Chapter 204
Chapter 204
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 204
Chapter Title: The Pink Rose
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"......?"
Lawrence looked up in puzzlement at the pink that filled his entire field of vision. Baedong, who had crept up unnoticed, was thrusting a single pink rose right under his nose.
"...What is this?"
When he finally managed to open his mouth and ask, Baedong trimmed a few petals and tucked the flower into Lawrence's hair.
At this irreverent act, Lawrence opened his mouth to say something, but he froze at the beaming smile spreading across Baedong's face and couldn't utter a word.
"Oh? Is the 1st Prince here too? Hello!"
"Greetings, 1st Prince."
"Hi!"
The children, spotting Lawrence, offered their belated greetings, but his mind was already too tangled to respond.
Why give me a flower all of a sudden? And why pink of all colors? Does Baedong know that pink roses symbolize hesitation? Is this a sign he's considering my proposal? Or maybe it's just because pink is the emblem color of Vernus Palace.
Perhaps he's just teasing me... but that smile was far too pretty for that.
"...Your Highness, Prince!"
"......!"
He snapped his head up at the voice calling him, meeting a pair of red eyes much like his own. It was Aiden, the boy from Vernus Palace whom Baedong had insisted on bringing to his residence.
"Ah... Aiden."
"You've seemed out of it the whole time. Are you all right?"
"I'm fine, just fine."
He had no idea how he'd made it back to his palace that day. He vaguely recalled hearing thanks from Lianus—or maybe not.
Lawrence hurriedly cleaned up the paper where ink had bled into a black mess and picked up his fountain pen again. His gaze flicked to the vase now overflowing with red roses, where a single pink one had been placed earlier.
'Prince, what is this messy flower?'
'...This is......'
His mother's question had left Lawrence unable to respond right away. The servants must have already reported it, so why ask directly?
'Throw it out at once. I'll send you some bright, beautiful red roses instead.'
'...Yes.'
His mother disliked pink because it was Vernus Palace's emblem color. The gardens had never been planted with pink roses, but the occasional ones that bloomed among the reds had always given Lawrence a strange sense of comfort.
"......"
In truth, Lawrence knew why his mother hated pink. It was because of him.
As he pictured the pink rose tossed into the trash, he cautiously called out to his maternal cousin.
"Aiden."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"By any chance, flowers... no, never mind."
Lawrence quickly changed his words. Aiden didn't know the full story, and it felt like too foolish a question anyway.
"Yes, if there's anything you need, please let me know."
"...I will."
Lawrence glanced at Aiden, who treated him with such deference, then lowered his eyes again.
This wasn't the Baedong he'd imagined. What was it? More like Lianus's Baedong—closer, more unpretentious, comfortable... someone he could share secrets with...
"...Do you like pink, by any chance?"
"Pardon?"
Aiden paused, pondering the sudden question, then answered confidently.
"No. I hate it."
Aiden grinned as he continued.
"Pink's for girls, isn't it? Or scrawny types like the 2nd Prince. Ah, do you like it, Your Highness?"
"...No, of course not."
"Haha, it doesn't suit a calm, strong prince like you."
"......"
"I prefer intense red... Ah, and that dark blue-black hair you inherited from His Majesty looks really cool."
"...Does it?"
The conversation ended there.
"Nil, I'm heading out... What are you doing?"
Rian, ready for his imperial studies lesson and about to say goodbye, spotted his shady best friend grinning slyly and approached cautiously.
Nihil was trying to give what looked like a pacifier—nicknamed a "binky"—to Somsom, from who-knows-where.
"Here, baby, take this too."
"...Mana beasts use pacifiers...?"
"Huh?"
Waaang—
"Whoa, hey!?"
Somsom suddenly opened wide and chomped down the pacifier whole.
"It swallowed it!"
"It's fine, it's fine."
"...Is that how you feed them?"
Were pacifiers edible? Weren't they just for sucking on? Or was it only shaped like one?
As he flailed in unresolved confusion, the air rippled and tore open. A familiar silhouette emerged.
"Requies."
"You've come, Dia."
The baby looked extremely displeased after so long. His chubby little fists trembled with clenching fury, and something inside one of them cracked with a snap.
"Didn't you like my gift?"
At Nihil's sly question, the baby hurled something at him. Nihil caught it effortlessly and opened his palm to show.
"...A binky?"
Why did the one Somsom ate end up with the baby...?
"Send something like that again, just once more."
"I thought you needed it."
Crunch. Teeth ground together. Biting that hard would damage them. Come to think of it, the baby was grown-up now—were those permanent teeth? Rian still had plenty of baby ones left.
Rian idly nudged a loosening baby tooth with his tongue as he leisurely watched their exchange.
"...Hand over the anima."
"I can't give back Somsom."
"I told you not to give it a weird name!"
"Weird name? That's harsh. I put some thought into it."
Doesn't it suit him perfectly? Nihil grinned slyly again. He'd been smiling more lately, but whether these sly grins were good or bad, Rian couldn't tell.
"Fine. I'm leaving."
"W-Wait? Baby, already?"
Rian had been secretly pleased at the thought of Nihil keeping him company during class, so he hurriedly called out.
"Baby, can't you stay and play more?"
"......"
"Nil will be alone while I'm in class..."
"......"
"He'll definitely get lonely..."
"Haa..."
Rian beamed at the baby's sigh. He felt strangely reassured.
"Rian, tell the Prime Minister to drop by when he has time."
"Okay!"
"Why do you need the Prime Minister?"
Once the little blood clot left the palace, Dios fixed his father with a heavy gaze. His father, expecting a scolding, averted his eyes and mumbled evasively.
"...Just a little business."
"......"
But Dios had no intention of letting it slide.
"Should I ask the Prime Minister myself?"
"...No."
Knowing his son wouldn't back down easily, his father hesitated before finally speaking.
Dios's brow furrowed at the explanation.
"...So you're healing the Prime Minister's mana circuits and had him set up a guild?"
"...Yes."
"I thought you were just looking after the blood clot, but you've been meddling everywhere."
"......"
Nihil lowered his eyes slightly. He felt like the shattered pacifier was exacting revenge on him.
"Why operate out of the palace, of all places?"
"...It just happened because I got connected to the prince..."
Getting kidnapped by a carriage wasn't his fault. And the clingy seaweed had been kinda cute...
"Haa..."
Dios sighed deeply and ran a hand through his hair. But in his childlike form, his father just looked content, like he was gazing at something adorable.
"...Tch."
Still treating him like a kid. He reluctantly reverted to his true form. His father smacked his lips regretfully—a ridiculous sight.
"Even a small village had that mess. How do you plan to handle it if you're exposed here?"
"That's..."
Knock knock.
A presence he'd assumed would pass by knocked on the door. He'd even relaxed his aura, but it persisted boldly.
"Come in."
Dios raised a brow at his father's immediate permission. He'd considered reverting to kid form to embarrass him, but decided against it.
Yet the old butler didn't flinch at his appearance.
"What is it, old man?"
Dios frowned slightly at his father shamelessly calling a true elder "old man" to a mere youth.
"I feared our esteemed guest might find our poor hospitality lacking, so I dared interrupt your precious time."
"......"
"If it's not needed..."
"Dia."
His father turned to him mid-sentence. Dios replied curtly, standing a bit standoffishly.
"What?"
"What did you do to the old man?"
"Nothing."
"Dia, you can't bully the elderly."
"...Requies, do you remember I've eaten ten times more than him?"
His father's eyes widened slightly at the retort. He'd clearly forgotten. Another sigh escaped at the persistent treatment.
"How long will you keep treating me like a child?"
"...Once a little one, always a little one."
His father's face looked terribly conflicted as he said it. Was it so strange that he'd aged? But his father's time was frozen, so maybe it made sense.
"Dia, care for some tea?"
Shall we play chess after so long? Ah, do you know the rules changed? I learned from my little one; I'll teach you.
His father grinned broadly, relieved to shift from heavy topics. Dios sighed at the sight of his relaxed parent and sat at the tea table.
It had come up during the report, but... a little late wouldn't hurt.
"Then I'll prepare the refreshments."
Paul swiftly and precisely prepared the tea and climbed the stairs. He'd worried the Grand Duke might get angry at the lack of attendants, but it wasn't too late.
'I need to show that the young master is doing well here.'
If they whisked him away while the prince was out, it would be a disaster!
He vowed to pull out every ounce of flattery, real or not, and serve with utmost care—when the young head maid approached, dragging the goldfish-poop-like child assassin along.
"Butler? Those refreshments..."
"Ah, Miss Perry."
Whether it seemed odd for him to carry them up personally, or because the young master didn't take tea alone, she voiced her doubt.
A talisman made by the young master dangled from her neck; his own had scattered, so this must be a new one.
Paul glanced at the white-haired talisman, then the child assassin, and smiled.
"An esteemed guest has arrived, so I'm serving personally."
"...Is His Majesty sneaking in again?"
Paul narrowed his eyes unwittingly at the question.
If that mangy cat were here, there'd be no refreshments. He'd ignore everyone and do his thing.
Paul told Perry and Lima not to worry, he'd handle it, and hurried to the young master's bedroom.
Knock knock.
"It's Butler Paul."
No reply came. The faint presence of the Grand Duke had vanished. Fearing the worst, Paul flung open the door.
"...Young master?"
Thankfully, the young master hadn't been kidnapped. The issue was he was alone.
"...And Grand Duke...?"
"Ah."
The young master turned belatedly, as if just realizing.
Paul froze upon meeting Nihil's eyes, which had gleamed oddly before turning pitch black.
"The Grand Duke had work. A subordinate hounded him, so he had to go."
"...Are you all right?"
"Can't be helped if he's busy."
"No, not that..."
He'd seen those eyes once before. That deep night when he'd barged in demanding to hide the source of high-grade potion use.
It had been brief then, and the next day he'd teased about a video of a young knight, but it nagged at him.
Paul set the tray down and quickly inspected Nihil. Unlike before, he didn't resist touch.
"Do you need a potion?"
"No."
No injuries apparent. The Grand Duke wouldn't have left him unscathed if harm was intended. Whatever happened in that short time...
"Old man."
"Yes, young master."
"I'm bored. Shall we visit Anna?"
"...I'll prepare."