Chapter 80
Disclaimer:
The culture and norms depicted in this novel exist solely within its fictional world and are not intended to reflect the values or beliefs of the translator. Any resemblance to real-world cultures, practices, or ideologies is purely the author’s discretion.
As the King and Queen of Dipht departed, and while Kurua was about to follow them, the somewhat sluggish Dipht Prince called her back.
“Hey, Brillan’s Princess!”
With his back straight and chin slightly raised, the prince looked proud, but the bright red blush on his cheeks showed his childishness. His face, resembling his mother’s, was delicate but showed a hint of mischievousness.
“Me?”
“Yes, you.”
“Why did you call me?”
“You, well… You’re quite beautiful… What’s your name?”
“……”
“How dare a woman not answer a man’s question!”
“A lady doesn’t talk to a man who doesn’t know manners.”
“Wha— How dare you say that to me!”
The Dipht Prince, who had never been spoken to like this in his eight years of life, froze and stomped his feet.
Hearing the commotion, Kadan, who had just exited, returned to find his daughter fuming. He sighed deeply and walked over to his daughter and picked her up.
“What happened, Kurua?”
“The Dipht Prince is bad. He’s strange.”
Kurua muttered loudly. The prince’s face turned even redder.
“You… You won’t be able to marry if you keep talking like that!”
“I won’t marry you, so don’t worry. I don’t like countries where women have to cover their faces.”
Kurua firmly rejected him. Kadan looked at her with a proud smile, while the Dipht Prince stood frozen, unable to process being rejected by a woman for the first time.
Kadan continued to carry Kurua and walked toward the exit. Just then, the Dipht Prince grabbed Kadan’s jacket and stopped him.
“Do… Do you think I’m unworthy, King of Brillan?”
Kadan glanced coldly down at the sleeve of his jacket that the Dipht Prince was still clutching and let out a deep sigh. He wanted to swat the brat’s hand away immediately, but if the prince started crying, he would be scolded by Luna.
Kadan turned his gaze to the wall and sighed again.
“I tend to agree with my daughter’s opinion, no matter what.”
“If, if I were to create a country where women don’t have to cover their faces, could I marry the princess?”
“Well, our Kurua plans to live with her Papa forever and never get married.”
“Eh?”
The prince’s eyes grew wide, and he released Kadan’s jacket, surprised. Kadan couldn’t help but smirk at how satisfying it felt.
“Maybe, when you grow up and beat me, we can talk about it.”
Of course, this was assuming that Dipht’s strange customs would be gone by then. Kadan muttered to himself as he picked up Kurua and left the room.
“My name is Ismail! Ismail bin Rashid Al-Maktoum!”
The Dipht Prince called out his name as he watched Kurua walk away. Hanging from her father’s neck, Kurua merely narrowed one eye and stuck out her tongue in a teasing gesture.
This made Ismail’s face turn even redder, though he still found Kurua’s actions cute.
“I’ll come back next time. I’ll make an even better country, and we can talk for longer. Got it?”
Ismail continued speaking as he hurried to catch up with Kadan, who was walking ahead at a faster pace to follow Luna.
“Kadan? Where are we rushing off to?”
“It seems like that annoying kid is following us.”
“What?”
Luna turned around. She saw the Dipht Prince, his face bright red, desperately gazing at Kurua. Luna couldn’t help but smile.
“He’s a cute little prince.”
“Cute? More like troublesome.”
“What do you mean?”
“I just have a feeling that the prince is like me. I’ll need to train properly.”
Thinking about the countless suitors who would come asking for his daughter in the future, Kadan’s resolve burned stronger. Luna looked at Kadan’s solid body and was astonished.
“Are you really going to train even more?”
“Shouldn’t I protect my family?”
“You’re already doing a great job protecting us.”
“Well, compared to how you defended Dipht today, I’m doing less.”
Kadan, recalling Luna’s quick thinking earlier, leaned down and gently kissed her forehead.
If Luna and the Queen of Dipht hadn’t stepped in, Dipht would have been diplomatically isolated and weakened. Becoming an enemy of Brillan held such consequences.
“I love you, my wise wife.”
“I love you too.”
“I love papa and mama too!”
Kurua interjected, showering Luna and Kadan with kisses. The family’s laughter filled the air warmly.
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