How the Prince Makes Friends Chapter 143

Clap, clap, clap!

Nihil hopped up and down, clapping his hands. Our little seaweed was diligently beating the practice dummy.

Rianus’s embarrassed face gradually turned bright red, but Nihil found it amusing and cheered him on even more enthusiastically.

“…Please stay still.”

Walter Ernest, who had become the prince’s temporary escort knight for the day in Evan’s absence, reprimanded him sternly. Nihil obediently nodded for that moment, only to start clapping again a little later.

The Duke, who was personally instructing Lawrence in swordsmanship, glared pointedly at Nihil for making such a commotion. But Nihil had no interest in the gaze of some old man, so he casually ignored it.

Just as he was about to clap again because our little seaweed seemed to have landed another decent hit, his body was suddenly lifted into the air. It was Walter.

“Didn’t I tell you to stay still?”

Walter wondered how someone who had risen to the position of Royal Knights Commander had somehow ended up babysitting a child.

It had all started during the early-morning training session.

As usual, Walter had gathered the knights at dawn and was putting them through their training. He was exhausted from spending the entire weekend handling the Sharton incident without a break, and had considered leaving the session to his deputy. But, in the end, he wasn’t comfortable entrusting his own duties to someone else.

The Second Prince and a little child wrapped tightly from head to toe had appeared just as the training was nearly over. Walter wasn’t sure why, but Sir Evan, who had followed behind them, seemed terribly restless and kept glancing around nervously.

The training grounds had grown somewhat chilly at the Second Prince’s appearance. They were probably wary of that absurd so-called ‘mana curse.’

Walter deliberately approached to block the young prince’s view.

‘Your Highness, is something the matter?’

‘Sir Ernest, I need a knight to escort me today in place of Sir Evan.’

Walter assumed that Sir Evan must have had somewhere to go that day. After all, as the Second Prince’s only escort knight, he didn’t have many opportunities to leave his post.

He immediately began looking for subordinates who could serve as His Highness’s escort. Most of them clearly seemed reluctant, but unlike before, a few stepped forward and volunteered.

The problem came afterward.

The little child who had accompanied the prince suddenly approached Walter and clasped his hand tightly.

‘……?’

‘U-Um… Neil, what’s wrong?’

The child held Walter’s hand out toward the prince.

‘Do you like Sir Ernest?’

Nod, nod.

‘But the position of Royal Knights Commander is very busy. How about another knight? Doesn’t that one look strong?’

At the question, the child, whose hood was pulled low over his face, swept his gaze across the training grounds. Then he shook his head and patted Walter’s thigh.

‘Neil… I agree that Sir Ernest is strong and trustworthy. But…’

Shake, shake.

The child hugged one of Walter’s legs tightly, as though refusing to give up. Then he plopped down onto the ground.

‘…….’

The little prince fidgeted anxiously at his friend’s behavior. He glanced around nervously, then looked up at Walter.

His large, round eyes looked remarkably clear.

The prince hesitantly approached and lightly tugged at the hem of Walter’s clothes.

‘Um… Sir Ernest, are you very busy today? Since you’re the commander of the knights… you must be busy, right?’

‘…….’

What knight could possibly refuse when His Highness asked him something like that? Moreover, Walter had always felt sympathy for the Second Prince, who was constantly pushed around by others. It was simply impossible to say no.

“Haa…”

Having finished recalling the events, Walter let out a deep sigh. He had been worried that His Majesty might refuse because he already had so much work piled up, but permission had been granted far more readily than expected.

In exchange, all of Walter’s duties had been passed on to his deputy, so he had no choice but to endure the deputy’s resentful gaze.

But what could he do? The little child had chosen him.

Walter tightened his arms slightly around the child squirming in his embrace. He had thought the child had chosen him because he liked him, but in reality, the little one paid him hardly any attention and didn’t listen to a word he said.

Just the other day, he had heard rumors that the Second Prince’s friend was a lunatic—no, an eccentric child. He had assumed it was another rumor intended to undermine the prince, but… the child really was a little strange.

Walter turned his gaze back toward the training grounds. Perhaps he had been lost in thought for too long, because the two princes were already preparing to spar.

Their wooden swords clashed a few times, and the match ended with the First Prince’s victory. It was only natural. Despite his gentle-looking face, the First Prince was considerably larger and stronger than other children his age.

Even if the Second Prince had better technique and skill, the difference in their physiques couldn’t be ignored. Unless he had reached a level where he could compensate for his build with aura, it was a match he could never win.

More than anything, it was obvious even from a cursory glance that the Duke wasn’t teaching the Second Prince proper swordsmanship.

The dejected Second Prince sat down heavily on the dirt and remained there for quite some time. He seemed deeply disappointed.

Walter watched him sympathetically and was just about to take a step forward to comfort him when the little child in his arms suddenly sprang away and scampered toward the prince.

“Neil…”

The prince immediately stretched out both arms toward the child approaching him.

And the child, as though it were the most natural thing in the world, scooped the prince up and patted him gently.

Walter raised one eyebrow at the peculiar sight. Even though the child had been hopping around and clapping without any sense of decorum, he certainly seemed to take good care of the prince.

“Sniff… Neil… Do you think I’m hopeless, too?”

Nod, nod.

“Waaaaah~!”

“…….”

Walter revised his opinion.

That child really was a little strange after all.

“Sniff, sniff…”

Perhaps because his friend had nodded so readily when asked whether he was hopeless, the Second Prince returned to the palace in tears.

It was rather contradictory that he was crying in the arms of the very friend who had upset him. But even more contradictory was the fact that the person who made him cry was also the one comforting him.

And now, the little child who had made the prince cry was washing him.

“Pfft! Huaaah~! Pfft, Neil is stupid!”

Sniff.

“Kheung!”

“…….”

He had started by washing the prince’s face without giving him a choice, and now he was diligently wiping his nose, too.

Both the one doing it and the one receiving it seemed so accustomed to the routine that Walter couldn’t help wondering whether this was really normal.

After thoroughly scrubbing the prince from head to toe, the little child naturally proceeded to dry his hair as well.

By the time the meal had been served in the bedroom and the child began feeding roasted vegetables to the prince, who was a picky eater, Walter could no longer hold back.

“…Your Highness, do you not have any servants who attend to you personally?”

“Ah… Well… It just turned out that way. And my friend isn’t very comfortable with servants approaching him, either… Neil, can’t you let the bell pepper slide just this once?”

Shake, shake.

“Hng…”

Rianus stared gloomily at the wicked bell pepper being held out to him, then finally opened his mouth and let the evil thing inside.

It was only lightly roasted on the outside, so the surface was soft while the inside remained crunchy. It had an absolutely unpleasant texture.

“I specifically asked them to leave out the bell peppers. Why do they keep putting them in my meals…?”

“…….”

The culprit responsible for putting bell peppers in his meals kept his mouth shut and hurriedly offered him a piece of meat instead.

Unaware that his dear friend was the mastermind behind the bell pepper conspiracy, Rianus obediently chewed the meat.

“More importantly, Neil, aren’t your hood and veil uncomfortable? Sir Ernest isn’t likely to go around blabbing about you, so you can relax.”

“…….”

At those words, Nihil looked at Walter, who stood perfectly upright, maintaining his formal posture without the slightest sign of relaxing.

Even when Rianus told him to make himself comfortable, Walter didn’t change his stance or let down his guard.

He wasn’t particularly strict with children, but he seemed like an extremely rigid man. He probably wouldn’t go around carelessly running his mouth, but that didn’t mean he would omit anything from his reports.

With Frederick around, there was no way to prevent information from reaching the child’s father in the first place. But it would be troublesome if the Queen learned about Nihil, too.

In the end, Nihil shook his head.

Just then, the butler’s footsteps approached. A knock sounded against the bedroom door.

Rianus didn’t answer immediately. He looked at Nihil first, and only after Nihil nodded did he speak.

“Come in.”

The butler entered, his expression somewhat gloomy.

“Your Highness, Her Majesty the Queen has sent an etiquette tutor. …For Young Master Neil.”

 

***

 

Evan had left the palace for the first time in a while. He felt a little sorry toward the commander, but there was hardly anyone he trusted as much. He was also rather grateful that the wildcat had insisted on it.

It took him visiting five different toy stores before he finally found a large stuffed dog. Walking through the streets with it in his arms drew a few curious glances, but he did his best to ignore them and continued on his way.

Knock, knock.

Having reached his destination, Evan knocked on the door and opened it, feeling a little nervous.

“Aril.”

“…….”

As expected, there was no reply. Instead, he heard the soft, steady breathing of someone sleeping.

Click.

The door closed behind him.

The room was dim despite the bright afternoon, with blackout curtains carefully drawn over the windows. On the bedside table sat a charming little teapot shaped like a chick.

Evan approached the bed and carefully placed the stuffed dog beside the blanket that rose and fell with each breath. Then he drew back the curtains, opened the window, and immediately aired out the room.

The overpowering smell of medicine gradually drifted away with the breeze.

Evan refilled the chick-shaped teapot with fresh water, then placed an incense burner beside it with a soft click.

It was the incense burner that white brat had brought to his room, intending to put him to sleep, and then left behind.

‘I wonder if it’ll work.’

Despite being supposedly very strong, it hadn’t had much effect on him. It might be just as useless for Aril, who had already developed a tolerance to sleeping incense and painkillers.

Still, since the brat had made it himself, perhaps it was a little different from the other medicines. Clinging to that vague hope, Evan had stuffed it into his belongings and brought it along.

Evan gently brushed aside the hair of the girl whose hair was the same shade as his own.

Perhaps she had been suffering before finally falling asleep the previous night, too. Her hair, damp with sweat, didn’t fall smoothly. Instead, it tangled around his fingers.

“…Aril.”

Evan spoke again in a low voice.

“Aril, apparently we have a wolf among our ancestors.”

“…….”

“My parents were perfectly ordinary people, though. Isn’t that strange?”

Evan continued despite receiving no answer.

“…I wondered if it might have something to do with your illness. Maybe… we could at least find the cause of why you’re sick.”

“…….”

“But… apparently, those wolves went extinct. Three hundred years ago, too. Isn’t that ridiculous?”

After saying that, Evan let out a hollow laugh.

“If I… if I showed you to that brat… would you get better?”

But he couldn’t take her there. If he brought her outside, her heart would burst.

“I should’ve just put the contract on my own body instead…”

Why was she the only one who had to endure such a trial?

“If I brought him here… would he try to kill me?”

After thinking for a moment, Evan shook his head. If it were that brat, he might actually try to understand even Evan’s circumstances.

But Evan didn’t want to show him this situation. He didn’t want to be understood, either.

This was the path he had chosen.

“I’m sorry your big brother is selfish.”

“…….”

“I’m sorry, Aril.”

“…….”

In the brief silence, a knock sounded against the door. Then it slowly opened, as though the person outside had no intention of waiting for the occupant’s permission.

“Sir Evan.”

“…….”

“His Highness Prince Bi is summoning you.”