Chapter 163
Chapter 163
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 163
Chapter Title: Throne Room Evaluations
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The princes' teachers stood rigidly around the throne in the audience chamber, and only the old, arrogant snake slithered forward to speak.
"That's not human."
"...Does that matter?"
Sedes tossed a casual reply at the duke and gazed down at his second son, who was still sniffling while clutching the hem of his cloak.
Deep down, he was pleased that the boy had come running to him for help amid the threats.
His son's other hand tightly gripped his friend's, who apparently felt safer near him with all the guards around.
"Will you keep something in the palace when you don't even know what it is?"
The duke said as much, but to any third party, it just looked like he was trying to justify injuring himself in a staring contest with a child.
"As long as it does no harm, that's the end of it. I'll hear the other teachers' opinions as well."
They'd all dealt with the child at some point, hadn't they? Sedes said this as he calmly read through the evaluation reports.
The assessments of his son's friend were generally unremarkable. Theory scores were mostly good, attitude points were... not as bad as one might think. It seemed most teachers besides a few hadn't even spoken up from the start.
The problem was the ones who had already fallen head over heels for his son's friend.
Sedes sighed deeply as he looked at the evaluation Abel had submitted.
"Prime Minister, come on—even if it's just one class skipped, how can you give a child higher marks than the prince?"
"Ah, um... it really won't do?"
"...Talk sense."
Sedes narrowed his eyes and glared at his old friend. Even if he wanted to help, how could he show such blatant favoritism?
"But... he really suits the emperor so well..."
Riiip—
Before Abel's nonsense could escalate things further, Sedes quickly tore up the report.
"Marchioness Francesca."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"I believe it's out of a hundred points."
"Correct."
"So why does this child have two hundred?"
And he taught two subjects, for a total of four hundred points.
"Haha, because he's so kind and cute."
"......"
"Ah, don't tear it! I'll, I'll change it to a hundred."
"Haa..."
Sedes rubbed his forehead. What a mess. Even as he watched Marchioness Francesca actually try to write down a hundred, he couldn't help but add:
"Put a proper score. He didn't actually get a hundred, did he?"
"No, he did get a hundred."
"...You didn't make the test too easy?"
At the question, Karus leaned in close and whispered.
"I did lower the difficulty on the history exam... but the language exam was harder than the prince's."
Karus had brought obscure texts he himself didn't fully understand and asked Nihil to interpret them. Thanks to that, he'd completed two more papers.
"When I said I'd put his name on the papers for his contribution, he refused, saying he couldn't be recorded."
"......"
Having heard the story, Sedes looked at Karus in disbelief, but the man pouted regretfully that he couldn't give full four hundred and changed the history score to ninety-nine.
"Why ninety-nine here?"
"He got... a little wrong."
"...?"
The young marquess avoided Sedes's gaze and furtively offered the test paper.
Whether out of consideration or just self-conscious, his son's friend's exam was multiple choice, unlike the princes'.
The last question was a five-pointer subjective, and it had partial credit.
-List the names of all past kings.
Beneath it, in crooked handwriting like a right-hander writing with their left, the names of past kings were listed in a row. It was an answer that revealed the child's meticulousness and cunning.
'...Hm? They all seem correct...'
As Sedes deciphered the messy script, he reached the last name and unwittingly gaped.
-Sedi de Harpen
"......"
"Um... yes. So ninety-nine."
Sedes glanced suspiciously at his son's friend, wondering if this was mockery, but the little one who had been wiping the prince's tears just tilted his head innocently, as if asking what was wrong.
"...Just give him a hundred."
"Haha! So magnanimous!"
You'll go down as a sage king, Your Majesty. Karus grinned and quickly corrected the score.
Well... at least he didn't write 'Father'.
At that moment, whispers came from a corner. It was the culprit who had gotten his name changed to 'Sedi' and his sister, Lady Tarandrus.
"Sister, boost the attitude score a bit more."
"Abel, don't push it. How much higher? Eighty is already generous."
"He seems a bit cheeky, but he's so kind and sweet."
"...Only to the prince."
"He likes small, cute things. Hurry and raise it. I peeked at Lady Sarete's report earlier—zero points."
"Be glad it's not negative."
"Ah, come on."
I'll be in real trouble if Nil gets kicked out. Unable to resist her brother's whining, the countess finally adjusted the score.
Sedes checked the handed-over paper. Final score eighty-nine, where she'd awkwardly added a slash to the zero of eighty to make a nine.
No, even the eight looked unnatural—a squished snowman like it'd been punched in the head, not a round one.
'...Probably started as sixty.'
He wondered if it was okay to tamper so openly, but the queen surprisingly didn't mind. She probably had another card up her sleeve. Maybe the child's grades didn't matter from the start.
Sedes turned to Lianus, still sniffling and clutching his cloak.
"2nd Prince, go back to your seat with your friend."
"Sniff, protect my friend."
No, who's protecting whom? Swallowing the words rising in his throat, he tried to soothe and send the prince off, but suddenly the prince was hoisted up by his friend's hand.
Thud, thud, thud.
"......"
His son's friend carried the 2nd Prince down from the dais and stood beside the 1st Prince.
Even the 1st Prince, who usually hid his feelings behind a smile, looked down at his brother's friend in utter disbelief.
Moreover, his face veil was torn from the duke's antics, fully exposing his face now, drawing all eyes.
It was indeed an appearance hard to ignore—even the displeased queen stole glances.
...Trying to score points on looks?
Slightly disinterested eyes met his briefly.
Sedes quickly averted to the reports, pretending not to notice.
He couldn't fathom what kids these days were thinking. Or maybe he couldn't understand because they weren't 'these days' kids. Maybe not kids at all.
"Something's definitely possessing that child. How else could attitudes differ so starkly!"
Lady Sarete ranted, pointing to Lady Tarandrus's report.
Same subject, one eighty-nine, one zero—odd if no one commented.
"You have no idea how rowdy and violent he is. Running in class is minor. He even yanked this old scholar's hair. He'll badly influence the 2nd Prince too."
"Lady, aren't you exaggerating? A bit... cheeky, yes, but not violent."
"He must have been very friendly to you, Lady Tarandrus, to get such a generous score."
"I wonder how you taught him to act so wildly, Lady Sarete."
Sparks flew between the two noblewomen.
Sedes didn't know why Lady Tarandrus championed his son's friend so, but chalked it up to Abel's influence and let it slide.
"It's wrong to mistreat this old scholar sent by Her Highness herself. If not possession, then the 2nd Prince must have said something."
Sedes's eyebrow twitched. Why blame his son for the friend's cheekiness?
"Both ladies, calm down."
As he debated speaking, a red velvet fan snapped open beside him.
The vivid color made his eyes squint involuntarily. He missed the gold and green that suited her better.
"What is this behavior before His Majesty? Remember the purpose here. The companion's scores aren't the point."
The queen predictably dragged him into it. If she disliked something, why use him as the excuse?
Her words continued.
"However, given the 2nd Prince's recent punching and skipping classes, the claim he has a bad influence has merit."
"So you're saying chase the child out?"
Sedes finally intervened, openly showing his displeasure. The queen's face stiffened slightly.
Palace education was her domain, so he shouldn't interfere, but leaving it would mean watching his runaway son's friend invade the palace.
His own son might even run away.
The queen smiled sweetly and turned to the friend's son.
"How could we cast out a child with nowhere to go? But until his identity is clear, separating him from the 2nd Prince seems wise. Why not call a priest to check, just in case?"
At that, the 2nd Prince tensed, hid his friend behind him, and shook his head slightly. Priests were to be avoided, apparently.
"He's doing fine—why separate them?"
"Even if young, he can't just do as he pleases."
"Enough, Queen. He entered as the prince's 'guest,' not a mere companion obligated to study."
"How can you just leave such vulgarity be?"
Rage surged at 'vulgar'—the word she'd used for his lover too.
"That vulgar, vulgar, vulgar. I'm sick of it."
His voice rose unwittingly.
"Fine, what's the biggest issue? Cheeky? Vulgar so ugly to look at? Then don't call him. Let him eat and live well in the 2nd Prince's palace. Why summon him and stir trouble?"
"Bad influence on the 2nd Prince..."
"Since when have you cared for the 2nd Prince? Ignore if he goes astray. Let him hold his friend's hand and run off."
At that, Nihil scooped up Lianus. Sedes panicked.
"No, no, I didn't mean kidnap him. Put the prince down."
He set him down again.
"......"
I'm going mad.
The heated tension deflated instantly. Sedes regained his composure, though his head throbbed.
As everyone stared like 'what kind of guy is that?' the son's friend remained impassive.
'...No wonder the weirdo rumors persist.'
Sedes swallowed his true thoughts and quickly defended the friend.
"...He's eccentric, but awfully well-behaved. Hard to believe Lady Sarete's claims."
"No, Your Majesty, don't be fooled!"
Lady Sarete pulled out a crystal orb. Sedes's eyebrow rose.
"This is a recording crystal. It captures his violence perfectly."
The orb played. Recorded from her pocket, it jerked wildly, mostly black screen. But her shrill voice rang clear.
-Kyaaak, let go!
-Sit still!
-Why the hood indoors!
-This long!
-Fine clothes don't make manners! Learn proper etiquette!
Crash, shatter, thud thud thud, rip, pffft—.
"......"
Sedes stared blankly before rubbing his forehead. His son's friend had thoroughly pranked the old lady.
Besides her screams, it was full of breaking and smashing sounds, followed by running footsteps and tearing fabric.
Not knowing his brother was this bad, the second son stared wide-eyed between the orb and his friend.
"It's shameful to show my incompetence, but this old scholar truly tried."
The lady dabbed tears with a handkerchief.