Demon Prince 32

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Chapter 32. Tina And Nina's Situation

I am Tina.

My twin sister, Nina, and I were brought to this castle as slaves to the Demon Prince of this country.

We were in a different country, but our village was attacked by bandits, and our father and mother died.

The other villagers who survived had no means to feed us.

So, the two of us tried to survive by going to the city to work, but there were almost no jobs for such young children, and as we moved from job to job, we found ourselves in another country.

We ran out of food and money.

We had no choice but to borrow money, but when we couldn’t pay it back, we were sold as slaves and brought to this country.

The slave trader was a kind man.

After hearing our story, he said he would try to negotiate for us to stay together and choose a good master for us.

Until we were sold, we worked as maids in his shop.

We didn't get paid, but we were given meals.

Ironically, life as a slave was easier.

Finally, it was time for us to be sold.

We were so scared of who might buy us that we clung to each other. It seems that our master is the Demon Prince of this country.

The man said,

“The Demon Prince of this country is very talented, kind, and loved by the people, so he’s the best master you could hope for! You’re lucky!”

But I don’t think good people would buy slaves.

The person who came to buy us wasn’t the Demon Prince himself, but a maid.

She was a very beautiful woman named Noella-san.

Noella-san took us to the castle.

It seems we really were bought by the Demon Prince.

I never dreamed we would live in such a magnificent castle.

But I was anxious because I didn’t know what we would be made to do.

Noella-san said,

“You two are to be a source of comfort for Jun-sama. That will be your job.”

It seems that Jun-sama is the Demon Prince’s name.

But I don’t know what it means to be a source of comfort.

We know about healing magic, but we can’t use it.

When we were brought into a large room in the castle, there were four people inside: a boy? Two girls, and a maid.

They were all very beautiful.

The person who looked like the Demon Prince and Noella-san were talking about something, but I couldn’t understand it well.

They were talking about pets, like dogs and cats.

It seems we are to work as maid apprentices.

Is being a source of comfort the same as being a maid?

Does the Demon Prince like maids?

A maid named Lily-san helped us take a bath.

It was our first time taking a bath.

Before, we had only wiped our bodies with a cloth and warm water.

It felt so good.

We were given maid uniforms.

It was my first time wearing such beautiful and cute clothes.

I was so happy.

As we were listening to Lily-san talk about work, Noella-san brought two girls.

They were cat-people and dog-people girls, about the same age as us.

The catgirl's name was Ku-chan,

And the dog girl’s name was Ru-chan.

They seem to be twins, just like us.

Ku-chan looked a bit sharp-eyed and scary.

Ru-chan seemed a bit timid.

We were anxious too, but not as scared as Ru-chan was.

We’ve only been here a short while, but it seems the Demon Prince is a good person, just as the man said.

I can at least tell that much.

Ku-chan and Ru-chan also became maid apprentices like us.

I asked Jun-sama, "Do you like maids so much that you need four of them?"

Then he said,

“Well, it’s not that I dislike them. But, well, there are things that adults have, things that can’t be explained to children. There are reasons for everything. Yeah.”

He had a face that was hiding something.

Someday, I’ll ask him about it.

But "adults"...

Jun-sama is still a child, I think.

It’s been three days since we started working at the castle.

Then we were summoned by Jun-sama, who said he wanted to talk to us.

“I’ve decided to free you from slavery. After that, you can keep working here, or if there’s somewhere you want to return to, I’ll send you there. I’ll also pay you for the work you’ve done so far. You can choose whatever you like.”

We asked him if we were being freed because we were unwanted.

“It’s not that you’re unwanted. But... well, this is my selfishness. If you’re going to stay by my side, I want you to stay as normal maids, not as slaves. What will you do?”

Nina and I exchanged glances to confirm our feelings.

Nina seemed to feel the same as I did.

“We want to work here. We have no place to return to.”

When we said that, Jun-sama looked a little sad and then patted our heads.

His hand was warm, and somehow, it felt like my father’s hand.

Even though Jun-sama is only a little older than us, it’s strange.

Ku-chan and Ru-chan also decided to stay here, like us.

I was glad because I wanted Ku-chan and Ru-chan to stay since we had just become friends.

Then he said,

“Oh, that’s right. We’re building a school right now. Once it’s finished, you should attend too. You’ll be able to make friends your age, and you’ll learn all sorts of things like magic, martial arts, reading, and math.”

I don’t like studying, but I’d like to try using magic.

I’m also happy to make friends.

If Nina, Ku-chan, and Ru-chan are going, I want to go too.

I’m really looking forward to it!