur got off the chair and smiled.
“It’s a game that helps friends get along, so it’s not hard.”
Murmur’s light remark was so mature that Nicasia ignored the scent tickling her nose and smiled.
“Alright. I’ll look forward to it, Murmur.”
Nicasia unconsciously rubbed her lower abdomen with her left hand.
