NOVEL NEXT “Your Highness, how have you been?”
“Sophia, just relax. I’ve been busy with work this year… So that tone isn’t really necessary.”
“Oh really? But you said in your letter that everything was fine.”
“That’s separate… My brother will soon take the throne from Father.”
“Ah…”
Well, it makes sense there’s so much to handle.
The Emperor is fine, but he is getting older.
Of course, he could remain Emperor for another ten years without issue, but still, you never know.
That must be why they’re planning to change the Prince into the Emperor.
I vaguely remember the conversation, as I’ve heard it from the Princess before.
“So, Your Highness, after the Prince ascends the throne, your workload will lessen.”
“That seems likely. Unless that guy decides to pile more work onto me!”
“Haha.”
By the way, when is Kyle actually coming?
I know he’s busy, but it’s quite strange he hasn’t shown his face when the Princess is here… He’s going to be the Duke soon!
“Sophia?”
“Yes?”
“Could we… maybe meet the kids first?”
“Ah.”
Honestly, dealing with paperwork seems less important than meeting the kids.
Yeah, Kyle and I do brag about them a lot.
“Please wait a moment. I think they might be sleeping.”
“Ah…”
“It’s just the right time for a nap. They probably slept for about 30 minutes…”
“N-No! Sophia, sit back down.”
“What?”
“The kids… they need to grow! We can meet later when they wake up and had a good sleep.”
“Um… okay, we can do that.”
Hmm…
I guess the Princess might have high hopes for our daughters…
Of course, they are really cute and good girls, but there was no need for the Princess to act that way.
“By the way, you seem to be looking better every time we meet. The last time was at the coming-of-age ceremony four years ago.”
“Haha… You’re getting more beautiful too, Your Highness.”
“Well, I get beauty treatments every day. It would be nice if a suitable man would finally come along.”
Indeed, it seems like it’s time for the Princess to find a partner.
Unless she plans to marry a nation by becoming the Emperor, it is indeed about that time.
Honestly, I never felt worried.
After all, her suitor would be the Princess; there’s certainly no need for concern.
“Hehe, it will happen soon. I didn’t expect to end up like this either.”
“Weren’t you the one who didn’t admit to liking Duke Kyle back in the day?”
“Haha…”
Yeah, that was a bit of an embarrassing history now.
Now, it’s a story that comes up occasionally thanks to Kyle and Louise.
Years have gone by, so it’s only natural they’d talk about it.
“And look, we’re married now, with two adorable kids.”
“Sigh… I want to see them quickly. Astrid is the older sister, right? And Elissa is the younger?”
“Yes, Astrid with white hair and blue eyes, and Elissa with the opposite features.”
“They must be really beautiful.”
They are, indeed.
The two of them have turned out to be incredibly pretty and adorable, a perfect blend of Kyle and myself.
Surely, in the future, many will like them, not just because they are half succubi.
Plus, they have good personalities!
“But Sophia, the succubus race is really fascinating.”
“Is it?”
“Yes, it’s been five years since we first met, and you look even better than back then!”
“Ah…”
Hmm… how should I respond?
If it were a normal situation, I would just say thank you, but…
The Princess’s words call for a different kind of response.
But the trouble is, I can’t easily give that answer.
“Haha… Have I really improved?”
“Yes, your skin looks better, and your figure is still fantastic. It’s hard to believe you’ve had two kids!”
“Haha…”
It’s even harder to answer knowing the truth.
Really…
“Sofia, do you receive any special beauty treatments? If possible, I’d like to do the same at the Imperial Palace.”
“…I don’t think that’s possible.”
Yeah, that would never work.
There are things that only I can manage; doing that for others is a hard no.
“Why not?”
“Improving my looks… Well, it’s mainly because of all the time I’ve spent with Kyle…”
“…Ah. Succubus.”
Only then did the Princess understand why I hesitated, and naturally, I felt my HP drop to 0.
Seriously… how embarrassing.
*
“Sister.”
“Yes?”
“A sister I don’t know just came in!”
“Yesterday, Dad told you the Princess was coming…”
“Ah!”
The kids were a bit shocked to see an outsider visiting the castle after such a long time.
After all, it’s not like they had many guests around, having only met Grandpa and Grandma in their eyes.
“Kids, shouldn’t you greet Her Highness first?”
“Ah, right!”
Finally realizing, the kids straightened up to greet the Princess.
Of course…
“Wow… so cute…”
The Princess has already melted in front of the kids, so I figured it might not even be necessary to prompt them.
Anyway, since Kyle was busy at work, he hadn’t arrived yet, but I decided to introduce the kids first.
That wasn’t too hard.
The Princess already knew some information about them, and, well, they’re just kids!
“Um, it’s nice to meet you! I’m Astrid Eristirol, the oldest daughter of Duke Kyle Eristirol!”
“I’m the second daughter, Elissa Eristirol!”
The girls stood in their pretty dresses and bowed, lifting their skirts slightly.
This moment truly called for a camera.
With all the magic tools around, how is there no photography?
“Nice to meet you. As Princess Astrid mentioned, I’m Her Highness. You can call me by my name if you’d like?”
“Your Highness, you shouldn’t…”
“It’s really fine.”
Hmm.
With those words, I couldn’t really say anything.
Considering the kids’ education, it didn’t feel quite right for them to casually address someone as high-ranking as a Princess.
But since she said so, there wasn’t much I could do.
“Um, so should I call you sister…?”
“Ugh…”
“Your Highness?!”
“So cute… I must preserve this moment as national treasure…”
“…”
Um… surely she isn’t revealing any weird tendencies, right?
No, there’s no way.
She might be reacting a bit too much to their cuteness, but she’s definitely not that kind of person.
She’s famous for being kind-hearted in the Empire.
It must just be a genuine liking for children—nothing strange about it.
“Fool! You can’t call Her Highness, sister!”
“Eh… why not?”
“Of course! How can you be so casual with someone so important?”
“I didn’t know…”
The Princess seemed to love it, and with Astrid’s innocence, her reactions quickly melted away.
Yeah, it’s true.
Even if they’re kids, it’s still not okay to be overly casual with a Princess.
When they meet in a completely formal setting later, calling her sister might…
“Haha.”
It wouldn’t be pleasant at all.
In various ways.
“Ah, Sophia? The kids haven’t had lunch yet, right?”
“Yes, they didn’t eat because they were napping.”
“Then… shall we eat lunch and chat? Duke Kyle should be joining us soon.”
“Um… Can you play with the kids for a moment? I’ll go fetch Kyle.”
“Eh?”
“Just wait a moment. You were looking forward to talking with them, right?”
“U-Um, isn’t this a bit sudden?”
“Hang in there!”
After encouraging her, I left the reception room.
After all, I needed to bring Kyle, and I figured the Princess would manage well with the kids.
She’s a genuinely nice person, so I expected nothing less, right?
*
“It’s nice to see Duke Kyle after such a long time.”
“I feel the same.”
“It feels the same as when I last saw Sophia. Back when we first met, I would have never guessed things would go this well.”
“That’s because Kyle has been amazing.”
We were slowly talking while having lunch.
The kids were laughing and chatting happily among themselves, seemingly enjoying the day.
I guess it’s exciting for them to have visitors after such a long time?
They seemed even more lively than usual.
Although they’re typically very energetic.
“And I honestly never expected to have such adorable children.”
“Haha… that’s…”
“Haha…”
Kyle and I found ourselves at a loss for words.
After all, this was an unplanned pregnancy.
“Well, that just means you two have a good relationship.”
“Hahaha…”
“Hahaha…”
It was a bit awkward to continue while the kids were present.
Though they weren’t wrong at all.
“Ah, Your Highness. About the paperwork, how do you plan to approach it?”
“Well, it’s not difficult. Just place my hand on the magic tool, run a quick inspection, and then sign—done.”
“Ah.”
That was a lot simpler than I expected.
Dad mentioned going all the way to the Imperial Palace to deal with the paperwork, so I thought there’d be more involved, but it turned out to be no big deal.
After all, seeing as I’m a half-succubus, I figured the kids would be the same.
Although the image isn’t great, it truthfully came with considerable perks.
They, of course, look prettier than average folk, and age hasn’t made my appearance feel older at all.
From the way I looked at 30, my skin still felt so firm…
“Elissa, if you eat like that, you’ll get food everywhere.”
“Huh? Did I?”
“Yes… turn your face to your sister.”
“Hehe…”
Well, that’s a conversation for when they’re adults.
Even if I told them now… they wouldn’t understand it anyway.
And even if they did, it wouldn’t be particularly useful?