"My father's a reasonable man, so you don't have to worry, hahaha."
"But I don't think your approach will work. I'm a princess, so I can speak up for you on some things."
"But that so-called Magic Academy is a very troublesome place. The people there are a really nasty bunch."
Shin looked at Lucy with a smile and said slowly, "So, were you in a Magic Academy?"
"Of course. As a princess, it was a given that I would learn magic from a young age. But my grades weren't very good. Still, because of my father, no one ever said anything to me."
"So I was still very lonely."
"You're so cute, I refuse to believe no one tried to get close to you at the academy. I know, someone must have, right?"
"But it was your issue, wasn't it? Wasn't it?"
"To be tricked into running away by a mere knight... I'm not sure how your father is going to take this."
"How many days have you been gone?"
Lucy seemed to recall something sad. She lowered her head and said slowly, "I've been gone for three days."
"For these three days, I actually felt very free. But now I realize something—it wasn't freeing at all. I was just lost in my own thoughts."
"I'm very upset now. Only now do I realize how well my father treated me. Why was I so immature before?"
"I know my father must be furious this time. But there's nothing I can do."
Shin gently stroked Lucy's head and said, "Of course, it's not entirely your fault that you turned out this way. Your father has his own issues too."
"We all know that as a king, your father must be extremely busy. And you don't have a mother."
"Your father must want to give you more care, but that creates a problem. If this problem isn't solved..."
"The issues between you two will never end. You should go back and apologize to your father, but you absolutely cannot submit to the arrangements he has for you."
"Listening to your father is important, of course, but your own thoughts matter too. You need to convey this to him, let him know that you're an adult now."
"You can think for yourself. And we're still not sure what your father is thinking. But from the looks of it, he seems to still care about you a lot."
He then glanced around and said.
Lucy was already moved by Shin's words. Shin was just too good with words. Looking at Shin now, Lucy felt a sense of security.
She didn't even feel this way when she was with her own father.
She said slowly, "Alright, let's not talk about this now. The important thing is to go to the capital and see my father. I have a feeling... my father would really like you."
Shin just smiled and said, "Haha, I take you in as a little sister, and you're already trying to stake a claim on me? Don't think I can't see what you're up to. I know."
In an instant, Lucy's face turned beet-red. She had never met someone so direct. Shin was the first.
What could she say? He was amusing, to say the least. But there was a downside—amusing people often spoke their minds without considering others' feelings.
But that didn't matter. It was Shin's authenticity that made him who he was.
"Alright, let's get going. We can't stay in this town any longer. And let's head to the city of Hargeon first."
"The second-best mage guild in the country is there. You probably haven't heard of it."
"It's actually very impressive. And there's something I want to tell you—all our money was on Jack."
Shin seemed to have a premonition that something was about to happen. He looked at Lucy with a smile and said slowly, "What's wrong? Do you have something to say? I don't think it's a big deal."
"Speaking of money, don't we have a lot? You're a princess, right?"
"You must have brought more money than I can imagine. Come on, take it out and dazzle me."
Lucy was speechless. This guy had known all along but just wouldn't admit it. She then said.
"I don't care! It's your fault we're broke now! You figure it out. I'm your little sister, and I'm sticking with you from now on. Don't even think about running away, or else."
This was giving Shin a headache. Only now did he remember something—when he was dealing with Jack earlier, he had burned him to a crisp with Amaterasu, gold coins and all.
But this... this was his mistake. Why did he have to show off?
"...Alright, alright, I won't abandon you. But this is no big deal."
"I told you, as long as you're with me, I'll never let you starve."
"Is that so? You should go to a mage guild and see what your rank is."
"Are you A-rank, B-rank, or what?"
"Of course, once you have that, you can accept quests. That way, we'll both have money."
Shin looked at Lucy and said unwillingly, "Are we really... are we really out of money? I don't believe it. You must be lying."
"But I really don't have any. But now, it's really up to you."
"Alright, let's leave this place first."
Not long after, the two of them left. Walking through the town, they found that many people were looking at them.
He then slowly asked Lucy, "Little sis, am I really that handsome? Why are so many people looking at me? It's making me feel embarrassed."
Lucy rolled her eyes and said slowly, "Are you dreaming? You're handsome, sure, but not that handsome."
"That's strange then. Why are so many people looking at me?"
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