What gave Annan the biggest headache was still the Princess.
She had only just developed self-awareness, which meant he had to teach her everything from scratch. Sleeping, eating, using the bathroom...
It was practically like raising a child. Fortunately, the Princess was easier to manage. At least she never cried or made a fuss, and she picked up many things after being shown once.
Sometimes, though, she learned a little too quickly. When she saw Lily dig a hole to relieve herself, she started digging one too—
Luckily, Annan arrived in time. Otherwise, the Princess would have had a stain on her reputation that she could never erase.
Still, when the Princess copied Lily licking her paw and came over to lick Annan's face, she really was adorable...
The Princess was doing better and better, and becoming more and more like a "person," but she still showed no sign of speaking.
Annan took the Princess to see the Skeleton King again. Her fear of him had not changed, and now that she was self-aware, she resisted even more.
Only when Annan held her close did she let the Skeleton King touch a finger to her forehead.
"Hmm... Her new consciousness is growing faster than I expected." The Skeleton King pondered. Compared to a few days ago, that tiny spark of awareness had grown impossible to ignore. "Before long, she may be no different from an ordinary person."
"But she still can't talk."
"Language is a more complex system of logic. The Princess is still a newborn."
Annan remembered when he had first arrived in this world. Even under the pressure of survival, it had taken him almost a month to learn everyday speech.
The Princess would probably take about as long.
"What if we use Common Tongue Proficiency?" Annan suddenly