Chapter 249: In Pain and Joy
Isaac sat down, letting Bazel and the others rise and continue their discussion.
But still, Yuliya was not satisfied.
“Big Brother, you can’t keep making that face! Nobody will like you like this. Just smile a bit like me! I’m happy every day, and a lot of people like me!”
“I’m not like you, you little brat. I need to maintain the dignity of the royal family.”
“I have dignity too, you know!”
“Your dignity… Fine.”
Yuliya nodded vigorously; the Golden Princess’s dignity was not to be trifled with.
“There’s an old saying: discipline and kindness must go hand in hand. You need to be dignified, but also approachable. Just smile and see.”
Smile my foot!
But Isaac managed his facial expressions well, maintaining his serious demeanor: “Yuliya, you’re distracting me from my official duties. Why don’t you go play with your sister instead?”
“That won’t work! I’m staying here to help you.”
Is this really helping?
In any case, Yuliya would chime in with suggestions; she couldn’t be scolded, had to speak slowly, and make sure orders were delivered clearly, without leaving anything for the subordinates to guess. And he had to take their feelings into account too.
Consider what?
The worst part was that he was expected to smile.
To silence her, Isaac could only manage a grimace that was worse than crying.
This really scared his subordinates.
In the end, under Yuliya’s strong insistence, Bazel and the others left without any punishment.
Yuliya was quite proud about it.
“I specially sent those adventurers to stop the knight brigade, of course they could do it. If there’s any punishment, it should be directed at me! I won’t complain at all!”
What could Isaac even say?
Punishment? Not that he even considered it, but would he dare?
Not complaining at all meant she was just going to run to him crying.
Once she started crying to Elia and Uncle Edward, who would end up suffering?
Isaac sighed for what felt like the hundredth time in his mind: “This precocious little rascal is really troublesome!”
Afterward, a few more groups gathered, and with Yuliya observing, the meeting ended amidst the mixture of fear and joy on the faces of the subordinates.
In the middle of the meeting, this little girl actually said that the house was too empty and cold, and they needed to decorate it.
Really, just let me be! No more shenanigans!
Finally, Isaac found a chance to sneak out while Yuliya was distracted and hurried into the royal palace, heading towards the side hall where Elia was working.
He knocked and entered, seeing Elia busy at her desk.
Isaac gave a slight bow and immediately said, “Your Majesty, please think of a way to remove my little sister from my side.”
“Oh?” Elia raised her eyebrow and looked at him, “Is Little Yuliya with you?”
“Yes! She’s driving me nuts. She’s seriously affecting my ability to handle official business.”
Saying this, he was unusually a bit frazzled.
And the very familiar Elia picked up on it immediately.
“Hehe, sounds amusing. What has she done?”
“She…”
Isaac recounted all the mischievous deeds of the little loli without missing a beat.
By the end, Amelia was unable to hold it in and had to turn her back.
Meanwhile, Elia held it together: “She… cough cough… Little Yuliya is indeed a bit much.”
“Then Your Majesty should take her away.”
“No, I think it’s quite good for you to have her around.”
“Huh?”
“Little Yuliya is actually quite capable and can help you out.”
Isaac blinked in disbelief, and his face darkened: “Wait a minute… Are you telling me that you deliberately sent her over to me?!”
“Ah~, I didn’t do that.” Elia shook her head with a smile, “I merely told her that you were all alone over there, lonely and without any warmth. Then Little Yuliya volunteered to come and help you. That’s all.”
“Elia!” Isaac ground his teeth, “Don’t push it!”
He knew all too well that this was Elia’s plan! She had intentionally guided the little brat to his place!
“I, Isaac, did not…”
Suddenly, a shout echoed from outside: “Sister! Is Big Brother here?”
Elia smirked: “He is. Is Little Yuliya looking for something?”
“Are you done with your business? I want to take Big Brother home for a look; things are different now!”
“We’re done. Come on in!”
After saying that, Elia waved at Isaac with a smile: “Elder Brother, take care.”
“You!”
Feeling the movement behind him, Isaac dropped his hand, which he had raised to point at Elia.
Yuliya tugged at the hem of Isaac’s clothes from behind: “Big Brother, let’s go home now that it’s done.”
“Huh? Oh… sure.”
And just like that, he followed Yuliya back.
After Isaac left, Elia finally burst into laughter.
She abandoned all pretense and leaned over the desk, laughing heartily, even Amelia, who had already giggled once, joined in.
After a while, Elia caught her breath.
“Amelia, do you know why I specifically sent Little Yuliya over to that guy?”
“Your Majesty must have some purpose in arranging this.”
“Then guess what the purpose is.”
“Probably to change Prince Isaac’s behavior. His temperament is indeed a bit extreme sometimes.”
“Exactly! You can just say it plainly; the guy is so stubborn he can’t see anyone else. But that’s only part of the reason.”
Elia took a sip from the teacup Amelia brought her.
“The more important reason is that he actually has a significant conflict of interest with me. After all, our ideologies are worlds apart, and how I obtained the throne probably leaves him with some resentment. It’s normal that he doesn’t recognize me.”
“But Isaac has difficulty accepting even me, yet he’s totally fine with Little Yuliya. In fact, he even seems to admire her. Did you just see the difference in how he treats Little Yuliya compared to me?”
“Seems like… that’s true.”
“To be honest, in the trial of the Emperor, when it came down to it, Little Yuliya was the one who actually defeated him; I only picked up her scraps. Since Little Yuliya passed the throne to me, I won’t let her down. So Isaac’s issues must be resolved.”
“So, that leaves it up to Little Yuliya to fix it then. I definitely wouldn’t be as convincing as she would be. Having Little Yuliya relay things to him would work way better than giving him orders myself.”
“I see.” Amelia nodded, “Little Yuliya really does have that kind of magic.”
Elia covered her mouth and chuckled: “Hehe, I really want to see what kind of transformation that guy will undergo under Little Yuliya’s antics.”
