Chapter 128
Chapter 128
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 128
Chapter Title: Protecting My Friend
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"Haa..."
King Sedes pressed his eyelids wearily from exhaustion. Secretly checking the ingredients behind the luncheon host Queen's back and inspecting the luncheon table was no easy task.
They'd added shrimp dishes because the 2nd Prince liked shrimp, and even prepared the strawberry shortcake that child had said he wanted to eat.
'This should keep me from getting treated like some doddering old fool with dementia.'
He hadn't spotted anything unusual during the inspection and thus couldn't uncover the Queen's scheme, but he figured that boy would handle himself well enough, so he decided to relax a little.
"My lord."
At that moment, one of the shadow knights appeared.
"What is it?"
"There's been a fight among the children."
"...What?"
...It had been all of five seconds since he'd relaxed, and disaster struck.
Sedes let out a deep sigh, burying his face in both hands and holding the pose for a moment. He needed time to mentally prepare himself for the situation.
Perhaps the Queen had been aiming for exactly this from the start. It would be the perfect, convenient way to chase the child out of the palace.
One could call the boy's behavior gentle, but his speech was hardly gentle, so it wouldn't be strange if someone picked a fight with him. Not to mention, his habit of speaking plainly and sticking only to the truth wasn't exactly the kind of rhetoric nobles loved to hear.
"Children grow up fighting. Pass word to the head butler to settle it quietly."
Sedes added that they should prepare generous compensation to keep rumors from spreading, then waved the knight away.
But the shadow knight didn't withdraw. He hesitated before speaking up.
"Well... the other child is the heir of a ducal house."
"...Which one?"
"The Tesaurus Ducal House, my lord."
"Haa..."
He didn't need the family name. Aside from the grand dukes, the Harpen Kingdom had only one ducal house: Tesaurus.
Of all houses, a duke's. The Queen must have pulled some strings.
'No settling this quietly.'
As Sedes racked his brain over how to quietly resolve this mess, the shadow knight continued.
"It's true that His Highness's friend was being bullied, but he wasn't the one who fought. According to the attendant who was watching, he didn't show the slightest displeasure even when his hair was grabbed."
"That's when you should get angry... So who fought?"
"His Highness the 2nd Prince fought the ducal heir."
Sedes wondered if he'd misheard and even dug in his ear before asking again.
"Who... with who...?"
"Prince Lianus fought with Young Lord Aiden."
"......"
"It wasn't just a verbal spat—they really threw punches. Young Lord Aiden's face has a nasty bruise."
"......"
"And His Highness struck first..."
The mild-mannered 2nd Prince throwing punches... and striking first, no less...
Sedes's eyes widened in disbelief before he asked seriously.
"...Did he win?"
"......"
My lord... This is why people say you're not delicate.
"Hey, you rotten bastard!!!"
Thwack! Crash!
A loud crash echoed through the drawing room. Seizing the opening as the ambushed Aiden lost his balance and fell, Lianus immediately mounted him.
"Who the hell... are you... to grab... my friend's hair!"
Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud!
"Someone even I'm too precious to handle roughly! Who the hell are you!"
"Ugh, wh-what is this, Your Highness? Don't you know who I—!"
As Aiden raised his arms to block the merciless barrage of punches, Lianus stopped punching and grabbed handfuls of that disgusting red hair, shaking it wildly.
"Who? You're the duke's grandson! Think you're hot shit?!"
"If my grandfather hears about this, he won't let it—!"
"Won't let it go? So what! Your grandpa's a duke—big deal! My dad's the king, asshole!"
"You're insane...!"
"Yeah, I'm insane—so what!"
"This is ridiculous!"
"Ridiculous? This? Oh yeah? Gonna hit me? Come on! Hit me! I dare you!"
"Argh!"
Aiden, unable to strike the prince and only defending, shoved Lianus in frustration. The smaller boy tumbled easily, but he sprang back up like it was nothing and lunged again.
But before his little fist could shut that impudent mouth, his body floated slightly, and he was yanked backward.
"...?"
Startled by the sudden lift, Lianus turned around.
"...Nil?"
Realizing Nihil was the one holding him back, Lianus's eyes went wide before his face twisted.
Nihil's neatly combed hair was a total mess. His clothes were disheveled, and his veil was askew. Seeing that ignited an indescribable surge of emotions from deep in his chest.
'I should have stayed with him...'
"Niiil..."
Lianus turned and hugged Nihil face-to-face. Nihil lifted him effortlessly, as if it were the most natural thing, and patted him soothingly.
'You're the one who needs comforting—why are you comforting me?'
His heart pounded, and his eyes burned hot. He'd tried not to cry anymore, but it seemed his tear ducts were broken.
Lianus frantically brushed the ruined locks visible through his blurring vision. Tangled strands caught on his fingers.
What face are you making under that black veil?
Not wanting to show his crying face, Lianus hugged Nihil's head tightly.
"Sob, Nil, I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Nil—for letting you get treated like this."
"......"
"I'm... such a weak prince... Hng, I'm sorry."
"......"
"I'll... get strong, uwaaah, so... then..."
Don't just say you're leaving.
"Uwaaaaaah~"
Lianus couldn't finish. It was what he wanted to say most, but he feared it might burden or sadden his friend.
Tears poured out. What if he said he was sick of palace life and left? If I say take me too... would he?
"Hic, Niiil..."
As he sobbed his friend's name, the arms around him tightened. The firm pressure felt so warm and cozy—until he felt a subtle trembling.
He thought it was his own shaking at first, but no.
His one and only friend was trembling.
"Nil...!"
It felt like he'd been struck. Had even the strong, confident Nihil been scared, surrounded and bullied by kids his age?
He regretted not ripping out every strand of Aiden's hair, not adding another bruise to that slimy face. As those thoughts swirled, Nihil's trembling grew stronger.
"...?"
Lianus began to feel something was off—something he couldn't quite put into words, but wrong all the same.
Much later, when he realized what it was, his tears dried up instantly.
"Nil..."
He hiccuped, calling softly. The arms around him tightened even more.
"Hng. I'm fine... just..."
"......"
Lianus blushed faintly and buried his face in his friend's nape.
"Just smile easy."
"Khuhuhu...!"
There it was.
He wanted to crawl into a hole.
Rushing to the drawing room, Sedes couldn't make sense of the scene before him and had to puzzle it out. The supposed ducal heir who'd been in the fight was a mess—hair wild, face bruised.
Aiden, who had been glaring somewhere and huffing, shot to his feet and bowed upon seeing him.
"Y-Your Majesty...!"
"Enough."
Sedes waved off the greeting and scanned the room.
Where the ducal heir had been glaring sat the 2nd Prince—hilariously enough, locked in an embrace with his friend.
No visible injuries on his face, but he looked a bit weary, chin resting limply on his friend's white hair.
"...Your Majesty, have you arrived?"
Noticing Sedes, Lianus lifted his chin from Nihil's hair and offered a greeting with a somewhat resigned expression.
"...Sorry for greeting you like this. My friend... won't let go..."
The arms around the prince visibly tightened, confirming his words.
Lianus gazed down at Nihil, whose face was buried in his chest, then opened his mouth with a sigh-like sound.
"Nil, can't you... stop laughing now?"
Shake, shake.
"...Fine. Let me know when you're done."
"Khuh...!"
Lianus slumped against him like melted cheese again. At first it had been mortifying, but now his mind was blank. The noble children whispered about his friend, staring like he was some freak, but Lianus couldn't deny his friend was a bit odd, so he said nothing.
Sir Evan had tried prying him away by force, but Nihil clung tighter, as if he'd never let go. His grip was so strong Lianus thought his waist might snap.
"Nil, even so, His Majesty's here... can't you let go?"
As Lianus cautiously pleaded while eyeing Sedes, Nihil's head peeked up. The veil hid his expression, but he seemed still to be laughing.
A bit awkward, but satisfied after seeing his friend cry yesterday.
'...Did Nil cry yesterday...?'
As Lianus puzzled over his own thoughts, the arms loosened. Assuming it was because he remembered the Sharton incident, Lianus straightened his slightly rumpled clothes.
He was about to offer a proper bow when the drawing room doors opened, and the Queen entered with the 1st Prince.
The palace servants and children bowed. Queen Helia smiled kindly with her crimson eyes before flicking her gaze to Lianus.
Lianus stiffened and quickly bowed his head. A low voice followed.
"...Queen, what brings you here?"
"Your Majesty speaks as if I've come somewhere I shouldn't."
The Queen smiled brightly and continued.
"I heard there was some unpleasantness, so I got worried... Oh my! Young lord, your face looks terribly hurt."
Queen Helia turned dramatically to Aiden's bruised face.
"Young lord, they say children grow by fighting, but it pains me to see you so injured."
"No, it's just a bruise—nothing serious."
"I heard you fought the 2nd Prince..."
The Queen trailed off, scanning Lianus up and down.
"The 2nd Prince looks unscathed. How fortunate."
Helia sneered at Lianus as if to say why are you fine? Lianus flinched under her red gaze and could only step back.
Aiden smirked at the cowering Lianus and spoke softly.
"How could I dare lay a hand on royalty? Besides, as the elder, it was mine to endure."
"You've grown into a fine young man, young lord. Commendable. 2nd Prince, apologize to Young Lord Aiden at once. No matter how angry, how could you so rudely strike him?"
Lianus thought here we go again, but this time he didn't back down. If he kept yielding, his friend would have no place left.
"...Unless the young lord apologizes to my friend first, I won't."
"2nd Prince, that sounds like you're saying the young lord wronged a slave?"
A red-haired girl suddenly stepped forward. Aiden's sister, Camilla.
"No, Your Highness! My brother did nothing wrong. The slave was so rude, and as he was correcting him, Your Highness appeared out of nowhere and swung at him!"
"Camilla, how dare you interrupt your aunt—no, Her Highness?"
Aiden scolded her sudden interruption, but Helia waved it off with a sly curl of her lip and shifted her gaze to Nihil.
"Child, why are you still sitting there?"
Nihil, who had remained seated on the sofa indifferent to the king and queen's arrival, merely tilted his head at Queen Helia's question. Helia frowned slightly at the sight before chiding Lianus.
"2nd Prince, no matter how fond you are of your new slave, shouldn't you teach him basic etiquette? How can you let him act so arrogant? It's not good for the child either."
"......"
Lianus found the Queen's nagging especially irritating today. He glanced apologetically at Nihil—sorry, but this couldn't be defended—then hurried over, gently taking his hand and leading him.
"Nil, come here."
"......"
At the slight tug, Nihil hopped off the sofa and trailed after Lianus obediently.
Then flopped straight onto the floor.