—
Upstairs bathroom, in front of the sink.
Eileen stood expressionless behind Mia, staring at the reflection of her face in the mirror, which now looked like it had been dunked in a vat of ink.
"Princess Mia, you've been washing your face for ten minutes."
"Ah? Has it really been that long?" Mia stopped sneaking glances at the mirror and raised her innocent eyes, trying to hold back a giggle as she stepped aside. "Alright, alright—your turn, Eileen~"
Eileen, clearly used to Mia's antics, sighed silently and stepped up to begin washing her face.
"Princess Mia, even if His Highness Ron is your brother, please be mindful of your behavior."
"Mhm mhm, you've said that like a hundred times on the way here~ And besides, you lost your cool during the card game too~."
"…That was my failure." Eileen paused mid-rinse, still a little shocked at how a simple game Ron had introduced could have such addictive power.
That feeling of "I might actually win this time," combined with the unpredictable fun of each round, was surprisingly compelling.
Eileen quickly finished washing her face and didn't dwell on it, continuing calmly, "Princess, now that His Highness Ron has become a Chosen One, the Church of the Harvest Goddess will no doubt support him. The political power structure in the Royal Capital could shift dramatically because of it…"
"But that doesn't really concern me, right?" Mia leaned against the doorframe, tilting her head with a light smile. "Ron is my brother, and so are the others. No matter what happens between them, I'm still just their sister."
"You may feel that way, but as the Empire's only princess, your position is an important political asset."
"Not to mention you're extremely popular among the common people. If you were to take sides with any prince, it would significantly shift the balance. It's something you must be cautious about."
"That's why your priority should be maintaining equal distance with every prince—not appearing too close to any one of them."
Eileen spoke sincerely.
"You've told me that a dozen times already~" Mia groaned, tapping her forehead in mock frustration. She then smiled and hugged Eileen's arm, leaning in with a playful grin. "Let's stop with the serious stuff. Let's talk about something more fun!"
"Hmm?" Eileen raised an eyebrow, suspicious.
"What do you think of my big brother Ron?" Mia's eyes sparkled. "Handsome, charming, kind—and now a Chosen One of the Goddess of Harvest. Don't tell me you're not even a tiny bit interested?"
Eileen froze, her expression instantly filled with black lines. "When are you going to stop trying to sell your own brother like that?"
"Ehhh~ Don't dodge the question~" Mia whined, shaking Eileen's arm. "Just say it! He's pretty great, right?"
Realizing she wasn't going to escape, Eileen finally sighed and gave a reluctant nod. "Objectively speaking, His Highness Ron would indeed be considered an excellent marriage candidate. But that's only based on a few hours of interaction."
Ahem.
A sudden cough echoed from the hallway, making both girls jump.
Ron stood outside, raising his hand with a sheepish expression. "Sorry… You've been in the bathroom for quite a while, so I came to check. I didn't mean to eavesdrop."
Eileen's face turned red immediately. The fact that he'd heard her… review of him made her want to disappear into a crack in the floor.
"M-my apologies, Your Highness. I shouldn't have spoken about you in private…"
Mia, on the other hand, skipped up to Ron and clung to his arm, looking up with a bright, innocent smile. "It's my fault, Ron! I was the one asking the questions, Eileen just answered!"
Ron instinctively wanted to pull his arm away—but held back.
This was actually the first time he'd been in such close physical contact with a girl since arriving in this world.
Although Mia was the little sister of his current body, Ron himself came from another world and didn't feel that "sibling connection" with her at all.
So… yeah, awkward.
Still, he had to maintain some level of composure.
"It's an honor to be complimented by Miss Eileen," Ron said with a calm smile. "After all, I was the one eavesdropping. No need to apologize."
He added warmly, "Dinner's almost ready. Let's head to the living room."
—
The three of them returned to the living room.
Nora was busy setting the table, placing plates and dishes carefully around the large round table. The cooked ingredients from the kitchen were being laid out one by one.
Upon seeing them come out, Nora bowed sharply at a full 90 degrees.
"Boss. Your Highness, Princess. Miss Eileen."
Mia and Eileen both returned a polite nod and took their seats.
Ron, however, could only smile wryly—though he didn't say anything.
He had originally invited Nora to dine with them, but she had firmly refused.
If it were just Mason and the usual staff, Nora still dared to sit at the same table.
But with Princess Mia, the Empire's only royal princess, present, there was no way she would dare join them for dinner.
Ron understood that, so he didn't insist.
Thinking it over, he realized he may have been the one in the wrong this time.
He personally didn't mind, but he had to consider Mia and Eileen's positions too.
They were both friendly and kind, but they'd grown up in noble circles, raised with high standards.
If he insisted on having them dine with a commoner employee, it might come across as disrespectful—even though that wasn't his intent.
In the past, he didn't care about that stuff—after all, he was the boss, and usually only he and Nora ate together.
But with Mia and Eileen present, trying to keep things the same would only invite misunderstanding.
Now that he was in this world, there were some social rules he'd have to learn to accept.
Even if he wanted to change those rules someday, it had to be done slowly, step by step—not by forcing it.
"Hmm? What's this?" Mia had taken her seat and was curiously inspecting the large pot placed in the center of the table. Steam rose from the bubbling broth within.
"Looks like we'll be cooking at the table?" Eileen frowned slightly.
Nobles did sometimes enjoy on-the-spot meals, with chefs preparing the food directly before them.
But this wasn't a noble banquet, and as far as she knew, Ron didn't employ any chefs.
Unless it was… that petite employee?
Eileen glanced skeptically at Nora, completely confused.
She didn't look like a chef. Her arms were so thin—how could she even lift a wok?
Ron chuckled and walked to the table, inviting them to sit as he explained the concept of hotpot.
After hearing the explanation, Mia and Eileen exchanged looks—somewhat hesitant.
All three of them are eating from the same pot… with no water change, no cleaning between rounds…
Wasn't that… kind of unsanitary?