Insolent, yet Lovable

He stared at Anna with his vermillion eyes, the same eyes that made the previous maid fainted, "Do you find me scary?"

Anna blinked few times. She was confused about why Prince Ignis asked something so obvious all of a sudden. "Your Highness, have a terrible reputation. You're infamous for being a murderous, evil Crown Prince with horrible anger management," Anna said with brutal honesty.

Prince Ignis felt hurt. He really thought, at least, there would be someone who didn't find him scary. Maybe it was also his own fault for not caring about his reputation. "So you also find me scary…"

"Nope," Anna tilted her head. She patted Prince Ignis' shoulder and continued, "Your Highness, you are a handsome man with great military achievement. There must be someone who is feared by the enemy in every kingdom, so the kingdom will be safe from internal and external invasion. I think you did the job well," Anna said. She got many rumours from other maids and then concluded the problem about Prince Ignis' reputation.

Anna concluded that Prince Ignis served his job well as the Crown Prince. He was supposed to be majestic and fearsome since he would lead the Lunaris Kingdom in the future. It was alright for him to be feared by some, especially the nobles because it would serve the deterrent effect on them.

"There is nothing wrong with you, Your Highness. That being said, though, you should at least tone it down a bit," Anna said.

Prince Ignis stared at Anna, who didn't have an ounce of fear on her, "Anna, do you think I'm someone that would kill an innocent person out of rage?"

"Perhaps? But so far, I only heard a rumour about you killing the servants, though when I asked about the name of those supposedly dead servants, none of them could answer it. So I think it's just a malicious rumour."

Anna could sense that Prince Ignis was actually saddened about the rumour, "Your Highness, you seem to be very concerned about the rumour."

"I usually don't mind," Ignis said. He stared at Anna meaningfully and showed a thin smile, "But I start getting concerned when I realize that I've fallen in love with someone."

"Ah, that's surprising," Anna said. She was thinking of good words to encourage Prince Ignis. As much as she disliked Prince Ignis for his wilfulness, Prince Ignis was still an excellent military commander and influential Crown Prince.

"Try to tone down your fierceness a bit when you are around her, okay? I believe most women prefer their lover to be gentle and loving towards them," Anna said.

"Then… how about you? What is your preference?" Prince Ignis asked again. Anna still didn't catch Prince Ignis' signal, so she gave an honest reply.

"Hm… I'm not sure about my preference. But if I ever get a lover, I'd want him to be gentle to my family and me. I want him to understand that I'm not a woman that will obey everything that he said. I want to have a good job, so we can walk side by side together as equal."

"So you want to be a queen in a relationship, right?" Ignis concluded.

"Yes, I want to be the queen in my relationship, just like I want to make my lover the king. My mother once told me that, when you find a man that treats you with respect, you should also respect him. A man and a woman should be equal and should complement and balance each other out. There is no use of having a relationship that will make one party suffer."

Anna kept that advice deep in her heart. She was a woman that worked two jobs to feed her family and provide a good education for her little sister. Her father died when she was young, so she had to be the breadwinner.

Crown Prince Ignis was amazed by Anna's thought, "You know what you said would offend many men, right?"

"Ah!" Anna gulped. She just realized that she was currently transmigrated in a medieval-esque world. So the idea of a woman having equal footing with a man was simply ridiculous. In this era, women should be in the servitude of men. "W—Well, I guess I'm just a bit different…"

"What if nobody wants to marry you because of your idea?" Prince Ignis asked.

"That is fine," Anna replied immediately without hesitation in her voice. "I honestly doubt that a man would want to marry me. And I have grown accustomed to it. I'd rather provide for myself and my family rather than relying on a man and bowing down to him like a servant."

"Heh, but you are a servant right now. What is the difference with you serving one man instead?" Prince Ignis kept on pressuring Anna. He was fascinated with Anna's ideal and her stubbornness. "You are just a servant, not a warrior lady. And it seems that have no strength to be one."

"I may not have the strength of a warrior. But you don't need to be a powerful warrior to have worth," Anna said courageously. She knew it wasn't her place to say this, but this was about her pride as a woman from modern times.

"Your Highness, my idea of worth is simple, as long as I can work and provide for my family, then I believe I have a worth as a woman and as a human. if I ever find a man myself, then I hope he will understand that we should be equal."

"What if he wants you to stay in the house and do the housewife duty?"

"Then I will make sure to split the house work with him while I also work, it's hard if one man need to provide for everything," Anna replied. She remembered the superbly expensive living cost of the city she lived in. There was no way one man could provide for the household alone.

"But... what if your husband is rich? Like a prince, maybe?"

"Well, I haven't think that far. But that Prince must be an idiot. Who would marry a maid instead of high ranking noblewoman to solidify his position?" Anna replied again with brutal honesty.

"How insolent," Prince Ignis smiled as he caressed Anna's cheek, "Yet lovable."

Anna was stunned when Prince Ignis caressed her cheek and then leave. She looked at Prince Ignis, who walked out of his room, and asked out of reflex, "Your Highness, where are you going?"

"Teatime," Ignis replied.