Chapter 117
Chapter 117
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 117
Chapter Title: The King's Headache
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Sedes felt a throbbing pain in his head. Honestly, it was giving him one hell of a headache. Hadn't he just received a blackmail letter after giving the prince that chocolate laced with alcohol?
Of course, he acknowledged his own mistake. But he was a king of a nation, after all... He wasn't about to let it slide.
Sedes rubbed his dry face.
"He seemed... pretty angry, didn't he?"
"I... wouldn't know, Your Majesty. His expression never changes; he's always so composed..."
"So, what was he like when you met him?"
"He was... a frightening man."
"And the prince's condition?"
"He seemed fine enough to go out for a stroll."
"That's a relief. For now, figure something out with those clothes and summon Sir Evan. You'll stand guard over the prince in the meantime."
"Understood..."
The knight gave a light bow and vanished. Truth be told, it would have been proper to summon the boy himself instead of Sir Evan, but Sedes worried about the prying eyes and hated separating from the prince—not that he wasn't a little scared himself. He had no idea how the boy might react.
Sedes glanced at the document on the desk before him, authorizing the purchase of the heatstone mines.
Maybe if I show him this, he'll go easy on me.
"Sedi, can I come along too?"
Abel’s eyes sparkled, a mana restraint firmly locked around his neck. He had been diligently avoiding mana circulation as the boy instructed.
"Behave yourself, Abel. You don't know how he'll react."
"What if I bring lots of gifts?"
"Hold off for today. Wait until he's in a good mood..."
"I'm splitting up the princes' classes starting next week."
"Do... as you see fit."
Sedes didn't object; if it meant a chance to interact with the boy even a little, all the better. Besides, blocking it outright might lead Abel to do something reckless.
As Sedes returned to his work, he noticed Evan was taking a while and glanced toward the terrace. Quite some time had passed with no word.
Just then, a large shadow appeared, followed by the tap-tap of knuckles on the terrace window.
"Looks like he's here."
One of the shadow knights on guard revealed himself and opened the terrace door. Evan entered the office, a flower tucked into his hair and his arms full of items.
"...Sir, the flower suits you."
"Pardon...?"
Evan blinked blankly, and Sedes tapped his own head. Evan touched his hair, finally realizing the flower was there, and bowed his head deeply.
"Ah, th-this... I'm sorry. I forgot it was there."
Evan carefully removed the flower from his hair and tucked it into his chest pocket. It was none other than a flower personally placed there by their adorable prince.
"What's that?"
Sedes nodded toward the bundle in Evan's arms. Evan gently set it down on the floor.
"Household goods made from heatstones. He said Your Majesty must be in the midst of acquiring the mines, so he insisted I bring them. They're prototypes, so he'll keep refining them, but he wanted you to try them out first... Your Majesty? What's wrong?"
"No, nothing at all."
Sedes quickly swept the mine purchase document off his desk and into a drawer.
No points for that one, then. Thinking he'd need to score points some other way, Sedes recalled the letter he'd received that morning.
"I got your letter. I do need an apothecary, but is it urgent?"
"Yes. Strange rumors are circulating in the palace... Could you please send one as soon as possible?"
"Rumors?"
"...Rumors that drinking spirit beast blood cures all diseases."
"Blood?"
"And that the lynx kid might actually be a divine beast or spirit creature."
Sedes scowled.
"Malicious gossip."
"Yes. If the servants learn he's brewing the prince's medicine, the rumors could spiral out of control... Especially since his remedies are far more effective than others."
"The prince's condition... He's all right?"
"Ah, yes. He's fine now."
"Now?"
"Last night, he vomited up all his medicine and was drenched in cold sweats, so we struggled for hours. But honestly, the lynx kid handled it all. Cleaning up the vomit, wiping the sweat, fanning him all day, steadily rehydrating our half-delirious prince, coaxing him to eat... Taking his pulse on schedule, brewing medicine as needed. Even singing lullabies when nightmares struck..."
"......"
Evan, with nowhere else to vent about Nihil, continued his complaints without realizing he was before the king.
"He worked himself to the bone. And on top of that, he took the prince's 'punishment' in his place..."
"'Punishment'? What's that?"
"Ah, no, nothing. I misspoke."
Evan clamped his mouth shut after blurting it out thoughtlessly. Sedes narrowed his eyes but pretended not to notice, looking away.
"Sir Evan."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Stopping mid-sentence is a terrible habit."
"...I'm sorry. It's not my place to say."
"......"
Sedes didn't press further, but the words were already out, impossible to take back. Evan silently apologized to Nihil in his mind and hurriedly changed the subject.
"Anyway, since the kid said he's fine now and suggested an outing, the prince must truly be well. If anything... I'm more worried about him. He barely slept, yet the prince woke him at dawn because he was bored, and he's been playing ever since. He didn't rest properly in Sharton either, so he's probably exhausted. He just collapses like he's fainting every time he sleeps... Your Majesty?"
"......"
"I'm sorry. I... went on too long."
"No, continue."
Sedes pressed a hand to his forehead with a groan. The blackmail letter threatening not to let him off scot-free lingered in his mind.
Evan, assuming the king was distraught over the prince, emphasized once more that everything was truly fine now.
"The prince is really okay, so please don't worry. Ever since the kid arrived, he recovers after just a day of illness. He takes his medicine better too, because the lynx puts so much care into the taste. If you need his journal... er, prescription log... um, childcare diary, I can bring it. He'd probably show it to Your Majesty without complaint."
"......"
No wonder he sent that blackmail letter.
Sedes was at a loss for words, even if he had two mouths. Had anyone ever cared for the prince like this before?
"I should bestow some reward..."
"He's not after that, so please don't worry about it. Besides, I heard you gave him potions this time."
"Ah, yes, yesterday... But..."
It was both repayment for Shirlentea and a plea to look after his friend. The heavily bandaged hand had concerned him too.
"Thank you, Your Majesty. That kid never pays any mind to my injuries..."
"He does seem that way. Anyway, ahem, the reason I called you... One of my guard knights infiltrated the 2nd Prince's Palace... Sigh..."
Sedes trailed off with a sigh. It had seemed trivial at first, but saying it aloud felt utterly embarrassing and pathetic.
Thank goodness it was his own knight; if it had been an outsider... The mere thought made him dizzy. Objectively speaking, he fully understood why the boy had reacted so forcefully.
"I'll take responsibility and punish the infiltrating knight severely, so please ask the prince—no, the boy—to go easy on that maid. The prince probably doesn't care anyway."
"Ah, that maid has already been punished."
"What?"
Sedes snapped his head up in uncharacteristic surprise. Evan explained matter-of-factly.
"The prince delegated full punishment authority to the kid, and he immediately summoned the maid and doled it out."
"......Too late, then."
Sedes recalled his guard knight banging his head on the office floor, dressed in a maid's outfit with a torn hem.
He was the youngest among Sedes's guards but matched the captain in skill. A bit... dim in some ways, but talented in many areas, often sent on external missions...
His head throbbed again. Burying his face in his palm and glancing around with just his eyes, he saw the other guards hastily straighten their awkward stances.
It was all because those shadow knights had excitedly gossiped about their encounters with the boy, teasing the one on mission. When would these guys grow up?
"It wasn't malicious intent... but did he get fired? It's my fault for not controlling them. I'll personally persuade the boy."
"Don't say that, my lord! It's all our fault. We'll beg your friend ourselves!"
"We'll gladly accept punishment for tarnishing your honor!"
"Forgive us, my lord!"
"Punish us all!"
The knights dropped to one knee and bowed their heads. Evan, alarmed, quickly interjected.
"W-wait, there's a misunderstanding. The maid's punishment wasn't that severe."
"......Then what was it?"
"He didn't like the ribbon color on the rabbit doll's neck, so he had her change it."
"Hm...?"
Sedes doubted his ears for a moment. The knights stared blankly at Evan.
"I must have misheard. Change the maid's neck?"
"No, Your Majesty, not her neck—the ribbon on the rabbit doll. The one the maid made had a red ribbon, but he prefers green over red, so he asked her to swap the decoration. She said she didn't have a pretty green one and went out to buy it immediately. That's it."
Sedes's eyes narrowed as he listened.
"Is it some kind of harassment? Like sending her for green, then demanding yellow next...?"
"No, that's truly the end of it."
"My knight was trembling in fear that my sister would face severe punishment. I thought he must have been furious."
"That kid doesn't get angry easily."
"As long as the maid's safe, it's fine. At least I won't have to see my knight bawling."
"He wouldn't harshly punish a maid who made him a doll in the first place. The kid's awfully cheeky, but... surprisingly kind."
Evan unwittingly softened his expression and smiled at the word "kind." Sedes murmured in surprise at the sight.
"You seem quite fond of him too, Sir. His stoic face makes him look so... cold."
From what his own guard knights said, the boy was highly rational and cool-headed. He never crossed lines but showed no leniency even for the king's guards. He doted on the prince meticulously but didn't seem the type to get swept up in emotions.
"He loves pranks and smiles a lot around the prince."
"Hm, he must really like the prince, then..."
Sedes couldn't imagine that cool kid smiling genuinely. At their first meeting, he'd sniffed out the hidden knight and smirked mockingly.
"...He says the prince is cute."
"......I see."
Unlike Sedes's awkward reaction, Abel burst into laughter, teasing him.
"Ahahaha, Sedi, why not try a pretty ribbon yourself? It'd look adorable."
"Abel, anyone else maybe, but not the time for you to laugh."
Abel stopped laughing and muttered seriously.
"......You're right. I need to get another ribbon. The one I put on that bird was dark green too... He must have taken it because he likes green."
"Ah, that ribbon's currently on, um, Louis Almond...? The 2nd."
Evan recalled the dark green ribbon adorning the puppy's neck.
Not remembering the exact name, he fudged it, but annoyingly, the lynx kid's "Evan 2nd" kept echoing in his head.
"...Louis Almond?"
"The puppy the prince brought back from Sharton. The prince named it himself, but it was so long I couldn't memorize it properly."
"Mm..."
Sedes groaned upon hearing the explanation.
...He named a dog after Lawrence's nickname? Some petty revenge? 'Like a dog' or something...?
Perhaps his second son was tougher than he'd thought.