“Once upon a time….”
therefore.
"Before the Lord was born, there lived a beautiful woman in the empire."
A heart-pounding story began to quietly unfold, accompanied by a soft voice. It wasn't a grand story, nor was it a story with a grand narrative.
"A woman's occupation is a princess."
"..."
"I was a princess who was unemployed and had nothing to do.
It was a little story that I remembered in my head.
The moment the softly ringing narrative of the story reached the young lady, she wiggled her eyebrows, smiled faintly, and nodded her head.
"me : yes."
He said that anyone who looked at the story would see that he was the main character.
"it's me."
"...her?"
"You said you were a princess who didn't do anything."
"yes."
"I said it was really pretty."
"Yes."
"Then I will."
The girl's nostrils flared as she spoke so casually that she would be hit. I gently pushed the hammock she was lying on, making her shut her mouth.
"Ewwww!!!!!!"
"..."
"The world is turning... turning!!!"
Because the hard-working butler's heart ached.
anyway.
"The princess who lived in the palace had a slightly eccentric personality."
"oh..."
"Like a young lady."
"Huh?"
"If you're bored, cut your servants."
"I guess he cut it because it was worth cutting."
The young lady nodded as if she deeply sympathized with the princess's feelings.
"I guess you want to go around again."
"Why!!! I didn't cut it because it was worth cutting!!"
“Who would cut off a servant when they were bored…?”
"here...!"
"...under?"
"I did."
I really wanted to hit the smiling girl on the forehead with a hammer, but I decided to hold back because I thought that if I did, not only would it not appease her, but it would also make it impossible to talk to her for a week.
of course.
-Bing-bing-bing!!
"Eeeeek!!!"
The bed was turned though.
I cleared my throat again, leaving the girl's dazzling eyes behind me, and continued. I hadn't even begun, and the girl was nitpicking, so I couldn't even begin.
"anyway."
"yes."
"The princess's father was extremely worried. He needed to find a good man to marry his ill-tempered daughter…."
"Why are you looking at me?"
"Because I thought there wouldn't be a man who could withstand the princess's personality."
"Eeeeek... Why are you looking at me!!!"
"As we talked, it really seemed like we looked alike."
The girl, who was pondering whether it was a compliment or an insult, gave up thinking and focused on the story.
"I'll pass because it's pretty."
"She is definitely beautiful."
"that's right."
I continued the story, feeling envious of the young lady's clear mind.
"Then one day."
"yes."
"The princess came out to the terrace to relieve her frustration."
"At first glance, it looks like they had a fight."
"Why do you sympathize with that?"
"I also go out for some fresh air after a fight."
"..."
As the young lady's dark smile turned toward me, recalling the days when she used her fists to maintain discipline in high society, I had the illusion that the story I was telling was not a fairy tale that instilled dreams and hope in children, but a story about a wicked woman.
“I think it would be nice to make a terrace.”
I don't know if it's because there's a villainess in front of me who isn't interested in the keyword 'love'.
"Anyway, the princess who came out onto the terrace screamed loudly not long after."
"Eeeeek!!!"
"Why are you screaming, young lady? And what princess in the world screams like that?"
"I scream like this."
"..."
"If a cockroach comes out, scream louder."
"oh..."
The young lady's kind explanation, telling me a story I didn't want to know, made me give up on the idea that even a princess could scream like that.
"Hehe..."
If a girl prettier than a princess says so, then so be it.
"Anyway! Anyway!! What appeared and made you scream?"
"Phuhat..."
"Hurry up...! Hurry up...! Tell me, I'm curious."
I opened my lips and couldn't help but smile at the excited expression on the girl's face as she clasped her hands and stared at me.
"It's a frog."
"...profit?"
"What was the title of this story?"
"Handsome princess?"
"..."
"no?"
It hasn't even been 5 minutes since I said the title, so it's clear that it's a partial one.
"Hehehe..."
I wanted to grab the girl's venomous cheek, pretending not to notice as if she was enjoying my reaction, but I held back because she was cute, and nodded with a smile again.
"This is the Frog Prince."
"So the frog that appeared in front of the princess is the prince?"
"What if I tell you that?"
"Ricardo said it all in the title."
"..."
I wasn't this smart when I was young...
"But you still have to pretend not to know."
"...It's not fun."
"..."
"Still, I want to listen."
The girl, whose mood was fluctuating, had her eyes shining again.
"But, I don't like princes."
"...Is that so?"
"yes."
"Why do you dislike a prince who comes from a good family, has a lot of money, and is very powerful? He's even handsome."
The girl frowned and denied it.
"I don't like princes."
"..."
"I like handsome people."
“The prince in the story was incredibly handsome. He had a halo all over his face….”
"It's a frog."
"You are very picky."
The girl nodded and rubbed her chin.
"And here the prince is strange."
"Certainly... that's true."
"I don't know what's on my mind."
"..."
"It looks like a horse, but it just keeps talking."
"uh..."
"Every time I get a chance, Father~ I hate it when you do that. I hate the prince."
I looked around with an awkward smile at the story that would make Tae-oh fall over and grab the back of his neck if he heard it.
“What are you going to do if someone hears…?”
"Listen! He's not the crown prince anyway."
"That's right."
She was a girl who only said the right things.
"Then what else would you say besides the prince of the neighboring country?"
"Ughhhh..."
"If we do it with a princess, the genre will seem strange, so I think we should do it with a man..."
"Hoooo...!"
"butler?"
"Heek?!"
"I'm hurt."
"The butler is here. Please do something else."
"Well then... um... what about commoners?"
"Commoners are too plain."
"Well... what about the Prince of the Isolated Island?"
"It's the same thing."
"I'm setting him up as smart and strong. As long as he's not the prince of the Leogard Empire."
"good."
I nodded, thinking, as I instantly revised the fairy tale's setting, along with the girl's dazzling smile. "I wondered if this was right."
"Anyway... the prince of an island far from the Leogard Empire loved the world."
"yes."
"He loved the outside world more than anyone else, and he was a man who tried to be a king for the people, even though he was not worthy of his status as a prince."
"...Hooooh. I hate it more and more."
The girl, who had her chin resting on her hand and tilting her head, nodded and added that she was reminded of someone, but since I didn't think the conversation would continue if I continued to disagree, I was careful to eliminate any potential misunderstandings.
"I am not the crown prince."
"yes..."
The girl nodded vigorously, shifted comfortably in the hammock, rested her head on her elbows, and pricked up her ears.
"so?"
"That's why."
My story continued with a faint smile.
A story that would be heartbreaking to hear. A story that would make one hate the princess a little if heard from the witch's perspective.
"The meeting between the princess and the prince was the worst."
"..."
"The prince who was enchanted to turn into a frog fell in love with the princess at first sight, but he had no way to show her his true form."
"..."
"Even the princess didn't have the kind of sexual desire that would make her feel love for a frog."
"..."
"The love between the two was a relationship that could not continue no matter how hard they tried, so perhaps the witch's curse was the worst torture for the prince."
"..."
Perhaps, the prince's heart is broken.
The princess must have been so annoyed by the frog that kept following her that she wanted to get rid of it right in front of her eyes.
When I first heard the story, I only saw the love between the princess and the prince, but I wasn't curious about the process.
If the princess knew that she was a prince.
On the contrary, if the princess had killed the frog, their love would not have been possible in the first place.
of course.
"The power of love was tremendous."
Overcoming adversity is a fairy tale, after all.
"The princess gradually begins to think that the frog is a person."
"..."
"I succeeded in breaking the curse on the prince by kissing the frog's mouth."
like that.
"The two lived happily ever after."
The short fairy tale has ended.
The girl, who had been listening to the story carefully, opened her mouth as if she found it strange, her smile fading away.
"It's weird."
"What's strange?"
"The princess seems to be empty-headed."
"That's definitely true."
The girl said.
"What can a frog do that makes a princess fall in love?"
"...hmm."
"The princess seems like an idiot."
"maybe..."
I felt like I missed something because I couldn't remember the story exactly. I'm sure there was a scene in the story where the prince briefly turns into a human and then returns to being a frog... but my memory isn't perfect, so I left it out.
It was difficult for me to fully recall my childhood memories, and since I had read far more novels as an adult than fairy tales, it was undeniable that there were flaws in the stories. So, I carefully told the young lady the most reasonable answer I could give without distorting the story.
"Maybe it caught a mosquito or something?"
"..."
“It’s not obvious, but it’s a consideration that feels empty without it.”
"...consideration?"
"Like changing the water while you're sleeping or opening the curtains."
The young lady, who had been thinking deeply, nodded and turned her head away after hearing the metaphor I had uttered.
"Well... that could be possible."
Without even trying to meet my eyes.
"I think that's possible."
"..."
"Because mosquitoes are scary."
"Yes."
There was a brief awkward moment.
"then..."
The young lady asked another question cautiously.
"What happened to the witch?"
"Are you a witch?"
"Yeah. You said the prince kicked the witch and cast a spell on her."
I thought about the answer to the question of the girl who was looking at me with clear eyes.
"Yes, that's right."
I shook my head and couldn't answer, as no answer came to mind.
“If you can turn people into frogs, you must be a great wizard… Why are you falling for the prince…?”
"Can you do it, Miss?"
"me?"
The girl tilted her head as if she was confused and answered.
"I think I could do it if I had magic..."
"Oh... you are a great wizard."
"Not now, though."
"It's okay because it's pretty."
"Hehe... that's right too."
The princess hated frogs.
A story about a prince who found courage for love.
Depending on the perspective, the interpretation can change and there is a high possibility that it will lead to an interesting story.
"Hmm..."
I think I said it in a boring way, and I felt very regretful.
-Thud.
"Huh?"
-Toodoodoodoodo.
The girl and I smiled awkwardly, looking at the rainy sky. It felt like it was time to wrap things up.
"How was the story?"
"...um. It was fun."
"Is that so?"
"yes."
-Thud.
"That's fortunate."
I held the falling raindrops in my hand, looked at the girl, smiled, and asked.
"It's raining."
"yes..."
“I don’t think I should sleep outside today….”
"hmm..."
The girl shook her head, looking at the dark clouds that would not easily disappear.
"Shall we go home too?"
"Home?"
"Let's leave the bear and the octopus at Dad's house and go to our house."
"...I think that would be nice too, after a long time."
"yes?"
This peace that has come after a long time.
"Ricardo must not become a frog."
It seems good.
"I'm sure the young lady will recognize it."