Chapter 33: The First Prince and the Beggar Girl

The First Prince and the Beggar Girl

In the end, I treated the girl to a meal on the second day as well.　

"Is it good? That dish is apparently that food stall specialty."　

"Munch munch... it's so delicious! It's so crunching in my mouth!"

It's not a very clear impression, but there's no doubt that it's delicious.

I was a little curious about this girl who was digging into her food with single-minded concentration.　

"Hey, do you at least have a name?"　

"Munch munch... Mmm... My... Munch munch... Whose name? Munch mmmm..."　

I watch as the girl sits on the stone steps, munching on rice with great effort.

It looks just like a small animal storing food in its cheek pouches.　

"Who else is there besides you? Just calm down and eat."　

"Munch munch... ngh... gulp. Vanita! I'm Vanita!"　

"Huh... so why is Vanita begging in the royal capital?"　

"I don't know! When I just realize I was there!"　

"Huh? So what about your parents?"　

"I don't know! Maybe they are alive!"　

"Huh? You don't know if they died or not? Or maybe you are sold?"

"Yeah! I don't know!"　

Vanita turned to face me with an innocent smile on her face.

It was not the expression of a human being who was worried about what to eat that day.　

"You don't understand anything... hehe, you're so funny."　

"Such a fine outfit, Onii-san! Perhaps you are a prince?"　

"Oh, you noticed. That's right, I'm the first prince of this country, Todur-sama."

"Hehe... You're really bad at lying, Onii-san There's no way the prince would come to a place like this."

"That's not necessarily true."　

"That's right! I have a favor to ask of you, Onii-san."

"What? Money? I'll give it to you if you need it."　

"It's not about the money. It's about Onii-san. Etto~, can I call you Tu?"　

"Oh, is that so? Call me whatever you like."　

"Yes, yes! Hehe... Thank you, Tu-nii!"　

Vanita blushed in embarrassment, but thanked me with a smile.　

Suddenly, I felt like I had a younger sister.　

I also have blood-related younger siblings.

I used to play with him when I was little.

But now, each of the siblings has gone their own way.

As for Erina, she is said to be fighting for the people as a companion of the hero.

On the other hand, what about me?

I abandoned my government duties, went out playing around, while being called the prodigal son.

I felt a little depressed.

Well, I don't plan on giving up this easy life anytime soon.　

"Tu-nii, what's wrong? Are you thinking something difficult?"　

"No, nothing."　

After that, whenever I went to the same place, I was sure to meet Vanita.

Before I knew it, I had stopped hanging out with women in town.　

The casual small talk with this girl turned into a fun time for me.　

Then, after I'd forgotten how many times we'd met, I asked Vanita about her dreams for the future.　

"Hey, Vanita, what do you want to do when you grow up?"　

"I want to be a baker! I want to be a baker and eat my fill of delicious bread every day!"　

It was a food-related dream, typical of Vanita.　

"Well, why would you be a baker if you're going to eat it yourself."

"So, what do you want to do, Tu-nii?"　

"Me? Well... nothing in particular."　

I have no purpose, no goals.

It's fine if I can just spend my days in a somewhat self-indulgent manner for a while.　

"That's boring. You are rich so you can do anything you want!"　

"Just because I have money doesn't mean I can do anything."　

"Really?"　

"That's how it is."　

"Well, I'm stupid so I don't know."　

"Yeah, Vanita's is stupid."　

"Don't call me stupid! The person who called me stupid is the stupid one! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!"

Vanita tugs at the corners of her mouth with both hands.

I almost laughed a little at Vanita's funny face.　

"Ugh! Damn. I mean, you were the one who said it first."　

"Ah, that's right! Tu-nii, there is something ..."　

"What's with that suddenness?"　

Vanita suddenly took something out of her pocket.　

"I'll give you this!"　

The thing she gave me was an ornament woven from roadside flowers.

It was a poorly made item, probably made by a child's hands.

"I don't have anything... This is the only thing I can give to Tu-nii..."　

"Oh, yeah... I'll take it since it's here."　

"What?! You're going to get it?! Thank you! I love you, Tu-nii!"　

Vanita gave me a big smile.　

The next day, I decided to give the dirty Vanita a bath.

Naturally, a beggar girl cannot be allowed into the royal baths.　

However, there are baths in the royal capital too.

What's more, there is a bath that both men and women can use.　

Yes, a sauna.　

I grabbed Vanita's hand, even though she was reluctant, and pushed her into the sauna.　

"It's hot, Tu-nii, it's hot! I'm leaving now!"　

"It's okay, just be patient. If you do your best, I'll give you a reward."　

"Huh? Really?! Then I'll do my best!"　

Vanita washed away the sweat and dirt that had come out of the sauna with water.

I also lent her some soap and ordered her to wash her whole body from head to toe.

By the way, the washing areas are separate for men and women.

Vanita washed her whole body with soap and was now clean.

She has become so beautiful that it's unrecognizable.　

"Hey, let's go buy some clothes."　

"Huh? It's fine, I'm happy just to have a bath."　

"It's fine, let's go."

I took Vanita to Loyang Market and bought her some clothes.

What I bought was a simple dress for commoners.　

"Amazing! Proper clothes! Amazing! So amazing! Thank you, Tu-nii! Thank you so much!"　

"Has your vocabulary deteriorated?"　

Long, shining golden hair.

Well-proportioned appearance.

Glowing skin without a single blemish.

She looked like an aristocratic young lady who had gone out into the city incognito.

No one would suspect she was a beggar girl.　

Seeing Vanita happy, I couldn't help but smile as well.　

To be honest, I was planning to throw away the flower ornament that Vanita gave me the other day right away.　

It's just trash made from roadside flowers woven together.　

But I couldn't help but imagine her working hard to make a flower ornament.

In the end, I couldn't throw away the trash and brought it back to the palace.　

Miraculously, the flower decoration placed in my room never withered.