Vol1 [https://krita-artists.org/uploads/default/original/3X/7/a/7a1d11f401e6df8c6c74190e3fe66dc0531af325.jpeg]

1

"Agghhhh . . . . ."

"Very-very not princessy behavior"

"Who cares? There's no one here!"

"I'm here though..."

"Well, you are Haruki! So it doesn’t count!"

Right now, Amelie is lying on a grassy field. Not because she fell or enjoyed the warmth of the weather. Her earlier moan should have told anyone that she was exhausted. Very exhausted.

"Here."

Haruki tried to pass Amelie a water bottle. But apparently, she is so tired that getting up is already a struggle. This is not surprising considering that, to prepare for the graduation exam which is going to happen soon. The physical training she got today was tougher than usual.

Amelie is a student from the accelerated course, that’s why she is much younger than all her peers. Making all the curriculum she followed arguably too hard for a child her age. If Amelie had been the same age as her other classmates. She wouldn't have ended up in such a miserable state.

Written lessons are no problem for Amelie. In fact, her young age actually gives her some advantages. But faced with a physical exercise menu aimed at six or seventeen-year-olds. Her twelve-year-old body is simply overwhelmed, no matter how determined or motivated she is. It’s still too much for her.

"It's not too late to drop out of the graduation exam"

Amelie is a political hostage from Amteric. A great country that lost a war for control of the continent of the same name a few years ago. As collateral for the peace treaty, she and her siblings were sent to the countries involved in the conflict.

As the daughter of a concubine. Amelie originally thought that she would be sent to some minor nation. But unexpectedly. Yamato, one of the main pillars of the coalition forces against Amteric, specifically requested her presence.

Being a political hostage in an enemy country is no easy task. Especially when you decide to enter one of its schools. Almost everyone hates you, and when they don't. Most people will choose to avoid and keep their distance, making you end up friendless. On top of that, because she's a foreign princess. Her every move is also the subject of many people's scrutiny.

Things that will usually become material to sneer, insult, or pick on her behind her back.

But even with all that negativity. Amelie still carried out her duties. She literally couldn't refuse her father's orders. And most importantly….

"I'll take the exam normally! Then graduate normally!"

Haruki was here with her. And that is enough to give her the power to plow through all the bad stuff.

"You're really stubborn! Come on!"

Haruki helped Amelie to sit and then once again, held out his water bottle to the girl in front of him.

"Thank you."

Apart from the orders from the current Amteric king, Arthfael Irmhilde, aka her biological father. Amelie could survive in Yamato also because there was a young man named Haruki who was always there with her. In fact, the reason she entered the military school and wanted to graduate normally in the first place was also because of the said young men.

The two of them were what you could call childhood friends.

Six years ago, Haruki came to Amteric and became her teacher. The boy taught her everything she needed to know about the world. And for a reject like Amelie, he was a godsend.

Together with her other childhood friend, Erwin Frank. The three of them play, learn, and develop their poor little territory into a better place. But as the war approached. They eventually had to go their separate ways.

For Amelie, Haruki was a very important member of the family. The teacher she looked up to, and the friend she yearned for. All of these things made the girl immediately decide to enroll in military school so that she could once again be able to spend time with him freely.

It's just that after being accepted into military school. Amelie still has to deal with a lot of problems just to see him. Finally, the girl decides to join the accelerated course to graduate quickly and catch up with her childhood friend.

Unexpectedly, when she reached the advanced class. She instead met Haruki who not only still hadn't graduated, but had changed one hundred and eighty degrees from the boy in her memory.

Now Haruki is known as a troublemaker, idiot, and someone inept. Making Amelie who knows how great Haruki used to be can't stay silent. She changed her goal from graduating quickly and catching up with Haruki to showing how great her childhood friend is and graduating with him.

Taking the exam normally was her way to force the young man to also take the graduation exam seriously.

"Sigh. . . . I'm honestly surprised you've lasted this long."

"Ughh. . My grades are bad though."

There are some things in this world that you can't change no matter what. And one of those things is age.

Suppose you are a day younger than someone. Until the day you die, you will still be one day younger than that person. No matter how hard Amelie worked on her physique. She couldn't beat her classmates in terms of strength. They are, after all, at least four years older.

The only reason Amelie's physical grade is not dead last is because Haruki is always ready to take the spot. Not because he was the weakest. But because the young man had a hobby of skipping lessons making him eternally short on credits.

Like today, Haruki only showed up at the training ground after not spotting Amelie leaving the school at the usual time.

"You not getting expelled in the first year is already an achievement"

The standard of the military school in Yamato was very high. To enter you need to pass many difficult tests. And even if you manage to get in, you can't relax and feel safe. If you don't want to be expelled for a lack of credits. You can't follow the curriculum half-heartedly. If you're not physically and mentally strong, it's only a matter of time until you drop out on your own.

Twenty to thirty percent of new students usually only last until the second year. If you look at it. Compared to the regular students, Amelie who joined the accelerated course and survived until she was close to graduating was an outstanding person.

Her physical ability might be the poorest compared to her classmates. But given her age, it is understandable. Using the word "amazing" to describe that girl is such an understatement.

If she had gone through her education normally. It's guaranteed that she would have been the top student in her batch.

"I do feel I'm getting stronger though."

Smiling. Amelie rolled up her sleeves then flexed her arms and showed her muscles which did not look bulky at all.

"You are having a special power makes everything more complicated."

Haruki touched Amelie's bicep. And sure enough, what he found was not a solid limb but a soft girly arm. Which meant only one thing.

The strength Amelie possessed did not solely come from her physical training.

"If only I knew wha5 my special power is, I could be stronger tomorrow"

In this world, there is a phenomenon where a person is born with a special ability. Most people call it magic because no one knows how it works. But instead of magic, Amelie and Erwin, who have memories of another world, prefer to call the special power an esper ability.

To date, there has been no case where two people have the same special power. The way it works, when it awakens, and how it is used differ from one another. Making it hard to study the phenomenon.

Even so, there is one common trait that always appears in all people with special abilities. And that is their above-average physical strength. Even if your special power has nothing to do with bodily prowess. You'll still be stronger than ordinary people. And the harder you train your special power, the higher your physical ability bonus will be.

If Amelie can figure out her special power she will be able to train it. And if she can train it, it will automatically increase her physical abilities. This will allow her to compete with her classmates more easily despite her young age.

"Enough, you still remember that you are a princess, right? You don't even have to fight on the front lines"

"I don't want to be a liability!"

"Be a good princess and let the actual soldiers protect you"

"We should always have a plan B"

"I've brought your luggage back, let's go home!"

"Don't change the subject!"

". . . . "

Haruki did not say anything and just whistled while turning his gaze in another direction. The young man clearly didn't want to continue their conversation.

"Sighh. . . "

Amelie gave up and decided to stand up. But. . .

"Ah. . . . "

She collapsed back onto the ground. It seemed like some water and a little rest is not sufficient to bring back her stamina. When she tried to stand up, her legs felt like jelly and refused to support her weight.

"Are you all right?"

Haruki, who was already gearing up to go, walked straight back to the girl and tried to help her up. But even with his help, Amelie still stood up like a fawn. She was still not strong enough to walk on her own.

"Front or the back?"

Haruki stood on his knees.

"I'm sorry! The back"

And Amelie hopped into the you man’s back.

Today was not the first time Amelie needed help getting home after hard physical training. Before she entered the advanced class, it was his father's duty to pick her up when she was literally down. But now that his father is gone, the duty has passed to him. Carrying Amelie home had become a routine of his.

Of course, Haruki felt awkward, even to this day.

But since he had no other choice and Amelie herself didn't mind, it didn't take long until seeing Haruki carrying Amelie became a normal sight.

Honestly, whenever Haruki held Amelie in his arms, he had a hard time not thinking about many kinds of things. Amelia was already cute as a little child, but at that time Amelie looked more like a kitten that made you want to stroke her head instead of the opposite sex.

But she is no longer a seven-year-old child. She is a girl who has already started to grow into a woman. If it wasn't for his skill to conceal emotions. He would never be able to put on a calm face in front of his childhood friend.

Though it seems only he feels the distress. Unlike Haruki, Amelie truly didn't seem to think there was anything strange about their closeness. She has been always slow on the uptake on that kind of thing, and time hasn’t changed that even a bit.

It seemed like Amelie still thought that there was nothing different about their relationship from the one they had years ago when they were kids. It made Haruki happy but also disappointed at the same time.

Happy because he could focus on covering up his awkward feelings, and disappointed because it showed that Amelie still thought of him as the same young boy six years ago.

"Don’t be sorry! Be thankful"

". . . Thank you."

Amelie smiled. Haruki can't see but he is sure the girl is smiling at him.

". . . . . . "

While trying to ignore the soft sensation of Amelie's budding breasts pressing against his back as well as the girl's soft thighs that he was holding. They began to move.

"By the way, Haruki!

Do you have enough credit?"

"Ahahahaha. . . "

"Don't laugh!"

Haruki stopped laughing. But he didn't say anything either. Which once again was a sign that the young man did not want to discuss this topic any further. Except, this time Amelie refused to remain silent.

"There's a makeup exam on Monday! You'll take it and get good grades!

"I can’t promise anything"

"Don't worry young man, I'll teach you all the topics"

"You don't have to trouble yourself, princess, I can study by myself... "

"I'll be at your place tomorrow at one o'clock! Don't go anywhere!"

"Sighhh. . . "

"Don't sigh!"

2

History does not exist just for you to remember its dates or memorize its name. If the purpose of writing a history book is only to cram such information into someone's head, the format of a history book should only be a list of dates, names, and events.

But history books are not like that. They are written like a story.

"I know! I know what you're trying to say, you want to give a speech about ideological answers like learning from the mistakes of previous generations, emulating this and that, respecting this and that, and so on"

"You don't understand at all!"

Inside a small, stuffy, dark room, with rotting wooden walls. A little girl was facing off against a young man whose teen years were almost over. Separating the two of them was a small table full of papers and books.

"Don't be so angry. . . you'll get old quickly"

"I'm not angry! I'm disappointed!"

Being scolded by that little girl was common, that's why. The anger directed at him already felt like a breeze. The fact that the girl was angry because she cared about him also contributed to making Haruki not feel too bad. It's like your mum telling you to take a bath.

"After all, I really only need to remember names and dates, right? Just look at these questions, Amelie!"

"I'll admit that these questions really only need memorization"

There's long-term memory and there's short-term memory, and for people with learning difficulties. Memorizing answers based on anticipated problems is the easiest way to get decent grades.

But there are always exceptions.

"You can only say that when your answer is correct, Haruki!"

The little girl took the paper in front of her and stuck it to the face of the young man in front of her. There was a big zero written on the paper

"That. . sometimes you just forget things"

"Forgetting things is normal, I understand! But unfortunately, you are forgetting things that are not normal"

On the paper, there is a very very easy question that anyone can answer without even recalling some text in a book. But even so, he answered it incorrectly.

"What year did the Amteric forces retreat after losing to the Yamato and Albion coalition forces on the coastline? Didn't that incident just take place four years ago?"

Four years is not that long ago.

"Geh. "

"Come on! come up with a better excuse!"

"Sorry. . "

Even though the person Haruki is dealing with is merely a twelve-year-old girl. But Amelie was not someone he could face with half-assed arguments.

"Besides, can't you remember it just by looking at me? If it wasn't for that incident I wouldn't be here"

"Sorry. "

He could only apologize.

"You don't have to apologize for that one, everything is my grandfather's fault."

"You mean the previous king"

Ten years ago, Amelie's home country declared war on its surrounding nations to solve its domestic problems.

In this hemisphere, there is a large country called Amteric. Which is located on a continent with the same name. This country has the largest population with the biggest area among the surrounding nations.

In addition to having a very large population, the country also has a very large mining industry. By utilizing these resources. The living conditions of its people are arguably more prosperous than those of the surrounding areas.

Making the people of Amteric financially richer. However, they couldn't stop relying on other countries to provide for themselves.

They don't have enough food to feed their countrymen because their people are more focused on working in sectors that directly generate cash such as mining, processing, and the production of industrial equipment.

In addition, In Amteric, farming is also considered a lowly occupation. This in turn makes powerful people who own vast amounts of land unwilling to use it for agriculture as they don't want to be sneered at by their peers.

In that country, there is only one province that specializes in agriculture. But because of its remote location, even if they could produce enough foodstuffs to feed a whole country. They would not be able to do so. The distribution problem will always be a bottleneck.

Whether you want it or not, Amteric needs to rely on its neighbor. Which in turn. Giving others the power to negotiate with them. And unfortunately. Amteric officials are notorious for their arrogance. They think that they are special and others are inferior.

It only takes one tiny spark to blow up their massive egos and push everyone to the edge.

And that spark came in the form of Amelie's grandfather's ambition to conquer his neighbors and rule the continent.

With a huge army, extensive weaponry, and aided by the powerful doctrines of 'we are the chosen people and you are just insects', 'we are the greatest so you must obey', and 'we are the rulers and you are peons', one by one the surrounding countries began to fall and their territories began to be absorbed by Amteric.

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Everything went smoothly and their territory expanded, and as their territory expanded, their already rich nobles became even richer. And as the law of the world said, rich people will always want to get even richer. The whole thing went on and on in a vicious cycle.

After controlling almost the entire continent, they began to launch their invasion into the surrounding archipelago. But this time their efforts did not go well.

Perhaps because their soldiers didn't have much combat experience on the water since they are a landlocked country. Their first foray across the ocean ended in a disastrous failure.

Albion, Hispain, and Yamato managed to destroy their newly formed Amteric navy.

In the south they were stopped by the kingdom Yamato, in the west they were stopped by Albinon, and in the south, they were stopped by Hispain.

The remaining unconquered nations in the continent attacked to prevent their territories from being invaded, the inhabitants of the conquered nations started rebellions, and then their coastline got bombarded for days without end until Amteric decide to retreat. They got pushed back even more when a coalition between them finally got formed.

As a consequence of all these uprisings, compulsory military service was imposed. Most of the workforce was conscripted into the war. Which in turn left the mines and smithy with a shortage of people and that affected the production of their weapons and equipment. The chaos also caused the country's financial stability to decline, resulting in a decrease in the war budget.

The nobles also made the internal situation even more chaotic by refusing orders from the capital.

Seeing that his kingdom is sinking. Amelie's father Arthfael Irmhilde launched a coup and overthrew his father before declaring Amteric's defeat.

With that, the war ended. And a non-aggression treaty was made. Then Amelia came to Yamato.

"Please forgive me! I really didn't mean to forget you! so please stop cramming that useless information!"

The information Amelie had just given was indeed completely useless to Haruki. For he already knew it. To Haruki, what Amelie did was the same as telling him that the sea was full of water or the sky was vast.

"Haruki, now listen to me carefully and be serious!"

"Yes, yes, yes"

"Just one yes!"

"Yes!"

Feeling that the lesson's original topic wasn't progressing at all. Amelie decided to change the subject to break the ice. In addition, in order not to become even more frustrated, Amelie also lowered the level of the lesson she gave to Haruki.

"All right then. Now try to name some of the most important types of nutrients that living beings need to survive! even if you manage to remember only one I will still consider your answer to be correct"

"Hey Amelie, why are you asking such a basic question?"

"Who said you could talk back? Just answer my question"

"Sighh. . . "

"Just answer it quickly!"

"Fresh water, sugar water, salt water, river water, and rainwater"

"I seriously wonder how you can still live with that kind of nutrition"

If his answer earlier is really serious, she feels that the life of the young man in front of her is already not that long anymore.

"Please work with me and be serious Haruki, you're making my hair fall"

There is no way Haruki doesn't know such basic things. Fats, carbohydrates, minerals, proteins, and vitamins. Even small children knew. Amelie hoped Haruki would just stop playing around and take her question seriously which had been deliberately chosen to be easy.

"But I'm already serious"

"Your confession makes me feel even worse"

Unlike Amelie and other students who lived in guest houses and dormitories. Haruki lived in a small hut on the school grounds for some reason. And that place did not have a good atmosphere. The thing that made Amelie's mood drop even further.

"Don't you have any shame Haruki?"

Such a question was certainly not in the textbook.

"What kind of question is that? What do you think I am?"

In this day and age, it's easy to find children who won't speak politely to their elders. And finding a kid who has no manners is even easier. Then finding a kid who can insult his former seniors with a straight face is as easy as finding a straw in a haystack.

No effort at all.

"I mean, you're six and a half years older than me but we're still in the same class, don't you have any shame?"

Although there were a lot of children who tended to disrespect others and Amelie did just insult someone. But, the little girl is an expert in holding back. Making her mad is quite an achievement in itself.

"Why would I be ashamed?"

"That's it! That is exactly why I question your sense of shame!"

"Let me correct you! You're six years younger than me! You're too smart"

"Let me get this straight! You haven't graduated in years, you fool!"

Since the military school's number of students was very large and those who entered there also come from many backgrounds, becoming famous in this school took a lot of effort. However, in this school, some people were so famous that even people outside the school would know their names.

First, Haruki. The prodigy who always had the highest evaluation score in four consecutive years is now known as the father of all students because of how old he is.

Second, Amelie. The girl who was always busy studying and able to get into the advanced class within three years when she was only twelve years old. If all went well, she would be the youngest graduate of the military school in Yamato. Except she's better known as an outcast princess because she's the seventh daughter of the king of the most hated country in the world.

Because the war had only ended three years ago, the wounds left in the families of those who had been sacrificed were still fresh. Even though she didn't do anything, she still got her share of dislikes from many people.

Among those many people, only Haruki treated her normally, and she was grateful for that. But Amelie still had problems with the person in front of her.

"I'm really curious how you ended up like this"

"What do you mean?"

Amelie did not answer. She remained silent and reminisced about the Haruki she knew back then.

When Amelie was five years old her mother sent her to study in the Capital at a school for nobles. But Amelie was unable to adapt and was subtly expelled after having a conflict with a nobleman.

A conflict that forced her to return home with a group of slaves.

While she is physically fine, she is dying financially because of her actions.

With no other choice, Amelie brought them all back to her territory. Making her mother's job to manage her territory increased and eventually fell ill.

At that time Amelie took over the administrative duties and the results were much better than her mother's. It was then that her mother realized that although Amelie had problems with lessons for the nobles, she had talents that were far more useful.

In order for her daughter's talents to be nurtured her mother invited a tutor to educate Amelie. As there was no school other than in the capital. The tutor ended up not being able to come, but he sent his son.

That is Haruki.

In about a year and a half. Haruki, who was only twelve years old at the time, gave Amelie her education. But even though the one being taught was a six-year-old and the one teaching was a twelve-year-old, what the two learned was not just the basics.

As explained earlier, Haruki was a child prodigy who could be considered a genius in every field. His knowledge was vast, his way of thinking was out of the box, and most importantly his explanations were very easy to understand. That's why even though Amelie had to learn new or difficult concepts that she had never encountered before, she could still understand easily.

The old Haruki was like a wise man trapped in a child's body. If he had an uncle who was an ex-policeman turned private detective, he would have been the leader of a gang of kids who wanted to solve a murder case.

Besides, Haruki was also the only person who could understand how Amelie's brain worked and didn't end up looking at her like she was a freak.

As soon as Amelie heard the news that she would be a political hostage in the country where Haruki lived. She felt happy. Because at least, in the midst of strangers who didn't like her, she still had allies.

Furthermore, although she didn't mean to be patronizing, Amelie felt that most kids her age were stupid. And because their way of thinking was so far apart from each other, even talking to them became tiresome.

That's why when she was admitted to the military school, Amelie immediately studied harder so that she could get a high evaluation and be given the right to move up despite her age. She wanted to graduate soon and get out of school to meet Haruki.

Within three years of her ninth birthday. Amelie was eventually able to skip a lot of classes and arrived at the advanced class. Her struggle to get out was almost over and she could finally meet Haruki who had already graduated.

But as soon as she went up to the advanced class, she was shocked by the fact.

Haruki was still there, he hadn't graduated for three consecutive years, then the last one.

"Why have you become such a useless person ?"

Amelie was too focused on studying and Haruki rarely showed his face in public because of his special education. That's why for three years the little girl knew nothing about Haruki's situation. The young man she wanted to pursue so badly.

Haruki is no longer what he once was, the vestiges of his former greatness are gone. And now he was nothing but a nobody. That was the most shocking thing for Amelie. You could say that he had become someone else. In other words, the Haruki now and the Haruki Amelie knew back then were two different people.

"There are many geniuses who grew up to be mediocre people"

Amelie clenched her right fist but she still refrained from launching it.

"You . . . really"

She is disappointed that Haruki became like this. But It was the fact that he isn't mad at her insult that made Amelie even more disappointed.

"Enough!, somehow I feel very tired"

"Then rest, I'll take care of everything"

"Just sort yours, I'll clean up my stuff"

All Haruki needed to clean up was the stationery and his trial papers, so it didn't take him long to finish. But not for Amelie, because she brought some wide, thick, and heavy reference books. She still had a hard time organizing them. Or rather, having trouble lifting and arranging them.

"Why don't you leave them here, you're coming back later anyway"

Amelie was not weak, But she is. . . . quite short.

Her appearance is also not helping. Other than her body being smaller even for a girl her age, she also gave the impression that if you hugged her too tightly then her body would break.

Making anyone who saw her just want to protect her. Haruki is no different.

"Ummmm. . . I guess you have a point . . I'll leave my books here"

Amelie teach [https://krita-artists.org/uploads/default/original/3X/6/6/66d315aeba54a02a4d936dbbe7e32c6b791fd613.jpeg]

Haruki took Amelie's references and put them in the same place as his own papers.

Amelie got angry a lot at Haruki, often insulted him, and never stopped bringing up his mistakes. But that didn't mean she was unreasonable. When she was told something, she would listen even if it was coming from someone she disliked.

This is what sets her apart from other kids her age who are in the rebellious phase. She doesn't argue for the sake of it.

"Then, I'm going home"

"Yes, be careful"

"What be careful? You're coming too!"

"Heh, why? I can't boast about it but you should already know that I'm a man who doesn't like to follow troublesome culture"

"Um. . it is really nothing to be proud of"

Escorting a woman who has helped him back to her home because it's late is a man's honor. Then as an adult, keeping a child from running into danger is his duty. But for Haruki, those two norms were not important.

Amelie’s guest house is still inside the school complex. And the complex is very safe with many guards patrolling the perimeter. So long you are not out of the gate, your safety is pretty much guaranteed.

"I don't need that kind of extra consideration either! It's just that it's getting dark and we haven't had dinner yet, so I wanted to bring you along"

"I will get dinner after you go home"

"What are young going to eat? Water from the river? That is drinking! not eating"

"I'm sorry but no matter how poor I am, I won't just drink water from the river"

"What are you eating then?"

"Today I'm I'm going to drink sugar water"

"Ok! We are done talking! you come with me!!"

Feeling that any further conversation would be a waste of time. Amelie tightly grabbed Haruki's hand and then forcefully pulled the young man towards the exit.

"Let me ask something first, where are you planning to take me? roadside? It's the roadside right?"

"I don't know if you like street food that much? Well, I don't mind if it's not for dinner! But a proper

a meal is a must!"

The school complex is run by its employees and their family. So most snack vendors are just people doing a side job. Their options are limited to easy to prepare food. Hardly any of them sell a proper meal.

Unlike public schools, the military school they attended was located quite far from a population center. In that place, hearing the sound of explosions as an alarm in the morning was not unusual at all. Their activities are a nuisance to the general public.

"So?"

"Cooking by myself takes a long time so I can't invite you to my place"

"Um, I won't come even if you invited me"

"Do you have a problem with my cooking!!?"

Amelie's cooking skills are not as great as her other childhood friend, Eric. But her cooking skills are not as bad as her mother's to the point where you need to avoid the food she makes.

"Never mind! There's a cafe at the north gate that’s open until midnight! Why don't we eat there?"

The café Amelie was referring to was an eatery commonly used by people of higher rank for some leisure conversation with their peers or some children of nobility looking for a better meal while socializing. It was the only serious restaurant in the complex.

"That place full of people? Thank you very much! But no!"

"If you don't like crowds we can find a seat that's a bit quieter"

The place itself is big and it is separated into three distinct areas. Private rooms, general indoor dining, and a common outdoor area. They can rent a private room and eat in peace without being disturbed by anyone.

Renting a private room just to eat dinner sounds excessive. But money is not a problem for Amelie. She got an allowance from both her father and Yamato. She has so much money she doesn’t know what to spend it on.

"That's even worse!"

"Ha? So what do you want?"

Haruki slapped his cheek and then patted the shoulder of the girl in front of him. Meanwhile, Amelie made a confused and annoyed face because it made her feel stupid.

"Maybe you don't know Amelie, but the men here have a very wide strike zone!"

Marriage under the age of eighteen was a prevalent thing. It was not uncommon for teenagers as young as four or fifteen to already be married. This applied to girls as well as boys, even one of Haruki's male friends had gotten married when he was only fifteen years old.

However, the ones usually who marry at a very young age are girls. Unlike boys who have to work until they die to support their families, women do not have to face such demands and are more expected to take care of the house and family. That's why there are rarely any men who get married when they are still under the age of eighteen.

Currently, there is still no law that regulates the minimum age for someone to get married. That’s why, essentially everyone can get married when they want to get married, are capable of getting married, have a partner to marry, and are allowed by their respective parents.

"Wait? P . . . Please don't tell me you are secretly already engaged! Or even already married?"

Amelie recalled that some of her classmates at the noble school were already engaged to someone from a young age. For nobility. Children are assets, more so when you are a girl. So being betrothed from a young age for political interests is very common practice.

"Not that you dumbo! ... You're smart! Why don't you understand things like this? In our society, even kids like you are already seen as women”

"I'm not a kid!!"

"Yes! Yes! yes! You're just a small girl."

"You don't need to emphasize the 'small' part!!"

Haruki paid no heed to her protests.

"Anyway, in this place you can even already accept someone's proposal"

". . . . "

There are many reasons why a young girl can be a target of affection or a target for a man.

First, prospects and investment. Many people still think of women as trophies or ornaments that they can show off to the world. It's hard to find a beautiful adult woman who is still single. Rich Marchant and powerful nobles love to just snatch any beautiful girl they can find and make them their second, third, or fourth wife or mistress, or lover.

That’s why some shifted their attention to prospective younger girls who seem to have a lot of investment value. Who are easier to get and usually overlooked by most men.

Secondly, economic troubles. No one wants to call it human trafficking, but the practice of poor families giving their young daughters to rich men for monetary compensation still exists. Some of those girls would meet misfortune, but normally many would just end up as servants or mistresses of the said rich men.

If the girl they got turned into a fine woman, they can consider it their luck.

Third, politics. To maintain relations between powerful families, the simplest way is via marriage. In this case, it was normal to engage their child and then just marry them as quickly as possible. Even the prince of a certain allied country just married his thirteen-year-old childhood friend.

Fourth. Well, taste. Believe it or not, there are a lot of men who just simply like young girls. There are many types of likes, such as liking their cuteness, liking their cheerfulness, or liking them . . . well in some other way. Anyway, the number of people who like young girls is not small.

"All your long-winded explanations explain nothing! Why is eating out not good? It has nothing to do with our dinner pla. . . "

Amelie was finally able to grasp what Haruki was trying to say, but her conclusion was too embarrassing she had to work hard to summon the courage to voice it.

"Or are you . . . "

The last reason there can be a relationship between a man and a young girl is well. There’s simply a love between them. A man falling for how cute a girl that he has taken care of for a long time or the opposite. A young girl admiring and finally falling in love with a reliable older man is honestly a pretty common tale. This is why there are many stories about a boy who ended up marrying their friend’s little sister, or a knight and his young lady having a relationship.

Just like their situation.

"Don't talk nonsense!"

Haruki used his index finger to push Amelie's forehead, forcing the girl to look up. And what she found is the sight of Haruking looking at her like she is the stupidest person in the world.

"I like girls who have more curves, and volume and are not small like y. . . "

Because of her stature, Amelie is often underestimated and has her abilities doubted by many people. Hence, the topic of her body size was quite sensitive for the girl.

“You are done!”

Amelie tried to hit the center of Haruki's abdomen around the navel to give him a warning. But her punch was missed. And instead, she hit the young man an inch above the navel just below the chest. Causing Haruki to immediately drop to the floor. In pain.

"I. . ...I'm sorry"

Although the girl's punch was indeed painful. But as someone who has special abilities and is stronger than ordinary people, that attack should not be a big deal. After about ten minutes, the pain should disappear.

"Aagh. . . . . If you want to eat! just go there yourself, I need to rest"

But of course, Haruki did not want to tell Amelie that fact. He just got a way out. With exaggerated painful moans, movements that he made to look sluggish, and walks that he made to look unstable. He wanted to show that he can longer accept the girl's kindness. Haruki gently refuses Amelie’s invitation to dinner.

"I'm. . I'm sorry. . I didn't mea... "

While she did not hit him at a bad place on purpose, she did want to hit him. That's why she stopped herself from saying that she didn't mean to hurt him. It was her fault Haruki is in pain.

"Never mind! I will be fine tomorrow! Just go home"

"Um. . "

Amelie nodded and walked towards the exit. Once she was outside she looked back at Haruki, gazing at the young man with a face full of guilt. But he pretended to not notice it and immediately turned his sight away. Quickly closing the door behind him.

Amelie wanted to go back in and accompany him, but she knew that Haruki didn't want to and preferred her to leave. Hence, she started to walk away from Haruki's small hut.

Meanwhile, inside.

"Sigh. . . .she finally leave"

Haruki let out a long sigh and sat on his bed. His solar plexus was still a little sore, but the pain is fading away.

And sure enough. After about ten minutes, the pain was completely gone and he was able to move around as usual.

"That girl! how could she be so stupid?"

What Haruki meant by stupid was neither about her academic sense nor how easily she believed in Haruki's bad acting. But her naivety for not being able to realize her own position.

Although Amelie is only the seventh daughter of the king in her country and normally has no chance to ascend the throne, she is still a princess with great political value. She may not wish for it, but she carried the name of her father and her country on her small shoulders.

It was strange and in Haruki's opinion, it was not normal either. But a girl as young as Amelie was already considered an adult by the majority of people in this era. So his interaction with the girl is considered romantic in nature by the wider world.

In the public's eyes, what Haruki and Amelie are doing is an interaction between the opposite sex. A relationship between a man and a woman, not child, and adult, not brother and sister, not a kid and her guardian. That's why Amelie's plan to take him out to eat and even in a private room became a problem.

Her classmates already knew that Amelie was an outcast and didn't have any friends. They also knew that is an old student Haruki with an annoying mouth and no one wanted to get close to. So seeing the two loners being friends wasn't unusual at all.

The workers here, teachers and staff also knew that Amelie had mentored Haruki in academic matters so seeing the two of them alone was nothing new.

The two of them eating together while arguing, the two of them walking together while insulting each other, or the two of them laughing and shouting inside Haruki's hut were not strange to any of them.

But when outside it was different.

What would ordinary people think when they see a woman and a man coming out of the same place at night? What would others think when they see a woman and a man having dinner together in public where they display their intimacy? Then what would they think when the two chose a quiet place and disappeared?

They've just done something, they're lovers, they want to hide their relationship.

Although not everyone would think like that, some would, and when they realized that Amelie is an important person, they would think that talking about her is an interesting topic. Then when they think something is interesting, they will talk about it to people they are close to.

It will keep on repeating and repeating. Then when the information has been spread around, it will eventually become a rumor. And once a piece of information turns into a rumor, the reality would be distorted. Everyone adds their own imagination while exaggerating what they hear. Making a new version of the tale. The tale that will spread again.

At that point, even if someone knows the truth It doesn't matter. Neither honesty nor truth is worth telling. Because what everyone was looking for was entertainment.

And if the rumor that Amelie, a princess of a country, had a relationship with a person of unknown origin spread she would be in trouble. People might start talking about her behind her back since she was already disliked from the start, and people might start interrogating her when she didn't know anything.

If it becomes too much. There’s a chance she will be called back, replaced with someone else, and then just thrown into some political marriage. A result that no one wanted.

If that girl were to leave the task given to him was tantamount to failure. Once again. Not only Haruki but also the officials of this country. No one wanted the girl to leave.

"Ah. . . what should I eat now?"

When imagining what kind of rumor would surround that small girl, Haruki's stomach turned sour.

Risking bad rumors is dumb, but straight-up avoiding her would definitely make her sad. And he doesn’t want to see her sad face. Although it was only about a year and a half, they have grown together. Letting her suffer could give him nightmares. Hence, even he should just distance himself from her to avoid making a bad rumor. He can’t. After all, she literally joined the accelerated course to look for him.

Haruki went to the kitchen and looked for sugar, but all he found was an empty container and bread crumbs. In this nation, even the poorest family wouldn’t have such an empty kitchen.

"Geh. . . it looks like I need to go to the river"

Of course, he didn't want to fetch water and then boil it for dinner. If he is lucky maybe he could catch some fish, and even if he is unlucky he still could get a few wild blueberries. Though if he is really-really unlucky, he just has to suck it up and sleep early.

He could go out and buy snacks from a street vendor. But he didn't want to risk running into Amelie out there.

As soon as he opened the door, he saw Amelie walking towards his house.

"Eh? Are you going out?"

"Why did you come back? Did you forget something?"

Haruki tried to shift the conversation in a direction where he didn't have to be questioned about the state of his body. But his tactic was of no use, and with a puzzled look on her face Amelie reversed the direction of their conversation.

"How are you doing?"

"Not. . not bad?"

Amelie carefully examined Haruki, and she found nothing wrong with him. Then, sensing that his lie had been exposed, Haruki was ready to give a lot of excuses that obviously wouldn't work on her. So you could say he was already mentally prepared for another scolding.

"Thank goodness"

"Eh? You-you're not angry?"

"Why should I be angry? It's my fault, I should be the one apologizing! Have you already eaten?"

As soon as Haruki saw the girl's guilty face, instantly he felt like his chest had just been pierced by something. Normally being given attention by someone is a pleasant thing. Unfortunately, the attention Haruki received only hurt him and made him feel guilty.

His lies were rewarded with worry. His laziness was rewarded with concern. And his unwillingness was rewarded with care. Putting aside her hobby of scolding the young man, it could be said that no one cared about him more than Amelie.

"Amelie. . . not eating once or twice won't kill me, I'm used to it anyway! Don't worry!"

Amelie came over with something in her hand.

"Don't keep up that kind of bad habit! Ulcer is dangerous you know"

Seeing the girl's innocent gaze was painful, seeing her worried face made Haruki ashamed of himself, and seeing the girl's slightly labored breathing made him feel like a villain.

Although at times Amelie was indeed annoying as hell, she was basically just a good little girl who was kinda too fussy. Every nagging she gave was for Haruki's good. Once again. The fact that Amelie could get angry at Haruki for her own mistakes was proof that the girl really cared for the young man.

Just like a mother. Honestly, her fussiness is already on par with his mother at home. If the girl was ten years older, Haruki would believe that Amelie was a mother with many children. Although she was still small for some reason, Haruki could feel Amelie's motherly aura.

"If you just don't want to eat out I just need to bring it for you, and since I haven't eaten either I could borrow your table! I guess... it's not a bad idea?"

Amelie glanced at Haruki with a hesitant look.

"Sigh. . . "

If you can still refuse after being shown that kind of begging face you can't be human anymore.

"Come in then, I'll help"

"Of course, you are going to help!!!"

Haruki took the basket containing the food from Amelie's hand, after which the two of them went in and prepared their dinner. And once the two sat face to face, Haruki said.

"I owe you!"

"Don't think about it! you owe me too much already"

"Geh. . . "

"But if you want to repay your debt, you can just work hard tomorrow"

Amelie smiled.

After hearing those encouraging words, Haruki almost reflexively promised to try harder for her sake. But he managed to restrain himself at the last moment and stop himself from saying yes to Amelie.

"Sorry, but I'm not interested in good grades!"

“Well, I know as much! That’s why I will sleep over and tutor you until we overslept on the table"

Hearing that offer. Haruki immediately imagined Amelie with a defenseless face sleeping on his bed from exhaustion

"I'll make it tomorrow! Good grades right! Just leave it to me!"

He didn't have the confidence to hold back if given such a delicious opportunity. He may no longer be a growing boy with too much curiosity, but he is still a boy nonetheless.

"Good boy!"

"Sighh . . .!"

The two started their dinner, and after that Amelie went straight back to her own place without being escorted.