A Genius Boy Who Was Exiled From His Family Home for “Not Being Able To Use Magic” Becomes a Witch’s Apprentice and Masters All Magic in the Right Way. This Is How You Use Your Magic, You Know?

Chapter 138.2. The Princess

That’s how it was.

The place they were heading was within the royal palace— the chambers of the Third Princess, Lilliana.

And today would be Hermes’ first meeting as her new tutor.

Realizing this, Hermes muttered with a slightly stiff expression.

“…I’m really starting to feel nervous.”

“Haha, no need to be so tense. The princess is a wonderful girl. She’s been looking forward to meeting you, and I’m sure you’ll get along well.”

Jurgen continued in a gentle tone, trying to put him at ease.

“Besides, I’m confident that you are the right person to guide her. Trust my judgment and just be yourself. That’s all I ask.”

“…If the Duke says so.”

Hearing those words, Hermes felt a little more at ease.

At the same time, Jurgen came to a stop. They had arrived.

They were now in the upper levels of the palace, in front of a large, intricately designed door that stood out even among the others.

Behind this door was the one who would become Hermes’ student.

“Shall we go in? I’ve sent Layla ahead to prepare. She should be here, assuming she’s managed to hold things together.”

As Hermes absorbed that and took a deep breath— wait a second.

Did Jurgen say something unsettling?

But before he could ask, Jurgen knocked on the door, and Layla’s voice responded from within.

The door opened, and then—

“NOOOO WAYYY!!!”

—A shrill, piercing voice burst out from inside.

“You tricked me!! I had a bad feeling about this ever since you showed up with fancy sweets, not saying a word! I should have known better than to trust you!”

“Please calm down, Lilli-sama!”

Naturally, Hermes turned toward the voice and saw a small figure struggling in Layla’s grasp, who had her in a firm hold from behind.

This tiny person was even smaller than Katia, who was herself fairly petite.

The way the girl flailed her arms and legs, trying to break free, made it look more like she was playfully wriggling rather than putting up a real fight.

Her small frame was wrapped in a heavily decorated dress, the kind fit for a young lady, and her adorable doll-like face added to her childlike appearance.

Her voice was high-pitched, yet sweet like the tinkling of bells, making it impossible to be annoyed by her outburst.

Her hairstyle… if Hermes recalled correctly, it was called “two-side up,” with shiny strands of hair bouncing along with her movements. The little ribbons on her head bobbed like a small animal, evoking a protective instinct.

This charming girl, however, was completely refusing the situation with all her might.

Managing to escape from Layla’s hold, she glared at Jurgen with an expression that wasn’t quite intimidating and puffed out her chest.

“Jurgen! How dare you deceive me! I told you I didn’t need to meet him, and yet you lured me with sweets and forced this upon me! The rumors were true— you really are a sly old fox! I’ll never trust you again!”

Her words, accompanied by a puffed-up gesture, resembled a kitten trying to act tough.

Jurgen, however, simply maintained his gentle smile, offering no reply.

Seeing her complaints fall on deaf ears, the girl finally turned to Hermes, pointing straight at him.

“And you! The silver-haired one— not as handsome as my brother Aster, but still not bad!”

“Uh, me…?”

The odd phrasing threw Hermes off, but as the only silver-haired person present, he had no choice but to respond.

“Yes, you! You must be my new tutor!”

“Uh, I suppose so.”

“Then— even though I was planning to avoid meeting you, what’s done is done. So, let me make this clear right here and now!”

With that, the girl took a firm stance and declared with a defiant air:

“I have no intention of learning anything from you, not even a little bit!”

………………

Well then.

There were many things Hermes wanted to say, many things he wanted to question Jurgen about.

There were things he wanted to grab Jurgen and shake out of him.

But for now, he was certain of one thing.

This girl, whether or not she would actually become his student, was indeed the rumored Third Princess.

Though her words made it obvious, Hermes had an even more direct reason for his certainty.

It was because of the girl’s appearance.

──Bright red hair and intelligent green eyes.

The exact same hair and eye color as someone Hermes knew very well.

And then there were those other traits— her wild temperament, her expressive nature, her clear sense of likes and dislikes.

All of these, combined with her personality and atmosphere, led Hermes to one intuitive conclusion…

Ah, this girl must be… related to my master.

As Hermes was lost in this rather absurd realization, the small princess before him took a step back, scanned the room with a dramatic flair, and pointed at him once more.

“And furthermore! Since everyone seems to misunderstand, let me say this one more time, loud and clear!”

She puffed out her chest, trying her best to exude authority— though her appearance made it nothing but endearing.

Nevertheless, with utmost seriousness, she declared:

“I have absolutely no intention of becoming king!”

And so, the first meeting with this girl concluded.

She was none other than the Third Princess, Lilliana Josef von Eustia.

The one who would become Hermes’ student, the niece of his master, Rose, and a spitting image of her in both appearance and character.

──This was his encounter with the future ruler of the kingdom.