Chapter 208
Chapter 208
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 208
Chapter Title: A Friend in Princely Studies
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"Older Brother, you don't need to worry about my close friend."
Sir Evan gave a wry smile as he watched his master reply with such confidence.
Yeah, there's no need to worry about that wildcat. The one who needs worrying about... isn't him.
"I'm not talking about that wildcat. Well... you won't understand what I mean until you experience it yourself."
"Haha, you're right. He'll only get it after getting stabbed in the back by some dumb commoner. Expecting loyalty from those kinds of guys is foolish to begin with, isn't it?"
Sir Evan bowed his head even lower. Is it because I'm a dumb commoner? Is that why I've done something I'll regret so much?
A premonition that his time was almost up sank his mood deeper into the abyss.
"Bringing someone without honor or dignity to princely studies is a mistake too. How could we seat someone so beneath us next to the 1st Prince? It's an insult to him."
He didn't even notice that the redheaded brat with rotten manners was slyly shading his master.
Fortunately, oblivious Lianus just tilted his head and asked back.
"But hasn't the polite one come too?"
"I am the future head of the Tesaurus Ducal House, the kingdom's only ducal family..."
"My close friend is a smarter and greater talent than you!"
"Comparing me to some beggar...!"
"Nil isn't just smart—he's strong, kind, cute, and patient... well, maybe not that patient, but it should be fine!"
Bam!
Lianus slammed his palm on the desk mid-sentence. Abel, who had just returned after finishing a talk with an official, widened his eyes at the sight.
"...Did something happen while I was away, 2nd Prince?"
"You have to get angry when it's called for! Right, Prime Minister?"
"Y-Yes? W-Well, yes, that's true."
"Holding back too much is a nuisance to those around you!"
"Of course, of course. Even I sometimes want to grab His Majesty by the collar when he brushes off serious matters... no, no, forget I said that."
Abel chimed in but quickly backpedaled. Lianus didn't care whether the Prime Minister grabbed the king or not—he launched into a rant about how people shouldn't just bottle everything up.
"...So in conclusion, my close friend needs to get a little angry...!"
Creak.
"...?"
A faint door sound came then. Thinking someone had entered, he turned toward it, but the door was firmly shut, and there were no signs of anyone.
"...Sir Evan, didn't you hear something?"
"...Ah."
Sir Evan, who had been lost in thought with his head down, flinched at Lianus's question. He cautiously stepped to the door and opened it.
Click.
"......"
"......"
And there was the wildcat, crouched pitifully.
"Heh."
Seeing the wildcat rolling his eyes and gauging the situation made him chuckle for a moment. He'd apparently snuck in to surprise them but got spooked by the fierce baby beast's roar and backed away.
"You..."
Shh—.
"...Your Highness, the wildcat has arrived."
Sir Evan ignored Nihil's gesture to stay quiet and announced his arrival. The guy slapped Sir Evan's thigh in protest but soon stretched out his arms, asking to be picked up.
Sir Evan almost lifted Nihil naturally but froze. He couldn't keep letting the boy depend on him like this.
"...Am I your servant? Get up yourself."
The boy slapped his thigh again at the curt reply.
"Nil! Good to see you!"
Lianus soon came running over and helped Nihil up. Seeing no sign of a scolding, Nihil nodded quickly and toddled inside.
"Prime Minister, may my close friend join us too?"
"Of course. Shall we resume the lesson now?"
"Yes, teacher!"
Nihil patted the unusually fresh seaweed today before turning into a human scarecrow.
"...As you can see, diplomacy for a small nation like ours is no easy task. Sometimes, regrettably, we must watch our opponents' moods. For instance, King Edward IX, our predecessor, pursued neutral diplomacy with the divided empire back then. He faced criticism for lacking integrity, but it minimized the damage from war..."
The scarecrow half-listened to the lesson, grew bored, and started outlining a magic curriculum to teach the Prime Minister. Of course, to avoid anyone thinking it odd, he scribbled in ancient script to hide the content.
"Mr. Nil, even if you're bored, no doodling during lesson time... no, that's some fine handwriting. Carry on..."
The Prime Minister reached for the paper in front of him, peeked at the content, and put it back. Nihil shrugged once and kept writing.
"He must think we look cool studying and wants to imitate us."
Aiden whispered and giggled to Lawrence at the seemingly random scribbles, but Nihil just nodded vaguely, tore off a corner, wrote "idiot" in ancient script, and tossed it as a gift.
"What the—!"
The note was immediately thrown away, but Nihil didn't show it.
Until Somnus, who had been dozing on his head, hopped down and ate it.
"!!!"
Nihil nearly screamed seeing Somnus devour the note. He frantically reached in to retrieve it, but nothing was left in the little one's mouth.
"Uh, um, Nil. Som-Som ate a pacifier before, so a little paper should be fine, right?"
"......"
Lianus tried to comfort the dazed, blank Nihil, but it didn't help at all. Nihil hurriedly grabbed the pen again and wrote a letter.
-[Dia, misunderstanding. That note wasn't for you, it was to tease the kid, but for some reason our smart hand-Som-Som misunderstood my intent...]
He almost teased the little one again without thinking, but Nihil carefully wrote an explanatory letter.
The onlookers who didn't know the situation frowned in confusion at Nihil stuffing a larger paper into Somnus's mouth, but Nihil prioritized the explanation and ignored them.
Ptooey!
But despite his efforts, the explanation didn't reach the kid.
"......"
"......"
Nihil gaped at the regurgitated letter but eventually closed his mouth.
...Puberty already?
For a kid who first babbled today, the growth seemed too fast. Then, as Somnus rolled around, it suddenly stopped and spat something out.
Plop, rollll...
A crumpled note popped out. Apparently, the passage couldn't handle bidirectional simultaneous transfer and spat out his explanation.
Good thing it's not puberty yet.
The kid's puberty had been quite flashy, so Nihil hoped Somnus's would come a bit later.
...But is this crumpled note a sign it wants to crumple me up too?
Nihil felt a twinge of bitterness but pocketed the crumpled note anyway. It was the first time the kid sent something other than a magic stone.
"...Why are you keeping trash like that?"
Aiden muttered in disbelief, but Nihil saw no need to respond to someone who didn't grasp the preciousness of a gift from his baby, so he ignored him.
He nodded at the Prime Minister to hurry and continue the lesson. Regret was plain on the man's face. To avoid getting caught by that crazy mage later, he'd have to bolt right after class.
"Now, just a moment..."
"...?"
But unexpectedly, after class, it was the 1st Prince who grabbed him.
"No matter how I think about it, having that dumb commoner in class with us is inappropriate!"
"But... my close friend is smarter than you, isn't he?"
"How can you say such a humiliating thing...! I've received top-tier education rivaling the princes' since childhood in a ducal house! That thing doesn't even know tea etiquette...!"
Aiden pointed at Nihil but froze. The way Nihil lowered his lush white lashes and lifted the teacup was utterly elegant.
"......Slurp."
Nihil, who had just been casually sipping refinedly, slurped loudly without flinching at the sudden stares.
"See? How frivolous!"
"Indeed!"
"...?"
Lianus panicked and chimed in urgently, worried his friend's true colors would show, leaving brief confusion on Aiden's face.
"...It's pre-meal, but if you'd like dessert, I can have some brought."
Nod nod.
Nihil gladly accepted Lawrence's not-quite-considerate offer. Soon, despite the "pre-meal" label, the table brimmed with all sorts of desserts.
"...Your stomach will be too full for the meal, so pick only your favorites."
He pondered a bit, then deliberately sampled a bite of each to show off. Aiden freaked out about the lack of manners, but the princes watched intently what he chose.
The intent was obvious, so Nihil smirked inwardly and picked carefully.
Exclude hard-to-eat-by-hand ones, cookies or baked goods in large quantities, ones with chocolate that the dog likes, Lianus... eats anything without fuss...
With all those reasons, few remained. Too many unknown varieties...
After painstakingly taste-testing cakes by type, Nihil pulled strawberry desserts to himself. Knowing strawberries were out of season, he marveled at the palace's bounty seeing fresh ones.
He didn't particularly like strawberries, but to fabricate a preference, focusing on one was most effective. So from this moment, Nihil became a strawberry-loving wildcat.
"Nil, you gonna eat all that?"
Nod nod.
"Isn't it too much?"
"......"
Nihil pretended to ponder Lianus's words, picked off only the decorative strawberries, and offered the rest to Aiden.
"What! Why give me leftovers?!"
"Aiden, if there's something you want, I'll have fresh ones brought."
"N-No, it's not that I want any..."
The 1st Prince soothed Aiden with a smile, then turned to Nihil.
"...Do you like strawberries?"
Nod.
"I see."
His crimson eyes rounded. Nihil smiled back.
In the end, he even joined the 1st Prince for lunch. Unlike before, his stomach felt fine. Probably because his close friend was solidly by his side.
'But... did Nil like strawberries...?'
Back in the carriage to Wer Nus Palace, Lianus wondered but soon shrugged it off.
When he'd asked for strawberry-less strawberry cake, Nil had eaten all the strawberries, so he didn't hate them.
"By the way, Sir Evan."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"You haven't gone out in a while... everything okay?"
"Ah..."
Sir Evan's face twisted in a mix of sob and smile at the question.
"It's still... still fine for now."