Chapter 37

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"Both of you, calm down."

The two four-year-olds, whose feet were touching the ground but whose heels were slightly lifted, were separated on either side of Cain. Even though there was a three-year age difference between the seven-year-old and the four-year-old, the height difference made it difficult for Cain to lift both of them, so he looked as if he were doing a cheerleading pose. As he swung his arms back and forth, the two children, hanging from his hands, moved their feet frantically. Cain then lowered his hands and took a step back.

Still holding their hands, Cain squatted down and looked at each of their faces in turn.

"Are you calm now?"

"Yeah," "Yes."

"That's good."

He smiled, and both children looked relieved. Cain first looked at Dianah and made a troubled face.

"Dianah, when someone calls you, you need to look at them when you respond. If there are many people around, it can become unclear who you are responding to."

"But, big brother, you said to look and then said later."

Dianah seemed to be saying, "So, you should understand that my response was to the 'look' command, right?"

Cain slowly shook his head.

"Dianah, at that time, weren't you talking to someone else? Kae?"

"Yeah. Kae was thinking about the answer to a riddle and giving hints."

"So, the prince might have thought that you and Kae were continuing your conversation."

"Eh?"

"Maybe Kae asked for more hints, and you said you'd give them later. Since you were looking at Kae, the prince might have thought that."

Dianah didn't respond but looked guilty. Seeing this, Cain's smile deepened. She was a smart girl who could understand when properly explained. Dianah was indeed the best little sister.

"Good job, Dianah. You're so smart. Next time, you'll look at the person's face when you respond, right?"

"Yeah."

Cain wanted to pat Dianah's head but realized his hands were occupied. He lifted their connected hands and gently stroked her head with the back of his hand. Seeing Dianah giggle, he turned to Alundilano and met his gaze.

"Prince, when you call someone, you should look at them. As a royal, you might have to call out to many people at once, but this time, you wanted Dianah and Kae to turn around, right? You should have gone to them, looked at them, and said, 'Look at the castle.'"

"But when I said 'look!' first, everyone else looked..."

"People who are far away or focused on something else might not hear you. When calling from behind, you should call their name. Otherwise, they won't know if the call is for them."

"But I didn't know their names then..."

"That's right. You should have gone to them and spoken to them."

Cain, who had been speaking gently, now tightened his expression and stared intently at Alundilano.

"Even if someone ignores you or puts you off, it's never right to pull a girl's arm. I won't blame you for what happened earlier since you apologized, but you must never be rough with girls in the future."

This was something he had to make absolutely clear. Even if he couldn't avoid the prince route, if the prince could feel guilty about being mean to girls, he might avoid being treated like a toy by older men.

Avoiding Dianah's villainous lady route and preventing the prince route engagement was Cain's mission, but he couldn't have too much insurance.

"Even if the girl is mean?"

"Even if the girl is mean. You shouldn't respond to meanness with meanness. A capable man gracefully avoids meanness."

"What if the girl starts it?"

"First, you should act in a way that the girl doesn't start it. It's difficult, but as a prince, you must learn to do this."

Alundilano was thinking hard about what Cain said, pressing his fist to his mouth and mumbling.

"I understand. Since I'm a prince, I should be the one to endure, right?"

He didn't understand.

"That's not it. Big brother said you should look at the person when you speak, right?" Dianah, who had been listening, interrupted.

"If saying 'later' without looking at someone is mean, then if the prince said 'Dianah, look at me!' Dianah would turn around and say 'later.'"

"Dianah, you're so smart! That's exactly it!"

Cain finally let go of their hands and started patting Dianah's head firmly.

"Prince, there are no mean girls from the start. There's always a reason why they become mean. So, you should remove that reason first."

There are no mean girls from the start. This applies to Dianah. She wasn't born a villainous lady, and because Cain is raising her carefully, she is currently a very cute and honest girl.

Cain, with the memory of his previous life as a middle-aged salaryman (in sales), knew that there were indeed people who were mean from the start, who enjoyed spreading malice without any reason. But saying this here wouldn't help, and as a prince, he wouldn't often encounter such people.

"Everyone will be kind if you are kind to them. Please try to be a kind prince."

Cain spoke in small, clear sentences. He hoped these words would reach the young prince. He hoped the prince would understand that he wasn't asking him to endure, but to be kind.

"I don't fully understand, but I get it. I shouldn't endure; I should be kind. I understand."

Dianah patted Alundilano's head, saying, "Good job," causing his hair to become messy.

"Good job, Prince."

Cain also let go of Alundilano's hand and patted his head. With both Cain's and Dianah's hands patting his head from either side, Alundilano's head was turning in circles, but his face was happy.

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