Chapter 17
Chapter 17
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: Rumors of the Mysterious Boy
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The 2nd Prince's Palace was in a rare state of chaos after a long time. It was all because of the little boy named Nil, whom the prince had brought home, proudly calling him his close friend.
Snow-white hair like a fresh snowfall, and black eyes that seemed otherworldly—like an aurora of countless colors cascading down a night sky, or a galaxy flowing through the darkness.
No one had heard the child's voice yet, but it was surely as beautiful as his stunning looks.
The servants gathered in small groups, starting to speculate about the mysterious boy's true identity.
A divine beast transformed into human form... actually a fox beastkin in disguise... the prince was bewitched by his beauty... a hidden illegitimate child from another royal family... a demon that enchants people and steals their souls... the lonely prince procured a magic doll...
All sorts of wild rumors spread from mouth to mouth among the servants, growing uncontrollably.
Meanwhile, blissfully unaware, Lianus was deep into his doll play.
The doll spoke.
"Rian."
"Yeah?"
"I'm tired."
Tired, it said.
Having covered food and shelter among the basics of life, Lianus had dragged Nihil to his own dressing room, insisting they now handle clothing.
He'd actually summoned the royal designer to have new clothes made, but the proud designer had refused, saying he wouldn't make outfits for non-royals.
Lianus was furious that his close friend had been disrespected over status. Instead of kicking the designer out, he gifted him every single one of his own finished outfits, then had the man make new ones for himself.
Of course, most of those new clothes were also destined for his friend.
Fuming like seaweed bloated with anger, Nihil had gritted his teeth and chosen to play doll to calm things down. He never would have if the servants hadn't been watching.
Sir Evan, who had been mocking the obedient doll act, ended up changing into heavy, cumbersome full knight armor at Nihil's offhand request to see it. He quickly apologized and backed off. Without that swift apology, he might have done a full fashion show swapping into dress uniforms, formal wear, and training gear.
"Sorry, Nil. The clothes suit you so perfectly—I got carried away."
"It's fine. Let's eat."
Dinner time had arrived before they knew it. Lianus, thrilled with the doll play, had completely forgotten about the designer incident and headed to the dining room in high spirits.
As soon as they entered, the food was served. It was more lavish than usual, but unaware that the butler had prepared a celebratory feast to commemorate the day the prince finally made a friend, Lianus just assumed it was because there was one more person and let it slide.
Lianus didn't take the head seat. Instead, he sat face-to-face with his close friend, treating him as an equal.
Nihil didn't know the finer points of noble dining etiquette, but seeing Lianus eat properly—unlike the messy manners from the day before—he finally realized that yesterday's sloppiness had been consideration for a commoner kid unused to such things.
It was a pointless courtesy to Nihil, who never minded others, but realizing he was being accommodated left him with a strange feeling.
Nihil had thought the prince was too naive to ever become crown prince, but surprisingly, he knew his place, took good care of his own people, and wielded real royal authority. Relieved, he stabbed a chunk of meat with his knife and shoved it into his mouth.
The piece, roughly halved, was apparently too big. Nihil's cheeks bulged out round and full.
The head chef and several servants were standing by in the dining room, so that sight of him was sure to spread through the palace grapevine in no time.
But Nihil paid no mind to the stares, and Lianus made no comment on his table manners.
"Ah, Nil. I had something to tell you..."
At Lianus's call, Nihil looked up, still chewing his meat, meeting his eyes. His gaze briefly flicked to Sir Evan, who stood guard behind Lianus.
Evan signaled at Nihil's cheek—swollen like it might burst if squeezed—urging him to eat more properly, but Nihil pretended not to notice and just kept munching.
"Her Majesty the Queen wants to meet you. If you don't want to, just refuse. I'll handle it somehow."
Still chewing, Nihil tilted his head. Not knowing anything about the Queen, he wasn't sure how to respond.
Not wanting to interrupt his friend's meal, Lianus somehow picked up on the cue despite no one watching and continued explaining.
"The 1st Prince—my older brother's—mother. Eldest daughter of Tesaurus Duke. Like all royals vying for the throne, my brother and I aren't on good terms, and the Queen hates me. She might try to harm you."
"..."
Nihil finally swallowed his meat, but his expression remained indifferent as he stayed silent. He then poked at a cherry tomato in the salad, but the fork slipped. The tomato shot up to head height before plummeting to the floor.
Thud, roll—
Every servant's eyes in the room locked onto the rolling tomato behind him.
Lianus, sitting opposite with a clear view, watched their eyes unanimously follow the tomato and felt an indescribable sensation.
All their attention was fixed on Nihil.
Unthinkingly drawn in, Lianus forced his gaze back to Nihil.
Even then, Nihil spared not a glance for the tomato he'd launched, calmly spearing and eating a piece of grilled pineapple instead.
With his sharp senses, Nihil must have felt the servants' stares from behind, but his close friend carried himself with dignity anywhere.
Lianus pressed on with his explanation.
"Nil, the Queen is extremely proud and very... poi..."
Clink!
Before Lianus could finish, a clear glass chime rang through the dining room. Nihil had struck his water glass with his fork. Everyone's eyes snapped to the source.
Unable to comprehend Nihil's action, Lianus blinked and tilted his head.
"What's wrong, Nil?"
Nihil didn't answer, just glanced back and waved his hand dismissively. It meant send the servants away.
Realizing his near-mistake, Lianus sighed. He waved at the servants, ordering them all to withdraw.
Click. The door shut, leaving the vast dining room with only Lianus, Nil, and Evan. With the servants gone, Lianus naturally called Evan over to sit beside him.
This was routine enough that Evan glanced at Nihil but sat without protest. From experience, he knew the prince would stubbornly refuse to eat if he didn't.
Evan handled the prince's guard duty solo, so the kitchen always prepared his share—a sandwich. He hadn't touched today's yet; it was safely stowed in his gear bag. If he didn't eat it now, it'd go to waste.
With that in mind, Evan pulled out the sandwich and started eating, grateful for the chef's kindness.
Nihil wasn't particularly puzzled by the guard knight suddenly sitting next to the prince and munching a sandwich. After a brief moment of focus, he spoke.
"Tell me, Rian."
"Thanks. Thinking about the Queen got me worked up—I nearly slipped. She nitpicked your entry to the palace today, which soured my mood. Ah, Sir Evan, don't just eat the sandwich—try some other stuff too."
Nihil nodded nonchalantly, while Evan shook his head, saying it was fine. Still sulky over the Queen, Lianus continued.
"The Queen is a vicious woman. She once cut open her belly to deliver a premature child just to make him the 1st Prince. I know you don't care about status or age. I wouldn't force it on you either—I love how you treat everyone equally with that confidence. But the Queen is different. If you so much as misspeak, she'll charge you with lese majeste right there and punish you. I can't block legal penalties. Honestly, even if you use polite speech on the spot, she'll twist it into lese majeste anyway."
To sum up Lianus's words: unless the Queen was in an exceptionally good mood, his head was as good as rolling no matter what he said.
"I won't use polite speech."
"..."
Even then, Nihil's boldness held firm. Lianus blinked, then burst out laughing with a "Pfft." Evan, listening from the side, raised an eyebrow in disbelief.
"Nil, I really do like you. Mind if I ask why?"
"There's only one person I use polite speech with."
"...Huh?"
Lianus's eyes widened at the unexpected answer.
"...Who?"
Nihil didn't reply right away. He propped his chin, lost in thought, tapping the table absently.
"I... used to raise a child..."
"...A child?"
Lianus tilted his head at the sudden mention. Evan recalled Nihil mentioning he'd cared for a sick child and quietly listened while chewing his sandwich.
"Yeah. A very small, kind, lovable child..."
Nihil lifted his head slightly, meeting Lianus's eyes. Recalling something dear, a faint smile tugged at his lips.
"One day, that child started mimicking my speech."
"Your speech?"
"But even then, my way of talking was still too rough for fitting into society."
Evan, listening intently, nodded inwardly—impressed by how self-aware Nihil was.
Lianus, not quite grasping what "hard to adapt" speech meant, tilted his head slightly, but Nihil continued.
"So, worried I'd raise them wrong, I started using polite speech."
That's when Evan cut in with a subtle expression.
"Just a heads-up: slapping a 'yo' on the end doesn't count as polite speech."
"......I want to punch you."