Outside the alley, Eve and Caro watched Elina happily run out and asked, “How’d it go?”

“It was okay. I gave it to him, but he didn’t seem very happy about it.” Elina stuck out her tongue playfully.

“That’s normal. But you should know it’s a good thing. It means this boy still has his own pride and ambitions, and he knows when to set his pride aside—and when not to. Of course, whether he succeeds in the end is up to him. Don’t take it to heart, Elina. At least you’ve done all you can with a clear conscience,” Caro explained.

Elina obediently nodded her little head. “I understand. I won’t take it to heart.”

I’d already learned enough about this back in my old world. Your success has to come from your own hard work. If that boy started begging others to give him things every day just because I’d helped him, he’d spend his whole life as a beggar in the slums.

Still, what left a bitter taste in my mouth was that this so-called fantasy world in another realm was just as cruel. The useless were bound to be weeded out. So maybe I should be glad I didn’t start out in a newbie village, but became a noble princess right away~

“All right, then let’s go,” Caro said. Seeing no trace of confusion in Elina’s eyes, she nodded in relief.

After all, as a good cat mom, looking after a kitten’s emotional well-being was incredibly important.

Eve smiled too. “Elina did a great job this time. When we get back, we should have Her Highness Alaya give her a proper reward. These days, it’s rare to see a princess from a great nation willing to humble herself to help ordinary people.”

“Our Elina is the world’s number-one princess, okay! She’s cute and gentle. If I weren’t a girl, I’d have swept her off her feet and pinned her to the bed for a good time. I just love Elina so much~” Caro giggled, covering her cheeks with both hands.

“Hey, hey! What do you mean, ‘pin me to the bed for a good time,’ meow~? I don’t want that kind of love from you!” Elina cried, mortified.

It’s not like I have a problem with yuri. Caro really is a beauty in the making, and she’ll definitely grow up gorgeous and sexy. But I don’t want to be the one on the bottom. I mean, I’m a total manly man, meow~

Enjoying yourself underneath a woman? What kind of dignity is that!

“All right~ I was just joking. Let’s head back,” Caro said with a giggle behind her hand.

“Mm. Let’s go back,” Eve said with a nod.

By the time the three of them returned to the castle, hot water was ready for Elina. She’d actually used up quite a bit of energy today, so she didn’t hesitate to strip and hop straight into the tub. Once she’d rested, she’d go to bed early so she’d be ready for tomorrow’s elemental awakening ceremony.

“Sweetie~ Did you have fun today~?” Alaya asked curiously, twirling a lock of Elina’s hair around her fingers.

“Mm~ It was okay. I didn’t get to eat much, but I helped a boy!” Elina said proudly, planting her hands on her hips.

“Yes~ Eve already told me. That boy seems pretty stubborn, though~ My daughter went out of her way to give him money, and he still wasn’t happy about it. What a gutsy kid,” Alaya said with a smile.

“Hey, Mom, you can’t go after him, meow~ He’s actually got a pretty good personality. More importantly, he’s really good at swatting mosquitoes. If he hadn’t helped me get that mosquito, I’d have been driven crazy by it today!” Elina cried earnestly.

......