Demon Prince 33

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Chapter 33. The Story Of Ruu And Kuu

I'm Kuu.

Ruu is my twin sister.

Our mom and dad were adventurers.

But one day, they apparently died just like that.

We heard it from the dying words of an old man who was a companion of our dad—they were killed by some monster we’d never seen or heard of.

They weren't that strong, so they shouldn't have been adventurers.

They died so easily.

I knew they were pushing themselves to make sure we had good food to eat.

I was fine with Mom’s cooking.

Both Ruu and I cried all the time, but Ruu was the first to recover.

Even though she's usually scared and hides behind me, she said she had to be strong because she’s the big sister.

So I decided to stop crying too.

We’ve been living together since then, but just us kids couldn't survive on our own.

In the end, we had no choice but to become slaves.

Ruu kept apologizing, but it wasn’t her fault.

Even I could understand that much.

We asked the slave trader lady to sell us to someone who would buy both of us together.

I have to protect Ruu, so we can’t be separated.

Apparently, someone came to buy us.

They said it was on behalf of the Demon Prince.

I’ve heard rumors about the Demon Prince of this country too.

They say he looks like a girl but is very strong, kind, smart, and heals the wounded and sick for free with his magic.

The rumors said he’s a wonderful person.

The slave trader lady said,

“You’re lucky, kids. You couldn’t ask for a better buyer. Be well.”

But there’s no way it could be that good.

If he were really like the rumors, he wouldn’t be buying slaves in the first place.

I’m not going to be fooled.

“You will provide comfort for Jun-sama. That’s your job.”

The woman named Noella, who bought us on behalf of the Demon Prince, said something like that.

What does “comfort” mean? We can’t use healing magic, you know?

Are they planning to trick us?

We arrived at a place that was actually a castle.

Is it true that the Demon Prince bought us?

No, I still can’t be sure.

I have to protect Ruu.

Inside the castle, we were shown to a room full of beautiful people.

Is this beautiful-faced person the Demon Prince?

Is there really a boy this beautiful?

I’ve never seen a boy like this before.

I’m starting to feel nervous…

Ah, no, no, this is bad. I can’t let my guard down yet.

I heard something about pets or something, but I think I missed most of the conversation.

They told us to take a bath and change clothes.

I didn’t know baths could feel this good.

We’ve only ever washed ourselves with hot water before, so I didn’t know.

Ruu looks like she’s enjoying it too.

Good.

After getting out of the bath, they gave us maid outfits.

Is it okay for me to wear something this nice?

Ruu looks happy, so I guess it’s okay.

When we returned to the room, they introduced us to a rabbit maid sister and a pair of human twins about our age.

“This rabbit maid is Lily. Like Noella, she’ll be your senior maid. These human twins, the one on the left is Tina, and the one on the right is Nina. They look exactly alike, so we’re thinking about asking them to change their hairstyles or ribbon colors. Can you tell me your names and ages?”

It seems this handsome man really is the Demon Prince.

If he’s our master, maybe being a slave won’t be so bad.

No, no, no, that’s not okay.

I can’t be fooled.

“I’m Kuu, the younger sister. I’m eight years old.”

“I’m Ruu, the older sister. I’m eight years old.”

“Kuu and Ruu, huh? I’m Jun, nice to meet you. I’m thinking of having you work as apprentice maids with Tina and Nina. During the apprenticeship, you won’t get paid, but you’ll get three meals a day, and you’ll have a place to sleep, all four of you in the same room. How does that sound?”

“…Will we get paid once we’re no longer apprentices? Even though we’re slaves?”

“Yeah. I actually think you should get some pay even during the apprenticeship, but it’s normal for live-in maids not to get paid during that time, so I’ve been told not to make an exception. I hope you can bear with it during the apprenticeship. But you can eat until you’re full.”

A place to sleep and as much food as we want.

Considering how we’ve lived until now, there’s nothing to complain about.

But speaking politely is hard.

Ruu seems to be handling it okay, though.

“I’m fine with that.”

“Ruu is fine with that too.”

""“We are too.”""

Ruu, Tina, and the others said the same thing as me.

No one seems unhappy.

“I see. Then let’s get along from now on. And Kuu, don’t worry too much about your language with me. But when guests are around or when you’re talking to others, people might get upset if you speak too roughly, so try to get used to it little by little.”

He quickly saw through my rough language.

Well, even I thought it was a bit forced…

“But I thought Kuu was the older one because you were protecting Ruu by standing in front. So, Ruu is the big sister, huh?”

“We’re twins, so it doesn’t really matter. I’ve decided I’m going to protect Ruu.”

“I see. You’re admirable, Kuu. But from now on, I’ll protect both Kuu and Ruu. Tina and Nina too.”

As he said that, Jun-sama patted our heads.

He’s only a little older than us, but somehow he feels big and warm…

Just like when Dad used to pat my head…

“Ah, what’s the matter, Kuu? Ruu too?”

“Ah, this…”

Before I knew it, I was crying.

Ruu was crying just like me.

""“Uh, waaaaaaaah!”""

Tina and the others started crying too.

Jun-sama, looking troubled, hugged us all.

I thought I’d stopped crying since Mom and Dad were gone.

After that, we were introduced to other people in the castle and ate a full meal made by a guy named Sebas.

“Come on, kids, don’t hold back.”

His language is rough like mine, but Sebas is cool.

Noella and Lily seem kind too, and Yuu-sama and Ai-sama seem like they’ll be friendly.

Everyone here seems like good people, so I’m relieved.

I still have to stay on guard though.

That night, in the four-person room we were given, Tina and the others and I talked about ourselves before going to sleep.

Tina and the others lost their mom and dad too, and they had no choice but to become slaves and were brought here by Noella.

They’re just like us.

We quickly became friends after talking about ourselves.

Tina and Nina seem timid like Ruu, so I have to protect them too.