Chapter 88: We Are All Friends (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 88: We Are All Friends (2)
“So, you’re the child His Majesty mentioned.”
Melissa seemed to already know about Nathaniel’s existence, likely having heard of him from Dantalion.
A strange light flickered in her pale blue eyes. She appeared to be scanning every inch of Nathaniel with meticulous detail.
“Hmm, it’s definitely divine power, but… it’s a bit strange.”
“…!”
Her words made me flinch instead. It was because Nathaniel didn’t possess just pure divine power.
“Did you happen to learn magic as well?”
“…”
Nathaniel didn’t answer Melissa’s question. Instead, he turned to look at me.
Why are you looking at me? I blinked and tilted my head, feigning ignorance. Fortunately, Nathaniel turned his gaze back to Melissa.
“No.”
“Hmm, how odd. This is clearly the energy of those disgusting bastards…”
“…”
“But you’re quite blunt, aren’t you?”
Nathaniel tended not to speak much with anyone other than me. Moreover, perhaps because Melissa was acting somewhat hostile, he didn’t bother using formal speech.
Melissa’s lips curled into a smile. Her eyes sparkled like a cat that had discovered a fascinating new toy.
“Is this child receiving separate etiquette lessons?”
“O-oh, no. He’s only been training with the knight order,” Sophia answered.
“I see.”
Melissa, having questioned Sophia, smiled even more broadly. I had a bad feeling about this.
“Little Lady, how about this child joins our lessons as well?”
“Umm.”
“Wouldn’t it be more fun to learn with a friend?” Melissa asked enthusiastically.
It seemed she intended to keep Nathaniel close so she could keep an eye on him. Since Nathaniel, who had contracted with the demon Ilnes, possessed more than just divine power, he had piqued Melissa’s interest.
This was a disaster. I should have made sure they never met in the first place.
As I stood there not knowing what to do, Desmond spoke up indifferently.
[Just leave it. No matter how great a mage she is, she won’t be able to detect the Archdemon’s contract.]
‘R-really? You’re sure it’s impossible, no matter how amazing the mage is?’
[Hmph. It would only be possible if that human were a greater mage than the Archdemon himself. But there’s no way that’s the case.]
I finally felt relieved at Desmond’s words.
Right, there was no way she’d find out. Even the Sword Masters hadn’t noticed until now, and neither had the High Priest. It would be the same for a mage.
“Dia likes that idea!”
“Fufu, then let’s study together starting today.”
Melissa looked very pleased, having gained another research subject. Nathaniel, on the other hand, remained wary of her.
“Niel, this is our teacher. You have to say hello.”
“…Hi.”
“Politely!”
“Hello,” Nathaniel said in a flat tone.
Regardless of his attitude, Melissa seemed satisfied.
‘Well, Nathaniel needed to start lessons sooner or later anyway.’
If Nathaniel was going to stay in the Imperial Palace, he needed to learn etiquette. Come to think of it, Nathaniel probably didn’t know how to read either. Hadn’t he been confined in the Temple since he was very young?
I was a little worried about what Melissa might find out, but since Desmond had spoken with such confidence, it would probably be fine.
“Niel, let’s eat this and then study.”
“Okay.”
Nathaniel nodded and obediently accepted the cake. Unlike me, he had a huge sweet tooth.
“I don’t like lemons.”
“Uung.”
Except for the sour fruits I liked.
I giggled as I watched Nathaniel, whose likes and dislikes had become quite clear.
“Now then, shall we continue our studies?” Melissa shouted with an excited face.
We’re just going to be doing boring alphabet practice for a while anyway. I nodded gloomily.
“If you work hard, I’ll give you a reward.”
“A reward?”
“Ta-da!”
“…?”
Melissa pulled something out from her robe.
It was a round gem, the exact same color as Melissa’s eyes.
I already have lots of gems, though. When I looked at her with that expression, Melissa shook her head.
“This isn’t just any gem. It’s a magic stone!”
“A magic stone?”
“Yes, it’s a gem infused with mana. Isn’t it cool?”
“Whoa.”
Hearing that made the gem look much more special. Looking closely, I could feel a faint, shimmering energy coming from it.
“It was originally a colorless gem, but the color changed like this when I put my mana into it. Isn’t it fascinating?”
“Is your mana sky blue, Teacher?”
“I suppose so.”
As I marveled at it, Melissa chimed in excitedly. Nathaniel remained indifferent.
“Dia will work really hard!”
“Great. Good luck!”
Melissa cheered as she watched me pump my fist enthusiastically. For the first time in a while, I felt a surge of competitive spirit.
*
“Hehe.”
I giggled as I looked at the small gem sitting in my palm. The brilliant sky-blue stone sparkled as it caught the sunlight.
“Dia, are you happy?”
“Yes!”
The competition had been almost disappointingly easy. Of course it was—I already knew all the letters.
Nathaniel didn’t seem to have any motivation at all, but I still felt a little bad for snatching Melissa’s magic stone all for myself. However, Nathaniel didn’t even spare the stone a glance, as if he had no interest in it whatsoever.
“Make sure to keep it tucked away in your pocket so you don’t lose it.”
“Uung.”
Sophia had set it aside for me, saying that magic stones were precious gems. I carefully tucked the stone into my pocket.
“Dia, did you sleep well?”
“Abel!”
I ran toward Abel, happy to see him after a long time. Abel greeted me with a handsome smile.
“Why haven’t you come to see Dia lately?”
“I’m sorry. I’ve been busy helping my father with his work,” Abel said, wrinkling his nose apologetically.
I was shocked by his words.
The House of Count Gideon, a vassal family of Winston, handled the family’s covert affairs. Intelligence gathering and various operations were the responsibility of the Gideons.
Come to think of it, Abel’s special ability was perfectly suited for that. It was a stealth skill that allowed him to hide his presence. I looked at the still-young Abel with pitying eyes.
He’s so young, and they’re already making him work. Count Gideon was truly too much.
“If you don’t want to do it, you don’t have to. Just come to Dia.”
“I appreciate the sentiment, but I’m fine.”
“But still…”
“I really am.”
Abel spoke with a picture-perfect smile. He gently took my hand.
“After all, everything I do is for your sake, Dia.”
“Umm, you have to tell me if it’s too hard, okay?”
“I will.”
Looking at Abel’s smiling face made my heart flutter strangely. It was only natural for Abel to be loyal to me as the Little Lady of Winston, but because he was such a beautiful boy, it was bad for my heart. I had to mentally scold myself countless times.
“Get away.”
“Ugh.”
Just then, Nathaniel, who had been standing still, pushed Abel away. The two boys glared at each other.
These two are going to fight again the moment they meet. I watched them with cold eyes before turning my head at the sound of a voice calling me.
“Little Lady!”
“Saintess! Luci!”
Today was the day we had planned to go boating on the palace lake. The group had grown larger than expected, making it quite crowded. The Duke of Winston frowned as if he didn't like the crowd.
“My quality time with Dia is…”
“Our Dia has made many friends lately, you know.”
“Sigh.”
Unlike the grumbling Duke, Veronica looked consistently pleased. Since she had been worried about me not having friends, she was actually quite happy about the situation.
“Thank you for inviting us, Little Lady.”
“T-thank you.”
Luciano, who was still shy, bowed his head. I grabbed his hand without hesitation.
“Let’s go play on the boats!”
“Yes!”
Marianne giggled. She had been shocked after seeing Cedric’s true nature not long ago, but now there wasn't a single shadow on her face.
“Whoa.”
The lake was larger than I had imagined. The emerald water sparkled and shone under the sunlight. It was truly beautiful.
“Hmm, there are many of us, so we’ll have to split up.”
Because there were more people than expected, we had to divide into different boats. Fortunately, there were several boats available, so that wasn't an issue.
The real problem came next.
“I was the one who suggested this to Dia, so we should ride together.”
“Oh my, I’m Dia’s mother, so of course we should ride together.”
“I am the Little Lady’s nanny.”
“I-I…!”
Since the boats were four-seaters, we had to split into two groups, and everyone was arguing over who would get to ride with me.
I let out a sigh as I watched the scene.
“Then let’s be fair and let Dia choose.”
“Huh?”
I blinked at Abel’s suggestion.
Suddenly, countless eyes were fixed on me. This was something I truly hadn't expected.
“Dia, you’re going to ride with your grandpa, right?”
“What are you talking about? You’re riding with Mommy. Right?”
“Little Lady! Ride with your nanny, okay?”
“D-Dia…”
A chorus of voices erupted. I stared at them, completely lost for words.